BRITANNIA MINIATURES NASHORN

This is a wargaming quality resin and metal model of the Nashorn, and I decided to complete it as a wargaming kit, i.e. out-of-the-box with little modification. As such, the four piece kit (track, track, hull, gun) assembles quickly. The resin hull comes with some interior detail and a lot of stowage (spare tracks and wheels, tow chain, tarps, crates); tools, headlights and gun cradle are also molded as part of the hull. It is cast cleanly with only a few small air bubbles. The only finishing work was sanding a small resin residue block off the bottom. The metal tracks needed some flash cleanup, and are right/left interchangeable, that is there is no difference in the inside vs. outside detail. The main gun itself is also metal.

While the fellow who sent the kit said it was 1/76, and his website describes the line of kits as 20mm (which is actually closer to 1/87), the kit demensions are like the ESCI Hummel, which I assume is 1/72. So it might be more correct to list the kit as 1/72. I also noticed that their catalog lists the kits as "20mm 1/72", maybe they actually mix their scales?

As a gaming piece this is a perfectly fine model. Modelers collecting display pieces will want to correct some inaccuracies: the main gun seems too short and possibly too thick (it somewhat resembles the gun on the Hummel prototype). The tracks appear to be a universal Pzkw IV set; for the Nashorn, the spacing between the road wheels and the idler should be larger, and the drive sprocket should be a Pzkw III part (I attached my tracks with a minimal amount of glue, so that I can remove them easily should I ever have the spare parts needed to attach accurate tracks). There is no suspension detail on the hull itself.

The gun lays securely but loosely within the cradle; if you want the gun in an elevated position, you will have to glue it in place or come up with some modification to make the gun raise and lower and stay in place in different elevations (in one picture a crew member is assisting; the crew were not included, but came from my spares box). As the cradle and shield are molded into the hull, you cannot get the gun to traverse. There is plenty of room in the fighting compartment for the crew and for extra details that interior scratchbuilding enthusiasts may want to add.

Again, a nice solid piece for wargamers who want to add combat-ready ordnance to their armies without a lot of assembling necessary. Dioramists will want to work on the accuracy. I finished mine in an amateurish winter finish, hand applied by the crew (with brushes or mops) on the hull, covering the summer panzergelb color. Decals were obtained from the spares box; instructions were not included in the bagged kit (not needed for assembly, but I always like to see specs, history, and painting suggestions).

Anyway, this is one of the Nashorns on the market, and was donated by the folks at Combined Arms, Inc (US distributors of Britannia Miniatures). US Casts, Milicast, and Crusader Models also make one, and there are probably other companies that I don't recall. Hopefully, other manufacturers will follow the lead and donate Hummel and Nashorn kits for review here at "On the Way" (hint hint :-)

- Pat Storto

(1/76 & 1/72 AFV Museum)