PMA’s 1:72 scale German Mid Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “233”, schwere Panzerabteilung 507, Eastern Front, 1944 [Bonus Maybach HL 230 TRM P45 Engine]
You can’t fault Precision Model Art (PMA) for having a love affair with the iconic Tiger I heavy tank. After all, it was feared by all of the Allied nations arrayed against Germany, a powerful if ponderous tank that seemed to symbolize German resistance in the face of still opposition. Slow and ungainly, it nevertheless took on swarms of enemy armor and, in the hands of competent crews, denied the enemy the upper hand at a time when they could have easily steamrollered past tanks of a lesser caliber.
It therefore comes as no surprise that PMA has decided to release the fourth version of the Tiger, this time around bearing the markings and insignia of schwere Panzerabteilung 507. Painted in a summer camouflage scheme and bearing all of the hallmark details you’ve come to expect from this vaunted diecast modelmaker, we expect it to hit the streets sometime in early 2021.
In the meantime, if you need to get your fix on for a Tiger tank, PMA is re-releasing the Otto Carius version, which sold out quite quickly earlier this year. Its a magnificent model, and one with lots of history behind it. Expect it to return to stock in time for Thanksgiving.
PMA’s 1:72 scale German Mid Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E Heavy Tank – Obersturmbanfuhrer Otto Carius, ‘217’, schwere Panzerabteilung 502, Malinava, Russia, 1944 [Bonus Maybach HL 230 TRM P45 Engine]
On July 22nd, 1944, Obersturmbanfuhrer
Otto Carius, along with his company of eight Tiger tanks, advanced
towards the Russian village of Malinava to stymie a Soviet advance.
After ordering his column to halt on the outskirts of town, Carius,
together with Obersturmbanfuhrer Kerscher, decided to reconnoiter
the small hamlet with the help of a commandeered Kubelwagen. They
quickly discovered that the village was already in Russian hands so they
turned tail before they were spotted by the enemy.
Upon returning to his company, Carius explained the situation to his
men. Realizing he had little time to lose, Carius decided to attack the
village before additional Russian armor could link up with the occupying
force. He elected to storm the village with only two Tigers instead of
the entire company since only one unimproved road led into town and he
felt that the column could be exposed to enemy fire if the entire
company advanced. While the rest of his company was held in reserve,
Carius and Kerscher’s Tigers sped towards the village of Malinava,
itching for a fight.
Comes with a 1:72 scale diecast engine which can be removed from the vehicle
Two T-34/85 tanks occupying Malinava saw the Tigers and immediately took
aim against Carius’ Tiger (No. 217). Fortunately for Carius, Kerscher’s
Tiger (No. 213), which trailed Carius by some 150-meters, fired
quickly, knocking out both Russian targets before they had a chance to
shoot.
As he entered the village, Carius soon came face-to-face with the latest
Russian behemoth to enter the fray: the huge JS-I heavy tank, which was
armed with the long-barreled 122mm gun. Confused at first, because the
tank’s silhouette resembled a King Tiger tank, Carius eventually ordered
his gunner to fire, claiming yet another victim in the cauldron of
battle.
Hatches and other areas of the vehicle can be opened and inspected. Includes a removable turret.
Together with Kerscher’s tank, the two Tigers would eventually knock out a further 14 Russian tanks before calling it a day, breaking the back of the Russian onslaught without loss to his own troop.
Look for PMA’s 1:72 scale rendition of Otto Carius’ war horse sometime during the fourth quarter of 2019.
PMA’s 1:72 scale German Mid Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E Heavy Tank – ‘311’, schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 101, Normandy, France, 1944
It isn’t often that Precision Model Arts announces a new product but when they do they typically come with a bit of fanfare. Earlier today we learned that they plan to offer a 1:72 scale replica of a mid production German Tiger E heavy tank (P0330). Based upon a vehicle that served with the infamous schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 101, their first ever Tiger comes with a detachable turret and hull so you can see the interior of the vehicle.
As a bonus, the vehicle features an opening engine compartment as well as a removable Maybach HL 230 TRM P45 engine. No doubt recognizing the significance of the upcoming 75th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the unit in question harkens back to the fighting in and around the bocage country of Normandy, France, during the fateful summer of 1944.
In addition to the Tiger tank, three new figure packs were unveiled. There’s a German engineer set (P0407), the perfect accompaniment to the German Tiger and useful for depicting a field repair depot overhauling a damaged vehicle. Also shown are a set of German Officers (P0408) as well as a group of German Wounded Soldiers (P0409). All of the sets will likely oppose the Allies’ invasion some time this summer.
PMA’s British Long Range Desert Group Patrol Car – Sand or Sand/Blue Camouflage (1:72 Scale)
Precision Model Art (PMA) has been rather quiet of late and with good reason. It looks as though the Company has elected to hit the ground running on the hot desert sands of North Africa with their first ever take on the Long Range Desert Group patrol vehicle. Offered up in two paint schemes (P0325 and P0326), the LRDG vehicles come with removable bonnets and entrenching tools, making them ideal for dioramas or wargaming battles. Best of all, both vehicles are scheduled for a third quarter release, and will likely be joined with crew figures to give them an even more realistic look.
PMA’s 1:72 scale German V-2 Long-Range Guided Ballistic Missile with Meillerwagen Launch Trailer and Brennstand – Camouflage [Operational Scheme]As we kind of expected while doing research on the German V-2 rocket, PMA has added a third scheme to its Vengeance locker. Slated for a year-end delivery, the third version is clad in a camouflage pattern (P0324), which goes well with two new vehicle schemes also announced (P0318 and P0319). So, if you want a V-2 set that is painted in nearly identical colors from prime mover to launcher, you’ve finally got your wish fulfilled.
