Features:
- Newly designed cruciform legs are fully funcstional and highly detailed
- Gun mount reproduced in fine detail
- New 88mm FlaK 37 Gun finely presented w/crisp details
- Travel lock newly reproduced
- Actual rifling inside plastic gun barrel
- Slide-molded gun barrel and aluminum gun barrel provided as option
- Recoil-cylinder covers appropriate for gun-shield
- Metal equilibrators w/working mechanism
- Gun can recoil
- Gun shield w/bolt details
- Separate gun-shield side-flaps allow three different configurations of pressed-shield version
- Amored viewing cover made of photo-etched metal can be shown open/closed
- Optional hand wheels newly produced for FlaK 37
- Two kinds of gun cradle, each w/internal detail
- Detailed fuse setter
- Workable breech w/shell insertion possible
- Aluminum barrel for Type 36/37 barrel (two separated parts)
- Metal equilibrators
- Metal chains
- 88mm ammo x 6
- Wooden ammo box x 2
- Wicker ammo box x 4
The most famous German antitank weapon of WWII was the “eighty-eight”, an 8.8cm cannon that appeared in several guises (for instance, FlaK 18, FlaK 36 or FlaK 37). This deadly Flugabwehr-Kanone was originally designed as an antiaircraft weapon, but it performed admirably in the ground role as well, to the great detriment of Allied tank crews. The 8.8cm gun was built in large numbers, and it proved to be a successful design in both antiaircraft and antitank roles.
Dragon has already released kits featuring the FlaK 36 and FlaK 37, and they caused quite a stir in the market thanks to their accuracy and level of detail. Dragon has now launched a new version of the FlaK 37. The kit depicts the FlaK 37 mit Behelfslafette, which translates as a 'simplified gun mount'. The 1/35 scale kit does not include the carriage assemblies of the earlier kit, but it does possess the simplified cruciform base introduced to speed up construction of this weapon that was vital to the defense of beleagured Germany. Thus, this face-lifted kit has received new legs!
The gun mount is a completely new tooling, and while it may be termed Behelfslafette, it is anything but simple in this kit. Parts of the original kit are combined seamlessly with sophisticated and refined parts of the new base. The gun lock is also brand new. At the same time, the kit retains all the luxury features of the earlier release such as a working equilibrator mechanism, an authentic gun recoil action, the option of three styles of gun shield and an aluminum gun barrel. For modelers looking for a late-war weapon, the FlaK 37 mit Behelfslafette is an ideal choice. This sophisticated (yet simple!) kit has its sights set on both aerial and ground targets!