Three reviews: Dragon, Tristar, and Italeri 1/35 scale Flakpanzer 38(t)

Kit: No. 6469 (left in photo)
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Dragon Models USA, 626-968-0322, dragonmodelsusa.com
Price: $46.70
Comments: Injection-molded, 1,010 parts (154 photoetched-metal), decals
Pros: Comprehensive detail; good fit
Cons: Lots of difficult photoetched-metal assemblies; no guidance on parts options; incorrect drive sprockets and gun

Kit: No. 35035
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Tristar, from Model Rectifier Corp., 732-225-2100, www.modelrectifier.com
Price: $52
Comments: 747 injection-molded, 113 photoetched-metal parts; decals
Pros: Detailed driver and engine compartments; excellent radio equipment; snap-together individual links
Cons: Multipart hull; no parts to fill ammo racks; some vague parts locations

Kit: No. 6461 (right in photo)
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Italeri, from Model Rectifier Corp., 732-225-2100, www.modelrectifier.com
Price: $60
Comments: Injection-molded, 320 parts (screen), decals
Pros: Easy construction; link-and-length tracks
Cons: Sparse, simplified detail; some poor fits
Issue Published: October 2008

From left to right in group photos: Dragon, Tristar, and Italeri models.

It's hard to believe three companies would kit the same vehicle within two months.

Tristar excels with superior interior detail, correct drive sprockets, and late-style FlaK 38 gun. However, it's the most challenging of the three kits to build.

Italeri's kit is the easiest; I was ready to paint in the same time I had spent on the Tristar interior. Surprisingly, the Italeri kit also is the most expensive.

Dragon's kit seems the best value: well detailed, the least expensive, and a boon to your spares box, too. However, you'll need experience with photoetched metal.

Slaying the Dragon

Dragon's light-gray injection moldings show excellent detail. Don't let the quantity of parts scare you: About a third of them will wind up as spares. Decals are provided for six different vehicles.

Dragon's "Smart Kit" technology aims at simplicity, but this kit has 154 photoetched-metal parts; some come from Dragon's earlier releases of the 38(t). The FlaK gun has been around for a while; it's a good one, but this Flakpanzer used a later version. (The differences are small.)

The hull is an all-new mold and holds detailed driver and engine compartments. Dragon starts the complex hull with a nice one-piece tub, easing alignment later. I built the tracks and wheels as a single, removable unit. After installing the suspension, I mounted the wheels, drive sprockets, and idlers with a bit of Blu-Tack, glued the track links together and, before they had fully set, wrapped them around the running gear gluing them in place. Once dry, the whole assembly could be removed for painting. Dragon provides two styles of drive sprockets; neither is correct, as the Flakpanzer used solid-rimmed sprockets.

The fenders are well molded, with ribs underneath, but they lack the kink of the real vehicle.

Instructions put the exhaust manifold (Part D16) too low on the engine block; it should mount just below the valve cover. Also, the exhaust extension is labeled G22; it should be G25.

There are no instructions for interior color, so I based mine on a Web site that showed a restored 38(t) tank with off-white for the driver's compartment and field gray for the engine compartment and drivetrain.

The elevation of the FlaK gun determines the parts used; you must choose before assembly. The gun went together well, and the spent-round basket is made easier by pre-formed brass screen for the lower portion. Still, the complex curves in the upper piece (MC1) are tricky.

Leaving the engine compartment open, I positioned the folding armor upright. Fit problems here might have been the lower hinges (M23) installed in Step 12. I would install the plates first, then add the lower hinges. Ammo boxes fill the photoetched-metal racks and bins on the gun pedestal.

I spent 29 hours building the Dragon Flakpanzer. It matches the height and width in David Doyle's Standard Catalog of German Military Vehicles (KP Books). A discrepancy in length (about a meter) may be due to how measurements were taken; however, the finished model agrees with photos and drawings.
Dragon's challenging kit requires an experienced modeler.

Shooting for Tristar

Tristar followed suit shortly after Dragon's Flakpanzer debut. The tan plastic is well molded and highly detailed, with a full driver's compartment and engine bay. Some of the running gear is from Tristar's earlier 38(t) kits. But the hull is new, as is the correct late-version FlaK 38. Decals are provided for two vehicles.

There's not much interior painting instruction, but detail is remarkable. The driver's compartment even includes connecting rods for the transmission. I had trouble installing all the parts for the control arm; if I built it again, I would replace the plastic pin on Part H8 with brass rod after drilling a hole for it through parts H8 and H7. As it was, I couldn't place all the photoetched-metal washers, and the controls sagged a little. The engine compartment lacks only wiring and fuel lines.

I was particularly impressed with the radios, which have support equipment and slide perfectly into photoetched-metal racks. All they need are wires, a mike and a headset. Tristar provides only one ammo canister, leaving most of the racks empty.

Take care assembling the hull, as a misalignment here will create problems later. Clamping was needed, but no filler. The suspension will articulate, but it does not work correctly; leaf springs tilt rather than flex, so I just glued everything.

The FlaK 38 is a little jewel. I tried to get the elevation to work, but since the gunsight has to be glued to its mount you're better off making it fixed. Some parts lack clear location; make sure you get the main shield mounts (parts A25 and A27) level or the gunshield won't fit. I tried to build the shell catcher, but the stiff photoetched-metal mesh wouldn't bend to shape. I left it off - not unusual in the field.

Individual links click together but won't hold without glue. I glued each run of track with Weld-On 3 and, before the glue set completely, formed them around the running gear. Tristar has the correct drive sprocket, but the fenders lack underside detail and the slight kink of the real vehicle.

It took about 27 hours to build Tristar's kit, not bad considering its complexity. You'll need advanced skills and familiarity with photoetched-metal parts, but the model really captures this Flakpanzer.

Italeri, too

Molded in tan plastic, Italeri's kit features new parts for the chassis, hull, and running gear. The link-and-length, injection-molded tracks are adequate despite having no sag. One small sprue appears from Italeri's old 38(t), but only a few of those parts apply. The 2cm FlaK has been around awhile, having first appeared on Italeri's SdKfz 10/4 halftrack. Decals are provided for four different vehicles.

The driver's and transmission hatches can be left open. Though many parts for the interior are simplistic, it won't look empty. No engine is provided.

The hull comprises several parts that fit well, though I did need filler in the back plate/lower hull seam and had to clamp the sides to fit the intake bulges properly. I left off the running gear until after painting.

Like the interior, the fighting compartment is simplified. The radios are too large and lack support components. Two ammo ready racks are molded in one piece with the ammo boxes in place. I had a bit of trouble fitting the upper fold-down armor plates; I nipped off their hinge pins, which helped, but small gaps remained.

A rudimentary, early-version FlaK 38 misses the mark. While the gun-barrel assembly can be made to elevate, the gunsight is fixed. So, I matched the angle of the two. The shell catcher doesn't come close to the real thing, so I left it off. Drive sprockets are wrong (they should have solid rims).

I was a bit disappointed in the Italeri kit, which seemed like a model from 20 or 30 years ago. However, it does look like a Flakpanzer 38(t), revealing its flaws only on close inspection. It only took about 18 hours to build, and any modeler with a little experience should be able to handle it.