Clayton gives us his review of Tamiya's recent 35th-scale PaK 38 gun & crew. Building it up & adding a lovely base in his review story & video.
Review build & video: 35th scale German 5cm anti-tank gun Pak38 from Tamiya
German 5cm anti-tank gun Pak38
From Tamiya
Kit No. #392
1/35th scale
Length: 142 mm
The great thing about Tamiya is generally speaking you know what you are going to get and it's usually at a pretty affordable price, and this kit seems to follow that mould.
A close-up of the parts:
A quick look at the sprues to give you an idea of the detail and the way the parts are distributed across the sprues.
Building the gun:
The kit offers you the option to build the gun in the fixed or the towed position and construction begins with the framework, soon followed by the gun cradle.
Read the instructions carefully because the build order and the positions for the site and aiming mechanism are somewhat vague – especially for a Tamiya kit.
I also found the setting points and the positions for the toolboxes to be oddly clumsy – maybe Tamiya has spoiled us in the past and to be fair, the criticism is probably a stretch, but you can usually work on autopilot for these kits. This is different. The feeling is reinforced with the positioning of the braces for the gun shield. When in place they are perfect but getting them in place takes a degree of concentration and focus.
The axle assembly allows for movement in the gun position and the barrel could soon be sanded and slide in place over the cradle.
The arms of the gun are connected with a pin and remain operational and the wheels, which have a simple sandwich-style construction, can be installed. A polycap ensures they can be removed for painting in future steps.
The kit comes with a number of active as well as spent shells. The used casings can be improved with a micro drill to open up that cavity.
The gun was first prepared with a layer of primer. I am using VMS black and taking care to ensure it finds its way into the recesses and crevices.
I like to paint my German Grey lighter than you may expect, and I find the Dark Sea grey over the black primer gives me the colour I am looking for.
The Pak 38 is a bitsy and detailed model, with the only surface area of any great significance being the gun shield, so I pay close attention to creating a mottled coverage in that area especially – letting the primer influence the grey.
By then adding a couple of drops of WHITE Grey and a drop of Ivory, I create my highlights. The ivory should help the lighter grey tone keep a degree of richness to it. I focus the application over the horizontal surfaces like the top side of the barrel and the top edges and the curves of the shield. This helps create volume over those small surface areas.
A couple more drops of the white-grey applied over a smaller surface area helps extend that effect. Weathering will tone this down so be brave with your highlights because you have far greater latitude with this technique than you may think.
Details around the model can also be painted at this stage – I use the AK Gen 3 acrylics and a fine brush. Keeping the paint well thinned ensures the paint flows easily off the brush.
Grim Brown is then applied with the sponge to create chipping around the top edges of the shield and around details like the toolboxes, followed by a light dry brushing technique.
A black enamel wash, thanks to the Tamiya panel liner, is applied. The black works beautifully over the grey tones, as it keeps a degree of coolness to the tone, whereas browns can add warmth, and that is something I am trying to avoid.
To finish the gun off, a light dusting of Tamiya Buff is applied to the lower edges of the armour and the wheels. It’s a simple but effective way to apply your weathering.
The Figures:
Moving on to the figures and there is no doubt Tamiya are really setting the standard for injection-moulded figures in the hobby world. The way the pieces join and integrate with seams and folds in the fabric is so impressive and never ceases to amaze me how far this technology has come.
Once the basic assemblies had been completed, a small wire was glued into the feet, and they could be placed in cork and primed in a VMS grey.
To paint the figures, I am using the AK Gen 3 acrylics along with the Quick Gen paints from their line. I generally use a size 2 brush and a 20/0 for the detail work.
I go into greater detail around the techniques for painting the figures, so if that is something that interests you, then I can recommend you take a look at the video accompanying the article.
The lighter the tone, the less the coverage is the general rule, and by using the matte varnish to extend the paint, I can create smoother transitions through the graduations.
The base:
I’d been playing around with ideas for the scene and found my way back to the round base. I like the shape because it invites the viewer to investigate around the scene, plus the round format fits better in my display case. A small embankment is created using polystyrene and the groundwork is first built up using Sculptamould and once dry, AK Interactive Terrains paste is used to create the textures in the ground with a mix of different grades of soil and gravel.
Vegetation is added using static grass as well as various organic elements you can find by digging around in the garden.I'd added the tree to the scene and that was as easy as pulling it out of the packaging. These ready-to-go trees from AK are pretty spectacular and really make it easy to make a big impact for a minimum of effort.
I am oversimplifying the process here, so if the base is something you would like to learn more about, then I would encourage you to watch the complete video.
Conclusion
Essentially this is a product review of the Tamiya Pak38 and the crew, so given that was the case, I wanted to present the model as it comes out of the box and push it as far as I could go. No aftermarket heads or hands, no modification, just a little diorama out of the box.
I think that is the thing I like so much about these small box releases by Tamiya. They give you a diorama in a box and without too much effort, you can end up with a beautiful display you can be proud of. Think about the machine gun crew, the sidecar, and the Goliath boxing they released – all are so useable and interesting it’s hard to not be inspired by them.
This kit is a really lovely version of this gun and makes into a delicate display piece; however, you need to keep your wits about you because this is anything but the traditional Tamiya shake-and-bake style of kit. Fine, integrated assemblies and instructions that are a touch confusing at times demand you take your time and double-check your fit before committing to glue. It’s not hard; it’s just not typical Tamiya in terms of ease of build.
The figures are beautiful and as mentioned the engineering and fit is extraordinary and the pose and balance are incredibly life-like. The facial expressions are really good, especially old Eagle Eye; however, it’s not all good news with the missing badges and chin straps. Some of the sculpts on the hands are also a little dodgy but they are generally the hands obscured by other things…like a shell or an ammunition case.
When all is said and done, this kit is something every armour modeller should have in their stash, as it is an important piece of German military history and was the stepping stone to some of their heavier hitters.
What a great time to be in this hobby – especially with the new stuff Tamiya has just announced! Can’t wait to get my hands on those
Check out Clayton's complete build review of this kit on his YouTube page – Workbench Hobbies...
Clayton Ockerby.
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