Mr.Smythe's Hetzer

[The Smythe Meister]

A'noon guys,
Well,as my Achilles has reached it's end,I thought I'd do something a bit German,(my last builds have been either WW2 Allied planes,or Allied AFVs), for a while.
I was going to do a Cyber hobby StuG III, seeing as "Bob the StuG" seems to have morphed into,"Billy the Fish" these days,(one for the Viz fans there!! )
BUT ... Didn't,......
.....in respect of the great man.
(However,if he ain't gonna do one soon,I WILL!! )
Anyway, ere's my next build...

.. I'll do some sprue pics shortly,
As always,and I do know that people have got a bit sick of all the old German stuff, anyone who'd like to join in will be very welcomed
Andy

[The Smythe Meister]

Oh,OK then, ere's the boring pics..

Not just the instructions there, but the camo for the masks that are provided... Although I'm not all that sure how they work yet

Top two for the wheelie stuff,and obviously upper/lower hull bits..

Other bits and tracks X2 ... Don't really like these things,but I guess I'll give them a go. ...

So there you have it.
Should be fun.....,the camo masks especially!!
Andy

[BattleshipBob]

Made a few of the Tammy Hetzers, good but cramped tank hunter. Crack on with a StuG Andy, if you need help on details, just give us a shout.

Count me in

[Tim Marlow]

Looks fun Andy. They are tiny though, the one at Bovington seems only about shoulder high. The guy at the back on the box art must be about twelve :tongue-out3:

[Guest]

Now you mention it, yeah … somebody must have wanted to make the thing look more impressive. This shows the real size fairly well, as well as other details, including inside:

[JR]

Now you mention it, yeah … somebody must have wanted to make the thing look more impressive. This shows the real size fairly well, as well as other details, including inside:

Thanks,an interesting video. Would have hated to be in there as cramped as it was when it fired !

[Guest]

They were apparently very cramped, yes. The hatches on the top also have always seemed tiny to me, so have fun getting out in a hurry …

[Allen Dewire]

Morn Mr. Smiff,

Everybody loves a Hetzer (late) and this kit will be easy to build. I made the Airfix re-box of this a while back. With a little care, the fit is almost perfect. You'll have fun here Andy......The masks look like fun too!!!

Thanks,an interesting video. Would have hated to be in there as cramped as it was when it fired !

The worst part was, the loader worked on the left side behind the driver. He had to lean over/around the breech to load a shell. Not very much fun, to say the least. The gunner was on the right side with the commander stationed behind him. An effective tank destroyer and the low silhouette made it very effective in combat as it was hard to see...

Prost
Allen

[Jim R]

Should be fun Andy. Interesting to see the masks provided but you'll find out if they work ok.

[Guest]

The worst part was, the loader worked on the left side behind the driver. He had to lean over/around the breech to load a shell. Not very much fun, to say the least. The gunner was on the right side with the commander stationed behind him.

I think you’ve got the crew layout slightly mixed up. On the left it had driver, gunner and commander in tandem, on the right was just the loader.

[ATTACH]474628[/ATTACH]

The Swiss G13 (a post-war variant) swapped the commander’s and loader’s positions, IIRC.

[adt70hk]

Very interesting Andy!

[Allen Dewire]

Yes Jakko, I did word my post a bit wonky about the gunner and commander. Three were on the left and the commander on the right at the rear with the split hatches....

"Hetzer’s interior was cramped for the four-man crew (commander, gunner, loader and driver), because of its sloped armour and low silhouette. Interior was divided into two compartments – engine and fighting/crews compartment. Gunner and loader were located on the left side of the gun; commander was in the rear on the right side of the gun, while the driver in front of the vehicle on the left side of the gun. Crew communicated using the intercom system and 10-watt FuG5 radio set."

The poor loader still had the worst job in the crew though!!!....Even worse, when he had to reload the remote-controlled MG on the roof and expose himself to enemy fire...

Prost
Allen

PS, I can't understand what Academy was trying to show on their box-art pic...

[KarlW]

Hetzers gonna hetz.......

Looks a tidy wee kit, don't hate on the link and length track too much, personally find them better than the bands and easier than indis, and of course far cheaper than fruils.......

[Mickc1440]

Wouldn’t miss it Mr S

[yak face]

Looks a nice kit andy , and i must admit im rather partial to this type of tank thingy , without a separate turret .