Why are German kits so popular

[stevo]

Gotta make you wonder why so much stuff is based on the German in WW2.
2 companys can bring out the same thing at the same time and bingo! they are both winners.
I have no real idea why I like German AFVs and it's not just a dislike of allied tanks.
stevo

[James Tainton]

It's because German tanks look sexy compared to the dorky Allied crap :lol: (Oh and before I get the inevitable post about who won the war blah blah - yes I know the Allies won okay-still like the German stuff.) :lol: :)

[panzer]

I think that the German had awesome camo jobs. Panzer

[creading]

It's all in what sells best!
C.

[jimf]

I think partly it's because of demand following supply, then supply creating demand, ad infinitum. I have bough German armor because it is so readily available, which encouraged the manufacturers to push out more German kits, and so on.
I did a brief survey of my stash last night, and it's about 45% German, 30% U.S. & British, 25% Soviet, and one each Italian and Japanese. I tend to get at least one of whatever interests me at the moment, if it's on sale. I've had to slow down on getting kits, since I'm about out of space for storage , and I've got a lot more kits than I can build in any reasonable timeframe, but I still look... a grab a kit that I really don't time or space for, just because... ;)

[wolfsix]

Hi guys

I think its becauce of the wide variety that the Germans used. What I mean is they used a number of different vehicles for the same job. This allows the modeler a wider choice in selecting a subject. In return it also gives the model company a wider selection to add to thier catolog. Add to this the different paint jobs, camo etc, and you have a pretty good looking catolog display. Compared to allied equipment with most everything is one color {olive drab}. I build mostly allied stuff and the single color paint jobs can get real boring.

Wolfsix

[GunTruck]

It's all about the "Benjamins" and always will be. Whatever sells gets the most attention.

I'm totally uninspired by German WW II AFV's - but I'm definitely in the minority of AFV modelers in that vein of thought.

OD is really sexy - in skilled hands! :lol:

Gunnie

[tazz]

i think people like the german stuff is because,
they had all kinds of armor and all kinds of flak and ant air craft guns,
i love ww 2 german armor and american stuff also and some russian.

[James Tainton]

Well no matter what- Id rather build a tank, Allied or Axis ,than a plane. :lol:

[ChristopheJacquemont]

I think there are two main reasons :

- Great and numerous different camo schemes

- Diversity of types, with some very technically advanced (but overengineered?) vehicles.

I don't build only WW2 armour, but more often than not when I built WW2 armour it's 75% German, 20% Soviet and 5% other allied and axis.


Cheers,
Christophe

[sharkmouth]

It seems to stem from the many variations of both the design and camouflage. Some people think it was only Germany against the World forgetting about the Italians, Romanians, Hungarian, Spaniards, Cossacks, Russians, Slovaks, and Bulgarian Allies. This adds to the stigma that they fought against awesome odds.

Strangely, Japan seems to have this hang up on German things. Model manufacturers from other countries do not seem to habe this infatuation.

Regards,
Saul

[Halfyank]

Model manufacturers from other countries do not seem to habe this infatuation.

I'm not sure if that's true. Heller, a French company does mainly German ships and tanks. DML (Dragon) is from Hong Kong and their German sets vastly outnumber their allied ones. Italeri, and Italian company, is the same. Seems like the only companies that are doing more and more allied equipment are ones like Academy and AFV Club that are trying to do more of a niche market and offer items that Tamiya and Dragon don't offer. It's not just armor that seems to be mainly German either. Ships, planes, tanks, figures, you name it, German kits outnumber allied by a fair margin. I can't explain it, but it seems to be fact.

[Dragan]

like all u said before.......great various cammo from each wehicle...so many variants on each production model (like pz kpfw IV) + field modifications.....agressive look of each armour and so on ....(don't offence but maybe we are all little nazzy :lol: )

[ShermiesRule]

I don't really care for German armor. It's all just a huge, honking, oversized, hull with a big gun. Allied armor to me, is much more personable with crews collecting everything under the sun to be comfortable. I also think all the mods (crab flail, dozer, crocodile, bridging) on a basic Sherman is much more interesting than German armor.

I have built a few German Mark IV, V and King Tiger tanks but don't find them nearly as fun as Allied.

