German Panzer-Regiment 7, 10th Panzer Division Smolensk 1941 Dragon 1/35

This time, this kit is a figure set featuring a German tank crew just after the start of the war between Germany and the Soviet Union. I bought it more than ten years ago and haven’t had a chance to make it, so I will force it to fit the Type IV tank. It’s fun to see General Heinz Guderian’s figure included as a bonus. They were sold for about $5 a long time ago, but now the regular price is more than $20 in some cases, and the price of Dragon, tanks, and figures has become very expensive. I’m thinking of using it for the IV tank I’m making right now, but it looks like I’m getting a lot of images, so I put it on another page.

The ones that seem to be able to be matched with tanks are No. 1 and No. 3.

Well, first, the figure I’m most curious about. It seems to fit even the type-IV tank. He is a tank crew in a pose leaning through a turret side door, a soldier rolling up his shirt in early summer.

There is what looks like a headphone cord molded on the commander. It seems a bit big overall, but I think it’s an outstanding figure with a natural standing posture.

I have a little trouble. Initially, I thought it would fit properly, but after putting on the side hatch’s inner frame, I felt the figure was quite large. The figure will not fit unless the waist is slightly shaved, the inner frame of the side hatch is shaved to make it larger, and the hatch is opened and angled wider than specified.

The standing commander figure in the upper hatch also didn’t fit appropriately unless the clothes around the ankle and the structure inside the hatch were shaved off. Cutting the lower body might be a good idea, but I wanted to make it as full-body as possible, so I adjusted the figure side and the vehicle to fit somehow. I’m impressed with how well the hand fits on the edge of the hatch.
(2023/04/06)

Perhaps because it is a set of figures themed on the Battle of Smolensk, it comes with Heinz Guderian figures who performed well in this battle with excellent command. I’ve often seen pictures like this, so I guess it’s from those photos.

It isn’t easy to make because the figure looks like a general wearing a coat, and the parts are slightly different from the figures I usually make. Tamiya’s figure decals for generals are almost left over, so I think I’ll have a chance to use them this time.

The back of the military boots and the mold of the iron studs are clear. This is said to be one of the causes of frostbite for officers and soldiers during the winter campaign.

I put the two standing figures. The general’s marshal staff? He’s not a marshal, so maybe he’s just a regular stick? He has it in his hand.

I wonder if the general wears a thicker coat for protection against the cold over his regular coat. The other three are like early summer, but now that I think about it, only the general is fully prepared for the cold. It’s a different season. It isn’t easy to assemble because the parts of this coat are wrapped around the body and glued together. When I put it together, I think it’s pretty good.

I wonder if he looks like General Guderian. It may not be easy to reproduce them with high precision with old plastic parts figures.

I glued it since it comes with etched parts for headphones and microphones.
(2023/04/08)

I airbrushed Tamiya acrylic flat fresh on the face and hands.

Now I’m painting the uniforms. I usually use a Vallejo. The light gray was glossy, probably because I used Vallejo aircraft colors. I’ll adjust the gloss later when I do the clear coat, so I don’t think there’s any problem yet.

I used oil on the skin tone only. It’s a somewhat confusing photo. The whites of his eyes are Vallejo. It will take some time to dry it before putting in the black eyes. The tank crew was probably wearing a light gray shirt underneath and painted it reasonably. Regardless of whether the faces are similar, the molding of the general’s coat is pretty good.
(2023/04/28)

All four are finished, anyway. All three tank crews are dressed for all but midwinter or early summer. General Guderian wears a coat.

I often wear headphones, so I should have noticed, but the gap between the hat and the headphone frame is so wide that it doesn’t look good. I sometimes wear headphones with a gap between my hair when I wouldn’t say I like messy hair.

Another tank crew. Dragon kit heads are hard to paint the face, or it’s always hard to paint the eyes, but I think I painted them relatively well this time.

I’ll put this in a heavy mine-removal vehicle that’s being built. I adjusted it to fit the vehicle a while ago.

It came with a General Heinz Guderian figure, which might be considered a bonus unit for this kit. He is a German general known for commanding a German tank unit. He developed new tactics for tank warfare in the 1930s that led to the success of the German tank forces. He commanded as a corps commander against Poland and France, moving a pretty big army. Blitzkrieg is called to defeat the enemy with a fast, intensive attack under air support.

The insignia is senior general because he was promoted to senior general for his achievement against France. I wanted a red lapel, so I stuck it on this coat. It is said to model a dignified figure walking in a long coat.

Drawing a delicate pattern with a very fine brush is quite tricky. It’s good to have a decal for fine class insignia.

I put them on the Type IV tank I made the other day. It’s pretty good; putting a figure on it adds to the atmosphere.

Dragon model figures are a bit large, and I have a lot of trouble matching them with the vehicle.

A pose that shows a moment before the battle as they look toward the vast fields of Russia where the battle is taking place. Well, I enjoyed making it again this time.
(2023/05/02)