The original BMPT Terminator was designed to be a combat support vehicle for urban combat. It seems to have been conceived from combat experience gained in the first Chechen War and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The BMPT itself was built on a modernized T-72 chassis with the main armament consisting of four 9M120 Ataka missile launchers and two 30 mm 2A42 autocannons. The BMPT-72 Terminator 2 is the successor to the original BMPT Terminator 1 and like the original is built on the T-72 chassis. However, the BMPT-72 is only being built as a retrofit kit for export to countries that have old T-72s. This new kit from Tiger Models is the first kit of this very unique vehicle.

Dragon Models offers a complete lineup of the Sd.Kfz.142 Sturmgeschütz family tree in 1/35 scale. The subject of this review is the Sd.Kfz. 142 III Ausf, C/D, an upgraded offering from their ‘Smart Kit’ series.

The ‘Sd.Kfz.’ in the name, short for ‘Sonderkraftfahrzeug’, identifies the vehicle as a ‘special purpose vehicle’, and the Sturmgeschütz (StuG) was Germany's most produced armored fighting vehicle during World War II.

The StuG was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank, replacing the turret with a fixed superstructure mounting a more powerful gun. Initially intended as a mobile, armored light gun for direct-fire support for infantry, the StuG III was continually modified, and widely employed as an assault gun as well as a tank destroyer.

Dragon has recently released five new kits, none of which have been available in plastic before, at least not in the released versions. Instead, modelers would have had to scratch build them or buy expensive resin conversion sets.

This review covers one of the kits; the 15cm s.IG.33/2 (Sf) auf Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer. This Czechoslovakian 38(t)-based vehicle looks unusual, sporting the large-caliber, 150mm field howitzer used on a variety of other (mostly larger) German AFV’s. Just imagine the recoil from that gun when fired from the diminutive Hetzer!

Intended as a replacement for the Grille, only 30 were built, from December 1944. Operational history is scarce, but based on the few images available it was apparently used in combat on the Eastern front.

This is an unusual armored vehicle and promises to build into an unusual subject for German WWII armor fans.

Dragon has recently released five new kits, none of which have been available in plastic before, at least not in the released versions. Instead, modelers would have had to scratch build them or buy expensive resin conversion sets.

This review covers one of the kits; the Volllkettenaufklarer (reconnaissance) 38 w7.5cm Kanona 51 L24 Hetzer. This Czechoslovakian 38(t)-based vehicle looks unusual, sporting the short-barreled, 75mm infantry support gun used on a variety of other (mostly larger) German AFV’s. Just imagine the recoil from that gun when fired from the diminutive Hetzer!

Intended as a fully tracked reconnaissance vehicle based on the Bergepanzer 38, several prototypes were tested, including a single vehicle mounting a 7.5 cm K51 L/24 gun. Needless to say, operational history is non-existent. This is an unusual armored vehicle, and promises to build into an unusual subject for German WWII armor fans.

This is Dragon’s eighth and latest release of the Pz. Kpfw. VI Tiger 1. The kit contains many parts, great detail and a nice finished product. It is a re-box of Dragon’s 6700 Tiger 1 released in 2014.

A lot of the sprues have unused parts from the 6700 kit, as well as some other kits. The Zimmerit looks very realistic and there are many other goodies in the build.

Opening the Box

The sturdy Dragon box is filled to the top with parts, and is quite heavy. Each sprue comes in a plastic bag grouped with similar parts. Looking closer at the parts, they are highly detailed with molded weld seems, and molded Zimmerit.

The contents of the box include: