An Old Esci Friend: Pz 35(t) .. Old School Modelling!

By way of comparison and in start contrast to the new "First To Fight" I have pulled out an old friend from circa 1994 and a rare (even in those days) model of the Pz 35(t). I wince now remembering the pain I had putting the running track/wheels together. The track plastic itself was simply awful and broke several times. It needs redoing to say least. Yet still somehow it is an old favourite of mine and I would not part with it (see below):

I promise or rather pledge to redo the track this year!

Big Cat Pair - Panthers in "Ambush Style"

These go back a while, lurking in a 'loft box', in an almost but not quite finished state. I am sure these were ESCI originals, for I was intent on grabbing a third when Italeri briefly re-released them, but "missed" my window of opportunity. Meanwhile what I had got painted in my classic Tamiya paints based "three-tone camo", but as per the cool 'box art' the next step is to polka-dot it "ambush style" (see below):

The general camouflage scheme maybe too broad a swathe, I must have had a bigger brush in those days compared to now, as seen in the more recent Mk IVs but I still like it (see below):

The panzer commander figure is still one of the coolest IMHO and comes from an old ESCI Panzer III.

My 1000th Post is "Pimp my Panzer IVH" (The classic Esci/Italeri 1/72 kit)

In my previous Chain of Command battle AAR I stated that I was slightly embarrassed with the models I put on table for just having the basic paint scheme. Good enough fo the purposes of a tabletop wargame but privately I have always wanted to do justice to the Panzer IVH (an original Esci, but now released by Italeri) as I think of it as the "Normandy Classic", so hot from the tabletop I gave it a basic German late-war "three colour camo" scheme (see below):

Painting Guide Notes: Original base coat Tamiya XF-60 (Desert Yellow), brown patches Anita's Acrylic Earth Brown(11014) and Tamiya XF-61 (Dark Green)

In a parallel build I also primed one of the Plastic Soldier Company Panzer IV H's in my favourite Airfix 01 "Grey Undercoat". I had already assembled some, gulp that is very lazy of me, some year(s!) back. It will be interesting to see them side-by-side for comparison (see below, more of this PSC fun to come in another post):

Meanwhile I toned up the Green, Brown and Sand Yellow patches with lighter hues.

• The Green went from Tamiya XF-61 (Dark Green) mixed with XF-62 Olive Drab, to pure XF-62 then I added XF-3 Yellow to highlight. 
• The Brown went to Tamiya XF-52 (Flat Earth) and as I highlight I mixed in Anita's Acrylic Lemon Yellow (11055) [done more as an experiment rather than plan, my other option was to add white]
• The Sand Yellow XF-60 was repainted to chase away some of the wandering wash errant flood areas then [as it was too hand] Anita's Acrylics Lemon Yellow (11055) to highlight and if memory serves me correct I probably drooped a little White Anita's Acrylic (11001) as a final highlight.

In addition I made plentiful use of Vallejo Wash (73201) Black Shade with a fine brush back into the corners and shadow areas. I used a new trick on the tracks. The tracks got a base coat of Vallejo Game Color [sic] Dark Fleshtone (72044) as the factory 'rust primer'. I then used the Vallejo Black Shade Wash, leaving it to dry before highlighting in Vallejo Model Color Gunmetal Grey (70863). The paint trick in the book was the classic Panzer IV exhaust tube was painted Vallejo Game Color Dark Fleshtone (72044) and highlighted with Tamiya XF-3 Yellow (see end product below):

Panzer IVH "pimped" 360 degree treatment - Facing Left: 

Rear: 

Front:

Side View: 

Quite happy with the results on this 'old timer', no immediate rush to put the decals on (no change there then) especially since it now represents a "wreck marker" in Operation Martlet for the first scenario ;)

Next: By way of comparison the PSC Panzer MkIVH

Hetzer Progress II

The assembled 'raw' plastic model (see below):

Lots of little "fiddly track pieces and stuff that stuck out of the superstructure" but nothing too conspicuous as to attract any attention, but I got there in the end (see below):

"We three Hetzers" ... all from the Esci/Italeri mould, what I want now though is a common paint scheme for my 'company' (see below):

Just think these three versus masses of JSII and T34/85's tanks in Hungary and East Prussia in 1945? Really? Yes really!

