American M18 Hellcat (Academy)

This is the Academy 13255 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘American M18 Hellcat’.

American M18 Hellcat

History

The M18 Hellcat (officially designated the 76mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 or M18 GMC for short) was an American tank destroyer of World War II, used in the Italian, European, and Pacific theatres, and in the Korean War.

It was the fastest armored vehicle in the American defense inventory of the 20th century. The speed was attained by keeping armor to a minimum, no more than one inch thick and roofless, open-top turrets (a standard design feature for all American fully tracked tank destroyers of World War II) and by powering the relatively small vehicle with a radial engine originally designed for aircraft usage.

The Hellcat, along with the M4 Sherman-based M10 tank destroyer and the highly effective, 90mm gun-armed M36 tank destroyer, provided American and Allied forces with a respectable mobile anti-tank capability against the newer German armored types.

Source: Wikipedia

Manufacturer

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

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 Pak43/1 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 Pak43/1 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

Manufacturer

Where I got it