[fsrpcunha]

First let me say that I will buy one of these when I can find one....

Now the question: If we look at the tracks on this model we can see that they have a "negative slope" towards the rear idler wheel. If we look at pictures of the real think (see Tarawa on the Web for example) the tracks are flat until they reach the idler itself. This means that this model should have the rear idler positioned higher that it is. Am I correct or not?

Cunha

[chascbv]

You're correct, Cunha... at least partly. Depending - I believe - on the return rollers and idlers installed, some Shermans did have that "negative slope" between the return roller in the rear bogie and the idler. See for instance the accompanying picture of a USMC M4A2 in Tarawa. However, the downslope in the tracks of this particular model is maybe a bit too pronounced, isn't it?

Anyone can shed more light on this interesting remark by Cunha?

[djjeffhall]

Thanks for all the in depth reviews. I know I've said it before, but your reviews have caused my diecast tank budget to soar. That is not a bad thing.

[chascbv]

Originally Posted by djjeffhall

Thanks for all the in depth reviews. I know I've said it before, but your reviews have caused my diecast tank budget to soar. That is not a bad thing.

Well... glad to know your budget soaring is not a bad thing after all

Anyway, thank you very much for your kind feedback, djjeffhall, I really appreciate it!

[djjeffhall]

If anything, your reviews have caused me to box a few planes and keep out a few extra tanks. (I've got really limited space here.) Again, thanks and yes, please keep making me spend money. < lol >

[chascbv]

With most of my references unavailable after I moved house, and still recovering from my recent hard drive crash, which took the virtual lives of many of my e-references (yes, I had backup disks, but they are keeping my paper references company in some box somewhere in the garage), I just can´t properly document these new half-tracks from Dragon. They represent the 251/10 variant, but a later model when compared to Dragon's previous release (the gun has a newer low-profile shield).

The grey vehicle with yellow patches is supposed to be a LAH vehicle at Kursk, and that may certainly be the case. Only a few vehicles had received the new scheme (yellow base with green and/or brown disruptive camouflage) when battle raged around Kursk, but many grey units had received yellow (or mud) patches, lines, and swashes in an attempt to render the dark vehicles less visible in the yellowish plains of Russia during the summer. LAH spearheaded almost all attacks by the SS-Panzerkorps from the southern aspect of the Kursk salient, were first at Prokhorovka and beyond, and seemed unstoppable. Their ranks constantly thinning with attrition, LAH advance was finally halted by far superior numbers of Soviet troops. They were ready to push further North, however, when Hitler called off operation Zitadel. This was one of those feats that helped carve the legend of SS soldiers in many a mind, and of course LAH popularity among military buffs and collectors to this day.

I did find a picture for "red 330", a vehicle unidentified by Dragon. This half-track was knocked out North of Kursk in July 1943, so it was also involved in the famous battle. However, this half-track advanced from the North towards Kursk when it was destroyed. Its unit cannot be identified, but surely belonged to one of the 9th Army regiments that managed to advance and push the Soviets back for a while - 4th, 9th or 18th Panzer Division, or maybe 6th or 292nd Infantry Division. It's up to you to choose your favourite unit. This sector had been carefully prepared and fortified by the Red Army, and proved impossible to break through for German units. Only a few miles were won, and that was at a high cost, with constant counterattacks by hordes of motivated red soldiers stalling every German attempt at offensive. Now, if you see the real vehicle in the picture, the initial "3" is bigger than the remaining figures, which Dragon did not reproduce. Also, the scheme is an invention, as the real vehicle is nothing but burnt paint and smoke black in colour. It probably was painted grey with mud or yellow on it, but the three-colour scheme is also possible, particularly for elite units, I suspect (in this case it looks like late-war in style, and thus wrong to my eye). You also may consider this one a "generic" model, and adscribe it to any unit during late 1944 to 1945, given its late-war-looking camo pattern.

As with the rest of their Hanomag half-track series, these models by Dragon are little gems, and clearly deserve a place in my (and Djjeffhall's!!! ) shelves.

