1:35 German 8.8cm PAK-43 Waffenträger

1:35 German 8.8 cm PaK 43 Waffenträger – a Trumpeter kit

A plastic kit of the German weapon carrier with the 8.8 cm PaK 43 anti-tank gun in 1:35 scale from Trumpeter. The subject is the design by the Ardelt company from the last months of the Second World War.

The real subject

The German designation Waffenträger, that is weapon carrier, meant a light tracked vehicle whose only task was to bring a heavy gun into position and allow it to fire from there. The Ardelt design carried the 8.8 cm PaK 43 anti-tank gun on an open rotating mount at the rear of a simple chassis. The crew was protected only by a shield, the armor was minimal and the whole vehicle was kept as light and as cheap as possible, which in 1945 was the main argument. The weapon itself was among the most effective anti-tank guns of the war. Only a few vehicles were built and they went into action at the very end of the war around Berlin. One example has survived in a museum collection and serves as the main source for modelers.

Building and painting tips

Finish and paint the running gear and the inside of the fighting compartment before you fit the mount and the shield — on an open vehicle absolutely everything shows. The barrel and the breech of the gun deserve careful sanding of the parting seams. Late-war machines wore roughly applied camouflage over a sandy base, often sprayed improvised; a rougher surface and uneven edges look more convincing than perfect transitions. Add a dark wash, worn metal on the walkways and dust on the tracks.

Who the model is for

• for collectors of German late-war and prototype vehicles
• for modelers who enjoy unusual designs
• for more advanced builders — an open structure hides nothing
• for a diorama from the fighting of 1945

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.