Friday, October 30

A Patton & Jeep combo & "Bruno" from the Bismarck via Takom in November

Takom has two releases for November (coming sooner than we think) - the combo of two Korean War M46 Patton & Jeep in 35th scale. To top that off they have the massive "Bruno" turret from the battleship Bismarck in 72nd scale. See what we know about tooth of the kits in our preview...

A Patton, a Jeep and a turret from the Bismarck coming from Takom in November 

M46 Patton & 1/4 ton Utility Truck kit
From Takom
Kit No #2117X
1/35th scale 
All hatches on the tank can be made into an open or closed state
link & length tracks
Track Jig is Included
clear parts included
Photo-etch included
Takom have been doing a few combo kits, this set of either WWII or Korean era conflict M46 Patton tank and 1/4 ton utility truck (or Jeep) are the latest set of complementary vehicles to be released in the one box, this time in 35th scale.

No not that Patton and a Jeep!
Recently We built the M46 Patton kit and the Jeep from takom - both great kits in their own right.
So we know all about the jeep and M46 and how they build up - We do not know the marking choices or the options other than what we have built so far - more on this as we get more info...


"Bruno" German battleship Bismarck Turret B
From Takom
Kit No #5012
1/72nd scale
Photo Etch included
5 markings included in the box
Turret base is included
To complement (or maybe to compete) with this month's release of the main gun turret from the Yamato in 72nd scale Takom has it's Axis buddy's largest guns in the form of the "Bruno" turret B from the battleship Bismarck.
It was customary in the Kriegsmarine to refer to the turrets as Anton, Bruno, Caesar and Dora, so the B turret on the Bismark was called Bruno on this ship and on the Tirpitz also. Bismarck's and Tirpitz's main battery consisted of eight 38 cm (15 in) SK C/34 guns in four twin turrets, Anton and Bruno in a pair forward of the superstructure and Caesar and Dora aft. The turrets allowed elevation to 30°, which gave the guns a maximum range of 36,520 m (39,940 yd). The guns fired 800 kg (1,800 lb) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 820 meters per second (2,690 ft/s). The main battery was supplied with between 940–960 shells total, for approximately 115–120 shells per gun.[18] As with other German large-calibre naval rifles, these guns were designed by Krupp and featured sliding wedge breech blocks, which required brass cartridge cases for the propellant charges. 

The upper deck of the Bismarck showing the turret base
Under optimal conditions, the rate of fire was one shot every 18 seconds, or three per minute. The gun turrets were electrically trained and the guns were hydraulically elevated. Gun elevation was controlled remotely. The turrets required each gun to return to 2.5° elevation for loading. The Bismarcks' use of four twin turrets (the 4 × 2 configuration) was a design practice that hearkened back to the First World War. 

The view from the Bruno turret on the Bismarck.
 Although triple turrets were considered for the Bismarck, there were concerns that the extra barrel would lower the overall rate of fire in each turret, along with fears that a single well-aimed hit could disable a larger proportion of the ship's firepower. It was also felt that four twin turrets allowed for a better field of fire and a more effective sequence of salvos.

Close up view of Bismarck’s "Bruno" turret.
The kit from Takom is another very large kit, the base is included of course, and the turret has both photo-etch and the markings from five different gun turrets included.

A side view of the Bismarck with the Bruno turret the second, higher turret here..
That is all we know about these two new releases for now. You can see more about Takom's kits on their website or on their Facebook page