Dragon has
something for the turret-less AFV lovers in their November releases – Something
from both the Allied and Axis side as well…
Dragon released a splendid 1/35 scale kit of the Priest
self-propelled gun (SPG) as used by the US Army and also by the British Army in
the North African campaign. Now, its British counterpart has appeared within
Dragon’s ranks! Called the Sexton, this SPG was built in Canada by the Montreal
Locomotive Works and it mounted the famed British 25-pdr howitzer. The Sexton
appeared in 1943 and it replaced the US-built M7 Priest that featured a 105mm
gun. It’s the Sexton II that’s depicted in this kit. This 25.86-tonne SPG was
first used in Italy by the 8th Army, and they were also widely used in France
and Western Europe. It operated with a crew of six men.
Dragon’s kit of the Sexton II, while it bears a striking
similarity to the M7 Priest, is most definitely a brand new kit. It features a
brand new fighting compartment, new armour plates, a new engine deck and an
all-new interior. Obviously, the design team went right back to basics to
create this kit. The main armament makes use of the 25-pdr Field Gun kit that
Dragon introduced before, although even this had to be modified to allow for
the special mount that allowed its installation. The muzzle brake is made from
scratch too. Furthermore, the chassis is starkly different to that used on the
Priest. Meanwhile, the bogies and road wheels stem from the high-quality
Sherman kits that Dragon is renowned for. Indeed, this new Dragon Sexton II is
an answer to many a modeller’s prayers!
Features:
- Newly moulded Sexton II w/intricate detail
- Stowage bins added to the rear fighting compartment
- One-piece slide-moulded gun barrel w/hollow muzzle brake
- Gun mount w/hand wheels finely reproduced
- One-piece slide-molded gun barrel w/hollow end
- Detailed bolt heads moulded on
- Well-defined headlamps reproduced
- Jerry cans reproduced on the rear of Sexton II
- Wire cage rendered w/details
- Transmission realistically produced
- Engine deck produced w/astonishing detail
- Engine rear doors assembled
- Detailed instrument panel includes driver’s controls
- Bolts and rivets delicately represented on hull bottom
- Fire extinguishers realistically produced
- Fighting compartment w/accurate interior detail
- On-vehicle tools delicately recreated
- Finely detailed suspension system
- DS tracks reproduced w/refined detail
The StuG.III (Sd.Kfz.142) was based on the widely used
Panzer III family of tanks, and it evolved into a very capable German tank
destroyer during WWII. In fact, the StuG.III was Germany’s most widely
manufactured armored fighting vehicle of the war. As enemy tanks improved their
protection and armament, Germany responded by fitting the effective 7.5cm StuK
40 L/48 gun inside the vehicle’s casemate. This variant was known as the
Ausf.G, of which 7,720 were produced from December 1942 through till April
1945. This made the Ausf.G the most common German tank destroyer variant by
far. Dragon’s newest 1/35 scale StuG.III Smart Kit depicts an Ausf.G model from
the Late-Production type.
This is not just another StuG.III kit, as it has features
unique to a late-war vehicle produced around July 1944. This has resulted in
brand new parts such as the engine deck, side air intakes and front glacis
armor being created with Zimmerit, the special antimagnetic coating applied to
vehicle surfaces to prevent adhesive mines from being attached. The plastic
Zimmerit is masterfully textured and molded in situ, and it saves modelers from
the agonizing task of adding this coating themselves using putty. The
protective side skirts (Schürzen) are separate metal plates that lend
themselves perfectly to the task of replicating those on the original vehicle.
Other photo-etched components cover such elements as air intake grills and
idler wheel rings, plus a brand new frame for stowing equipment on the engine
deck. This is another fine 1/35 StuG.III Ausf.G kit from Dragon, made all the
more desirable thanks to its new coating!
Features:
- Newly tooled MG 34 can be optionally assembled
- Newly produced return rollers
- Travel lock w/photo-etched chain is newly produced
- Newly produced roof armour w/accurate weld seams
- Slide-skirt armour-plate brackets reproduced
- Slide-skirt armor produced in metal for scale thickness
- Injection-molded Zimmerit w/extreme details that accurately replicates the real vehicle
- Gun w/full breech assembly
- Slide-moulded mantlet w/internal surface detail
- Chamfer on lower part of mantlet
- Gun breech and recoil guard fully replicated
- Recoil and recuperator cylinders are truly represented
- Slide-molded gun sleeve
- One-piece barrel
- Slide-molded muzzle brake
- Slide-molded fenders feature photo-etched parts w/upper and lower surface details
- Fender pattern accurately portrayed
- Hatches can be assembled open/closed
- Photo-etched rack on engine deck for true-to-scale appearance
- Engine deck w/interlocking structure has realistic weld seams
- Screw heads are accurately reproduced
- Delicate side-skirt brackets on fenders
- Commander's hatch w/interior details can be assembled open/closed
- Multi-directional slide-moulded superstructure w/bolt detail
- Photo-etched air-intake grills
- Cooling air intakes are slide-moulded
- Multi-piece upper hull easily assembled
- Radio set and seats are included
- Fully detailed hull bottom weld seams
- One-piece slide-moulded lower hull w/superb details
- Floor tread-plate pattern is correctly done
- Driver's vision port w/clear plastic part
- One-piece driver's vision port armour w/bolt details
- Air deflector truly represented
- Photo-etched mesh is included
- Intricate OVM included
- Final-drive housing covers are separate parts for maximum detail
- Road wheels and sprocket wheels w/accurate details
- 40cm Magic Tracks
These and all of Dragons other great kits are all to be seen on the Dragon USA site