Gulp!!!!

Hetzer Progress

Hetzer progress (see below):

Currently putting together lots of track pieces, patience is a virtue. Lots of small pieces takes time but better than the one-piece track that never fitted, however the Plastic Soldier Company have got it sorted with their moulded plastic track.

Destined to be a part of a 'unit of three' ersatz Panzer Jaegers!

Painting Tray (Cupboard Review)

What's in teh cupboard before Xmas to do?

The AFV collection (see above):

• 1/72 Italeri/Esci Hetzer (to make up a Command Decision ersatz panzerjaeger late-war company of three)
• 1/72 (notorious as big in scale) Skytrex 1944 Bren Carrier (to be the universal helper to my Paltoon 20 British PBI)

The "half completed" aeroplane collection (see above):

• 1/72 Westland Whirlwind (pain job and decals required)
• 1/72 De Haviland Mosquito (bomb and rocket racks to add, paint and decals required)

Repair jobs (see above):

• 1/48 Spitfire Vb (bits dropped off that need replacing)
• 1/72 Do 17 E/F (bits dropped off and upgrade to paint job)

Terrain Projects (see above):

• The "real water" effect, see interesting scenery box  

Kits lurking in other corners of the house (see above):

• 1/700 Fujimi HMS Hood
• Revell snap-together Millennium Falcon

Can the above be done before 2013 turns into 2014?
(On teh other hand need they all be?)

35t Solo Panzer "Anton the Great"

This one is a rare Esci original Skoda 35t tank, with the fabled 'dustbin lid' cupola. Serving in Poland, France and early Barbarossa Russia in 1941. They did not survive the winter of 41 in German service, but variants lived on in the satellite Romanian and Hungarian forces (much to the distress of their crews when they faced a T-34 or KV-1).

This one is in the usual "decal free" state and is more an "individual" modelling project than a "company force" wargaming OoB. It is destined to be the last serviceable Panzer 35t in the 6th Panzer Division driving to enigrad in late 1941. Due to mechanical breakdown it was eventually pushed into a ditch. The Panzer crews now fighting on as infantry.

Painting Tray Update: Highlights Applied to Panzer I's

Following the base coat the Panzer I's get the highlight treatment:

• Tamiya Dark Green (XF-61) mixed with Games Workshop Sunburst Yellow for the SCW Breda Pz I
• Tamiya German Panzer Grey (XF-63) mixed with Tamiya Neutral Grey (XF-53) for the German WWII variant

For the tracks Anita's Acrylic "Metallic Black" then highlighted with a dab of Games Workshop Mithril Silver, probably darkened to a shade of Game Workshops "Boltgun" if truth be told. The SCW duo got the same metallic paint combination for their exhausts, but for the German machine I followed my Panzer Colours 1/2/3 books which depicts the early war German Panzer as having brown rust exhausts:    

I quite like the effect as they blend into the background (see above and below):

This does mean I will have to think about painting some of my 20mm Irregular Miniatures SCW figures, for a "skirmish"level game. I was thinking of CrossFire as an appropriate set of rules to use.

Seen from the rear is an interesting feature of these models, they depict different models of the early Pz I Ausf A. If you look at the rear engine decks they are quite different. I will have investigate this further when I get the chance.

Yes they need Nationalist decals, something which I can borrow from the Italeri Panzer I Ausf B kit.

Painting Tray Update: More Panzer I Work

The bare plastic Panzer I Ausf B gets a Tamiya XF-63 German Panzer Grey base-coat and those wacky SCW "Breda armed" Pz I's Ausf A get a dark green base-coat (see below):

A closer look at those Spanish Civil War Nationalist tanks. Painted in Tamiya XF-61 Dark Green and highlighted with adding increasing amounts of Games Workshop Sunburst Yellow (see below):

"Early war" meets "later war". The Panzer I Ausf B next to a quick build HaT ArmourFast Pz Mk V Panther, with teh strange SCW tanks lurking in the background (see below):

The ArmourFast tank was a surprisingly nice straightforward build quite large (definitely 1/72 rather than 1/76) and dwarfs its predecessors. The Renaissance seems to be put firmly on hold for the moment.

