PanzerShop 152mm ShKH vz.77 DANA
Out of the box review

Any questions, comments, or problems, please email me.

Reviewer:  Don Busack

I remember the first time I saw photos of the 152mm ShKH vz.77 DANA.  I immediately liked the looks of the vehicle and wanted to get a model of it.  At the time (and still) the only kit available for it was from PanzerShop.  I asked around and the overall impression I got from people who built it was “not good” and “difficult to build”.  When I looked at the price for the kit, I was very hesitant.

Now, there is good news - Panzershop revamped the DANA.  I started hearing some good things from other modelers and I decided it was time to get the kit.  I searched around, and found a very good price on it from Models by Mickster.  I placed the order and two days later I had it in my hands.

What You Get:
Inside the box you will find 6 zip lock bags of parts, a single piece for the cab, 3 sheets of photo etch, an aluminum barrel, decals, instructions, and a CD.

The first thing I looked at when I opened the box was the directions.  The printed instructions leave a lot to be desired - it looks like a poor photocopy of photos.  The parts list (the first page - front and back) are the only pages you will use there.  This is easily compensated for by the CD that comes with the kit.  All the directions are on the disk in very sharp high resolution JPGs.  The CD also contains photos of the model in various stages being built and a walk around of the DANA along with photos of them in the field.  If you do not have a computer near your modeling bench, it would be well worth your time to print the instructions first.

The Parts:
On the outside of the box it states "Kit is only for experienced modelers".  I can believe this after looking at the parts. There are a total of 280 resin parts and 310 photo etched parts.  All the photos shown here are taken of the parts as they looked straight out of the box, no cleanup done.  The parts look quite well cast, there are not a lot of voids or air bubbles present.

The main gun for the kit is turned aluminum.  I haven't checked it for accuracy, but it does look very good.

There are three sheets of photo etch that come with the kit.  The quality of the etch is very good, however, I think they could do a little better on packaging.  All three of the sheets were slightly crumpled, although I don't believe it is going to affect the parts themselves.  There are 25 decals to build the kit into one of several units - Czechoslovak People Army, Czech Army, Slovak Army, Polish Army signs and Soviet Union markings.

The wheels are all cast as two pieces that go together fairly well, but I think it may be tricky to completely remove the seam down the center.

There is an impressive level of detail on many of the parts.  Take a look in particular at the engine and the machine gun.  It is easy to see that a lot of time was spent developing this kit.

One complaint that I heard often on the first generation of this kit is the front cabin could not be modeled open since it was  a solid piece of resin.  Nothing has changed there.  It is still solid.  If you want to make an open front compartment, you will have to scratch build it.

After reading through the list of components, it appears that there should also have been string, wire, and fine chain.  I will have to contact the company for these.

Conclusions:
This is definitely not a kit for the beginner, but with a lot of effort, skill, and patience, I believe it will make a fine looking model when it is finished.  If you are a fan of wheeled artillery, I would definitely recommend this kit.

Reference:
Here are some photos of the DANA from Prime Portal:
152mm ShKH vz.77 Dana
152mm ShKH vz.77 Dana

The kit for review was provided by my wallet from Models by Mickster.