TMN: Preview: A large-scale "Bumblebee" from Trumpeter in August...

A third kit from Trumpeter this month in the form of a 16th-scale Hummel. We have colours, decals & built-up kits & CADs showing features in our preview...

Preview: A large-scale "Bumblebee" from Trumpeter in August...

German Sd. Kfz.165 Hummel (Early Production)

by Trumpeter

Kit No. 00952

1/16th scale

Product Link on the Trumpeter Website

The Hummel (Sd.Kfz. 165) was a formidable self-propelled howitzer developed by Germany in 1942 to provide mobile artillery support to armored divisions. Engineered by Alkett and assembled at the Deutsche Eisenwerke in Duisburg, the vehicle utilized the specialized Geschützwagen III/IV chassis, which ingeniously combined the hull of a Panzer IV with the driving mechanisms of a Panzer III. To accommodate its massive firepower, designers shifted the engine forward, clearing a spacious, open-topped fighting compartment in the rear. This section housed a powerful 15 cm sFH 18/1 L/30 howitzer capable of hurling a 43.5-kilogram projectile up to 13.3 kilometers.

The decals in the box

The colour scheme provided in this box...

Because the vehicle operated well behind the front lines rather than in direct combat, it relied on a light 10 mm all-around superstructure armor designed strictly to shield the six-man crew from small arms fire and artillery shrapnel.Production rapidly scaled up after the Hummel made its combat debut in May 1943, playing a pivotal role during major engagements like the Battle of Kursk later that summer. By mid-1943, 85 units were deployed with front-line troops, a figure that climbed to 227 by the end of that year. Out of a final production run of 714 purpose-built units and 10 conversions from older tanks, these vehicles proved vital until production ceased in early 1945. Notably, Adolf Hitler officially stripped the vehicle of its popular marketing name, "Hummel" (Bumblebee), on 27 February 1944, deeming it inappropriate for a heavy fighting asset. By the war's final months, only 335 units remained in service—primarily stretched thin across the collapsing Eastern Front—where they were severely crippled by Germany's critical shortages of fuel, logistics, and ammunition.

Kit length: 421.8mm / Width: 183.5 mm

Metal parts: springs, copper cable, gun barrel

Total Sprues: 47 sprues and lower hull

The kit consists of over 1400 parts

-multi-slide moulded lower hull

- individual track links

-Photo-etched parts included

The built-up (& painted) model