<armor> Book: "German Super Heavy Tank Maus" by MODEL ART
Michael Smith
MODEL ART Special #482: German Super Heavy Tank MAUS
Credited Authors: A. Sergeev, I. Geltov, M&I Pavlov. Co-ordinated by
Hirohisa Takada.
Pages: 112, large-format softcover
Black & White line drawings: 43 (including 2 fold-outs)
Black & White photos: 87
Color photos: 61
Text: Most history and all model-building info in Japanese only. 9 pages
of history/technical data in poor English.
Models/Dioramas by: Takuji Yamada (Maus V1 dio, Maus V1/V2 conversion)
Hideki Shimawaki (Maus V2 dio)
Price: 2600 yen, about $30 US
Armor nuts know the story of Germany's 160-ton armored "Maus" (Mouse).
Designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche at the instigation of Adolf Hitler, the
Maus was meant to be the biggest tank on the battlefield. In the end, the
project contributed more to the Allied war effort than the German. Some of
the Reich's best engineers occupied themselves making the complex diesel
electric drive actually work (in one of his books, Walter Spielberger calls
electric drive "Porsche's hobby-horse"). German factories with better things
to do in 1944 were similarly occupied building Maus subassemblies; among
them were Krupp, Daimler-Benz, the Czech Skoda works, and ZFF (for trivia
fans, the old Zeppelin plant, "Zahnrad Fabrik Friedrichsafen"; nowadays they
build ZF car transmissions).
Germany eventually got 2 of these monsters built, which probably consumed
the resources of several battalions worth of Panthers or Tiger II's. One
unarmed chassis (V1) was fitted with a dummy concrete turret for testing.
The other tank was completed and designated V2. It carried the production
turret with 128-mm and 75-mm guns mounted coaxially. Both prototypes were
undergoing tests at Kummersdorf proving grounds when Nazi Germany collapsed
in 1945. According to Maus legend, V2 actually got into combat against the
Red Army, near the underground command complex at Zossen (14 miles from
Kummersdorf). V2 was found there, blown up by the Germans to keep it out of
Russian hands. The hull of V2 was completely destroyed but the turret was
largely intact. A Red Army technical team removed the dummy concrete turret
from V1 and mounted the V2 turret on the V1 chassis. The ersatz Maus was
then taken by rail to Russia, where it can still be seen in the Kubinka
armor museum.
This new MODEL ART book is a must-have for fans of oddball Nazi armor; I
bought it on sight. The MODEL ART wizards have done their usual bang-up job
with the graphics, and the gorgeous models and dioramas will cause everyone
to cast a second glance at the DML Maus hogging all that space on the
"unbuilt" shelf.
Unfortunately and also as usual, the most important text is in Japanese
only. These are expensive books, but I'd gladly pay a few more bucks for a
complete and competent English translation. "Maus" has 9 pages of semi
English text which is even worse than usual; I suspect, though I don't know
for sure, that this was translated from Russian to Japanese and then to
English. Sample: "The more heavy tanks that were created in fantasy of
Hitler who suffered of giant-mania could not appear..."
But those pictures! The real vehicle is covered exhaustively. Line
drawings and photos, including many original factory items, contain such
details as schematics for the electric drive and the different engines
fitted to the Maus (Mis? Mauses...?). Many of the photographs were shot by
the Red Army, showing the two tanks as they were found in 1945.
All the important line drawings, like the dummy concrete turret, are
rendered in 1/35 scale. This will make scratch-building a little easier,
since we don't have to fiddle with Xerox conversion factors. Should you
want to do something _really_ different, one 1/35 fold-out shows the
wading/submersion gear fitted to a Maus.
The models and dioramas are the usual perfection (how do they DO that?).
Takuji Yamada's dio shows the concrete-turreted V1 being inspected by a
Soviet technical team. German POWs in a ZIS-5 truck are assisting.
The other masterpiece won a well-deserved Gold Medal for Hideki Shimawaki at
Euro-Militaire 1996. Working from the Red Army photos, Shimawaki built the
destroyed V2. This meant he had to scratch-build most of the interior,
including the complicated electrical transmission and final drive units.
