In Box Review of AFV Club 1/35th Scale
German Pak 43-41 Scheuntor
Kit no. 35059
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2003
I bought my kit years ago at a local hobby shop that went out of business.
Available at Squadron for $31.00 or at Hobby Linc for $31.49 or at Sprue Brothers for $31.99 or at Mega Hobby for $35.00 or at Kit Linx for $34.42 and at 4 locations overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2003
I bought my kit years ago at a local hobby shop that went out of business.
Available at Squadron for $31.00 or at Hobby Linc for $31.49 or at Sprue Brothers for $31.99 or at Mega Hobby for $35.00 or at Kit Linx for $34.42 and at 4 locations overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
The Pak 43 (Panzerabwehrkanone 43 and Panzerjägerkanone 43 was a German 88 mm anti-tank gun developed by Krupp in competition with the Rheinmetall 8.8 cm Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun and used during World War II. The Pak 43 was the most powerful anti-tank gun of the Wehrmacht to see service in significant numbers, also serving in modified form as the 8.8 cm KwK 43 main gun on the Tiger II tank, the open-top Nashorn and fully enclosed, casemate-hulled Elefant and Jagdpanther tank destroyers.
The improved 8.8 cm gun was fitted with a semi-automatic vertical breech mechanism that greatly reduced recoil. It could also be fired electrically while on its wheels. It had a very flat trajectory out to 914 m (1,000 yd), making it easier for the gunner to hit targets at longer ranges as fewer corrections in elevation were needed.
The gun had exceptional penetration and could defeat the frontal armour of any Allied tank to see service during the war at long range, even the Soviet IS-2 tanks and IS chassis-based tank destroyers. The gun's maximum firing range exceeded 15 km (9.3 mi).
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Anti-tank gun
Place of origin: Germany
In service: 1943–1945
Used by: Germany
Wars: World War II
Designer: Krupp
Manufacturer: Krupp, Rheinmetall-Borsig, Henschel & Son
Unit cos: 26,000 RM
Produced: 1943–1945
No. built: ~2,100
Variants: Pak 43, Pak 43/41, KwK 43
Mass: 3,650 kg (8,050 lb) Pak 43
Barrel length: 628 cm (20 ft 7 in) bore (71 calibres) Pak 43
Shell: 88 × 822mm R
Shell weight: 7.3 kg (16 lb) Armor-piercing composite rigid (APCR) Pzgr 40/43
Caliber: 88 mm (3.46 in)
Breech: Semi-automatic vertical sliding-block
Recoi: Hydro-pneumatic
Carriage: Cruciform mount Pak 43
Split trail Pak 43/41
Elevation: -8° to +40° Pak 43, -5° to +38° Pak 43/41
Traverse: 360° Pak 43, 56° Pak 43/41
Rate of fire: 6–10 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity: 1,030 m/s (3,400 ft/s) Pzgr 40/43
Maximum firing range: 15,150 m (49,705 ft) Pak 43
The Pak 43 (Panzerabwehrkanone 43 and Panzerjägerkanone 43 was a German 88 mm anti-tank gun developed by Krupp in competition with the Rheinmetall 8.8 cm Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun and used during World War II. The Pak 43 was the most powerful anti-tank gun of the Wehrmacht to see service in significant numbers, also serving in modified form as the 8.8 cm KwK 43 main gun on the Tiger II tank, the open-top Nashorn and fully enclosed, casemate-hulled Elefant and Jagdpanther tank destroyers.
The improved 8.8 cm gun was fitted with a semi-automatic vertical breech mechanism that greatly reduced recoil. It could also be fired electrically while on its wheels. It had a very flat trajectory out to 914 m (1,000 yd), making it easier for the gunner to hit targets at longer ranges as fewer corrections in elevation were needed.
The gun had exceptional penetration and could defeat the frontal armour of any Allied tank to see service during the war at long range, even the Soviet IS-2 tanks and IS chassis-based tank destroyers. The gun's maximum firing range exceeded 15 km (9.3 mi).
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Anti-tank gun
Place of origin: Germany
In service: 1943–1945
Used by: Germany
Wars: World War II
Designer: Krupp
Manufacturer: Krupp, Rheinmetall-Borsig, Henschel & Son
Unit cos: 26,000 RM
Produced: 1943–1945
No. built: ~2,100
Variants: Pak 43, Pak 43/41, KwK 43
Mass: 3,650 kg (8,050 lb) Pak 43
Barrel length: 628 cm (20 ft 7 in) bore (71 calibres) Pak 43
Shell: 88 × 822mm R
Shell weight: 7.3 kg (16 lb) Armor-piercing composite rigid (APCR) Pzgr 40/43
Caliber: 88 mm (3.46 in)
Breech: Semi-automatic vertical sliding-block
Recoi: Hydro-pneumatic
Carriage: Cruciform mount Pak 43
Split trail Pak 43/41
Elevation: -8° to +40° Pak 43, -5° to +38° Pak 43/41
Traverse: 360° Pak 43, 56° Pak 43/41
Rate of fire: 6–10 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity: 1,030 m/s (3,400 ft/s) Pzgr 40/43
Maximum firing range: 15,150 m (49,705 ft) Pak 43
THE KIT:
AFV Club is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer based in Taipei, Taiwan. They make all manner of plastic model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a blousy shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. It is 3” too long. The walls inside the tray show 12 color box-arts of other armor kits that AFV Club manufactures.
