Hi Folks,
Something a bit less technically Challenging now with Amusing hobby’s W-100 Waffentrager.
WoT players will probably be familiar with this beastie as a Tier 10 tank smasher with a 4 or 5 round autoloader depending on the gun mounted. It was removed from the game after players who could not figure out just how to deal with this thing winged and complained until it was removed. The real fact that a skilled player could decimated the opposing team but only with proper support from their own team as the gun shield was paper and it took an excessively long time to reload which was when it was vulnerable.
A lot of players who can’t be bothered to get out and into archives call this a fantasy tank lashed together by Wargaming and in certain respects they are right.
In reality the E-series was being designed by Adler as a takeover from all the vehicles being built for the german military and the idea was to consolidate all the vehicles onto one chassis with different weight classes and types from APC through to SPG. Two, possibly 3 E-100 hulls were under construction and captured by the british. While one was more or less complete and you can find photos around the net:
The second one was quite a way from being complete:
The third one, of which only 1 photo exists in German archives is a mid engine version but was just an empty hull at the time of capture. I have seen the photo but for some reason I was refused permission to make a copy!
With the allies advancing, Adler destroyed much of their design work and only a few concept drawings for the various E-series vehicles exist. No engineering drawings or blueprints made it into allied hands and all the surviving stuff was bundled up and put away out of sight by the allies.
These concept drawings can be seen, but not copied in German archives.
This leads us to this kit. Original concept drawing show the 128mm mounted as a mobile Flak fun with the options of a PAK variant and dual 128 mount on the E-100 chassis. Similar concept drawings for the 88mm on the E-75 chassis and 20, 37 and 57mm? for the E-50 Chassis with either turret or rear mounted options.
As these only existed as a concept drawing then the kits can be called fantasy tanks as no one can be sure what was going to go into production and so with these kits that come out the '46 Heer armour becomes a reality for the modeller. They are certainly popular as it lifts restrctions and inaccuracies over colours and allows the armour modeller to exercise some freedom!
This is what is in the kit!
So! What is this kit exactly? It is a mix and march of the E-100 kit, the 128mm Flak and radar set (without the radar) and a new sprue for the shield and mount. Also included is some etch generic decals (I’ll be replacing those with Archer Dry Transfers) and a metal barrel which replaces one of the 3 barrels included in the kit… plenty choice. There are also some ammo examples too.
I will be replacing the kit tracks with the much beefier (and heavier) Friul E-100 set and the only thing that really bothers me is getting the suspension springs off the sprues in 1 piece… I’ve had issues with this before which led to me scrapping a couple of Amusing hobby builds :x
The plastic is sharp and well detailed and I see no flash at all - but there again I wasn’t looking for it. There is some nice rolls steel texturing on the front upper glacis and this will look good under paint. My choice for this build is a 3 tone European camo job with authentic colours from Vallejo and MRP using RAL 6003 as the base coat. I may, at a later date, build another with a '46 Afrika Korps camo scheme!
I do like the Amusing Hobby kits as they are not really technically demanding and build up nicely with some great and nice sharp detailing and with a careful colour accurate paint job look the part and provide some building fun where accuracy for the concept tanks is not an issue as it is with the current Panther and Tiger kits. They are not overpriced and a nice bit of step away fun and look good in the cabinet!
On with the build!
