RC 1/16 Sd.Kfz. 165 Hummel Late Production - Build
Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 5:28 pm
Hi,
As the parts needed to finish the Stug build will likely not make it before the holidays, I decided to start a new build with the parts at hand.
This will be a 1/16 scale WW2 German Hummel self-propelled howitzer, full name is Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M auf Geschützwagen III/IV (Sf) Hummel, Sd.Kfz. 165. It will be a Late production model.
Like many modelers, i already have a Bandai 1/15 Hummel. I built it 30 years ago. lt's one of Bandai better offering from the 1970s. It shows it age and would need a full rebuild. But it is designed to fit their unmodified Panzer IV chassis and is therefore inaccurate to the German armor experts. The Hummel was based on a hybrid Panzer III/IV chassis and is a bit longer. Lack of commonality with 1/16 parts on the market is also in incentive to build a new 1/16 scale model. But what does 1/16 mean. What i thought would be a simple calculation by extrapolating 1/35 references turned out to be complicated.
Of my three reference books, two of them have 1/35 graphs, "Panzer in Saumur Volume 3" and the "Militaria no 178 Hummel" books show major differences in their advertised 1/35 graphs as shown below. So, which one is right...
To help me with this build, i also have a Tamiya and Dragon 1/35 kits.
Shown here is the Tamiya 1/35 chassis next to the Panzer at Saumur book. The graph advertised as 1/35 is too small.
The same Tamiya chassis next to the Militaria Hummel graph. The 1/35 graph is too big...
When comparing the Tamiya and Dragon 1/35 chassis next to each other, they are equal. I will therefore use the 1/35 kits as references and look at any Hummel graph in books with great skepticism.
Both Dragon and Tamiya have excellent instructions, pictures and graphics will be a great help for the build.
As the Hummel will be a Late production model, the main difference is the frontal driver and radio crew compartment. The Late model has a wider cabin.
I did build a Dragon1/35 Hummel in the 90s, and modified it with a Commander resin kit to represent the Late production model.
Continuing on following post
As the parts needed to finish the Stug build will likely not make it before the holidays, I decided to start a new build with the parts at hand.
This will be a 1/16 scale WW2 German Hummel self-propelled howitzer, full name is Panzerfeldhaubitze 18M auf Geschützwagen III/IV (Sf) Hummel, Sd.Kfz. 165. It will be a Late production model.
Like many modelers, i already have a Bandai 1/15 Hummel. I built it 30 years ago. lt's one of Bandai better offering from the 1970s. It shows it age and would need a full rebuild. But it is designed to fit their unmodified Panzer IV chassis and is therefore inaccurate to the German armor experts. The Hummel was based on a hybrid Panzer III/IV chassis and is a bit longer. Lack of commonality with 1/16 parts on the market is also in incentive to build a new 1/16 scale model. But what does 1/16 mean. What i thought would be a simple calculation by extrapolating 1/35 references turned out to be complicated.
Of my three reference books, two of them have 1/35 graphs, "Panzer in Saumur Volume 3" and the "Militaria no 178 Hummel" books show major differences in their advertised 1/35 graphs as shown below. So, which one is right...
To help me with this build, i also have a Tamiya and Dragon 1/35 kits.
Shown here is the Tamiya 1/35 chassis next to the Panzer at Saumur book. The graph advertised as 1/35 is too small.
The same Tamiya chassis next to the Militaria Hummel graph. The 1/35 graph is too big...
When comparing the Tamiya and Dragon 1/35 chassis next to each other, they are equal. I will therefore use the 1/35 kits as references and look at any Hummel graph in books with great skepticism.
Both Dragon and Tamiya have excellent instructions, pictures and graphics will be a great help for the build.
As the Hummel will be a Late production model, the main difference is the frontal driver and radio crew compartment. The Late model has a wider cabin.
I did build a Dragon1/35 Hummel in the 90s, and modified it with a Commander resin kit to represent the Late production model.
Continuing on following post