Dragon 1/35 E-100 Heavy Tank "Nachtjager" Kit

First authorized in June 1943, the E-100 was a monstrous tank with a staggering weight of 140 tons. It was planned to mount a 12.8cm KwK44 L/55 main armament and a 7.5cm KwK44 L/36.5 gun in a modified Maus turret. However, a stop was put on development of super-heavy tanks in 1944, and this project was given a low priority. As a result, only one chassis prototype was assembled, though even this was not fully finished by the time WWII ended. The frontal armor on the E-100 (“E” stands for Entwicklungsfahrzeug) hull was 200mm thick, and that on the turret (if it had been eventually built) would have been 240mm thick.

The E-100 was never completed by Henschel, but Dragon has succeeded in finishing off the massive E-100 in 1/35 scale. In a magnificent “what if” item, this E-100 is made to exacting standards in Dragon’s 1/35 range of plastic kits. The model is made even more exclusive by the inclusion of infrared night vision equipment, meaning it is able to reign in the hours of darkness. With its huge bulk cloaked by darkness, this model is able to launch attacks or defend territory with equal ease! In daylight it’s no less impressive, with its enormous size and futuristic appearance. For such a cumbersome vehicle, close-in defense is provided by a set of four “nachtjagers” (night fighters). These German soldiers are just as effective at fighting at night, equipped with such cutting-edge weapons as MP44 assault rifles with the Vampir infrared scope and battery backpack, an MP44 with unique Krummlauf (curved leaf) curved barrel, and even a Gatling-type mini-gun. This kit offers unparalleled potential to modelers wishing to create a “futuristic” scene and vehicle, and to let their imaginations run wild!