In 1934, the 20 mm anti-aircraft gun Flak 30, developed by the German company Rheinmetall, was adopted by the Luftwaffe. Based on the combat experience with the gun in Spain, Mauser upgraded it, and the new model was named the 2 cm Flak 38. The upgraded gun used the same ammunition as the Flak 30, with changes primarily aimed at increasing the rate of fire, which rose from 245 to 480 rounds per minute. The cost of one 2 cm Flak 38 anti-aircraft unit was 6,500 Reichsmarks. The new gun began entering service in the second half of 1940 and soon became a common close-range air defense tool in the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe. Besides combating aircraft, the gun could also be used to engage lightly armored targets. A company equipped with twelve 2 cm Flak 38 guns was part of the anti-tank battalion of infantry divisions, and similar companies were also included in tank and motorized divisions. Production of these guns continued until the end of World War II. (Source: ICM website)

ICM’s 2cm Flak 38 kit is a new offering from Ukraine using new molds. The kit has a color box cover with a reinforced white inner box underneath it. There are two sprues inside, a small decal sheet, a color instruction manual and an advertisement folder for ICM acrylic paints. The first page offers a brief history of the gun with tactical and technical specifications. We also get a list of colors needed to paint the assembled kit. The colors only list ICM brand paints. There is also a QR code for a link to the step-by-step video instructions. The instruction manual has 8 pages and shows the two sprues and the part numbers on page 2. One part, a range finder, is highlighted meaning it is not to be used. There are 24 assembly steps shown in the manual. In step 05 we have to decide which angle to use for the gun’s barrel position. We can either select a 20°- or 45°-barrel angle. I chose the latter one. This is important because different length parts are used in steps 08 and 18 later on depending on the selected angle. I am glad I decided on the 45-degree angle for the barrel because part number A30 in step 22 attaches to part A28 in the previous step. If the 20-degree option is used, the A20 part is disconnected from A28. I am not sure if it matters, but that is what I noticed while dry-fitting the parts. The instructions mention that the gun can be built as an armored or not armored variant. I always try to drill out gun barrels, but I followed Andy Taylor’s suggestion in his review of ICM’s German 2 cm Flak 38 with Crew (kit 35718) to drill it out before assembly to make it easier. The fit of the parts was perfect throughout the build in my sample. Only a few parts required some sanding of the parts edges. The only modification I implemented was adding some plastic pieces to the bottom of the gun base to enable the gun assembly to rotate inside the base while preventing it from being detached from the base. This addition can be seen in one of the pictures. The assembly did not pose any issues, although some parts are quite small.

Painting and Markings

The kit offers four marking options:

• 2 cm Flak 38, Eastern Front, 1942 (German Grey color)
• 2 cm Flak 38, Italy, 1943 (German Grey, Middle Stone, and Brown)
• 2 cm Flak 38, Western Ukraine, 1944 (Middle Stone, Camouflage Green, and Brown)
• 2 cm Flak 38, East Prussia, 1945 (Middle Stone and White)

It was difficult to choose between the four options. I debated between the one from Italy and East Prussia and finally decided on the first one. The painting was fairly simple to execute using the side views for color reference. The marking diagram has been very helpful as it shows the gun from all sides, even from above. I primed the assembled kit with Tamiya primer and since I did not have ICM paints, I used Tamiya and Ammo ATOM paints instead to finish the kit. The kit is fairly small so I had to use one of my better airbrushes and kept the nozzle close to the surface to be able to mimic the three-color camouflage pattern as closely as possible. The decal went on easily without silvering.

Final Notes

It was a joy building the 2cm Flak 38 AA Gun. The kit builds into a great representation of the real gun. I liked the precision of how the parts fit together and the options to position the barrel at two angles. Considering the complex angles involved in the assembly of the gun barrel and supporting parts, ICM designers did a great job executing the design with its various features. The four painting markings are awesome with decals showing the achieved scores. I would highly recommend the kit to any modeler who wants to add this little gem to their collection of German weaponry in WWII. I am looking forward to seeing more similar offerings from ICM.

My sincere thanks go to ICM for generously providing this kit to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it.