Part 1a: Panzerbefehlswagen 740 (r)

After taking a pause, it became glaringly obvious that the aerial had to go.  The T26 kit is an absolute dog but I couldn't justify the over-scale antenna by such reasoning!  After all, I am attempting to make something good!

Toothpick is a spacer until the epoxy dries.

I prised off the already glued aerial (amazing how resilient super glue is when you don't want it to be!) and removed the tree-trunk supports.  I have made a new frame from thin brass rod and need to visit my local (unfriendly) model shop for some appropriately sized styrene rod.

Other bits of stowage have been added along with an unditching log.  Still to come is some gap filling and the "soft" stowage.  Both achieved with a mixture of epoxy putties.  Also, I have a bit of chain that will look quite good when artfully draped.

Now, time for a coffee and bath...

"Upcycling" - a question of command.

Nice shot of a Panzerbefehlswagen I.

With the new year has come substantial resolve.  Both to get fit (well, less unfit!) and to get some of the long considered projects completed.  I spent most of my January free-time improving a diecast Panzer IV toy - more of which in another post.  However this left me needing a command vehicle for my kampfgruppe.

As can be seen, frame antennae come in different shapes!

Now I could have gone for a bog-standard command vehicle like an SdKfz 250 or 251 but I wanted something "different" and with a frame aerial.   I like the look of the Panzerbefehlswagen I but couldn't find one online and also didn't fancy forking out for another model.  Thus I decided to think outside the box and produce something unique.



A quick trip to the loft produced a rather nasty T26 bought from an Ebay seller.  It was warped and the track units are different lengths (both being too short!)  It cost me very little and I suspect it is a "knock-off" so I didnt mind chopping it up.

The solution to my problem came to me at about 05:00 today after the Nitrazepam wore off.  I would create a "Beute" Befehlswagen!  After a day of tinkering bending and sanding I present the Panzerbefehlswagen 740 (r)

Figures for size reference.

This monster was cobbled together in an unidentified workshop at the request of an officer short of a mount.  He didn't wish to "waste" a gun-tank so had his men create a custom vehicle from parts.   The aerial from a scout car, the cupola from a written off Panzer III and some sheet steel cut from a destroyed Hanomag.  All these mixed with some ingenuity and the command vehicle was born!

Rudimentary MG port shown.

As can be seen it is not finished needing tidying up, filling, sanding and more detailing.  Also it is far from perfect having an overscale antenna.  However any thinner and I think it would be prone to breakage during a game.  The supports will be replaced as they look like tree trunks!

Rear hatch and home-cast stowage boxes.

The track units have (I hope) been disguised and a coat of gunk will help this process further.  The (lucky?) commander is already modelled and just needs to be seated in his cupola and then this should be ready for the spray booth.  It will be in Soviet green and panzergrau with a winter over-paint making it usable for almost the whole war.  I am currently deciding which technique should be used to portray chipped and worn whitewash...

Anyway, I am pretty happy and hope this is of interest to someone!

Vril and the Hollow Earth.

GröFaZ and ET?  No thanks!

For a few weeks I have been considering the various options when it comes to "weird" World War II.

Now as it is a fantasy subject there is no reason that Minotaurs couldn't be enlisted in the Heer fighting against a race of Soviet Gnomes. However, I wanted to keep the whole thing a little more believable (if it can be plausible in the slightest!)

Interesting but over-done.

It is well known that various German societies and some senior figures were searching for "Vril" or Hyperborean technologies.  Indeed the quest for perpetual motion and free energy was still considered attainable at this time.  

Some fringe types had decided the Earth was hollow (there are still believers) and that an advanced race lived in a subterranean realm illuminated by a hidden Sun!  

Then of course there is the whole "Haunebu" area where the Germans were supposedly cooperating with Aliens to build flying saucers - a crackpot's wet dream!

Anyway the options are pretty simple:

• Alien Tech - Flying discs, rayguns and Antarctic bases.
• Anti-grav research based upon "Die Glocke" style experiments.
• Vril animated machines and creatures.

The concept - Vpz II circa 1943/4.

I have opted for an admixture of Vril and Anti-Grav technology.  

