1/72 HaT-German 7.5cm IG 18 Gun (Img and Review)

Finally, the last set of the series dedicated by HaT to WWII German guns. Unfortunately, these reviews will be followed by other two including extremely ugly crews, but there the disappointment is greater because expectations were much higher.....

Cristian Florescu  

HaT 1/72

"German 7.5cm IG 18 Gun"

Review 

Within HaT's series dealing with 1/72 WWII German guns, a distinct note is brought by the IG18 kit, while all the other guns were antitank (PaK), this time we get an infantry gun. Despite its ability to destroy armour from very short distance, le.IG18 or leichtes Infanteriegeschütz 18 embodied, as its full name reveals, an infantry support gun. Developed in the 1920' and entering in service in 1932 le.IG18 was created for providing close artillery support for infantry and saw action till the end of war. The gun was issued directly to infantry or Panzer Grenadier battalions, especially to those without regimental gun companies. In this light, representative for le.IG18 is that the gun was manned by infantrymen and not by artillery gunners. Firing 7.5 cm projectiles, it had the capacity to engage not only directly, but also indirectly the enemy, like a mortar, a feature that probably brought a major contribution to its maintenance in service until 1945. Three versions of the gun appeared along the war, the standard here portrayed, another for Mountain Troops/Gebirgs (le.GebIG18) recognised after tubular legs and optional shield as well as a special version for Paratroopers/Fallschirmjager (le.IG18F), also with tubular legs, without shield but with smaller wheels, only six pieces of the last mentioned model being manufactured. Likewise, two types of wheels are common for le.IG18, wooden-spoken wheels for horse transport and metal disc wheels with rubber tyres for motorised transport. At the beginning of WWII German Army infantry relied a lot on horses and the situation perpetuated till the end of war, so it will not be a surprise seeing a le.IG18 with wooden- spoken wheels in late 1944.

HaT provided within the kit both types of wheels, so the modeller has the option to select which one he wants to use. As usual all the six parts of the gun plus the pair of optional wheels as well as the four member crewmen are delivered on the same sprue, which has been multiplied with four for each box. Obviously, the gun is on the same line with the rest, extremely simplified and unattractive for diorama builders, but easily recognisable on the wargame table. The assembly guide can be found on the back of the box together with the poses of the figures while the front artwork presents a le.IG18.

This time all the crew members are dressed in camouflage smocks, and in this regard they can be enrolled either in Waffen SS or Wehrmacht according to the camouflage patterns painted by the owner. The attire is suitable also for cold seasons, so white might be an alternative for these figures. Except camouflage smocks, the soldiers wear regular trousers, steel helmets with camouflage covers, ankle boots and gaiters, the combination of the two last mentioned items limiting the use of these troopers before 1943. The fighters are lightly equipped, only "Y" straps and belts being given to all, as well as ammunition pouches for Kar98K, except the army-man symbolising the gun commander who received pistol holster and binoculars instead of ammo pouches. Of course, the same flatness of figures is kept and the crew does not impress at all through their interaction with the gun.  While the gun commander indicates the target but does not look to it, the rest of the crewmen try to do something related to a gun in combat, but without succeeding to persuade us too much. One of them holds a le.IG18 round of a length almost similar with the one encountered at PaK40 crewman, an impossible thing bearing in mind that despite the same calibre, the le.IG18 projectile was much shorter. Another crewman is doing nothing while apparently the funniest is the one who has his hands in the air in a strange position. At the first view the figure is bizarre, but corroborated on the one hand with the le.IG18 he should handle, and on the other hand with reference images showing in most cases one of the crewmen pressing his weight the rear end of the carriage in order to avoid movement of the gun while firing, we get the picture of what this figure is intended to do, but we remain only with the intention while both with base or without, he does not succeed to fulfil his task.  

Smocks and are not impressive, but there can be seen the collars of the tunics and some timid attempts for depicting specific details such as strings and wrists as well as few creases on these and trousers. Anyway, due to the way they are dressed and because of the camouflage that should be painted, probably these figures are more pleasant for the eye than their colleagues manning other HaT WWII German guns. Anatomy is again unattractive with some ugly faces and palms, the figures being also included in the small side of 1/72, matching in this light soldiers from Hat's series of WWII German guns, Armourfast's Mortar and MG teams, Pegasus Hobbies' Waffen SS Set 2 and MAC Distribution's PaK 36 and PaK38 sets.

The extremely rubberized soft green plastic used in manufacturing both the gun and the figures turns out to greatly answer to superglue, but enamel or artistic oil will require more time than normal to get dry. Furthermore, this material was endowed with the undesired feature of producing fluffs when flash is removed. Figures have some flash, consequently the operation is necessary and the just mentioned unwelcome propensity will make it harder. Generally, both collectors and wargamers prefer figures with bases, and because they represent the main target groups, these soldiers come on bases. However, detaching them from the device is very fast and easy, while with a lucky cut, they will be able to maintain the balance.

Fortunately, except HaT's le.IG18 gun and crew there is in the 1/72 scale another kit, produced by Pegasus Hobbies, featuring the same gun, but two types of crew, one wearing camouflage smocks, too and one dressed in M36 tunics. Definitely, neither the guns, nor the figures can be compared at all, the astonishing set from Pegasus Hobbies targeting not only diorama builders, but also collectors and wargamers. Despite featuring a single le.IG18 per box, this gun is the best of the best on the market, far superior even to Ace's, another company manufacturing a le.IG18, but without crew. Furthermore, there is no place for comparison between the crews of the two manufacturers, Pegasus Hobbies realising there probably the best in Braille Scale interaction between an incredible detailed crewmen and their gun.

However, who wants establishing WWII German units with large number of guns in few minutes and does not care about details of figures or weapons might find either in HaT's "German 7.5 IG18" kit or in the other guns of the series an appropriate solution for his problem. Besides, the price is also without rival, each box delivering four guns and sixteen figures. Focused on wargame, even some diorama builders can discover some hidden areas on the diorama for HaT's gun crews such as a gun in the margin of a forest. Bushes will make difficult the identification of figures, but the gun will appear odd without crew.