Why so many German WW II armor subjects?

Just why do kit manufacturers of armor models put out so many German WW II subjects? There's a lot more armor than some sub-variant of a Mark IV or Panther, and more soft- skinned vehicles than a Kubelwagen, so what's the deal? There's modern U.S., Israeli, Soviet/Russian, British, etc out there, and in a lot of cases you see that stuff used on the news, or see it on the History Channel or the Military Channel. What would it take to get more modern armor subjects available?

Reply to
Matt Wiser
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The rule of thumb is, like criminal cases, follow the money. Most of the kits come out of the Far East and the most popular subjects with at least Japanese modelers are WWII German ones.

Too often modelers cry for a specific subject and even if a good kit is released if non-German it may be a poor seller (we'll ignore the fact that kit could sell for 40 years and still be a good kit at the end of it) ergo the manufacturer gets "gunshy" of another in the same line. That's one reason British armor kits are far and few between, and it's only recently a large number of kits of Soviet and Russian subjects have come on the market.

World popularity and longetivity have absolutely zero to do with model sales and popularity, sorry to say.

Cookie Sewell

Reply to
AMPSOne

So what's the appeal of German armor over there? Germany being the other Axis partner who lost? Or is it something else? There should be ample contempoary armor for folks to be interested in.

Reply to
Matt Wiser

As it is now, you don't see a new British armor model unless it was sold to the Poles pre-war. I'm tired of seeing Nazi '46 stuff that never hit mockup stage in kit form while British early war armor-- which actually saw action--only comes in resin or 1/76.

Reply to
tomcervo

amen, bro.

Reply to
someone

The model companies appealing to one brand of customer (the WW II German buff) at the expense of everyone else? Strange. Wouldn't a good company want to appeal to a broad range of customers in varying locales with a wide assortment of subject material?

Reply to
Matt Wiser

It's similar to 1950s automobiles. There were many besides '57 Chevys but which one always gets made into a kit? Frankly they're making the car into a clichè.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

Which is why some fearsome-looking assault gun would be popped by the nine Shermans that were built while the Germans were making needless mods for needless specific uses: "flamethrower tank for anti-partisan urban warfare".

Reply to
tomcervo

Maybe it is the after-effects of all the Allied propaganda and hoopla :-) When every tank is a Tiger or Panther, and they are all impervious to one's own weapons, plus skulking in hedgerows, fighting unfairly and generally being a big PITA, it is no wonder that people are curious about these monsters despite with which the other side lost the war. Just like with the German Navy and IJN subjects, lack of survivors, plans and information makes them all the more appealing. Now of course there is a lot more exposure, the effect of which is to make it possible to build even more accurate renditions, but there is still a mystique and bias partly owing the the propaganda, and partly dare I say to the language barrier.

Reply to
Gernot Hassenpflug

I wonder how popular would be museum ships, like 'Prinz Eugen' and 'Nagato', today, had they not been fodder for the atom bomb tests at Bikini?

Reply to
willshak

and the 55-56, and not as much the 60-61's

Reply to
someone

Are you saying Geishas turn you off? I'm happy to take the ones you have off your hands, so to speak.

Reply to
Gernot Hassenpflug

Car modeling is chained to the 60s mindset which dictates that the only car worth kitting has to be performance oriented or styled. I'm still dreaming of the day when car models shake off the chains that bind them and step into the 21st Century. A first timid step may be to recognize that in addition to the '57 Bel Air and Nomad and the '40 Ford Coupe and Convertibles, that Chevy and Ford made 2 dr posts, 4 dr posts, 2 dr and 4 dr sedans and wagons as well.

And perish the thought - not all of them had 283s and Flathead V-8s!

WmB

Reply to
WmB

In addition to weapons you need targets - what's there for all those low flying P-47 and P-51 models to shoot at if they stop building Kraut armor?

WmB

Reply to
WmB

I don't follow you - the Allies built their share of gun and howitzer carriages on the M4 chassis and other designs. Not with the degree of reckless abandon that the Germans approached it, but then again the US and Brits didn't have the Eastern Front and equivalent or superior Russian armor to fret over.

WmB

Reply to
WmB

I imagine Nagato would be a national shrine while the Eugen would never have survived much past 1946 if it had somehow escaped membership in the Bikini nuke club.

WmB

Reply to
WmB

Erm... Aren't we forgetting something?

Typhoon?

And were P-51s actually used in the ground attack role? I know that one destroys a Tiger at the end of "Saving Private Ryan", but I have my doubts that even six .50cal guns could cause that amount of damage.

Reply to
Enzo Matrix

can i have one? a tiny one to walk on my back and make me warm sake? i'll let her ruin me financially.

Reply to
someone

nope, there were 265;s and 327's! and that great ford strait 6 banger.

Reply to
someone

yep, there were ground attack versions. they were good as train busters. pepper the engine to let the steam out, than strafe at you liesure. watch out for the ammo cars!

Reply to
someone

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