M.G.42 Armored Shield
K59 1:35 Scale Set No. C-011
Review by Terry Ashley

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Following on from their recent M.G.42 7.92mm machine gun (set #C-009) K59 have now released a replacement armoured shield applicable to the Sd.Kfz.250 Ausf.B (Neu) series and the Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D series which can be used on any of the available kits.

The set consists of just 5 parts cast in a light gray resin and 4 etched parts with the standard of casting being superb as we have seen from previous K59 sets with extremely fine detail and just the small casting blocks to be removed from the parts which is easily done but you need to take care due to the finesse of the parts.

resin and etched parts

The shield dimensions match exactly to the 1:35 plans in Panzer Tracts No.15-1 leichter Schuetzenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.250) Ausf.A & B and No.15-3 mitterer Schuetzenpanzerwagen (Sd.Kfz.251) Ausf.C & D and includes details not found on any kit shield such as the two small notches in the shield opening and the MG support arm separate from the shield mounting post.

The shield is also cast uniformly thin with correct sized lower bracket as well as the front pointed contours being correct that includes very finely rendered weld seams at the bend as well as on the inside of the shield/lower bracket join. There is additional detail on the mounting post as well as the MG mounting bracket for a superbly done shield overall.

Assembly is a little tricky due to the small and finely cast parts but with care there shouldn't be any problems with the parts fitting neatly into place. The fit of the MG hand grip clip to the support arm will need the most care as there is just a small locating hole on already fine parts.

The assembled K59 shield with the AFV Club and Dragon Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D kit shields for comparison



Images of actual shield courtesy of Wing & Wheels publications

Comparing the K59 shield to the kit shields from both the AFV Club and Dragon Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D kits shows the additional detail of the resin shields as well as the finesse of the castings.

The main differences is both kit shields are moulded quite thick with beveled edges and lack the two notches in the MG opening as mentioned above. There are additional problems with the Dragon shields as it is 1mm too narrow and the front shield angle is far too curved and is not sharp as it should be. Added to this the lower shield bracket is too big and it only has the single MG support post instead of the two but it does include the upper MG mounting bracket.

The AFV Club shield is the correct size and has the correct sharp edge at the front although this could be blunted a little but it has a couple of raised pin marks on the inside to be removed the MG support arm and mounting is quite simplified. The AFV Club shield is the better of the two kit shields as the Dragon shield has dimensional issues with the K59 shield detail being a vast improvement on both kit shields.

Comparison images showing the undersized Dragon shield, the oversized Dragon lower shield bracket,
the beveled edges on both shields and the pin marks on the inside of the AFV Club shield

The K59 shield can be fitted to any applicable Sd.Kfz.250 Ausf.B or Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D kit without any alterations as it simply replaces the kit shields and using the K59 resin M.G.42 in place of the kit guns will add even more detail finesse to the whole assembly.

This is another superbly cast set from K59 with some of the finest casting you will see anywhere and as mentioned the assembled shield will add considerable more detail than any available kit MG shield with the option to add the K59 M.G.42 to finish off the assembly very nicely.

Highly recommended 9/10

Thanks to my credit card and the excellent service from for the review kit.