Author Archives: Thomas

British Matilda MK.III/IV (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 300 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘British Matilda MK.III/IV’.

British Matilda MK.III/IV

History

“Queen of the Desert” – The Matilda was developed as a heavily armored infantry tank and was the British Army’s main tank in North Africa during WWII.

The Matilda swept aside Italian opponents and was respectfully called the “Queen of the Desert” by German forces. During Operation Battleaxe to lift the siege of Tobruk in June 1941, German forces famously used their 88mm AA guns in the anti-tank role as they were the only effective counter against Matildas.

The Matilda has written her name into the history books as a highly effective tank which continually proved her worth during many fierce battles throughout North Africa.

Source: Tamiya Website

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German Self-Propelled Heavy Anti-Tank Gun Nashorn (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35335 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Self-Propelled Heavy Anti-Tank Gun Nashorn’.

German Self-Propelled Heavy Anti-Tank Gun Nashorn

History

8.8cm of Destructive Power – The self-propelled heavy anti-tank gun Nashorn packed a formidable punch courtesy of a mammoth 71-caliber 8.8cm PaK 43/1 gun which was one of the largest on the battlefield in WWII.The vehicle was developed in all possible haste after the German Army had the unexpected surprise of meeting such overpowering opponents as the T34 and KV-1 upon its invasion of the Soviet Union. The recently-developed III/IV vehicle was used as a base for the PaK 43/1 gun, which was capable of destroying enemy tanks from great distance. Top road speed was 42km/h thanks to its relatively light weight of 24 tons.

While deployment started in July 1943 under the moniker of Hornisse, it was given the new Nashorn designation from January of the next year, reportedly at the command of Hitler. 439 units were produced up to March 1945, and they served on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, providing heavy firepower for German forces.

Source: Tamiya website

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German Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf. B (MiniArt)

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This is the MiniArt 35162 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf. B’.

German Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf. B

History

The Ausf. В was the second attempt at a design solution for a tank in the 15-ton class. Only a small number of these design series vehicles were produced to provide a gun-armed Pz.Kpfw for training.

The design of the suspension of the Ausf. В was completely different from that of the Ausf. A. In place of the five road wheels with coil springs, the Ausf. В had eight road wheels per side, divided into pairs, with long leaf springs supporting a pair of road wheels at each end. Further improvements were made by increasing the number of return rollers to three, redesigning the cupola, and altering the rear deck and engine air louvres.

The Ausf. В were issued to Panzer units in 1937. After action in Poland, they were all removed from combatant units in February 1940 because of their unsatisfactory suspension and 15mm armour. In October 1940, the five Ausf. В Fahrgestell, which had been used for the experimental (0-Serie) series of the Sturmgeschütz, were returned to the Armoured troops and used as training vehicles.

Source: MiniArt Website

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Russian Heavy Tank, KV-8S (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 01572 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Heavy Tank KV-8S’.

Russian Heavy Tank KV-8S

History

A KV-1S fitted with the ATO-41 flame-thrower in the turret, beside a machine gun.In order to accommodate the new weapon, the 76.2mm gun was replaced with a smaller 45mm Gun M1932, though it was disguised to look like the standard 76mm.
Source: Trumpeter Website

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Russian Heavy Tank JS-7 (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 05586 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Heavy Tank JS-7’.

Russian Heavy Tank JS-7

History

In 1948, the IS-7 heavy tank was developed. Weighing 68 metric tons, thickly armoured and armed with a 130mm C-70 gun, it was the largest tank ever built by the USSR.

Although it was in many ways an innovative design, it was never accepted for mass production due to its cumbersome size and the very impractical layout of its fighting compartment

Source: Trumpeter website

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German Ardelt-Rheinmetall 8.8cm PaK 43 Waffenträger (Dragon)

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This is the Dragon 6728 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Ardelt-Rheinmetall 8.8cm PaK 43 Waffenträger’.

German Ardelt-Rheinmetall 8.8cm Pak 43 Waffenträger

History

This is a German design that reached only prototype status, but which is a fascinating subject nonetheless. The vehicle is the Ardelt-Rheinmetall 8.8cm PaK 43 Waffenträger.The conceptual idea behind this weapon system was a self-propelled mount for the powerful but heavy 8.8cm antitank gun, as towed versions of this gun were too unwieldy for crews to move readily. Ardelt and Rheinmetall combined to build the first prototype and tests were conducted on this Ardelt I.

The vehicle’s engine was fitted at the front of the hull, which permitted the main armament – an 8.8cm L/71 cannon – to be fitted on the rear. It utilized a 38(t) chassis with four road wheels per side. An improved prototype (Ardelt II) was later produced by Ardelt and Krupp, but the end of the war intervened before production got off the ground.

Source: Dragon Website

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