The Kommandogerät 40 was a director used principally for large anti-aircraft guns, such as the 8.8cm Flak.36 or the 10.5cm Flak.40. Introduced by the German military in 1941 this small director was used by all three services and could be modified for use with almost any anti-aircraft weapon. In the field the director used a 5-man crew, two men are required to input azimuth and elevation data. A third man sets the slant range by means of a 4-meter stereo range finder which is mounted on top of the director. A fourth man sets the horizontal angle of approach, while the fifth man is a general operator.
The time from first acquiring the target to firing the first round could be achieved in less than 30 seconds. The slant range could be up to 18,000 meters. For transport, the director is mounted on a special trailer, equipped with lifting devices, and towed by a light truck.
The Kit:
This is the German Telemeter KDO Mod.40 with Anh 52 Trailer in 1/35 scale from Bronco Models. This kit comes molded in tan with very crisp detail and clean of flash or heavy molding lines. The kit is comprised of 7 small sprues, 1 photo-etch fret, and a small sheet of nicely printed decals depicting gauges.
There are not too many parts on those sprues, but this model kit can easily fool you. It was meant to be a relief weekend build but there are tiny parts to fiddle with. The main structure is comprised of 5 walls with exquisite molded details. The telemeter itself has some little photo-etched parts but details for the most part are molded on. The finished product looks very crowded with details. Based on the side you’re working on, keep an eye on parts B-11 & B-12. They might end up in the wrong location 😉
The base for the meter has another dose of photo-etched details to deal with. In *my* honest opinion, if Bronco wanted to mold these details on the base, they would have done so with no problems as you can see more intricate details around the model already molded on. The photo-etched base mesh looks very nice and gives a very realistic feel to the structure. The floor mesh can be molded open or close; and in case you want to build yours in the close position, I did a test fit with the trailer and it does fit like a glove.
The Sd. Anh 52 trailer is another kit in itself. The tires are molded in a very realistic pattern and yes, there are more photo-etch parts to deal with here. If done correctly, the wheels can turn freely. I just wish I knew what kind of cable goes on the real spools so I could add my own in scale accordingly.
The kit can be painted either in German Gray or Sand with dark green spots. Those camo spots are illustrated even on the wheels and tires. This one was painted with Tamiya XF-63 German Gray and weathered using AK Interactive Dust Effects and a Brown/Blue Wash also from AK Interactive Products. Selective puddles of Summer Kurks Earth were also added.
There are no figures included with this model kit. You would have to add your own or place it into context with the proper subjects on a diorama. I still find it a nice display and conversation piece as a stand-alone model in my display cabinet.
If you are an artillery fan, this model is for you. Kudos to Bronco Models for such a nice kit of a rather uncommon subject.
Highly Recommended.
Review sample courtesy of my wallet.