[James Tainton]

Aaaaahh...hmm with a name like ShermiesRule I think we knew where you stood on this topic ;)
And for my part if you've seen one Sherman ya 's seen em all. That's just the way I feel right now. I'm sure its an interesting branch of the armour tree but there is only so much time in the day and I guess we all have to make choices based on personal priorities and preferences.If you want variations on a theme , German,(and captured Czechoslovakian), armour rules dude... for example : Panzer IV A, B, C, D, E, F1 and F2, H, and J (some have side skirts as well- solid and mesh versions). Then there's the bergpanzers, Ostwind, Flakpanzer, Mobelwagen, munitions carrier for the Karl, Brummbar, Stug IV, Jagdpanzer IV (3 versions), 10.5 cm auf Panzer Selbstfahrlafetten, Nashorn (2 or 3 versions), Hummel (3 versions), plus some others like a bridge layer, mine roller, and an amphibian version. That's just the Panzer IV. You 've also got Panzer I's with their variations as well as Panzer II's, Panzer III's, Panthers ,Tiger I's and Tiger II's, all having many marks and variations. Okay then you have the halftracks like the 250 series with all their different configurations, ditto for 251's. And there are many field guns to model, plus Kubelwagens(several versions) and schwimmwagens. and even VW bugs. And then there's the PZ(t) 38's and 35's. ... I've got to lie down now - I'm too tired out to write the rest. :(

[Dragan]

Originally posted by ShermiesRule@Mar 30 2004, 10:02 PM
Allied armor to me, is much more personable with crews collecting everything under the sun to be comfortable. I also think all the mods (crab flail, dozer, crocodile, bridging) on a basic Sherman is much more interesting than German armor.


Well try to make one of DAK panzers...I've also seen lot of german armor with tons of personal stuff on it + tracks for protection from t-34 and so on....indeed that is sherman is more interested model but only captured in ardennes by german troops. :lol:
As panzerfaust said ...german armor had so many variants on each model that even I dont know all of them :)

[yeo_64]

German WW II vehicles (armoured and non-armoured) were produced in many different versions and styles,as has been mentioned above by the previous posters.Allied stuff,on the other hand,all visually look alike and usually require some form of research before one can appreciate the differences. As modellers and collectors,we all want some colour in our collections,as well as easily identified model variants for others to appreciate.Hence the popularity of the German AFVs.To put it simply,German armour looks COOL ! ;) MY 2 cents worth.Cheers.
Kenneth. :lol:

[Halfyank]

And with a name like Panzerfaust we know where YOU stand. :)

... for example : Panzer IV A, B, C, D, E, F1 and F2, H, and J (some have side skirts as well- solid and mesh versions).

Have you ever seen the huge number of Sherman variants? Various guns, suspensions, turrets. Things like swimming Shermans, wading Shermans, flame thrower Shermans. Shermans with mine rollers, or flails. Then we've got all the variants that use the Sherman hull but other superstructures, the tank destroyers, armored recovery vehicles, self propelled artillery. Then there are the suped up Shermans, the Isherman and the other Israeli conversions. IF the manufacturers ever made all of these, which of course they won't because they aren't German, you could make nothing but Shermans and Sherman variants from now till dooms day.

I know I'm not going to change anybodies mind on this. Every so often I just have to rant. The Germans did NOT build the best of everything. They didn't have anything to compare to the Duce and a Half, B17, Lancaster, LCVP, Iowa, Essex, Liberty ship, or even Gato class sub. Yet, we still see EVERY single German tank, plane, or ship that ever fought, flew, or sailed, and just about every design they ever dreamed up, even if it hadn't a CHANCE of seeing action.

The main thing is to each his own. Keep on making all the German stuff so the manufacturers have enough money to come out with the occasional Allied item. :)

[The Dubliner]

Let me begin by going off topic and saying how much I like the format and layout of this site. Just a nod to the guys behind the scenes!

Why do Panzers rule the WW2 AFV model business? When was there a Hollywood movie that even came close to showing the realities of fighting in a tank during WW2 (on either side)? German tanks and SPs benefit from their "cool" looks, plentiful captured newsreel footage, and the fact that most contemporary non-Germans have not heard stories of panzer veterans that witnessed first hand terrible losses even among the best equipped and trained Panther and Tiger battalions. Allied vehicles like the M4 didn’t benefit from this translation-media gap. The American media was publishing harsh views of the M4 as far back as the late summer of 1944. I have watched people argue for hours (days on the net) about the virtues of the M4 and get nowhere. These debates always turn into these impersonal debates about mass production, German over engineering and maneuver tactics. All the while, no one can escape the voices of the veteran WW2 tankers talking about a brutal war of attrition that will never shed a completely favorable light on the M4 Sherman. I always thought the perfect ETO M4 diorama would one in which surviving members of a M4 crew dash to move their stuff from their old knocked vehicle to a new M4 so they can rejoin the fight. My only beef with the model industry is that they never will be able to make a figure that will truly depict the photos I have seen of Allied tankers resting between combat. I don’t think grim, exhausted, hard driving men in ODs sells kits, but they did win a war!

[James Tainton]

Originally posted by Halfyank@Mar 31 2004, 05:35 PM
The Germans did NOT build the best of everything.
They have some of the most beautiful woman, no... although I think Norway has the best ;)

[KingTiger]

In one simple word "variety"

i.e.: Pzkpfw III ausf A,B,C,D,E,F,H,J(Special),L,M,N

Pzkpfw IV ausf A,B,C,D,E,F1,F2,G,H,J

Sdkfz 251/a,b and so on and so

KingTiger