Dragon Models 6257 – Sd.Kfz. 234/3 Schwerer Panzerspahwagen (7.5cm)
At the start of World War Two six and eight wheeled armoured cars in German service were a common sight, and it’s often mistakenly believed that the Sd.Kfz . 234 series were amongst them, though they didn’t actually enter service till the end of 1943 and remained in production for the rest of the war, being considered one of the best armoured cars of it’s time. This version, the Sd.Kfz. 234/3, was only made for a short time in the second half of 1944 when it was decided that the short barreled 7.5cm gun wasn’t up to snuff so the Sd/Kfz. 234/4 with the long barrel gun took over.
This kit comes in a tray and lid type box on fifteen sprues which together with the hull tub are moulded in light grey. There is also three clear sprues, one photo-etched brass fret, four brass width indicator poles, and a sheet of decals. The instructions are very intensive and can be a little confusing so they require a bit of attention be paid to make sure everything goes where it should.
The moulding, as we’ve come to expect from Dragon, is extremely good with nice clean parts and sharp detail. Injector pin knockout marks are minimal as are the mould seams. Cleanup is therefore pretty much limited to the location points with the sprues.
The chassis is very complex with a lot of parts, and a lot of them small parts. This is one of the areas where paying close attention to the instructions is essential as these myriad of small parts all attach to the small sub hull upon which the body sits so getting them all sitting right is important, as once the body is added any misalignment will become apparent. The running gear is moulded to be assembled with the wheels in line and not positionable, but they can be adapted to be positional very easily ( just make sure you get the orientation of the wheels correct if you want them turned).
The wheels for this are a little odd as you get nine traditional wheels that are each made up of two halves with a centre hub and then an outer hub ring and inner brake drum, but you also get three optional wheels that are made up sectionally with each being constructed from six slices that provide the best tread detail. These are very nice wheels, I’m just not sure why Dragon only chose to include three of them. An optional mount for the spare tyre is provided for those who choose to have it missing.
The body is very nicely done and includes separate louvers for the engine deck which can be positioned open or closed. They aren’t PE ones in this so they are a little thicker but they are very easily thinned down. The vision ports are also beautifully done and again surprisingly complex so pay attention to the instructions. The fenders are each a single piece with all the stowage doors moulded in place. These are a little thick to be to scale as the real ones were quite thin sheet metal that was easily deformed. None the less they do look good.
The tools are provide in two versions, one with moulded on straps, one with no straps for those who prefer to use photo-etched tool clamps, though for some reason Dragon chose not to include any PE clamps for this purpose. They did however include optional brass indicator poles to replace the kit’s plastic ones, as well as Photo-etched jerry can spacers for detailing the fender mounted jerry cans. The tools are very nicely done, with the jack being mulitpart, though the straps for the jerry cans are a little thick and could do with replacing with foil, tape, or paper.
An interior is included which isn’t a completely thorough interior but it is sufficient for what can be seen down through the top. Both driving stations are included and the seats include moulded on spring detail and decals are included for the dashboard. Also included are the driver’s MP40 sub machine gun, the radio, a rack of 7.5cm shells and the folding seats for the gun crew. There is still scope for a lot of improvement if you want to super detail the interior but what is there looks good and will suffice for most needs.
The gun is very well detailed using a single piece, slide moulded barrel and a number of small parts to make up a very nicely detailed breech and cradle. There is a spare shell catching basket included but if you want to add any empty shell casings to it you’ll have to provide your own. There is a lso the MG42 mounted to a Lafette tripod which itself is mounted to the right side of the gun, and an MG34 with an anti-aircraft mount for the rear. There is however none of the internally mounted ammo drums or spare barrel holders that were normally carried in vehicles armed with these.
Decals and a painting guide are provided for three vehicles – 226. Aufklarungs Abt., 116 Pz. Div., Normandy 1944 : Div. “Ullrich von Hutten”, Germany 1945 : Unidentified Unit, Normandy 1944.
My only real quibble with this isn’t really anything to do with the quality of it, but simply that I would have liked the crew escape hatches, engine access hatch, and fender stowage boxes to be separate parts to allow for showing more of the interior, adding an engine and posing the side stowage boxes open. But these are not really a fault, and can be remedied with a sharp knife and a little rebuilding, just a feeling that it could have been just that little bit better with these features.
This kit probably isn’t for beginners due to the high number of parts, but it is the best Sd.Kfz. 234/3 available and while there are some minor areas that can use improvement this is a first rate kit that can be built straight from the box into a beautiful model. If you’re the sort to want to go the extra mile then hitting this with some of the Voyager PE sets will result in a fantastic looking model.
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