Build Review - 1/35 Takom Hetzer (Late Production)

[@mandeladoak7811]

“If shit gets fucked up, you’re fucked” We speak the same language matt. Awesome review. I’m not at ALL familiar with Hetzers, or any not-tiger/panzer German stuff. I wouldn’t be able to pick one out of a 5 tank line up before. But I share your appreciation for underdogs and necessity driving design. So that was cool to learn.

[@brianhurley6289]

Nice to see you do an armour kit!!!! Fair dues to you, me oul sausage!

[@xenophonBC]

Scale modeling is a beautiful hobby. Aircraft, tanks and cars. Different finishes to each.

[@davidstone-haigh4880]

Top review/build. Convinced me to pick one up.

[@daveybyrden3936]

Takom made a mistake with the left inside sponson. The tank's not supposed to have a radio there - and the radio comprises four devices, so that's almost the whole contents of the sponson. The tank's intercom is also missing some parts, and the fuse box is in the wrong place. I've been told that some of the internal parts are from the G13 but I'm not qualified to confirm that. It seems that Takom referred to a badly restored vehicle instead of researching the original.

[@willfont1143]

Does the kit allow the upper casemate to be removed from the lower hull so as to reveal a painted interior? I built a Dragon Hetzer decades ago and am considering adding this kit to my collection. I'm amazed how many variants were built on the chassis of the Czech 38T. I've built several Dragon Marders and am now building their artillery Geschutzwagen 38H s.IG 33. Its on the back burner for now as a break was needed to recover my mojo after navigating this kit's instructions sheet. Thanks for the review.

[@DoogsModels]

Removing the whole upper casemate could be problematic in that you have a few things (exhaust) that pass through. And at least as I built mine, the fit onto the sponsons wasn't the kind that you could pull off without adhesive. Takom does provide a clear version of the very upper portion, which I guess could display everything beneath. But that's not my style at all.

[@johncrome2698]

Hi there, thanks for the interesting appraisal of this build and kit. I find myself asking the question which, (in my opinion) is important, did I find this enjoyable?. It seems that when the whole excersize becomes a chore, why do we carry on trying to make a "silk purse" as the saying go's. I really appreciate your patience and many thanks for this post, your views are rewarding.

[@jean-francoistremblay143]

I agree that having a gap on a close panel may look annoying. But it is not necessarily unrealistic. These were not airtight and were built as quickly as possible. There are many accounts of water dripping in the hull when it's raining.

[@modeltankguy]

awqesome review doogs i feel takom is slipping now just pumping out as many as they can nice work keep them coming

[@ZinzanModelling]

Dear Mr Doog, Naked build you say? I trust that, in your state of undress, you do not spill glue on areas which might not benefit from being so anointed. That being said, the finished product looks nice at arm’s length which of course is the distance at which it will be viewed! Entertaining video! Regards, Z

[@allanrichards3752]

I find these full interior kits are a bit of a waste if you just want to build the vehicle as per the "normal" armour builds. I built the RFM Jagdpanther and the E8 Sherman. On the Jagdpanther I cut all the side panels away like it had been sectioned for a museum display and glued all the hatches open I also put holes in the roof and Glacis plate to expose as much of the interior as possible. I found the Sherman with the turret much more difficult to do and ended up mounting the hull top and turret on struts to lift them however I think its not as clean a display model doing it this way. The Hetzer with its large flat sides should lend itself well to a bit of sectioning.

[@henryschmitt7577]

Matt, you need too do a review of the 1/35 CH-54 👍😁

[@jandersuf1]

Great review- (1) it’s too bad it’s a hybrid of BMM / Skoda details, but with enough nerding out and asking Tracy Hancock you can fix the minor details if desired (2) I’m with you, im not into interior details unless you can see them. I have the same boxing and am considering external only or just the engine with the engine hatches open. (3) for aftermarket tracks I can also vouch for ET Models. I’m hoping someone makes winterketten hetzer tracks soon 😊

[@johndillon8051]

I build a fair amount of armor and never buy an interior kit. I've never understood why you would spend a significant amout of time on something that won't be seen. I generally feel the same way about aircraft engines.

