Trumpeter's 1/35 German E100 "Super Heavy Tank"
Kit # 00384
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Vehicle History
Conceived as an alternative design to Dr. Ferdinand Porsche's MAUS project,
the E-100 was the final model in the E or Entwicklungs series, intended
to rationalize German tank models. Development was started in 1943 and
continued until 1944, when all super-heavy tank development was ordered
halted. Work continued at a low priority until, at the war's end, a nearly
completed hull was captured by the British Army, and subsequently sent
to England for analysis. One option would have used the turret intended
for the MAUS, mounting either a 150 or 170 millimeter main gun, and would
have weighed approximately 140 tons, almost twice the weight of the Hunting
Tiger. This kit uses an alternate turret design, mounting the 128 mm KwK
44 cannon, as used on the Jagdtiger. It looks like a cross between a Henschel
King Tiger and a Panther II turret, all grown up. As this vehicle never
made it into production, final details and paint schemes are purely conjecture.
The Kit
As stated on the box, the kit consists of 102 parts on six sprues of
light gray plastic, one pair of black, banded tracks, separate upper and
lower hulls and turret shell, and one small photo-etched fret containing
screens for the engine air intakes and radiator fans. A twelve page, 26
step instruction booklet accompanies, being of the exploded view type,
with parts called out by number and sprue letter. A single sheet, full
color paint guide is provided, calling out paint numbers from the Gunze
Sangyo line. Assembly looks to be straightforward from the ground up so
let's get busy.
Construction
Steps 1 through 3 involves suspension components on the lower hull.
There is some minor dimpling on the domed surface of some parts A-2. Fill
and sand if you want, as they are on the bottom. Crank arms B-16 and 17
fit positively, allowing for easy alignment.
Steps 4,5 and 6 cover roadwheel assembly and installation. No surprises
here. I jumped ahead and built the drive sprockets and idler wheels at
this point, and gave them all a coat of paint.
Steps 7 and 8 cover drive sprocket and idler mounts, and the fore and
aft hull extensions. I left the idler shaft loose until I could dry-fit
the tracks, to avoid complications later. Putty and sand the hull extensions
(parts C-22, 23, 35 and 36 to show the thickness of the hull plates.
Step 9 Build and install the drive sprockets and idler wheels. I had
already done so, and then put an initial coat of my final predominant
paint color on the lower hull, inner surfaces of the hull skirt sections
(C-1, 2, 3, 39, and 40), drive sprockets and idlers. I added some light
coats of earth colors to the hull behind the wheels before installing
them.
Steps 10 and 11 - Tracks The instructions say they can be glued with
plastic cement. I tried Testor's liquid cement with no effect. Super glue
flaked off. I ended up using staples, notching the track cleats so they
would sit flush. The joints are hidden under the front skirt sections.
I installed the sprockets and idlers and let them dry before attaching
the tracks, in apparent contradiction to the instructions. They are flexible
enough to fit over the wheels, a little fiddly but not bad.
Steps 12, 13, and 14 cover building and mating the upper and lower hulls.
No problems here, everything fits well. The photo-etched screens fit perfectly
over the grates. Glue, putty, and fill seams on parts C-37 and 38 (upper
hull extensions) after installation. I leave off onboard tools until final
assembly, but I did remove them from the sprues and clean them up at this
point. The hull halves fit very well, snapping into place. The front of
the upper hull overlaps the lower, thus putting the seam on the lower
plate.
Steps 15, 16, and 17 involve the rear plate assembly. It builds up quickly
and fits well; no filler needed. I left the tow shackles (A-3) off until
final assembly.
Steps 18 through 21 cover building the gun breech and joining the turret
halves. I did not fill or sand the breech parts as they are hidden. I
glued the breech assembly to the mounting arms (D-21 and 22) to stabilize
the long gun. I added a small filler piece to the bottom of the gunner's
sight housing to blank it off as I could see into the turret. Turret lifting
lugs (B-5) were replaced with wire, and part D-14 was replaced with chain.
Step 22 involves the commander's cupola and the infrared gear. I added
styrene blocks inside the periscope covers as they are open. The infrared
apparatus looks good and builds up quickly. I added some fine wire for
the power cables, and a piece of wire to replace D-10 (easier than cleaning
it up).
Steps 23 through 25 finish the turret. The main gun assembles quickly,
with the barrel halves mating well enough that no filler was needed. The
barrel sleeve shows a nice cast texture, and the collar D-29 hides the
barrel/sleeve joint. I installed the spare track hangers, but left off
the track links. A small piece of steel tubing was substituted for the
coaxial machine gun muzzle.
The final step, #26 covers installing the track shields. They click
into place and glue on positively. Two of them were left off to show the
tracks and wheels.
The paint scheme started with various shades of primer red-brown. The
engine access hatch was finished in German over-all yellow, as if it came
from the King Tiger assembly line. I then applied German field gray in
a cloud pattern, with dark yellow accents. Discoloration and fading was
limited to the primer areas, suggesting that they had been painted some
time ago. The national crosses were airbrushed with a stencil. No turret
numbers or other marks were used. All colors used were Tamiya acrylics,
including the clear red for the infra red gear, and a blue/green mix for
the periscope lenses.
Conclusion
The kit went together quickly and easily, with very little filler needed.
Parts fit was crisp and positive. The only places where putty was used
was on the hull extensions, which replicate the thickness of the plates.
Very little flash was found. I was surprised that the tracks did not respond
to the cements I tried, perhaps others would have worked. Although the
vehicle as built never existed, and would have been impractical to operate,
it still was an enjoyable building experience, and positively dwarfs the
Panzers it sits next to. I highly recommend it to fans of "Panzerwaffe
'46". I would like to thank Stevens
International for the review kit.
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