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Waffentrager Pak 43 in Eberswalde March 1945


Blaubar

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Thank you Sir.

The build is rather sloth-like (actually an insult to the sloth, I am slower) - as all my builds are^^.

Doing some work on the german captured Panhard Pz.Sp.Wg. The ICM Kit is amazing, but of course, I need to add extra detail...

Currently fixing the 25mm ammo.

34715770396_31d87851d3_b.jpg

Left Kit, right mine. It is not perfect, and of course I need to paint it, but I think it is better than the kit's plastic blob. I drilled ad filed all shells from plastic rod individually... (I do not recommend modifying this to anyone, waste of time)

34371098800_e79b3975fb_b.jpg

The French "kit" radio and below the FuG 20 SE for recon vehicles which I built.

34620128641_cc3783146a_b.jpg

34620129381_67fcb7ca32_b.jpg

 

The fire extinguishers. I modified them also, to have the German ones, but they are ugly, I need to redo them, I am happy with my support-box however, the copper turned out nice.^^.

33909446324_c48c48de54_b.jpg

 

Panhard%20178%20Handbook%201942_07.jpg*)

my copy (look at the ugly shapes...) muahaha fail:

34741417325_ffe049e472_b.jpg

 

 

As Gremlin likes engines, here the engine for you:

34697801786_83af37a3b2_b.jpg

I tried to mimic this shot:

panhardamd178_engineHAUGH1.jpg*)

 

They will later go together onto the same dio with the BR52, so I am mixing it in here, some trucks and the panzer IV will later be added, too.

/Stefan

 

sources:

* taken from www.warwheels.net

 

 

 

Edited by Blaubar
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Thanks you two.

What colour would those engine wires be? Any ideas? They seem to be rather bright...

 

As you know about my diorama ideas... I have to adjust the painting and paint job on this vehicle. It was around steam locomotives and trains kind of all the time and therefore vapour, steam, coal and humidity would have taken their toll on the vehicle. I am no fan of exaggerated weathering, but I went a bit heavier here, due to the above effects. Also grease and such would be readily carried into the vehicle and where hands would go to keep the balance or to open doors, I added filth and dirt to the walls. It looks a bit intenser than the real thing, I will also tone it down slightly. For the vapour "damage" to the paint, I used light blue with 90% water. Around the feet and arms of the drivers, I added intense decoloration as the constant touching of the wall (due to gear shifting and such) with the arms and legs would have made them pretty dirty. Might I need to add some ash and coal residue to the floor?
I will later also add four gas masks and 1 or 2 MP40s for the crew. There are two storage boxes at the rear, but I would think that the gas masks would be at more reasonable locations -> within the fighting compartment?
34599261692_a6689e2df3_b.jpg
I painted the ammo to represent 2,5cm Pzgr patr. (m Uberldg) 122(f) = Cart. de 25mm Mle 1938 à balle perforante.(Charge forte), they had a black tip. 
34599261932_da9c84632a_b.jpg

It is the third one on the pic below, I might add some tracer rounds (green tip) for the fun of it or high explosive ones with a blue ring and a flat cap...:

2zhkroi.jpg*)
33919459954_76544ac041_b.jpg
Above the 25mm shells is a little hole (to the right of the MG ammo), I will add a pin there, which was there to hold MG ammo rounds. I don't want to place all rounds there, I will leave this one off and simply add the respective pin. The vehicle came back from an anti-partisan duty and had used some ammo along the way.
34629513681_69224df660_b.jpg
Let me know what you think of it. I will actually take some MG rounds away fro the door also. Kind of like this one here, notice all those pins and the early type APX turret, from the first 30 produced Panhard 178, not the type which was present on later batch vehicles (600+), it lacks the two Gundlach periscopes and the air filter on top of the commander's hatch.

Panhard%20178%20Handbook%201942_05.jpg


Have a good weekend,
/Stefan

 

sources:

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/attic-old-barn-finds/german-shell-case-2-5cm-what-nationality-weapon-3994/

Edited by Blaubar
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I find can I would suggest something - dry brush metalizer on the floor. Probably all those raised elements on the floor was all the time polished with the crew shoes. 

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Francis, after all it will be a Pannzerspähwagen and no panhard at the end (find some info on the build and research below)...

