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Trumpeter 1/35 "Dicker Max"

RELATED TOPICS: MILITARY | ARMOR
Kit: 00348
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Trumpeter, from Stevens International, 856-435-1555, www.stevenshobby.com
Price: $42.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 631 parts (22 photoetched-metal, 2 vinyl), decals
Pros: Detailed driver's compartment; detailed suspension; optional parts
Cons: Excessive track length with vinyl track; fair fit of superstructure; ejector-pin marks; no color guide; high part count
Trumpeter's release comes with a driver's compartment, individual-link tracks, a photoetched-metal fret, optional vinyl track and early or late muzzle brake, and markings for two vehicles. (A picture of a metal barrel and a more extensive photoetched-metal fret is shown on the box but not included - they are sold separately.)

Building the running gear and suspension was easy in spite of the numerous pieces. For the idler wheels' photoetchedmetal pieces, I used thick super glue because it cures more slowly and does not run.

Cutting off the nuts for the final-drive covers was difficult - even using a thin saw blade left the part shorter in length. Photographs of the prototype vehicle's front do not show any nuts on the front of the final-drive covers, so I left them off. I painted the vinyl tracks Tamiya gun metal; I had to shorten them by one link to fit them correctly.

Before building the driver's compartment, I painted the interior Testors interior ivory; the transmission (with final drives) was painted Gunze field gray 1.

There are three hatches in the hull top, but only the center one can be left open without modification to display the transmission, clutch, and brakes. I had to fill in several ejector-pin marks on the fighting compartment back wall with super glue.

Building the gun recoil mechanisms from plastic and photoetched metal had its challenges. The first was sandwiching the small photoetched-metal gear between end caps; the second (and more difficult) were the two photoetched-metal shields that go under the cylinders. They have to be bent into half-rounds - but without a form, I had to bend them around a thin rod, then make adjustments to get them to fit in the slots. With a choice of early and late versions, I chose the early-version muzzle brake.

Next, I installed the main gun assembly and painted it Tamiya German gray. Fitting the superstructure to the hull required a little white glue to clean up the gap between the fenders and the superstructure. Bending and installing the tow cables according to instructions does not match the prototype, and the cables will not fit.

The model was painted Tamiya German gray with an overspray mix of Floquil grime and Testors Dullcote, then weathered with Tamiya pastels. I applied the decals over a coat of Future without problems.

Even with the few fit problems, Trumpeter's Dicker Max builds into an impressive model. It took me 30 hours to complete this kit, using Chamberlain and Doyle's Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two as my reference.

The kit will be a welcome addition to the collections of German armor fans. Now if we could get something that was more widely produced, like, oh, a U.S. Army M24 or M19.

- Tom Foti
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