The DShK 1938 (Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny, “Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large-Calibre”) became the standard Soviet heavy machine gun of WWII. It fired 12.7x108mm cartridges (the West’s M2 .50 cal fired 12.7x107mm) fed by belt or box magazine. It was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled cart and a single armor shield (similar to that used by the Maxim) as well as on a tripod for anti-aircraft. It was mounted on GAZ trucks, on late war tank cupolas (IS-2, ISU-152) in tank turrets (i.e. T-40), and other vehicles and ships.

A modernized DShK 1938/46or DShKM version appeared post war, which looked much the same. The Soviet Union , Russia, People's Republic of China, Pakistan and Romania have manufactured the DShK which has appeared throughout the world. I recall in Vietnam it was called a “.51 cal.” as it fired a slightly larger round than our M2 (the rounds were not interchangeable), and was one of the weapons our vulnerable helicopters learned to respect.

Description:

Kit includes parts to build a four-wheeled, wagon-style, horse-drawn farm cart. The box art is nicely done, but is the only painting guide for the kit. The back panel of the box includes a sprue map and exploded-view assembly instructions. No decals are included.

Inspection:

The kit includes two sets of identical sprues, with a total of 52 parts molded in light gray soft plastic, including bottom, sides, front and back panels of wagon body, suspension pieces including front and rear axles, hitching beams and turning mechanisms for front axle, as well as four spoked wheels, seat bottom and backrest, and various hardware. There is no visible flash on any of the parts, but mold separation lines are present on all of the parts. The wood sections are nicely represented, with fine grain molded into the surfaces.

Assembly:

Few weapons on the battlefield can instill fear and panic more readily than the fire-spewing armored flame thrower, especially in the form of a main battle tank. Germany, Britain, and the United States all used this fearsome weapon, and Soviet Russia was no exception. Very useful for breaking trench lines and reducing bunkers and machine gun nests, the OT-34 was used in several variants throughout the war. This version is based on the 1943 version of the T-34, with a raised commander’s cupola. The turret casting molds were not uniform from one factory to the next, giving rise to many subtle variations in shape and texture.

The Panzerspahwagen Sd. Kfz. 232 was one of many various types of vehicles with eight-wheel drive and eight-wheel steering used by armored reconnaissance units of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS. These armored vehicles were used in many campaigns in Africa and Europe during World War 2. The Sd. Kfz. 232 was noted for its medium range wireless set and frame antenna. This type of antenna was used until 1942 when it was replaced by a single pole antenna. Sd. Kfz. 232s were usually armed with a 2cm KwK 30 L/55 auto cannon capable of firing at a rate of 280 rounds a minute and a 7.92mm machine gun, both mounted in a single turret. A crew of four was typical. The commander and gunner sat in the turret, the driver sat at the front, and a secondary driver was emplaced in the rear of the hull. Powered by a 155 hp 8-cyl gasoline engine with a range of 186 miles and a top speed of 53 mph, it is easy to see why it was one of Rommel’s best long-range recon vehicles.

The basis of this kit is the old Occidental kit, with extra parts added for the beer barrels and a beautiful Cartograf decal sheet with five options (4 RAF and 1 Dutch). The box states that these are “upgraded moulds”, but when I compared it to the MPM boxing of the Occidental kit it was obvious that the molds are basically the same. The Italeri kit only has the option of the rounded, narrow-chord rudder. Much has been written about the nose of the Occidental kit being too long, and since the Italeri kit uses the same molds, the nose is still too long. I think that the finished model looks like a Spitfire, but for you purists there is a correction set available from Aeroclub which shortens the nose by about 2mm.