Dragon Models, Ltd

1/72 Sd.Kfz. 251/7 Ausf D w/2.8 cm sPzB 41 AT Gun

Kit Number: 60306

Reviewed by  Jack Kennedy, IPMS# 12511

MSRP: $23.95 Dragon kits just keep getting better with each new release. This kit of the Sd.Kfz. 251/7 is one of the latest of their Armor Pro Series and it is an exceptional kit. It's been a while since I did an armor piece and I was thrilled to get to review this one. Upon opening the box I was greeted with a huge number of parts when one considers the scale. There were also two frets of photo-etch parts in addition to the plastic. I was very excited to see that the road wheels were molded in such a way that there were very few separate ones. Dragon certainly did their homework to make sure that the wheels aligned properly. It was a pleasure to assemble this setup. The assembly of the front suspension was a bit dicey due to the instructions not being too clear. The interior was a delight to build, however I could not see the reasoning behind making the seats/storage units in so many parts. They could have just have easily been cast in one piece and not five to make it easier. The instrument panel is a work of art especially considering the small scale. Everything went together easily and assembly was finished in a few hours. As is the practice with Dragon, some parts are extremely small and difficult to attach. The also include some parts that will never be seen on the finished model such as the battery under the hood. If they included an engine to be shown with the hatches open, I could understand it but without an engine, there is no need to open the hatches. The gun is a little gem and included photo-etched gun shields. This is a nice touch. The side panels are very well detailed and fit perfectly. All the ancillary parts go on perfectly with the alignment holes to guarantee this. A lot of detail parts make up the interior and can just barely be seen with a light shining upon it. Just the same it's nice to have them in there. What can I say about the tracks? They are the best that I have ever encountered in over 50 years of model making. They conformed over the drive wheels and connected with just a drop of CA glue. They even glued down over the road wheels with ease to show the proper sag. I never had tracks so easy to work with. The only complaint I have was with the decals. I couldn't see the need to have the ID plates without the numbers and then have to add the miniscule numbers to these plates. Each number was individual and had to be added one at a time. This was an almost impossible task. Thankfully, they give you a large set of numbers to work with. Overall, I loved this kit and am looking forward to doing the whole range of 251's. I would highly recommend this to all modelers, beginner or advanced. I wish to thank Dragon Models for this kit to review and IPMS/USA for giving it to me.

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