In Box Review of Hasegawa 1/72nd Scale
German "Thor" 60cm Rail Mortar (Morser "Karl")
Kit no. 732
By Ray Mehlberger
Out of production
Copyright 1974
I paid $10.00 for the kit back in the 70's.
By Ray Mehlberger
Out of production
Copyright 1974
I paid $10.00 for the kit back in the 70's.
HISTORY:
"Karl-Gerät" (040/041) (German literally "Karl-device"), also known as Mörser Karl, was a World War II German self-propelled siege mortar (Mörser) designed and built by Rheinmetall.
Its heaviest munition was a 60 cm (24 in) diameter, 2,170 kg (4,780 lb) shell, and the range for its lightest shell of 1,250 kg (2,760 lb) was just over 10 km (6.2 mi).
Each gun had to be accompanied by a crane, a two-piece heavy transport set of railcars, and several modified tanks to carry shells.
Seven guns were built, six of which saw combat between 1941 and 1945. It was used in attacking the Soviet fortresses of Brest-Litovsk and Sevastopol, bombarded Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw, participated in the Battle of the Bulge, and was used to try to destroy the Ludendorff Bridge during the Battle of Remagen.
One Karl-Gerät has survived and the remainder were scrapped after the war.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Self-propelled siege mortar
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1941–1945
Used by: Nazi Germany
Wars: World War II
Designer and manufacturer: Rheinmetall
Designed: 1937–1940
Produced: 1940–1942
No. built: 7
Variants: Gerät 041
Mass: 124 t (137 short tons) (firing)
Length: 11.15 m (36 ft 7 in)
Barrel length: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) L/7
Width: 3.16 m (10 ft 4 in)
Height: 4.38 m (14 ft 4 in) (firing)
Crew: 21 (gun commander, driver, assistant driver, 18 gunners)
Shell: separate loading, cased charges
Caliber: 600 mm (24 in)
Breech: horizontal sliding-wedge
Recoil: Hydro-pneumatic
Elevation: 55° to 70°
Traverse: 8°
Rate of fire: 1 round/10 min
Engine: Daimler-Benz MB 503 A gasoline or Daimler-Benz MB 507 C diesel of 580 hp (590 PS)
Power/weight: 4.8 hp/ton
Suspension: torsion-bar
Fuel capacity: 1,200 l (260 imp gal; 320 US gal)
Operational range: 42 km (26 mi) (gasoline engine) or 60 kilometres (37 mi) (diesel engine)
Speed: 6 to 10 km/h (3.7 to 6.2 mph)
"Karl-Gerät" (040/041) (German literally "Karl-device"), also known as Mörser Karl, was a World War II German self-propelled siege mortar (Mörser) designed and built by Rheinmetall.
Its heaviest munition was a 60 cm (24 in) diameter, 2,170 kg (4,780 lb) shell, and the range for its lightest shell of 1,250 kg (2,760 lb) was just over 10 km (6.2 mi).
Each gun had to be accompanied by a crane, a two-piece heavy transport set of railcars, and several modified tanks to carry shells.
Seven guns were built, six of which saw combat between 1941 and 1945. It was used in attacking the Soviet fortresses of Brest-Litovsk and Sevastopol, bombarded Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw, participated in the Battle of the Bulge, and was used to try to destroy the Ludendorff Bridge during the Battle of Remagen.
One Karl-Gerät has survived and the remainder were scrapped after the war.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Self-propelled siege mortar
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1941–1945
Used by: Nazi Germany
Wars: World War II
Designer and manufacturer: Rheinmetall
Designed: 1937–1940
Produced: 1940–1942
No. built: 7
Variants: Gerät 041
Mass: 124 t (137 short tons) (firing)
Length: 11.15 m (36 ft 7 in)
Barrel length: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) L/7
Width: 3.16 m (10 ft 4 in)
Height: 4.38 m (14 ft 4 in) (firing)
Crew: 21 (gun commander, driver, assistant driver, 18 gunners)
Shell: separate loading, cased charges
Caliber: 600 mm (24 in)
Breech: horizontal sliding-wedge
Recoil: Hydro-pneumatic
Elevation: 55° to 70°
Traverse: 8°
Rate of fire: 1 round/10 min
Engine: Daimler-Benz MB 503 A gasoline or Daimler-Benz MB 507 C diesel of 580 hp (590 PS)
Power/weight: 4.8 hp/ton
Suspension: torsion-bar
Fuel capacity: 1,200 l (260 imp gal; 320 US gal)
Operational range: 42 km (26 mi) (gasoline engine) or 60 kilometres (37 mi) (diesel engine)
Speed: 6 to 10 km/h (3.7 to 6.2 mph)
THE KIT:
Hasegawa is an old prolific model company based in Shizuoka City, Japan. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid box.
The box art shows the "Thor" parked on a railroad tracks with 2 German Pz.kpfw. IV's tanks either side of it.
It is in a wave pattern of sand yellow, with a dark-green and red-brown wave pattern on it and a white "Thor" on the sides of the mortar.
