Dragon Models

1/6   3.7cm PaK 36

Kit Number: 75002

Reviewed by  Bruce Drummond, IPMS# 37265

MSRP: $59.95 Review kit courtesy of Dragon Models USA (www.dragonmodelsusa.com) Quick review Big Box, Big Kit, Wow. The Wheels are just smaller than the whole of my hand! I knew it was a big kit but not how big and this is a small gun as anti-tank guns go. I do not collect the large Action Figures but I believe this to be geared towards them for enhancement to their collections. There are lots of big parts, 271 to be exact, with about 6 not needed and does not look to be a hard build. Ah, relaxation and ease for a change. Sadly, the kit sighting vane was missing but an easy scratch build as it is a flat bar notched at one end. So here we go!

Getting Started I searched out and glued together all easy to glue parts that are halved such as the Carriage, Wheels Axles, Gun Barrel and so on to facilitate any additional cleaning up of these parts once assembled and dried. Did I say ease? This was a wise and recommended approach. The Trunnions are somewhat mismatched as were the Gun Carriage axles, and a goodly amount of putty and sanding them was required to 'flush' them. Happily the Gun Barrel had only a minor seam and was easy to clean up. The Trails were just as easy. I did not assemble the major components until after painting to ease any adjustments. The shields are thick but beveled well within the edges to replicate scale thickness and went together quite well and with no real hitches. All hinges are all workable, and the shields can be displayed in any variety of poses open or closed as well as the operable protection plates for the sight hole. I did have some concerns with the breech as far as some spacing but since I do not have a "walk around" book on this gun I remembered that this was a kit to go with 'Action Figures' and continued on. By the way, the breech opens and closes by the handle provided as on the real item.

It was now time to mount the shields to the chassis and I removed all the hinge pins to be able to control the mounting of the main shield to their retaining arms. The fit is good with only a less than small gap at the lower mounting but not really noticeable. A cyanoacrylate glue should be used here due to some slight adjusting having to be made for proper fit. After the main shield was on the lower was added and the whole assembly was set to dry. When all was dry I added the two side shields. On my kit the one shield did not sit flush with the main and even after tweaking it I left it somewhat out of kilter. Thank goodness it is not all that noticeable. They are hinged also and will open and close. They also come with operable metal tie downs that snap onto the lid clasp. Cool. The side handles are also movable for those that like to play with their toys! Did I mention the Ammo? Yes children there are quite a few, 10 'live' rounds and 20 spent shells. There are also 2 partial inserts for the boxes that give the impression of a loaded case with 1 hole for a 'live' round to fit at your discretion. Also each shell has a Primer piece to be glued to the base for realism. When finished they look great!

Afterthoughts When all is said and done it really is quite impressive, not only in size but in recent detail. I don't scale out kits so I'll leave that to someone else. What I can say, is that if you wanted a more accurate model you could use the many parts available to replicate them from card stock of your choosing. The hinges could be sanded a little thinner also. Drill through the existing holes, and there you have it. The gun shields storage boxes could also be made operable and given the proper components which did not come with the kit such as a bore brush and various tools. My biggest complaint however, is that no decals are included. It would have been great to add Divisional or group markings, Shell markings for 'live' rounds and markings for the ammo cases especially. Last Word If you're looking for a way to enhance your action figure collection with weaponry, then this is the way to go plus you get to build and weather it yourself. A few bits of wire and some branches a little mud …. Endless. Good Job, Dragon! Thanks to Dragon Models for graciously providing this kit.

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