Dragon
Dragon 1/6 Sd.Kfz.2 Kleines Kettenkrad
Kit Number: 75001
Reviewed by  Rick Bellanger, IPMS# 35220

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MSRP: $108.95

When I volunteered for this review I really didn't know what I was getting into to. Being an Aircraft Modeler, I wanted to try something different and this turned out to be something really different and BIG!

The Kit
It comes packaged in a nice sturdy box with dividers to separate the parts. There were no part trees included and all parts were bagged separately in clear bags. Most of the parts are up to Dragon's usual high standard, but there are a few odd ones, which seems to be made from a different kind of plastic than is normally used, almost vinyl like. For example, the handle bars. At first I thought they were made from resin, but eventually reached the conclusion that they were indeed plastic, molded a bit rough, but they're ok. They will require some clean up!
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There are not as many parts in this kit as you might expect. The reason being many of the parts that you would expect to be molded as separate smaller parts are molded as one larger one. I would imagine the reason for this is because of the kit's relationship to Action Figures. Don't let this put you off; the molding, at times, can be absolutely stunning.

One disappointing feature is that the suspension swing arms are molded integrally with the body. This will severely limit the modeler's ability to display the vehicle over a rough terrain base. I don't particularly mind, since this part of the vehicle is well-hidden by the road wheels and track when complete, but I would expect slightly better detail for a model this size.

There is a large foam block packed separately in the box. Inside it there is a complete resin transmission and a battery. This thing is huge! It is roughly cast but cleans up nicely! The battery comes with two pieces of wire that make up separate handles, and they really do look the part! No cables are included, however, nor is there a location for the battery to be installed on the kit.

The road wheels are cast in two halves to get the best from the detail. The track is superb, consisting of separate links, with separate pads and track pins to insert. Which means that they can all be painted separately as well.

The hull of the vehicle is molded as one very large tub, with good detail, but none on the bottom surface. The weld detail for example, is extremely well done, and the detail of the Notek light is superb, although sadly it lacks detail on its underside.

The transmission is a solid resin casting, to which smaller detailed parts are attached, including the driver's seat at its rear. This can be sprung, and Dragon provides two metal springs for this purpose. The rear seat is made up of two massive plastic parts, which no doubt many builders will attempt to cover with some fabric facsimile, but for me the texture, creases and folds already molded look good enough.

The front wheel of the vehicle is provided in two halves, with a rubber tire of the correct pattern. Inside the rubber tire, there is a foam insert to give some strength to the wheel. The small dashboard has self adhesive stickers for instruments, which will benefit from some glass placed over them. I used a few drops of Future, applied in several coats, to build up the lenses. The mesh provided for the top screen is of the correct size and type, and each of the side storage bins can be open or closed, thus the working latches, although the inside of each is devoid of detail.

Throughout the kit, there are small complicated looking parts that are molded from resin instead of plastic. I'm not sure why Dragon has gone this route instead of molding them as multiple parts in plastic, the resin castings do exhibit some fine detail, but are generally a bit more 'rough' than the plastic moldings would be. The inclusion of the battery, heating lamps and heater are a nice touch, but there's no obvious place for them on the vehicle, and it would seem unlikely that many of these vehicles will be made for dioramas being the size they are?

There are no markings included in the kit, although a sheet of self-adhesive number stickers are included for use on the number plates, from which it should be possible to make either a Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe vehicle. You will have to provide your own references for accuracy.

The Build
I started the build following the instruction with the body and road wheels. Very little flash was found on any of the pieces, so cleanup was a snap. I left the road wheels off until the final painting stage due to the fact that the rubber on each wheel had to be painted. More on this later.

The tracks went together quite easily. The side pins that connect the links were glued with a tiny drop of liquid Testor's cement so I had time to fiddle with them, ensuring that they would still move. It only took about an hour to make up the entire set of tracks for both sides. I left off the rubber pads and painted those separately. I like to make things as easy as possible and cheated by painted the tracks with a cheap ($.99) can of aluminum spray paint, found at my local "Where you can buy anything" store. The rubber pads were painted using a can of flat black from the same store. After several days of drying the pads were attached and the whole assembly was given a spray of Floquil Grimy Black to tone them down and give them a weathered look.

The fenders and storage bins were next. I glued the bins closed since there was no detail to be seen if they were left opened.

Here is were the kit and instructions start running into problems. When you assemble the front end the directions aren't very clear on the location of a number of parts. You get all these nice levers and rods to install but no place to put them. I really had to study the box photos to locate a lot of the parts. Some of the casting is a little crude but they do clean up. ACC was used due to the mixed media in parts.

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I found that if you built the steering pivot arm (step 5) as directed, the front end sits about a 1/4" off the ground! I had to shave down piece D-15 and D-14 and leave the assembly loose in order to get the front wheel to sit on the ground. I believe the whole problem stems from the rubber pads on the tracks lifting the whole model up. If you were to build this model on a base were the tracks would sit dug into the ground this would surely go away. Leave the front wheel and tire off until painting is completed. It can be later attached with just an axle pin.

The fenders and front body were glued to the main hull and a lot of clamps, tape and rubber bands were required, due to the large size of the kit. Everything fit together, no gaps to fill or putty needed. One word of caution: if you decide to glue the storage bins closed make sure you install the engine cover assembly while gluing the sides to the main body. You will know why later if you don't.

The rest of the assembly went together with no problems. I left the model in sub assemblies to ease the painting.

Painting
I used 2 spray cans of Model Masters Afrika Yellow to paint the Kettenkrad. With all the road wheels, front end assembly, transmission assembly and the large body it took all of the 2 cans. I later came in with an airbrush to cover over any missed areas after final assembly.

The rubber on the road wheels was attacked next. These were painted using a black Sharpie Pen and Magic Marker. Due to their large size, this was really the easiest method to accomplish this and after a little weathering you can't tell. Just place the wheel on one of the axles of the body and spin it while touching the Sharpie to it. Then fill it in using the marker pen. Took me all of an hour to paint all of them.

The tracks are loose enough to install when they are fully assembled. By leaving the main drive sprocket loose, everything just slides on. The model rolls really nice and even has a squeaky sound like a track vehicle should.

Weathering was done with washes and dry brushing. Floquil Grimy Black was airbrushed to blend everything together.

As stated before, the vehicle numbers are stick-on's. I found after a few days they started peeling away. So I would suggest finding an alternative source.

Conclusion
[review image] The Kettenkrad turned out to be a fun build. The only limiting factor would be its size! This is a 1/6th scale model. Even though the actual vehicle was small, this kit is quite large, over 18" long. It is also on the heavy (weight) side, but robust enough to take it. Expect to have handling problems. The instructions are adequate but you will have to refer to the box photos for some location of parts.

The fit is excellent; the quality of casting is very good with the exception of the few parts mentioned. It certainly has its faults but the detail is rather good. It would definitely be a detailer's delight. There are a lot of possibilities one could do to with this kit.

I believe that this kit is made more for the Action Figure modeler versus the Scale Modeler. I tried placing a GI Joe (Brand Name) Figure in the driver's seat and it would not fit. Probably some of the other brands of Action Figures would work, and I'm sure there are many out there.

I would recommend this model to those that have worked with larger kits and mixed media. But if you wanted to try something different, go for it.

My thanks go out to Dragon Models and IPMS/USA for providing the sample for review and an opportunity to build it. I really enjoyed it.

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