Monday, May 27

MiniArt brings the crew for your PaK in their latest release...

After supplying this crew with their PaK 40 gun earlier this year, Miniart now gives us just the crew (& their equipment) in 1/35th scale. Apply them as you like! We see the contents in our preview....

MiniArt brings the crew for your PaK in their latest release...

German Elite Gun crew
From MiniArt
Kit No #35467
1/35th scale
Four crew & extras included
The Subject: German 7.5cm Anti-tank Gun PAK 40 gun & her crews...
In 1939 the German army issued a specification for a 75mm Anti-tank gun (Panzerabwehrkanone) to Krupp and Rheinmetal, but development was given a low priority until after the invasion of the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941 when the German Panzers began to encounter the superior T.34 and KV.1 tanks of the Red Army.

German Panzerjäger use a Pak 40 against Yugoslav partisans in Bosnia on 12 January 1944.
Hurriedly raced into production, the first PaK-40s began to reach the front in November 1941 and soon proved to be an accurate and efficient tank killer. By 1943 it had become the principle antitank gun in service with the German army and most of its allies.
With an effective range of 1,000-1,500 yards, the PaK-40 could fire a 15-lb armour-piercing round at 2,598 feet per second, enabling it to penetrate up to 106 mm of steel at 500 yards. Later a 7-lb tungsten-cored round (AP40) was developed with a muzzle velocity of 3,060 feet metres which could punch through 115 mm of steel at 500 yards allowing it to take on virtually every Allied tank in production, with the exception of the Soviet IS-2 and American M.26 Pershing. With an experienced crew of eight, the gun could fire up to 10 rounds per minute. In addition, High Explosive and Hollow Charge (in small quantities) rounds were also available for the PaK-40.

German crew of a 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun resting in front of the Italian State Radio at the corner of Via Asiago and Via Montello, Rome, Italy, 11 Sep 1943.
If the PaK-40 did have one drawback was that of the gun's weight. At 3,350-lbs, it was too heavy to be moved easily through mud, snow or rough terrain without the aid of an artillery tractor. Nevertheless, at the inspiration of Heinz Guderian, the gun (designated KwK-40) was successfully mounted on a number of Self-Propelled chassis such as the Panzerjager Marder III Tank Destroyer, SdKfz 234/4 Armoured Car and SdKfz 251 Halftrack, thus permitting more Anti-Tank guns to be made available counter the overwhelming numbers of Allied tanks making their appearance in the latter stages of the war.

German 7.5 cm PaK 40 gun and crew in Northern France, Oct 1943
After the war a number of other countries (including Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania) continued to utilise war surplus PaK-40s within their armed forces for some years, until the advent of the modern antitank missile made such weapons virtually obsolete.


The kit: German Elite Gun crew from MiniArt:
We have seen the gun sold singularly & with this crew, but now you can purchase this gun crew by itself with some extras included in the kit...

The four gunners are presented on a small sprue each. The uniforms are mid- latter war gear.
Speaking of gear, included are two sprues of weapons and equipment. The first with bread bags, helmets, entrenching tools, gas mask cannisters, flasks and bayonets are included.
Weapons on this sprue are the Kar.98, Mp40, pistols in holsters & a flare gun. Ammunition for each weapon plus optical glasses and map pouches are included.
You can see that MiniArt have provided a painting guide of sorts for the four gunners. It is a lovely illustration!


You can see more about this kit on the MiniArt Website...