Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $37.95 USD 583 Pieces (515 gray plastic, 4 clear plastic, 64 Photo-Etch Brass) Background As I've stated before in other reviews, even though I am a wheeled fighting vehicle enthusiast, I still love many of the tracked vehicles, specifically any vehicles based on or related to the Panzerkampfwagen 38t tank. Seeing that Dragon, Tamiya and Tristar have finally given the attention to this important vehicle series at last, these are happy times indeed for me and others of my ilk. On we go with the review. The Aufklarungspanzer 38t is another in Dragon's "Smart Kit" line. There seems to be some confusion in the modeling hobby as what makes Smart kits different from Premium Edition and/or Dragon's normal kits. From what I understand the "Smart Kits" differ from Dragon's other offerings in that they have very detailed parts, but are supposedly easier to build than their standard kits. Usually, this means fewer parts, and specifically a smaller amount of Photo Etch parts. With the addition of "Magic Tracks" (Dragon's pre cut and ready to assemble pieces) and their pre-prepared turret anti-grenade screens, this kit sure fits the bill. However, the interesting thing is that the PE parts Dragon includes hits a fairly impressive 64 parts! Also, the amount of pieces contained in the kit, including the PE and 190 or so magic tracks hits a whopping 583. My first impression while looking at this kit was that it appeared Dragon had done an excellent job with the kit, especially when comparing it to the only other 1/35 scale kit of the Aufklarungspanzer 38t; the mid 1990's era UM kit. I was not disappointed after pawing through the kit box and looking at it in detail. Outstanding! I suspect that my positive feelings about this kit will only continue once I start the building process and probably even after I complete it. Anyway, some other highlights of options and general features that Dragon provides us include: · A very nice basic interior is provided. With the nature of the open turret of the vehicle, it will look sufficiently "busy" without any additional work. That is not to say that they've given us a super detailed interior, but it is more than sufficient for most modelers; · Well designed one-piece, hollowed out KwK 38 20mm plastic barrel (to alleviate seam marks, sanding and maybe even corrective puttying); · Two photo-etch frets which contain 64 pieces including the pre-formed turret screens, engine deck screens, storage bin covers, perforated storage bin, pioneer tool clasps and Kwk 38 gun sight; · The exhaust pipe is slide molded with hollowed out end; · A detailed transmission system is provided; · "Curved" side fenders can be built like the real vehicle; · The Magic Tracks also have casting numbers on every track link. · Clear parts depicting the periscopes and hull vision blocks. One odd choice Dragon has made and which differs from their previous releases is that they provide pioneer tools with Photo Etched mounting clasps, but they do NOT provide full plastic pieces with the clasps molded on. For instance, their Sdkfz 234/2 "Puma" (which I previously reviewed) had provided tools in plastic with the clasps molded on. I am not complaining, but this is "odd" as the Aufklarungspanzer 38t is supposed to be a "smart kit" and thusly easier to build. Although this is not alarming in any way, its just, well, weird. The one condition I mentioned above should not pose any significant problem to most modelers. Considering what Dragon offers us in this kit, this is a "nit I am picking". Normally things like this that are so minor they would not warrant me even mentioning them in a review. However, I was trying hard to come up with something "negative" to counter all the positives of the kit I've discovered so far. I had to come up with something; right? Kit Accuracy The accuracy level of the Dragon Aufklarungspanzer 38t is VERY high and it compares very favorably to the references I have consulted. Unfortunately there are no surviving vehicles of this type, so I was not able to compare the kit with the real thing, or current photos thereof. The references I used to check the accuracy of the kit are George Bradford's 1/35 scale AFV drawing (G16) of the vehicle, Zimmerit Press' "Panzerkampfwagen 38t" by David V. Nielsen, Squadron/Signal's "Pzkfw 38t in Action" and the Peter Chamberlain/Hilary Doyle "Encyclopedia of German Tanks (Revised Edition)". I also compared the vehicle turret to that of photos in Thomas Jentz's "Panzer Tracts 13 - Panzerspahwagen (Armored Cars Sdkfz. 