German 38T Tank 1/100 Scale Kit

When Germany took over Czechoslovakia in 1939, the design plans for this fine Czech light tank fell under their control. The Germans put the tank into service, calling it the Panzerkampfwagen 38 (tschechish), or Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) for short. It would serve during the invasions of Poland, France, and Russia before production ended in 1942. All told, some 1400 of this light tank were built.

The Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) was a fairly typical pre-World War II tank: it had 10 to 25mm of flat, riveted armor plate and a two-man turret mounting a 37mm tank gun and a pair of 7.92mm machine guns (the Germans would convert the turret to a three-man version by removing some of the ammunition supply). It was remarkable for its excellent mobility, compared to other tanks of the period, and its mechanical reliability, and for these reasons Germany adopted it into their tank corps.

Like other pre-war tank designs, the Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) could not compete with the more advanced tank designs that came into production as the war drag on. It’s armor could not withstand Soviet anti-tank guns, while it’s small main gun could not penetrate the armor of most Soviet tanks. Despite the tank being discontinued, its excellent chassis would continue to see use in a number of tank destroyer designs.