In Box Review of Tamiya 1/35th Scale
German 3.7cm Anti-tank Gun (Pak 35-36)
Kit no. MM-135
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1988
Available from Sprue Brothers for $8.75 and at 8 locations over-seas on the web.
I paid a mere S2.85 for this kit back in the 80’s.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 1988
Available from Sprue Brothers for $8.75 and at 8 locations over-seas on the web.
I paid a mere S2.85 for this kit back in the 80’s.
HISTORY:
The Pak 36 (Panzerabwehrkanone 36) is a 3.7 cm / 37mm caliber German anti-tank gun used during the Second World War. It was the main anti-tank weapon of Wehrmacht Panzerjäger units until 1942. Developed by Rheinmetall in 1933, it was first issued to the German Army in 1936, with 9,120 being available by the beginning of the war in September 1939 and a further 5,339 produced during the war.
As the predominant anti-tank gun design in the world during the late 1930s, demand was high for the Pak 36, with another 6,000 examples produced for export and the design being copied by the Soviet Union as the 45 mm anti-tank gun M1932 (19-K) and by other nations such as Japan. It first saw service during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, where it performed well against the light tanks of the conflict. It was first used during the Second World War against Poland in 1939 and had little difficulty with any of the Polish tanks.
The Battle of France in 1940 revealed its inadequate penetration capability against French and British heavier tanks, particularly the Char B1, and especially the Matilda II, receiving the derisive nicknames "Heeresanklopfgerät" ("army door-knocking device") or "Panzer Anklopfen Kanone" ("tank door-knocking cannon") from its crews, but it sufficed to defeat the bulk of the Allied armor in the campaign. The invasion of the Soviet Union brought the Pak 36 face to face with large numbers of T-34 and KV-1 tanks, which were invulnerable to its fire. However, 91% of the Soviet tank forces in 1941 consisted of lighter types that lacked sufficient armor to defeat the gun, and the Pak 36 knocked out thousands of such tanks.
The Pak 36 began to be replaced from late 1940 onward by the 5 cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun and from November 1941 by the 7.5 cm Pak 40. This process was accelerated by the engagements with the modern Soviet tanks, and Pak 36 production ceased entirely in early 1943. The introduction in 1942 of the Stielgranate 41 shaped charge gave it the ability to punch through the armor of any Allied tank, but the ammunition's short range made the Pak 36 crews vulnerable to enemy fire and could not solve the gun's basic obsolescence. German paratroopers employed the gun due to its low weight and consequent high maneuverability. The Pak 36 was also used by Axis-allied, second-line, garrison and training units until the end of the war.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Anti-tank gun
Place of origin: Germany
In service: 1936–1945
Used by: Germany
Wars: World War II, Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War
Designer: Rheinmetall
Designed: 1934
Manufacturer: Rheinmetall
Unit cost: 5,730 RM
Produced: 1933–1943
No. built: 20,000
Mass: Travel: 450 kg (990 lb), Combat: 327 kg (721 lb)
Barrel length: 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) L/45[2]
Width: 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Height: 1.17 m (3 ft 10 in)
Crew: 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, two ammunition bearers)[3]
Shell: 37×249mmR
Caliber: 37 mm (1.45 in)
Elevation: -5° to +25°
Traverse: 30° right and left
Rate of fire: 13 rpm
Muzzle velocity: 762 m/s (2,500 ft/s)
Maximum firing range: 5,484 m (5,997 yds)
The Pak 36 (Panzerabwehrkanone 36) is a 3.7 cm / 37mm caliber German anti-tank gun used during the Second World War. It was the main anti-tank weapon of Wehrmacht Panzerjäger units until 1942. Developed by Rheinmetall in 1933, it was first issued to the German Army in 1936, with 9,120 being available by the beginning of the war in September 1939 and a further 5,339 produced during the war.
As the predominant anti-tank gun design in the world during the late 1930s, demand was high for the Pak 36, with another 6,000 examples produced for export and the design being copied by the Soviet Union as the 45 mm anti-tank gun M1932 (19-K) and by other nations such as Japan. It first saw service during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, where it performed well against the light tanks of the conflict. It was first used during the Second World War against Poland in 1939 and had little difficulty with any of the Polish tanks.
