This build will be a pair of the Vespid Models Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer (early production) kits, their second boxing of this one. Some manufacturers get a whole lot of mileage from their Hetzer tools – Attack has 13 in their line-up and UM has 15, we’ll see how far Vespid goes with theirs. These were picked up from the Squadron Shop’s Black Friday Sale at a good discount. High-quality new-tool kits at sale prices, what’s not to like?The Hetzer is a small AFV, and there are a lot of small parts on the sprues. The hull is divided into top and bottom halves, perfectly logical for the design of the vehicle.Tracks are link and length, with a few spare sections in case some go walkabout which is always welcome. The PE fret includes side skirts for those vehicles which managed to keep theirs. There are also several microscopic handles and brackets, most of these I ignored as I have much better luck making grab irons from wire and find the PE ones on the wrong side of my “fun” threshold. The metal barrel is a very nice touch, and a great value add given the already reasonable cost of the kit.BBs and epoxy again, I like my AFV models weighty! The tracks and running gear are relatively simple, and these went on without the usual alignment struggle which was very welcome. On the rear of the vehicle note the angled hooks made from wire, these will support the coiled tow cable. The material provided for the tow cable is very stiff and you will need firm attachment points to wind it around if you are to have any hope of getting the darn thing on. The PE parts just will not do. Fairly warned be ye says I!There is a little seam at the rear of the hull which will need a swipe of putty, other than that there are no fit issues. I replaced the grab irons with wire inserted into drilled holes – little chance of knocking those loose during painting and weathering.The pair ready to be primed and enter the paint shed. The PE screen on the muffler could have been designed better, the PE part wraps around the plastic part and the seam winds up on top where it can be seen. It would have been just as easy to make this part with the seam on the bottom facing the vehicle where it would not be seen. The hatches are molded separately so I decided to force myself to paint some figures to man the Hetzers by leaving them open.I was intrigued by the dot camouflage seen on some Hetzers and decided to give it a try. I reversed a drill bit to make the dots, the bit is about a number 70 or so for those who want to know. I still need to work on my brush skills, so I wanted to challenge myself a bit (see what I did there?) even though this is technically not a brush.I ran into some problems with the figures. Figures in 1/72 scale are generally molded to have an overall height of six feet. This scales out to 25.4mm, they are supposed to be Inch High Guys. The lower dark gray figure is from the excellent Caesar Miniatures German Panzer Crews set, he comes in at 24mm which is a quite reasonable 5’ 8” (1.73 meters). The figure on the top is from Black Dog. Despite the casting bubble these are great looking figures, but they scale out far too large to use with 1/72 scale builds even though that is what is advertised on the box. 28.12mm makes him 6’ 8” (2.0 meters). The other two figures in the set are similar, and the Black Dog British Tank Crew set I purchased at the same time is also overscale. Money wasted, I had to source replacements!Here are the Hetzers with all the pioneer tools in place. They were sprayed with Testors Glosscote in preparation for weathering. I was impressed with the machine gun mount which is very detailed but also delicate. The running gear has received a light coat of Tamiya brown wash in this photo. The models also got a Burnt Umber oil wash to bring out the details, and were muddied up with some AK Interactive Earth Effects, which I found easy to work with. I always debate about adding figures, but since I feel that my figure painting skills need some work I bit the bullet and painted some up. They were a tight fit in the small hatch openings but eventually they managed to get inside with plausible poses. The side skirts were another challenge as they are in exposed positions and the PE is prone to bending. If I were to build another I would probably fabricate these out of plastic card which should be a little more durable. Overall though the Vespid Hetzers are great little kits and a nice addition to the 1/72 scale armor collection!
WHENEVER ANY FORM OF GOVERNMENT BECOMES DESTRUCTIVE OF THESE ENDS (LIFE,LIBERTY,AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS) IT IS THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO ALTER OR ABOLISH IT, AND TO INSTITUTE A NEW GOVERNMENT― Thomas Jefferson
Inch High Guy 