Pionierlandungsboot 41

Today I can present one of my first Highlights for the young year 2016!
The German PLB 41, Pionierlandungsboot 41 of the German Wehrmacht.
The Germans used it on all theaters, Mediterranean Sea, East sea and North sea.

More information are here: PLB 41  or here: PLB 41 (both only in German)

Some technical details about the PLB 41:
Length: 19,30 m 
Beam: 5,93 m
Displacement: (empty) 35 tons; up to 75 tons loaded
Engine: 2 Deutz SA 6M with 120 PS
Speed: 19 km/h
Armament: one 2cm AA gun
Crew: ??
Capacity: one 40 ton tank, 150 troops; 20 up to 40 tons of cargo

As the ship was build in two half, it could be transported with special flat rail wagons.
I saw pictures of versions with and without the small house.

And for comparison below the technical data of the American LCM (3)
Displacement: 52 tons loaded;23 tons empty
Length: 15 m
Beam: 4.3 m
Speed: 8 knots (9.2 mph) loaded; 11 knots (13 mph)empty
Armament: two .50-cal M2 Browning machine guns
Crew: 4
Capacity: One 30-ton tank, 60 troops, 27 tons of cargo

fresh from the printer

PLB 41 with the AA gun

the ramp can be shown in different positions

two new Pionierlandungsboote for my 1/144 collection

first painting is done

actually this load would be too heavy!

both ships, one with camouflage

rear view of the Pionierlandungsboot 41

PLB 41 with ramp open

tank III leaving the PLB 41

At the moment I sell the camouflage version at Ebay, so if you are interested, check Ebay

Or if you want your own unpainted version, you can buy it here: Shapeways

My Highlights in 2015

I used the last days, to check what I have designed in the last year.
So here are some of my highlights:

German Schnellboot S-100
I like the model, it is a nice model but it was very hard to get it. I had to buy a lot of 1/1250 ships before they sent me my Schnellboot.

A nice idea for 2016 would be to build the older version as I have plans and tons of pictures of it.

Panzerfähre IV
My first complete tank design and it worked in the first attempt.
I designed the complete tank and later I separated one of the tanks, so that you could show the complete ferry or only the tanks.

order your Panzerfähre at Shapeways

complete Panzerfähre at Shapeways

Rübezahl my German Traktor

order your Rübezahl at Shapeways

Sherman mine roller

Schienenwolf

Panzerjägerwagen 51

okay the design is still under construction and I haven`t opened the drawing for several months. But I have it on the list to get it finished this year. And as with the Schienenwolf, I collected some experience with rail amour, I plan to build the Jägerwagen with the Panzer IV turret as well.

Siebel Ferry
Not only that I finished the first Siebelfähre, I built a complete diorama for it.
More Siebel ferries will come soon as I have two more under construction.

At the moment I paint two more of them, in the version as schwere Flakfähre in two different versions. Version one will be armed with 3 Flak 8.8 while the second version will have the 2 cm Vierlingsflak as AA-gun.
So this is the diorama with the evacuation of the last Tiger tank form Sicily, the next two will be so called "Kampffähren", fighting ferries.

the last Tiger in Sicily

Flakfähre with 3x 8.8 Flak

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.