The Anti-Grav will allow me to field small scout vehicles that hover above the ground.  The weaponry will be strictly in-period and I am planning to base this on the Sdkfz 234 series.  

The number of vehicles will be very small as they are produced contrary to Hitler's wishes* and manned by the secretive and paranoid "Projekt Ostara" personnel.

Currently I am awaiting the delivery of the basic chassis from Jez at Old Crow.  The model I have chosen does not really look too futuristic and with a turret transplant should have a real alternative WWII feel - I just hope the turrets I have in my spares box fit as I have not been able to measure or handle the chassis!

The choice of Vril will also allow me field zombies - Hoorah! - as corpses could easily be reanimated by such an amazing substance!

More to follow - albeit slowly - as vacation season approaches...

*A fact often overlooked by "Weird" enthusiasts is that GröFaZ detested the Occult and the bizarre theories of Himmler and Rosenberg.  He was far more interested in weapons specs, troop numbers and production than in the search for an Hyperborean civilisation and magical substances.

Munitionspanzerjäger 38(t) - Progress

The plating is intentionally imperfect.

I decided to strike whilst enthusiasm was high and time available.  Having cut the shields from "30 thou" plastic-sheet* - I decided they looked too tidy for a scrapyard vehicle.  

Inspiration struck in the form of some Tamiya StuG III schürzen.  Amazingly the front skirt was of almost identical proportions to the forward part of my template.  I have therefore trimmed a couple of these and rotated them into place.  The cut-outs used to hang them on the StuG have been kept in-situ.  Now the vehicle has a more "rough and ready" look.  

The Ultimate Soldier tank hull has had the MG removed - a blank will be fitted to cover the hole.  Additionally the loose glacis plate has been repositioned and super-glued into place.

I think I will secure this "plating" with epoxy putty.  That way I will not have it springing loose at an inopportune moment.  Once securely in place I will add some welding-detail and other bits and pieces including a large wooden ammo locker.

As for the KwK F34(r) - taken from a Hobby Boss T34 - the mount will have (for game purposes) a very limited traverse.  Looking at the aperture and pivot, I would estimate this is no more than a total of 20 degrees (probably less)

To my eyes the project is looking promising. 

*30 thou is over-scale but the thinnest sheet with the required strength.

Imagineering: Munitionspanzerjäger 38(t) mit KwK F34(r)

Munitionspanzer 38(t)

One of the troubles when starting new projects is too much choice.  First of all it is scale, then period - followed closely by the pleasant task of choosing models.  I am often derailed by one or all of the above.  A case of too many toys and too little time.



The other factor that proves troubling is my severe trepidation - a simple fear of making a mess.  I realised recently that it is almost 20 years since I last completed a 1:35 kit.  This hiatus has caused me to become increasingly indecisive!  These things cost money and I don't want to waste it.  Anyway, it is time to draw a line under this and "Get her done" as our American friends like to say.

Readers will be aware of my preference for "make do" type vehicles.  As I have explained before, improvisation and field modification were very common in the Ostheer - as they are in most armies.  In fact almost every documentary I watch these days has some weird field-mod sitting in the background or rolling past whilst the narrator drones on.  Of late I have toyed with a few conversions but have settled on this creation as my project of the month!

The rugged and reliable (yet under-gunned and armoured) Panzer 38(t) was, from 1942/3,  frequently relegated to service as a Munitionspanzer.  This was a relatively simple conversion involving the removal of the turret and covering the resulting circular hole with a tarpaulin or wooden "lid".  Occasionally these vehicles sport a box-like superstructure that appears to be made from sheet-metal - however this seems relatively rare.

Munitionspanzerjäger 38(t)

My "what-if" vehicle depicts such a Munitionspanzer that has been given a new lease of life at the divisional workshop.

An F34 cannon has been removed from a T34 wreck and mounted upon the chassis.  Scrap metal (old schürzen perhaps?) has been welded into a protective box - giving the creation the appearance of a crude "Marder".

I have no idea if anything similar to this "Imagineered" vehicle was made, but it is certainly possible.  When you consider the various oddballs floating around this looks decidedly conservative!

The photo has been snapped on my iPhone and is therefore not too great.  However the card mock-up (which needs tweaking) should give readers an idea of what is to come...

