German 2 cm Flak 38 with Crew

Published on
Review Author(s)
Scale
1:35
MSRP
$31.00
Product / Stock #
35718
Company: ICM - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: ICM - Website: Visit Site

From the ICM website

At the beginning of World War II, the German Army’s anti-aircraft defense relied on specialized motorized companies, each equipped with 12 automatic anti-aircraft guns. However, as the Luftwaffe lost air superiority, the need to protect units from enemy attack aircraft and fighter-bombers intensified. Many Wehrmacht combat formations began incorporating anti-aircraft units armed with heavy 88-mm guns, complemented by 20-mm automatic cannons—the 2 cm Flak 38. The 2 cm Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun entered service in the second half of 1940, deployed to both Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe ground units. Over time, these small-caliber anti-aircraft guns grew in number, becoming the primary means of close-range air defense. By May 1944, the Wehrmacht’s ground forces boasted 6,355 single-barreled and 925 quadruple-barreled 20-mm guns. While the full combat crew for the 2 cm Flak 38 consisted of five personnel, combat conditions often saw four or even three soldiers effectively operating the gun and fulfilling various tasks.

The Flak 38 was ubiquitous among German ground, naval and air forces throughout World War II, serving on all fronts from the beginning to the end of the war. Do modelers need another Flak 38 after earlier releases from Tamiya, Italeri, Tristar, Dragon, and even ICM’s recent 2cm Flak 38 (Kit No. 35717)? If you would like a crew to accompany the gun, then this is a no-brainer. Although the kit doesn’t come with the transport trailer system (neither does ICM’s Kit No. 35717), it has ease of building in its favor.

This ICM kit has the usual colorful box art lid and cover of the typical sturdy ICM box, there is a reinforced white inner box that does a good job of protecting the three sprues containing Flak 38 and the four figures from the box art (although it looks like a strange AI picture), along with an advertisement folder for ICM acrylic paints.

The model builds straightforwardly, and the sequence is logical, although care needs to be taken as the parts are small in this scale. There are minor notes that are identified here by their instruction step:

  • Step 1: Hollow out the gun barrel; it is much easier to drill it out before assembly.
  • Step 2: This is where the modeler decides to build an armored or unarmored variant.
  • Step 5: The elevation piston needs to be decided to build the gun in the 20o (Part A8) or 45o (Part A7) elevation. It took some time to figure out the upper part of the piston attaches underneath the main gun cradle bracket. There are no other options for other elevations, unless you just glue the side bracket mount at another location.
  • Step 8: Pay attention to the elevation for the part selection: Part B28 for 20o and Part B27 for 45o elevation.
  • Steps 9 and 10: For the elevation and traverse wheels (Parts A22), I recommend placing the assembled seated gunner in position first to ensure the hand cranks are in their proper positions. For the Step 10 elevation wheel, the wheel was first glued in the gunner’s right hand, then glued to the gun after assembly and painting. The traverse wheel is easier to place once the gunner is test fitted.
  • Step 18: Another step to pay attention is for the elevation of the gun, as Part B25 is for the 20o and Part B26 is for the 45oangle.
  • Step 20: Parts A25(x2), A5 and A27 are for the armored shield version.

The four crew members work well with the Flak 38 and, in keeping with the recent ICM releases, are well sculpted for styrene. All four are in mid-to-late World War II uniforms that can be easily adapted to Luftwaffe, Wehrmacht or Waffen-SS colors. The kit includes a commander pointing at a target, a Soldier with a range finder, gunner and loader. The only real curiosity is the crew doesn’t have any field gear except their bread bags (understandable as weapon crews do strip down to absolute necessities when operating their weapon systems) and all have field caps, not helmets. These deficiencies are easily overcome as the heads are molded flat, so spare box helmets, or other headgear, can be easily replaced.

The figures build up quickly and easily with only a little filler required (but the few gaps could be a result of my skillset). Assembly does not take long, and once complete, you have a gun crew ready to defend against air attack. The figures were assembled straight out of the box, primed and painted as displayed on the box art. As the bodies are multi-piece affairs, with separate arms, legs, head and headgear, these figures really stand out. These figures could also work with other sets if the modeler just wants a stand-alone Flak 38 with no crew.

The instructions provide two options for marking:

  • Italy, 1943 with a panzergrau overpainted with rotbraun and dunkelgelb stripes
  • Western Ukraine, 1944 with rotbraun, dunkelgelb, and grün

The previously released Flak 38 (without crew), Kit No. 35717, provides decals for four markings, the two above, plus:

  • Eastern Front, 1942 in overall panzergrau
  • East Prussia, 1945, in dunkelgelb with whitewash

The decals provided are from Kit No. 35717, so all four options are available. As Flak 38s were in service in most places Germans operated, the options are many. The decals are thin, settle down and look good on the finished model. I chose the Italy, 1943 version as the brown and yellow camouflage looks good over the gray.

This Flak 38 kit is a beauty and quickly builds into a model that can be put together with a vehicle, vignette, or diorama for German forces in the Second World War. The modeler is only limited by their imagination. For more reference, refer to a previous IPMS/USA review on the Flak 38.

This is another great model from ICM. With both Flak 38 recent releases (without and with crew, 35717 and 35718, respectively), the $6 difference in MSRP makes the crew option a better deal as the figures more than justify the cost. The only downside to this kit is if the modeler wants to model the Flak 38 with, or on, its travel trailer; perhaps that will be the next Flak 38 release from ICM. The possibilities for this Flak 38 are only limited by imagination.

Slava Ukraini!

Profuse thanks to ICM and IPMS/USA for providing the review sample.

Box Art

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