Simply amazing. For those who want to try something similar, Verlinden
makes a Maus engine set in resin. You'll still have to build your own
transmission, though.
All in all, the book is well worth the price. If MODEL ART would only do
something about that text...
Stephen
Hi all,
Does anyone know if any of the etched sets for the Tiger (eg.
Eduard) include straps and clamps for the exernal tools? I am planning to
have a model showing the tools removed and the brackets empty, so does
anyone have any ideas? Also does anyone know if the turret bearing ring was
attached to the hull or turret when the turret was removed for maintenance?
Thanks in advance.
-Stephen
--
Stephen Pearson rpea...@argonet.co.uk
Kent, England
"Oy! Come here! You've got my tankard!!" -Poldark on Mopeds
General Glue rule: If it don't stink, it don't work.
Web site under preparation.
bruce burden
Stephen (rpea...@argonet.co.uk) wrote:
: Hi all,
: Does anyone know if any of the etched sets for the Tiger (eg.
: Eduard) include straps and clamps for the exernal tools? I am planning to
I think you will be better off making the over-center
clasps out of fine brass rod (pounded flat) or lead strip.
The reason I say this is all of the clasps are way too big
for the tool. I think this is an artifact of the oversized
tools of years past.
The Show Modelling "small" too clasps are about right
for many tools, but still too big for things like starting
crank and pry bars.
:
: anyone have any ideas? Also does anyone know if the turret bearing ring was
: attached to the hull or turret when the turret was removed for maintenance?
:
Check "Tiger I and Sturmtiger in Detail", as there are
a handful of photos of the Fries 15 ton gantry in operation.
My impression is that the upper hull is simply the race for
the bearings.
Bruce
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Burden bru...@eden.com Austin, Tx.
"I like bad!"
-Thuganlitha
The Power and the Prophet
Doug Halke
In article <na.7b0bfd475e....@argonet.co.uk>, Stephen <rpea...@argonet.co.uk> says:
>
>Hi all,
> Does anyone know if any of the etched sets for the Tiger (eg.
>Eduard) include straps and clamps for the exernal tools? I am planning to
>attached to the hull or turret when the turret was removed for maintenance?
>-Stephen
Stephen,
Looks like straps & clamps are included. We have an image out on our web site:
http://www2.stratos.net/modelworks/images/edu35131.jpg
It's not a big image, but it may give you a better idea of what's included.
Cheers,
Doug
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doug Halke <model...@stratos.net>
Owner/Operator of North Coast Modelworks
http://www2.stratos.net/modelworks/ncoast.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know much about art, but I know what I like!"
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Mark Bivens
Doug Halke (hal...@cesmtp.ccf.org) wrote:
: In article <na.7b0bfd475e....@argonet.co.uk>, Stephen <rpea...@argonet.co.uk> says:
: >
: >Hi all,
: > Does anyone know if any of the etched sets for the Tiger (eg.
: >Eduard) include straps and clamps for the exernal tools? I am planning to
: >have a model showing the tools removed and the brackets empty, so does
: >anyone have any ideas? Also does anyone know if the turret bearing ring was
: >attached to the hull or turret when the turret was removed for maintenance?
: >Thanks in advance.
I have an Eduard set just waiting to go onto the TAMIYA Tiger 1 late. It
does have the brackets etc for the tools, along with a great deal of other
things (thinks... must buy industrial quantities of cyano...). It's up to
Eduard's usual standard of production.
Off the top of my head, but based on the 3or 4 books I've looked at
recently, the bearing ring is part of the hull. The turret more or less
just sits on top of it. This is reasonably apparent in the Schiffer book
wwhich shows one in a field workshop and in the oft-printed one which
shows Wittmann's '007' after it was brewed up.
Regards all;
Mark
--
"Here's forty shillings on the drum for those who'll volunteer to come
To 'list and fight the foe today - Over the hills and far away."
Mark Bivens: Psychologist, Modeller, and (all) round nice guy.