Plastic Soldier Company Turn Their Panzer into Plastic
February 13, 2015 by dracs
Plastic Soldier Company have made the exciting announcement that the German Panzer 38t 23mm will be getting its own plastic set in the near future.
The Panzer 38t is an interesting tank. Originally a Czech tank, it was then fielded by the Germans through the early stages of WWII, right up until 1942 when it was considered obsolete. However, it still proved a useful platform for use as a tank destroyer, resulting in the Marder III which I believe is what Plastic Soldier are showing off here.
Plastic Soldier have done an impressive job capturing the detail of this vehicle. Each rivet is clearly picked out, while the crew and components are also well shown. We don't know yet if the Panzer's other variants will be appearing, but considering Plastic Soldier have already produced them in 15mm scale I would say this is a fairly safe bet.
Can you tell us anymore about the Panzer 38t? What do you think of Plastic Soldier Company's new model?
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"Each rivet is clearly picked out, while the crew and components are also well shown"
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Sam this is the 1:72 scale version of the 15mm kit they brought out recently.
The image is actually one of the Marder variants, not the tank itself. The tank was a pre-war design used in the early years but soon outclassed as a tank so the chassis was pressed into use for tank destroyers, tank hunters and self-propelled artillery.
I read Otto Carius’s book ‘Tigers in the Mud’ recently. He started in 38T’s. The steel was brittle compared to that of the German tanks resulting in dreadful spalling when they were hit.
Those rivets couldn’t have helped, either. They always look great on a miniature, but on pre-war and early-war tank models on all sides, they were murder for the crew. Needless to say (and as I’m sure you know), pretty much all tank designs from 1942 onward dispensed with these hideously dangerous design features.
It is rather nice kit.
I’m still waiting for 15mm support vehicles… Where’s my PSC Opel Blitz?!?
Great question, @invisiblecalm . Everyone gets wrapped up in the “glory boy” tanks, assault guns, and tank destroyers and forgets the all-important trucks, halftracks, and even horse-drawn wagons. Most of my 15mm armor is PSC or Battlefront, but for Opel Blitz trucks I had to go to Zvezda. 🙂
it’s a lovely kit in 15mm, just a couple of issues with assembly and artifacting on a few pieces but nothing major. I did a review for them when they came out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AujNjfvnSX8&list=UUP37rbqMH5ye3MyYDhJUuow sorry for the massive link. I also compared the PSC 38t to the Zvezda kit for size, I didn’t have any BF resins. Well worth picking up for the Marder III variants or if you fancy going early war with the 38t’s
Hi any chance of releasing the review again as the link in your post doesn’t work.
Thanks
Stephen
the 38t was one of their bigger tanks back in 1939 when the panzer III / IV’s were in very small numbers plus not actually German she was Czechoslovakian same as the famous 88 AA gun & Bofors AA guns was I think.
Right, @zorg – the PzKpfw-38(t) was originally the Czechoslovakian T-38 tank (manufactured in 1938) manufactured by Skoda. When Germany basically “stole” Czechoslovakia after the Munich Conference, they helped themselves to the these factories and hundreds of tanks already in inventory. They renamed the tank the “Panzerkampfwagen-38 (t)” – Armored Fighting Vehicle 38 (t) for “Tschechisch,” or Czech. Not only did these tanks really help flesh out the numbers of German tanks in their original 10 Panzer Divisions, but they were also better (or at least as good as) German tanks of the time (better than the PzKpfw-I and II, and… Read more »
here’s a nice link showing various versions & specifications including a mine clearer.
http://www.achtungpanzer.com/panzerkampfwagen-38t.htm
I have heard P.S.C are releasing the Wespe and Hetzer kit later this year.
God bless them!
Oriskany
wespe was built on the Panzer II chassis. The 38t variant was the Grille with the 150mm and no Hetzers in Normandy. Both will be in the second 38t variants box PSC will be releasing.
Incidentally the Hetzers was not a straight 30th hull but was wider and redesigned to take the fighting compartment while making maximum use of existing components.
Augh! You are correct on the Pz-II call. Not sure if the PL situation cards are inaccurate, @amphibiousmonster . They may have been trying to “proxy” in JgPz IV/48s or something, which pieces were not in the original boxed set (??) Also, the Normandy Memorial Museum at Bayeux is also gonna have to be “updated,” as they prominently feature on right across the street from the British War Cemetery. But piers is right, the first units I can find to get the Hetzer all went to the East (July 44 – JgPzAbtg 731, JgPzAbtg 743, 15th Inf Div, 78th Inf… Read more »
Took this photo during my tour of Normandy. Talk about misleading! 🙂
http://www.beastsofwar.com/wp-content/uploads/forumfiles/hetzer-01.jpg
The September mention brings to mind that PL also has Hetzers present for some of the Market-Garden situations. I believe both at the Nijmegen and Arnhem Bridges.
No Hetzers in Saint Lo? Oops. one of my historical PL situation cards may be inaccurate.
It is… they didnt pop up on the Western Front till end of 44.
All production had gone east till late September.