After the Spanish Civil War, the German authorities started to think that a new anti-tank gun would be needed, even though the 3.7cm PaK 36 had proven to be very successful. They asked Rheinmetall-Borsig to produce a new and more capable AT-gun. They first designed the PaK 37 in 1935, but the German authorities didn’t approve it because of its low capabilities. Rheinmetall-Borsig was forced to create a new gun under the designation PaK 38, which fitted a new and longer L/60 barrel and was approved for mass production in 1939.

The 5cm PaK 38 (L/60) (5cm Panzerabwehrkanone 38 (L/60)) was first used by the German forces in April 1941. When the Germans faced Soviet tanks in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, the PaK 38 was one of the few early guns capable of penetrating the 45mm (1.8 in) armour of the T-34. The gun was also equipped with Panzergranate 40 APCR shots with a hard tungsten core, in an attempt to penetrate the armour of the heavier KV-1 tank.

Although it was replaced by more powerful weapons, it remained a potent and useful weapon and remained in service with the Wehrmacht until the end of the war. Between 1940 and 1943, a total of 9,566 units were built.

During the invasion of Poland and France, the Wehrmacht captured thousands of 75mm Model 1897 guns, built by the French arms manufacturer Schneider. Soon after the German invasion of the USSR in 1941, Wehrmacht units encountered new Soviet tanks, the medium T-34 and the heavy KV. The thick sloped armour of these vehicles gave them invulnerability against German towed 3.7cm PaK 36 anti-tank guns. The situation led to requests for more powerful weapons that would be able to destroy them at normal combat ranges.

Even though Germany already had a suitable design, the 7.5cm PaK 40, this weapon entered production and the first pieces were delivered in November 1941. However, until enough of these were manufactured, some expedient solution was required. In its original configuration, the French guns were ill-suited for the anti-tank role because of their relatively low muzzle velocity, limited traverse (only 6°) and lack of a suitable suspension (which resulted in a transport speed of just 10 to 12 km/h). It was decided to solve the traverse and mobility problems by mounting the 7.5cm barrel on the modern split trail carriage of the 5cm PaK 38 anti-tank gun. To soften the recoil, the barrel was fitted with a large Swiss Solothurn muzzle brake. The gun was primarily intended to use HEAT shells as the armour penetration of this type of ammunition does not depend on velocity.

The 7.5cm PaK 97/38 reached the battlefield in the summer of 1942. Despite moderate effectiveness and violent recoil, it remained in service until the end of the war. A total of 3,712 units were built between 1942 and 1943.

– Options to build either a PaK 38 or PaK 97/38

– Front lower armour plate in operating or transport mode

– Movable trails & rotating gun

– Includes shells and ammo boxes

– 5 gun crew in mid-war uniform included

The 7.5cm PaK 40 (7,5cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40) was a German 7.5cm anti-tank gun developed in 1939 to 1941 by Rheinmetall and used during WW2. The PaK 40 formed the backbone of German anti-tank guns for the latter part of the war, mostly in towed form, but also on a number of tank destroyers such as the Marder series. Approximately 20,000 PaK 40s were produced between 1942 and 1945.

Development of the PaK 40 began after reports of new Soviet tank designs began to reach Berlin in 1939. The 5cm PaK 38 was still in testing at this point, but it appeared it would not be powerful enough to deal with these newer designs. Contracts were placed with Krupp and Rheinmetall to develop what was essentially a 7.5cm version of the PaK 38. However, while the PaK 38 made extensive use of light alloys to reduce overall gun weight, these were now earmarked for Luftwaffe. As a result, the PaK 40 used steel throughout its construction and was proportionally heavier than the 5cm model. To simplify production, the PaK 38’s curved gun shield was replaced by one using three flat plates.

The project was initially given low priority, but following the invasion of the USSR in 1941 and the appearance of heavily armoured Soviet tanks such as the T-34 and KV-1, it was given an increased priority. The first pre-production guns were delivered in November 1941. In April 1942, the Wehrmacht had 44 guns in service; by 1943, the PaK 40 formed the bulk of German anti-tank artillery.

The weapon was effective against almost every Allied tank until the end of the war. The Pak 40 was much heavier than the Pak 38; its decreased mobility meant that it was difficult or even impossible to move without an artillery tractor on boggy ground.  After the war, the Pak 40 remained in service in several European armies, including Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Norway, Hungary and Romania.

– Front lower armour plate in operating or transport mode

– Movable trails & rotating gun

– Includes shells and ammo boxes

– 5 gun crew in late war uniform included

The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in WW2. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. Thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union. The tank was named by the British for the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman.

The M4 Sherman evolved from the M3 Medium Tank, which had its main armament in a side sponson mount. The M4 retained much of the previous mechanical design, but housed the main 75mm gun in a fully traversing turret. One feature, a one-axis gyrostabilizer, was not precise enough to allow firing when moving but did help keep the reticle on target, so that when the tank did stop to fire, the gun would be aimed in roughly the right direction. The designers stressed mechanical reliability, ease of production and maintenance, durability, standardization of parts and ammunition in a limited number of variants, and moderate size and weight. These factors, combined with Sherman’s then-superior armour and armament, outclassed German light and medium tanks fielded in 1939 to 42. The M4 went on to be produced in large numbers. It spearheaded many offensives by the Western Allies after 1942.

