Panzerserra Bunker- Military Scale Models in 1/35 scale: janeiro 2012

New month, a new project ...

Today, I started this Panzer , the VK3001 (H) Ausf A.

History:
In 1939, two similar tank designs were created, the lighter (32 tons) VK3001(H) and later on heavier (40 tons) VK3601(H). Both resembled Panzerkampfwagen IV in their hull design but their running gear was of a new design (Similar to the suspension of the future Tigers) that consisted of overlapping road wheels. A feature of these vehicles was that Medium VK3001(H) tank and Heavy VK3601(H) tank had many common parts what would make their production and service, more effective in terms of logistics.

Four VK3001(H) prototypes were produced. Two in March of 1941 and other two in October of 1941. All were completed in 1942 by Henschel. Originally, it was intended to mount VK3001(H) with a turret armed with 75mm L/24 gun or 105mm L/28 gunm but none of the prototypes were actually fitted with turrets.

Both designs were completed as prototypes but their further development was cancelled (1942) in favour of the development of Tiger VK4501(H).

VK4501 Henschel Protoype - Future Tiger I

The turrets produced for both designs were never installed in the hulls and instead in 1944, 6 VK3001(H) turrets were used in fortifications of the Atlantic and West Wall.

VK3001(H) turret armed with 7,5cm L/24 gun in Omaha Beach fortification

In March of 1941, two VK3001(H) were ready and from August of 1941 to March of 1942, were converted into 128mm Pak 40 L/61 gun carriers, the "Sturer Emils".

Sturer Emil destroyer

Other two prototypes that were completed in October of 1941, remained in Henschel's factory in Haustenbek and were used as recovery, training and test vehicles. VK3601(H) prototypes also used as recovery and towing vehicles.

My idea is build one ( a fictitious VK3001 (H) Ausf B...) of those two last completed vehicles, as test bed of more powerful gun in his turret than the L/24 7,5cm gun. A powerful and stylish vehicle like this deserves a more potent weapon in his turret: the 7,5cm KwK 40 - L/43 gun.

VK3001 (H) Ausf B with 7,5cm KwK 40 L/43 gun

Specs:

The kit:
This is the kit: Trumpeter!!!

Trumpeter´s VK3001(H) Ausf A box art

The parts and instructions...

And beginning the fun....

Suspension wheels in place...

Vinyl tracks...not bad...

Some advances...

The alignment of the most aggressive 43 caliber gun. The use of strips of plasticard ensure that the muzzle-brake is horizontal ... The gun is from my spare box...

Notice the horizontal alignment

With long fang, the beast is more impressive...

Spare wheel in hand...

Metal time !!!

Using the mini-lathe for make the MG hull...

The MG´s in place...Notice the rectangular barrel of the hull´s mg...

Done for primming !!!

Primmed and painted with Panzer-Gray

The idea of the use of 7,5cm KwK 40 - L/43 gun is that a barrel used by Henschel was a reserve their workshops. So, I made a point of using a barrel with the colors of the end of the war, ie, DY camouflaged with green and red-brown.

Henschel´s spare barrel gun...75mm with 43 caliber from PanzerIV Ausf G

Fang with cammo...

I applied the decals, with Future. Notice the last of the VK´s: the number four !!!

Red Four !!!

Rear of the VK3001(H) - Ausf B

This is what I call "quick-project"...

The VK3001(H) Ausf "B" is done!

Red-Four - right side

Left side

Kojak in the rear deck

Notice the spare wheel...

A big beast...

Bigger than Panzer IV Ausf F

All the best, Gents and the week-end is coming !!!!

Comrades!!!

This is my new project: Infanterie Panzerkampfwagen Mk II (E) mit 5cm KwK 38 L/42

A captured Matilda II turretless, armed with KwK 38 L/42 5cm gun, used as a tank-destroyer in the landing training for Operation Sea Lion.

Infanterie Panzerkampfwagen Mk II (E) mit 5cm KwK 38 L/42

History:

The Infantry Tank Mark II, best known as the Matilda II, was a British infantry tank of the Second World War.

Matilda II Infantry Tank - Puckapunyal Tank Museum

The design began as the A12 specification in 1936, as a gun-armed counterpart to the first British infantry tank, the machine gun armed, two-man A11 Infantry Tank Mark I Matilda I. The Mark I was also known as Matilda, and the larger A12 was initially known as the Matilda II, Matilda Senior or Waltzing Matilda. The Mark I was abandoned in 1940, and from then on the A12 was almost always known simply as "the Matilda".

Infantry Tank Mk II Matilda II (A12EI) prototype

With its heavy armour, the Matilda II was an excellent infantry support tank but with somewhat limited speed and armament. It was the only British tank to serve from the start of the war to its end, although it is particularly associated with the North Africa Campaign. It was replaced in front-line service by the lighter and less costly Infantry Tank Mk III Valentine beginning in late 1941.

Valentine infantry tank - in action.