Panzer I Variants: A Versatile Little Tank

My "Panzer I" family photograph pulled from the album:

Along with the "combat tanks" (ahem, yes we all know that the Pz I was only ever intended as a panzer training vehicle, possibly stretching to combat use as a radio [as in, indirect combat role] command variant the Pz I was developed out of necessity in a variety of other roles. Going left to right we have: Spanish Civil War Condor Legion 1937 'Gun' Tank, then the German 1939-41 Command Tank, 1939-41 HMG Tank, 1940-1942 Tank Destroyer, 1940-1942+ Assault Gun AFV.  

The Spanish Civil War (SCW) brought a classic battlefield modification, born out of necessity, marrying a Breda 25mm Italian AT gun to a 'dustbin' turret on the Pz I chassis. All because the Nationalists had to counter Republicans who had real tanks with guns in them (T26's)! The miniatures are from a firm called 'Faust Miniatures' and were an early form of "resin" kit [circa 1997, and were rather rough and ready, brittle and sadly the castings were full of air holes] but rather nevertheless 'charming' for all that too. Too my disgrace they are still in their black undercoat despite having them for fifteen years, but I can report that they are finally working their way a cross the painting table (as I type).

Next in line is the main production fighting variant (see below) Panzer I Ausf B:

You had to be small and dinky to fit into these things, basically a machine gun carrier with a squashed or cosy crew of three. The armour could stop a HMG bullet but not an anti-tank rifle (aka the British Boyes or Russian PTRD) which could take the tank out. It had already reached its swan song long before 1939 and was pressed into combat use by dire need for tanks in Poland (1939), France (1940) and Russia (1941) campaigns.

Next up something with a much more significant punch, the mobile AT destroyer JagdPanzer I (could I call it a Marder MkI?) with the Czech 47mm AT gun. Something even early war French and Russian heavy tanks had to respect (see above). The manufacturers are Fujimi and Esci and again are "old" friends, painted but still needing [the bane of my modelling life] some decals.

Finally the 'metal' fiend of my collection. Something that even in later in the war would have drawn respect, though I don't think any of them could have lasted that long. The Pz I Sig 150mm mobile Infantry Gun. Not a tank killer but a high factor indirect (or direct) support weapon against infantry or fortifications (see below). The kit is courtesy of the ubiquitous SkyTrex 20mm WWII Hinchliffe range and although it was expensive, it was a nice buy which I have never regretted.

I don't think these things, call it an AFV for want of a better description, were ever "knocked out" in direct fire combat, but I suspect the vehicles soon "shook" themselves apart after continuous firing. In reality too big a weapon to be mounted on this small frame. 

The only omission to the family (bar a Pz I munition carriers or ambulances) would be the specialist street fighting variant produced experimentally in 1942 after the Pz I had been removed from front-line combat service. This was a Pz I with "100mm of thick frontal and side armour" designed to be a semi-mobile HMG platform to support German infantry in heavy urban combat. Dis anybody say shades of the Stalingrad mind set? Apparently eight were produced and fought in on the Eastern Front. I think the kits are/were available in resin but from who I know not. The DAK also did a 'battlefield conversion' when fighting outside of Tobruk in 1941 and installed an infantry flame-thrower weapon inside a Panzer I with a limited amount of success. 

Summary: The Panzer I a surprisingly versatile little tank and with its many variants lived a life with a lot more service than would have been expected from its pure wargaming "data statistics".

