Kit: No. 6218
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Dragon, distributed by
Dragon Models USA, 866-365-8721,
www.dragonmodelusa.com
Price: $27.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 459
parts (24 photoetched), decals
Pros: Great fit, clear headlight lenses,
markings for five vehicles
Cons: Tricky upper hull assembly, placement
of optional parts not indicated

The Panzer I series is most famous for
being the origin of Germany’s line of
legendary tanks. Dragon has issued a new
series of Panzer I kits that includes this
Panzerbefehlswagen or command tank.

This kit is molded in soft gray plastic
with many detail options, and there is a
fret of photoetched parts that includes the
engine intake grille, exhaust guard, taillight,
and optional smoke candles. There
are individual-link tracks (hence the high
parts count) and four figures.

Following the instructions, I assembled
the wheels, suspension mountings, and
lower hull-details first. The parts fit well,
and I didn’t encounter any problems.

Next, I tackled the upper hull, which
is a complex assembly of separate plates.
I took my time and dry-fitted to assure a
good, clean fit of the parts. The hatches
are separate parts that can be posed open,
though there were ejector-pin marks on
the insides. Adding the upper-hull details
– vision ports, radio antennas, headlights,
and tools – required a fair amount of time.

The small separate-link tracks take
time, but they are well molded and
neatly engineered with small
pins to connect the shoes.
These pins don’t make the
tracks workable, but
they do
help hold them together while you’re positioning
and gluing them. I used 96 links
per side, though my reference indicated
that a full-size Panzer I had 100 per side.

There were optional parts for several
areas, including the taillight, rear mud
guards, and main hatch, but no indication
which versions of the vehicle they go
with. The clear parts for the headlights
(a feature I love to see included in armor
kits) really add eye-catching detail to the
finished model.

I painted my model with Gunze
Sangyo and Polly Scale paints. Three-color
decals are provided for five vehicles;
the box art was helpful in determining
decal placement. They hunkered down
perfectly over a gloss undercoat.

Panzer I references are not very common.
I used an old Almark Publishing
title, Panzerkampfwagen I & II German
Light Tanks 1939-’45 by Eric Grove, as my
primary reference. The completed model
measured out right on the money and
looked good compared to photos in the
book.

I completed my model in 22 hours,
which seemed a bit high for such a small
model, though much of the time went into
assembling the tracks. This kit will make a
good project for the more advanced modeler
who can handle the extensive details
and individual-link tracks.

– Jim Zeske