1/72 P. 1000 Ratte Scharnhorst 1945 Modelcollect #UA72303 Factory Sealed MISB

I have to clear some space on my shelves and this one fills a lot of space! , so I need to part with some of my collection. Modelcollect is a relative newcomer to the model world but has established a fabulous reputation for innovation and quality. They initially produced some small scale finished models and later branched out into kits and larger scales. Their niche market has been as the only source for unique subjects related to the Fist. War games, including many hypothetical subjects that never actually existed. This massive kit falls into that category. This 1000-ton behemoth was dreamt up in 1942 but canceled in 1943 when reality took hold. Here is what I have learned about this state-of-the-art kit. The Modelcollect website has a page for this kit that shows some impressive box art but have no other information about this kit. From other sources, I have found the following information about their kit.

1000 "Ratte" English: Land Cruiser P. 1000 "Rat" was a design for a super heavy tank for use by Nazi Germany during World War II, proposed by Krupp director Edward Grotte in June 1942, who had already named it "Landkreuser". Submitted designs and drawings of the tank went under the names of OKH Auftrag Nr. 30404 and E-30404/1, which were presented in December 1942.

The tank was planned to be 1000 metric tonnes, being far heavier than the Panzer VIII "Maus", the heaviest tank ever built (weighing 188 tonnes). The project gained approval of Adolf Hitler, who had expressed an interest in the development of the tank but was canceled by Minister of Armaments Albert Speer in early 1943. Although it is 1/72 scale, it will be about 54 cm in length, about 19 cm in width, about 15 cm in height at completion. The turret turns and the barrels move up and down. The track is an assembly movable type.

This Limited Edition kit is equipped with a 28 cm triple gun turret of the Scharnhorst, features an anti-aircraft gun on the hull and a large searchlight on the engine deck. They show the box art and give us a few links to books and references that will be useful in your build, but not much specific information about this kit. There is a 12-minute Unboxing Video on YouTube from i-modelist. Ru, but it is narrated in Russian.

Even so, as he pulls out the parts, you can get a good idea of the staggering size of this monster kit. He shows the detailed parts, but I cannot tell what he thinks of the kit.

I could not find any other reviews of the new Scharnhorst version (#UA72303), but there are many critical reviews of the parent P. 1000 Ratte kit (#UA72088) from 2018. We can safely assume the quality of both kits is very similar. I think the big difference is the two-gun turret on the original and the three-gun turret on this kit. Here are a few of these enthusiastic original Ratte kit reviews. Jan Willisch did a First Look Review of the original Ratte kit on the. He shows the many, many parts with high resolution photos. His conclusion was: A very nice model that has never existed on any scale.

Due to the many parts and the etching parts, the model is not suitable for beginners. YouTube has many videos documenting the original Ratte kit, in multiple languages no less. There is a 22-minute Unboxing Video.

In German by Panzer Modellbau alle Kategorien that gives you a great view of the kit contents. A shorter 14-minute Unboxing Video. (also in German) was published by Modellbau-Koenig that gives you an idea of how large this kit is.

This kit is in an enormous, sturdy box about 20.5" x 12" x 7.7, with a great image of this mythical monster. As you can see from the pictures, the package is in great shape and still sealed with tape strips (these were never shrink wrapped from the factory), so I consider it. Factory sealed and absolutely gift-ready.

This item contains one complete injection molded plastic model kit, with about 2000 plastic parts (over 1000 for the tracks) and 72 metal springs, along with a huge instruction booklet. It requires cement and paint to complete as shown. Those familiar with my listings can tell that I really enjoy these products and the modeling hobby. I like to provide more than just the bare facts about the items, trying to lead you into discovering more about the subjects and optimizing your builds (if that is your goal). I started out picking up models that I was interested in, with the eye toward building them when I had time. Always a bargain-hunter, I accumulated many more than I can build, so I found myself in a Collector status (sounds nicer than a hoarder). Now I enjoy making these products available to my fellow modelers; both Builders and Collectors.

For Collectors, my goal is to save you a few bucks over the competition for the same item in factory sealed and collectible (or resellable) condition.