Monthly Archives: January 2013

Russian Heavy Tank, KV-85 (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 01569 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Heavy Tank, KV-85’.

Russian Heavy Tank, KV-85

History

A stopgap upgrade to the KV series was the short-lived KV-85 or Objekt 239. This was a KV-1S with a new turret designed for the IS-85, mounting the same 85mm D-5T gun as the SU-85 and early versions of the T-34-85.

Already-high demand for the gun slowed production of the KV-85 tremendously, and only 148 were built before the KV design was replaced. The KV-85 was produced in the fall and winter of 1943-44; they were sent to the front as of September 1943, and production of the KV-85 was stopped by the spring of 1944 once the IS-2 entered full scale production.

Source: Trumpeter website

Manufacturer

German Panzerjägerwagen, volume 2 (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 00369 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerjägerwagen, volume 2’.

German Panzerjägerwagen, volume 2

History

The Panzerjagerwagen with Panzer IV turret and long 7.5-cm KwK cannon, were an important innovation of the BP 44 armor train type.

It was the armored pursuit car replace by the earlier pusher car. That now gave the train an effective means of against Russian tanks. In this instance, a program of new construction had been planned in 1944 by German Army: 8 BP 44 armored trains.

Source: Trumpeter website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

Russian Heavy Tank, JS-2, model 1944 ChKZ (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 289-4200 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Heavy Tank, JS-2, model 1944 ChKZ’.

Russian Heavy Tank, JS-2, model 1944 ChKZ

History

The Russian Tank that was too much for the Germans – The Russian Heavy Tank JS-2 was built to overthrow the German Tiger I. The JS-2 which was put into production in the latter half of WWII in December 1943, had a long powerful 122mm gun and superior mobility. From August, 1944 the upper part of the hatch was removed from the hull which greatly improved its defensive ability.

The JS-2 was produced in the Chelyabinsk Kirov factory (ChKZ), and a characteristic of the tank is it’s one piece cast rounded front. The JS-2 showed great strength in the break through of defensive positions but also in anti-tank battles. The Russian tank JS-2 played a major part which contributed to the victory of the end of the Great War.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Hobbymesse 2012

German Panzerjägerwagen, volume 1 (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 00386 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerjägerwagen, volume 1’.

German Panzerjägerwagen, volume 1

History

The Panzerjagerwagen with Panzer IV turret and long 7.5-cm KwK cannon, were an important innovation of the BP 44 armor train type.

It was the armored pursuit car replace by the earlier pusher car. That now gave the train an effective means of against Russian tanks. In this instance, a program of new construction had been planned in 1944 by German Army: 8 BP 44 armored trains.

Source: Trumpeter website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

German Sturmgeschütz III, Ausf. G (Early version) (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya, 35 197-2600 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Sturmgeschütz III, Ausf. G – Early version’.

German Sturmgeschütz III, Ausf. G - Early version

History

Originally intended for infantry support duties, Germany’s Sturmgeschutz (assault gun) and abbreviated “StuG” III first appeared in combat during 1940. It had the durable Panzer III chassis with a completely new superstructure. To keep the vehicles profile as low as possible, the revolving turret was eliminated and the short barreled 75mm L/24 gun was mounted directly onto the hull.

As it was mainly intended for close fire support for the Wehrmacht, it was used as self-propelled artillery against the opposing enemy’s strategic points. However, when the German forces encountered the Russian KV and T-34 tanks on the Eastern front, the situation abruptly changed. To cope with this Russian tank threat, the Germans were forced to upgrade their existing weapons systems. The G-type StuG III built from late 1942 onwards, used a more powerful, long barrel 75mm L/48 gun. The early G-type had a square shaped gun mantlet.

The superstructure was redesigned and an MG42 machine gun with shield, commander’s vision cupola and smoke dischargers were added. The thin steel plates, known as Schurzen (skirts) were attached to the sides of the hull beginning in the spring of 1943. The type-42 assault gun mounted a 105mm howitzer on the StugG III chassis and was developed to fulfill the StuG III’s original role of infantry support. Incorporating several minor changes, about 7,800 G-type StuG III’s were produced.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

Russian Heavy Tank, KV-1 model 1941 small turret (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 00356 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Heavy Tank, KV-1 model 1941 small turret’.

Russian Heavy Tank, KV-1 model 1941 small turret

History

The KV type tank that research to manufacture wins in the competition of the heavy type tank from the factory of Kirov in 1939, ising named after KV-1.

KV-1 the beginning batch quantity produces in 1942 February, at the beginning of the production model number calls the KV-1 model 1941 “small turret”, first material in KV-1 types L-11s 76.2mm of artillery; July of 1940, the heavy type in the series of KV tank production be transfered by the factory of Kirov the 100 factory production, henceforth the KV-1 that produce all changed to pack better types F-32s in function 76.2mm of artillery.

Source: Trumpeter website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I, Ausf. E (Early version) (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 216-4000 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I, Ausf E – Early version’.

