Category Archives: Kits, Stash

Russian T-34/76, with mine roller (Zvezda)

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This is the Zvezda 3580 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Tank T-34/76, with mine roller’.

Russian Tank T-34/76, with mine roller

History

Fighting with mine barriers became one of the major problems of the Red Army attacks during WWII.

The supreme command ordered urgently the development of a mine clearing device.

At that time the T-34 and its variants were the most widely used tanks in the Soviet Army. So it was logical to adapt the T-34 as carrier. This combination was then successfully in service through the whole WWII.

Source: Zvezda

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Russian Tank T-34/76 (Zvezda)

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This is the Zvezda 3535 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Tank T-34/76’.

Russian Tank T-34/76

History

The T-34 had well-sloped armour, a relatively powerful engine, and wide tracks.

The initial T-34 version had a powerful 76.2mm gun, and is often called the T-34/76.

The T-34/76, like many other contemporary tanks, had a two-man turret crew arrangement. This required the tank commander to aim and fire the gun while having to coordinate with other tanks and potentially also being a platoon commander, and proved to be inferior to the three-man (commander, gunner, and loader) turret crews of German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks, which allowed the tank’s commander to concentrate solely on that job.

Source: Wikipedia

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

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This is the MiniArt 35169 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf. D’.

German Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf. D

History

Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II.

The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III Sd.Kfz.141 (abbreviated Pz.Kpfw.III) translating as “armoured fighting vehicle”. It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and serve alongside the infantry support Panzer IV.

From 1942, the last version of Panzer III mounted the 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24, better suited for infantry support. Production of the Panzer III ended in 1943. However, the Panzer III’s capable chassis provided hulls for the Sturmgeschütz III assault gun until the end of the war.

Source: Wikipedia

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German Super Heavy StuG E-100 (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 09542 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Super Heavy StuG E-100’.

German Super Heavy StuG E-100

History

What if Germany’s plans for a new series of tanks late in WWII had materialized?The super heavy end of the Entwicklung (from German Entwicklung, “development”) E-series may have been represented by the E-100 tank chassis with ‘Maus’ type turret and two optional artillery guns, 15cm/L46 or 17cm PaK 46.

Work on E-tanks was abandoned before the end of WWII.

Source: Trumpeter website

Manufacturer

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German Flakpanzer IV, Wirbelwind (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 233-3000 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind’.

German Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind

History

The Flakpanzer IV “Wirbelwind” (Whirlwind in English) was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun based on the Panzer IV tank. It was developed in 1944 as a successor to the earlier self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Möbelwagen.

The Panzer IV’s turret was removed and replaced with an open-top, nine-sided turret that housed a quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38 L/112.5. A closed-top design would have been preferable, but this was not possible due to the heavy smoke generated by the four anti-aircraft guns. The shape of the turret earned it the nickname Keksdose (“Biscuit Tin”).

The combination of armor and rapid fire from the four guns of the Wirbelwind made it very effective against lightly armoured ground targets such as trucks and armored cars; infantry were particularly vulnerable.

Source: Wikipedia

Where I got it

German 88mm Gun FlaK 36/37 (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 017-2800 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German 88mm Gun FlaK 36/37’.

German 88mm Gun FlaK 36/37

History

The 88mm gun (commonly called the eighty-eight) was a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. It was widely used by Germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognized German weapons of that conflict. Development of the original models led to a wide variety of guns.

The name applies to a series of guns, the first one officially called the 8.8cm FlaK 18, the improved 8.8cm FlaK 36, and later the 8.8cm FlaK 37. FlaK is a contraction of German Flugzeugabwehrkanone meaning “aircraft-defense cannon”, the original purpose of the eighty-eight. In English, “flak” became a generic term for ground anti-aircraft fire. In informal German use, the guns were universally known as the Acht-acht (“eight-eight”).

The versatile carriage allowed the eighty-eight to be fired in a limited anti-tank mode when still on its wheels; it could be completely emplaced in only two-and-a-half minutes. Its successful use as an improvised anti-tank gun led to the development of a tank gun based upon it. These related guns served as the main armament of tanks such as the Tiger I: the 8.8cm KwK 36, with the “KwK” abbreviation standing for Kampfwagenkanone (literally “battle vehicle cannon”, or “tank cannon”).

Source: Wikipedia

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Russian Project 704 SPH (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 05575 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Project 704 SPH’.

Russian Project 704 SPH

History

One prototype, developed in 1945. It used elements of the IS-2 and IS-3 tanks. The overall height of the vehicle was reduced to 2240mm, which was compensated with an increased width of the superstructure.The factory designation was Object 704 (Объект 704). It was armed with the 152.4mm ML-20SM model 1944 (МЛ-20СМ обр. 1944 г) gun-howitzer, with a barrel length of over 4.5 meters (29.6 calibers) and no muzzle brake, which further increased the firepower of the gun. It had a maximum range of 13,000 meters.

