German Recon 20mm Airfix Classic (Vintage) Set

Another Airfix classic, this time a muddled box of confused spares and complete sprues with had two Kubelwagans and two 222 armoured cars. Yes the early war German classic Recon Set (see below, one twist as I left teh turrets off the armoured cars as I will be converting these to a 221 machine gun armed version and a 223 radio car version - wish me luck):   

This would mean that combined with my existing force of 222 armoured cars (good for Russia 1941 onwards to 1943 in grey), or I can either go more early war, and field the machine gun armed 221 and Hortch Kf 13 armoured cars (thinking Poland 1939 and France 1940). Either way the 223 is a good radio Command Car option. 

The Panzer Grey Production Line Continues: The Panzer III Main Battle Tank

The previously broken (as in a snapped rear axle) 221 Armoured Car (which is an old Airfix conversion of mine) and a HaT ArmourFast Pz III Ausf G (with the short 50mm gun) appear on the painting table. To those in "the know", where you see one Pz III Ausf G from HaT you know there will be another because they sell them in packs of two. Seen from the front (see below):

Note: I am trying not to get distracted with painting the armoured cars just yet. The idea is to be painting 'all' the required German tanks for a Command Decision II/III early war (1939 to early 1942, when they were still just "grey") Panzer Battalion. Hence the 222's armoured cars I got out of the box because they were sitting next to the Pz I's and Pz II's in my previous posts have gone back into the box (sniff). The stuff on tyres can come later, tracks first. Seen from the back (see below):

The HaT model comes fairly clean (and is a "big" 1/72 rather than a small Matchbox 1/76) and begs to be cluttered with bric-a-brac picked up on campaign, individualisation shall we say. Jerry cans and bits of wood, as well as national flags are queuing up in the spares box but like the decals that will be done in a "battalion flurry" some dark winter night. A closer look at the Pz III Ausf G (seen below):

The HaT model sadly comes without a front machine gun sticking out of the RHS side, so that is another "spares box" request for yet another winter's night. meanwhile the 221 armoured car drives off into the distance (see below). It's nice to finish it but I do worry about a recurrence of the "broken axle" before too long. 

What I need to do to complete my "project" with the Pz III:

Pz III Orbats: 

• Poland (1939) I need just 'one' Pz III in a pure combat role (i.e. no command tank variants). The Germans were just so, so short of their expected Main Battle Tank (MBT), they were largely equipped with training vehicles. 
• France (1940) I need 'two' combat tanks and 'one' command tank (although I am tempted to use my little old Pz I Ausf B command tank, much to the displeasure of the proud battalion commander I am sure). The Germans were actually little better off in French Campaign from an indigenous MBT perspective. Luckily for them they had a good supply of stop-gap Czech (35T's and 38T's) to supplement their MBT stock.

(Note: Technically for 1939/40 they should be the Pz III Ausf E, with the even shorter 37mm AT gun, but for the time being it's a case of "close enough", at least it's not the long barrelled 50mm Italeri/Esci models)

• Russia (1941) This gets interesting, I need 'four' combat tanks and 'three' command tanks. The command tanks are 'one' battalion command tank and 'two' company command tanks (again what's wrong with using a Pz I Ausf B command tank for the battalion commander I ask you, it's only for show not combat after all?). The gun varieties become "diverse" too, the 37mm of the Ausf E is on the way out after its poor performance in France against the French and British heavy tanks. Therefore every Pz III from the Ausf F gets a 50mm short gun and the old Pz III E's (and below) are up-gunned in battlefield workshops. The tanks in the panzer battalions have a "mix" of types when they go into combat, but by Xmas 1942 everything is pretty much a 50mm short or special units are seeing the long 50mm appear to try and combat the T-34 tankers "tank fright".
• Russia (1942) The Pz III tanks that have their short 50mm guns are upgraded to long 50mm guns as soon as possible to stand a chance in combat against the T-34's and KV I's.

In Summary: The HaT Pz III Ausf G (see above) is a quick and easy build and paint. It also is the most inexpensive way to upgrade to a 1941 German Panzer Battalion Orbat without breaking the bank buying expensive metal and plastic kits. I am not too keen to be forking out lots of cash for expensive metal/plastic command tanks either (the radio/aerial assembly looks quite daunting too)!

The Panzer Grey Production Line Continues: Some Panzer II's

From shiny yellow plastic and Africa Korp Desert Yellow to a base shade of German Panzer Grey courtesy of Tamiya (see below):

And from the other side (note the repaired 221 armoured car axle):

Don't tell Paul from PlasticWarriors but some Renaissance Holy Roman Empire (HRE) mounted Harquebusiers got a little look in too (see below):

Then fear not it was back to the finishing the Panzer II's:

No decals yet (I am promising myself a mass decal and varnish day sometime in the winter).

These two complete the tanks I need for the "light companies" of the battalion for the Command Decision 1939 and 1940 German Panzer Division order of battle.

Footnote: 

Somebody else has been interested in Panzer II's recently see link.

The German Panzer II: At least it has a Gun!

Moving on from the mighty Panzer I, you come to the second "training tank" the Germans had to go to war with. Presenting the 'nippy' Panzer II with its high rate of fire 2cm flak gun (seen below in its initial construction phase  neat little desert diorama house).

The Revell kit (really an old Matchbox one to the old fogies like me who remember it first time around) is still a joy to put together and although as old as me still fits flawlessly together almost assembling itself. The soft plastic tracks are also just the ticket to, no multi-part fiddle with single linked tracks and plastic cement to bother about (ahem, rant over).

Here's another one I did earlier with the intention of doing a DAK mixed Panzer company (see above). The necessity of the 1939/1940/1941 Panzer battalion project draws it back into a German Panzer Grey paint scheme (yes I know it is technically an Panzer Ausf F rather than C but I don't bother too much about things like that, it has the right number of wheels and gun). Besides when they landed in Libya the DAK tanks were still dark grey, even fighting their first battles attired as such, and were only bleached by the sun and painted sand yellow after a while of being in-theatre.

Also on the painting table a little repair job on an old Airfix 222 armoured car (that I converted to the HMG 221 version) as the back axle has snapped off. After all every Panzer battalion needs a little 'recon' assistance to draw the enemy AT fire before committing itself to battle.