Tamiya died when the other folks decided to kit it. Eduard was the first, and on a different level. Now Takom is teaching them a lesson
gary
I would be most interested in the way the did the ammo storage
glt
The Jagdpanzer 38(t) is a really neat vehicle. It seems like an excellent subject to sell to less experienced modelers because of the relative simplicity of the vehicle. Back in the early 2000s, I decided against building one because, according to the experts, all existing kits had major issues. (That was long ago and I do not remember the details.)
When I came back to model building, a Jagdpanzer 38(t) was one of the first things I looked for. As things stand today, Academy, Takom, and Tamiya now offer Jagdpanzer 38(t)s within reach. The Academy kits are perfect except for ‘dimensional issues’ which eliminate them from contention. The Takom kits are expensive and include a useless (for me) interior. The Tamiya kit is expensive. While I would really enjoy adding a Jagdpanzer 38(t) to my small collection, it makes more sense to continue acquiring models in the $30 US price range that better meet my needs.
I am happy for all of you! 
Takom seems like a very good brand for super duper model builders.
Edit: If they are accurate (hard to tell from reviews), Takom’s Panzer III and Sturmgeschutz III kits are exactly what I want out of a model. Maybe they will release a Jagdpanzer 38(t) without the interior at the same price. That would be fantastic.
The newest Takom winterketten Pz III N was said to be a retooling of practicality the entire kit previously released. The retool maybe be quite good - I don’t know.
Takom’s initual release of "Blitz brand " Pz III M & N, had many issues that are mentioned in this MissingLynx thread. takom-s-new-pz-kpfw-iiiausf-n-with-winterketten
FWIW - I felt initial Takom’s Blitz Pz III N was a very disappointing kit, not worth the ~$24 paid for it.
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Thank you very much, Wade. You just saved me from making another bad decision. I owe you one.
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I had a look thru the trees this morning and could not find a base for the command radios. Dragon has one in their Command hetzer kit bit I don’t know anything about its accuracy.
The kit gives a clear upper hull and the plastic is very clear and I did not notice any knock out marks.
I also noticed a round light above the driver which I’m pretty sure is post war along with the kit having you add bolt heads to the final drives, these are also post war additions.
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The kit is odd. So we got the late air filters, but the mechanical solex fuel pump is missing. Which would make it then more matching a “mid” version ?
In general the engine compartment is frustrating. Even the plumbing for the cooler is missing. So lots of scratch building there.
Ah, the cool transparent parts are only in the limited edition. So none of the outlets in the US will have them.
“I also noticed a round light above the driver”
A large round lamp on a diamond shaped panel? That may be genuine. Certainly the panel appears on a German diagram. I wish I could find more reference photos…
David
I don’t think the large light is correct for a hetzer.
I’ve seen pics of WWII hetzers interiors and do not see any fittings there.
Takom also show the MP44 stored on the left side (a G13 feature) when it should be on the front next to the driver.
I’ve looked at interior pics of WWII examples, such as ex APG, a Canadian museum and Bovingtons.
The problem is that there arent full interior pics of these vehicles.
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With all the issues with the interior, how is the exterior and where would the kit from an exterior point of view rank with other kits (Tamiya, Academy, Eduard, Dragon, Thunder and Italeri, I think that’s all the major original moldings)?
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I don’t think there is really issues with the interior, its just that not much is known about the WWII version and people confuse the G13 with it. It leads to a mixture.
The outside looks great and drops right on to PT’s drawings.
I’m pumped about getting mine going.
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Has any one checked dimensions on the new Takom Hetzer to see if it scales out accurately?
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Thanks Dan, sorry I either missed that or forgot I read it.
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No problem buddy!
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The kits appear to be pretty accurate in the interior, but it seems that Takom took one specific museum tank as their reference. And that tank is a Command version.
But Takom didn’t want to give us a Command Hetzer kit. They don’t provide the large antenna fitting for the left side. They’re probably saving the Command version for a future kit.
They failed to understand that some of the radios in their reference vehicle are for Command purposes only. As a result, all three of these kits put two radio devices and two transformers in the left side sponson, plus the range tuner on the wall. None of that equipment would be present in a standard Hetzer.
I’m trying to find out what would be there.
David
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Has anyone confirmed that Panzer Tracts drawings have the correct dimensions and were printed at the proper scale?
That was a joke, but not really.: A couple days ago, I read a review of the Hobby Boss Leopard from World War II. According to the author, the vehicle uses the same same sprocket as a Panther tank. When he tried to put Dragon tracks around a Hobby Boss sprocket, they did not fit! It turns out the Hobby Boss and Dragon sprockets have different numbers of teeth, and that the Hobby Boss sprocket is correct . To my knowledge, in well over a decade, the author was the first person to notice this problem with Dragon Panthers. Please note, I have not checked this for myself.
It would be very amusing if someone took very precise measurements of a real Jagdpanzer 38(t) and discovered that Academy models actually have the correct major dimensions. Of course, no one will know the truth for sure until those dimensions are double checked by multiple people measuring all extant Jagdpanzer 38(t)s.
Takom Jagdpanzer 38(t)s showed up at Scale Hobbyist for $41 US. Based on pictures found online, they look really well done to me. I may purchase one for my brother as a Christmas present.
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Panzer Tracts drawings are made by researchers who have physically measured surviving examples of the vehicles. I can’t answer for how accurately they are printed, but I would be surprised if there were a problem there.
David
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A large proportion of my adult life was spent working on information systems. On countless occasions I discovered errors in code or data that was carefully entered by very intelligent people and thought to be correct. Accidents happen. The only way to know with certainty that measurements and conclusions are correct is through independent corroboration, preferably over many trials.
There are a fair number of surviving Jagdpanzer 38(t)s. It would be really fun to make complete topological scans of every one and compare then.
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Thought some of the builders of the malicious agitator aka Hetzer might like this How to Paint: Hetzer Exhausts by ColDemonPL
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