The Kanonenjagdpanzer was the last cannon-armed "tank hunter" for the Bundeswehr. Its roots go back to the German tank hunters of World War II, notably the Hetzer. Revell Germany's latest release of this Cold War warrior is a welcome addition.
The kit features positional hatches, wire for antennas, soft two-piece vinyl tracks, MG3 anti-aircraft machine gun, decals, and an optional build as an armored observation vehicle. Markings are supplied for four vehicles.
Having the running gear with the separate arms, wheels, and retaining nuts allows for easier customization to show wheel deflection over rough terrain. I noticed that the backs of the road wheels have no detail. The vinyl tracks are a bit of a throwback to the '70s; light flash, fragile, and requiring the melting of large pins. Those melted pins become large lumps that are hard to hide. I left the drive sprocket loose until I found their best-looking position.
The build of the upper hull had the superstructure roof, hull front, sides, and rear as separate pieces. This method would allow for other versions of this vehicle with the substitute sprues. The downside is that the gaps between the hull sides and top required gap-filling super glue to close.
In Step 28, the instructions are to heat 75mm lengths of wire and, while they're still hot, push them into the tops of the antenna mounts (parts No. 62). I didn't attempt this because I thought it would be a weak join. I suggest replacing the mounts with thin tubing, then inserting the wire.
Looking through color pictures in
Kanonen/Raketen-Jagdpanzer der Bundeswehr Tankograd Special No. 5016 (Gun/Missile Tank Destroyers of the Modern German Army, Tankograd Publishing), I noticed two different base colors - olive drab and forest green. Relying on this reference, I painted and marked my vehicle as
PzJgKp 160 Schwarzenbek, 1980/81. I chose Floquil olive drab AN 613 and Testors wood for the camouflage scheme. The tracks' rubber is painted Tamiya German gray (XF-63); the metal connectors are Tamiya gunmetal (X-10). The decals went down OK over a gloss coat of Pledge Future floor polish.
The kit took me only 16 hours to build (even with having to fill the upper-hull gaps) and now I have the last of the jagdpanzer breed in my collection. I hope the anti-tank rocket versions of this vehicle will be produced, too.
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