looks at some WWII German tank-hunters.
This is a bit of a trip down memory lane. On eBay the other day, I stumbled on an auction for a Tank Trap. I don't think these are made any more, but back in the day they were fairly popular with microscale gamers. (But I never owned any...)
So I bid, I won, and it arrived: one Tank Trap from Orisek Industries.
It measures roughly 6" x 4" x ¾", and inside the plastic case are two sheets of a foam and a cover sheet/instruction sheet/label sheet. (It even has the original price tag: $2.50 USD, back in some unknown year...)
The one sheet of foam is just ordinary cushy soft foam, a very thin sheet. The other foam sheet feels almost waxy to the touch and is much stiffer. It has four rows of five holes punched in it, with half of the punch-outs still in the case.
The directions are pretty simple: put the sheet with the holes in the lower part of the case, and the yellow sheet in the lid...
... and then slip your microscale tanks into the holes on the bottom.
My test vehicles - some Shermans from C-in-C - are a perfect fit. Smaller tanks (such as my microscale Italians) rattle around a bit, but the foam seems to keep them from hurting themselves. The largest tank I've tried - an M-1 Abrams - also fit well, with the foam stretching snugly around the treads.
(Why are the punch-outs left in the set? The instructions suggest cutting them in half, and using them to pad very small models such as jeeps and motorcycles.)
Then - in theory - you close the lid, fill out the label sheet so you remember what's in there, and you put the Tank Trap safely away somewhere.
A quick internet search revealed few mentions of Orisek Industries, so I suppose the company has faded away. I'm curious to hear from any of you who know the fate of the company, or who may still be using your vintage Tank Traps, or know if any comparable products are still on the market.