Trumpeter 1/35 Geschutzwagen Tiger for 17cm K72 Gun Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

[From the fact sheet:] "The Germans often used parts from older armor to convert into more modern fighting machines later during WWII. In 1942, the German firm Krupp received orders to design a vehicle using Tiger II components, which was to be part of the Grille series. It was to be able to mount an enormous 170mm K70 L/50 gun - Grille 17. In 1943/44, Krupp started production of the prototype, while full-scale production was to start in mid-1945, but the end of the war cancelled any further development.

Grille 17 had its armament mounted on the rail platform inside the hull allowing it to be dismounted at any time and used independent of the actual tank itself. It was also armed with two 7.92mm machine guns, and would be operated by crew of eight (driver, commander, gunner, radio operator, and four loaders). One prototype with 170mm gun was almost completed in May of 1945 and was captured by British troops at the end of the war, making this a rare find among military collections."

Stevens International sent the Cybermodeler Labs a preview set of sprues for the upcoming Geschutzwagen Tiger für 17cm K72, which loosely translated as self-propelled gun mount based on the Tiger series chassis for a BIG HONKING GUN! Note that Krupp may have used components from the Tiger II parts catalog, the chassis is definitely NOT Tiger II. If you count the axles, the engineers clearly added more suspension arms/axles/wheels to offset the sheer weight of that big honking gun.

The kit is molded in standard Trumpeter light gray styrene and is presented on 14 sprue trees (some duplicate trees not shown), the lower hull, a set of vinyl tracks, and a fret of photo-etch. As this is a pre-production shot, we don't have the box, instructions, decals, nor photo-etch to show you. Even so, you've got to look at this kit and say "wow" (at least I do).

This is actually two kits in the same box. One is the armored gun transporter, the other is the K72 gun itself. The kit is engineered to mount the gun in the chassis or display them separately. From the looks of the recoil pads mounted to the rear of the hull, the gun could be fired while mounted in the chassis, or dismounted which would free up the vehicle to fetch more rounds for that 170mm gun.

Among the features in this kit:

• K72 can be displayed mounted in chassis or dismounted
• Fully detailed engine compartment as well as transmission
• Radio and other crew station details
• Measures nearly 14" long when completed

While this will still be a kit oriented for the experienced modeler, this looks to be an AMS modeler's dream straight from the box. This is definitely a subject that will stand out on your shelf as well as the contest table as this is definitely not another Tiger, Panther, or Sherman kit.

My sincere thanks to Stevens International for this preview sample!