|
|
||||||||
|
I didn't originally plan to include such a theme in my line of kits, but was persuaded to by overwhelming demand to offer kit versions of models showcased on my web site's gallery. You can preview my next generation of military kits in recent postings to my War Machines Gallery.
|
||||||||
|
PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Germany Heavy Tank designed by Daniel Siskind The ninth WW2 custom Lego® model kit to be designed by Daniel Siskind and the fifth of a new series of WW2 AFV models to be released by Brickmania. About the Tiger I Of all the tank designs to reach a 20th Century battlefield, no other vehicle has attained such legendary and mythical status as the German Tiger heavy tanks. Backed up by undeniable battlefield effectiveness, the Tiger’s mythos grew to legendary status and struck terror into the hearts of those faced with the challenge of defeating it. The origins of the Tiger tank date back to 1937, when a 30-35 ton heavy tank was discussed by German planners. The idea was dropped in favor of the more lightweight and mobile Panzer III and IV series, which proved adequately effective against allied forces in Poland and France. When Hitler turned his forces against Russia, they were soon shocked to be faced against the formidable T-34 tank (a closely guarded secret weapon up to that point). The Panzertruppe found themselves outgunned, and facing certain defeat, unless they were equipped with more powerful weapons. Special features of this model include poseable turret and main gun, all five crewment, a completely detailed hull interior (including driver and radio operator stations, fighting compartment, and engine compartment), and seven opening hatches, and 127 links of Technic® conveyer belt chain, and numerous decorated tiles.
|
||||||||
|
PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Germany Heavy Tank designed by Daniel Siskind The ninth WW2 custom Lego® model kit to be designed by Daniel Siskind and the fifth of a new series of WW2 AFV models to be released by Brickmania. This is a limited-run tan variant of the the originalTan Tiger I kit. The actual kit does not come with the four 2x2 Bricks with Round Top and Two Studs (xxhaust covers) shown in the rear photo. Dark Gray pieces are subsituted in the kit, due to relative difficulties locating this part in large quantities. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
PzKpfw V Panther Germany Medium Heavy Tank designed by Daniel Siskind The eigth WW2 custom Lego® model kit to be designed by Daniel Siskind and the fourth of a new series of WW2 AFV models to be released by Brickmania. The German Panther (closely followed by the T-34) was probably the best overall tank fielded by any nation during the course of World War two, although it’s almost completely overshadowed in the history books by it’s larger cousins, the Tiger I and Tiger II. In June of 1941 Germany invaded Russia and the forces were soon face to face with the KV and T-34/76 tanks, superior in firepower and armor protection over anything in the German arsenal. The German High Command urgently laid out specifications for a new series of medium tank to counter the more powerful Soviet models. The submitted prototypes designs borrowed heavily from the T-34, incorporating heavily sloped frontal armor and wide tracks for improved performance of soft ground. However, he final design was far beyond a mere copy of the T-34, with many state of the art improvements. These including large interleaved roadwheels for better cross-country performance, a powerful Maybach engine, and the long-barreled, high velocity 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun, capable of penetrating 150mm of armor at a range of 1000 meters (slightly better performance than the 88mm gun fitted to the Tiger I). It also had much better armor protection than it’s Russian equivalent, with an overall weight of later models reaching 45 metric tons and comparable to most allied heavy tanks. By fall of 1942, the Panther went it to full production, even though some technical problems were still being corrected in the prototype models. These early models (designated Ausf. A) were used mainly for testing and training and by January of 1943, an improved version (Ausf. D) began rolling off the production lines and were designated to active units of the Panzertruppe. The Panther made a poor battlefield debut during Operation Citadel (the Kursk Salient), with most units breaking down before reaching or on the battlefield itself, with problems with the gearbox, suspension, and an unfortunate high engine fire occurrence rate. Lessons learned in Russia were incorporated into an improved and extensively modified new Panther (redesignated Ausf. A). This version saw extensive action in the Normandy campaign, with some 400 units present. They were so effective against allied armor that they were commonly mistaken for the much larger Tiger in battlefield reports. The Panther sustained it’s biggest losses on the Western front from Allied air power, rather than engagement by ground forces. Starting in March of 1944, a further improved Panther, designated Ausf. G, was produced, and went on to become the most numerous of all Panther models manufactured. By war’s end, some 6000 Panthers of all types were manufactured. While it eventually achieved great battlefield success, the Panther program proved too little, too late to save Germany from ultimate defeat. The lack of credible German air presence at the end of the war, coupled with overwhelming allied numerical and industrial superiority, spelt disaster for all of the Panzertruppe, even though their fighting vehicles and battlefield prowess were unequaled. It is also of note that the Panther hull was the basis for the legendary Jagdpanther, also considered to be the best tank destroyer field during the war. Ten Panthers were also heavily modified to to resemble the American T-10 tank destroyers in an attempt to fool allied troops. These successfully penetrated deep into allied lines and caused great havoc and subterfuge during what later become known as the Battle of the Bulge. “According to US Army Ground Forces statistics, destruction of a single Panther was achieved after destruction of five M4 Shermans or some nine T-34s.” — http://www.achtungpanzer.com Special features of this model include poseable turret and main gun, all five crewment, a completely detailed hull interior (including driver and radio operator stations, fighting compartment, and engine compartment), and six opening hatches, and 120 links of Technic® conveyer belt chain, and numerous decorated tiles.