One side panel has the history of the "Thor", next to a small color repeat of the box art.
Hasegawa is an old prolific model company based in Shizuoka City, Japan. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
The kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid box.
The box art shows the "Thor" parked on a railroad tracks with 2 German Pz.kpfw. IV's tanks either side of it.
It is in a wave pattern of sand yellow, with a dark-green and red-brown wave pattern on it and a white "Thor" on the sides of the mortar.
One side panel has the history of the "Thor", next to a small color repeat of the box art.
The other side panel has Hasegawa's address in Shizuoka City, Japan and the kit was packaged and distributed by Minicraft Models in Torrance, CA.
There are 4 color box arts of other AFV and accessory kits that Hasegawa manufactures shown: "Anzio Annie" a German rail gun, a German Mercedes Benz G4 staff car, a checkpoint diorama set and a field camp equipment set.
No scales or kit numbers are provided. I assume they are all to 1/72nd scale.
There are 4 color box arts of other AFV and accessory kits that Hasegawa manufactures shown: "Anzio Annie" a German rail gun, a German Mercedes Benz G4 staff car, a checkpoint diorama set and a field camp equipment set.
No scales or kit numbers are provided. I assume they are all to 1/72nd scale.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 4 unwrapped dark-grey trees, 2 dark-grey loose frame members, black vinyl rubber band type tracks and the decal sheet and instructions.
The instructions consists of 6 individual sheets, printed on both sides and stapled together in one corner to produce 12 pages in 8 3/4" x 14" page format.
Page 1 has a line drawing of the "Thor", over 2 black and white photos of the model made up and posed heading in 2 directions, with Minecraft's address at the bottom.
Page 2 has the "Karl's" history, with another side view line drawing of it naming its parts and a small illustration of it being serviced by a ammo carrying tank.
Page 3 has black and white photos of the major parts in the kit and what pages the assembly instructions are on for assembling them: the mortar, its base, the chassis, tractor bogey assembly, cranes, carriages and the railroad beds.
Page 4 through 10 gives a grand total of 19 assembly steps that I count. However, they are only numbered 1 through 5 here in the instructions.
Page 11 has 3 side views of color schemes: in overall dark-grey (FS-36081), overall dark-green (FS-34086) and overall earth-yellow (FS- 33434) with dark-green and red-brown (FS-34117) spots, over a black and white photo of the "Thor" parked next to the "Anzio Annie" German rail gun. Both are shown made up.
Page 12 is the parts trees illustrations, with BEFORE ASSEMBLING YOUR KIT instructions.
Trees are alphabetized.
A tree is co-joined with trees B and C.
The dark-grey letter A tree holds: a bed and sides of the mortar, wheels, drive sprockets etc. (47 parts)
The kit holds 4 unwrapped dark-grey trees, 2 dark-grey loose frame members, black vinyl rubber band type tracks and the decal sheet and instructions.
The instructions consists of 6 individual sheets, printed on both sides and stapled together in one corner to produce 12 pages in 8 3/4" x 14" page format.
Page 1 has a line drawing of the "Thor", over 2 black and white photos of the model made up and posed heading in 2 directions, with Minecraft's address at the bottom.
Page 2 has the "Karl's" history, with another side view line drawing of it naming its parts and a small illustration of it being serviced by a ammo carrying tank.
Page 3 has black and white photos of the major parts in the kit and what pages the assembly instructions are on for assembling them: the mortar, its base, the chassis, tractor bogey assembly, cranes, carriages and the railroad beds.
Page 4 through 10 gives a grand total of 19 assembly steps that I count. However, they are only numbered 1 through 5 here in the instructions.
Page 11 has 3 side views of color schemes: in overall dark-grey (FS-36081), overall dark-green (FS-34086) and overall earth-yellow (FS- 33434) with dark-green and red-brown (FS-34117) spots, over a black and white photo of the "Thor" parked next to the "Anzio Annie" German rail gun. Both are shown made up.
Page 12 is the parts trees illustrations, with BEFORE ASSEMBLING YOUR KIT instructions.
Trees are alphabetized.
A tree is co-joined with trees B and C.
The dark-grey letter A tree holds: a bed and sides of the mortar, wheels, drive sprockets etc. (47 parts)
The dark-grey letter B tree holds: ladders, mortar mantle, deck etc. (42 parts)
The dark-grey letter C tree holds: another deck, tools, main mortar parts etc. (22 parts)
The dark-grey letter C tree holds: another deck, tools, main mortar parts etc. (22 parts)
The dark-grey letter D tree holds: side panels, railings, bogies etc. (10 parts)
There are 2 identical dark-grey letter E trees. They hold: road beds, wheels, side panels, etc. (83 parts)
Next are the 2 loose dark-grey frames and muzzle.
There are two lengths of black vinyl track.
Next are springs and a piece of wire.
The decal sheet completes the kit's contents.
There are no crew figures included. It would have been nice to have gotten some.
Highly recommended.