The Return of the Stummel™

Off-setting the gun works aesthetically.

Due to popular demand the Panzerspähwagen BA(F) 203(r) "Stummel" is back from the dead.  This historical "what-if" generated so much enthusiasm it would be unfair to just consign it to the trash heap!

I haven't done much so far but the idea is taking shape.  I fiddled around with some pieces of cereal box card during an episode of the awful "Sex and the City" and found the best solution.

The shields are high and the vehicle will be rather ungainly, this is something I like, as it is not a work of art - rather a utilitarian field-mod.  I have tacked the basic plates onto the hull and need only sand them to the right angles.  This will be done when I smooth out the (still to be filled) faults on the FoA casting.

The small size of the BA-3/6 is going to dictate a three man crew - two on the L24 howitzer and a driver.  The MG port will be covered as this area will be used as storage for the shells etc.

I think it is going to work out OK and the planned tarpaulin will hide the fact that the hull is solid.  More as I get it!

Imagineering: Panzerjäger T-70 743(r)

Artillerie Schlepper T70 & PaK40

Regular readers will be aware that I wish my 1943/44 "Mini-Kampfgruppe" to sport a couple of unusual vehicles.  Originally, I was thinking of converting a BA-3/6 armoured car but after a great deal of thought, I reckon this is simply impractical.  Thus, I have spent a great deal of time this week thinking of an alternative.

The component parts.

Like most of us I have - to the disgust of my Wife - a large collection of unmade models and left-over parts stashed around the family home.  When starting a new project (or resuscitating an old one) I like to delve into this stockpile and see what I can use.  Invariably I find things I have  forgotten about and as such the process is always enjoyable.

After shelving the "Stummel" idea I had a second dip and found an unassembled JTFM T-70 bought a couple of years back.  Digging deeper unearthed a couple of PaK 40s (one Artizan & one unknown)  This haul got me thinking...

Improvised R35 Panzerjäger.

During WW2 many captured tanks (and even armoured cars) were stripped of their turrets and pressed into service as "Schleppers" or tractors.  Used to tow various ordnance they were a cheap (partial) solution to the military's horrendous equipment short-fall.  There is much photographic evidence of once towed weapons being field-mounted upon their prime-movers.  A great many weird and wonderful vehicles can be tracked (ho ho) down if you trawl period media.

Another strange field-mod.

As the T70 was used to tow the PaK 40, I see no reason why an improvised Panzerjäger would not have been made.  The chassis is certainly capable of handling the weight and firing stresses - so why not!  Also, having the requisite parts to hand helped me decide - minimal extra outlay is required!  So to cut to the chase, I will be starting to build such a model over the next few days.  

Any comments or suggestions are most welcome - please feel free to post them below.

Inspirational oddball Jagdpanzer

After realising my Artizan figures were just too large for the proposed BA-6 "Stummel" - I started thinking laterally.  My options are simple, either shelve this attractive conversion or buy some smaller figures.  As I find the idea of converting this model pretty interesting, the latter is the logical choice.

Westwind "true" 25mm Germans.

When it comes to true 25mm figures the only ones I can think of are the venerable "Berlin or Bust" range from Westwind Productions - this is a company that caused me a whole lot of trouble last year so a third party seller such as Maelstrom would be the sensible choice.  Some of these models are great, others suck - but they are the solution if I wish to use diminutive 1:56 models!

Casting around for an alternative stummel,  I found a weird Jagdpanzer.  The site at which I found the photo, wrongly described it as a Panzer IV mounting a PaK 40.  However the gun shield clearly indicates that the weapon is a PaK 38 (5,0cm)

Field converted Jagdpanzer IV mit PaK 38!

Now why you remove a turret with a 7,5cm piece and mount a lower calibre weapon is unclear.  Perhaps the turret was damaged beyond repair?  Alternatively perhaps this was a Munitionspanzer that changed role.  I doubt we will ever know.

Either way it is a very interesting creature and shows, yet again, that almost anything goes even during the mid-war* period.

In my "bits box" I have a discarded Solido Panzer IV hull and a Russian 7,6cm gun.  Perhaps Major von Hächtel would prefer this to the "stummel"?  That way his men could remain Artizan and his mount would still be unusual...

