7.5CM PAK 40 L/46 BY TAMIYA

Rheinmetall-Borsig made the 7.5cm Pak 40 anti-tank gun which entered service in 1941 & fought on to war’s end.

It was the main weapon of German anti-tank units & found its way onto several self-propelled guns. It was essentially a scaled-up version of the Pak 38 with a straightened shield & a heavier carriage - but it was way more deadly.

The Pak 40 was an unwelcome surprise for many Allied tank crews. It weighed 3,306 pounds (1500kg) & fired the AP40 round at 3,060 feet per second (933m per second). It could penetrate 4.5 inches (115mm) of armour.

Tamiya’s kit (Ref: 35047) was first purchased from UK high street model shop Beatties (remember that?) many moons ago for just £5.99. Like many kits, it remained untouched in a stash for at least a decade until finally we decided it was time to use it as the centrepiece for an action-packed diorama project.

It’s not a highly-detailed kit like today’s more modern counterparts, but even when built stock from the box, it’s still pretty good. We knocked it together quickly & easily over a couple of days whilst on our summer holiday.

We decided this model build would be all about the paintjob & here’s how we did it:

- Tamiya White Liquid Surface Primer base for starters
- Lifecolor “Contrast & Desaturation” Panzer Grey set (Ref: MS02) for the main coat
- A layer of Vallejo Chipping Medium (Ref: 76.550) followed by Lifecolor Dunkelgelb (Ref: UA204) camouflage scheme
- Mig washes (Ref: P22) for shadows
- Vallejo Model Colour & Lifecolor Panzer Grey shades used for chipping (applied by sponge & fine brush)
- Lifecolor pigments for the mud
- AK interactive (Ref: AK016, AK017, AK023) mud spots applied by flicking
- Mig Productions Oil & Grease (Ref: P410) & Lifecolor Tensocrom Oil (Ref: TSC207)
- Shiny metal applied using an HB pencil & Lifecolor metallic pigments

That just about finished off our Pak 40 – now it’s time to make that diorama.