AFV Club is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer based in Taipei, Taiwan. They make all manner of plastic model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a blousy shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. It is 3” too long. The walls inside the tray show 12 color box-arts of other armor kits that AFV Club manufactures.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Pak 43/41 8.8cm anti-tank gun. It is overall earth yellow and posed on top of a large faded black and white illustration of it, all against a white background.
The left side of the box art says: Highly represented complex construction. Barrel made of aluminum. Pressed copper shield , double shield represented intensely. Tire and the dual cover of equilibrator are made of rubber. The needle for gun elevation can be revolved. Can be built tow style or fire style.
With an attempt in simplicity production, a 88mm gun was mounted with all-steel wheels of the 15 cm s FH howitzer and split-trail carriage was from the 10.5 cm leFH 18 field howitzer to complete an anti-tank gun. But weight and awkwardness of the Pak 43/41 were notorious to troops which used this gun and it had the nickname”Scheuntor”-“Barndoor” for the gun.
One side panel of the box shows a color side-view of the gun in a wave camouflage of earth yellow and dark-green. Also an illustration of the high tech rubber, aluminum barrel and the brass PE parts.
The left side of the box art says: Highly represented complex construction. Barrel made of aluminum. Pressed copper shield , double shield represented intensely. Tire and the dual cover of equilibrator are made of rubber. The needle for gun elevation can be revolved. Can be built tow style or fire style.
With an attempt in simplicity production, a 88mm gun was mounted with all-steel wheels of the 15 cm s FH howitzer and split-trail carriage was from the 10.5 cm leFH 18 field howitzer to complete an anti-tank gun. But weight and awkwardness of the Pak 43/41 were notorious to troops which used this gun and it had the nickname”Scheuntor”-“Barndoor” for the gun.
One side panel of the box shows a color side-view of the gun in a wave camouflage of earth yellow and dark-green. Also an illustration of the high tech rubber, aluminum barrel and the brass PE parts.
The other side panel begins with the street address, telephone and FAX number for Hobby Fan Trading Co. Ltd. in Taipei, Taiwan. Followed by a repeat of the illustration of the gun in the earth yellow and dark-green camouflage and specifications of the gun.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 6 dark-green parts trees, rubber tires, aluminum barrel, brass PE parts, in 5 sealed clear cello bags.
The instructions consist of a staple-bound booklet of pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art over the history of the gun in English and Taiwanese.
Page 2 begins with 2 paragraphs in Taiwanese, over international assembly symbol explanations, decal application instructions and a paint color listing of GSI Creos (Gunze Sangyo) hobby paints, in Taiwanese and English.
Page 3 through to the top of page 14 gives a grand total of 21 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 14 has a customer service coupon on it and a 4-view profile illustration of AFV Clubs kit no. 35058 kit of a U.S. Tank Destroyer, M36 Jackson (WWII version) that it says is coming soon.
Page 15 is a marking and painting guide. However, there are no decals in the kit to do any marking.
Three side views of the gun are shown. One is overall earth-yellow.
The second one is earth-yellow with a German grey barrel and the third one is in a wave camouflage of earth-yellow, German grey and red-brown.
Page 16 is the parts-trees illustrations over a customer assistance form for Taiwanese use only, in that language.
This kit holds 6 dark-green parts trees, rubber tires, aluminum barrel, brass PE parts, in 5 sealed clear cello bags.
The instructions consist of a staple-bound booklet of pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art over the history of the gun in English and Taiwanese.
Page 2 begins with 2 paragraphs in Taiwanese, over international assembly symbol explanations, decal application instructions and a paint color listing of GSI Creos (Gunze Sangyo) hobby paints, in Taiwanese and English.
Page 3 through to the top of page 14 gives a grand total of 21 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 14 has a customer service coupon on it and a 4-view profile illustration of AFV Clubs kit no. 35058 kit of a U.S. Tank Destroyer, M36 Jackson (WWII version) that it says is coming soon.
Page 15 is a marking and painting guide. However, there are no decals in the kit to do any marking.
Three side views of the gun are shown. One is overall earth-yellow.
The second one is earth-yellow with a German grey barrel and the third one is in a wave camouflage of earth-yellow, German grey and red-brown.
Page 16 is the parts-trees illustrations over a customer assistance form for Taiwanese use only, in that language.
Medium-grey tree A contains the gun platform, tools, gun travel lock, etc. (35 parts).
Medium-grey tree B holds the wheel hubs, split trails lock, tow bar, etc. ( 29 parts).
Medium-grey tree C has the ground spade parts, split trails, trail bottom, etc. (23 parts).
Medium-grey tree D contains additional tools, sight parts, etc. (18 parts).
Medium-grey tree E has the elevation control wheels, trunnion, recoil slide parts, etc. (108 parts).
Medium-grey tree F holds the front and back wheels. (4 parts).
The turned aluminum barrel and a package of springs and metal rods (4 parts) are next.
Photo etch tree G has the gunshields, sliding barrel shield, suppores, etc. (11 parts).
Next is a package of brass bolts for the gun shields. I counted approximately 40 bolts.
The 2 black rubber tires complete the kit.
I have included a set of my companies 88mm ammo rounds to add to the model.
This is a highly detailed multi media kit.
There are no figures included but these would not be hard to find.
Highly recommended.
There are no figures included but these would not be hard to find.
Highly recommended.