Back to the start of things: The mighty Panzer I Ausf B

The earth quakes and the ground rumbles as the dawn of the Blitzkrieg is heralded in by the mighty Panzer MkI Ausf B, in the infamous (ahem, thanks Tim, see comments) Dunkelgrau (German Panzer Grey) colour scheme, rolling across the Polish plains (see below): 

These old friends started life with me a long, long time ago, some twenty one years ago in Aberdeen. They are all PzIB's bar the central tank which is the Command Tank version. The only difference being no turret, only one HMG (instead of two) fixed to the front but a blooming great big radio tucked inside it (to spot it see above, middle of picture). This was the time when Frank Chadwick's Command Decision II was the new set of rules in town (circa 1990) introducing the novel concept of one model represents a platoon in a battalion order of battle (OoB) and morale was a significant factor rather than just the weapon wielded. I would also note that the range of plastic kits you could find in shops was very, very limited compared to the extravaganza before us now :).

Heading away from the sun shows a slightly more detailed view (see above), with the Command Tank variant (see above, top left) now leading the way left. The manufacturers are Esci (now to be found re-issued in Italeri boxes) and Fujimi (delicate, hard to come by Japanese kits even now). The pictures were taken from my BlackBerry in natural light hence the long shadows and limited zoom in. Did you notice the unpainted kit amongst the ones above?

Renaissance has finally made way for WWII 20mm and the painting table/tray is now filled with traditional modellers plastic sprue, instead of the trendy 28mm plastic figure kind (see above and below). 

The Italeri model was an old friend (I had previously built two Esci kits together albeit a long, long time ago), although the one-part none slippery plastic track (that required stapling together) was not missed, the individual track parts made it a lot of parts for a small kit! I think I will paint and yes even decal it up for the France 1940 Campaign (which means it is also perfect for Russia).

The Polish "white cross" markings are too silly for my liking, in fact the Panzer crews themselves soon started obscuring them with mud and grease as they had noticed the preponderance of knocked out panzers with hits on or around the "white crosses", which were perfect aiming points for the Polish gunners.

Footnote: I found on "You Tube" the Italeri Panzer I Ausf B review

JagdPanzer IV repair: The anti-tank capability of an 18 month year old

A commando style raid was launched on Daddy's "Panzer IV" tray, resulting in a 'coup' for the 'special forces' operative (see below):

The hands of an eighteen month old child proved more deadly to this late war 20mm German JagdPanzer  IV than any action to date on a wargames table from a 85mm Soviet anti-tank guns or Sherman 75's. A team of expert repair workers (aka me, in a team of one) were brought in to attempt to repair the damage:

The operation reached a tense moment with the attachment of a metal pin into the broken limb (see above):

With nurses mopping the brow of the surgeon a hole was drilled in the "pig's head" mantle (see above). Superglue time and the reconstruction was complete (see below):

And the guilty culprit, got off scot free, with giggles and cuddles to mummy. There is a certain "full circle" element to all this one of my first posts to Geordie's Big Battles was showing off my 'recently' painted (in 2009) JagdPanzer IV company (in Command Decision terms) as wargame ready:

Early Photo of JagdPanzer IV Company
Better Shot of JagdPanzer IV Company

This is back in 2009. To my eternal shame I have still not "decalled" them to finish them off properly or even had them out on a wargames table proper! Maybe my youngest son was just trying to tell me something after all, using the vocabulary available to him ("All gone" is his latest phrase).

Lost Wirblewind Found

There is a lot to be said for lateral thinking and a late night Friday night-cap of Hoegaarden beer.

(Note: It's powerful stuff so I just have "one" these days as a treat. I remember in my youth staring down at a circle of lemon floating in this Belgian wheat beer thinking it was harmless stuff, I'll have another and what the heck another for the road. Next day waking up my bed wondering where did the elephant go that sat on my head last the night? It has a kick to it, but I digress.)

I was thinking if my youngest did "file the Wirblewind" (see previous post) as part of one of his "learning games" it was not a certainty that the "bin" was used, looking around the room my eye was drawn to his clothing chest of drawers. He likes to put things in them from the back, I wonder ...

Not in the bottom drawer, but sure enough the middle draw was housing an under-coated  black, 1/72 ESCI Wirblewind as well a collection of stylish young man's (under 2's) jumpers. All I have to do now is paint it before he really does puts it in the bin!

