In Box Review of Italeri 1/35th Scale German Flak 43 Anti-aircraft gun
Kit no. 363
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Kit has copyright date of 1998. I paid $12.50 for my kit back then when it was marked down from $15.00 at the Toy Fair store at the local mall that went out of business.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Kit has copyright date of 1998. I paid $12.50 for my kit back then when it was marked down from $15.00 at the Toy Fair store at the local mall that went out of business.
HISTORY:
The 3.7 cm anti-aircraft gun was introduced with the German flak units of the Army and Luftwaffe during the second half of 1943.
The Flak 43 was characterized through extensive use of stamped metal parts rather than cast iron in order to accelerate production and to avoid material shortages which became a serious problem for the German war effort.
Rapid-fire features made the gun a serious threat to low and medium-altitude flying aircraft. Only a few hundred units were produced, some of them being mounted on armored carriers.
The 3.7 cm anti-aircraft gun was introduced with the German flak units of the Army and Luftwaffe during the second half of 1943.
The Flak 43 was characterized through extensive use of stamped metal parts rather than cast iron in order to accelerate production and to avoid material shortages which became a serious problem for the German war effort.
Rapid-fire features made the gun a serious threat to low and medium-altitude flying aircraft. Only a few hundred units were produced, some of them being mounted on armored carriers.
THE KIT:
Italeri is a old prolific model company based in Italy. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet find their way past one of the end flaps to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows a Flak 43 set up on rocky ground with snow on it. The gun is shown off of it's 2-wheel trailer and on it's ground mount. The trailer is parked behind it. This is against an all black background.
The gun and the trailer are overall earth-yellow with a panzer-gray barrel with 7 kill rings around it.
One side panel has a one-paragraph history of the gun in 7 languages, including English, each labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speak that language.
The other side panel repeats this with 5 more languages and their flags, followed by the copyright date of 1998 and the kit is not suitable for children under 3 due to small parts, in the 12 languages.
The bottom of the box has 4 color box arts of other AFV kits that Italeri manufactures: a German Sturmtiger, kit no. 299. a German SWS with Panzerwerfer, kit no. 256, a U.S. M8 Greyhound armored car, kit no. 364 and a U.S. M-977 Oshkosh truck, kit no. 299, above Italeri's address in Italy and MADE IN ITALY.
Italeri is a old prolific model company based in Italy. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet find their way past one of the end flaps to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows a Flak 43 set up on rocky ground with snow on it. The gun is shown off of it's 2-wheel trailer and on it's ground mount. The trailer is parked behind it. This is against an all black background.
The gun and the trailer are overall earth-yellow with a panzer-gray barrel with 7 kill rings around it.
One side panel has a one-paragraph history of the gun in 7 languages, including English, each labeled with a color illustration of the flag of the country that speak that language.
The other side panel repeats this with 5 more languages and their flags, followed by the copyright date of 1998 and the kit is not suitable for children under 3 due to small parts, in the 12 languages.
The bottom of the box has 4 color box arts of other AFV kits that Italeri manufactures: a German Sturmtiger, kit no. 299. a German SWS with Panzerwerfer, kit no. 256, a U.S. M8 Greyhound armored car, kit no. 364 and a U.S. M-977 Oshkosh truck, kit no. 299, above Italeri's address in Italy and MADE IN ITALY.
Kit is intended for modelers 10 and above and Model Master paint colors are suggested to use.
WHAT'S IN THE KIT:
The kit contains 3 light-tan trees, a section of mesh screen and a short length of wire that is scotch-taped to the instructions. However, this length of wire is shown nowhere in the assembly instructions.
The parts trees are not cello bagged.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 10 pages in 7" x 9" page format.
Page 1 of the instructions has the history of the Flak 43 in 8 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with ATTENTIONS about the kit, over the parts trees illustrations.
Page 3 begins with a suggested listing of Model Master and Italeri brands of paint colors, over the first assembly step.
Page 4 to the top of page 9 gives a balance of a total of 12 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 9 has a top and side line drawing calling the color of the gun a flat tan.
Page 10 has IMPORTANT INFORMATION about the kit in 20 languages, including English.
Light-tan letter A tree holds: the 3-cornered ground base mount, main gun
breech and barrel, ammo trays, gun mount parts and fittings etc. (87 parts)
The kit contains 3 light-tan trees, a section of mesh screen and a short length of wire that is scotch-taped to the instructions. However, this length of wire is shown nowhere in the assembly instructions.
The parts trees are not cello bagged.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 10 pages in 7" x 9" page format.
Page 1 of the instructions has the history of the Flak 43 in 8 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with ATTENTIONS about the kit, over the parts trees illustrations.
Page 3 begins with a suggested listing of Model Master and Italeri brands of paint colors, over the first assembly step.
Page 4 to the top of page 9 gives a balance of a total of 12 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 9 has a top and side line drawing calling the color of the gun a flat tan.
Page 10 has IMPORTANT INFORMATION about the kit in 20 languages, including English.
Light-tan letter A tree holds: the 3-cornered ground base mount, main gun
breech and barrel, ammo trays, gun mount parts and fittings etc. (87 parts)
Light-tan letter B tree holds shield parts etc. (23 parts)
Light-tan letter C tree holds: wheels, fenders, leaf springs, tow cables, U-shaped cradle etc. (31 parts)
The mesh is for the expended shell casing catcher.
There are no crew figures included in the kit.
The kit is nicely detailed.
The kit is nicely detailed.
Recommended.