This time, I try to build a German self-propelled howitzer, the Heuschrecke. The biggest concept of this vehicle is that it can be removed with the turret and fired as a battery on the ground. Even though it was a prototype vehicle, it probably didn’t need a detachable function. But AFV with these features are rare and interesting.
The front and back armor plates are attached to make a box shape.
It hasn’t had a lot of parts, so it’s been built up smoothly. I wonder if the parts fit better with the Dragon at the time. This Trumpeter kit is a bit difficult to build because of its poor accuracy.
That was dangerous. I almost left the flat spring-type suspension, the thin tip of which had to go through the inside of the other side, so I hurriedly corrected it. I think it would have been more difficult to handle if the glue had dried out.
When I saw a runner of the connecting tracks, I felt there were fewer parts, and I was worried if there would be enough. This looks like it could be assembled without any problem because I just cut off half the parts of the tracks and lined up the required parts, leaving a little extra.
I was able to fit the two sides of the track properly. The direction of the track is fine. I can’t be wrong. You can choose between a belt type and a connecting type, so if you find assembly cumbersome, it’s easy to make.
I tried fitting the top and bottom parts together. It fits well. Attach the left and right fenders, then glue the top and bottom together.
Trumpeter’s etched parts don’t really feel sensitive. It’s thick and tough. This is good for plastic, right? But the mesh of the engine grill is delicate.
The clamps, such as shovels and hammers of plastic parts, are well reproduced, but I felt like it this time, so I tried using proper etched parts such as Aber. I think the accuracy has improved a little.
The Heuschrecke turret is quite small. Because it was an open-top, parts for submachine guns and gas masks were glued inside.
(2023/10/19)
The turret assembly is complete. It’s pretty small. It’s an open-top self-propelled howitzer, so it’s probably a thin armor plate with little thought to defend against anti-tank guns. It may be that the development period was early in the war and they didn’t think of such a thick defensive version at that time.
It is a base where the turret is lowered to the ground, and a small crane arm is attached to the vehicle.
When I read the assembly instructions, there were two final assembly options: moving and unfolding the gun to the ground. The state of movement is that the large wheels attached to both sides of the law are parked at the rear of the tank body. The four large frames of the gun’s base are loaded on both sides of the rear of the tank. It’s all in one piece as a display. On the other hand, when the gun was unloaded, the turret was placed on a large frame, and as an individual, the turret was separated from the tank, and the interior of the body from which the gun was removed was empty and not reproduced, so the appearance was not good. But the vehicle-mounted simple crane is upright and interesting. I guess it’s rolling out and the big parts of the gun are still attached to the body, and I’ll just stand the crane. That’s because they even put a crane chain on it, so I felt sorry not to use it.
Hanging over the rear of the vehicle like a backpack are the wheels on both sides when the turret is lowered and installed as a howitzer. It’s taken quite seriously. I don’t think it’s much different from letting a horse pull it.
These hanging chains are interesting. After all, this position is more amusing to watch because it is somewhat easier to imagine how to unload the turret
After the black primer, I painted a basic color with German gray.
(2023/10/22)
Heuschrecke is finished. I appreciate that this kit has a thin chain but is hard to paint. When I try to paint it seriously, it peels off in many ways, revealing the metallic color of the bare metal. It was hard because there were so many chains. I’m putting primer on it. It would have been easier if they had used the black chain often found in model ships, but is that a selfish overstatement?
By the way, Heuschrecke means grasshopper in German. In fact, 3 prototype Heuschrecke self-propelled howitzers were built in 1943. The body of the Type IV tank is quite large, so it has great versatility. The Hummel and the Nashhorn also look pretty big, and the base is the Type IV tank.
The main gun is a 28 caliber 10.5 cm light howitzer leFH18/1 made by Rheinmetal. It’s a standard field howitzer for the German army. The biggest feature is that the turret can be removed and mounted on the back with a crane that can be set on the ground and used as a regular gun.
I get sleepy and get weird patterns when I’m weathering and chipping. I chipped it evenly in various places, but it would have been better to vary it more by area. Weathering is so funny that I can’t help overdoing it.
MP40 submachine guns, gas mask cases, and water bottles are hung inside the turret. There are five crew, but it’s not like they’re hanging that many.
I used Aber etched parts for the clamps of external equipment. Unexpectedly, it was a lot of work because there was a lot of equipment. Perhaps even after the gun has been placed on the ground, there is a lot of buildup around it, and shovels, pickaxes, axes, and so on are needed to build a defensive position.
I think the actual turret turns, but with the kit, I just cover it from the top. The parts are not tight, so it’s easy to turn.
In the case of a kit of a prototype vehicle, it may or may not have a decal, but this time it had a nationality mark and a number decal with a white border in the red. Sticking a cross mark and a vehicle number decal like this makes it look even more like German tanks. Was it operationalized somewhere?
It was interesting to assemble these crane parts. I like it because it feels mechanical when it has gears and chains.
In the end, the Vespe, which was developed at the same time, was highly operational and Heuschrecke was not adopted, but I think it is a very interesting prototype vehicle that looks attractive. Maybe the Trumpeter and Dragon who kit these vehicles were kind of sick at the time. I became so attached to it when it was completed.
(2023/10/27)
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