Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma

Manufacturer: MarS (KitNo. 7245)

Ever since building one ofthese armored cars in 1/35th, I've been smitten by the wickedgood looks of this vehicle. It's so sleek that the name of Pumais perfect. Long have I wanted one of these in 1/72nd, and whobetter to give it to us than MarS? Once again, this is a verycomplex and highly detailed kit. The resin casting isextraordinarily well done, with superb detail, and excellentcasting quality. Some of the parts, such as the antennae, arepackaged very carefully to avoid breaking, but it may be easierto replace those parts with wire anyway. The only drawback tothis kit is the solid body and turret, where some other companiesmay have gone through the extra trouble to give us open hatches.But that is a minor complaint, and I highly recommend this kit.The instructions are first rate, but no decals are included.Actually, I do have one concern while looking at these parts: Idon't like how they cast the wheels. It will take some carefuland difficult grinding and sanding to clean them up. I assumethey cast them in this manner to avoid losing any tread detail,but I would have rather lost some tread than go through thedifficult cleanup process which now awaits me. Besides, when thecar is sitting on the ground, it's easy to hide a small amount oftread loss.

(A Puma Comparison article is now available that provides a side-by-sidecomparison of this kit with the other Puma kits.)