Germany's tank cracker.- Even after the Russian victory and counter-offensive at Stalingrad, Henschel Hs 129B-2s were a significant threat to Allied armor. Auto cannons and 13 mm machine guns made it lethal, while armor plating made it perfect for ground support. In the brutal fighting around Kursk, Hs 129B-2s racked up kills on Russian tanks but suffered losses from ground fire and hostile aircraft.

Decal Options:

• Luftwaffe 10.(Pz)/SG 9 Lt. Walter Krause Code: white-K Ukraine March 1944
• Luftwaffe Pz. Jä. St/JG 51 Code: Yellow-3 Spring 1943

Review by Matt Swan at http://www.swannysmodels.com/:

• Conclusions.- Though not a commonly known aircraft it could very well be considered the predecessor of today’s A-10 Warthog. As with the previous releases of Hs-129 variants from Hasegawa this one is another gem of a kit. The pieces are clean, well designed and fit together very nicely. The instructions are clear and concise; the decals while slightly thick are comprehensive for the subject. There are a few things on the aftermarket that could be added to the kit; Czech Master at one time had three very nice detail packages aimed at the Hs-129 of which only the armament set is currently available. I imagine that the release of this kit will influence the reissue of the other CMK detail kits. Cutting Edge offers several mask sets and Eduard has a couple of PE detail sets. There are decals from EagleCal and Super Scale as well as additional pieces from Moskit, Hi-Tech, Falcon and True Details. The kit is very nice as is and will build into something unusual for your display or you can bust out your wallet and buy plenty of goodies to sooth those AMS urgings. I give this kit a good to very good recommendation.

Comments by Bjørn Jacobsen at http://dioramas-and-models.com/: 

• Henschel Hs 129 "Panzerknacker" is the only aircraft, except for the A-10 Warthog that is designed and build for one purpose: Killing enemy tanks!. 
• Thru, there were several other “Tank Killers” during WWII, but they was all made from other aircraft configurations, for example, the highly successful Ju78 G Kanonenvoegel was converted from the bomb diving Ju78.
• Because of major birth problems, Hs 129 was not delivered in a big numbers before the German retreat from Russia (1943).
• However, together with the Ju87G (2x37mm cannons) and Ju88P-1 (1x75mm cannon), the Henschel Hs 129 with1x30mm,
• 2x20mm and 2x13mm guns made a tremendous threat to the Russian armored divisions.
• These flying "anti-tank guns" were responsible for the destruction of thousands of Russian tanks.
• The Hs 129 was very small and had an unusually narrow cockpit and poor visibility (due to 75mm armored glass), but it was undoubted one of the toughest airplanes ever made!

       ​