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)!

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