In Box Review of DML 1/35th Scale
Sd.Kfz. 138/2 “Hetzer” Early Version
Kit no. 6030
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1994
I paid $22.98 after the kit was marked down from $28.50, at the local Hobby Lobby store.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1994
I paid $22.98 after the kit was marked down from $28.50, at the local Hobby Lobby store.
Out of production.
HISTORY:
The Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), originally the Leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post-war as Hetzer, was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. German armored forces in World War II created a variety of vehicles by mounting anti-tank guns on the chassis of obsolete tanks.
These machines performed even better than expected, yet they were still vulnerable due to high vehicle profiles and open-topped turrets. Allied bombings took a heavy toll on German production facilities and further increased the need for an easily produced yet effective light tank destroyer to replace vehicles like the StuG III and Marder series (Marder I, II, and III).
Prototypes of the Jagdpanzer 38 were ready by 1944, and mass production began in April of that year. The Jagdpanzer 38 was covered entirely with sloped armour and possessed a compact form and low silhouette, giving it much improved defensive ability over other self-propelled guns.
Armament consisted of a 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 gun and a remote-controlled MG 34. It featured a wide body to accommodate the four-man crew, as well as a strengthened lower hull with enlarged wheels, guide rollers, and tracks. Jagdpanzer 38s first entered service in July 1944 and would eventually be assigned to a number of units, including infantry, Panzerjäger and Volksgrenadier divisions.
BMM and Škoda continually modified and improved the Jagdpanzer 38 during production of the more than 2,800 vehicles built. Owing to the ease of production and high operating rates, the Jagdpanzer 38 came to serve as Germany's main tank destroyer in the latter period of the war, making an important contribution on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Light tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany, German-occupied Czechoslovakia
In service: 1944–1945
Used by: Nazi Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia (ST-I), Switzerland (G-13), Poland (Chwat, one captured), Romania (two captured)
Wars: World War II
Designer: BMM
Designed: 1943
Manufacturer: Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik (ČKD), Škoda
Produced: 4 March 1944 – 11 May 1945
No. built: Approx. 2,827
Mass: 15.75 tonnes (34,722 lb)
Length: 6.27 m (20 ft 7 in)
Width : 2.63 m (8 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in)
Crew: 4
Armor: 8-60 mm (0.31-2.36 in)
Main armament: 1× 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 with 41 rounds
Secondary armament: 1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun with 1,200 rounds
Engine: Praga 6-cylinder petrol, 7.8 litres of 160 PS (158 hp, 118 kW) at 2,800 rpm
Power/weight: 10.2 PS (7.5 kW) / tonne
Transmission: 5 + 1 Praga-Wilson Typ CV
Suspension: leaf spring
Ground clearance: 38 cm (1 ft 3 in)
Fuel capacity: 320 litres (85 US gal)
Operational range: Road: 180 km (110 mi), Cross-country: 130 km (81 mi)
Maximum speed: 42 km/h (26 mph)
The Jagdpanzer 38 (Sd.Kfz. 138/2), originally the Leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post-war as Hetzer, was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. German armored forces in World War II created a variety of vehicles by mounting anti-tank guns on the chassis of obsolete tanks.
These machines performed even better than expected, yet they were still vulnerable due to high vehicle profiles and open-topped turrets. Allied bombings took a heavy toll on German production facilities and further increased the need for an easily produced yet effective light tank destroyer to replace vehicles like the StuG III and Marder series (Marder I, II, and III).
Prototypes of the Jagdpanzer 38 were ready by 1944, and mass production began in April of that year. The Jagdpanzer 38 was covered entirely with sloped armour and possessed a compact form and low silhouette, giving it much improved defensive ability over other self-propelled guns.
Armament consisted of a 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 gun and a remote-controlled MG 34. It featured a wide body to accommodate the four-man crew, as well as a strengthened lower hull with enlarged wheels, guide rollers, and tracks. Jagdpanzer 38s first entered service in July 1944 and would eventually be assigned to a number of units, including infantry, Panzerjäger and Volksgrenadier divisions.
BMM and Škoda continually modified and improved the Jagdpanzer 38 during production of the more than 2,800 vehicles built. Owing to the ease of production and high operating rates, the Jagdpanzer 38 came to serve as Germany's main tank destroyer in the latter period of the war, making an important contribution on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Light tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany, German-occupied Czechoslovakia
In service: 1944–1945
Used by: Nazi Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia (ST-I), Switzerland (G-13), Poland (Chwat, one captured), Romania (two captured)
Wars: World War II
Designer: BMM
Designed: 1943
Manufacturer: Böhmisch-Mährische Maschinenfabrik (ČKD), Škoda
Produced: 4 March 1944 – 11 May 1945
No. built: Approx. 2,827
Mass: 15.75 tonnes (34,722 lb)
Length: 6.27 m (20 ft 7 in)
Width : 2.63 m (8 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.17 m (7 ft 1 in)
Crew: 4
Armor: 8-60 mm (0.31-2.36 in)
Main armament: 1× 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 with 41 rounds
Secondary armament: 1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun with 1,200 rounds
Engine: Praga 6-cylinder petrol, 7.8 litres of 160 PS (158 hp, 118 kW) at 2,800 rpm
Power/weight: 10.2 PS (7.5 kW) / tonne
Transmission: 5 + 1 Praga-Wilson Typ CV
Suspension: leaf spring
Ground clearance: 38 cm (1 ft 3 in)
Fuel capacity: 320 litres (85 US gal)
Operational range: Road: 180 km (110 mi), Cross-country: 130 km (81 mi)
Maximum speed: 42 km/h (26 mph)
THE KIT:
DML (also called Dragon) is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer based in Hong Kong, China. They make all manner of plastic model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The cover art shows a Hetzer on a grassy field, passing a knocked-out and burning British Churchill tank.
