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Kit Review:
Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6386; Sd.Kfz.
164 Nashorn 3-in-1 - Smart Kit; 1,103 parts (798 in grey styrene, 240
"Magic Track" links, 35 etched brass, 24 clear styrene, 2
springs, 2 coil springs, 1 length of wire, 1 turned aluminum gun barrel);
estimated price US$52.50 Advantages:
virtually new kit; changes are obvious from past kits Disadvantages:
massive number of parts to this kit, very small parts may be fiddly;
no DS tracks Rating:
Highly Recommended Recommendation:
to all German fans I'm not
sure if it is a good thing or a bad one when DML pops up with a virtually
new kit of a subject right before another company releases the same
subject. In this case, this is an "in your face" tour-de-force
kit of the Nashorn being released before AFV Club can release their
new mold kit. This
is NOT a revamped version of their 2006 "Premium" version
of the Nashorn No. 6314) albeit it does use some of the sprues. It uses
modified or updated versions of seven of the sprues from that kit plus
several more new ones and sprues from the more recent Hummel redo. The kit
uses a new hull base with sponson floors in place and a new upper hull,
with a nicely done set of positionable hatches and viewers. As with
all Smart Kits most of the detail parts are provided from styrene with
optional replacements in brass. The suspension
is straight from the Panzer IV "Smart Kits" and as such is
easier to assemble than the earlier Panzer IV kits. The "Magic
Tracks" are still with us, and the only thing to recall is left
bag - left track, right bag - right track as you look at the header
card. DML calls them "dark grey left - light grey right" but
too often the colors are not well differentiated. As I repeatedly note
there is nothing wrong with them other than they are tedious to assemble
and many modelers today want to spend their dwindling modeling time
on a vehicle, not its tracks. The upper
hull is completely new. The much maligned louvers of the early kits
are now "slide molded" from styrene and separate parts (F25).
The walls are also about half the thickness of normal parts (0.050"
or 1.25mm seems to have been the default in the past; these are about
0.020" or 0.5mm with thinned edges) and look more like sheet steel
parts than plastic. Generic
detail sets provide the OVM details as well as an MG34 machine gun and
ammunition. Three
different versions are attributed to the kit: initial production, modified
initial production, and early production. Each one has different or
rearranged details and each is called out in the directions. Most of
the changes are what are termed "fiddly bits" but to the purists
I am sure they do stand out. Also note that different parts may require
being drilled out and as usual DML's warnings are tucked into the periphery
of the directions and are easy to overlook. Project
supervisor was Hirohisa Takada, with technical support from Minoru Igarashi,
H3 Design Office, and Dragon engineering; technical assistance provided
by Notger Schlegtendal, Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundson. Decals
and finishing directions are included for six guns, two of each type:
Initial Production - s.H.Pz.Jg.Abt. 655, Russia 1943 (tricolor camo
with black crosses); s.H.Pz.Jg.Abt. 650, Russia 1943 (two-color camo,
black 232); Modified Initial Production - s.H.Pz.Jg.Abt. 655, Russia
1943 (tricolor camo with black crosses); s.H.Pz.Jg.Abt. 650, Russia
1943 (tricolor camo, red 131); Early Production - Pz.Jg.Ers.u.Ausb.Abt.
(Training Unit), 1943 (sand overall - yellow 305); and, 2/s.H.Pz.Jg.Abt.
560, Russia 1943 (wavy two-color pattern, black 231). A sheet of Cartograf
decals is provided for all variants. Overall
this is probably the best of the Nashorn kits but it is a very busy
kit with a lot of "moving parts" covering the variants so
caution and care must be taken during assembly.
- Cookie Sewell Copyright 1998-2009 Dragon Models Limited. All Rights Reserved |