Tamiya 35035 - 1:35 PAK 35/36 antitank 3.7cm Gun

Plastic model kit of the German 3.7 cm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun in 1:35 scale

The PaK 35/36 was the gun with which the Wehrmacht entered the Second World War - light, mobile and easy to conceal, served by a small crew. Tamiya 35035 reproduces it in 1:35 scale together with a four-man crew, ammunition and ammunition boxes.

The kit comes from a 1974 mould. The instructions allow the gun to be built with the standard barrel or with the late barrel adapted to fire the Stielgranate 41 muzzle-loaded shaped charge round. The shield can be built with its flap folded, and the trails can be closed for travelling or spread for firing. The barrel elevates and traverses once assembled. No limber or tractor is included in the kit.

What is in the box:

• Plastic parts for the gun, carriage and shield
• Choice of barrel: standard or late type for the Stielgranate 41
• Gun shield with optional folded flap
• 4 crew figures
• Ammunition and ammunition boxes
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:35
• Item number: 35035
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Skill level: beginner

Please note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. This is a kit for self-assembly.

Building the model:

A modest part count and good fit mean the kit can be built in a single evening, making it a good starting point or an addition to a diorama. It is worth deciding on the barrel before you start, as the two versions use different parts. Dry fitting the trails helps before committing to the travelling or firing position.

German grey (e.g. Tamiya XF-63 German Grey) suits guns of the early war years, while later examples also appeared in dark yellow (e.g. Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow). The crew figures are best painted separately, and a matt varnish makes a fitting final coat. A wash will bring out the riveted shield and the carriage detail.

Tools you will need:

• Modelling side cutters for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sanding paper for cleaning up gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Brushes in various sizes, including fine ones for the figures
• Model paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Wash to bring out details and recesses
• Optional: pigments for dust and mud effects

About the gun - 3.7 cm PaK 35/36:

The 37 mm anti-tank gun was developed by Rheinmetall around the turn of the 1920s and 1930s. Light, low and easy for its crew to manhandle, it became the standard weapon of the German anti-tank battalions and the model for similar guns in many armies.

In Poland in 1939 and in France in 1940 the PaK 35/36 dealt with most of the tanks it met. That changed on the Eastern Front, where it proved powerless against the armour of the T-34 and KV tanks; the troops gave it the ironic nickname Heeresanklopfgerät, the army door-knocking device.

One attempt to extend its usefulness was the Stielgranate 41, a shaped charge round slipped over the muzzle and fired by a blank cartridge. It could penetrate thick armour but had a very short effective range, which meant letting the tank come dangerously close. Even so, the gun stayed in service until the end of the war, notably with paratroop and second line units.

Original specifications (3.7 cm PaK 35/36):

• Calibre: 37 mm
• Barrel length: approx. 1.67 m (L/45)
• Weight in firing position: approx. 327 kg
• Crew: approx. 5
• Muzzle velocity: approx. 760 m/s (armour-piercing round)
• Special ammunition: Stielgranate 41 muzzle-loaded shaped charge
• Effective anti-tank range: a few hundred metres
• Production: from 1936, over ten thousand guns

About the manufacturer - Tamiya:

Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 in Shizuoka, a city regarded as the heart of the Japanese model industry. It began as a timber business and released its first plastic model kit in 1960. Two years later came the 1:35 scale tank that established this scale as the worldwide standard for military modelling. The brand is known for precise injection moulds, well thought out kit engineering and excellent parts fit, which is why its kits are chosen by beginners and experienced modellers alike. The Military Miniature Series, to which this kit belongs, runs to hundreds of items covering vehicles, guns and figures from the Second World War and the modern era. Alongside kits, Tamiya offers a full range of modelling accessories: paints, glues, tools and brushes. The company is present in dozens of countries and remains one of the most recognisable names in the hobby.