Carrera Revell Raketenjagdpanzer Jaguar 1 (03353) 1:35

[Mike]

Raketenjagdpanzer Jaguar 1 (03353)

1:35 Carrera Revell

 

 

Following WWII, the re-formed Bundeswehr were looking for a new tank destroyer that could utilise the recently developed guided missile systems that could be used to defeat heavily-armoured opponents from the relative safety of distance.  They used the Schützenpanzer Lang HS.30 chassis as the base for the project, and chose the French designed SS.11 Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) for offensive armament, which was itself a development of an earlier missile, but with more modern electronics that gave it improved reliability.  The vehicle could carry ten missiles that were deployed via two launchers, with one deployed at a time, while the other was being loaded/reloaded, protecting the crew from incoming small-calibre rounds and shrapnel.  In essence, the project was truly international as the engine was a Rolls-Royce B81 that also saw service in the British Saladin armoured car amongst others, and this gave it a surprisingly good turn of speed, achieving a top speed of a little over 30mph on made-up roads, while the tracks gave it capability to plough through the roughest of terrain off-road.

 

It entered service in the early 60s, but with fewer than a hundred examples manufactured, it was a relatively rare sight, even in Germany.  Its low side profile when the missile launchers were retracted also gave it an advantage during combat, with no bulky turret with crew inside to aim at.  A crew of four operated the vehicle and fired the missiles, the “gunner” having a sight that was required to guide the missile by eye, sending command inputs via an ultra-fine but tough wire that transmitted the instructions, the operator assisted by a flare built into the rear of the missile that could be seen in most cases.  After launch, the missile initially had to be guided into the gunner’s field of view before it could be adequately controlled to its destination, which meant that it was far less effective at short ranges, particularly when firing at targets outside of its launch direction.  Its length of service was relatively short, being replaced by the aptly-named Raketenjagdpanzer 2, which shared design features with the Marder that was being developed concurrently.  Almost four hundred of these were manufactured, and they served until the early 80s, going through an upgrade in the late 70s that saw them refitted with more modern Euromissile HOT missiles, where the type picked up the Jaguar 1 suffix.  This update was applied to the remaining stocks of just over 300 vehicles, which also benefitted from upgraded armour and systems to match the new weapons, plus an increase in top speed from a new diesel engine, further improving the optics with thermal vision in the 90s with the new designation Jaguar 1A3.  The HOT missile was a better weapon with a lower workload for the gunner, being semi-autonomous once launched, using vectored thrust to manoeuvre, whilst retaining the wire-guided aspect of its forebear.  The gunner was simply required to keep his sight on the target for the duration of flight, which was dictated by the length of wire on the spool, improving the range of the weapon, and shortening flight-time with a more powerful engine.  The last of the Jaguar 1s were withdrawn in 2005, as the need for them had disappeared with the march of technology, so it was not replaced by a similar type.

 

 

The Kit

The origin of this kit dates to 2009, following which it has been re-released twice, including this boxing.  It also shares some parts with the similar but different Kanonenjagdpanzer (KaJaPa), which bears a family resemblance to the Hetzer or a late StuG.  The kit arrives in an end-opening box with a painting of the subject matter on the front, and inside are five sprues in grey styrene, two sprues of flexible black material, a length of steel wire (not pictured) that is taped to the instruction booklet, which is printed in black and white, and has a safety leaflet and the decals secreted between the pages.  Detail is good for the time, and as it is an exterior kit, there is nothing inside, with two-part flexible “rubber band” tracks that appeal to some and not to others.  There is a little flash on the sprues, but as it attaches mainly to the runners themselves, it shouldn’t cause any delay in the preparation of parts for assembly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction begins with the road wheels, which are built in pairs that are secured to their swing-arms by a separate cap, making five handed pairs per side, and if you are careful with the glue, the wheels should remain mobile on their axles.  The idler wheels are perforated, but otherwise built in the same manner, while the drive sprockets are assembled from two toothed outer halves, with a spoked centre part, and a short axle through the middle that is keyed for firm location.  There are also six paired return rollers that are attached to their axles by caps, fitting the whole set of running gear into place on each side, ensuring that the swing-arms are correctly oriented.  The tracks are each made from two lengths of flexible black material, joining them by melting and then flaring the pegs with a hot screwdriver or similar implement, remembering not to burn yourself in the process.  Closing the track runs around the drive-train involves a hot screwdriver again, then attention shifts to making the upper hull.

 

The hull roof and glacis plate comprise two parts that link together with strong turreted connectors, adding the sides with integrated side-skirts that fix on pairs of pegs that interlock with singles, and fitting a pair of mudguards at each end of the vehicle.  The bow machine gun is made from a cup that accepts the barrel stub, which is held in place by a backplate, being careful with the glue if you’d like to be able to move the barrel later, inserting it into the glacis from within.  The rear bulkhead is detailed with a rack that holds two track links, rear lights, convoy shield, towing hitch, and a number plate that fits on two raised lugs that hold it vertically.  The upper hull then drops over the lower and locates on three turrets each side, adding more small parts to the upper portion of the rear bulkhead, then mounting stowage boxes, an infantry telephone, and a rack that contains two Jerry cans with separate handles, plus more lights and pioneer tools.  The engine deck has a mushroom vent and two louvred panels mounted on the right side, adding more tools and bases for smoke grenade launchers in the centre, with eight separate barrels fitted into recesses.  The roof of the crew compartment has a commander’s cupola and hatch inserted inside a moulded-in ring of styrene vision blocks, plus two small aerial bases and a short cylindrical upstand behind the hatch, making an MG3 with mount from three parts to fit in the left side of the hatch surround.  Two 75mm lengths of wire are inserted into the aerial bases after heating in a flame, although you may also consider drilling holes in the bases and gluing the wire in with super glue (CA) to avoid any burns, or the parts wandering off-course due to the viscous nature of the plastic when molten.  The visible HOT missile tube is built from two halves, fitting it in the deck with a two-part hatch, but if you intend to build the model “clean” with the tube stowed away, a separate closed hatch is also included.  Two more crew hatches are installed in the front of the roof, along with three vision blocks with armoured shrouds in front, plus the sighting box fixed in between.  You have a choice of two styles of sight, one with a large CRT TV-style box with a door and turntable that is made from five parts, or a smaller cylindrical installation that is just four parts, including a horseshoe bullet splash deflector around the front, fitting your choice on the two holes in the roof.

 

More detail parts are next, including wing mirrors, light clusters and cages around the glacis, plus a choice of two styles of towel-rail rack and headlamps lower down, followed by more pioneer tools on the sides of the engine deck and track grouser racks in long fittings to finish the build phase.

 

 

Markings

There are three decal options to choose from on the sheet, and they include two NATO camouflage options in green, brown and black, or a desert variant in sand, but as the profiles are in black and white, you’ll have to use your imagination.  From the box you can build one of the following:

 

• Jaguar 1 A0A3 – Bundeswehr Panzerjägerkompanie 360, IV Zug., Kühlsheim, 1995 – NATO Camo
• Jaguar 1 A0A1/A2 – Bundeswehr, Panzerjägerkompanie 80, Lüneburg, 1983 – Desert Camo
• Jaguar 1 A0 – Österreichisches Bundesheer, Panzerabwehrbataillon 1, 1996 – NATO Camo

 

 

The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas.  This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film.  It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain.

 

 

Conclusion

The Hetzer/StuG heritage of the type shows through in the low profile of this Cold War warrior, and while it isn’t the most modern tooling of the type, it ticks most of the boxes, and with a little care and skill should build into a creditable replica of this surprisingly long-lasting vehicle.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

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