German’s first attempts at creating a heavy tank commenced in the early 1930s. Known as the Neubau-Fahrzeug (“New Construction Vehicle”), it was not a success, however. Slow-moving and boasting multiple turrets, it was ill equipped for the type of rapid, mobile warfare that blitzkrieg tactics required. For this reason, only five Neubau-Fahrzeug heavy tanks were built by Rheinmetall-Borsig (Rh-B). The first two prototypes (numbers 1-2) were manufactured in 1934 out of mild steel so they were not suitable for combat. The design featured a 3.7cm KwK L/45 cannon and a 7.5cm KwK L/24 main gun. The three 25.8-ton armored tanks (numbers 3-5) built in 1935 participated in the 1940 invasion of Norway.
Dragon Armor is offering a 1/72 scale model of the second Neubau-Fahrzeug prototype. This Neubau-Fahrzeug Nr.2 is impressive in its rare camouflage colors of green, brown and sand, perhaps a portent of the schemes that would later appear during WWII. As a prototype, the model does not bear any tactical markings, although it was used at a training school until 1940. The turrets are precisely replicated, and they are notably different to those mounted on the three production tanks. This was one monster of a tank, and now modelers can own one bedecked in eye-catching colors!