This is a copy paste of another blog of mine, usually I write different ones always, but I felt like doing a lazy Dr. Ctrl+C one:

 

After the end of World War I the cavalry had become a medium of debate and by 1931 the French Army was focusing on the mechanization of its cavalry. Panhard, Berliet, Latil and Renault had acted upon the request for proposals for a vehicle meeting the following specs, 4 tons, 400km range and a maximum speed of 70km/h amongst others. In October 1933 Panhard’s ‘Automitrailleuse de Découverte Panhard Modèle 1935’ (the official designation of the vehicle) was completed and by 1934 Panhard won the bid after trials. The vehicle was now simply being called ‘Panhard voiture spéciale type 178’ or ‘Panhard 178’. The vehicle was significantly heavier with 8 tons and its range was limited to 300km, however it was chosen as the best of all the prototypes. The ‘Panhard 178’ was a 4x4 vehicle and had a driver seat in both forward and backwards facing directions, distinguishing it from many other armored cars.
draw1.jpg
*

Production of the first 30 vehicles started in 1935 and by 1937 many flaws were apparent and major modifications and new trials were carried out after the production of the first 30 vehicles. By May 1940 some 339 ‘Panhard 178’ had been produced. By June 1940 a total of 491 vehicles had been completed of which 480 vehicles were in service in “Escadron” units according to French sources. In total there were 729 units built, including 176 during the German occupation in 1940. As the German Army did not have organized cavalry units as the French, the captured Panhards were used as ‘Panzerspähwagen’, or reconnaissance vehicles attached to armored divisions. In total 40 of all 190 captured vehicles were modified to receive rail wheels and classified as ‘Schienenpanzer’ or ‘Eisenbahnschutzfahrzeuge’, though some sources claim 43 vehicles were converted.
The converted vehicles were in some cases attached to armored trains, however, they were mostly used for anti-partisan duty in the East, patrolling important railway lines and driving ahead of important cargo trains guarding their path.

According to OKH Akten 457 ** of Panzerzug 3, the respective vehicles were classified as Pz. Sp. Wg. aka Panzerspähwagen, without any further annotations distinguishing the different kinds of such vehicles. See the image from official OKH documents from 1943. As there are 640 pages, it will take some more time going through this one.
34229296822_3e9c152053_b.jpg

As such, I will comply and refer to the vehicle as the Panzerspähwagen (Pz. Sp. Wg.) from now on. About 40 or 43 of the captured Panhard 178s were converted and were fitted with the late type APX3 turrets. These distinguish them from the earlier models, which lacked a rear view episcope and the two Gundlach periscopes on the turret roof and the ventilation fans on te commander's hatch. Most, if not all of them saw action on the Eastern front. 

The vehicles were modified so that the wheels could be changed from rail to roadwheels in about ten minutes. As such it was a very versatile and highly mobile vehicle. 

Due to bad view range during the night, a searchlight was requested for all 8 Pz.Sp.Wg. of Eisenbahn Panzertriebwagen 15 on October 31st, 1943. This was to be better able to search the tracks and to find the way of passage during the night on narrow paths.
34486205766_c30bcf4be0_b.jpg
*p297
(I got more detailed drawings available of requested).

Additionally, a red/green light switch was to be installed for the commanders and drivers. This was to be included as communication was impossible due to the loud sounds within the vehicle (according to the OKH report). A green flashing light would indicate the request of more speed, flashing red lights of lower speeds, red light equals stop, green light equals, keep the speed, no light = engine off.

And for those interested in vehicle numbers and unit assignments and more, this might be of interest:
34163148410_aafa37e04d_b.jpg
*p295
This table shows the names of the following for the 8 vehicles assigned:

Commander
Forwards driver
Backwards driver
Radio operator
Vehicle number (WH)
Engine number
Chassis number
The engine number of the 2nd vehicle of GRUPPE I is missing, due to the "missing engine sign plate".

 

Have a good day,
/Stefan


For the fun of it, here a one day change of the front around BOROMLJA (Ukraine near Charkiw), showing the Eisb.Pz.Tr.Wg.15:
33706342314_ed131ddd86_z.jpg
34548932965_1f099646fa_z.jpg
***p622 and 623

Further readings and research suggestions for interested modellers:

For photos of the original Panhard 178, check out:
http://bit.ly/2qqbAH8
This French page is loaded with info and has some nicely written text about its qualities.

Further information can be found on tanks-encyclopedia:
http://bit.ly/2qqk94S

Some live-footage is available on youtube:
http://bit.ly/2qlBHC3

sources:
*) On Tbof
http://bit.ly/2pAZPji 
**) OKH Akten 457 p.12:
http://bit.ly/2pPLujB

***) OKH Akte 518 page 293pp 
http://bit.ly/2qlvLcH

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3 minutes ago, Kris B said:

I find can I would suggest something - dry brush metalizer on the floor. Probably all those raised elements on the floor was all the time polished with the crew shoes. 

