Sd.Kfz.7/1 2cm Flakvierling 38 auf Selbstfahrlafette
1:35 kit comparison
kit #6525 - kit #01523
Part 8: Decals/Extras
There are also a couple of vehicle names and data panels as well as some kill markings for the gun shield and the elevation gradients mentioned earlier.
There are 4 marking options included in the instructions, 1 from 24.Pz.Div., near Stalingrad 1942 and 3 unidentified units in Russia 1942/43 and a little more information would be have been nice? Also considering all the markings are for the Russian campaign the inclusion of the cabin canvas tilt cover might have been a consideration to better represent a vehicle in a winter.
The markings provided are:
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The decal sheet is also well printed with good colour register and has number plates and unit markings for 2 Luftwaffe, 1 Wehrmacht and 1 SS unit along with the instrument dials and data placards mentioned earlier.
The colour painting guide only has 5 view illustrations of one vehicle with the alternate decal options shown so you can basically make up your own paint finish if no references are available?Of note is the fact that a limited number of kits released in Japan included an extra sprue to give you two 40 round ammunition boxes and a spare barrel case, why these items are not included in kits outside of Japan is a question best directed at Dragon Care?
Included in the Trumpeter kit is an additional twelve 40 round ammo boxes but these are rather poor being considerably undersized and lacking in any real detail, the image below shows a comparison with these and the Cyberhobby/Dragon boxes included in the limited release Japanese kits.
the dotted lines show the actual box sizes compared to the kit parts.
The other inclusion in the Trumpeter kit is the full Sd.Ah.51 Trailer but as mentioned in the initial kit review this is not the official trailer used with the Sd.Kfz.7/1 which was the larger Sd.Ah.56 Trailer to hold the additional 1800 2cm rounds carried for the guns.
I won’t spend a lot of time describing the trailer as it is simply not applicable here, of course anything is possible as have seen on numerous occasions during wartime but every photo I have seen of the Sd.Kfz.7/1 with trailer shows the larger Sd.Ah.56 Trailer.
One item not included in either kit is the canvas cab tilt cover which limits the kits to diorama situations other than bad weather/winter scenes where the cab cover is often deployed.
Of more concern are some of the items missing such as the full compliment of Kar98 rifles and not enough ammunition to fill the ready racks on the Flakvierling mounting as well as no instrument dial decals, no accelerator pedal or no winch tow cable which does leave you wondering a little?
The Trumpeter kit is simply not up to the moulding and fit standards of the Cyberhobby/Dragon kit and has some major issues such as the hull/chassis length and the poor front fender profile as well as the Flakvierling 38 mounting which is rather disappointing overall.
It does also have some areas that are better detailed than the corresponding Cyberhobby/Dragon parts such as the engine/gearbox/winch, front wheels and instrument panel decals but other than that leaves you wanting if detail and accuracy are of concern.
Both kits need some work for the best results but less is required for the Cyberhobby/Dragon kit due to the better initial quality mouldings and excellent overall fit of the parts and at the end of the day both are a vast improvement over the old Tamiya offering from 1975.
If the issues shown in this review are of no concern for those who prefer to build their kits straight from the box, both kits will give you a good representation of the Sd.Kfz.7/1 2cm Flakvierling 38 but more work will still be needed for the Trumpeter kit.
For more info on the kits, see the individual Dragon and Trumpeter kit reviews.
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