Zvezda 1/72 German 81mm Mortar and Crew 1939/42
| KIT #: | 6111 |
| PRICE: | $4.95 SRP |
| DECALS: | None supplied |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: |
| HISTORY |
The 8 cm Granatwerfer 34 (8 cm GrW 34) was the standard German medium mortar throughout World War II. It gained a reputation for extreme accuracy and rapid rate of fire, although much of the credit should go to the training of the crews.
The design of the weapon was conventional and it broke down into three loads (barrel, bipod, baseplate) for transport. The barrel was smooth bore. Attached to its bipod were a traversing handwheel, and a cross-leveling handwheel below the elevating mechanism. A panoramic sight was mounted on the traversing mechanism yoke for fine adjustments. A line on the tube could be used for rough laying.
The 8 cm GrW 34/1 was an adaptation for use in self-propelled mountings. A lightened version with a shorter barrel was put into production as the kurzer 8 cm Granatwerfer 42.
The mortar employed conventional 8 cm 3.5 kg high explosive or smoke shells with percussion fuzes, having a range of just over a kilometer. The range was extended by fitting up to three additional powder charges between the shell tailfins.
| THE KIT |
This is another of Zvezda's war gaming kits and this time it is a 1/72 kit, which is what they use for figures and artillery. Like others in this series, the figure set includes an individual base for each figure (at least that is what I think those long skinny things are) as well as a group base. There are two complete kits along with two movement cards.
Instructions are provided and there is some painting information on the back of the box, which basically shows several views of a completed kit. As with many of these items, there are no decals. I should also note that these are snap kits. No need for glue, and while the parts are rather small, it should make an acceptable kit for the youngsters in the house.
| CONCLUSIONS |
This kit is part of a number specially done for Zvezda's 'Art of Tactic' game system. It should make into a very nice and quickly built model in its own right and is really perfect for new modelers thanks to its snap construction.
| REFERENCES |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_engineer
October 2011 Thanks towww.dragonmodelsusa.com for the preview kit. Get yours at your local retailer. If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.