The standard German mortar in WWII was the 8cm Granatwerfer 34 (Gr.W.34). Dragon has produced this mortar in 1/35 plastic kit form already, but now it has proceeded to produce the very first model of another German 8cm mortar. The new item is nicknamed a Stummel-Werfer (“stump projector”) – a Kurzer 8cm Granatwerfer 42 (kz. 8cm Gr.W.42). This mortar was lightened to 26.5kg and had a specially shortened barrel (74.7cm) designed for use by paratrooper units. However, because of the shorter barrel it had a limited range of just 1100m. This drawback meant only 1,591 examples were built before production ceased. It’s a rare weapon but Dragon has captured it in full detail as a Gen2 piece of plastic engineering.
Naturally, Dragon hasn’t produced just a lonely new mortar, for this set includes a complete set of four Gen2 German paratrooper crewmen to go with it! The crewmen are depicted as though they’re enjoying a lull in the fighting. Three crewmen lounge in their dug-in position as a comrade cleans the mortar tube. Each Green Devil figure is beautifully sculpted in a lifelike pose. Their uniforms are sharply and cleanly rendered using typically clever Gen2 parts separation. Indeed, these figures could be used in any scenario modelers choose. Certainly, this is a valuable new mortar, and when combined with the fantastic new paratrooper figures, the result is irresistible in 1/35 scale!