Happy New Year

I wish you all a happy New Year!

and a good start into 2016!

Schwimmpanzer II Panzer II ready for Operation Seelöwe

Based on the Panzer II there were some trials for the Operation Seelöwe (sealion, the landing in GB during WW II) to bring tanks into water.
Besides the Panzer 38, the Germany made several tests with a Panzer II.
They added on the side flowing tanks which made the tank a duck. The tank could swim in calm waters.
For a landing on the British beaches the Germans would need very good weather conditions, no British fighters, no waves - or simply no enemy at all.
So here the first types the Germans tested:

Schwimmpanzer II

The side tanks were done in 3D printing and can easily addded to the gap between the tracks and the hull.

And here the final model with the additional box on the backside.

A second design was to fix the tank with a complete tank. That solution was a bit harder to handle as the tank had to drive below the tank and than it was lowered and fixed the the tanks hull.

Schwimmpanzer II

Schwimmpanzer II

And here the final design, I forgot to add the sidebars which were used to lift the tank.

Trailer for LWS Landwasserschlepper

The Landwasserschlepper is well known. Less known is the fact, that the Germans had a trailer for it.
Built by Kässbohrer it was big enough the take up a Famo.
The trailer was swim-able and could float behind the LWS.
As there was not that much information I had to start from a different side. I knew that it was big enough to take up a Famo. So with the dimensions from a Famo in 1/144 and the printing restrictions it took me two days and the trailer was done.
My model shows the bigger version, there were two versions of trailers for the LWS, but as my one could pick up a Famo I went with this design.
Honestly I have to paint some spots again, but the design works.
Here some pictures from the trailer and the LWS:

please note the inside design!

this trailer has a front cover

ready for the first loading

done, only to close the ramp and the journey could start

LWS and Famo together

winter white camo 

the trailer found his paint

German Field Bakery Deutsche Feldbäckerei auf Anhänger in 1/144

Even the Germans had to eat. In German there is a saying "Ohne Mapf kein Kampf" meaning, without enough food nobody will fight.
As PanzerDepot produces a nice German field kitchen, I thought a filed oven or a field bakkery would be a good fit.
With the technical data I found on some internet pages I was able to start.
So here is my German field bakery.
The trailer was taken over from the Reichswehr and came in two versions. One was for horse power and the second one to be behind a truck like the Opel Blitz.

German Field Bakery in 1/144

German Field Bakery in 1/144

Panzerfähre in 1/144

This is an old post, but with my cold I have, I deleted it today and found out that Blogger deletes everything at once there is no "restore it" or a way back.

Shit happens.....


Today I will show you the first prototype of my next big project.
It is nearly done, some corrections and the chains ans wheels have to be added, then it is done.
Here some pictures of the first print which I got back from Shapeways.
As I said, there are still some mistakes, but in general I was surprised that it got so good.
The pontoon between the two ferries has to get a bit smaller but after painting it looks not bad.
At the moment I printed it in white strong flexible, that`s why the surface looks not so smooth.
Once I have finished the design I will print it in frosted detail and it will look much better.
More soon.

Panzerfähre in 1/144 update II

Last weekend I got the print back from Shapeways. To be on the safer side, I had decided to let them print two models the complete Panzerfähre and a single tank without the pontoon.

The only open point is the painting. This will happen in the next days. But so far I am very happy that my first complete tank is printable.

Panzerfähre 1/144 single tank

Panzerfähre 1/144 single Tank

Panzerfähre in 1/144 and complete

Panzerfähre side view

Panzerfähre back side

Panzerfähre with Famo crane

Panzerfähre with Jagdpanzer IV

Rübezahl a German Traktor for the Luftwaffe

At the moment I design a lot of small items for my airplanes.
Besides all, I realized that there are not that much vehicles to move airplanes on the ground.
You could use the Kettenrad, you get one with every set of the Messerschmitt 262 you buy from Trumpeter.
Or, if you do not mind the small difference in scale, from the German company Wiking you could buy a Lanz Bulldog or Hanomag R 16 tractor. 
Or, what I did, you design soimething very special, what is not so well known.
The company Famo knows everybody, they built the strongest half chain mover, the SdKfrz 9.

Here some examples of the big Famo:

Famo with 5 ton Bilstein crane

Famo recovery unit, field modification

Famo with earth spade

Famo with 8.8 Flak for Bodenkampf

Not so known is, that Famo started building a small mover for the farmers.

