The up-armoured Turan III and the Protze with Pak 36 are coming from Bronco Models in May.

Bronco has released built up pictures, CAD images and details of the features of their two new releases for May. We have the info about these two new kits in our preview...

Two new kits from Bronco Models for next month, built up and in detail

Krupp Protze L2H143 Kfz.69 (Late version) with 3.7cm Pak 36

From Bronco Models

1/35th scale

Product Number #CB35138

Injection Moulded kit with Photo-Etch & Clear parts included.

Product Page on the Bronco Models Website

(Krupp-Protz )KfZ.69 with pak 36 in history:

The Krupp-Protze, Kfz.69 was designed in 1929 as a 6x4 heavy field car for the German Army. But changing priorities led to it being re-designed and produced as an artillery tractor. The Krupp designation was L2H43 and the first examples left the factory in 1934, the early examples were powered by an air-cooled 53hp 3.3 Liter Krupp M 302 engine. The body was designed to seat six. Driver and assistant as well as the gun crew, with provision for ammunition

and tools. This version was produced until 1936 when it was replaced by the L2H143 with a more powerful 60hp engine and slightly longer wheelbase. About 7,000 Krupp-Protze trucks were built with the majority being the Kfz.69, with small numbers of other variants using the same chassis. Production ended in 1941 in favour of small half-track tractors with better off-road mobility.

 The Kfz.69 was used to tow the 3.7cm PaK.36 anti-tank gun, designed originally in 1924 as a horse-drawn artillery piece. In the early 1930's the carriage was redesigned for motor transport and the Kfz.69 developed as its primary tractor. The PaK.36 could penetrate 31mm of armour at 500 meters, which was more than enough to penetrate most of the lightly armoured tanks of the period. It was used in Poland, France, North Africa and Russia up until 1942 when it was replaced by larger guns. With the demise of the PaK.36, the Kfz.69 was often used to tow small 2cm and 3.7cm anti-aircraft guns.

The Protze is seen here in a little front and back view and in these CAD pictures we can pick out more of the features of the model.

The engine, chassis and fuel tanks have most of the same detail as the real thing here in plastic.

Tyres and cargo are well moulded.

The one-piece rear frame that acts as a support for the cargo tray is moulded in one peice.

A good view from the top showing the interior's features.

Armament is shown next - with the gun in towing and firing positions and the machine gun included in the kit in a stand mounted tripod.

Here is the kit built up with the gun attached in tow. This is the test kit with photo-etch in place and almost the same kit as we will see on the shelves.

Hungarian Medium Tank 43.M Turán III

From Bronco Models

1/35th scale

Product Number #CB35126

Injection Moulded kit with Photo-Etch & Clear parts included.

Product Page on the Bronco Models Website

The 43M Turán III in History
The 43M Turán III was a heavy tank, developed for the Royal Hungarian Army during World War II. It never entered into mass production, only one prototype was made with two different shaped turrets. It is also known as the Turán 75 long barrel. Because of production problems, only two were made of the 75 mm 43M long barrel anti-tank gun, from which one was given to the Zrínyi I prototype.

In 1943, the technicians of Weiss Manfréd designed the Turán II version. The tank with chassis number 012. was used for the tests, for which two experimental turrets were made. When the 75 mm gun was placed in, the turrets became unbalanced, so the engineers made one of them longer, and the other one higher. With the second one, they made Colonel Bertholomeidesz’s idea come true: the tank commander could guide in a standing position while the open cupola protected him, but still could see through the prisms. However, this idea belied as the tank became too tall.

The first type left the production lines in spring 1944. Further documentation of what happened to the prototype is still not to be found. According to reminiscences, all the necessary tests were made in the Hungarian Institute of Military Technology. The frontal hull armour was thickened to 80 mm and spaced armour was added for more protection. This idea came from the technicians of Weiss Manfréd. 5-8 mm thick armour plates were made in the factory at Diósgyőr. 

Each side’s armour was made from 3-4 plates and hung from hooks, which were welded to the fenders. These were not stiff, but stable enough to stay in place on bunkers. Just like the PzKpfw IVH/J, the turret had it’s own spaced armour, which covered the whole turret, even the commander’s cupola, excluding the front. The distance from the main armour was 250 mm, the spaced armour could be mounted even in the troop’s workshops. The troops received 300 sets of spaced armour from Weiss Manfréd and most of them were mounted on Turán tanks. In order to reduce weight, the side armour’s plates were punched from steel, but despite the efforts, they still added 1 tonne to the 43M Turán’s weight.

The effectiveness of the main armament and the increase of protection went hand in hand with the decrease of mobility, as the efficiency of the tank remained the same, while it’s weight grew to 21 tons. The conversion of Turáns to Turán III couldn’t be made, because of the continuous air raids in July and August 1944.

43M Turán III without and with spaced armour

The turret here is nicely detailed, with hatches and periscopes added 

Slide moulded parts cut down on the number of joints in this kit

Photo-etchedhed parts are large and have an important part to play in this kit if you want to show them installed. They give the modeller a lot of options for how the finished kit will look with the scale authenticism.

A top-down CAD drawing of some of the features 

Here is the kit made up in CAD form, This version showing the tank with all of the sheet mesh spaced armour installed, it sure does look odd and something different for armour fans.

Here is the kit without the spaced armour sheeting for those who like to point out the oddity of the peaked turret.

These two kits from Bronco Models should be available from their distributors worldwide in May