6439 - Heuschrecke IVb "Grasshopper" 10.5cm le.F.H.18/6(Sf.) auf Geschuetzwagen III/IV

"...This is a rather esoteric, yet interesting subject, especially from a technological standpoint..."

<full review here>
- Frank V. De Sisto

"... A great looking kit, with sharp moulding, no flash, and good engineering ..."

"...very complete kit providing numerous options for construction and display ..."

DR6439: 1/35 Heuschrecke IVb "Grasshopper" 10.5cm le.F.H.18/6(Sf.) auf Geschuetzwagen III/IV

1/35 injection plastic kit with multimedia accessories and decals

During WWII the German's developed the Heuschrecke, which translates as grasshopper self-propelled field guns to overcome the limitations on existing self-propelled guns. The Heuschrecke, used a lengthen Panzer IV/III chassis similar to that used on the Hummel and Nashorn, but the gun was mounted in a revolving turret which could be lifted off the chassis by the crane. The dismounted turret could then serve as a field gun and offered the benefits of being fully traversable; presenting a smaller target; and allowing the chassis to be reused if the (dismounted) gun was destroyed. Wartime concept sketches show that it was envisaged that the Heuschrecke could tow a second turret (hence one need for the turret to have wheels), be converted into an ammunition carrier and use its crane to act as a recovery vehicle. Equally the turret could be recovered by another vehicle if the assigned Heuschrecke chassis was lost.

Overview

This new release depicts the Krupp designed Heuschrecke IV b, which was armed with the 10.5cm le. F.H. 18/6 field howitzer and built on the Geschuetzwagen III/IV chassis, and thoroughly tested during 1943 and 1944. This kit contains considerable new tooling including parts for the lower hull, engine deck, turret, gun and fighting compartment. The suspension, drive sprocket and idler are from the Smart Kit Panzer IV and Premium Edition Nashorn, while part of the gun breech is from the StuG III G. Like other new Dragon kits there is some photo etch, and clear plastic for the optics. The spare parts in this kit are particularly useful including Dragon new on-vehicle tools, Gen-2 crew personal effects, and a slide molded StuG III G barrel and muzzle break.

The gatefold instructions have 22 steps of line drawings, which are clearly drawn and keep each task as a distinct step (i.e. no step is overly busy). One point I did not is that when building this kit you should first decide if you want to model the turret mounted or dismounted as this will determine how you assemble the turret's mounting pad and where you attach the turret wheels.

The gantry crane used to lift the turret can be made workable and offers the option of building the Heuschrecke as it removes the turret.

Turret and Mounting-Pad

The new turret features a 10.5cm le. F.H. 18/6 field howitzer mounted on frames that are attached to the collar/base plate of the turret. The collar has the traverse teeth on it. A single piece slide-molded turret shell fits over the collar and varying flaps and fittings are attached to the shell. The turret will rotate 360 degrees when fitted to the hull.

The gun is quite detailed with the breech, sights (clear plastic), hand wheel, gunner's seat, recuperator cylinders, and recoil guard. The barrel tube is a single piece injection plastic with a separate collar and outer face of the muzzle break. A multi-part radio is attached to the turret inside. There are four separate flaps which when raised provided extra crew protection. These flaps can be modeled raised or lowered and have separate parts for the hinges. A metal frame that runs over the turret top would appear to be for a tarpaulin (not included) to protect the gun and crew from the rain.

This kit includes a Gen-2 sprue of the crew's personal effects such as helmets and water bottles along with PE straps are provided to secure these personal effects to the sidewalls. While the instruction sheet does not note them (in keeping with the constructed Heuschrecke being prototypes), these could be fitted to the turret as shown in the CAD drawings on the box, and in the fighting compartment, if for example you wished to model an in service vehicle.

The mounting-pad can be fitted to the hull, or attached to the turret either as it is being lifted or when its emplaced on the ground. The pad is based on four crisply beams which have separate PE parts for the bracing, and injection plastic bolts for when they are joined as a base. The wheels are made from three parts to provide the grooves on the tyres and may be fitted either to the turret or to the rear of the hull. The kit does not include the lunette that was clamped onto the barrel for towing. The kit includes eight spikes used to secure the turret to the ground when emplaced. These are sharply slide-molded and include the small holes and the triangular profile. Four two-part ammunition rounds are also provided.

Hull and Lower Fighting Compartment

The lower hull is based on a slide-molded one piece tub which is new to this kit and features detail on the side walls and belly including weld beams, access ports and screw heads. The fairings and mounts for the return rollers are integrated on this hull. The rear plate is a separate part and features new tooling for the lengthened twin exhaust pipes that have the ends already drilled out/

The road wheels and bogies are from recent Panzer IV Smart Kits and have the tyre and rim as one piece with separate hub-caps, while the bogies mountings are built from four parts. The road wheels and return rollers now feature the Continenta(U) brand name an pressure markings on the sidewalls. For the drive sprocket there is the choice of two profiles or as suggested by the instruction sheet to have one of each profile as seen in photos of a test vehicle.

The side fenders have an impressive anti-skid pattern on the upper surface and underside. The holes for the tools are predrilled, while the bottoms of many brackets are cast onto the fenders. The upper hull is built from two main parts (engine deck and centre plate with turret ring). The tools and other hull fittings, such as the rear convoy light (early or late design) are sharply defined tools. Many have the brackets and clamps cast on while others such as the jack (six parts) and towing clevis have separate brackets. Photo etch is provided for the two screens on the engine deck. Spare tracks are fitted to the front of the hull and a spare wheel is carried on each fender. An injection plastic aerial is attached to the hull rear.

The main beams and arms for the gantry crane are each single pieces, which have crisp casting for the H shaped profile of the horizontal beams and fine detail for the lightening holes etc. Separate parts are provided for small fittings and the crane can move through the use of pins with separate end caps that replicate the nuts and bolts of the crane's pivot.

The fighting compartment below the turret has a separate raised floor that has the profiles of varying hatches cast on it. The hatch for the battery is separate and can be left open to reveal the battery. The rear bulkhead is detailed with bolt heads and a stamped X profile. Five ammunition lockers are provided. Three are boxes with lids that can be modeled open to reveal the frames inside (empty) and two are racks, which are partly filled. The forward driving compartment is empty. The driver and radio operator's hatches are separate parts that could be left open and the driver's vision block has clear plastic parts and internal detail.

Tracks

The pre-cut injection plastic magic tracks have open guide horns and are "handed" in that separate left and right side tracks are provided with the track pin facing out accordingly. To avoid mix-ups each set has its own plastic bag and shade of gray. The outer faces have the plain profile (i.e. no chevrons). The links snap together for quick assembly and a whole run can be assembled in minutes; before you apply the glue. A small injection mark is on the inner face of each link and can be removed with a hobby knife if you wish.

Decals

The decal sheet has four Balkan Crosses with solid black centers and white outline. The instruction sheet suggests a solid dark yellow paint scheme as per the box art.

Recommendation

Dragon's Heuschrecke IV b has considerable appeal for modelers. The combination of the gantry and removable turret allows for considerable flexibility in how you display the Heuschrecke be it either as a standalone kit or in a diorama. The crisp tooling, Magic Tracks and photo-etch all add to the appeal and ensure that it is a comprehensive out of the box model. Definitely recommended.

- Neville Lord