Italeri has launched their 2018 account with more World of Tanks & Warships model kit sets, more 2nd armour and a Stuka with a funny name – see what we are talking about in our new item preview for Italeri…
Italeri's January’s new year releases celebrate the “One True Scale” in a big way
TIGER II - WoT- MODEL SET
Kit No# 74001
1/72nd scale
Model Dim.: 14,3 cm
Box Dim.: 290 x 190 x 45 mm
The box contains: colour instructions sheet, the world of tanks decals, static invite code, bonus code, acrylic paints, liquid cement and brush.
Often called “The Royal Tiger”, Tiger II was the last serial heavy tank of the Third Reich. Powerful weapons – 88mm gun KwK 43 – and excellent optics combined with thick armour (150mm on the front of the hull, 80mm along the sides), the sheets of which were inclined to better deflect enemy shells. The Tiger II’s gun was a modified version of the gun from the “Ferdinand”, which was 69.8 tons and as a result, this tank had poor road performance.
Tiger II’s battle debut in the 503rd heavy tanks battalion on the Western Front of World War II on July 17th 1944, clearly demonstrated all the advantages of new machines: the “Shermans” were lit up one by one. In fact, the “Royal Tigers” also dropped out due to mechanical problems and breakdowns during the retreat. On the Soviet-German front, the first battle of Tiger II did not bring them success: Soviet artillery, self-propelled guns, and the heavy tanks of IS-2 gave the enemy a very warm welcome on August 11-13 1944.
Tiger II was definitely a very powerful tank. However, being released in the relatively a small number of only 492 tanks, it could not influence the outcome of the war for Germany.
ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE - WoWs 1:720th - MODEL SET
Kit No# 74003
1/720th scale
Model Dim.: 26,0 cm
Box Dim.: 290 x 190 x 45 mm
The box contains: colour instructions sheet, world of tanks decals, static invite code, bonus code, acrylic paints, liquid cement and brush
This ship, along with two other classes of “Deutschland”, was called a “pocket battleship”, and for good reason. While conceding to other heavy cruisers at cruising speed, Admiral Graf Spee however, could escape from the pursuit of battleships.
Being superbly armed (six 280mm guns, and as many as eight 150mm guns), this German heavy cruiser, thanks to a powerful diesel power plant, also had a huge operational range.
Admiral Graf Spee sailed the Atlantic Ocean from the beginning of the Second World War, and in early November 1939, reached the Indian Ocean. It sunk English cargo ships, and remained unnoticed by English warships during the course of its raids. Finally, on December 13, 1939, Admiral Graf Spee had met its match: it stumbled upon a squadron of British cruisers from near the La Plata in the South Atlantic, and here the first major naval battle of the Second World War was fought. The German cruiser, with heavy fire, expelled the strong English Exeter cruiser from the battle and began to retreat, but the other two enemy light cruisers pursued it.
SHERMAN - WoT -1 : 72 MODEL SET
Kit No# 74002
1/ 72nd scale
Model Dim.: 8,5 cm
Box Dim.: 290 x 190 x 45 mm
The box contains: A colour instruction sheet, world of tanks decals, static invite code, bonus code, acrylic paints, liquid cement and brush
The M4 Sherman medium tank was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. It was the first and most basic production version of the Sherman line and also the most commonly-produced U.S. tank of WWII. It essentially formed the backbone of U.S armoured forces at that time. As many as 49,234 vehicles were produced.
The Sherman evolved from the M3 Medium Tank, retaining a lot from this previous design. However, the M4’s design introduced a fully-traversable turret in combination with a 75mm gun.
To facilitate production, the Sherman tank family was modified into a perplexing array of variants – from the basic M4 through to the famous “Easy Eight”.
Shermans first saw combat with British forces in North Africa in late 1942, against the Panzer III and Panzer IV. They would then go on to be used on all fronts until the war’s end.
The tank was easy to produce en masse and quite reliable. A lack of firepower and narrow tracks, which often caused it to get stuck on muddy terrain, were its main weaknesses.
Sd.Kfz..265 Panzerbefhelswagen
Kit No# 7072
1/72nd scale
Model Dim.: 5,6 cm
Box Dim.: 258 x 162 x 38 mm
The Sd. Kfz 265 Kleine Panzerbefehlswagen armoured command vehicle was born to meet the need of the Wehrmacht Panzer Division Commanders to follow, as close as possible, the tanks and better coordinate them on the battlefield. This armoured command vehicle was designed on the Panzer I Ausf. B light tank chassis. To increase the space for the unit commander and his staff, the traditional rotating turret with the main armament was removed and a tall fixed superstructure was installed. The commander’s room was able to host the battle maps, the transmission and the communication systems.
An additional radio antenna could be used, on the hull, to increase the range of radio communication. Produced from the second half of the '30s the “Panzerbefehlswagen” has been used in combat operations for the first time during Spanish Civil War. Considered already outdated at beginning of the World War II, it was assigned to signal corps and some of them were converted to ambulances.
Decals for 4 versions in early WWII service for Germany
KA-6D Intruder
Kit No# 1405
1/72nd scale
Model Dim.: 23,0 cm
Box Dim.: 345 x 242 x 48 mm
The A-6 Intruder entered service in the mid-60s as ground attack carrier-based aircraft to replace the outdated planes as the propeller-driven A-1 Skyraider and the A-3 Skywarrior. The Grumman Corporation developed and designed the A-6A, based on U.S. Navy specifications, a twin jet-engine all-weather medium attack aircraft able to operate from the American aircraft carriers.
Colour Instructions Sheet & Decals for 4 versions in US Navy & USMC Service
The “Intruder” was characterized by a sturdy and robust fuselage and by the two side by side seat cabin configuration for the pilot and the weapons officer. To satisfy the U.S. Navy operative needs of having a tanker aircraft providing aerial refuelling support to strike aircrafts, in 1970 the K-A6D version was born. Directly derived from the A-6A airframe, the K-A6D was fitted with an internal hose and reel refuelling package and with the adoption of extra underwing pylon tanks.
JU 87 B-2/R-2 "Picchiatello"
Kit No# 2769
scale 1/48th scale
Model Dim.: 22,9 cm
Box Dim.: 345 x 242 x 60 mm
Decals for 5 versions in German, Italian & Captured RAF markings included.
The JU-87 dive bomber is certainly one of the most famous aeroplanes of World War II. This characteristic “inverted gull wing” aircraft became famous at the early stage of the war and it can be considered, together with the Wehrmacht Panzer Division, the symbol of the “Blitzkrieg”. The Italian Regia Aeronautica requested to the German ally, before the beginning of the war, a specific supply of one hundred “Stuka” to equip its ground attack and dive bombing Squadrons.
The first Ju-87B units arrived in the summer of 1940 and went to equip the 96º Gruppo Bombardamento a Tuffo. The Ju-87, either in the B2 version or in the extender range R2 version, equipped other “Gruppi di Volo” for a total of 150 planes. The Italian “Stuka”, nicknamed “Picchiatello”, was used by Regia Aeronautica over Malta, in North Africa, in the Balkans and in the Mediterranean Theatre.
These kits will be available from your Local Hobby shop through Italeri’s Distributors Worldwide.
