DR6256: Sd. Kfz. 234/2 Puma
1/35 injection plastic kit with multimedia accessories and decals

The Sd.Kfz 234/2, or Puma as it is popularly known, was the first member of the 234 series of schwerer Panzerspahwagen (heavy armoured cars) to enter production. The Puma’s distinctive feature was its fully enclosed turret, which was armed with a 5cm tank gun. Like the rest of the series it featured an advanced hull with angled sides, a Tatra diesel engine and eight wheels endowing it with impressive cross-country performance. 101 Pumas were assembled and were assigned to reconnaissance units.

OVERVIEW
The Puma is the third release in Dragon new Sd.Kfz 234 series, and has new tooling for the upper hull and turret. As with other recent Dragon kits it compares favourably to scale plans and the parts are crisply tooled.

The model has approximately 500 parts and includes clear periscopes, 1 photo etch fret, and turned brass width indicators. The gatefold instructions have 25 steps of line drawings.

TURRET
The two-man turret features all new modern injection tooling. The main turret shell is a single piece with crisp welding detail where the armor plates join. The two roof hatches can both be assembled open or closed and have interior detail including the vision blocks.

The 50mm Kw.K 39/1 L/60 has a single part injection plastic barrel tube (no metal barrel), while the muzzle break is multi-part slide-molding. The gun assembly is moveable and the external mantlet (topfblende) has crisp casting seams and subtle casting texture. Inside the turret there is the lower half of the periscope, which is made from clear parts and the breech of the main gun, but no crew seats or butt for the co-axial MG.

The smoke grenade launchers and mounts are crisp injection plastic parts, and could be enhanced with wire added to the base of each launcher. The turret lifting hooks are finely reproduced in plastic and feature the small open holes. The turret roof’s aerial rod is provided in injection plastic.

HULL & FITTINGS
There is a new one-piece upper hull with the opening for the turret ring, while the drivers’ compartment and lower hull are based on existing tooling. The new upper hull has raised heads for the hex bolts and counter sunk recesses.

The fenders each have four stowage bins, the configuration widely seen in photos of the Puma. The padlocks are integrated into the fenders and, like with the hinges and screws are finely detailed. The stowage bins lids are molded shut. The storage boxes mounted on the rear above the fenders can be assembled open or closed.

New parts are provided for the barrel-cleaning rod, fender mounted toolbox and the external ammunition box, the later having PE brackets. The hull mount for the star aerial is finely detailed. The aerial rod is injection plastic and has a choice of an injection plastic or folded PE “star”.

The main lower hull is a detailed one-piece slide-molded tub, which is narrower on the bottom than the top; a design innovation copied on many modern wheeled armored vehicles. The axle stubs and suspension arms are attached to a one-piece chassis frame and this sub-assembly is then fitted to the main hull. The steering assembly is represented with numerous connecting rods etc. The suspension’s tie rod ends (D23, D24, D15) which guide the wheels have tabs that fit into slots on the hull, which along with tabs on the axles (B4) ensure that the road wheels face straight ahead, but the tabs can be snipped off so that the wheels are turned.

The four width indicator poles are provided with a choice of injection plastic or turned brass poles. Optional photo etch parts are included for the lifting hooks and the cover for the starter port. Two stays that join the bumper to the hull are in PE.

All engine deck louvers can be built either open or closed. If left open mesh could be fitted underneath them, by either scratch building it or using aftermarket drop fit PE mesh as included in the Cyber-Hobby upgrade set.

The on-vehicle tools such as the spades and the pickaxe have the clamps molded on. The jack is built up from six parts and has the latch molded onto the body of the jack with the brackets as separate injection plastic pieces. Six jerry cans with separate injection plastic mounting straps and PE for the cans’ centre weld join are mounted on the fenders.

The tyres have a military tread pattern of large blocks extending onto the sidewalls. The tyres are a two-piece injection plastic design, while the rims have a choice of two hub profiles. For the spare wheel there is the option of either having the wheel fitted or missing to reveal the stub.

DRIVERS’ COMPARTMENT
Even though it is not that seen on the completed Puma, this kit has good detail for the driving compartment. Both driving seats have springs on the back and vision ports, which can be built either open or closed, while the forward position also has the dials. As usual for recent Dragon kits the vision blocks are clear plastic.

The floor is well detailed with features such as the transmission cover and anti-skid plate. Other fittings include detail on the sidewalls, head pads, and the firewall for the engine compartment. Overall this provides a solid basis for someone wishing to depict a complete interior, but could be omitted if you wish to save time.

DECALS

The instruction sheet provides multi-view profiles of four Pumas, all of which are depicted in colour on the side of the box. The first vehicle is in the three colour scheme of a yellow base with green and brown camouflage bands with a unit insignia on the fenders. It is from the 20th Panzer Division in Bohemia 1945. The other Pumas are from France 1944 and are turret number black 415 which is yellow base with broad green stripes; an unnumbered Puma from 2nd Panzer Division with narrow green stripes and white turret number 21 from Panzer Lehr in Normandy.

Two cleanly registered Cartograph waterslide decal sheets are included. One sheet is new to this kit and contains the markings for the profiled Pumas, as well as the shipping stencils, tire pressure markings, fire extinguisher labels and dash dials. The other sheet contains vehicle registration numbers and Wehrmacht “WH” and Waffen SS prefixes (the runes are broken into two) as wells as blank white plates.

RECOMMENDATION

Dragon’s Puma is a very welcomed addition to their range of German heavy armoured cars. The kit clearly benefits from Dragon’s modern tooling as seen in the crisp turret and the highly detailed suspension and lower hull. As the Puma offers flexibility in how you can assembly it, this new release should have broad appeal and will certainly be a popular model. Highly recommended.

- Neville Lord

" ...this ought to please those who may have been "holding their breath"

<full review here>
- Frank De Sisto