Preview: Border Model's Nashorn in 1/35th scale breaks cover...
Sd.Kfz. 164 Nashorn
From Border Model
Kit No # BT024
Metal barrel & ammo included
A choice of two versions of Nashorn, either the early or the command tank version
Four crew figures
Link and length tracks
Photo-etch parts are included
Spare T-34 tracks are included, (& a bucket!)
The Subject: The Sd.Kfz. 164 Nashorn
Nashorn (German "Rhinoceros"), initially known as Hornisse (German "Hornet"), was a German tank destroyer of World War II. It was developed as an interim solution in 1942 by equipping a light turretless chassis with the PaK 43 heavy anti-tank gun. Though only lightly armoured and displaying a high profile, it could frontally penetrate any Allied tank at long range, and its relatively low cost and superior mobility to heavier vehicles ensured it remained in production until the war's end.
Total production of the Nashorn amounted to some 494 vehicles, most of which were built in 1943. In January 1944 Hitler favoured the production of a newer tank destroyer, the Jagdpanzer IV, which had a much lower silhouette, thicker frontal armour (60 mm frontal plate), and an effective though less powerful 7.5 cm gun. Though still primarily an ambush weapon, this vehicle was better built for armoured engagements. Production of the Nashorn did continue into 1945, though at a slow pace.
Although the Nashorn/ Hornisse was fairly popular with its crews and the infantry and tanks that they supported - the top of the hull was open to the elements - and in Russia, the extremes of continental heat and worse - the cold, made this vehicle better than lugging a gun around the battle, but not quite as comfortable as riding around in a sealed up vehicle.
A German illustration that explains why the Hornisse SPG was created.
The Hornisse/Nashorn made its debut during the Battle of Kursk, where they performed well. The ability to engage the enemy at long distances negated the disadvantages of light armour and a high profile and revealed the weapon was suited to the open, flat landscape of much of Russia.
The new tooled Nashorn from Boder Model is hopefully an upgrade from the older Tamiya kit, but hard to top the AFV Club offering! The kit makers will be hoping a raft of features, like a metal barrel (& ammo included), the choice of two versions of Nashorn, either the early or the command tank version and the four figures of crew provided make that difference. Link and length tracks are included as well as photo-etch to replicate the thinner parts. Sharp eyes will also see that spare T-34 tracks are included, as well as the inevitable bucket for the rear of the tank😂.
Photos of the kit itself are already surfacing from the Chinese social media circles, so it must be in test phase already.
You can see more about this kit on Border Model's Facebook Page.