Cyber-Hobby is announcing another fantastic Orange Box combo featuring WWII German items from its popular 1/35 scale series. The set features a Hetzer Mid-Production tank destroyer along with a set of Waffen SS soldiers. The Jagdpanzer 38(t), a replacement for the Marder family, was based on the Czech Panzer 38(t) chassis, and it was low-slung and had well-sloped armor. Production of an eventual 2,584 Hetzers commenced in April 1944. Dragon’s rendition of this Hetzer disappeared from retailers’ shelves a long time ago, so this release should be most welcome.
The accompanying figure set represents elite German soldiers fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, which occurred in the densely forested Ardennes region from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. Germany assembled 13 divisions, including more than 340 tanks, for the beginning of this all-out assault that took the Allies completely by surprise. The Ardennes Offensive was the first time the Hetzer was used in significant numbers on the Western Front, and about 170 of these tank destroyers had been deployed by the end of the campaign. This vehicle and figure combination is thus ideal for creating a wintry Battle of the Bulge scene. As is usual for an Orange Box release, the set is very competitively priced too.