1:35 German WWII 7,5cm KwK/StuK37 Ammo

The weapon

The short 7.5 cm gun was part of the armament of the early German armored vehicles of the Second World War. The abbreviation KwK denotes the form for a tank turret and StuK the same weapon in a turretless assault gun on a tracked chassis, so the difference lies in the carrier, not in the ballistics. The short barrel gave the projectile a low muzzle velocity, which took away from the weapon's penetration, but it was entirely enough for the task it was created for: firing at machine gun nests, fortified points and troops, that is direct support of advancing infantry.

What was fired from it

The mainstay was the high-explosive shell, and smoke rounds and armor-piercing ammunition were also available, though its performance soon ceased to be enough against ever more heavily armored targets. What changed matters was the shaped-charge shell, whose effect does not depend on the speed of impact; with it even the short 7.5 cm became dangerous to armored targets at shorter ranges.

Working with the parts

• Cut the surplus material away with a sharp blade a little way from the part and sand the remainder off carefully.
• Wash and degrease the parts before painting, as paint does not hold on a greasy surface.
• Choose the glue according to the material of the parts and settle small pieces drop by drop from a toothpick.
• Separate a round by color into case and projectile; a piece painted all one shade looks like a stick.
• Tone the brass shade down with a darker wash, so that the base of the case comes out as well.

Who the set is for

For builders of early German armored vehicles in 1:35 scale and for makers of scenes where there is a view into a vehicle's fighting compartment. The rounds suit the ammunition stowage in the hull and the turret, opened boxes beside a vehicle and the hands of figures at the breech. The package holds the parts of the ammunition. The model, figures, paints and glue are not part of it, unless stated otherwise.