Subscribers’ Gallery Armour: ‘N-P’

The subject of this project was the DML 1:35th scale Nashorn.
When the German Army encountered Soviet KV and T34 tanks during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa in 1941 it became obvious that there was an urgent need for mobile anti-tank guns.
The Hornisse (later renamed Nashorn at the insistence of Adolph Hitler) was designed by the German arms firm Alkett. It carried the powerful 88mm Pak 43 anti-tank gun on a chassis which used components from the Pz.Kpfw. III and Pz.Kpfw. IV tanks.
Like the similar Marder series of vehicles the Nashorn had an open topped fighting compartment which provided its crew with some protection from small arms fire and shell splinters, but not from armour piercing rounds. This made it unsuitable for direct engagements with enemy armour.
The Nashorn first appeared at the battle of Kursk in 1943. It was eventually replaced with the fully armoured Jagdpanzer IV, though production continued until the end of the war.
I believe that the Nashorn was one of the first kits released by DML back in the early 1990s. This retooled version of the kit was released about ten years later and was far more accurate, and easier to build. The kit has been periodically upgraded with new parts in the following years.
The instructions in this release of the kit were a ‘photographic’ type which were thankfully only briefly used by DML. I found them rather difficult to follow.
The model represents a vehicle which still carried the early pattern drive sprockets, but which had been upgraded during its life. The early vehicles had a gun lock which had to be released by an intrepid crewman from outside the vehicle leaving him dangerously exposed. The later vehicles were equipped with a cable mechanism allowing the gun lock to be released from inside the vehicle. This cable was added from thin wire as it is not supplied in the kit. The later vehicles also dispensed with the rear-mounted exhaust muffler, the rear fenders and the right-hand headlight.
I added some machine gun mounts and crew equipment from the spares box using some drawings from the old ‘Panzers At Samur’ book as a reference.
The model was painted with Tamiya paints over a coat of Alclad’s Black Primer. The initially bright finish was toned down with oil paints worked into the paintwork followed by some shading using pastel chalks.
These vehicles frequently carried foliage to break up their distinctive ‘boxy’ outlines. This foliage was often secured behind lengths of wire which I added, based on period photographs, wrapped around the ‘U’ shaped hangers on the sides of the fighting compartment.
All in all, this was an enjoyable project and I’m glad that DML has now reverted to a more ‘normal’ format for its instructions!

This is my 1:35 Panzer II Ausf L “Luchs” by Tasca.

I was concerned about using the rubber band type tracks but they’re well detailed and after gluing them in position with liquid poly they look pretty good. Just need to place it on a nice little display base which I’ll start work on next (maybe?) if I don’t get side tracked by another project🤔

Cheers,
Andy B.

This model is the Trumpeter 1:35 Objekt 268.
The kit was easy to build though care was needed with the etched frames for the two smoke canisters on the rear of the hull. I replaced the etched brass retaining straps with self-adhesive foil which was easier than bending and attaching the kit parts.
The grab rails were replaced with 0.5mm brass rod. I also replaced the etched brush guard over the headlight with 0.5mm rod and thin plastic sheet.
I used Halford’s Grey Metal Primer on the metal parts and Halford’s Grey Plastic Primer sprayed over this to cover the rest of the model.
The base colour was Tamiya Dark Green (XF61). The tracks were sprayed with a 50:50 mixture of Matt Black (XF1) and Nato Brown (XF68). This was also used to shade the model reducing the need for washes. A light over-spray of Nato Green (XF67) was applied over this. Nato Green mixed with Yellow / Green (XF4) was applied sparingly and randomly over this to finish off the scheme.
I limited weathering to some general discolouration using pastel chalks and some mud spatters made by dragging a brush loaded with a slurry of earth coloured pigments across a piece of scrap sprue.
I applied random patches of earth coloured pigment to the tracks. Vandyke Brown and Lamp Black oil paints were mixed and heavily thinned as a wash to add depth to the recessed track detail. Powdered graphite was rubbed onto the outer surfaces of the tracks using my fingertip and onto the metal areas of the tools using a rubber oil painting brush.
Dai W.

This is in 1:35th scale with the figures coming from Dragon and the Flak from Tamiya with etch updates. The idea was to show a flak emplacement on the edge of an airfield in Tunisia. The groundwork was built from scratchbuilt using polystyrene to build up groundwork and then covered in Polyfiller etc. The sides of the emplacement were from corrugated plastic sheet.
Hope you like it… Ian R.