:)

A happy ending to a horror story

At last I have a Panzer IVG (with side-skirts)

The Panzer Mark IV I always wanted as a kid. The one with side skirting. An old, old Esci kit gifted to me by a benevolent wargaming friend who is still a keen WWII wargamer but now in 15mm

• 

Painted past the undercoat Matt Black, Sand Yellow base and Oily Black Shade stages due to the devil of the side skiting, still requiring a highlight of Sand Yellow followed by the Green and Brown of the late-war German camouflage scheme. Hence still a work in ptogress.

However this also means my fourteen tank Panzer IV for a CD III late-war German tank battalion reaches half-way (suitable for fighting on both East and West Fronts), following a similar manufacturer orientated company composition scheme.

Totals to date:

• Esci Pz IV F2 x 3
• Esci Pz IV H x 1
• Hasagawa Pz IV G x 1
• Airfix Pz IV F2 x 2 (and still looking to get another one sometime)

Note: In the background I do have 3 X Airfix Pz IV F1 in early war German Panzer Grey colour scheme which could be drafted in as extras. The remainder will probably come from Airfix, Hasagawa and Revell. Again a slow fifteen year project in the making.

JagdTiger

As WWII AFV's go they don't come bigger than this (with one notable "Maus" exception). An old Esci kit that dates back to the early 1990's when I first picked it up.

Looking to the right:

Looking to the left:

The heavy German armour part of my "unmade or  not quite finished" section of my 20mm collection is coming to a close.

Yes I do have allied (East and West) armour too :)

Panzer Commanders

In response to my pedantic "is this the right type of yellow" paint brush fiddling (which to be honest felt very much like hard work) I was at least allowed to tart-up the "Green Tiger" crewman and commander figures. I felt obliged to go back and add a few extra details to the King Tiger commander, after all this was a piece of kit with an even bigger clout. Hence I give you Panzer 'Kurtz' Senior in the King Tiger with his Junior Panzer friends in the "Green Tiger":

I am still not completely sure about the "Green Tiger's" overall look ("You wouldn't let it lie" - Vic Reeves). In this photograph I noticed that the difference between the two yellows is quite stark. I used much more white in the late war "ambush" scheme. However the mid-war tones of Dark Yellow from all the illustrative plates that I have seen (and I try to bear in mind these are only artistic impressions not real period colour photographs) do not show the yellow quite so bleached. I may come back and tinker with another whiter highlight (of a highlight) to the "Green Tiger" later (Er, much later). If I did anything more now I fear I would just spoil it.

At least I've managed to get an "in focus" Tiger crew if you click into the above photograph, tank commander and lance corporal so to speak. I have not cracked this miniature photography lark at all as I was really trying to focus on 'Kurtz' in the King Tiger!

Another shot of my JagdPanzer IV's

Flicking through my camera I found this one of my initial Esci 1/72 PanzerJagd IV project and would like to post it for prosperity:

They are traveling over the very, very familiar ground to those who have seen my other photographs ;) I am still thinking that a 1944 Ardennes scenario is the most likely wargame to put on.

Hunting Pack of "Big German Kats"

And so I come to the final bit of painting ...

After the stripes comes a quick attack of spots, lots of yellow in the dark brown and dark green areas, then (a few) green in the base  yellow area and (again just a few) brown in the base yellow area too. This certainly breaks up the defined regions very well. Nice! The finished 1/76 Fujimi KonigTiger (with supporting band of LOTR Moria goblins in the background[eh?]) is shown below:

This means I now have a hunting pack of Big German Kats (yes "K" for Kongtiger).

This would be a company strength formation for Command Decision or Battlefront (or even Spearhead) and realistically I need no more for any feasibly historical wargame. True, I still have a model of the Porsche turret version (found in combat to be a weakness as it trapped rather than deflected some incoming enemy shots), but I file that under the category of variety not necessity. To mix in with the Henschel variants and Tigers in early D-Day+ Normandy 1944 battles for instance.

These boys are good for late 1944 in the Ardennes/Rhine and late for the 1944 and 1945 eastern front battles. However, if truth be told, the unit is great to model and look at, but a rarity on the battlefield and askew to the typical historical Order of Battle I prefer.

