From ICM

The 2 cm Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun began entering service with the Wehrmacht in the second half of 1940. With its reliable design and high rate of fire (up to 480 rounds per minute), it was an effective means of close-range air defense in the Wehrmacht, and its production continued until the end of World War II. In addition to targeting aircraft, the gun could also be used against lightly armored targets. To increase mobility, anti-aircraft guns were often mounted on various vehicles, both wheeled and semi-tracked. One such vehicle was the semi-tracked version of the widely used Wehrmacht truck, the V3000S, which was designated as Sd.Kfz.3b (also known as the V3000S/SSM). The anti-aircraft guns were mounted in the vehicle’s bed and could be placed either on special platforms or without them. For firing, the sides of the vehicle’s body were either folded down or completely removed. Vehicles equipped in this way became self-propelled anti-aircraft installations, which the German Army used for air defense tasks across all fronts during World War II.

ICM’s Sd.Kfz.3b with 2 cm Flak 38, Truppenluftschutzwagen (troops’ air defense vehicle) kit is a new offering from Ukraine. The kit has a colored box cover with a reinforced white inner box inside. There are ten sprues inside, two small decal sheets, a color instruction manual and an advertisement folder for ICM acrylic paints. The instruction sheet’s cover page offers a brief history of the vehicle with tactical and technical specifications for both the truck and the anti-aircraft gun. There is a list of colors needed to paint the assembled kit. The colors only list ICM-branded paints. There is also a QR code for a link to the ICM plastic model kits channel. The instruction manual has 20 pages and provides a view of the sprues with the part numbers. There are several parts highlighted that are not to be used. There are 90 assembly steps shown in the manual. When building the 2cm Flak 38 one has to decide on which angle to use for the gun’s barrel position. We can either select a 20°- or 45°-barrel angle. I chose to select the 20° option as I previously built the 2cm Flak 38 kit from ICM with the other option. This is important because different length parts are used depending on the selected angle. The instructions mention that the gun can be built as an armored or non-armored variant. In steps 89 and 90, three different construction variants are offered, depending on the position of the flatbed sides: closed or open. I chose the closed position in my build.

Construction

The assembly process starts with the chassis and the engine which is provided in the kit. After the kit is finished, the engine can only be seen from below. I decided not to glue the truck’s cabin in place so that it could be taken off to display the engine as an option. Steps 01 through 24 cover the chassis and the engine assembly. I recommend adding the two A29 parts in step 19 at the very end as I broke them off several times during handling and assembling the kit. There is also a spare tire that needs to be attached to the chassis in step 15. I have decided to add it later after I have painted it first. I also kept the front wheels off the assembly until the end, although I temporarily attached them to align them with the tracked assembly. I was impressed with the overall fit of the parts while executing the 24 steps.

Steps 25 through 30 show how to build a structure that holds the tracked assembly. This was probably the most challenging aspect during the construction of the kit. The kit has length and link tracks as well as individual track links that are added to the front sprockets and the return wheels. The instructions show 8 individual track links for the sprockets and return wheels; I used 9 for the return wheels so that I could create a slight slack in the upper portion of the tracked assembly. I bent part E2 in step 29 in three points to achieve that. The kit has a few extra individual links that can be used for that although nothing is mentioned the slack in the manual. Also, the extra tracks a handy because they are fragile. I broke 2 or three individual links when I was cutting them off the sprue. I was again impressed by how well everything fit. The only challenge during this assembly part was how far to push the frame with the attached tracks against the truck’s long chassis. I dry-fitted the track assembly and the front wheels and tested their position on the flat surface to ensure that the entire assembly sits flat. Then I applied the glue to connect the two main sub-assembly elements. The result was great.

Steps 31 through 51 cover the truck’s cabin assembly. I installed the clear headlight lenses at the very end when the entire truck was painted. The same went for the windshield wipers. I installed the clear window parts and masked them afterward in preparation for painting.

Steps 52 through58 describe the truck bed assembly. Here is when one must decide on the position of the bedsides, open or closed. In my sample, the two parts B3 in step 57 were distorted. I sanded them carefully as they are rather thin, and glued them together. I then placed them immediately in a large book to force the parts to conform to the proper shape.

Steps 59 through 88 describe the 2cm Flak 38 assembly, the platform on which the gun sits, and two ammunition boxes. The first thing I did before starting the process was to drill out the gun barrel to add to the more realistic representation of the anti-aircraft gun. The fit of the parts was perfect throughout the build. My notes on the assembly of the 2cm Flak 38 can be found for this kit in the review on the IPMS Reviews website. Some parts require some sanding of the part's edges. I modified the gun assembly by adding plastic pieces to the bottom of the gun base to enable the gun assembly to rotate inside its base and prevent it from being detached from the base. I enjoyed assembling this small gun due to its good fit. Some parts are quite small and using tweezers is recommended.

The final construction in steps 89 and 90 focuses on attaching the ammunition boxes and the gun platform to the truck’s bed, as well as the different bed configurations. I was able to attach the truck’s bed to the chassis without using glue to be able to remove the cabin, if desired, to show the engine. This also allowed me to attach the spare tire to the chassis after painting the kit. I attached the front wheels and the clear headlight lenses as the last step. I decided to position my wheels at an angle and my only concern was that the tires were touching the fenders in that position. It was a minor issue in my opinion, but it might be a potential concern for some.

Painting and Markings

The kit offers two marking options:

• Sd.Kfz.3b with 2 cm Flak 38 AA Gun (camouflage color version), 1944-1945
• Sd.Kfz.3b with 2 cm Flak 38 AA Gun (winter color version), 1944-1945

I selected the winter scheme in my build. After painting the base color using Tamiya spray can (I did not have all ICM paints), I applied Ammo’s heavy chipping fluid randomly and painted the kit with Tamiya matt white paint. O used a stiff brush to remove the white paint from the surface to imitate the worn off paint. I did the same with the AA gun. The same license plate is provided for both versions, even though the winter version diagram in the instructions does not indicate any use of the green or brown camouflage color under the white winter coat. The decals went on easily without silvering.

Final Notes

It was a real joy building the Sd.Kfz.3b with 2 cm Flak 38, Truppenluftschutzwagen model. The kit builds into a neat representation of the vehicle. I liked the precision of how the parts fit together and the provided options to position the gun barrel at different angles and the flatbed sides in closed or open position as well. The winter camouflage painting marking attracted my attention, and I am very happy with the final result. I would highly recommend the kit to any modeler who wants to add this German vehicle to their collection of Axis 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.