"...this is an excellent kit. Love it for what it is..."

<full review here>
- Frank De Sisto

"...It's a kit I can see myself buying quite a few of. It's a must have. Get a few..."

<full review here>
- Vinnie Branigan

DR 6288: 2cm Flak 38 mit Sd.Ah.51 Trailer

1/35 injection plastic kit with photo etch and decals

Designed to provide a higher rate of fire than an earlier design, the 2cm Flak 38 proved to be a mainstay of the German light anti-aircraft defences in WWII. Entering service in early 1940 this Flak saw service in all major theatres. With a small caliber it was primarily used against low flying aircraft, but was also effective against ground targets including soft-skinned vehicles. The Sd.Ah.51 trailer was used when towing the gun, behind a light truck, such as the Krupp Protze or Opel Blitz, or a half-track such as the Mauliter. The Flak 38 was also mounted on permanent positions such as Flak towers and coastal fortifications; boats; railway wagons, and military vehicles, such as the Sd.Kfz 10/5 half-track.

Overview

This model contains new tooling for the Flak 38 and the Sd.Ah.51 trailer, and the gun can be modeled either on its ground pedestal with a choice of firing angles, or attached to the trailer for transport. The kit contains over 200 parts on 2 larger sprues (1 for the Flak and the other for the trailer and accessories) and 2 small spures, which contain alternative parts for the breech and firing angle, as well as decals and optional photo etch parts.

The parts are crisply molded, easy to clean up and part alignment is favourable. The inclusion of alternative plastic and metal parts means the kit is well suited for a broad range of modelers.

The gatefold instructions have 10 steps of line drawings. So far I have found them easy to follow as I build the kit, as they explicitly identify alternative parts and provide multiple views of two steps where care is needed.

The Flak 38

The gun compares favourably to photos of a surviving example and the small detail is well represented using a mix of slide-molding, multiple parts for items such as the main gun sight, and largely optional photo etch (see below for more details). In areas, such as the gun cradle, detail that is largely hidden on the finished model is represented.

The barrel has a choice of three types of breeches, namely the standard model (early to mid war), late model and Schwebelafette version. The slide-molded single piece gun barrel has a hollow muzzle opening, while the flash suppressors on the side are represented by indentations. I expect that some modelers will replace this with an after-market metal barrel with PE suppressor, but the kit barrel is crisper than several one-piece metal flak barrels which I’ve seen.

The injection plastic gun shield parts have tapering edges, no injection pin marks, detail for the brackets with nut heads and appear to be straightforward to assemble.

The gun platform has a round base plate with raised anti-skid dimples, and bolt heads and countersunk recesses around the outer rim. The cast metal base for the platform has weld marks going around the edge. The marks are visible in photos (and should not be mistaken for seams that need removing). The base also has several small grab handles cast onto it and the alternative plastic and PE parts for the hand wheels are both finely reproduced. The gun can rotate on the platform

Alternative arms and plates allow the gun to be positioned at one of four angles of elevation, namely flat at zero degrees, raised 20 degrees, 40 degrees and 60 degrees, which effectively allow a modeler to choose a position in each band of elevation.

Sd.Ah.51 Trailer

The trailer is also well detailed with details including the locks on the toolboxes and the taillights finely cast. The tyres are a two-piece injection plastic design with a recess where the valve was, hexagonal wheel nuts and a military tread pattern with large blocks extending onto the sidewalls. The tube frame for the trailer has some seam marks which I quickly removed using a hobby knife.

The coupling can be left articulated allowing the trailer to be used in either the transport or the parked positions.

Photo Etch and Accessories

Optional photo etch parts are provided for all 6 panels of the shield (which include pre-formed parts for the angled shield panels), several tightening hand wheels, spent shell case and the brackets and wing-nuts on the gun shield. Overall I felt the PE parts would meet most experienced modelers needs and, in particular due to the inclusion of the preformed shield parts were better than some aftermarket sets I’ve seen for similar kits.

While no crew is provided, the set includes several accessories including a spare barrel case, which can be left open to reveal the spare barrel. The two ammunition boxes can both be modeled closed or open with the ammunition clips visible. The boxes have good detail for the handles and latches.

Decals

A small Cartograf decal sheet contains a choice of two sets of kill rings and a number of tank and aircraft kill silhouettes. It also contains a couple of decals unique to some of the suggested paint schemes, such has a serial number for the breech of one field gray gun and a white iron cross outline for a Flak from the Eastern Front. Given the widespread use of the Flak 38, and the fact it was often camouflaged or had the shield covered in white wash, the painting options are broad.

Recommendation

Dragon’s 20mm Flak 38 is a crisply detailed model, which has the advantage of all new tooling. The option of either plastic or photo etch parts gives this Flak 38 the flexibility of being an enjoyable out of the box project for both those wishing a straight forward build and also for those wishing more challenge. Definitely recommended.

- Neville Lord

"... Nice touches overall..."

<full review here>
- Cookie Sewell