The Battle of France in 1940 revealed its inadequate penetration capability against French and British heavier tanks, particularly the Char B1, and especially the Matilda II, receiving the derisive nicknames "Heeresanklopfgerät" ("army door-knocking device") or "Panzer Anklopfen Kanone" ("tank door-knocking cannon") from its crews, but it sufficed to defeat the bulk of the Allied armor in the campaign. The invasion of the Soviet Union brought the Pak 36 face to face with large numbers of T-34 and KV-1 tanks, which were invulnerable to its fire. However, 91% of the Soviet tank forces in 1941 consisted of lighter types that lacked sufficient armor to defeat the gun, and the Pak 36 knocked out thousands of such tanks.
The Pak 36 began to be replaced from late 1940 onward by the 5 cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun and from November 1941 by the 7.5 cm Pak 40. This process was accelerated by the engagements with the modern Soviet tanks, and Pak 36 production ceased entirely in early 1943. The introduction in 1942 of the Stielgranate 41 shaped charge gave it the ability to punch through the armor of any Allied tank, but the ammunition's short range made the Pak 36 crews vulnerable to enemy fire and could not solve the gun's basic obsolescence. German paratroopers employed the gun due to its low weight and consequent high maneuverability. The Pak 36 was also used by Axis-allied, second-line, garrison and training units until the end of the war.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Anti-tank gun
Place of origin: Germany
In service: 1936–1945
Used by: Germany
Wars: World War II, Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War
Designer: Rheinmetall
Designed: 1934
Manufacturer: Rheinmetall
Unit cost: 5,730 RM
Produced: 1933–1943
No. built: 20,000
Mass: Travel: 450 kg (990 lb), Combat: 327 kg (721 lb)
Barrel length: 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) L/45[2]
Width: 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Height: 1.17 m (3 ft 10 in)
Crew: 5 (Commander, gunner, loader, two ammunition bearers)[3]
Shell: 37×249mmR
Caliber: 37 mm (1.45 in)
Elevation: -5° to +25°
Traverse: 30° right and left
Rate of fire: 13 rpm
Muzzle velocity: 762 m/s (2,500 ft/s)
Maximum firing range: 5,484 m (5,997 yds)
THE KIT:
Tamiya is an old prolific model company, based in Shizuoka, Japan. They manufacture all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end flaps of the box to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows a PAK 35/36 anti-tank gun and 4 man crew posed against one of Tamiya’s SIGNATURE all-white backgrounds that they use for the majority of their box arts.
The gun is over-all Panzer grey. The figures are all dressed in field-grey uniforms with steel helmets. Their trousers are bloused into high black jack-boots.
Two men are manning the gun. One man is kneeling on both knees and the other man is kneeling on his right knee. There is a steel ammo box behind the man on both knees.
Behind them is a man kneeling on his right knee and looking through a pair of binoculars.
The last man is kneeling on his left knee and supporting himself with both arms. He has another steel ammo case near his feet.
One side panel of the box shows 4 color box-arts of other kits that Tamiya manufactures: A British Special Air Service Jeep, a British Army Daimler Scout Car, a British Army 5 pdr. gun & Crew and a German 88mm gun and crew. No kit numbers are provided for these 4 kits
I got the kit numbers off of the Scale Mates website.
The Special Air Service jeep is kit no. MM133. The Daimler is kit no MM118. (This kit has been reviewed here on Indy AMPS recently). The 6 Pdr. is kit no. 35005 and the 88mm is kit no MM117.
Tamiya is an old prolific model company, based in Shizuoka, Japan. They manufacture all manner of plastic model kit subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped end-opening type box. I am no fan of this type of box, because invariably parts or the decal sheet will find their way past one of the end flaps of the box to become lost forever. Give me a tray and lid type box any day of the week.
