Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer
Late Production

Vespid Models, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Brett Green
 

Summary

Background

The Jagdpanzer 38, known mostly post-war as Hetzer, was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis.

German armoured forces in World War II created a variety of vehicles by mounting anti-tank guns on the chassis of obsolete tanks. These machines performed even better than expected, but they were vulnerable due to high vehicle profiles and open-topped turrets.

Allied bombing took a heavy toll on German production facilities and further increased the need for an easily produced yet effective light tank destroyer to replace vehicles like the StuG III and Marder series (Marder I, II, and III).

Prototypes of the Jagdpanzer 38 were ready by 1944, and mass production began in April of that year.

The Jagdpanzer 38 was covered entirely with sloped armour and possessed a compact form and low silhouette, giving it much better defensive capability over other self-propelled guns.

Armament comprised a 7.5 cm Pak 39 L/48 gun and a remote-controlled MG 34. It featured a wide body to accommodate the four-man crew, as well as a strengthened lower hull with enlarged wheels, guide rollers, and tracks.

Jagdpanzer 38s first entered service in July 1944 and would eventually be assigned to a number of units, including infantry, Panzerjäger and Volksgrenadier divisions.

BMM and Škoda continually modified and improved the Jagdpanzer 38 during production of the more than 2,800 vehicles built.

Owing to the ease of production and high operating rates, the Jagdpanzer 38 came to serve as Germany's main tank destroyer in the last year of the war, making an important contribution on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.*

FirstLook

Vespid Models has just released a brand new Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer kit.

Vespid’s brand new 1:72 scale Hetzer comprises 130 parts in grey coloured plastic, 45 brass photo-etched parts, a turned brass barrel, two short lengths of metal tube and decals for two marking options.

In common with Vespid’s previous releases, surface textures are superb with a combination of recessed and raised structural features as appropriate. The tiny camouflage loops on the side armour are especially effective.

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Thumbnail panels:

The cast texture on the saukopf mantlet is particularly impressive.

Moulding is perfect on my sample.

Detail is excellent too.

Parts breakdown is conventional. The lower hull is moulded in one piece including the inner lower hull sides and front.

The road wheels are moulded as a single plastic part each.

There are only eight road wheels in total and the bogies are provided in one part per truck - just four in total.

Link and length tracks are included. There are only 19 parts per side. Individual links and pairs are supplied to wrap around the drive sprockets and idler wheels, with long top and bottom runs and a few short runs to complete the tracks.

Track link detail is crisp and convincing. There are recessed ejector pin circles on the inside surface of some of the links but I doubt that you will see these after the tracks are complete.

The engine deck and upper hull include spare tracks, separate tools and tow cable.

Wire cables are also supplied for the side of the hull. These are incredibly fine.

Two short lengths of almost microscopic metal tube are also supplied. The wire is intented to be threaded through the hollow tubes. Very impressive.

Hatches are separate parts and may be posed open or closed.

The engine deck grate are moulded in place. They look good.

Hand holds and handles are tiny separate photo-etched parts. Some care and previous experience will be needed handling these.

Photo-etched mesh is supplied for the engine deck vent. Other photo-etched details include the prominent side skirts and the curved periscope cover on the top of the hull.

A lovely one-part turned brass gun barrel is provided as an alternative to the kit’s plastic counterpart.

The barrel is attached to a clever but simple mechanism that links the movement of the gun traverse to the Commander's sight. When the gun traverses, the sight moves.

Markings

Markings are supplied for two marking options.

One of these is finished in the characteristic three-colour hard-edged finish with the second in a simpler, soft-edged camouflage.

The blue numbers will look interesting on the finished model.

 
The decals are nicely printed and in register.

Conclusion

Vespid Models keeps raising the bar.

The small size of this diminutive tank destoyer does not detract from the detail and authenticity of their latest small-scale release.

In fact, the level of detail and surface textures on this model would put many 1/35 scale kits in the shade.

Of course, this results in an inevitable buildability trade-off. There are a number of tiny photo-etched parts in the box so the Vespid Tiger I will be best suited to a moderately experienced modeller. On the other hand, you could decide simply to omit the smallest photo-etched parts.

Oh Vespid, you've done it again!

*Historical text adapted from Wikipedia

Thanks to Vespid for the sample