Dragon 1/35 2cm Flak 38 Late Production with Sd. Ah. 51
By Don Barry
Kit #6546
MSRP $34.95 USD
Consisting of over 200 plastic and photo-etched parts, this kit is the latest incarnation of Dragon’s 2 cm dual purpose auto-cannon. The plastic parts are contained on 2 main sprues, plus 4 smaller ones. For all of its detail and finesse, this kit does not elevate. There are 4 fixed positions to choice from, though with some careful scratch-building, it could be made movable in elevation. Plastic details include a spare barrel case with 2 molded barrels, spare ammunition clips and boxes, choice of 3 different receiver covers, seats, and ground or anti-aircraft sights. Valve stems are rendered on the trailer wheel halves. Other detail parts include adjustment knobs, pre-formed gun shields and spent casing nets, hinges (non-working), wing nuts and foliage tie down loops. All welded seams on the carriage and trailer are molded, so be careful not to confuse them with parting lines. All parts are very cleanly cast; no flash or ejector marks on exposed surfaces. One error spotted was part B-11, which is a bent pin which goes thru parts B-18 and 19, which are attached in step 5. Pin is shown in place at start of step 6.
Instructions are contained on a single sheet, broken down into 11 construction steps. Paint colors called out for Aqueous Hobby Color, Mr. Color, and Model Master. 4 are named; dark yellow, red-brown, steel, and flat black.
Having built several of these guns with both plastic and photo-etched shields, I opted to leave them off this version. If the builder wishes to use the photo-etched ones, soldering is definitely the way to go, as super glues simply will not hold reliably. Barring the expense and time needed to find different temperature solders, I have found that the easiest way to keep adjoining joints from re-melting as the next one is done, is to place an appropriately sized drop of water on the first joint. As long as the water is sizzling, that joint is cool enough to stay together. There are other methods, too many to go into here. Anyway, back to business. There are 4 elevation choices available, using different parts, 0, 20, 40, and 60 degrees. I toyed with the idea of making this workable, but in the end just chose one.
Overall, this is probably the ultimate injection plastic version of this gun. Fit, finish and detail are superb. The pre-bent shields in photo-etched brass look great in this scale, and are not terribly difficult if approached carefully. I guess the only criticism would be the price, being almost that of the average armored vehicle kit. That aside, it builds into a beautiful replica of this ubiquitous weapon. Very Well Recommended. My sincere thanks to Dragon USA for supplying this review kit.
