1:35 8,8 cm Gr.Patr.39 Hl Kw.K.43

8.8 cm Gr.Patr.39 Hl rounds in 1:35 scale

A set of scaled-down rounds for the 8.8 cm Kw.K.43 gun, that is, for the long eighty-eight with a barrel 71 calibers long, with which the Tiger Ausf. B heavy tank was armed. It is an accessory for vehicle models and for dioramas, not a stand-alone model.

The real subject

The abbreviation Hl in the designation means a shaped charge. Such a shell does not rely on striking velocity: armor is pierced by the jet of metal formed when the shaped liner detonates, so penetration stays the same at close range and at long range. The price for that is a lower muzzle velocity and a steeper trajectory, for which the gunner had to allow greater elevation. In the combat load these rounds therefore complemented the armor-piercing shells, which flew flatter from such a long barrel and were easier to aim.

Where the set fits

• Into open ammunition bins and with rounds stacked by the gun.
• With a figure of a loader or of a crew replenishing ammunition.
• Into supply scenes, with crates and with the vehicles of a supply column.
• As a detail that shows how large a round the eighty-eight swallowed.

Building and painting tips

Cut the surplus material away with a sharp blade a little away from the part and sand the rest off. Wash and degrease the parts before painting, otherwise the paint will not hold well, and glue with a glue suitable for the material; on parts of this size cyanoacrylate works well. The color and markings of a projectile differed according to the type of round, so work from period documentation. The kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.