While the prime movers are not included with the V-2, you can now display them in one uniform pattern
PMA’s 1:72 scale German V-2 Long-Range Guided Ballistic Missile with Meillerwagen Launch Trailer and Brennstand – Checkerboard Pattern [Test Scheme]“Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That’s not my department.” – A quote attributed to Wehrner von Braun, head of the German rocketry program
According to our distributor, PMA’s eagerly awaited pair of V-2 Long-Range Guided Ballistic Missiles are on the launch pad and expected to hurtle down on the diecast community in a matter of days.
For those of you unfamiliar with their newest piece of diecast, the V-2 (German: Vergeltungswaffe 2, “Retribution Weapon 2”), technical name Aggregat 4 (A4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile with a liquid-propellant rocket engine was developed during the Second World War in Germany as a “vengeance weapon”, assigned to attack Allied cities as retaliation for the Allied bombings against German cities. The V-2 rocket also became the first artificial object to travel into outer space by crossing the Karman line with the vertical launch of MW 18014 on June 20th, 1944.
Research into military use of long range rockets began when the studies of graduate student Wernher von Braun attracted the attention of the German Army. A series of prototypes culminated in the A-4, which went to war as the V-2. Beginning in September 1944, over 3,000 V-2s were launched by the German Wehrmacht against Allied targets, first London and later Antwerp and Liege. According to a 2011 BBC documentary, the attacks from V2s resulted in the deaths of an estimated 9,000 civilians and military personnel, and a further 12,000 forced laborers and concentration camp prisoners died as a result of their forced participation in the production of the weapons.
PMA’s 1:72 scale German V-2 Long-Range Guided Ballistic Missile with Meillerwagen Launch Trailer and Brennstand – Dark Green [Operational Scheme]As Germany collapsed, teams from the Allied forces — the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union — raced to capture key German manufacturing sites and technology. Wernher von Braun and over 100 key V-2 personnel surrendered to the Americans. Eventually, many of the original V-2 team ended up working at the Redstone Arsenal. The US also captured enough V-2 hardware to build approximately 80 of the missiles. The Soviets gained possession of the V-2 manufacturing facilities after the war, re-established V-2 production, and moved it to the Soviet Union.
PMA is releasing two versions of the V-2: one in a black and white test scheme (P0321) and the other in a dark green operational scheme (P0322). Both come with a Meillerwagen launch trailer and Brennstand (firing stand). Please note that the Meillerwagen and Brennstand are composed of diecast metal while the V-2 is made of plastic.
Judging by all of the “paper panzers” Modelcollect was producing over the past few months, and notably their soon-to-be-available V-1 flying bomb, we had erroneously concluded that they would be the first to market with a 1:72 scale replica of the V-2 rocket. Lo and behold, PMA may have beat them to the firing button, announcing, in short order, their plans to offer two different versions of the Vergeltungswaffe 2 this fall. According to their marketing materials, the PMA designed V-2 will come in two flavors: one in the familiar black and white checkerboard-like pattern we’ve seen in countless documentaries (P0321) and a second in a dark green (dunkelgrun) monotone scheme (P0322).
Both versions will come bundled with a field grey Brennstand as well as a Meillerwagen trailer that can be converted into a mobile rocket launcher, and, naturally enough, a tow hook so it can be attached to any of the recent artillery tractors PMA offers. As can be seen from the accompanying imagery, the lower portion of the rocket can also be opened to reveal a segment of the inner mechanism. Pricing for all this is just $49.99 apiece, meaning you get awesome quality, loads of detail and, best-of-all, a subject for your collection rarely examined or offered in pre-assembled form.
In other news, camouflaged versions of their recently released German Sd.Kfz.8 Schwerer Zugkraftwagen 12-Ton Heavy Prime Mover as well as their German Sd.Kfz.8 DB10 Gepanzerte (Armored) 12-Ton Prime Mover are in the works and will likely make it to market later this summer.
German Sd.Kfz. 8 12-ton heavy prime mover in feldgrau (field grey)
As a natural extension to their previously released Sd.Kfz.8 series of prime movers affixed with FLaK guns, Precision Model Art announced their intent to produce two more similarly conceived vehicles. The first (P0315) represents a heavy prime mover (Schwerer Zugkraftwagen) with bench seating for the gun crew and painted in an early war field grey. The alternative vehicle is a Gepanzerte or armored prime mover (P0316), better protected against small arms fire on the battlefield and even equipped with a pair of MG-34 machine guns fore and aft.
The heavy prime mover requires some minor assembly and is designed to showcase some of its fantastic interior detail
Both vehicles are expected in June and, as we’ve come to expect from PMA based upon past experience, will likely be followed up shortly with other liveries.
German Sd.Kfz. 8 12-ton heavy prime mover
The effects of weathering and detailed workmanship can be seen in this close-up of the Gepanzerte
Long serving as the manufacturing arm for Blitz 72, PMA has stepped out of the shadows and is now producing its own line of 1:72 scale military hardware. Expected in September is this Sd. Kfz. 8 DB9 prime mover which mounts a FlaK 18 88mm anti-aircraft gun on the rear bed. Painted in a whitewashed camouflage scheme and bearing loads of incredible detail, this main stay of the Wehrmacht fills a niche long neglected by the other model makers.
