German Nashorn Heavy Tank Destroyer

I enjoyed building this and I don't really know why. It's another good model by Tamiya and as mentioned by others has a good bit of detail. But (I always have a but) there were a few things I had trouble with. I have problems cutting thin rod type parts from the sprue (1st pic). Usually I snap them in half, I think I found a solution to this, mentioned in the photos. Also the figures don't really fit in the fighting compartment. I have seen in other reviews that most figures are not really scaled to 1/35 and I can believe this now. The gunner would have to be thin as a pin to squeeze into the space provided. If he is positioned in the tank then the gun barrel cannot be turned to the right only the left. If you leave him out so the gun can move left and right watch out for the seat he sits in. Before gluing him in I moved the gun back and forth and the seat got hung up and snapped when I tried to center the gun. Fixed that by gluing the seat to the gunner and the gunner to the gun. And finally the last thing is in step 32. It says to use two poly caps when making the two equilibrators. I followed that and the metal rods were so tight that when I tried to raise the gun when done both equilibrators snapped off from where they where glued at the top. On the next Nashorn I will try without them or maybe just use one. This was a fun build in spite of the minor problems and would recommend this model. Was also surprised by its size. I thought it would be large like a panther or kingtiger but check out last pic and you'll see its a little shorter and slimmer. Being the largest anti-tank gun out there thought it would be bigger.

I had been looking at this model for some time but was hesitant because of the price. It is a great model and top notch quality. The price I think is a little high but worth it.

The Nashorn has the best detail ever. I enjoyed the open fighting compartment, which show's all the detail of the gun, crew and ammo. PRO'S: Tamiya's attention to detail is excellent in this kit. Everything fit perfect. This kit is for experienced builders only. The instruction book is big and leads you in the correct direction. Your build leads you in two directions. First the hull and fighting compartment. Then you assembly the gun separate and add it near the end. It feels like you are building a real tank going down a assembly line. Here is a list of highlight's: poly cap road wheels, metal shafts used in the gun, single piece molded gun barrel, shell racks open or closed, two types of shells and empty shells also, four crew members in fighting positions, winter or camouflage gear on the crew, extra background information book with three painting details. The only thing you might want to add is linked tracks. CON'S None. I look forward to building one of Tamiya other open compartment tank destroyer's. I enjoyed seeing all the detail of the gun and fighting compartment. Have fun.