Reviewed by
Cookie Sewell
Dragon's 1/72 scale Maus will be
available online from Squadron.com
The Maus – one of the most bizarre offshoots of "just because we can"
thinking – has been a popular subject with modelers for years due to the
over-the-top design placed in the vehicle. Even the name shows that the Germans
themselves had a sense of humor about a vehicle so large no reasonable local
bridge in Europe could effectively support it, so it had to be designed to ford
from the beginning. Weighing in at 188 metric tons (or 207 short tons) it does
hold the record as the biggest tank ever built.
DML did a very nice job of a 1/35 version of the Maus some years back, but this
kit does not appear to be a pantographed version of that kit. It is a new kit in
its own right, and has some nice touches. It comes with DS 100 tan glueable
vinyl tracks, so many will be happy they do not have to do single-link tracks on
this kit. All of the road wheels are separate as are their bogies.
The model comes with the usual nice DML touches, such as essential brass screens
and a vinyl crew of two in casual poses. But it also comes with a choice of the
"production turret" as found on the V2 survivor at Kubinka with coaxial 12.8 cm
and 7.5 cm guns, both of which come with the now-traditional DML pre-drilled
bores, and the option of the V1 test turret weight block used on the prototypes.
That is complemented with a VIP access ladder for the side of the vehicle as
well, made from a single section of etched brass.
This is open and has no interior, so not sure whether it was like that or this
is just a case of DML giving the modeler what it had information on at the time
and not making things up as some other companies have done over the years. One
of the better known photos of the V1 Maus shows a man walking around inside the
weight mockup, so it may have had a temporary deck of some sort installed in
there.
The model actually offers three different finishing schemes: one for a Maus
about the time of the Seelowe Heights, one for Berlin 1945 with simulated kill
marks, and one for the V1 tank at Kummersdorf Testing Grounds in 1945 with
hastily applied Soviet stars. The markings are off of a pretty good size sheet
with two sets of numbers and many other detail markings for the kit. All are
pretty much hypothetical except for the test model. The only confirmed paint
color anyone really has for this tank is the Soviet Protective Green ("Khaki No.
2") color the V1 with V2 turret (or according to the Soviet records, this is
what they have) is currently painted in at Kubinka.
Overall, this is a good "complete the collection" kit and I am sure many
modelers will use one or the other hypothetical schemes. One could do the
Kubinka green scheme with a note "for sale, cost US $5 million, inquire within"
which is what the Soviets were rumored to have told the German government when
they asked if they could get it back!
Highly Recommended.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Review Copyright © 2005 by Cookie
Sewell
Page Created 04 June, 2005
Last updated 04 June, 2005
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