So back in April 2016, I reviewed what was purported to be an accurate scale model of the Panther tank prototype, “Panther Ausf. D V2”, then recently released by Dragon Models as kit 6822 in their 1/35^th scale military vehicle range. The original review can be found here.

At the time I said that the model appeared accurate based on the scale plans found in the publication Panzer Tracts 5-1. The Panzer Tracts publications have a great reputation for the historical information contained therein, and also for the accuracy of their scale drawings. Yet here we have a NEW “Panzer Ausf. D V2” prototype kit, AGAIN from Dragon Models, and yet this kit contains a number of new parts for the rear end of the vehicle, so what gives??!!

Introduction

The StuH.42 (Sturmhaubitze 42, Sd.Kfz 142/2), was used to support armor and infantry. They were fitted with a 10.5cmStuH.42 L/28 howitzer offering greater destructive firepower than the StuG III that had a 7.5cm StuK 40 L/43 cannon. The 10.5cm StuH was modified to be electrically fired and fitted with a muzzle brake. The StuH 42 used the chassis from the StuG.III Ausf.E/F. Alkett, a major manufacturer of armored vehicles for the German war machine, produced 1,299 StuH 42 from 1943 to 1945. Additionally, the vehicle weighed over 26 tons.

I’ll be honest – I’ve always had a thing for AA mounts. When Dragon decided to release this, it struck an immediate chord with me.

Germans in World War 2 certainly had a propensity for creating makeshift anti-aircraft installations on various vehicles. Surprisingly, this particular Hetzer modification, which apparently never made it beyond the prototype stage, was not actually designed to provide air cover at all, but to serve as a reconnaissance vehicle.

History

The M1113 is one of the most famous armored personal carriers in the history of military vehicles. It entered service in the beginning of the 1960’s and was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps in the Vietnam War. Capable of Carrying a fully equipped infantry squad, it proved its mobility, reliability and efficiency in the very difficult operational environment of Vietnam characterized by swamps and jungles. The “armored cavalry assault vehicle” or “ACAV” version was developed very soon to improve the fighting effectiveness of the M1113. The new features implemented on ACAV version were a circular turret armor for the commander’s M2 12.7mm machine gun and two additional 7.62mm M60 machine guns, protected by shields, and fitted on either side of the top cargo hatch.

Meng Models exploded on the scene several years ago and has since built a reputation for interesting subjects and well-designed kits. With the release of a Russian Light Anti-Aircraft gun set, I am sure that their star continues to rise for the scale modeling community. You get four weapons – ZPU-1, ZPU-2. ZPU-4, and ZU-23-2 as well as several of their Chinese equivalents. As part of Meng’s Supply series, this is certainly a welcome addition to those who enjoy modeling anti-aircraft artillery. With sixteen sprues and one fret of etched brass, the parts are well molded. They have taken advantage of advances in molding technology and there are many very small and fragile parts. Take care when you remove them from the sprue. The instructions are in a booklet form and come with color profiles of each weapon. You can choose any color you want as long as it’s Russian Green. There are no decals or clear parts.