[MoMo]

Thanks for the intel on " 330 ". I've been hors de combat for the past few weeks, so I've not been able to trawl my usual haunts for the newer Dragon and HM releases, but Ill start checking out the shops in a few days to see if these 251 Cs have shown up.

I particularly like the scheme on the 330 vehicle and look on it as a 'must-have'. The other vehicle in the P.grey/green and yellow must look better in real life ( I hope ).

Like most of you, I have collected every 251 release and they all have an appealing character. However, it's time that Dragon started to release kits of other variants so that we can look forward to more pre-built variants. BUT, Dragon, get some figures to populate these vehicles. Collectors will shell out for a 251 with a crew !

cheers,

MoMo

[chascbv]

In March 1945 the German command launched a last, desperate offensive in the East in an attempt to stop the rising Soviet tide, and keep their last oil reserves. The offensive, designated Operation Spring Awakening by the Germans, included the 6th SS Panzer Army, 2nd Panzer Army, 6th Army, and Hungarian 3rd Army, and was fought in the area around lake Balaton, also called the Hungarian Sea, over muddy, semi-frozen ground. The initial push forward was successful, and the Germans fought as bravely as ever, but the odds were grossly overwhelming against them. Ten days afterwards the Soviet Army counterattacked and simply ran over the remnants of the German and Hungarian units involved. Hitler then had one of his notorious tantrums, and blamed some units for the failure, most particularly LSSAH, which he felt had failed him; as a result he ordered that all soldiers in the unit were deprived of their "Adolf Hitler" armbands, which Sepp Dietrich, their commander in the field, refused to relay.

Dragon's first Panther in 1/35 is in the Flying Mule now, and if this model won't convince heft-lovers, then nothing ever will. This new Panther represents a final production variant as accurately as it is nowadays possible in this scale, and the model simply looks like the real thing after some sort of magical shrinking. The camouflage interpretation seems plausible given the poor quality of the original photograph on which the model is based, which I enclose. Mud can be seen all over the vehicle, and the lighter spots could also be the remnants of a previous whitewash, but all in all Dragon's rendition is also very likely. The running gear has been wonderfully reproduced, and track sag and fit are perfect. The variant in the original picture also matches the variant represented (a final run G with flame dampeners).

While Dragon says this vehicle belongs to an unidentified unit, most sources do identify such unit as LSSAH themselves. And most interestingly, some subconscious mechanism in the manufacturer's mind seems to have gotten the message from the Akashic Field, as the model exhibits what in the pictures appears to be the key-in-a-scutcheon emblem of LSSAH, both on the left upper glacis and the left rear.

This is a hell of a model, and chances are you'll never have a better Panther regardless of the material it is made of.

[Murphy]

what is the tank made of exactly? is it all plasic like the King tiger? i hope not. On the 'Mule it says "Plastic and diecast contruction" what does that mean in the terms of this tank?

[chascbv]

Originally Posted by Murphy

what is the tank made of exactly? is it all plasic like the King tiger? i hope not. On the 'Mule it says "Plastic and diecast contruction" what does that mean in the terms of this tank?

Hello, Murphy.

I don't really know as I've only examined photographs, not the real tank. According to my experience with previous models, these are basically Dragon armour kits already built up by pros. That means top-quality, thick styrene parts with all the detailing and moulding intricacies that can only be achieved with this material. Injected styrene is the material used by top-notch manufacturers (Tamiya, Dragon, Hasegawa, etc.) for their model kits, from which the best scale reproductions of real subjects are made. These models are sometimes fitted with supplementary parts in resin or photoetched metal for even higher accuracy and detail levels, and may at times use a diecast metal bottom hull (in the case of tanks, that is) for heft and extra strength. And that is what Dragon 1/35 models really are -- top quality kits already built up for those of us lacking the time and/or skill to do it ourselves. IMO, this approach will always result in better models (more accurate and finely detailed reproductions), however without that "metal feel" that many diecast collectors are used to and have come to love.

Personally, materials don't do much for me -- I definitely want the best (most accurate) scale reproductions possible, provided they have acceptable durability and stability properties, no matter what their material or weight is. So I really welcome this sort of product (now that I no longer have the time/eyesight/place to build my own model kits!). You won't get a better model, even though you may eventually get a heavier one.