The self-propelled gun carried 20 rounds of two piece (shell and charge) armor-piercing and high explosive ammunition. The secondary armament of the fighting vehicle consisted of two 12.7 x 108mm DShK machine guns, one anti-aircraft and one co-axial.

Source: Trumpeter website

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Russian T-10A Heavy Tank (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 05547 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian T-10A Heavy Tank’.

Russian T-10A Heavy Tank

History

The T-10 (also known as Object 730, IS-8, or IS-10) was a Soviet heavy tank of the Cold War, the final development of the IS tank series. During development, it was called IS-8 and IS-9. It was accepted into production in 1952 as the IS-10 (Iosif Stalin, Russian form of Joseph Stalin), but due to the political climate in the wake of Stalin’s death in 1953, it was renamed T-10.

The biggest differences from its direct ancestor, the IS-3, were a longer hull, seven pairs of road wheels instead of six, a larger turret mounting a new gun with fume extractor, an improved diesel engine, and increased armour. General performance was similar, although the T-10 could carry more ammunition.

T-10s (like the IS tanks they replaced) were deployed in independent tank regiments belonging to armies, and independent tank battalions belonging to divisions. These independent tank units could be attached to mechanized units, to support infantry operations and perform breakthroughs.

Source: Wikipedia

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Russian JS-2 Heavy Tank (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 05588 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian JS-2 Heavy Tank’.

Russian JS-2 Heavy Tank

History

The Iosif Stalin tank (or IS tank, named after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin), was a heavy tank developed by the Soviet Union during World War II. The tanks in the series are also sometimes called JS or ИС tanks.

The heavy tank was designed with thick armour to counter the German 88mm guns, and sported a main gun that was capable of defeating the German Tiger and Panther tanks. It was mainly a breakthrough tank, firing a heavy high-explosive shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers.

The IS-2 was put into service in April 1944, and was used as a spearhead in the Battle for Berlin by the Red Army in the final stage of the war.

Source: Trumpeter website

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German Sd.Kfz.186 Panzerjäger (Jagdtiger) (Early production) (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 295-5000 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Sd.Kfz.186 Panzerjäger (Jagdtiger) – Early production’.

German Sd.Kfz.186 Panzerjäger (Jagdtiger) - Early production

History

The Strongest, Last Tiger – The middle stages of WWII saw the production of the world’s heaviest and most powerful tank of its time, the Jagdtiger.

Featuring on the Jagdtiger was a long barreled 12.8cm gun which showed great offensive capabilities. While based on the King Tiger’s chassis, the newly designed Jagdtiger was approximately 30cm longer. Along with its new design, the large sized fixed fighting compartment was given a 250mm thick front defensive armament which was unique to this tank.

First appearing at the Ardennes offensive in December 1944, and Jagdtiger mostly fought against Allied forces in Western Germany from January 1945. Until the end of the war, the Jagdtiger continued to menace and ambush Allied forces and U.S Sherman tanks from distances of 3,000m or more.

Source: Tamiya website

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German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. D/Tauch (HobbyBoss)

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This is the HobbyBoss 80132 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. D/Tauch’.

German Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. D/Tauch

History

For “Operation Sealion”, the planned invasion of Britain, the Commander of the Army originally requested 180 underwater tanks. On August 1, 1940 there were 90 Panzer III tanks with 3.7cm KwK guns, 10 Panzer III with 5cm KwK and 28 Panzer IV ready for service. In addition, twelve Sturmgeschutz were available.

On August 19, 1940 there were 152 Panzer III and 48 Panzer IV in all ready for the four special Panzer units. After “Operation Sealion” was given up, the vehicles divided among Eutin, Putlos, Bremen and Hamburg were almost all assigned to the 18th Panzer Division.

The Tauchpanzer IV D were converted for the underwater version. Additional sealing was provided for the engine air-intakes, and the exhaust was fitting with non-return valves in place of the normal mufflers. The mantlet and MG mountings were all covered with waterproof fabric. The driver’s visor was made watertight by special metal cover with a visor block. An inflatable rubber tube was also used to seal the turret ring.

Source: HobbyBoss website

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Russian A-19 122mm Gun (1931/1937) (Trumpeter)

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This is the Trumpeter 02325 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian A-19 122mm Gun (1931/1937)’.

Russian A-19 122mm Gun (1931/1937)

History

122mm corps gun M1931/37 (A-19) was a Soviet field gun developed in late 1930s by combining the barrel of the 122mm gun M1931 (A-19) and the carriage of the 152mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20).

The gun was in production from 1939 until 1946. It saw action in World War II (primarily with corps and RVGK artillery of the Red Army) and remained in service for a long time after the end of the war.

Vehicle-mounted variants of the gun were fitted to the IS-2 and 3 tanks and ISU-122 self-propelled gun.

Source: Wikipedia

Manufacturer

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  • Hobbymesse 2017