Eduard German Hummel (early), 1/35th-scale photo-etch for Dragon kit (item 35677)

by Frank De Sisto

Call me crazy, but what I like most about this set is the parts to detail the figures and horses that DML has chosen to include with this version of their revised Hummel kit. To begin with, there are straps and buckles to detail the horses’ harnesses and halters, as well as their saddles. These include separate reins for the rider’s hands, separate stirrups and straps, shoes for the horses and spurs for the rider’s boots. The other furniture gets straps and buckles as does the rider’s personal equipment. The weapons also receive slings and the men’s helmets get chin straps.

I have been bombarding Eduard with requests to release such sets for figures both in 1/35th-scale and 1/16th-scale. Hopefully this may be the beginning of a move in this direction.

The Hummel itself gets the standard parts for the exterior such as new mud flaps, track stowage brackets, splash guards for the hatches, cable storage brackets, as well as jack and block storage clamps. There are also scalloped mounting flanges for the upper hull sides, where it connects to the bottom of the superstructure/ engine deck.

The Hummel’s fighting compartment is where most of the details go. There are storage brackets for gas masks, MP40 and various other bits of personal gear, as well as bits and pieces to mount various kinds of gun-related gear. The flanges typically used in German AFV construction are also given. There are also parts for the 15cm sFH, but since my sample was short two pages of instructions, I can only ID details for the cradle and rifling for the interior of the gun muzzle. If this happens to sets that are shipped to the consumer, a visit to Eduard’s web site will enable the modeler to get the missing information.

Highly recommended.

Eduard products are available at retail and mail order shops and directly from the manufacturer at: www.eduard.cz. Visit their web site for images of reviewed items.