1:35 German 2cm Flak 38 Pz.Kpfw.38 (t)

A Flakpanzer on a proven chassis

Allied superiority in the air forced the German army to look for a quick way of protecting advancing columns. The bet fell on the proven Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) chassis, on which the engine was moved to the middle and an open fighting platform for a quick-firing 2 cm cannon was created at the rear. The folding armor walls could be dropped so that the crew could also aim high above themselves. The batch was built at the turn of 1943 and 1944 and remained small in number. The chassis itself comes from a prewar Czechoslovak design, which the German army took over and used in many other forms.

Service with combat units

The vehicles went to the anti-aircraft platoons of tank formations, where they escorted columns on the march. The quick-firing two-centimeter barrel also proved itself against lightly protected ground targets, so the crews fired at the ground far more often than into the air. The open platform exposed the crew to shell splinters, but on the other hand it gave the all-round view without which aiming at an aircraft would have been hard.

What the build offers

The open hull is both an opportunity and a trap for the modeler: you can see inside, so it pays to work up the ammunition stowage and the floor before the walls are closed. The sprues of parts are waiting for nippers, glue and finally paints. The dropped side armor offers two completely different looks for the finished model, even without figures. In 1:35 scale the vehicle comes out at around thirteen centimeters. Both a simple dark yellow finish and the later mottled scheme with green and brown patches suit it in terms of color.