More discussion about this vehicle can be found at:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/thread/1120723933/Strange+Panzer+IV+version

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=118225

It is argued, quite convincingly, that this is a bridge-layer converted to a panzer-jäger.



*Many odd conversions are seen during the "Endkampf" but it is clear that the Heer (and Waffen SS) modified vehicles throughout the war.  The uniforms of the troops in this grainy picture suggest winter 1941/2 or at a push 1942/3.   

Ersatz Stummel - in the resin / metal

I have just pulled a couple of models for comparison.  The metal one is a "Chieftain" Sdkfz 250 converted to 250/8 "Alte".  This vehicle was actually made and saw action on the Ostfront.  However it is pure guesswork as to whether the gun was countersunk into the glacis or mounted on top of the hull.  I decided to go for the option similar to the early Sdkfz 251/9.

Relative sizes of 1:56 Sdkfz 250/8 and BA-6 "Stummel"

The resin model is the BA-6.  I have mounted the gun (with some Blu-tack) in the location that enables the most room to serve the weapon. 

Gun mounts are miscasts from S&S models.  I got my hands on these almost eight years ago and they have been boxed since then.  Some serious work is needed to make them look OK!

The red areas approximate the location of armour plate shields with the horizontal lines showing the supports for a canvas tilt - well it would be depicted during winter and a tarp hides a multitude of sins!

Major von Hächtel would be peeping out next to the gun surveying the bleak terrain and wishing he was back home in Beimbach.

Is this workable?

Please excuse the messy nature of the 250.  It's dimensions are slightly "off" (look at that rear hull plate!) and that is why I shelved the project - it annoyed me! 

Ersatz Stummel - continued

Second generation mock-up.

Having had a look at the "mock-up" below I think the armament was wrongly situated - as suggested at TMP.

I have dropped it back and things look better.   It would also allow the hull MG position to be used as a radio-operator's station.  Essential, considering the beastie is supposed to be a command vehicle.

The only problem is going to be if there is sufficient room to load the weapon in this configuration.  It is going to be a very tight fit.  Either way I will not be sure until I dig out the components...

Panzerspähwagen BA(F) 203(r) "Stummel" ?

"Beute" Soviet BA-6.

Of late I have been looking for a "mount" for "Major von Hächtel" the commander of my 28mm Kampfgruppe.  I have considered using a Panzer, SPW or even a "beute" T70 but all seem a bit boring.  Then last night I found an unmade "Force of Arms" BA-6 in bubble wrap!  The cogs started whirring and an old idea was suddenly resurrected.

The BA-3/6 was captured in large quantities by the advancing Wehrmacht.  They were used widely in security units but also found their way into front line units.  Sometimes you see them with the bulky T26 turret removed and an MG fitted in improvised shields of varying complexity.  I have even seen one with what looks like a 2,0cm KwK 30 in a semi-fixed mounting.  So far so good.

Mock-up for the BA-Stummel.

I want something a little unusual for the august Major and started thinking along the lines of an 7,5cm L/24 howitzer - as mounted on Sdkfz 233 (6* and 8 wheel) 234/3, 250 (old‡ and new) and 251.  I created a little mock-up with MS paint and it looks acceptable in terms of size.  When comparing the details to the Sdkfz 250 it is obvious that the BA-6 is indeed of a similar size and weight.  So I wonder: "Is there sufficient room in the rear  compartment to handle the weapon?"

So many unofficial conversions are apparent in photos and newsreels that I am of the opinion that "if it could be done, it probably was"  I am sure the recoil would not be great for the BA's health in the long-term (then neither is a PaK 38's good for an Sdkfz 250 - but it is a known field-mod!)  However, expediency on the battlefield seemed, as always, to be the greatest consideration.  If you look at "Endkampf" kit you can see some seriously strange conversions - so my argument is that von Hächtel was just a bit ahead of his time in winter 43/44!

Early production Sdkfz 251/9.

I would be most interested in any comments from people who are familiar with the internal layout of the BA-3/6 and could tell me if there was room enough for two standing crew members after removal of the turret.

*There are unsubstantiated reports of the short 75mm being mounted on the 6-rad Sdkfz 232. 

‡The prototype Sdkfz 250/8s were built (1943) on old style chassis.