The Churchill is overall olive-drab, with no marks showing.
The Hetzer, in the fore-ground is overall earth-yellow with a black and white German cross on its sides.
2 crewmen are looking out the top of the Churchill. They wear black Panzer uniforms. One wears an officer’s hat with a bill. The other man wears a cloth side cap. Both have ear-phones on their heads.
One corner of the box art says: This kit contains 339 parts. For modeler aged 10 and over. Box contains a model of one armored vehicle.
One side-panel of the box has six one-paragraph histories of the Hetzer in Japanese, French, English, German, Italian and Chinese. With each language labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
Followed by Marco Polo Import Inc’s. street address and FAX number in City of Industry, Ca. They were the importer and distributor for DML back in the 90’s. Copyright of the kit is 1994 and the kit was made in Hong Kong, China.
DML (also called Dragon) is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer based in Hong Kong, China. They make all manner of plastic model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The cover art shows a Hetzer on a grassy field, passing a knocked-out and burning British Churchill tank.
The Churchill is overall olive-drab, with no marks showing.
The Hetzer, in the fore-ground is overall earth-yellow with a black and white German cross on its sides.
2 crewmen are looking out the top of the Churchill. They wear black Panzer uniforms. One wears an officer’s hat with a bill. The other man wears a cloth side cap. Both have ear-phones on their heads.
One corner of the box art says: This kit contains 339 parts. For modeler aged 10 and over. Box contains a model of one armored vehicle.
One side-panel of the box has six one-paragraph histories of the Hetzer in Japanese, French, English, German, Italian and Chinese. With each language labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speaks the language.
Followed by Marco Polo Import Inc’s. street address and FAX number in City of Industry, Ca. They were the importer and distributor for DML back in the 90’s. Copyright of the kit is 1994 and the kit was made in Hong Kong, China.
The other side panel shoes 3 color walk-around type photos of the model made up in the box art scheme. Followed by a repeat of Marco Polo’s address and FAX number, the copyright date and Made in China.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 8 light-grey plastic trees, the decal sheet and a steel PE fret in 4 sealed clear cello bags.
The main instructions consist of a single-sheet, that is accordion-folded into 8 ¼” x 13 ¾” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over one-paragraph histories of the Hetzer in 6 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with CAUTIONS about the kit, over international assembly symbol explanations and a listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri brands of hobby paints, in the 6 languages.
The bottom of page 2, through to page 7, gives a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
Page 8 is the parts-trees illustrations, over the decal application instructions in the 6 languages.
A second instructions is a painting and marking guide. It is printed on one side in color and is the same page size as the main instruction’s pages.
It shows two 4-views of Hetzers.
The first one is in a wave pattern camouflage of red-brown and khaki-green. It has a white eagle over “Chwat” on the right side of its front
It was with the Polish Home Army, Warsaw Uprising, 1944.
The second one is overall Panzer-grey, with a black and white German cross, followed by a red number 102 outlined in white on its sides.
It was with the German Army, Ukraine, 1944.
On the decal there is a black number S14, but it is not shown in the marking guide.
Trees are alphabetized.
Light-grey letter A tree holds: the top and bottom, machine-gun, main gun barrel etc. (29 parts)
This kit contains 8 light-grey plastic trees, the decal sheet and a steel PE fret in 4 sealed clear cello bags.
The main instructions consist of a single-sheet, that is accordion-folded into 8 ¼” x 13 ¾” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over one-paragraph histories of the Hetzer in 6 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with CAUTIONS about the kit, over international assembly symbol explanations and a listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri brands of hobby paints, in the 6 languages.
The bottom of page 2, through to page 7, gives a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
Page 8 is the parts-trees illustrations, over the decal application instructions in the 6 languages.
A second instructions is a painting and marking guide. It is printed on one side in color and is the same page size as the main instruction’s pages.
It shows two 4-views of Hetzers.
The first one is in a wave pattern camouflage of red-brown and khaki-green. It has a white eagle over “Chwat” on the right side of its front
It was with the Polish Home Army, Warsaw Uprising, 1944.
The second one is overall Panzer-grey, with a black and white German cross, followed by a red number 102 outlined in white on its sides.
It was with the German Army, Ukraine, 1944.
On the decal there is a black number S14, but it is not shown in the marking guide.
Trees are alphabetized.
Light-grey letter A tree holds: the top and bottom, machine-gun, main gun barrel etc. (29 parts)
Light-grey letter B tree holds: front wall, mantle, engine deck roof etc. (30 parts)
There are 4 identical light-grey letter C trees. They hold idler and drive wheels, leaf springs and individual track links etc. (69 parts ea.)
There are 2 identical light-grey letter D trees. They hold more wheels etc. (8 parts ea.)
Tree letter MA is a steel PE fret. It holds screens etc. (7 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit’s contents.
There are no crew figures, clear parts or interior details.
The detail is very good.
Recommended.
The detail is very good.
Recommended.