Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale '39-'45
Series Kit No. 6192; Sturmgescheutze Crew Reloading Russia 1941; 48 parts in grey styrene;
estimated price about US $10.95
Advantages: very flexible set of figures can be used with SP guns or tanks from 1941 to
1944 (as the sprue flag says so!), choice of ammo a good idea
Disadvantages: figures are not "Gen2" standard
Rating: Highly Recommended
Recommendation: for all German armor fans
Occasionally a set of figures comes out with little fanfare or apparent advantage, but
when examined closely is a good "maid of all work" that can be used for a very
wide variety of functions and either with a single kit or in a diorama setting. DML's
choice of figures here is very much one of those sets.
This kit provides a single sprue with three basic figures of Germans wearing the generic
armor crewmen's uniform and one more with a pullover sweater performing the basic
uploading - "bombing up" to Commonwealth armour fans - of ammunition into an
armored vehicle. I say generic as it basically depends if you paint them in field gray
with red trim as assault gun or antitank crewmen or black with pink as tankers. Each
figure comes with a choice of either a peaked soft cap or a side cap for headgear.
The figures are basic- torso, head, two arms and two legs - but molding is up to DML's
standards and these figures, as not in combat or wearing more involved uniforms, do not
really need the extra "zing" provided by Gen2 molding techniques. Eight heads
are provided for variety, however, but four have their tops cut at a slant for the side
caps and four squared off for use with the peaked caps.
Poses are simple: one man with a sweater is an observer, one is holding a round, one is
handing it down, and one is receiving the round from the previous figure. A nice touch is
the presence of three distinct type of ammo: four rounds for what appears to be the stubby
L/24 gun, four HE rounds for the L/46-48 guns, and four AP rounds for the latter weapon.
But as they are pretty generic figures, it should not be hard to use them with the longer
7.5 cm L/70 ammo or 8.8 cm rounds.
Overall, the greatest advantage of this set is their flexibility, and I wouldn't be
surprised for German armor fans to stock up on them.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
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