Parts

There are 122 kit parts including styrene, brass, Dragon Styrene 100 (DS 100) parts, and a clear styrene windshield for the Kubelwagen. There are 21 extra parts in the kit.

Review

Like the box says, you get two individual kits in this box. You get a mid-production zimmerit-covered Tiger and a Kubelwagen. There are also about half of the necessary parts to make a German motorcycle. Like most Dragon kits, the sprues are individually bagged. The parts really don’t have flash or ejection marks.

Each vehicle has one set of Cartograf decals. The directions are 3 pages front and back, with color and a parts map. Color call-outs are for Mr. Color and Testors paints.

While my review may look a bit nit-picky, I can tell you this: I’ve built a number of Tigers and Kubelwagens in the past from other manufacturers in this scale. None of them have the finite details and crispness that these two kits have.

Introduction

While it’s primarily remembered for the massive clash of armor on the ground, the battle of Kursk was also the debut a new Soviet fighter that would eventually help wrest control of the sky from the Luftwaffe’s Fw190 and Me109. That was the Lavochkin La-5/7 series of fighters. An offspring of the earlier LaGG-3 fighter, the La-5 was born when the inline engine of its protégée was replaced by a 14-cylinder M-82 radial engine. In spite of early teething problems that resulted in a redesigned cowling and the reduction of armament to 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, the La-5 proved more than a match for the heavier Fw190A-4/5 series. The La-5FN was equipped with a fuel injected M-82FN radial, further improving its performance. Many Soviet aces, including Ivan Kozhedub (62 kills) and the subject of this built, Capt Pyotr Likholetov (30 kills), added to their scores flying the LA-5/7 series fighters.

I have always been a fan of Bob Steinbrunn’s model work over the years, seeing his many works in the pages of FineScale Modeler. Accordingly, I jumped at the chance to review this, his latest book, which involves the construction of a 1/6 scale (that’s right, one-SIXTH) M5A1 Stuart Light Tank, using a 21st Century Toys running model as a starting point. As usual, Bob’s model work does not disappoint.

Although you may not be able to find a similar “start kit” of an M5A1, the book is filled with valuable information on not only building large-scale models in general, but also for the M5A1 Stuart itself. Bob’s research is meticulous and his attention to detail is absolutely astounding – the thing that I found most amazing in this work. I personally plan to use this book as a guide when I build my AFV Club 1:35 M5A1. Coincidentally, I just finished a Mirage 1:72 M3 Stuart and I wish that I had had this book as a reference guide at the start of that project.

This is a multimedia kit comprised of 650+ styrene parts on 17 sprues, Magic Tracks, one braided metal wire (which is very stiff even after annealing), one photo etched fret, decals, and the set of instructions that need to be reviewed very carefully before gluing any parts together.

Most Dragon models today are a collection of old sprues with new sprues added to create a new kit variant. In this case, Dragon has mounted the s.IG 33 field gun to the Pz III chassis. In doing so, you will have some sprues with the same letter but are called out by the color or upper or lower case (example: Sprues Blue A, Blue B and Black b). A whole plethora of parts will be unused and relegated to the spare parts box.

Step 1. This step is the assembly of the idler wheel, drive sprockets, road wheels, and return wheels. There are no problems here other than the removal of the mold line which is noticeable on the road wheels.

The Product

Arriving on the heels of their all-new Bf-109E in 1/48 scale, the boys at Eduard have already produced an excellent and comprehensive photo etch upgrade set. Considering the beautiful, highly detailed, all-new tooling Eduard kit, I wondered what else they could add to this superb kit. The answer is easy. Starting in the cockpit, we get a new document box, rudder petals, trim wheels, plus all the extra small items that add the finishing touches where needed. The gun bay and engine also benefit by adding ammo box grab handles. The DB 601 benefits from adding lifting-jack points, intake screen, and a top case plate. New cowling formers for the engine bearers and a cap for the header tank are also included. The radiators also get the treatment with new exit doors that include the proper linkages. We also have new interiors for the main landing gear wells, as well as gear-leg parts that include drag links, brake-plates, and brake-lines.