Danger: KonigTigers on the prowl in the twilight

The king of the jungle in that three tone "ambush" camouflage again! Nasty beasts to come up against even in a JSII. Decals still need doing, will have to wait for the time being at least. I sense a mass decal production line at the end of my painting spree.


These are Esci kits (the molds now released by Italeri), with the same story line as the PanzerJagd IV's mentioned previously in my blog, a long stay in the cupboard before their resurrection :)

Viewed from above in twilight:



Yes seventeen possibly eighteen years old with a long history of being on the "would be nice to do" list, usually at Xmas after The Battle of the Bulge had been on the telly. Inspiration for their camouflage comes from the cover art on the Arms & Armour Press book of Panzer Colours (ISBN 0-85368-450-2)

I will just add as a footnote, yes, honest I do have something other than German tanks! It is just that the urge has taken my this way, for this month anyway.

JagdPanzer IV Kit Information and Painting Description

As requested (and with a little bit of retrospective updating from other models kits done since)

The JagdPanzer IV's shown in the previous post are actually original Esci kits.
Something I bought "seventeen years" ago! (Ah, the shame of it all)

Since that time they hibernated in a box untouched (shall we call this a gestation period) before seeing the light of day, an instruction manual and plastic (liquid) glue. They then hung about in a draw with other naked plastic kits until about five years ago when the huge pot of black Tamiya matt came their way. Again another period of darkness (in the Pz Mk IV cupboard) until inspired by other WWII 20mm bloggers and a pot of Tamiya dark yellow XF-60 the late war paint scheme project came to life.

The painting went as follows:

Matt Black (Tamiya XF1)


Above kit being a 1/76 Fujimi KonigTiger (Porsche Turret).

Matt Dark Yellow (Tamiya XF60)- leaving lots of dark shady cracks black highlighted in rather an extreme way:


The above kit being a 1/76 Fujimi KoingTiger (Henschel Turret), just being started.


The above kit being a 1/76 Fujimi Tiger, primed yellow. As a footnote to this part, I use a a large (Size 3) brush, so I can be rather rough and ready but cover a lot of area quickly as I essentially wash over the model (and totally repaint it) in the next step.

Metallic Black (Anita's Acrylics) neat on track and tools

The above is the 1/76 Fujimi (Henschel) KonigTiger given base metallic shade to track and tools.

The radical bit: Black oily wash of a watered down Metallic Black, yes you get lots of floaty shiny bits but it suits an oily, dirty panzer look (IMHO). The Hasagawa 1/72 Tiger is starting to look raw, mean and hungry.

Likewise the Fujimi 1/76 (Henschel) KonigTiger above has lost that parade ground sparkle and starts to look roughly treated.

(Above) Matt Red Brown (Tamiya XF-64) blotches and stripes on the Fujimi 1/76 (Henschel) KonigTiger

(Above) Matt Dark Green (Tamiya XF-61) blotches and stripes on the Fujimi 1/76 (Henschel) KonigTiger

Then came the part Games Workshop can take credit for as I highlighted up a shade with:

(Above) Matt Red Brown (Tamilya XF-64) with Matt Flat Earth (Tamiya XF-54) on the Fujimi 1/76 (Henschel) KonigTiger. As a final highlight the the above mixture with a touch of Yellow (Tamiya XF-3)

(Above) Matt Dark Green (Tamiya XF-61) with a touch of Yellow (Tamiya XF-3) on the Fujimi 1/76 (Henschel) KonigTiger

(Above) Matt Dark Yellow (Tamiya XF-60) with a touch of White (Tamiya XF-2) on the Fujimi 1/76 (Henschel) KonigTiger

(Above) GW Citadel paint "Bolt Gun" to highlight the shiny metal part.on the Fujimi 1/76 (Henschel) KonigTiger

Then the fun bit with the spots (and a bit of touching up after when the blotches go amiss). Cover/leathers we painted initially Matt Red Brown and shaded with GW "Bestial Brown" and "Snakeskin Leather".

The final product with a quick twirl for the audience.


The kit above is one of the Esci 1/72 KonigTigers.

The only thing left is to decal it at some point in the future

;)