Catalog Number: | 2170 | Manufacturer: | TAKOM |
Published: | Tuesday, August 1, 2023 | Retail Price: | ~$40 |
Scale: | 1:35 | Reviewed By: | Michael Reeves |
Takom- Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer Early Production with Full Interior
History
The ČKD LT vz. 38 was adopted by Germany and modified to become the 16 ton Jagdpanzer 38(t) which later became more well-known as the Hetzer. With its low profile, and featuring 60mm frontal armor sloped at 60 degrees, they were ideal for ambush attacks. Operated by a four man crew, they were armed with the 75mm PaK 39 L/48 gun which packed quite a punch and could take out most enemy tanks it faced. Secondary armament consisted of a top mounted 7.92mm MG34 machine gun. It was powered by a 158 hp Praga 6-cylinder AC/2000 water-cooled engine and 5 + 1 Praga-Wilson Type CV transmission, giving the Hetzer a top speed of 26mph (42 km/hr) and a range of up to 110 miles (180 km). A total of 2612 units were produced by the end of the war, many of which were allocated to independent Heeres Panzerjäger Abteilungen (Army Tank Hunter Battalions). Some were sent to to Hungarian battalions and the Russian Liberation Army (ROK) towards the end of the war. After the war, 158 Swiss contract Škoda Jagdpanzer G13 tank hunters entered service with the Swiss army, serving until 1970.
The Kit
When I heard the news of Takom's intent of releasing interior kits of the Hetzer, I was pretty excited. I really enjoy building interior kits because I am insane-- and this one is right up my alley. The box is pretty jam packed for its small size and that is pretty obvious with the interior parts sprues. Some parts are particularly small and this will require some patience and care when removing parts from their sprues. Details are quite nice and will be addressed as we go through the sprues--
Sprue A (of which there are 2) consist of the road wheels and idler. Detail front and back is excellent-- and one of the major differences between this Early Production release and the Mid and Late ones are the number of lugs.
Sprue B (also 2 sprues) contains the sprockets, suspension and arms, shells, and parts for their racks, and other fiddly bits...
Sprue C, also x2, contains the link and length tracks. Sink marks are on every other link of the length pieces and every link of the single link pieces. There's not much room to sand these off, so those thin sanding sticks in your toolbox will be needed.
Sprue D consists of the track guards, front side crew compartment wall, lower hull sides and rear, and skirts...sink marks are present on all interior faces so may definitely need attention depending on what is showing inside considering it is an interior kit.
Sprue E contains the firewall between the engine and crew compartment, floor to the lower hull tub, top deck cover, and casemate. More sink marks on interior facing sides...
Sprue F was in a separate bag and contains the mantlet parts with some nice cast texture...
Sprue G consists of hatch covers and other exterior parts, scissors periscope, plastic gun barrel, and other fiddly bits....
Sprue H contains parts for the tools on the track guards like jack, boxes, and tools as well as the MG34. There are slide mold arches on many sprues including this one, but the MG34 is attached by the barrel to the sprue so will need drilling out...
Sprue J contains mostly parts for the interior- boxes for the side walls and ammo rack parts and transmission bits...
Sprue K is much of the same- radio faces, control panel and boxes, seats, etc...and even an internally stowed StG 44-
Sprue L contains some exterior bits- spare track links, exhaust, and engine compartment cover...
Sprue M contains all the parts to build the engine and not to sound cliche, but it is really a kit unto itself...
Sprue N is more of the same...
Sprue P is the one clear sprue in the kit and has a clear main deck top if you wish to use it to show off the interior-- one could always leave it unglued so you could use either part as a cover. Also on the sprue are the periscope lenses...
Included along with the manual is a length of copper cable for the tow cable, the decal sheet, a small PE fret with screens, and a metal barrel for the main gun.
The manual is typical Takom style-- with 34 steps and concludes with some color guides for painting the engine and crew compartments, gun breech, and side panels, control panel, and radio faces. Lastly there are 4 paint schemes listed under each of the scans below....
Parts Map
Both schemes from May 1945
Both schemes representing Armee-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 743, East Prussia, August 1944
Conclusion
This is the first of three new Takom kits representing the Hetzer. Interior kits can be a challenge, and the small size of many of these interior parts might make it even more so. I am not sure this will be an ideal kit for one just starting out, but again care and patience might make things go more smoothly. The addition of the color guides are helpful. The tracks are small and contain loads of sink marks- and I do miss the jigs Takom used to include for these...but for those who have built their share of Takom kits, this should not prove too difficult.
Highly Recommended for Intermediate to Advanced builders, with some reservations for Beginners due to the small parts, pending Full Build.
Thanks goes out to Takom for this review kit.
Reviewed by Michael Reeves
If you liked this review, consider joining AMPS. Your annual membership
includes six copies of AMPS's magazine, Boresight,
and helps to support our ongoing reviews.