An excellent large scale kit of the German K5 railway carriage mounted gun "Leopold", the kit containing 1140 parts including photo etched items. Decals supplied for the German Panzer Division France 1941 and Italy 1944. Fully illustrated instructions including a full colour painting guide are also supplied.
Although from the mid-19th century people started considering imparting mobility to large caliber artillery pieces by placing them on special railway mountings, it was WWI that gave the impetus to making the railway gun an important part of many European armouries.The Leopold had an unconfirmed range of 11 miles and fired a pre-engraved projectile weighing approximately 550 pounds. It is fired from a turntable affording a 360degree traverse. The gun has a 70-foot 8-inch barrel held in a sleeve-type cradle. The barrel recoil mechanism, fitted between two arms projecting downward from the cradle, consists of two hydro pneumatic cylinders and a single hydraulic buffer cylinder. A central jack helps support the tremendous weight of the gun and carriage, which amounts to around 230 tons and also serves as a central pivot for the turntable. The German Leopold Gun was the largest weapon, which lobbed shells at American troops at "Anzio Beach". The Leopold supported by 24 railcar wheels, was mounted on railroad tracks, which led in and out of mountain tunnels.