Russian Tank Destroyer, SU-85 (Tamiya)

This is the Tamiya 35 072- kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Tank Destroyer, SU-85’.

Russian Tank Destroyer, SU-85

History

A WWII Masterpiece – At the beginning of the German Blitzkrieg on the Eastern Front, Russian soldiers were forced to fight hard against the invading Axis forces led by the impressive German Sturmgeschutz III.

Barely holding back the advancing German forces just before Moscow, the Russian military quickly began to design assault guns. From these designs, the first finished model came loaded on the T-34 chassis with a secured fighting compartment and was armed with an impressive 122mm howitzer. This tank was given the designation SU-122.

Introduced at the Battle of Kursk in 1943, was the newly designed SU-85 which was based on the successful SU-122. It came armed with the D-5S-85A, the 1939 anti-aircraft 51.5 caliber 85mm D-5 gun which was redesigned for anti-tank use. D-5 guns were developed in the same manner as German 88mm anti-tank guns equipped on German Tiger I and Jagdpanther tanks, as both guns were based on anti-aircraft guns.

The SU-85’s armor-piercing shell weighed 9.02 kg, had a velocity of 792 m/s, and could knock out tanks with 100mm thick armor at 1000 m. The SU-85s hull featured a sloped front armor with the fighting compartment offset to the right. After the liberation of Kiev in December 1943, the SU-85 faced off Panther and Jagdtiger tanks and held its own thanks to its 85mm gun.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Hobbymesse 2013

German Ferdinand (Dragon)

This is the Dragon 6133 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Ferdinand’.

German Ferdinand

History

Elefant (German for “elephant”) was a Schwerer Panzerjäger (“heavy tank destroyer”) of the German Wehrmacht used in small numbers in World War II. It was built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand, after its designer Ferdinand Porsche.

In 1944, after modification of the existing vehicles, they were renamed Elefant. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger (P) and the ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz.184.

Source: Wikipedia

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Hobbymesse 2013

German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. E – Vorpanzer (Dragon)

This is the Dragon 6301 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. E – Vorpanzer’.

German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. E - Vorpanzer

History

Vorpanzer which means “spaced armour” in German was fitted to some of the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.E.

It differed from Zusatzpanzerung because it was spaced from the underlying armour, whereas Zusatzpanzerung was fitted directly onto the armour underneath.Vorpanzer was designed to defeat 105mm HEAT projectiles, and to strip off the piercing caps of APC and APCBC projectiles which would then shatter on the FH armour behind.

It also caused any HE filler in such projectiles to detonate prematurely.

Source: Dragon Models website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Hobbymesse 2013

JGSDF Type 90 Tank w/Mine Roller (Tamiya)

This is the Tamiya 35 236-4000 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘JGSDF Type 90 Tank w/Mine Rolle’.

JGSDF Type 90 Tank w/Mine Rolle

History

The third generation mainstay tank for Japan’s Ground Self Defense Force, the type 90 tank entered service in August 1990. Taking more than 10 years in its development, the inside of this latest Japanese tank is fully packed with state of the art hi-tech equipment. The 120mm smoothbore main gun is combined with a precision fire control system; comprising a trajectory computer, YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) laser beam range finder and gun stabilizer, enabling accurate firing while moving.

The passive infrared night viewer makes nighttime operations possible. Use of the automatic canon loading system eliminated the need of a loader, reducing the crew from four men to three. A 7.62mm machine gun is mounted a the coaxial position of the main gun, and a 12.7mm machine gun on the turret roof. The tank’s distinctive angular silhouette is due to the full use of Multi-material laminate armor, which provides excellent protection for the crew.

Ammunition stowage at the rear of the turret is completely separated from the crew compartment, thus further improved survivability is obtained. The water-cooled, V-10 cylinder diesel engine is supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industry. Equipped with an electronically controlled direct fuel injection, this power unit is capable of yielding 1,500 horsepower, propelling the 50 ton heavy tank up to a top speed of 70km/h they hydraulic suspension is incorporated on four road wheels out of six on either side, thus allowing the tank’s attitude to be adjusted according to the surrounding terrain.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Hobbymesse 2013

German RSO/01 Type 470 (Dragon)

This is the Dragon 6691 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German RSO/01 Type 470’.

German RSO/01 Type 470

History

The acronym RSO stands for Raupenschlepper Ost, which translates as ‘Caterpillar Tractor East’. The terrible muddy and icy conditions experienced on the Eastern Front convinced Germany of the need for a highly mobile, tracked vehicle.

Steyr proposed the RSO and it immediately became a popular vehicle thanks to its mobility and reliability. In all, about 23,000 RSO vehicles were produced by a range of manufacturers.

The original version had a pressed-steel cab and a typical truck-style cargo bed at the rear. It was powered by a Steyr 85hp V8 engine that offered a top speed of 30km/h. This kit depicts the standard RSO/01, the type with rounded steel cab being the best known of all the versions used by Germany.

Source: Dragon Models website

Manufacturer