This Traktor called Rübezahl, was a very strong one, in relation to his size. Even later in the DDR they built him some additional years after WWII.

Here the first pictures from my design:

In the next weeks I will get it printed in 3D, if anybody is interested in buying it, let me know and I will put it on sale at Shapeways.

And of course I thought about what the Rübezahl would do on a German Airfield:

German Fast Attack Boat S-100 now in 1/144

Just my accident I saw some weeks ago, that there is a company selling the German Fast Attack Boat S-100 in 1/144.
But as it was the Bonus for ordering a collection of ships in the scale 1/1250, I was pressed to order these ships first, before I could get a Speed Boat.
Yesterday after getting several ships in the scale 1/1250, I got my Fast Attack Boat.
Any chance to get a second one, without ordering all these other ships, failed. On Ebay I found two times a chance to bit on one, but both times they were sold much to high for me. Since that I never saw them again on Ebay.
Anyway, now I have my one version and I will give him a special spot in my collection.

S-100 in 1/144

S-100 in 1/144

S-100 in 1/144

Panzer II with crane

I found this interesting variant on the page www.panzerschreck.de . According to what I read there, this version was built only one time and the Red Army found it when they reached a tank factory. So not that much information but an easy and quick rebuild.
I took a Panzer II lower body and added one of the cranes I had designed in the past for my Bilstein crane. After painting, the model was done. I decided to go with yellow instead of grey because the Russian found the tank at the end of the war and at this time all tanks had in general yellow paint.
Here some pictures:

New on my work bench

This week I received a new delivery from Shapeways. So I give you a short overview about my next projects on which I will work the next days.

Schwimmpanzer II ready for Operation Sealion

So far I am done with the tank. The pontons are ready and what you see is the second print. Further I added a piece to close the motor cooling plates like it was on the Original. In the next days I will start drawing the Schwimmpanzer versions of the Panzer 38 and a second version of the Schwimmpanzer II.

Schwimmpanzer II in 1/144

Some new stuff for an industrial diorama

For this diorama I`m planning now for months. From the first idea I have reduced everything to a much smaller version. The topic is still a secret but of course it has to do with tanks. On the first planning I thought about a really big diorama, at the moment I will go with a small one, which will fit into a shoe box.

small crane and lifter in 1/144

German Radio trailer 3 axis 

This trailer is print no. 3, I believe. The first version was too small, version two was a bad print and now I have a version with movable wheels and I am still unhappy. With this German Radio truck in the scale 1/160 it looks not that bad. But for everything else I still do not like this version. Maybe I will paint them, but I will not print again a new version.

German radio trailer in 1/144

German radio trailer in 1/144

Sherman mine roller 

The Sherman is done, I just realized, that at the rear end, they had a steel plate to get pushed if necessary. As it was not that easy to glue something together, I printed it and will add it now.

Coles RAF crane

After the French theater the Germans caught a lot of British equipment. Among them was the Coles crane. I remember a picture, where the Luftwaffe used one. The Wehrmacht used them as well for maintenance work on Panzers.
The upper part of the crane is movable and in the next step I will design the arm movable as well. This time I forgot to add the fixing points to the design.

Coles crane in 1/144

Coles crane in 1/144

Bergepanzer V Panther

I have some Bergepanzers, and one on basis of the Panther. But so far I had one with a spade. So I designed the spade and I will make it movable so that I could lift it. Let`s see in the next weeks if I will get it done.

Cando Panther with conversion set to Bergepanzer in 1/144

Luftwaffe bomb transport set

Are you able to see something? I have to say, this design was a total disaster. All parts are too weak and everything is too small. So nothing to save, next stop will be the trash can and I have to draw everything again. the idea was to design some small trailers to transport bombs on an airfield.

1/144 and ready for the trash can

Schienenwolf and Panzer train trailer

At the end of the war in Russia the Germans run back in direction Germany. To stop the advance of the Russian army or to slow it down, they destroyed as much as possible. So they invented a very simple but effective design the break the wooden construction of the Russian railways. Besides this small wagon I designed a wooden cabin for a German train wagon with a small Flak. The Germans used them to give trains a bit of defense power against Allied Fighters.

German train wagon with Flak

Schienenwolf in 1/144

Schienenwolf in 1/144