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That'll teach you...


Foxbat

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You can laugh but that's typical of the level of organisation here. Got everything laid out ready to photograph, turned the camera on and... zilch. Dead as a dead thing. Not be long now though :D 

 

Andy

driosagnesid

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Panzer Lehr was a Wehrmacht armoured division formed in December 1943 specifically to counter the expected Allied invasion of Europe. It's core was drawn from veteran crews staffing the two main army tank training schools (Lehr is German for Teach - see, I don't just make this stuff up). As such it was treated as an elite formation from day 1 and equipped as such - all it's tank battalions had tanks (a mix of Pz. III, IV and Panthers) and all it's Panzergrenadier units had armoured transport - normally only the senior battalion got them and the rest had to use trucks.

 

They were fought to the brink of destruction several times from Normandy to the end of the war. This little fella represents one of their first actions, when they were still fresh and quite fearsome opponents.

 

First up the kit. No box or instructions - bought as one of PSC's 'reinforcement' sprues what you see is the entirety of what you get:

 

U19TXaB.jpg 

 

Kit can make an Ausf F2/G/H so I'm going for the H. Seems a popular choice, so I'm in good company.

 

As there are no decals supplied, I splashed out and got these, plus the one piece running gear upgrades: 

 

9WOe1va.jpg

 

And i may use some, all or none of these bits and bobs from (IIRC) Skytrex.

 

8ptwjL3.jpg

 

Panzer Vor!!

 

Andy

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Looks good Andy - I'm guessing this is the 15mm version - it must be tiny - please be sure to show us some 'penny shots' for scale.  Good luck & I'll be looking in on this one - Steve

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3 minutes ago, BIG X said:

Looks good Andy - I'm guessing this is the 15mm version - it must be tiny - please be sure to show us some 'penny shots' for scale.  Good luck & I'll be looking in on this one - Steve

Will do, it's compulsory really :) Just had a quick measure and those one piece track units are pretty much exactly 55mm long. The hull is smaller than the 1/76 Pz.II I've had sitting on the shelf for the last gazillion years. I'll include that with the penny shot just for a giggle.

 

Andy

Having fun.

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I actually did something tonight (as opposed to last night where reading all the build threads took me from teatime to bed).

 

10 minutes with me trusty scalpel and some of Mr Tamiya's finest extra thin got me to here:

 

aaL1iro.jpg

 

There's some nice detail there given the size and the fact it's primarily a wargames piece rather than a display model.

 

kjYf6Fl.jpg

 

Going to have to think about markings. The sheet I have has loads of big white curly L's. Whilst they are the divisional badge, all the pictures I've found so far show a regimental badge of a white diamond with two red stripes. Might just have to miss it completely and go for crosses and numbers. Plenty of evidence for that combo, but it does lack a bit of character.

 

Andy

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This picture shows the unit badge I mentioned, and also that the numbers are smaller and solid white, whilst mine are earlier. more generic black with a white outline. Also, that tank has a one piece hatch cover and mine is split. Ach well, minor troubles, and I have photo evidence for lack of zimmerit in summer 44'

 

Panzer Lehr badge

 

The Ausf H didn't have the forward vision ports on the turret sides, so with two swipes of the scalpel neither did mine. A small nod to accuracy but it makes me feel better. The open hatch covers the fact the turret bustle is much more closely attached than in real life, and it means I get to paint one of the supplied commanders - and who doesn't enjoy painting 15mm figures?

 

Here's the first scale shot, the work in progress turret atop the bottle of glue I'm using. There are 7 pieces in that turret so far. Dragon? Pah!! :D 

 

7hIN8Ge.jpg

 

Andy

Running on fumes :o 

 

  

Edited by Foxbat
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1 minute ago, Hewy said:

Fine work though Andy, I struggle to focus on 35th stuff with glasses, so I'm duly impressed

Thank you. I've built a lot of Zvezda's 1/100 armour and it suits my painting style; lots of washes and drybrushing and never mind the detail. A carry over from years of Warhammer plus fading eyesight. This one will demand more care but will get essentially the same treatment.