The box art shows a PAK 35/36 anti-tank gun and 4 man crew posed against one of Tamiya’s SIGNATURE all-white backgrounds that they use for the majority of their box arts.
The gun is over-all Panzer grey. The figures are all dressed in field-grey uniforms with steel helmets. Their trousers are bloused into high black jack-boots.
Two men are manning the gun. One man is kneeling on both knees and the other man is kneeling on his right knee. There is a steel ammo box behind the man on both knees.
Behind them is a man kneeling on his right knee and looking through a pair of binoculars.
The last man is kneeling on his left knee and supporting himself with both arms. He has another steel ammo case near his feet.
One side panel of the box shows 4 color box-arts of other kits that Tamiya manufactures: A British Special Air Service Jeep, a British Army Daimler Scout Car, a British Army 5 pdr. gun & Crew and a German 88mm gun and crew. No kit numbers are provided for these 4 kits
I got the kit numbers off of the Scale Mates website.
The Special Air Service jeep is kit no. MM133. The Daimler is kit no MM118. (This kit has been reviewed here on Indy AMPS recently). The 6 Pdr. is kit no. 35005 and the 88mm is kit no MM117.
The other side panel of the box shows uniform insignia illustrations in color.
On one end flap of the box there is a color illustration of: a 98K carbine, a bayonet in scabbard, a gas-mask canister and a grenade.
On the other end flap of the box there is a color illustration of: a pair of binoculars, a pistol holster, a canvas gun barrel case and 2 canvas ammo cases.
All the text on the box is in Japanese.
All the text on the box is in Japanese.
The bottom of the box serves as the painting guide.
It shows the gun and men mounted on a German Hanomag Sd.Kfz. 251/10 half-track (not included in the kit), over a 4-view profile of the gun and a rocket round. Gun is over-all- Panzer Grey.
Below the gun there are color illustrations of each of the gun crew figures.
The bottom of the box-bottom is mostly text in Japanese.
It shows the gun and men mounted on a German Hanomag Sd.Kfz. 251/10 half-track (not included in the kit), over a 4-view profile of the gun and a rocket round. Gun is over-all- Panzer Grey.
Below the gun there are color illustrations of each of the gun crew figures.
The bottom of the box-bottom is mostly text in Japanese.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit holds 2 dark-grey parts trees in a stapled-shut clear cello bag.
Trees are not alphabetized, but they do have part number tabs next to the parts on them.
One dark-grey tree holds: the figure parts (divided into separate torsos, arms and legs). Also on the tree there are 4 steel helmets, 4 ammo pouches, 4 gas-mask canisters, 3 pistol holsters, a pair of binoculars, a 98K carbines, 4 canteens, 4 bayonets in scabbards etc. (53 parts)
This kit holds 2 dark-grey parts trees in a stapled-shut clear cello bag.
Trees are not alphabetized, but they do have part number tabs next to the parts on them.
One dark-grey tree holds: the figure parts (divided into separate torsos, arms and legs). Also on the tree there are 4 steel helmets, 4 ammo pouches, 4 gas-mask canisters, 3 pistol holsters, a pair of binoculars, a 98K carbines, 4 canteens, 4 bayonets in scabbards etc. (53 parts)
The other dark-grey tree holds the parts of the PAK 35/36 and 2 rocket rounds. (61 parts)
The instructions consist of a single-sheet, printed on both sides and folded twice to fit the box. It is in 7” x 15” format and all in Japanese.
The face side has a black and white repeat of the box art at the top. Over a lot of Japanese text and a chart showing unit compositions by using black silhouette drawings. Over painting instructions for the figures and gun, with assembly instructions for the figures.
The reverse side of the instruction sheet gives a grand total of 6 assembly steps for the gun.
Nice detail.
Recommended.
The face side has a black and white repeat of the box art at the top. Over a lot of Japanese text and a chart showing unit compositions by using black silhouette drawings. Over painting instructions for the figures and gun, with assembly instructions for the figures.
The reverse side of the instruction sheet gives a grand total of 6 assembly steps for the gun.
Nice detail.
Recommended.