During the fights in 1940 in France, and then later in Africa, the Germans captured several infantry tanks Matilda , of different production versions. One Matilda was converted to a self-propelled gun, with a geman weapon . This particular Matilda has the raised suspension, a feature not continued after the rendition of France in 1940, so this tank may well have been captured from the British Expeditionary Forces.

This Matilda served in 1942 in the Hochsee-Lehrkommando School at Terneuzen, in the occupied Netherlands. Initially, the tank named "Oswald" in its standard presentation participated in drills for boarding and landing of beaches, like in the planned Sea Lion Operation.

Matilda "Oswald" in his standard version

At the end of 1942, the original turret (with the weak 2pdr. gun) was removed and the more powerful 5,0 cm KwK 38 L/42 gun was installed in the open hull, with a front additional armored shield. The supplementary armament consisted of 2 machine guns MG 15 or 34 7,62mm in the top of the front shield. His fate is unclear, but later he probably has been scrapped.

Infanterie Panzerkampfwagen Mk II (E) mit 5cm KwK 38 L/42
Matilda II captured named "Oswald"

"Oswald" in landing training...

Specs:

5cm KwK 38 L/42 auf Infanterie Panzerkampfwagen MK II 748(e)
Type	Tank-destroyer
Place of origin	United Kingdom - modified by Germans
Service history
In service	1940 - ??
Used by	Nazi german
Wars No. built	Second World War 1
Specifications
Weight	23 tons
Length	5,99 m
Width	2.6 m
Height	2.5 m
Crew	4 (driver, gunner, loader, commander)

Armour	78 mm hull; 10 mm - gun shield
Main armament	5cm KwK 38 L/42
Secondary armament	2 x MG 34 7.92 machine gun
Engine	2×AEC diesel 6-cylinder 7 litre engines: 94–95 bhp
Power/weight	7.5 bhp (5.6 kW) / tonne
Transmission	Wilson epicyclic pre-selector gearbox, 6 speeds
Suspension	Coil spring
Operational range	257 km
Speed	26 km/h - on road 14 km/h - off road)
Steering system	Rackham clutch

For do this beast, I´ll use an old Tamiya Matilda kit:

A very old kit from the "Dark Ages"...

Plus a Verlinden Kwk 38 L/42 5cm naval gun (this gun will be modified...) and tons of plasticard and fun...

Kwk 38 L/42 5cm gun, from Verlinden.

The ideal would be to order a new Tamiya kit and a complete interior in the Inside the Armour to her, but as I live in the "wilderness" of the earth, any order placed now takes 30 to 60 days to get here. So I'm going to do with what I have and do a lot of scratch ...

First of all, the suspension. This beast had the raised one...

Notice the raised suspension...

So, I don't use the original Tamiya´s holes to build the suspension boogies. I glued the boogie´s pins under the original holes, to raise the suspension...

Raising the old Tamiya´s suspension

The Oswald was a turretless vehicle. So, the inside of the tank was visible. As the vehicle must have been modified by their captors, I decided to make an interior of Matilda based on photos and a certain "creative freedom", which I impute to the Krauts...Scratch and spare parts...

Scratching the interior...

Kraut design !!!

With the upper hull (dry-run):]

Interior view

Other side

To rear view...

So far, so good !!! As the Germans modified him, also painted the interior of the oswald with with characteristic cream-colored ...

Cream-colored

After the paint dry, I did the internal weathering (light condition...) and closed the hull!

Hull closed and glued

Notice the raised suspension and original Tamiya´s track

As I closed the hull of Oswald, now it's time to start building the gun.

The Verlinden kit is a jewel...No bubbles, flashes or defects in the casted parts.

KwK 38 L/42 5cm parts

kit parts - close up

The instructions are clear and very well designed:

kit instructions

I In my search for the tank and the gun, I found that the cannon KwK 38 with this platform was used in bunkers and coastal defense. Since this tank has been modified for use in training and coastal facilities, nothing more logical to infer that the Germans used what they had.

So, I thought of changing the platform of the gun as they would their builders: Take the torch and cut the platform at the right height to fit the tank, keeping the maximum normal components of the platform.

Gun completed. This gun is a L/60, not the L/42

The kit gun: L/60 with muzzle brake (long barrel)

The correct gun: L/42, without muzzle brake and short barreled gun

Testing the elevation axis

Cut diagram

Surgery done !!!

The gun is a L/60, not the L/42. I'll have to cut the barrel of the cannon to the right length later...

Testing the gun in place:

Dry-run

dry-run

Building the cradle of the gun platform:

The cradle - Note the small screw that will be the rotation pin

Testing the gun...

Two "legs" to stabilize and reinforce the cradle...Notice the step

The legs with steps

The cradle with legs and step - close up

The little screw as a pin

I kept the original shield gun because of this photo: The inner shield is clearly the same shield used in the gun in the bunker configuration: The tank shows two shields: the internal (original) and the external, thinner.

Notice the internal shield - see pic below...

KwK 5cm in the bunker configuration (same of the kit)

And the gun in place:

The cradle glued in place. I forget the barrel ...uops...

Well, after cut the barrel, I start the construction of the external shield. The only references are the real pics...I used paper and perspectives... and...