In general we only review figures on this site, but this set is part of the Odemars range, and at least it makes a change from discussing uniforms.

The PaK 40 was developed by Rheinmetall-Borsig to provide the German army with a more powerful anti-tank gun that would be effective against the new breed of heavily armoured Soviet tanks, including the T34. Production began at the end of 1941, and it proved very reliable and an excellent weapon.

With a chequered history in terms of quality from Odemars we were not expecting too much from this kit, but we were in for a surprise. The gun comes in nine pieces, and there are no instructions except one photograph on the header card. For those not familiar with this gun it takes a little working out to decide how it all fits together, but once that is done construction is not too difficult. We found that some holes needed enlarging slightly to allow pieces to fit properly, and the soft plastic of this kit makes the job more difficult than more traditional hard plastic kits, but it has been well designed and built, and does fit together well. For those that want it, the wheels rotate on their axle and the gun can swivel and elevate much like the real thing. Also the trail legs can be swung in and out for towing or firing.

The model certainly seems remarkably accurate, with the small number of pieces belying the large amount of detail achieved. Arguably soft plastic is not the best medium for this sort of piece, and the final model does have a slightly fragile feel to it. However it has been well engineered and makes a simple but impressive addition for those 1:72 scale German armies.