Dragon Models has re-released their Kettenkrad kit and bundled it with a trailer called an Infanteriekarren (or ‘Infantry Vehicle’). Originally produced back in 2001, this new boxing comes with a small sheet of photo-etch in addition to the trailer.

The boxtop image, instructions and contents represent the later production version with the solid armored sides, even though Dragon calls the new release the ‘Early Production’. You will have to make some small modifications, as well as carve out the plastic sides to represent the actual tubular frame of the earlier vehicle if that’s what you’re going for.

According to the blurb on the side of the kit box, the Opel Blitzbus Ludewig “Aero” was built during the mid 1930’s. The vehicle was made on the chassis of the Opel Blitz 3-ton truck in the workshop of the Ludewig brothers. The actual vehicle’s swoopy futuristic exterior lines were paired to a luxury interior and was not only used for transportation purposes but as a propaganda tool as well. Not many were produced due to the (even then) high cost of production. This particular kit represents the militarized version used for the transport of high ranking Wehrmacht officers on the Eastern Front during WWII.

The Box

The 6’” by 10” box features the dreaded end flaps, rather than a separate top. The box top features a cool painting of an olive green colored Aero ripping down a muddy road. Painting and marking instructions appear on the bottom of the box.

If you’re into small-scale armor like me, then you know that accessories like tarps, boxes and such have been hard to come by. Additionally, you usually had to order from overseas e-shops and pay an arm and a leg for the stuff, the quality of which sometimes was not that great. Well, thanks to our friends at Value Gear, that situation just got a bit better.

Packaging

The “Tarp Rolls & Crates, Set #1”, comes in a clear, zip-lock 3.5” x 5” poly bag which is stapled securely to a printed 3.75” x 7.25” fold-over card backing. The bag contains 37 individual pieces of resin molded tarp rolls and boxes - and individual means that there are no two items alike! There is also a full-color 3” x 4-5/8” tip sheet (or card) on the preparation and finishing of the resin product.

The Achilles IIC is the British version of the M10 tank destroyer (TD). It was based on the M4 Sherman chassis and mounted the 17 pounder anti-tank gun.

The kit is molded in a medium green styrene with some minor flash and a few sink marks, though nothing that isn’t easily removed or fixed. If I counted correctly, the kit contains 339 parts. Yes, 339. In 1/72 scale. The good news is that a lot of the parts are for the tracks, not all parts are used, and there are some useful parts left over to detail other kits. The attachment points are a bit larger than some other manufactures, but can be cleaned up with a bit of work. The tracks are link-and-length. I did a bit of research and found that some earlier UM Sherman kits had incorrect road wheels (six spokes instead of five) and the track was too narrow. It seems they fixed the road wheels, but apparently didn’t fix the track. I don’t think it’s too narrow by very much, though.

This kit is a representation of the British Army’s Armoured Car that was developed in 1941 after revisions to make the production easier. It served till replaced by the Humber Mk III or the Daimler Mk I.

This is a multimedia kit but the use of the Photo-Etch is required, there are no optional plastic parts. Please be aware that some of the plastic parts are very, very small and will take a steady hand to get them off of the sprue without damage. And when they are off the sprue these minuscule parts do their very best to hide or get lost in the carpet or even on the work table.

This model has a complete interior for the engine, driving and fighting compartment. The kit has over 500 individual pieces and this gives the model great detail at the expense of time consuming miniscule parts.