Panther Ausf. A I./4.Pz.Reg, Anzio 1944
Here are pictures of my Panther made in 2009. The model is the older DML Panther Ausf. A early model (1:35th scale), updated with Fruil tracks, RB Model barrel and part fenders and side skirts. The zimmerit was made with Greenstuff and magic sculp putty. The model was painted with the use of color modulation (this was my first try, before I made the Soviet Pz IV E) with Tamiya acrylics. The weathering was done with oils and Vallejo pigments and still water.
Regards, Radek

Here’s my 1:35 Panther project…

Resin turret with moulded in battle damage.

Chalk camo, rust and smoke over an oil washed base-coat with some oil rust streaks.

Pete S.

Here you have a tiny sample of the extraordinary Panzer Collection by Robert McGuire. He seems to mainly build scratchbuilt and kit conversions in 1:16 and 1:15 scale and I think you’ll agree, he has some talent for it! You can find out and see a lot more by connecting with Robert on FB as well as from his link below.
Wow! Incredible stuff!
http://www.angelfire.com/goth/bobtank/

Here’s my Tamiya 1:35 Panzer II AusfG Tank “I’ve had enough”. The kit goes together well and I wanted to create a scene that had some meaning and a story behind it – hope you like it?

Mike T.

Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf.D

After much fiddling and fettling I have finished the Miniart 1:35 Panzer IIID, yes the one with the funny suspension system. The Germans trialled a number of different suspension systems for their Panzer III, this had paired wheels on bogies with leaf springs and dampers. I think only 15-30 B to D types were built before settling on torsion bars in the E. Nevertheless although a trials vehicles they were pitched into the invasion of Poland. The figures are from Miniart too.

As you may know, Miniart does not consider structural strength in their assemblies and tolerances here can be as little as 0.2 mm. But to their credit things do in deed fit!

Hope you like it?
Andrew J.

Panzer 3 Ausf L. sPzAbt 502 1st Company, Russia, September 1942. This 1/35th Tamiya kit is quite an old one but has very good detail and is pretty accurate and builds into a nice model. I built it more or less from the box except for some minor details added such as: Lights and horn cable conduits + Grab handles and tool clamp handles made from fuse wire, Spare track pins from stretched sprue, etched brass Air intake screens from the spares box, drilled out the mg’s, battle damaged the fenders and made the one piece rubber band type tracks sag over the return rollers using pins (a lot cheaper than £25 for a set of individual link tracks to get the same weight sag effect) I also added one or two small bolt heads etc here and there. The figure is included in the kit and though dated compared to today’s figures it looks the part when painted up and installed in the Tank. Finally I placed some bits of stowage to the model just a few helmets, a gas mask container, some old wire, chain, pick axe head, mug and water bottles etc.

This piece is 1:35th scale and comprises of 4 German figures, with a variety of cold weather uniforms on. The building is completely scratch built, the wall is made of plaster of Paris and Polyfiller mix, the roof is a resin copy of the one I made a few years ago. The wall was carved with a craft knife and a variety of wax engraving tools, and painted with Vallejo paints with the road surface made up of Magic-sculp.
The oil drums are from my spares box; I think they are Italeri as is the lamp post – the tools inside are either scratch built or Tamiya. These are painted darker as if they are in shadow inside the building, as in the floor it actually gets lighter as you go towards the door.
It has drawn some attention at a show, just because it has a couple of icicles on it, these are made from clear plastic sprue from a truck kit, coated with super glue and left to drip down, this gives the ice a sparkle and an uneven look – took about an hour to get the look right.
…and I even superglued my hand to the table top, doing it, placed my hand on a drip spot!
Dave B.

Some of my dioramas. Hope you like them?
Thanks Per OL.

This is my Italeri 1:35 Puma completed a while back.
The modifications were the armour texture and the engine deck grills replaced with plastic card items. Paint finish was done with Tamiya colours; light pin washes, subtle weathering and dry brushing. Another not-new kit but one which builds into a very nice representation of the real vehicle
Regards, Bill C.

Here is my fully scratch built 1:35 WWII German Pz IV Bridgelayer completed in 1997. The final picture tells what happened to it!
Best wishes, Thompson Lam

Attached are some pictures of my recently completed Tamiya Quad and 25pdr. I used some Eduard brass to replace the engine grille and added some extra detail such as the roof bars, winch cable and roof tarpaulin. The figure is from Ultracast.

Regards, Andrew E.