Tag Archives: panzerkampfwagen

German Panzerkampfwagen VI (P) (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6352 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen VI (P)’.

German Panzerkampfwagen VI (P)

History

The VK4501 (P), also known as the Tiger (P), was an unsuccessful heavy tank prototype produced by Porsche in Germany in 1942.

On the 21st May 1942, Henschel and Porsche at a meeting in Germany were asked to submit designs for a 45 ton heavy tank capable of mounting the high velocity 88mm KwK L/56 gun which was derived from the German 88mm FlaK gun. Both the Henschel and Porsche tanks were to be fitted with the same turret supplied by Krupp.

The Porsche company worked on updating the VK3001P medium tank, Porsche’s medium tank prototype, and adapted parts used on it for the new tank.

Source: Wikipedia

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

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This is the Tamiya 35 146-4000 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I, Ausf E – Late version’.

German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I, Ausf E – Late version

History

At the time of its introduction in 1942, the German Tiger I was the most powerful and sophisticated tank available anywhere in the world, and is still considered a weaponry masterpiece of that era. Most of the Tiger I’s were produced by Henschel, a heavy industry manufacturer in Germany. The later versions of the Tiger I went into production in January 1944, almost two and a half years after its debut. Many features like the thick armor plating, measuring up to 100mm in thickness at some areas, remaining unchanged.

Roadwheel improvements consisted of replacing the rubber rimmed roadwheels with new wheels that ran on steel rims, which were insulated from the hub by two rubber rings clamped between disc-shaped pressings. Changes made to the turret were: a commander’s cupola with seven vision ports, an anti-aircraft machine gun ring, and a side pivoting hatch; a loader’s hatch with periscope; the smoke exhaust outlet relocated to the center of the turret; and internally mounted “S” mine dischargers.

The 88mm KwK36(L/56) main gun was considered for replacement with the awesome KwK43(L/71) cannon, as used on the King Tiger, but was never accomplished. It has been said that one Tiger I tank was equal to five Sherman tanks on the battlefield and it was the most feared and respected of all German tanks during the conflict.

Source: Tamiya website

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German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6265 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D’.

German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D

History

Well over 200 Panzer IV Ausf. D medium support tanks were produced between October 1939 and May 1941. These armored vehicles, armed with 7.5cm KwK37 L/24 guns, formed the backbone for early German military successes in France, the Balkans, North Africa and Russia.
Source: Dragon website

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German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger Ausf. E (Italeri)

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This is the Italeri 0286 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger Ausf. E’.

German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger Ausf. E

History

The Tiger was certainly the most famous armored vehicle of World War II. Its fire power and protective armor made it the dominating factor on all battle fields during the years 1943-44. It did, however, present considerable problems, due to its complex mechanical construction.

The Tiger crews were continuously engaged in maintenance work, which was aggravated through extreme conditions in the African desert and the Russian Plains.

Source: Trumpeter website

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German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I (Early version) (Academy)

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This is the Academy 13239 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I – Early version’.

German Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I – Early version

History

Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf.E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, particularly the T-34 and the KV-1.

The Tiger I design gave the Wehrmacht its first tank mounting the 88mm gun, in its initial armored fighting vehicle-dedicated version, which in its FlaK version had previously demonstrated its effectiveness against both air and ground targets.

During the course of the war, the Tiger I saw combat on all German battlefronts. It was usually deployed in independent tank battalions, which proved to be quite formidable.

Source: Wikipedia

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German 15 cm s.IG.33 (Sf) auf Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf. B (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6259 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German 15cm s.IG.33 (Sf) auf Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B’, sometimes referred to as the Sturmpanzer I Bison.

German 15cm s.IG.33 (Sf) auf Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B

History

The Panzer I formed the nucleus of Germany’s embryonic tank formations, but its light armor and light armament meant it was outdated by the start of WWII. Despite being made redundant as a gun tank, the chassis of the Panzer I was utilized in a number of alternative roles, including that of a self-propelled howitzer.

It was recognized early on that mobile artillery could provide invaluable fire support to tank units, so the mounting of a 150mm s.IG.33 infantry gun resulted in a vehicle known as an s.IG.33 (Sf) auf Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B. The gun was mounted in a tall, boxy superstructure, though the chassis of the Panzer I was overstressed by the extra weight. The armored shield was only 10mm thick and could only offer front and side protection, plus there was no space for spare ammunition to be carried.

Ultimately, this ungainly and top-heavy artillery piece wasn’t a great success and only 38 were converted in February 1940 by Alkett. These guns served in the Battle of France and beyond, though as the war progressed, the 150mm s.IG.33 gun would be mounted on alternative chassis too.

Source: Dragon Models website

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

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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

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  • Hobbymesse 2013

German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 096-1800 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D’.

German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. D

History

The later models of the Pz.Kpfw.IV series have become the best known and the most fequently modelled variants. These were the tanks that took part in all the big tank battles of World War II and formed the backbone of Hitlers Panzer divisions.
Source: Tamiya website

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German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. J (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 181-3400 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. J’.

German Panzerkampfwagen IV, Ausf. J

History

The Panzerkampfwagen IV was Germany’s most important tank during the second world war. It remained in mass production throughout the conflict, with more than 8,000 units being produced. This represented more than one-third of Germany’s total wartime tank production. It was the backbone of the Panzer Divisions and it was often referred to as their “Workhorse” The Pz.Kpfw.IV underwent constant improvement throughout its long career.

As an example, its original short-barreled 7.5cm main gun was replaced with the long barreled 7.5cm KwK40 L/43 gun beginning with the Ausf. F2 version. The further improved 7.5cm KwK40 L/48 was added to the Ausf. H onwards.In 1944 however, with the introduction of the new Panther and Tiger tanks, plus other tactical considerations, the Pz.Kpfw.IV began to serve mainly in a defensive capacity. A need was required to simplify construction and increase productivity, plus conserve scarce raw materials.

The last of the series, the Ausf. J thus had a much simpler construction, and an extra fuel tank replaced the auxiliary engine/generator. This greatly increased its range from 210km to 320km and was welcomed by the German troops, as they were having difficult with their supply, but it was attained at the expense of electric power for the turret traversing motor. The thin steel plates known as Schurzen (skirts), first introduced with the Ausf. G, were sometimes replaced with heavy gauge wire mesh, or not even used at all.

Source: Tamiya website

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German Panzerkampfwagen, KV-1 756(r) (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 00366 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Panzerkampfwagen, KV-1 756(r)’.

German Panzerkampfwagen, KV-1 756(r)

History

Not enough problem in ability in protection in armor that aim at the KV-1 1941 type, design the personnel proceeded a series enhance the work of the armor, turret of the KV-1 improving behind comes to an about 75mm of thicknesses.

Form the KV-1 shown at the bottom of the lefthand page there arose this KV-1 with a German 7.5cm L/43 cannon and German commander’s cupola. The armour was sprayed with German camouflage paint.

Source: Trumpeter website

Manufacturer

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

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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

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