Modelik Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer

[CharlieC]

Just for a change.....

The Modelik Hetzer is a revision of an earlier model reissued in 2004. The frame is quite complex and runs to a bit under 3 pages of frame parts. There are 7 parts pages with only "band" tracks. The model looks fairly straightforward - since there are only 4 roadwheels per side and no turret.

The Hetzer was a derivative of the Czech 38 tank. It was designed after the factory producing the StuG III was bombed out in 1943. The Czech factory couldn't produce the StuG because of crane limitations so the Hetzer was created to utilise the available production capacity. The Hetzer seems to have been reasonably successful although it had some tactical limitations. There was no view out of the right side when the tank was closed up and the side and top armour was quite thin and only designed to stop small arms fire. About 2600 Hetzers were produced in 1944-45. The Swiss army used a Hetzer variant after WW2 known as the G13.

Regards,

Charlie

[CharlieC]

The frame of the Hetzer model is quite complex. The first image shows the internal frame parts. These aren't glued together yet. There were a couple of obvious errors in the frame parts - I've noted these on the second image. There's quite a lot of chamfered edges to get the frame parts to fit. The indications of which edges to chamfer don't seem to make a lot of sense so it's going to be dry fitting all the way.

Regards,

Charlie

[Johnny]

isn't it annoying with errors of that kind in a fairly new kit?
Do they really do betabuilds......

I'm looking forward to follow your build Charlie!!

[B-Manic]

What really irks me is kits that are re-issued with the same errors as the original.

[dansls1]

It seems that's one of the reasons I see a ton of the German builders using the phrase 'Once Halinski, always Halinski' on their boards. Yes, they seem to have tons of little parts for everything, but I've yet to see a build issue that can be attributed to the kit design, and he issues fixes for the slightest graphical misprints.
This is a peculiar looking tank and I look forward to following the build - hopefully the errors aren't bad enough to prevent a full build

[CharlieC]

Originally Posted by dansls1

This is a peculiar looking tank and I look forward to following the build - hopefully the errors aren't bad enough to prevent a full build

I've already run across a number of other problems which I'll document as the build progresses.

Not sure about "peculiar" - personally I think the Hetzer was a brilliant improvisation. I know the vehicle was an ergonomic slum and the side armour was to much too thin but it was an extremely cost effective design. Perhaps it's an Australian thing but to take a 1930s light tank design and turn it into a cheap tank destroyer which achieved good kill ratios against T-34s deserves (inho) a lot of respect. It must have been a reasonable design since the Czech and Swiss armies used the Hetzer (or post-war versions) until the 1960s.

Regards,

Charlie