In Box Review of DML Dragon 1/35th Scale
German Panzerjagers (Eastern Front 1944)
Kit no. 6058
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $8.50
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $8.50
HISTORY:
Panzerjäger (German "armour-hunters" or "tank-hunters", abbreviated to Pz.Jg. in German) was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. It was an anti-tank arm-of-service that operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers, which were also named Panzerjäger. Personnel wore ordinary field-gray uniforms rather than the black of the Panzer troops; however, those Panzerjäger troops who crewed the tank-destroyers wore the Panzer jacket in field gray.
From 1940, the Panzerjäger troops were equipped with vehicles produced by mounting an existing anti-tank gun complete with the gun shield on a tracked chassis to allow higher mobility.
The development of Panzerjägers into the fully protected Jagdpanzer armored vehicle designs began before the war with the Sturmgeschütz-designated armored artillery vehicles, the initial German turretless tanks to use completely closed-in armored casemates, and continued until 1944, resulting in the fully enclosed Jagdpanzer "hunting tanks", purpose-built heavy-gun tank destroyers.
These usually used upward extensions of both the glacis plate and hull sides to comprise three sides of their closed-in casemates. Panzerjäger continued to serve as a separate branch of the Heer until the end of the war, often replacing tanks due to production shortages.
Initially, the chassis of captured light tanks were used after turrets were removed, providing a cost-effective solution to the German shortage of mobile anti-tank weapons in infantry divisions. Despite the shortcomings of light armour and high silhouette, they were successfully used in their intended role.
From 1943, the Type 44 infantry divisions included the following divisional Panzerjäger-Abteilung:
Staff company (Stabskompanie)
1. Panzerjäger-Kompanie equipped with 9 - 12 towed AT guns
2. StuG-Batterie equipped with ten StuG III, IV or Hetzer vehicles
3. Light anti-aircraft company (leichte FlaK-Kompanie) equipped with 12 towed 20 mm FlaK
autocannons
Panzerjäger (German "armour-hunters" or "tank-hunters", abbreviated to Pz.Jg. in German) was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. It was an anti-tank arm-of-service that operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers, which were also named Panzerjäger. Personnel wore ordinary field-gray uniforms rather than the black of the Panzer troops; however, those Panzerjäger troops who crewed the tank-destroyers wore the Panzer jacket in field gray.
From 1940, the Panzerjäger troops were equipped with vehicles produced by mounting an existing anti-tank gun complete with the gun shield on a tracked chassis to allow higher mobility.
The development of Panzerjägers into the fully protected Jagdpanzer armored vehicle designs began before the war with the Sturmgeschütz-designated armored artillery vehicles, the initial German turretless tanks to use completely closed-in armored casemates, and continued until 1944, resulting in the fully enclosed Jagdpanzer "hunting tanks", purpose-built heavy-gun tank destroyers.
These usually used upward extensions of both the glacis plate and hull sides to comprise three sides of their closed-in casemates. Panzerjäger continued to serve as a separate branch of the Heer until the end of the war, often replacing tanks due to production shortages.
Initially, the chassis of captured light tanks were used after turrets were removed, providing a cost-effective solution to the German shortage of mobile anti-tank weapons in infantry divisions. Despite the shortcomings of light armour and high silhouette, they were successfully used in their intended role.
From 1943, the Type 44 infantry divisions included the following divisional Panzerjäger-Abteilung:
Staff company (Stabskompanie)
1. Panzerjäger-Kompanie equipped with 9 - 12 towed AT guns
2. StuG-Batterie equipped with ten StuG III, IV or Hetzer vehicles
3. Light anti-aircraft company (leichte FlaK-Kompanie) equipped with 12 towed 20 mm FlaK
autocannons
THE KIT:
DML Dragon is a prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China.
They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably the decal sheet or parts find their way past one of the end flaps to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows 4 Panzerjagers in what looks similar to NO MANS LAND that is seen in WWI scenes. That is because these men are in a field near a trench and a lot of barbed wire.
They are all dressed in field-grey uniforms. The first man on the right wears a steel helmet on his head that is covered with mesh. His pants are bloused into putees over low shoes. He is attaching a magnetic bomb onto the side of the hull of a Soviet tank. He is armed with a 98K carbine slung over his right shoulder. He has the ammo for it on his belt, along with a canteen and a canvas bread bag. He has a battle pack bag on his back. He has a potato masher type grenade tucked under his belt.
The next man to the left is standing and crouching forward. He is wearing a steel helmet with an elastic band around it. His pants too are bloused into putees over low shoes. He is armed with a 98K carbine carrying it in his right hand. He has a land mine in his left hand. He has a battle pack bag on his back, a canvas bread bag, a bayonet in its scabbard and a gas mask canister on his belt.
The third man to the left is kneeling on his left knee. He wears a steel helmet and jack boots. He is armed with a 98K carbine in his left hand and has a land mine in his right hand that is a little different configuration than the one being carried by the man beside him.
