1:35 Panzer Tool Clamp - Late Panzers Version 3 (24pcs)

Tool clamps of late German tanks, version 3, 1:35 scale, GINGER CAT

A detail set of clamps for the pioneer tools of models of German armored vehicles in 1:35 scale. It is not a vehicle kit but an accessory with which coarsely molded clamps on the hull are replaced. According to the name it holds 24 pieces and it is cut for the late types of tanks in the make designated as version 3.

The real subject

The equipment that German tanks carried on the hull was no ornament. A shovel, a pickaxe, a crowbar, a tow cable, spare track links and a fire extinguisher decided whether the crew would get the vehicle out of mud or out of a ditch on their own. So that all of it would survive a drive across country, the tools were held in pressed clamps which were drawn tight with a nut or snapped shut on a spring. As the war went on, production was simplified and the shape of the clamps changed, so the late machines have different clamps from those of the start of the war.

Usage tips

First decide on the hull which molded clamps you are going to replace, and only then cut them off, so that you do not lose your reference points. Level the surface after cutting with a fine sanding file. Apply the new parts with a minimum of glue, ideally carried on the tip of a wire. It pays to fit the clamps before painting the hull so that everything sits in one shade, and to add the tools only at the end. A dry brush on the edges of the clamps and a discreet trace of corrosion where metal touches metal will make a surprisingly striking detail out of twenty-four small parts.

Who the set is for

• Builders of German equipment in 1:35 scale
• Modelers who replace molded details of the hull
• Those interested in the late makes of German tanks
• Diorama builders and competition builders