G’day all
Like most other Armour modellers, news of Takom’s Hetzer releases looks interesting. What I’ve seen online looks appealing.
I have Academy’s Hetzer kit, which is a late AFAIK, & I think is pretty good value.
For the knowledgeable here, are there many differences across the early, mid, late variants that would warrant me to add one of these as a point of difference to the Academy kit?
Cheers
The most obvious difference is the exhaust setup on the rear of the vehicle, but I am sure there are a few more less obvious ones. I believe there differences in the wheels/idlers regarding the number of holes.
I have only Academy’s early version so I have nothing to compare it to, but if a different muffler and the number of holes in a wheel matters to you then you’re welcome.
It actually kind of matters to me but not so much that I made a mad scramble for Academy’s late kit and now I can have my choice of late Hetzers.
Academy kits have shape issues.
If you have a good set of 35th scale drawings it’s pretty obvious. Or you can compare it to a Tamiya kit.
As discussed: exhaust, sprocket/idlers holes plus the mantle and tool box for the generic differences between the early mid and late versions. From there you get into the details of which plant and when.
Ok. Thanks guys. Your replies have helped me make up my mind
More kits? 
What I would like to know is, which version has the most appropriate interior?
Takom clearly don’t know the Hetzer interior in full detail - witness how they put a long-range radio into these kits when it doesn’t belong there (and doesn’t even have its antenna).
So I am guessing that they assembled a generic Hetzer interior from museum photos and old photos. Mixing up parts from different versions just to fill the space. And as far as I can see, they put that same interior into all three kits. Am I right?
So…which one is it most appropriate for?
David
I agree it appears to be the same interior photos for all three. I don’t know which is most appropriate off hand. I will try to look through my materials I have to see if an answer can be found for those that want to know. No promises that I can tell. I will mostly get all three for the exterior changes and probably not build much if any of the interior for them. Maybe one with an open engine bay. Your mileage may vary on how a modeler chooses to build their own kit.
On another forum, several of those in the know refer to the Academy Hetzer kits as suitable for donating parts because they have many issues as @Dan mentioned.
I’d upgrade from the Academy kit to Tamiya and mabye kit bash or the new Takom if it proves suitable.
Has anyone working for Takom announced the price of these new Jagdpanzer 38T kits?
With regard the Academy Jagdpanzer 38Ts, I found one online review mentioning an unspecified 1 mm dimensional error and some minor detail issues. The later version Academy Jagdpanzer 38T is currently on my ‘To Purchase’ list. How bad are the dimensional problems?
Academy Hetzer - Armorama Archive has some comments on Academy’s Hetzer issues.
Likewise, Missing Lynx - Takom-new-items (Hetzers) mentioned it.
I’m not up on the Hetzer, zero references etc just relaying what I’ve seen posted.
Thanks, Armor_Buff. The Missing Lynx thread you linked enabled me to track down the critical review listing dimensional issues with the Academy model: Kit, Academy 13230, Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer Late Version by Frank V. De Sisto.
Frank V. De Sisto is one of my favorite model reviewers because he includes references.
I will wait to see the price tag on the Takom kits before making a decision.
Agreed he writes a fair objective review A++.
Thanks for find his Academy Hetzer review.
The problem is the angles