 

Andy

Not slapdash if it's on purpose.

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That badge on the turret Schürzen depicts the 2nd battalion of Lehr tank regiment. It was a "tilted" version of the family badge of commander, 2nd battalion Panzer Regiment 130. I´ll have to check my books when I get home. V-P

ins-07.jpg

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3 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

That badge on the turret Schürzen depicts the 2nd battalion of Lehr tank regiment. It was a "tilted" version of the family badge of commander, 2nd battalion Panzer Regiment 130. I´ll have to check my books when I get home. V-P

 

That's great extra detail V-P, thanks for that. I did notice in the link I posted that the badge was tilted on the side but painted per your picture on the rear of the turret schurzen. Now at least I know what it is and have an idea why it appears slightly differently on the same tank.

 

Andy

Eternal schoolboy. 

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7 hours ago, Foxbat said:

That's great extra detail V-P, thanks for that. I did notice in the link I posted that the badge was tilted on the side but painted per your picture on the rear of the turret schurzen. Now at least I know what it is and have an idea why it appears slightly differently on the same tank.

 

Andy

Eternal schoolboy. 

I believe I have already forgotten more about the battles around Caen than many of us ever learn... Nice to refresh a former main interest of mine! So II/Pz.Lehr-Rgt. 130 was in the hands of Oberstleutnant Prinz (yes a real prince, not an SS-fake one... get it?) von Schönburg- Waldenburg when the invasion took place. He was killed in action leading his troops on a counter attack at Cote 103, north-east of Tilly-sur-Seulles, around 1600 hrs 11 June 1944.

(Source: PATBON, Georges Bernage)

And the princes... II/SS-Pz.Rgt. 12 was at that time lead by Sturmbannführer Karl-Heinz Prinz, a capable commander but a nobleman only by name. He was killed north-east of Falaise 14 August 1944.

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Andy, if you're in accuracy mode you might want to remove the two keyhole shaped flaps on the driver/hull-gunners hatches. They were long gone by the time Ausf H appeared.

 

Several family members in the NWE campaign all reckoned Panzer Lehr was a very capable and deadly opponent. The Hitler Youth Division were fanatical but nowhere near as skilled. Possibly good for us that there was only the one then.

 

15mm scale! What is this madness?? The Skytrex bits bring back memories reckoned to be the business back in the day.

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OK, I've taken my scalpel to the hatch detail and hacked away what I could get at. I then took a file to what was left. I have no idea at this point how I'm going to polish the result back to looking good but that's a problem for tomorrow.

 

glNH7Qg.jpg

 

I also stuck the one piece running gear units on and added the turret just to see. This pic was taken on my laptop keyboard, just for scale.

 

yBEWGee.jpg

 

It really is quite small, but I like it so much I've just ordered an Ausf D to go with it. 

 

Andy

A lover of tiny things.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 5 weeks later...

Whilst there has been altogether too much real life going on so far this year, I haven't been totally idle. Both baby panzers now have some paint. 

 

This is where the H stands this morning. Dunkelgelb, in the shape of the PSC recommended Iraqi Sand is on. It was very pale so I gave it a wash with sepia ink to give it some depth and also bring out some detail prior to applying the cammo.

 

The ink is still wet, but you get the idea.

qrNy6B3.jpg

 

A more side on shot

bIUzkFR.jpg

 

And finally for now, the first Penny shot. Yes, that is the smallest coin currently in UK circulation resting up against it - no camera tricks, forced perspective or anything else. It's, err, quite a small model. Which begs the question, why isn't it finished? [1]

kTO3nPX.jpg

 

Andy

Moving slowly on.

 

[1] One of the biggest reasons is that the new ex mentioned in the StuG thread has now been replaced by the new current, and I'm sorry (i.e. not sorry at all) but she's much more interesting and entertaining right now :D 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well it's done, but in the photos it looks... horrible. It's much better in real life where the small size is more forgiving.

 

Here's one pic. Not sure whether to bother the gallery with the others :(

 

 8ON2qCj.jpg

 

Andy

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