The fourth and last man is standing and crouched forward. He wears a steel helmet that has a cammo cover on it and jack boots. He is armed with a MP40 submachine gun that is in his left hand. He carries a magnetic mine in his right hand. He has ammo cases for the MP40 on his belt, along with a gas mask canister, a mess kit and a canvas bread bag.
One corner of the box art says that the kit is intended for modelers over 10 years of age and that it contains 76 parts.
One side panel of the box has 2 color box arts of other figure kits that DML manufactures: kit no. 6056, German 2.8cm sPzB 41 AT gun & crew (Eastern Front 1943) and kit no. 6057, German Gernadiers (East Russia 1945).
DML Dragon is a prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China.
They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably the decal sheet or parts find their way past one of the end flaps to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows 4 Panzerjagers in what looks similar to NO MANS LAND that is seen in WWI scenes. That is because these men are in a field near a trench and a lot of barbed wire.
They are all dressed in field-grey uniforms. The first man on the right wears a steel helmet on his head that is covered with mesh. His pants are bloused into putees over low shoes. He is attaching a magnetic bomb onto the side of the hull of a Soviet tank. He is armed with a 98K carbine slung over his right shoulder. He has the ammo for it on his belt, along with a canteen and a canvas bread bag. He has a battle pack bag on his back. He has a potato masher type grenade tucked under his belt.
The next man to the left is standing and crouching forward. He is wearing a steel helmet with an elastic band around it. His pants too are bloused into putees over low shoes. He is armed with a 98K carbine carrying it in his right hand. He has a land mine in his left hand. He has a battle pack bag on his back, a canvas bread bag, a bayonet in its scabbard and a gas mask canister on his belt.
The third man to the left is kneeling on his left knee. He wears a steel helmet and jack boots. He is armed with a 98K carbine in his left hand and has a land mine in his right hand that is a little different configuration than the one being carried by the man beside him.
The fourth and last man is standing and crouched forward. He wears a steel helmet that has a cammo cover on it and jack boots. He is armed with a MP40 submachine gun that is in his left hand. He carries a magnetic mine in his right hand. He has ammo cases for the MP40 on his belt, along with a gas mask canister, a mess kit and a canvas bread bag.
One corner of the box art says that the kit is intended for modelers over 10 years of age and that it contains 76 parts.
One side panel of the box has 2 color box arts of other figure kits that DML manufactures: kit no. 6056, German 2.8cm sPzB 41 AT gun & crew (Eastern Front 1943) and kit no. 6057, German Gernadiers (East Russia 1945).
The other side panel says that the kit contains parts for 4 figures and that glue and paint are not included, in 6 languages including English.
This is followed with the copyright of the kit as being 1997 above DML's street address in Hong Kong, China and MADE IN CHINA.
The bottom of the box serves as both the painting and assembly instructions. There is a 2-view in color of each of the 4 figures.
Below this there are black and white line drawings of 2 views on a battle pack bag and 2 views of a battle rack.
This is followed with the copyright of the kit as being 1997 above DML's street address in Hong Kong, China and MADE IN CHINA.
The bottom of the box serves as both the painting and assembly instructions. There is a 2-view in color of each of the 4 figures.
Below this there are black and white line drawings of 2 views on a battle pack bag and 2 views of a battle rack.
All illustrations are by DML's resident artist Ronald Volstad.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 3 light-grey trees of parts in 2 sealed cello bags.
The large light-grey tree holds: the parts of the figures (divided into seperate heads, torsos, arms and legs), 4 gas mask canisters, 2 MP40 ammo cases, a MP40 and its wire folding shoulder rest piece, 4 steel helmets, 6 98K ammo pouches, 4 canteens, 4 mess kits, 3 shovels in carrying pouches, 4 bayonets in scabbards, 2 battle pack bags, 3 potato masher type gernades and 4 canvas bread sacks (66 parts)
This kit contains 3 light-grey trees of parts in 2 sealed cello bags.
The large light-grey tree holds: the parts of the figures (divided into seperate heads, torsos, arms and legs), 4 gas mask canisters, 2 MP40 ammo cases, a MP40 and its wire folding shoulder rest piece, 4 steel helmets, 6 98K ammo pouches, 4 canteens, 4 mess kits, 3 shovels in carrying pouches, 4 bayonets in scabbards, 2 battle pack bags, 3 potato masher type gernades and 4 canvas bread sacks (66 parts)
The first small light-grey tree holds pars for 2 land mines (each different than the other) and 2 magnetic explosive charges (7 parts)
The second small light-grey tree holds three 98K carbines.
The second small light-grey tree holds three 98K carbines.
There are no decals in the kit.
These figures are well detailed and nice animated poses.
Highly recommended.
These figures are well detailed and nice animated poses.
Highly recommended.
I purchased my kit back in the 90's at my local hobby shop.