When the M4 tank (Sherman I by the British naming system) went into combat in North Africa with the British Army at El Alamein in late 1942, it increased the advantage of Allied armour over Axis armour and was superior to the lighter German and Italian tank designs. For this reason, the US Army believed that the M4 would be adequate to win the war, and no pressure was exerted for further tank development. Logistical and transport restrictions, such as limitations imposed by roads, ports, and bridges, also complicated the introduction of a more capable but heavier tank. Tank destroyer battalions using vehicles built on the M4 hull and chassis, but with open-topped turrets and more potent high-velocity guns, also entered widespread use in the Allied armies. Even by 1944, most M4 Shermans kept their dual purpose 75mm gun. By 1944, the M4 was inferior in firepower and armour to increasing numbers of German heavy tanks, but was able to fight on with numerical superiority and mutual support from growing numbers of fighter-bombers and artillery pieces.  Some Shermans were produced with a more capable gun, the 76mm gun M1, or refitted with an Ordnance QF17-pounder by the British (the Sherman Firefly).

The relative ease of production allowed large numbers of the M4 to be manufactured and significant investment in tank recovery and repair units allowed disabled vehicles to be repaired and returned to service quickly. These factors combined to give the Allies numerical superiority in most battles, and many infantry divisions were provided with M4s and tank destroyers.

After World War II, the Sherman, particularly the many improved and upgraded versions, continued to see combat service in many conflicts around the world, including the UN forces in the Korean War, with Israel in the Arab-Israeli Wars, briefly with South Vietnam in the Vietnam War, and on both sides of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

– Includes both small & large hatch hulls

– Includes both low & high bustle turrets

– Includes both 75mm gun & 105mm howitzer

– Options to build a British Firefly IC

– Multiple mantlet choices

– Open or closed turret & hull hatches

– Tank crew figures included

The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in WW2. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. Thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union. The tank was named by the British for the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman.

The M4 Sherman evolved from the M3 Medium Tank, which had its main armament in a side sponson mount. The M4 retained much of the previous mechanical design, but housed the main 75mm gun in a fully traversing turret. One feature, a one-axis gyrostabilizer, was not precise enough to allow firing when moving but did help keep the reticle on target, so that when the tank did stop to fire, the gun would be aimed in roughly the right direction. The designers stressed mechanical reliability, ease of production and maintenance, durability, standardization of parts and ammunition in a limited number of variants, and moderate size and weight. These factors, combined with Sherman’s then-superior armour and armament, outclassed German light and medium tanks fielded in 1939 to 42. The M4 went on to be produced in large numbers. It spearheaded many offensives by the Western Allies after 1942.

When the M4 tank (Sherman I by the British naming system) went into combat in North Africa with the British Army at El Alamein in late 1942, it increased the advantage of Allied armour over Axis armour and was superior to the lighter German and Italian tank designs. For this reason, the US Army believed that the M4 would be adequate to win the war, and no pressure was exerted for further tank development. Logistical and transport restrictions, such as limitations imposed by roads, ports, and bridges, also complicated the introduction of a more capable but heavier tank. Tank destroyer battalions using vehicles built on the M4 hull and chassis, but with open-topped turrets and more potent high-velocity guns, also entered widespread use in the Allied armies. Even by 1944, most M4 Shermans kept their dual purpose 75mm gun. By 1944, the M4 was inferior in firepower and armour to increasing numbers of German heavy tanks, but was able to fight on with numerical superiority and mutual support from growing numbers of fighter-bombers and artillery pieces. Some Shermans were produced with a more capable gun, the 76mm gun M1, or refitted with an Ordnance QF17-pounder by the British (the Sherman Firefly).

The original Sherman design included both cast and welded upper hulls. In the rush to increase production, it was noted that cast hulls could be manufactured cheaper and faster than welded hulls, with “a large saving on welding rod and labour.”  However, in October 1942, it was concluded that while conversion to all cast hulls might be advantageous, it was not feasible under the current industrial conditions. In that same month, the Ordnance Department in conjunction with the Chrysler Corporation, began design work on a cast front end that offered a partial solution to the higher cost of the all welded upper hull, since the front is where a good deal of the welding man-hours was spent. Also, the front casting was a fraction of the size of a complete cast hull, so could be produced by smaller capacity foundries, the M4 Composite (or Sherman I Hybrid in British terms) was created.

– Includes both low & high bustle turrets

– Options to build a British Firefly IC Hybrid

– Multiple mantlet choices

– Open or closed turret & hull hatches

– Tank crew figures included

– Ideal for countryside dioramas

– Each fence is 105mm (4.13 inches) long

– Each gate is 30mm (1.18 inches) wide

– A total of 180cm (70.87 inches) from a single kit

– Gate can swing open or closed

– Comes with scenic base

– Ideal for small town dioramas

– Each fence is 105mm (4.13 inches) long

– Each gate is 30mm (1.18 inches) wide

– A total of 180cm (70.87 inches) from a single kit

– Gate can swing open or closed

– Comes with sign post & scenic base

– Raised rim to ensure basing material stays inside the base

– Dimpled surface to ensure a firm grip of basing material

– Small holes on top of base to be used as pivot points for drill bits

– Also used as position identifiers to secure your pinned miniature

– Ergonomic design allows firm grip on the base when moving your miniature

– 0.8mm hole underneath correspond to dimples on the upper side to secure your miniature

– Raised rim to ensure basing material stays inside the base

– Dimpled surface to ensure a firm grip of basing material

– Small holes on top of base to be used as pivot points for drill bits

– Also used as position identifiers to secure your pinned miniature

– Ergonomic design allows firm grip on the base when moving your miniature

– 0.8mm hole underneath correspond to dimples on the upper side to secure your miniature

– Raised rim to ensure basing material stays inside the base

– Dimpled surface to ensure a firm grip of basing material

– Small holes on top of base to be used as pivot points for drill bits

– Also used as position identifiers to secure your pinned miniature

– Ergonomic design allows firm grip on the base when moving your miniature

– 0.8mm hole underneath correspond to dimples on the upper side to secure your miniature