COBI Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma Set 2287

COBI's Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma is a 1:35 model built from 470 blocks, 20 cm long, with movable wheels, a rotating turret and a movable gun. A crew figure and a printed nameplate are included. All markings are printed; the set contains no stickers.

It drove backwards as fast as forwards

The Puma had eight wheels, all of them driven and all of them steered, and it had two driving positions. One faced forward, one faced the rear, and the gearbox gave the same six speeds in both directions.

For a reconnaissance vehicle that is not a novelty, it is the whole point. A scout car's job is to find the enemy and then not die, and the most dangerous moment is the one after contact, when a vehicle has to turn around on a narrow road under fire. The Puma did not turn around. The rear driver took over and it left at 90 km/h the way it had come.

Underneath was a Tatra 103 air-cooled diesel, specified because the design was meant for North Africa, where water cooling was a liability. Only 101 of the 234/2 were built, between September 1943 and September 1944, and by then North Africa had been lost for months.

In the COBI range

The Puma is the turreted member of the 234 family. Set 2288 is the 234/3, the same chassis with an open superstructure and a short 7.5 cm gun.

Specifications

Pieces: 470 · Figures: 1 · Scale: 1:35
Model dimensions: 20 × 11 cm (7.9 × 4.3 in)