German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I, Ausf E - Early version

History

It was the end of 1942 when a German heavy tank with extra thick armor and a powerful main gun first appeared on the North African front. The new tank, long-desired by the German soldiers who had hard-fought battles against the allies, became known as the Tiger I Ausf. E.

Development of the Tiger I began at the end of May 1941. The German Army Weapons Branch ordered the Henschel firm to vie with Porsche in producing a prototype. The first prototypes underwent trials on April 1942. The result of these and subsequent trial showed the superiority of the Henschel vehicle to the Porsche’s, and thus production orders were placed for it. The Henschel’s prototype had thick armor of 100mm at the front and 80mm on both sides, and the main gun was the then most potent, the 8.8cm KwK 36 L/56. The powerplant was Maybach’s HL 210 P45, yielding 650 horsepower.

Mass production started already in August 1942 with little alteration from the prototype. Starting from November 1942, air pre-cleaners were added on the rear hull plate. The mantlet was partly strengthened and “S” mine dischargers were fitted on five mounting points around the hull roof beginning from December. Moreover, a loader’s periscope was fitted from January 1943. The Tiger I produced from November 1942 to July 1943 featured these modifications, are referred to as the early production. About 200 units of these early production versions were produced.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

German Panzerkampfwagen III, Ausf. L (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 215-2600 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen III, Ausf. L’.

German Panzerkampfwagen III, Ausf. L

History

The German Pz.Kpfw.III, along with the IV, played an active part in the early stages of WWII as their mainstrength tanks. However when they encountered the Russian KV and T-34 tanks on the Eastern Front, the weakness of the Pz.Kpfw.III was revealed and the balance of power tipped in favor of the Russians. Thus the Pz.Kpfw.III underwent constant improvement throughout its career to maintain an advantage. The Pz.Kpfw.III had a number of types, from the A to N. Among them, the Ausf. L was produced from July 1942.

As it was manufactured at the existing tank factory, the basic performance and structure were the same as previous versions with a few modifications. Armament consisted of an improved, long barreled Kwk50 L/60 tank gun, which was effective against the Russian T34 tanks up to a range of 600m, plus two 7.92mm MG34 machine guns. The armor of the front superstructure was increased to 57mm in thickness, and a 20mm thick spaced armor was added to the gun mantlet as well, which increased the tank’s weight by 200kg.

To cope with the added weight, the suspension system was also strengthened. The powerplant was a Maybach HL120TRM, V-12, water cooled engine producing 300 horsepower. In total 635 Ausf. L’s were produced by the end of 1942, and many of them saw active service on the Eastern Front and the North African Front. Although its roll was shortly replaced by the Tiger I and the Panther, the durable chassis of the Pz.Kpfw.III was used for self-propelled guns till the end of the war.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

German 18 Ton Heavy Half-Track Famo and Tank Transporter (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 246 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German 18 Ton Heavy Half-Track Famo and Tank Transporter’.

German 18 Ton Heavy Half-Track Famo and Tank Transporter

History

As World War II progressed, the vehicles used on the battlefields became larger and larger. When these mammoth machines broke down or became damaged, the task of bringing them back from the front lines was not an easy one. This need was especially felt by the German Wehrmacht, who were fighting on a wide range of battlegrounds: from the scorching desert of North Africa to the railroad lacking plains of Russia. Bringing damaged vehicles back from these difficult conditions was indispensable to replenishing fighting strength to the army.

The German 18 Ton Heavy Half-Track “FAMO” and Tank Transporter Sd.Ah.116 was one of the vehicles that contributed to this task. Including all variations, over 2500 18 ton half-tracks were produced by the end of the WWII. One of the major types was the tank recovery half-track, which was a mighty towing vehicle equipped with two rows of seats and a flatbed in back for the storage of equipment such as a draw-bar and spare wire rope. Tool storage compartments were found on each of the outer sides of the flatbed. In addition, the underside of a vehicle was equipped with a winch.

Its powerplant was a Maybach HL 108 12-cylinder engine, which put out 270hp. Tank transporting was conducted by either direct towing with a draw bar, or by loading the tank atop a massive trailer. Officially known as “Sd.Ah.116”, the Type 116 Trailer connected with the 18ton heavy half track, which allowed for the transportation of 22-23 ton class tanks such as the Pz.Kpfw.III, Pz.Kpfw.IV and other heavy artillery.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

German 6×4 Truck, Krupp Protze, Personnel Carrier (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 317-2000 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German 6×4 Truck, Krupp Protze, Personnel Carrier’.

German 6x4 Truck, Krupp Protze, Personnel Carrier

History

German’s Early-WWII Best Partner – The Sd.Kfz.70 was widely used by the German Army to transport troops and supplies during the early stages of the WWII.

It featured a sloped hood that housed a compact air-cooled inline 4-cylinder engine as well as rear double wishbone independent suspension which offered a superb off-road capability. The large cargo area was fitted with bench seats.

The Sd.Kfz.70s were produced from 1993 to 1942 and were widely deployed with infantry units, etc. Many of them deployed to frontlines were equipped with a tripod-mounted MG34 machine gun.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Hobbymesse 2012