1/600 Scale WW2 German Army Pz. Kpfw. VIII Maus Heavy Tank.
Contains 10 highly detailed tanks.
Contains:- 10x Pz. Kpfw. VIII Maus Heavy Tanks
Pz. Kpfw. VIII Maus Heavy Tank
Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus ("Mouse") was a
German World War II super-heavy tank completed in late 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed
armoured fighting vehicle ever built. Five were ordered, but only two hulls and one turret were completed before the testing grounds were captured by the advancing Soviet forces.
These two prototypes – one with, and the other without a turret – underwent trials in late 1944. The complete vehicle was 10.2 metres (33 ft 6 in) long, 3.71 metres (12 ft 2 in) wide and 3.63 metres (11.9 ft) high. Weighing 188
metric tons, the Maus's main armament was the
Krupp-designed 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun, based on the
12.8 cm Pak 44 anti-tank field artillery piece also used in the
casemate-type
Jagdtiger tank destroyer, with a coaxial 75 mm KwK 44 L/36.5 gun. The 128 mm gun was powerful enough to destroy all
Allied armoured fighting vehicles then in service, some at ranges exceeding 3,500 metres (2.2 mi).
The principal problem in the design of the
Maus was developing an engine and drivetrain which was powerful enough to propel the tank, yet small enough to fit inside it — as it was meant to use the same sort of "hybrid drive", using an internal-combustion engine to operate an
electric generator to power its tracks with electric motor units, much as its
Ferdinand Porsche-designed predecessors, the
VK 3001 (P),
VK 4501 (P), and
Elefant had. The drive train was electrical, designed to provide a maximum speed of 20 kilometres per hour (12 mph) and a minimum speed of 1.5 kilometres per hour (0.93 mph). However, during actual field testing, the maximum speed achieved on hard surfaces was 13 kilometres per hour (8.1 mph) with full motor field, and by weakening the motor field to a minimum, a top speed of 22 kilometres per hour (14 mph) was achieved. The vehicle's weight made it unable to utilize most bridges, instead it was intended to
ford to a depth of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) or submerge up to a depth of 8 metres (26 ft 3 in) and use a
snorkel to cross rivers.
The Maus was intended to punch holes through enemy defences in the manner of an immense "breakthrough tank", whilst taking almost no damage to any components.
Cleaning Information
Some part cleanup will be necessary. The 3D printing process uses a waxy substance to support certain part features during the printing process. Although the parts are cleaned by Shapeways, some waxy residue may remain. It can be safely removed with water and a mild aqueous detergent like "Simple Green" using an old, soft toothbrush, Q-tips or pipe cleaners. During the printing process, liquid resin is cured by ultraviolet light. Microscopic bits of resin may remain uncured.
Let your parts sit in direct sunlight for a few hours to fully cure the resin.
Water-based acrylic paints meant for plastics is strongly recommended. Other paints, especially enamels, may not cure on Frosted Detail 3D-printed plastics.
Use dedicated model sprue cutters to remove parts to minimise the risk of damage to parts.
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