3 to Sdkfz 263)" because the Aufklarungspanzer had the same turret as the Sdkfz 234/1 Armored Car. I compared the kit parts and instructions with my references and I found no major problems, omissions, etc. The one reference which I had consulted and showed something "different" about the kit was Mr. Bradford's AFV drawings of the Aufklarungspanzer 38t. Basically, the turret of the kit looked to be a bit off shape than Mr. Bradford's drawings. However, when I compared the turret to the other references in my possession, it looked fine. Other than that, the kit scales out very well to George Bradford's AFV drawing and compares VERY closely to the photos and drawings I've compared it to. Quality/Detail of Parts The quality of the casting of the kit pieces is simply outstanding; Super-Crisp. There is absolutely no flash present on the parts, and even the tiniest of pieces were almost flawlessly cast. Also, there are very few sink holes present, and those only appear in the hard to see/reach areas, where no filling will be needed. At first glance, it appears to me that the only clean up needed to parts would be caused by any mistakes I make when cutting the parts off the sprues. If I don't screw up, then no clean up will be necessary. Sound familiar? It should as it pretty much mirrors reviews of other newer Dragon kits. The detail level of each individual part is also superb. Even the smallest of pieces contains a stunning amount of detail. The PE screens for the turret are awesome, especially since they are pre-shaped. No bending!! Also, the plastic "slide molded" 20mm KwK 38 gun barrel is nearly as good as most aftermarket barrels available. Lastly, we get "magic tracks" with this kit and they look very good accurate and should go together easy enough, especially when comparing them to other link-by-ling track sets. They also have casting numbers on each individual track. Although they are microscopic, more detail to me is always a good thing. Finally, the overall detail level of the kit after construction looks like it will be top notch. My first impression of the kit engineering looks to be excellent. I guess that is the "smart kit" aspect coming out for us to see. The parts look like they will go together with minimum problems, while showing off the high level of detail Dragon provides. The interior provided by Dragon could be easily improved upon by super detailing, but in reality it looks fine without any further work needed to be done. Decals, Markings, Painting Yet again, dragon provides top quality Cartograph Decals which are thin, vibrant and printed in register. The decals are crisp with no color overrun. The decal sheet is very small and covers the markings of 2 vehicles: · Unidentified Unit: Western Front - 1942 · Unidentified Unit: Eastern Front 1942 Ultimately though, we are only provided with German National Insignia (Balkenkruez) in white and black. Since there were not many vehicles produced and the markings they used and the units in which they served is sketchy, I have no real problem with the small decal sheet/limited marking options. The only problem I found is that the 1942 use dates listed for each vehicle in the instructions are obviously incorrect as the real vehicles were not converted from the regular Pzkfw 38t's until 1944. The markings/painting guides are one in the same, and come with three views of each of the 2 vehicles which decals are provided for. The guides are understandable and can be easily followed. Instructions/Packaging The instruction sheet is "typical Dragon" and should pose no major problems using if you are an experienced modeler. As I usually state, caution should always be used when following Dragon's instructions. This is not necessarily a negative point to me in that the "problems" encountered with Dragon instructions are not usually due to their low quality. Any difficulties encountered are usually due to the fact that they provide a high level of detail in their kits (equaling many parts) as well as a myriad of vehicle versions, sub-variants, etc. The more parts and options Dragon gives us, the more cumbersome their instruction sheets will generally be. I'd rather have Dragon provide more detail and kit building options in their kits and get more "complicated" instructions rather than receiving a kit with outstanding/ exceptional instructions but only getting one vehicle version/option which is less detailed. As usual, Dragon provides excellent kit packaging and "safety" by providing a box constructed of sturdy cardboard and following the practice of bagging all sprues separately. They also mount their decals, clear plastic pieces and PE frets on their signature black cardboard "slab" and bag them separately as well. Conclusion After looking the Aufklarungspanzer 38t kit over, fondling the plastic and comparing it to my reference material it looks like it is an outstanding representation of the real vehicle. Of course my impression could possibly change after I build it, but that is REALLY doubtful. Regardless of what the eventual rating I give this kit after I build it, the fact remains that it FAR superior to the mid-1990's UM kit offering. I had originally intended to do a slight comparison between the Dragon kit and the UM version for this review. However once I opened my UM kit and looked at it for a New York minute, I decided that it wasn't worth my or your time. There is no comparison between the kits; Dragon's is WAY better that of UM's kit. The casting quality, detail level of the parts and options provided in the Dragon's Aufklarungspanzer 38t kit are amazing, "smart kit" or not. The only "negative" I found was minimal at best, especially when compared to all the positive aspects of this kit. As a Pzkfw 38t aficionado, I can't wait to get building. Highly Recommended Thanks to Dragon Models for the review sample.

About the Reviewer: Patrick Keenan is the Editor of War Wheels, the IPMS recognized Special Interest Group (SIG) for Armored Cars and Wheeled Fighting Vehicles (www.warwheels.net).

Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®.