This limited edition custom model kit contains 857 genuine Lego® building bricks, complete full-color building instructions on CD-Rom (Adobe® Acrobat Reader® required), and is packaged in a sealed box. Each kit also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, listing the kit number and batch from when it was created. |
||||||||
|
T-34 / 85 Russian Medium Tank designed by Daniel Siskind The seventh WW2 custom Lego® model kit to be designed by Daniel Siskind and the third of a new series of WW2 AFV models to be released by Brickmania. Developed in great secrecy, the T-34 was Russia's answer to growing military threat of pre- World War Two Germany. Incorporating many new and innovative features, such as the Christie suspension system and sloping hull armor, it's success was considered a gamble by the Communist Party bosses. While the Soviet Union already had a heavy tank series in production (KV series), it the T-34 program was given the go ahead. Stalin's rationale was that the designers could always be executed if the project failed. While still not in full production when Hitler unleased the Blitzkreig on the Soviet Union, the appearance of the T-34 on the battlefield soon stunned the German High Command. Not only was the T-34 able to withstand almost anything the Germans could throw at it, but it's 76mm gun could easily knock out the Panzer III's and IV's, then the heaviest tanks in the German arsenal. Hitler responded with a crash program of heavy tank production, spawning the legendary Panther and Tiger models, with thicker armor and every larger weapons. The first of the new German heavy tanks to arrive in Russia was the Tiger I, which was fitted with a redisgned version of the Luftwaffe's 88mm anti-aircraft canon. This proved to be just what the German's needed to stop the new T-34. They now had the firepower and the Tiger's thick armor made them almost immune to the 76mm gun of the T-34. In reponse, the T-34 was fitted with a similarly powerful new 85mm gun and a larger turret, which also allowed the crew to be increased to five. While the T-34 was never able to fully stand toe against the Panther or Tigers, due to it's comparatively lighter armor, it was able to achieve effectiveness by matching it in firepower. Ultimately, it was the simplicity of the design, which made it more suitable for mass production than it's German equivelents. With over 40,000 T-34's being produced during the war, it was able to defeat the German invasion through firepower, achieved by strength in numbers. Special features of this model include poseable turret and main gun, all five crewment, a completely detailed hull interior (including driver and radio operator stations, fighting compartment, and engine compartment), and six opening hatches, and 120 links of Technic® conveyer belt chain, and numerous decorated tiles.
