Magic Factory 1/72 Sd.Kfz.234/2 Puma Plastic Model Kit

Sd.Kfz.234 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 234) was a series of heavy armored vehicles designed and built by Germany during World War II. Because of the "Treaty of Versailles", Germany was not allowed to develop and produce any tanks and tracked vehicles. Hence, the work on the design of new heavy armored vehicles had begun soon since the end of World War I.

In August 1940, Germany launched a new multi-axle armored vehicle. The design of the vehicle was similar to previous vehicles —— the Sd.Kfz.231. And the new heavy armored vehicle was required to provide higher mobilit, thicker defenses and better weapons in reconnaissance missions. Therefore, the final design —— Sd.Kfz.234 series includes equipment with 20mm/50mm/75mm main guns, driven by a Tatra V12 engine, with a maximum highway speed of 80 km/h, also the 8 wheels providing good off-road performance. The Sd.Kfz.234 series was mainly used for reconnaissance missions during WW2. A total of about 470 units of all Sd.Kfz.234 series were produced from 1943 to the end of the war in 1945.

The Sd.Kfz.234/2 8-Rad heavy armored vehicle is the most well-known type of Sd.Kfz.234 series. Different from other types, it is equipped with a fully enclosed turret with a 5cm L/60 main gun. Production of Sd.Kfz.234/2 began in late 1943 and continued until mid-1944, with a total of about 100 units produced.

470 Sd.Kfz.234 armored vehicles, only 3 have been completely survive from now. During the World War II, the Sd.Kfz.234 series of armored vehicles were Germany's best armored vehicles, or even the best in the entire war. Its excellent design still has a great influence today.