1:72 4,2cm PaK 41 German Anti-Tank Gun

An anti-tank gun with a tapered bore

A scale replica of the German light anti-tank gun in a small scale. The weapon belonged to the attempts to squeeze the highest possible penetration out of a small caliber, and it is therefore technically more interesting than the ordinary artillery of its day.

What made the weapon exceptional

The barrel narrowed toward the muzzle, so that the projectile was squeezed down to a smaller diameter as it traveled along it. The result was a high muzzle velocity and, for such a small caliber, remarkable penetration. The price for that was a short barrel life and costly manufacture of ammunition with deformable flanges, on account of which the weapon never came into being in large numbers. It was built only briefly in the first half of the war.

Building in a small scale

• Take the small parts off the fret with a sharp cut, not by twisting
• Build the gun carriage on a flat surface, so that the gun does not stand crooked
• Leave the thin barrel to be glued on last
• Paint the gun shield separately before fitting

Where the model suits

It will come into its own with collectors of artillery in a small scale, in dioramas with a defensive position and everywhere that a scene is to show less usual equipment. In 1:72 scale it takes up little room, so it fits into a smaller display case as well.

It is an unassembled model without a coat of paint, and a crew and a base are not included.

A small weapon is easily lost in a display case, so it pays to stand it on a base with a suggested terrain surface, which will give it scale and a point of reference.