JK Resin

German WWII
Fire Extinguisher

Most, if not all German AFV carried fire extinguishers, many of them in a visible position. During WW II they came in two models:

• K2S Löschgerät, until the end of 1941
• Einheits-Tetra-Löscher from January 1942 onwards

According to [1], the first was around 45cm long and the second around 42cm. Both had a diameter of 12cm. While it may be visually attractive to see red painted extinguishers on a model, they were actually painted in camouflage colors on combat vehicles. (A good discussion about these extinguishers can be found here.)

For a simple item as a fire extinguisher, this set really raises the bar by a very wide margin, as it not only gives 8 exquisitely cast resin extinguishers, but also detailed clasps (in PE) and matching decals with lettering that is partially readable. The latter really is a novelty, even though these markings are rarely seen in period images of vehicles and equipment that has already seen some use. A note about the clasps: it seems that late in the war only one strap was used instead of the previous two.

While the set mentions that the set contains early and late extinguishers, it doesn't tell which is which. The one on the right matches the Einheits-Tetra-Löscher, while the left one is close to a K2S Löschgerät, although not exactly. It might be that another type of extinguisher existed that I am not aware of. Measured against drawings in [1], the early type is about 5% underscale, while the late model is about 10% too small in length and 5% in diameter.

In summary: this is a set that is light-years ahead of every aftermarket fire extinguisher that had been released to date.

References

[1] Panzer Tracts 3-3 Panzerkampfwagen Ausf. J, L, M und N, T.L. Jentz, H.L. Doyle, Panzer Tracts, 2009

Review sample kindly provided by JK Resin.

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Article Last Updated: 21 October 2017