Posts crossed, sry.

Yeah, I was going to tackle the floor today. (I had only added minor grease to the centre, but it will receive a beating later). I will implement your metal idea, great point!

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Ok, this will be really nerdy now, but here is yesterdays build progress

I cannot add a FuG 20 SE as there is no space for the 30 W.S.a as such I need to add a FuG 4 SE, which consists of the following parts: (Ok, I captured plugged with a double LL that is pretty bad :D)

34819857485_64c88c1084_b.jpg

Commander's intercom connection is yet missing and I need to paint all the new cables and their clips. On both sender and receiver, I have added some clear plastic on top of the white areas as there was glass plating on the MHz frequency scale. You can not really see it and on the UKW sender it has kind of wiped out the white..

Some Kasten Pz 22 are missing (1 for the forwards driver, one for the gunner) they will be added to the very right, above the MP40 where the cable ends (green one).

Here without my ugly infostuff:

34686913851_07104f9120_b.jpg

 

 

That's the end of the intercom for the rear driver:

34819678305_b0b5ec7636_b.jpg

The second MP40s position, the bracing is in primer only, as it was added later and none bothered painting it, we are talking about 1945...so  hope it is a reasonable scenario:

34802701675_78ed6ae18d_b.jpg

 

 

I have found a youtube video with more shots of the Pz.Sp.Wg in action, really bad propaganda film material, but interesting nonetheless. The just switched from tyres to rail track wheels.

34670447961_4301ccea06_b.jpg

 

Have a good day, back to work:swear:

Edited by Blaubar
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Francis, the doors are fairly big, so  a bit will be visible! Just trying to improve my scratching and interior building stuff. And it shows how much can be done with this kit :)

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Wow,Wow that is one hell of a scratch build way beyond this mortal,the only scratch I do is when the mozzies bite,every time I use super glue the parts stick better to my fingers than the model and when you think all is right and you pull the tweezers away sure enough the part is on the end of the tweezers,not were it is suppose to be or is this just me,any way thanks for the inspiration.Cheers

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I hast to cut apart my finger numerous times because I superglued them together, I feel your pain. Tweezers the same, really annoying and painful😂

I used thick superglue for bigger parts and super fluid fast drying one for small parts.

super glue (the one I get here in Germany) dries due to the moisture in the air, the less humid the air, the worse it hardens. Breathe heavily at it and it will harden much faster, I found this to help.

prost

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18 hours ago, Kris B said:

You can use the Super Glue Accelerator. I personally never use it, but heard it work fine.

 

I use super glue accelerator regularly, works very well. just touch the join with a micro brush with some accelerator on it.

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Thanks for the info guys,I did see on you tube that you can sprinkle some baking powder over the join and this will speed up drying,have not tried it myself,being isolated its not easy to pick up a lot of this stuff,and postage here is up to 3 times the price of the item,but thanks for all the tips,Cheers Jim.

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23 hours ago, Gremlin56 said:

 

I use super glue accelerator regularly, works very well. just touch the join with a micro brush with some accelerator on it.

Interesting. Mine dries in 2 seconds with moist air, while it takes 5secs on a sunny day... I will get some accelerator and experiment with it. 

Cheers 

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  • 2 weeks later...

A little Panhard update for tonight, I was too lazy to do train stuff.

Looking at the rear of the vehicle, the louvres of the engine, fuel tanks and cooling water covers do need substantial work. The ICM part is solid and does not show the louvres as I would want them to be.
The engine cover of the older Panhard's (A types pre 1945) do have 5 separators, the Saumur Panhard, often used for reference, has a later B type post-war chassis and has only 4 vertical separators. Look at the left-hand side of the b/w picture, it shows the fuel tank and fan air-intake covers and you can see the 5 separators for the 6 compartments.
99819%2001%208e%20rc.jpg* 

The newer one has only got four, i.e. only 5 compartments and also no MG ammo storage pins in the door.
panhard178saumurTrow18.jpg** 
VModels (as well a ICM) had it right and used the 5er version:
34227146276_7fde47b033_b.jpg

