The Pak 36 (Panzerabwehrkanone 36) was a German anti-tank gun that fired a 3.7 cm calibre shell. It was developed in 1936 by Rheinmetall and first appeared in combat that year during the Spanish Civil War. It formed the basis for many other nations' anti-tank guns during the first years of World War II. The Kw. K. 36 L/45 was the same gun but was used as the main armament on several tanks, most notably the early models of the Panzer III. It was employed by Finnish troops during World War II, notably during the Defense of Suomussalmi.

In 1/72, this small anti-tank gun is really small. Very nicely molded in grey plastic, there is a single sprue that looks as it if was part of something else. Many of the parts are quite fragile looking so I'd highly recommend a fine tooth razor saw for cutting the parts away from the sprues. The kit has few options, among them the ability to model the gun either in action or in a towed condition. This makes this kit perfect for an addition to a towing vehicle such as a truck or a half-track.

Instructions are well written and consist of basically one half of a small page. As I said, there isn't much to this one so construction should be pretty quick. There are no decals and the painting instructions only show two guns; one in overall Panzer Grey and the other with a winter white wash as shown on the box art.

This is perhaps a real weekend special. I can easily see this one being assembled and painted in a few days of work. It is priced for what now passes for pocket change and should make for a neat little model when it is done.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PaK_36

January 2010

Thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. Get yours at your local shop or on-line retailer.

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