This limited edition custom model kit contains 701 genuine Lego® building bricks, complete full-color building instructions on CD-Rom (Adobe® Acrobat Reader® required), and is packaged in a sealed box. Each kit also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, listing the kit number and batch from when it was created. |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
M4A3E2 Sherman "Jumbo" Heavy Assault Tank designed by Daniel Siskind The sixth WW2 custom Lego® model kit to be designed by Daniel Siskind and the second of a new series of WW2 AFV models to be released by Brickmania. The American Sherman Tank was one of the highest regarded and most easily recognized of all Allied tanks during World War II. With over 40,000 made during the war, it served in all fronts of the war and continued in Allied service through the Korean War (and used in battle as late as 1973 by the Israeli Defence Forces). In spite of it's notoriety of being undergunned and prone to catching fire, it was highly regarded by Allied tanker crews for it's reliablility and good over-all performance. This model is representative of the heaviest class of Shermans known as "Jumbo." In the face of delays with the T-26 heavy tank program, some 250 of these heavily up-armored Shermans were rushed into production to counter the deadly German heavy tanks and tough fortifications encountered in Western Europe. The Jumbo had no less than 100mm of front hull armor and 150mm of armor plate on the turret mantlet. Most were still inadequately equipped with the original 75mm gun, but some models (as represented in this kit) were refitted with the more deadly 76mm high velocity gun. Special features of this model include posable turret and main gun, all five crewment, a completely detailed hull interior (including driver and radio operator stations, fighting compartment, and engine compartment), and six opening hatches, and charactoristic suspension arrangement. Some more rare elements include dark gray 24-tooth gears, a Lego rope, 236 links of Technic® chain, and numerous decorated tiles. This limited edition custom model kit contains 978 genuine Lego® building bricks, complete full-color building instructions, and is packaged in a sealed box. Each kit also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, listing the kit number and batch from when it was created. (Photo lifted from George Forty's World War Two Tanks. Credit given to the Royal Tank Museum)
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
SdKfz 124 Wespe designed by Daniel Siskind The fifth WW2 custom Lego® model kit to be designed by Daniel Siskind and the first of a new series of WW2 AFV models to be released by Brickmania. The SdKfz 124 Leichte Feldhaubitz 18/2 auf Fahrgesetll PzKpfw II, or simply "Wespe" (Wasp), was a mobile armored 10.5 cm howitzer produced by Germany during 1943 and 1944 and saw action in the famous tank battle of Kursk and remained operational throughout the end of the war. See Auctung! Panzer for more info and pictures of the Wespe in action. Highlights of this kit include realistic elevation and traverse of the gun, an internal compartment big enough to house a driver minifig, and realistic minifig scaling (approximately 1:35).
Each kit also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, listing the kit number and batch from when it was created. This is a limited production, fan created model kit available on a first come, first serve basis and may be discontinued at any time.
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
A6M ZERO FIGHTER designed by Daniel Siskind The second WW2 airplane custom model kit from Brickmania is an exact minifig scale replica of the fearsome Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" Fighter, whose success stunned the allies early in the second world war. This limited edition custom model kit contains 263 genuine Lego® building bricks, including pilot minifig, complete full-color building instructions, and is packaged in a sealed box. Each kit also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, listing the kit number and batch from when it was created. This is a limited production, fan created model kit available on a first come, first serve basis and may be discontinued at any time.
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
HALFTRACK & COMMAND JEEP designed by Daniel Siskind This limited edition custom kit is made from 342 genuine Lego® building bricks, including many rare dark gray elements and old style link treads. Also included are six "Panzergrenadier" minfigs for the halftrack as well as driver and commander minifigs for the jeep, complete printed building instructions, and comes packaged in a sealed box. Each kit also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, listing the kit number and batch from when it was created. |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
F4U CORSAIR FIGHTER designed by Daniel Siskind The first WW2 airplane custom model kit from Brickmania is an exact minifig scale replica of the famous F4U Corsair fighter / bomber, a fearsome tool of both the US Nave and Marine corps. during the war. This limited edition custom model kit contains 322 genuine Lego® building bricks, complete full-color building instructions, is packaged in a sealed box. Special features of this model include realistic folding wings, one pilot minfigure, a pair of 500 pound bombs, and easily removeable landing gear for in-flight display. Each kit also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, listing the kit number and batch from when it was created.
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
LIGHT TANK The first ever World War 2 themed kit to be designed and assembled using only Lego® bricks available to the public. This limited edition custom kit is made from 419 genuine Lego® building bricks, including many rare dark gray bricks and old style link treads. Also included are driver and commander minifigs, complete printed building instructions, and comes packaged in a sealed box. Each kit also comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, listing the kit number and batch from when it was created. |
||||||||
