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The powerful Sd.Kfz. 186 “Jagdtiger” was built onto the elongated hull of the Tiger II heavy tank in the latter stages of the Second World War.

Inside its mighty casemate was the 128 mm Pak 44 cannon, armed with shells that could pierce the armour of all opposing enemy tanks. This self-propelled ‘tank buster’ was deployed effectively and lethally against even the most recently introduced Soviet heavy tanks such as the IS-2. The Jagdtiger had a huge weight of almost 76 tons.

The large cannon and heavy armour whilst effective, could not outweigh the poor manoeuvrability and low speeds of the vehicle in battle. The significant weight affected its reliability, and production volumes were also limited. However, the Jagdtiger for its offensive capacity alone, ranks as the high point of German production of self-propelled tank destroyers during World War 2.

1:56 Italian Tanks & Semoventi (M13/40, M-14/41, M40, M41 da 75/18 mm)

The production of Italian tanks during the Second World War was mainly focused on the "M" type.

The M-13/40 was perhaps the most recognizable and widespread tank of the Italian Regio Esercito. It was characterized by its amour which consisted of riveted steel plates and its main armament, a 47 mm gun. Although superior to the Italian light tanks of the "L" series which were relegated to perform reconnaissance duties, it in turn became obsolete during the war, and was ultimately unable to match opposing enemy tanks.

The selfpropelled M-40 gun was also built on its chassis. Equipped with a 75 mm gun it was very effective and feared by enemy armored vehicles. The optimum operational deployment was the combination of the M-13/40 flanked by self-propelled gun units which were able to complement the limited firepower of the tanks. During the war several improvements were made on the tanks and self-propelled guns in terms of technical solutions and armaments.