Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale ‘39-‘45 Series Kit Number 6280: German Mine Detectors - Gen2; 271 parts (254 in grey styrene, 17 etched brass); price US$12.50

Advantages: finally the engineers get some respect; nicely done mine detection kit

Disadvantages: none noted other than tiny parts

Rating: Highly Recommended

Recommendation: for all German and "picks and shovels" fans

There is one of the many corollaries to "Murphy's Law" that if you are moving well cross country then you are probably in a mine field. Mines are dangerous obstacles to both the attacker and defender, and to this day cause many more casualties both during and after a war than most people would think. To that end, all nations have concentrated on mine clearing using the best technology that they can produce.

The Germans were no different, and tales of the British and Soviets being particularly generous and lethal with the use of mines are common. As a result, the engineers (German Pioneren) had to clear minefields to provide for free movement and access routes.

DML has now provided a kit of such personnel, with two mine detector operators and two soldiers using more common if primitive means. Not only does the kit come with the mine detection equipment, it also comes with four different types of Soviet mines (TDM, T-IV, PZM and Model 1938) for them to have discovered the right way (not much sense of making a kit if they found them the wrong way!)

I am no expert on German engineer equipment, but the systems provide appear to be the Model 1939 Mine Detector Rod, an Aachen 40 Mine Detecting Coil, the Wien (Vienna) Model 1941 Mine Detector, and the old fashioned bayonet in the ground.

The Mine Detector Rod operator has the assembled rod with probe and is operating in textbook fashion, sticking into the ground in front of him. The system is supposed to let him know what he has struck by the fact that it is an aluminum tube and the sound resonates. ]

The Aachen 40 is a coil on a long rod, familiar to most people who have seen similar US ones in operation, with the operator using an electronics backpack (receiver and batteries) and providing an aural signal via headsets.

The Wien 41 is a detector shaped like a sausage on the end of a sectional pole, with an electronics pack worn by the operator and providing an audible signal via headsets.

All four figures come with the complete pantheon of DML's standard kit for German figures – GA and GB accessory sprues, and one WA weapons sprue with two Kar 98K rifles and ammunition. The figures and mine detection equipment come on two separate sprues. They also come with a set of brass belt buckles, epaulets, and awards.

As is most common with DML figures, the box art is by Ron Volstad and a great help to painting up the figures.

Overall this set will look great with the DML engineer halftrack (number 6223) and compliment it greatly.

Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.

- Cookie Sewell