Dragon Panzer Crew LAH Division
Russia 1943, 1/35 Scale (6214)
by Cookie Sewell
62 parts (52 in grey styrene, 8 etched brass, 2 paper maps); price around
$8.95
Advantages: new moldings gives German modelers an option from the original
DML Panzer crew of 12 years ago
Disadvantages: three partial figures will require some sort of internal
shelf inside the model for mounting
Rating: Highly Rated
Recommendation: for all German armor fans
When DML released its German Panzer Crew (6028, Tiger Crew of five figures
representing Michael Wittman and crew at rest, with four full figures
and driver in the hatch) 12 years ago it quickly became a best-seller,
and the figures appeared in many German models and dioramas. They were
the first plastic crew to be in fine scale and closer to the mark than
the ancient Tamiya tank crew then on the market, and modelers snapped
them up in droves. But 12 years on, the poses grow stale, and as a result
many modelers have turned to either newer Tamiya offerings (which usually
come with kits, such as the Otto Carius set) or resin.
DML has now released a new set, based on troops from the 1st SS Panzerdivision
(Liebstandart Adolf Hitler, which along with the SS affiliation is tactfully
not cited on the box) with five new poses. Two are full figures, one a
commander holding his headset and the other a tanker sitting on the side
of the turret (with the legs where they are, either a Tiger II or Panther
would seem to be an appropriate "seat"). One is "convertible"
with either a set of legs in an informal post or that can be used as a
half-figure as the driver. The other two are designed to fit in hatches
of various vehicles.
The Ron Volstad artwork shows them in the camouflage pattern suits of
the midwar era, and some details are given in closeup for assisting in
painting them. Brass strips are included for the headset bands, a DML
feature which they have maintained since starting their figure series.
The half-figures are not "magic" and will need some sort of
support inside the vehicles the modeler selects for them, so be prepared
to do some planning when you test fit them to the vehicle of your choice.
Overall a good idea from DML.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
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