1/35 CMK 25cm Schwerer Minenwerfer

[JeroenPeters]

1/35 German WW1 - 25 cm Schwerer Minenwerfer

Heavy Mortar
CMK Resin Armor
Catalogue # RA058
Available from CMK Kits for € 60,00

Introduction

Another artillery piece (well technically mortar) from CMK. See our review of the 24cm Mörser here. This new range of WW1 artillery subjects is of the highest quality. Both in design and execution. As is common these days this kit was designed in 3D, subsequently 3D printed and then casted. More on the quality later. Let it be said that I was not able to spot any printing lines on the parts in this kit.

 

3D renderings by CMK:

 

The subject of this kit is the 24cm Minenwerfer. A weapon designed by Germany before the first world war and after the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-1905. The ‘aim’ was to develop a weapon that could be transported on detachable cart wheels, drawn by horses or mules. Before firing it had to be placed in a trench or pit, at least 1,5meters deep. This way the Minenwerfer became a hard target to hit, while at the same time it was able to hit difficult  targets. Both in terms of line of sight and shell-resistance. 

 

The explosive power of the shells was impressive. Reason for this was the low velocity of the muzzle. This enabled the shell casing to be thinner, and thus to contain much more TNT. 47kg to be exact. The highly destructive power of these shells, was somewhat diminished by the ample range: 540meters. Still this weapon proved very successful. This is underlined by the fact Germany entered the war with 44 pieces, which rose to 1234 pieces at the end of the war.

 

With the Minenwerfers weight (768kg) it needed a crew of at least 4 engineers to set up and fire. The rate of fire was maxed at 20 rounds per minute. Quite an achievement, taking into account this was a muzzle loading weapon. 

 

In 1916 the Minenwerfer underwent a modification with a longer barrel. This gave the Minenwerfer a longer range. I love the fact that both barrels are included in this kit. Both the shorter old pattern (alter Art) and new pattern (neuer Art).

 

I did some searching to see where you can see one surviving example with your own eyes, and found a few museums:

- The Belgian Army Museum, Belgium (Legermuseum Brussel)

- Australian War Memorial, Canberra

- Waterford, Ontario

- Hahndorf (near Adelaide), Australia

- Imperial War Museum, Duxford, UK

- Warsaw, Poland

 Be sure to check the link I included above! Great reference photo's.

 

 

The Kit

The box this kit comes in is pretty small. Upon opening you’ll find a plastic bag, sealed with 4 compartments, filled with grey resin parts. The first two compartments contain the larger parts. Two barrels (new and old pattern), wheels, baseplate, ammo (both bare and in transfort container) and carriage. The last two compartments contain the small parts (like sights, eyelets, etc…) 

 

Like the Mörser I reviewed the resin is very crisp, contains no imperfections whatsoever and hardly any flash. Actually the only part that needs cleanup are the openings in the wheels, which should be pretty straightforward. That’s it.

 

I can see this kit being cleanly placed on a wooden plinth or in a diorama. What I love is that CMK did not only model the gun itself, but also provides ammo. Both with and without their transport baskets. And also the tripod that was used to lift the ammo into the barrel. Pretty cool. 

 The first bag segment. Two barrels, ammo and carriage: 

You've got to love this. The whicker transport case for the ammo:

The carriage:

Other big parts from the second compartment in the bag. Wheels, base plate:

Base plate:

The tripod, used to lift the ammo into the muzzle:

Optics, traverse, adjustment wheels:

Toolbox:

Small parts from the fourth bag compartment:

Hydro-pneumatic recoil:

The instructions give you one colour scheme: Dark Green. If you look at the surviving example in the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, you can make out remnants of a camo pattern. So there is a choice!

 

Overal:

This is a lovely kit of an important subject. Before this kit there was only one way to go: The Fine Scale Factory kit. But to be honest: I wasn’t able to find it. I love the quality and completeness of this kit and when comparing the pieces to walkarounds of the Belgian Army Museum, I can only conclude that CMK did their homework. Well done. Now go buy one!

 

Highly recommended. 

Our sincere thanks to CMK Armor for providing this kit for review. 

To buy directly, click here.

  

 

[James H]

VERY cool! Looks fiddly in places, but never seen one of these built before.