Tamiya 35325 WWII German Elefant Tank Destroyer 1/35 Scale Plastic Model Kit

Tamiya ventured into the modeling business in 1948, with a scale wooden ship model kit. Since then, Tamiya has been striving to offer merchandise that can truly be called 'First in Quality Around the World.' Now Tamiya is offering more than 300 different products, both in the fields of precision static models and high performance radio control vehicles. These products are not only sold in Japan but also exported in vast quantities to the United States, Europe, South East Asia, and to many other parts of the world. The standard of excellence achieved by Tamiya is regarded as among the very finest in the world of model hobbies. In 1941, Porsche created a prototype tank which incorporated radical features including a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. In 1943, the tank was transformed into the Ferdinand tank destroyer armed with an 8.8cm PaK 43 L/71 gun housed in a large box-shaped superstructure and 90 units were produced. During the Battle of Kursk, they demonstrated superior anti-armor capability to knock out T-34 and KV-1 tanks at long range, but their slow speed and unreliability resulted in many being immobilized by mechanical troubles. In 1944, 50 surviving Ferdinands were given modifications, including the addition of a machine gun, a commander's cupola, and were re-designated with the name Elefant. The Elefant saw combat on the Italian and Russian fronts, and some fought until the very end of WWII during the Battle of Berlin. Kit features: fighting compartment, 8.8 cm gun, and cupola that have been accurately reproduced; bolt-on front armor, engine grille, and machine gun mount are depicted; assembly type tracks have one-piece straight sections and feature a realistic sag effect; and 1 commander, 1 loader, and 1 driver torso figures and 3 marking options included. This finely detailed plastic model kit requires assembly and painting.