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Entwicklungsfahrzeug 10, the real Hetzer. This is full resin model by Cromwell Models in 1/35th scale. I bought this little kit on Ebay. When I talked to Lutz Fellmuth, the owner of New Connection Models, he told me that the hull top and hatch arrangement maybe was not accurate. He once had plans that he lent to a "friend" but he never got them back. Anyway, the driver's visor he remembered was not in the glacis plate, but like on the later Panthers and King Tigers on the roof in a rotating periscope. So I thought for myself why not make something different? The high/low suspension excited me and the hull roof should be changed quite easy.
The Cromwell Models kit comes in cream coloured resin with a Jordi Rubio metal barrel. The cast quality is good but not perfect. Some air bubbles were found, but they are easy to repair. The track is a resin link and length type. They were replaced by Friulmodel tracks I had in for a model with moveable suspension. Using the metal track meant also using a different drive sprocket, because the resin sprocket did not have the matching number of teeth, so it was easier to replace it. It took a while until I found a way to make the suspension pose-able. My first attempts were far too complicated, so I decided to keep it simple. I drilled holes into the hull for the axles. Then I drilled every suspension unit twice, once for the axle on the hull, one for the wheel axle. I decided to use two axles for every wheel to get the suspension stable. the hull axle would be stable, the wheel axle will be moving up and down through the hull. It sounds complicated... but it is really simple. On the finished model, two "S" shaped hooks will hold the axles 2 and 4 on the hull floor when in raised position. Then the track tension came to mind, when moving the suspension up, the track will loosen and will look funny hanging down from the idler wheel. So I coupled the idler wheel with the first suspension unit using a U-shaped metal rod - when the suspension unit moves up, the idler wheel moves forward to compensate the track tension a little bit. The system works not perfect, but it is enough for the model.
When I started the model, I did not know exactly how the roof should look like.... it is a "paper panzer", all evidence probably long gone or lying in a shelve of a so called "collector" hidden forever. So I first made the facts by cutting the roof out and then figured out how my vehicle would be. The glacis visor was sanded off, engine cooling vents and ventilator were drilled out to be replaced by E-100 grills and a ventilator grill by a Leopard model. The driver's rotating periscope was from a Tamiya Panther G hull, so are the hatches and the drivers 10 o'clock periscope. I installed a six visor cast cupola from a Panther F, the hull defence weapon also. The roof ventilator is from the omitted hull roof. The radial sliding cover for the gun sight was made from sheet styrene. Aber grills are used for the engine screens.
Why do the manufacturers make models with fixed guns? I do not know, but I do not like it. So I used the gun outer and inner mantlet from a Dragon Hetzer kit (that will be used for the Berge Hetzer) and a big styrene tube, fixed with a vertical and horizontal axle. Now the gun is moveable and will be balanced a little bit.
The model is painted with my Triplex airbrush. The basic painting was done with Tamiya Dark Yellow. The camouflage is a wavy pattern of Tamiya NATO Green and Gunze Chocolate Brown. Dust and dirt where sprayed with Tamiya Flat Earth and buff. I sprayed the markings with Stencil-It PE stencils.
The figure set from Paolo Parentes Dust (see" http://www.track-link.net/reviews/k1638 built up very nice and show very good poses. Their equipment is shaped to fit to specific figures and fits very good. The weaponry looks interesting and cool. These figures are good to build and a more talented figure painter than I am can achieve stunning results. [View discussion] [Discuss my model]
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