SmoggyCom 2012 Haul (Part I) : 20mm WWI Pz IB Bef x 2 (FrontLine)

The Early War Panzer Battalion Project: 

At last years SmoggyCon (2012) I picked up two Pz III E's (37mm Guns) from FrontLine Miniatures to "legitimise"my France 1940 Panzer Battalion (previous to that I would have had to sneak in some Barbarossa HaT Pz III F/G's with their short 50mm - pedantic and sad I know, but it's also nice to get a collection to that "all correct to Order of Battle" stage). This year I decided to get a proper "pipsqueak" command tank for my early-war Light Tank company commanders,instead of just using Pz1 and Pz II models. (Note: The Battalion Commander already had his plush Esci Pz IB Bef).

For the price of "two in resin" from FrontLine (totaling just under £8.00) , it was the same or cheaper as picking up one old Esci or new Italeri Pz IB Bef plastic kit and much less of a hassle "number of pieces wise" of putting then together for pretty much the same effect (see below for my first tank off the production line):  

I also discovered what I consider a 'neat trick' in assembly of the tracks to the chassis. The weakness of resin kits (FrontLine in particular) is getting a good connection between the superglue and the tracks/chassis (I am not a big fan of using Milliput in a "gluing mode"). I used some old cardboard (mine literally came from a greeting card I had to hand when inspiration struck me) glued it to the chassis, it dried in less than a minute, then I glued the tracks to the card which was bond to the chassis. When it dries completely it dries rock solid, but when you are placing the tracks on, there is just that little bit of gentle 'give' in the cardstock to get a good connection between the resin parts.

Well I now have my pair assembled and undercoated (see below): 

Confession: It has been years since I have done a WWII game in 20mm (as an afterthought I do have the 1/200 kit that could be used for CD III as well). So here I am claiming to be Command Decision proficient, however methinks my "player's license" has probably long since lapsed ;)

Therefore I am determined to put on at least a solo game over Xmas .. watch this space (that should raise a cheer from Al and Paul in NZ)!

The Panzer III Production Line Continued ...

Inside the heart of the Reich, Albert Speer's industrial war machine turns up a gear and starts churning out Panzer III's on a mass scale (see below, one HaT and two Frontline models) as Hitler's attention turns east towards the Soviet Union and his idealogical enemy Stalin:

A closer look at the "duo" of the 1/76 Pz III Ausf E's armed with the "37mm door-knocker" picked up at SmoggyCon (see below). It's always nice to paint a convention purchase asap:

My definition of "industrial" when it comes to kit creation is three plus ;)

The 1/72 Pz III Ausf G "short 50mm" (see back left above) shows the rapid pace of the evolutionary arms race in comparison to the 1/76 Pz III Ausf E "37mm door-knocker" (see rear right and foreground above). Two major marks of the Pz III were released within months of each other, the Pz III Ausf E becoming effectively obsolete by the start of the Russian 1941 Campaign (Barbarossa):

The Light Companies of the "Barbarossa 1941" Panzer Battalion and its Light Companies (see above). Each comprised of:

• 2 x Pz III Ausf G + 1 Pz III Ausf E

The "Command Tanks" to be nominated as needed, rather than being 'special models'. The two light companies 'spread' over the plain of my painting table (see below):

Shiny tracks, varying shades of German Grey and rusting rear radiator exhausts

Germans all done now, all I need is some Soviet opposition:

Finally its time to reappraise my "Panzer Grey Project", is it finished?

I think so, until spring 1942 when the Pz III "special" long 50mm tank (Ausf J2) appears. Technically I may need six Pz III Ausf G's models by the end of 1941, but combat attrition meant that 'full battalions' were rarely fielded and I can safely use the Pz III Ausf E's as nice ways of spotting/differentiating the "Command Tanks" on the tabletop.

Besides at this point I have also reached the bottom of the Tamiya XF-63 paint pot!

What's that Under The Bed at SmoggyCon?: Pz III Ausf E's

Well blow me if it's not a Pz III Ausf E in resin! Now I can go into Poland in style with the correct allocation and mark of Pz III's (see below, resin kit in four parts from Under the Bed Enterprises ["FrontLine kit" being the manufacturer] retailing at £4.90 on the day).

So I bought two, which means I can go proudly into France with the correct Order of Battle (OoB), if you let me use a HaT Pz III Ausf G as a command tank (or alternatively that dinky little Panzer1 Bef Ausf B). The two under coated black kits are another pair of Hat Pz III Ausf G's I already "had in the bag" (see below).

By my calculations I will be ready to rumble in "early Barabarossa" when they are finished. The process of upgrading from the Pz III Ausf E to Pz III Ausf F+ have not been completed, most battalions had lingering Pz III Ausf E's lying around. Again I may need to press the Pz I Bef Ausf B into service much to the chagrin of the Panzer Battalion commander.  

The "Frontline" resin kits slipped together nicely with a generous dollop of super-glue. Despite their relative cheapness (comparable to the HaT offerings) they are nicely detailed with a rotating turret. The gun barrels are cheap metal, finished in a rounded fashion (better than I remember the first Frontline kits). So I am very happy with them. The resin seems good to reasonable in quality with only a few air bubbles I'll need to fill in later (certainly much better than my Faust Miniature Panzer I Ausf A's with their 25mm Breda Gun).

My one reservation is the tracks as they are ambitiously also cast in resin, other manufacturers use metal to avoid brittle chipping disasters. Mine are fine at the moment but I intend to "finally" mount them on small scenic bases as I suspect longer term use will "degrade" them after the first if "drop". Fortified with a 'cup of char' the Panzer III fleet gets its base colours (see above and below).

A final close up of the two Pz III Ausf E's from Frontline shows their 1/76 scaling next to the larger 1/72 HaT Pz III Ausf G cousin. The Frontline kit is about the same body size as the old Matchbox Pz III Ausf J size for comparison.

Note: In the background you can see my 25/28mm Perry Renaissance Mercenaries still in "stasis" waiting their turn patiently on the painting tray