[@HenrikFredriksson-oi4lz]

Thx for being honest👍😆

[@Atomtravels]

Never understand the idea behind interiors in tanks that close up. It's like, well, just silly. Great review though 👏

[@DoogsModels]

I mean it's nice that it's an option. And on this the engine, at least, is pretty cool. ?I could see popping a hatch or two open back there. Other than that, though, yeah I don't get the interior thing either. Unless we're talking APCs, truck cabs, open-top AFVs like the M10 or M18. Things where the interior can actually be seen.

[@tomhutchins7495]

I don’t get the current fetish for full interior armour kits. Are you supposed to build them as a museum cutaway or what?

[@DoogsModels]

I can get it for APCs or open-top AFVs like the M10. But a mostly closed/covered thing? Baffles.

[@BiohazardDingleberry]

I feel like takoms instructions are pretty sub par. The kits are usually good but there is always a few parts that I have to figure out where the hell they go because of the shoddy instructions.

[@Andy.Gledhill.Models.]

A very entertaining build review mate. Sorry to say that Takom instructions are always pretty bad. Like you said, you will see very vague placement of some parts. Plus I bet the instructions did not tell you what colours to paint any of the interior parts. I found that out with the Das Werk 1/16 Stug kit. Its basically a Takom kit, but in Das Werk flavour. I had to download the instructions to a 1/35 Mini Art Stug kit to find out what colours to paint all the interior parts.

[@DoogsModels]

Oh there's a color CAD render at the end that has the colors. No callouts, but...better than nothing? But yeah. Takom's instructions...eeeh.

[@raytheron]

Seems over-engineered. And why pay for all the interior bits when one can't see them? Oh, I know people say that they enjoy doing the interiors even when they can't be seen, but it makes no sense to me. Rather offer me a kit with the exterior only at a lower price.

[@DoogsModels]

Same boat. But the kit's not overly $$$ as is. I'm curious if the upcoming G13 will be an interior kit or not - nothing on the box says full interior, so...who knows?

[@LazyKalor]

@@DoogsModels Different gun, radio, engine and crew layout, less popular topic; it could be same as with M114 where only one was released with interior.

[@egyeneskifli7808]

So many kit fucked up by the manufacturer by the full interior. Skyrocketing price for nothing. I won't buy any of this kits thanks to this problem.

[@grzegorz2688]

Well...after building several takom kits I came to conclusion to avoid this brand in future. The simple reason I am fed up with takom is poor instruction, assembly manuals they provide with kits. Apart from mistakes in the instructions, information you get is sometime insufficient or misleading. I wish takom spend some time to prepare decent kit instructions. For example I really appreciate aproach of Eduard or Copper State Models as kit producers as they take kit manuals subject very seriously.. The hetzer is still waiting on my shelf to be build, labelled "no more future purchase of takom products". I count that competitors sooner or later will give some better alternatives and Takom maybe learn the lesson.

[@Wrath_of_Dog]

Would you mind watching your language? iBonez Models might have his kid on his knee while watching this. Oh wait, never mind.

[@keithscott1255]

"When grandad's building the tracks on his tank, he will use some bad words..."

[@parker1ray]

Why do you need to add swearing to the video? Kids might be watching this!

[@DoogsModels]

It's already marked not for kids, and as a father to three myself, if they're introduced to expletives through a modeling video on KZbin they're already extremely sheltered and probably fucked up.

[@christinahaddrell2110]

Good review, BUT maybe tone down the F bombs. If I leave a comment with the f word you tube cautions or suspends you. Just brake on it.

[@DoogsModels]

No

[@MX5Fanatic]

I have been a subscriber of this channel for quite sometime and mostly have just overlooked all the profanity but there are so many modeling channels out there that seem to manage without it. So I think I am just going to move along.