DML 1/35 Geschuetzwagen 38M mit 3cm Flak 103/38 - Smart Kit First Look

By Cookie Sewell

First Look

Towards the end of the war the Germans were using anything that moved as combat vehicles, and as a result many support vehicles were hastily converted to carry weapons and provide any sort of self-propelled weapons possible. This variant, which is listed as belonging to Kampfgruppe Milowitz in Prague during 1945, uses the Gw 38 M ammunition carrier for the Sd.Kfz. 138/1 15 cm s.I.G. 33/2 Ausf. M 150mm SP howitzer as an impromptu vehicle with the 3 cm Flak 103/38 30mm automatic cannon mounted in the casemate.

Basically another “boutique” kit from cyber-hobby.com, this kit combines their previous Kit No. 21 (DML Kit No. 6471) Sd.Kfz. 138/1 Munitionswagen 38 M fuer s.I.G. 33/2 with parts from DML’s Kit No. 6353 3cm Flak 38/103 Jaboschreck and basically no major new parts.

The kit follows the previous “Smart Kit” Praga tank chassis releases. This kit includes the engine and other interior parts. The driveline and interior are mostly styrene parts, such as the transmission/clutch assembly, steering controls, driveshaft and shield. The ammo racks are all single molded items, but the projectiles are molded with the rack to get a “scale” thickness to the rack and as such cannot be separated. Twenty full and six empty racks are provided along with two single projectiles, but the directions show you now using the 15 cm projectiles. Ergo, if you have either the cyber-hobby.com ammo carrier or the DML 15 cm SP howitzer and haven’t built them you can “plus up” the ammunition on those models from this kit.

There is one small radio with separate transmitter and receiver mounted on the right side of the casemate. Each periscope in the fighting compartment is all styrene (clear prism component, grey mounts) and may be positioned as folded or erected.

The rest of the kit follows standard DML “Smart Kit” construction and the use of “Magic Track” single link tracks.

Again, as this is a “boutique” kit of a very low production/conversion rate vehicle only one finishing option is provided, that of the aforementioned Kampfgruppe in Prague. A tiny sheet of three crosses is provided from Cartograf.

Assistance on this kit is credited to Thomas Anderson, H. C. Graf von Seherr-Thoss, Tom Cockle and Gary Edmundson.

Overall, this is a nicely done kit but one which is so obscure that it will probably be more popular with kit collectors than modelers.

Thanks to DML for the review sample.

Sprue Layout:

• A 66 Pzkw. 38(t) Ausf. G wheels and suspension
• A 88 Flak 38 2cm mount
• B 70 Pzkw. 38(t) Ausf. G fenders and hull components
• C 6 Flak 38 elevation adjustment rods
• D 58 Pzkw. 38(t) interior and transmission components
• D 12 MK 103 gun
• D 22 New parts for MK 103 to Flak 38 mount
• E 92 Marder III Ausf. M interior and hull detail components
• F 8 Marder III Ausf. M interior bracing
• G 43 Flakpanzer 38(t) front hull and interior details
• J 10 clear styrene vision blocks
• K 38 Pzkw. 38(t) OVM and rivet heads
• L 2 German whip antenna
• M 22 Bison Ausf. M casemate and details
• N 2 German whip antenna
• N 5 German tools and OVM (rods)
• P 16 Pzkw. 38(t) engine components
• Q 49 Bison Ausf. M details and hull front
• R 32x2 15 cm projectiles and stowage brackets
• V 10 German radio and racks
• X 1 Flakpanzer 38(t) hull pan
• Y 240 Magic Track
• Z 1 Twisted steel cable
• MA 103 etched brass
• MA 2 Preformed brass screen
• MB 17 etched brass
• MC 2 etched brass
• MD 6 etched brass
• GA 64 German generic kit
• RB 8 German generic radios