The construction of these louvres is very time consuming, the fuel tank side, including the cleaning and adjustment of the kit's plastic, took about 2 to 3 hours.
1)Bend the parts, adjust and align them (notice that some need to be cut as the etch is not perfectly cut, as such some pins need to be cut away from the side supports - and bend each pin individually or it might bend the support beam holding all the pins):
34409875993_0ca2bb1b9b_b.jpg
2)Insert louvres
35089088671_e59f7f8f92_b.jpg
3) Dry fitting, small adjustments are needed... It is a bit off. The yellow lines should all be 90degrees from the long side's edge (this is what most reference photos seem to suggest)... Somehow this is not the case, and I need to do some more fine-tuning.
34410481243_ebfca20d05_b.jpg
From below it looks somewhat like this, it looks much more 90degrees like here...:
35178914406_7615fdf94b_b.jpg
4) Confusing instructions, beware:
34833004850_0e02f95db2_b.jpg
Make sure to dry fit and lay it all out before assembling it, else you will be in trouble.

After some more work and more dry fitting, this is what the vehicle looks like now. The two engine cover hatches have the PE glued already, the inner separators will be adjusted and aligned once the beams have been inserted.

34412951393_894f51347d_b.jpg

 

35222062915_0105946b8e_b.jpg


Have a good day.

sources:
* www.chars-francais.net
** www.warwheels.net

 

Not for the faint hearted (keep spoiler closed - burned tank with a casualty inside):

The door interior seems to be black...?

________________

Spoiler

99837%2007%206e%20grdi.jpg*

 
 

 

Edited by Blaubar
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Prost Kris.

Trying to get the Panhard off the bench, I want to paint it together with the Waffenträger's exterior... before this year's Wacken open air in August.

34425174753_6fb593532d_c.jpg

The left side is still not aligned perfectly and somehow the louvres are a bit low by about 1mm... Not sure. The right side needs some realignment fixes, but is mostly ok, I need to wash off all the dust and dirt, I might bathe it?!?. Also part 10 of the kits are 0.5mm short in my opinion, you can notice the mini gap on the top right louvre frame. (I got it all with 90 deg angles, so wrong bending can't be the error.

 I will need to model them closed as I don't like the interior side of them, now that they are "finshed":

35068520882_66fa61e04d_c.jpg

But the outside is super amazing, I find, once I readjust all parts and angle them correctly this will be even better..

34390023804_193c05787c_c.jpg

Sanding all 50+ parts was hell. 4 sides per sheet of which there are about 50 then bending the bottom part and finally, the top frame have 60 fret connections which need to be cleaned and sanded and you can see how thin the frame is... It is quite a task for someone starting to use PE, but the result is pretty cool. I can recommend this VModels stuff, it is quite awesome despite some minor issues, except for the instructions, they suck^^.

 

Edited by Blaubar
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It was time-consuming. The neighbour's cat played a trick on me last night. It threw down the model on the veranda and a part fell below the deck -> I had to unscrew the floor panels and look for it :D Can you spot the engine cover louvres? 

34877920980_059744aa5e_c.jpg

This is the interior part of the searchlight that the Panzerzug 3 crews designed and implemented with their Spähpanzer. The round handle (.2mm brass rod) was used to turn it (360degrees), the lever on the side, made from .3mm and .15mm rods and sheet styrene was used to turn the light up and down, it could doo-doo up 90 degrees. The rotation bar is 1mm thick (slightly thicker than the 3.2cm in the original one) The second photo shows the round horizontal turning handle and the vertical shift lever.

33684613174_313326c07f_z.jpg

34486205836_13725d49d0_z.jpg

Mine is a mirror view. The drawn design is shown from the front (noticeable due to the shape of the light) not from the rear and as such, the shift lever has to be to the right when looking forwards.

34456029543_2595cc075b_c.jpg

On the turret ring sie, I have added some detail to the traverse gear. The left side needs some more detailing and the valve wheels to the right of the gear still need to be added.

35135002751_88cb8a0a71_c.jpg

The original one is this, the turret ring teeth are missing, I am soaking wood which will be bent into shape and the teeth filed into it (Or is there a better way to do it, or is it stupid in the first place?):

panhardamd178interiorradioHAUGH1.jpg**

 

34456030053_51550dc5f2_c.jpg

 

Sources:

*) OKH Akte 518, 296p - http://bit.ly/2rjoECg

**) WarWheels - http://www.warwheels.net/

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Cats could be very helpful. Main (his name is Hans BTW) throw my Tiger I from the top of the wardrobe. Luckly only few bits felt of and nothing lost as was in the box.

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Hi ,got the Alan kit of the Waffentrager on the I W G D S D shelf ,seems to be a lot of steps missing in the instructions ,same with the Gespard ,going to build that one side by side with the Italeri kit.

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