Krupp Protze - Coming Together

Finally, it's beginning to look like a Krupp Protze! I've added the cab and hood assemblies as well as the rear compartment and rear axles to the main frame. The windscreen is molded in clear plastic and the glass areas have been masked-off for painting. The stubs extending under the driver's and passenger's seats are for the spare tires (one each side). Still to be added are the real fiddly bits: headlights, width indicators, pennant frame, and mirrors. The observant among you will notice that I still have not decided how to handle the broken shovel mounted at the left rear: model it as broken, re-make the handle out of plastic rod, or remove the shovel all together. Time will tell.

Here's a photo of the undercarriage at this point:

The photo ably points out that there are ejector pin marks on the underside of each fender that will need filling. Doh!

The Maquis

The Maquis were predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance during World War II. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du Travail Obligatoire (STO) to provide forced labor for Germany. In an effort to avoid capture and deportation to Germany, what had started as loose groups of individuals became increasingly organized. Initially fighting only to remain free, these bands eventually became active resistance groups. (Wikipedia)

Master Box Ltd. has produced a set of five figures (MB 3551) depicting four Maquis (three male, one female) and a captured German soldier. I have added the numbers in the box art photo above to show the three that I am contemplating using in a vignette for my M8 Greyhound build. Yes, I've finally decided to model an M8 from the 2nd Free French Armored Division, France, 1944. At this point I plan to use two or three of the Maquis figures shown above along with figures from the forthcoming MiniArt set of French Tankers (35105). If they are not available in time, my fallback position is to use Hornet French tanker heads on U.S. tanker figures from the appropriate time period.

How to Follow Individual Builds

With the number of assorted projects which will eventually show up here, if you wish to see the posts relating to just one specific build simply look in the right-hand column under Labels and click on the project in which you are interested. Only those posts will then be loaded. To return to all posts click on the graphic heading at the top of the page.

M8 Greyhound - Oopsies Part 1

The great thing about group builds is that they afford the opportunity for everyone to share their build experiences, to see first hand how others have handled issues arising with their builds, and to ask and have answered questions that might not have occurred absent seeing others' models. I gained all this and more at our recent AMPS-CV meeting.

I already mentioned the curve forced into the steering linkage. Along those same lines, it was pointed out to me that on almost all of our models the transfer case is "floating" when it should be attached to the frame. This is a result of the one-piece drive train and at this point, there are no real fixes for either problem.

The other problem I noticed is illustrated in the photo above. On the left of the rear plate there are two holes that need to be opened if one is attaching the medical kit in a later step. I decided not to attach the med kit but forgot to remove the reinforcing circles around the now non-existent holes. Thankfully, I will be able to carefully reach these with a #10 blade and sandpaper, as well as the faint injector pin marks which I also failed to notice.

Once these are completed and I do some further seam clean-up I'll be ready to move on to the interior. Although I'm sure there will be more "oopsies" posts, I hope I can keep them to a minimum.

Krupp Protze - Initial Steps

As with most kits, the initial step is to construct the wheel assemblies and the frame/suspension. The wheels come molded in two pieces each. The frame is in one piece to which are added the front axle, front bumper, exhaust pipe, and two rear towing hooks. At this point I also built the two rear axles and suspension system.

The rear compartment is constructed from the floor section, bracing, seats, wheel wells, splash guards, front and back sections, reinforcing panels, canvas top supports, and assorted tools.

Construction so far is straight-forward. Care is needed in working with the smaller 1/72 scale parts to forestall tweezer launches and broken pieces.

M8 Greyhound - Lower Hull & Suspension

At this point, the drive shaft assembly was attached to the lower hull. The kit tires were left attached and the entire unit was set on the tires to ensure that everything touched the ground. The front shock absorbers, lower rear torsion bars, front springs, and transfer case brush guard were then attached. The only fit problem encountered so far was the left front spring interfering with the steering linkage (see arrow in photo below). I'm not sure where the misalignment originated, but as a result, the steering linkage has a slight bow . . . not suited for competition, but, oh well.

To finish the undercarriage, the four rear shock absorbers, muffler and exhaust pipe assembly, and rear suspension support were added. A drill bit and pin vise were used to open the end of the exhaust pipe.

The front plate had six ejector pin marks. These were sanded out even though I later realized that the aftermarket interior plate would cover them. The two tow clevis attachments were added to the front plate and then the assembly was joined to the front of the hull. There were no issues with the fit.

The rear hull plate has two holes which must be opened if you wish to attach a first aid case in a later step. I left them closed. The two tow clevis attachments and tow pintle plate were added to the rear hull plate and the assembly was then attached to the rear of the hull, again with no fit issues.

After a final clean-up and check of the work to-date, it'll be time to tackle the interior--lots of added detail for that area! Here's a photo of the left side showing the work up to this point:

Italian L3/33 (CV-33) Tankette - The Real Deal

The L3 series of armored vehicles primarily served the Italian army during the years leading up to World War II. Classified as "tankettes," they were smaller in size than even "light" tanks, lacked a traversing turret, were armed with only machine guns, and were very light in weight. They were just large enough to hold the engine, transmission, ammunition supply, and a crew of two--driver and commander/gunner. These disadvantages were offset by their speed. They could often reconnoiter forward areas and could support the infantry when mobile machine guns were called for.