Tag Archives: tamiya

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 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

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German Flakpanzer IV, Möbelwagen (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 101-2500 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘German Flakpanzer IV, Möbelwagen’.

German Flakpanzer IV, Möbelwagen

History

The Möbelwagen was essentially a standard Panzer IV hull and chassis with hinged armoured flaps 10mm thick. The Möbelwagen entered service in the Autumn of 1943 and were used by the AA platoons of tank regiments until the end of 1944.
Source: Tamiya website

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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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Russian Heavy Self Propelled Gun, JSU-152 (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 303-4300 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Heavy Self Propelled Gun, JSU-152’.

Russian Heavy Self Propelled Gun, JSU-152

History

Beast Killer – In the latter half of WWII, in order to counter German tanks, the Russian army used the JS-2 heavy tank’s chassis to create the JSU-152 heavy self-propelled gun. It featured improved armor protection and a simple superstructure which housed a massive ML-20S 152mm howitzer.

They officially entered combat in the summer of 1944 during Operation Bagration, where Russian soldiers gave it the nickname Zveroboy (beast killer) due to its ability to destroy Tiger I and Panther tanks. The JSU-152 proved its effectiveness against both tanks and fortifications all the way to the Battle of Berlin and greatly contributed to the Russian victory.

Source: Tamiya website

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  • Hobbymesse 2012

Russian Medium Tank, T-55A (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 257-3000 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Medium Tank, T-55A’.

Russian Medium Tank, T-55A

History

T-55 production began in 1958, as opposition between western countries and the Soviet Union grew. It was easy to produce and featured an oblique front hull wall, a compact hull and a semi-spherical turret to limit vulnerability. The T-55 was also well armed with a 100mm main gun.

In the early 60’s, the T-55A with anti-radiation internal liner and anti-radiation cover on the tank commander cupola was developed. T-55 and T-55A were also license built by Czechoslovakia and Poland and some received various improved equipment resulting in many sub-types.

T-55 production continued until the late 70’s and equipped the armies of over 40 countries. It was used in various wars such as the Middle-East Wars and the Gulf War and is still in service today in some countries.

Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Hobbymesse 2012

Russian Medium Tank, T-62 A (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 108-1800 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Medium Tank, T-62 A’.

Russian Medium Tank, T-62 A

History

The T-62 tank has many similarities to the T54/55, both in external shape and mechanism. It made its first official appearance in the victory parade to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the victory over Germany on May 9th 1965.
Source: Tamiya website

Manufacturer

Where I got it

  • Hobbymesse 2012

JGSDF Type 90 Tank (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 208 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘JGSDF Type 90 Tank’.

JGSDF Type 90 Tank

History

The Type 90 tank is the current main battle tank (MBT) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). It is built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and was designed as a replacement for all deployed Type 61s and a portion of their Type 74 tanks, and entered service in 1990. It is slated to be complemented by the Type 10.

The Type 90 mounts a licensed copy of the German Rheinmetall L44 120mm smoothbore cannon product by Japan Steel Works Limited. This is the same gun that is mounted on the German Leopard 2, American Abrams, and the South Korean K1A1 tanks. The gun is armed and loaded through a mechanical bustle autoloader (conveyor-belt type), developed by Mitsubishi of Japan.

The Type 90 tank is the first western tank to achieve manpower savings by reducing the crew to three through the development of the turret bustle autoloader (with the exception of the turretless Strv 103). This design allows the tank crew to operate without a loader, which allows the use of a smaller turret.

Source: Wikipedia

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JGSDF Type 74 Tank, Winter version (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 168 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘JGSDF Type 74 Tank, Winter version’.

JGSDF Type 74 Tank, Winter version

History

The Type 74 is a main battle tank (MBT) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). It was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a replacement for the earlier Type 61.

It was based on the best features of a number of contemporary designs, placing it in the same class as the US M60 Patton or German Leopard 1. Like these designs, it mounts the M68 105mm gun.

The design did not enter widespread use until 1980, by which point other western forces were starting the introduction of much more capable designs.

Source: Wikipedia

Manufacturer

Russian Tank Destroyer, SU-85 (Tamiya)

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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

JGSDF Type 90 Tank w/Mine Roller (Tamiya)

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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

Russian Heavy Tank, JS-3 (Tamiya)

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This is the Tamiya 35 211-3900 kit in 1/35 scale, of the ‘Russian Heavy Tank, JS-3 (Tamiya)’.

Russian Heavy Tank, JS-3 (Tamiya)

History

On September 7th 1945, the allied nations were staggered by Russia’s disclosure of their JS-3 heavy tank at a victory parade in Berlin. Although coded a “JS” (Josef Stalin) tank, it had a totally different appearance from its preceding models. The one-piece cast turret had a simple flattened hemispherical shape. The maximum thickness of the turret armor reached 250mm. The front hull was constructed by welding three 120mm thick armor plates, forming a shape like a ship’s bow. The main armament used the same L/43 122mm gun as the JS-2.

The 520 horsepower diesel engine provided 40km/h of maximum speed. With the concerted effort of the talented Russian tank engineers such as N.L Jukhov and Z.A Kotin, the prototype was completed in October 1944 and the mass production began in the following year.

There have been a lot of controversy concerning whether or not the JS-3 saw any fighting during the Berlin campaign. At least one regiment was equipped with the JS-3 by then, but it’s still uncertain if they were committed to the actual fighting. Other sources claim that it was first deployed in combat against the Japanese in Manchuria in August 1945.

Incorporating several modifications, its production was continued until 1951 and about 1,800 JS-3’s were produced. Its simple and effective turret and hull configuration deeply influenced not only the following Russian tanks, but also fighting vehicles of the western nations.

Source: Tamiya website

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