Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma

Manufacturer: MarS (Kit No. 7245)

Ever since building one of these armored cars in 1/35th, I've been smitten by the wicked good looks of this vehicle. It's so sleek that the name of Puma is perfect. Long have I wanted one of these in 1/72nd, and who better to give it to us than MarS? Once again, this is a very complex and highly detailed kit. The resin casting is extraordinarily well done, with superb detail, and excellent casting quality. Some of the parts, such as the antennae, are packaged very carefully to avoid breaking, but it may be easier to replace those parts with wire anyway. The only drawback to this kit is the solid body and turret, where some other companies may 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: I don't like how they cast the wheels. It will take some careful and difficult grinding and sanding to clean them up. I assume they cast them in this manner to avoid losing any tread detail, but I would have rather lost some tread than go through the difficult cleanup process which now awaits me. Besides, when the car is sitting on the ground, it's easy to hide a small amount of tread loss.

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