Hi guys
2 x 15cm sFH Lorraine SPGs and 2 x Lorraine artillery observer vehicles of the 155 Pz artillery regt finished, these guns will be attached to the 192nd mechanised Pz Grenadier battalion.
I have decided to do the Panzers of the 22nd Panzer regt next, despite being well know as a 3D printer, I have a background as a plastic modeller and have quite a large stash of 1/72 kits, not sure how many exactly, but it would have to be 600+, a lot of really nice kits, and it’s a shame to leave them unbuilt, so I have decided to use plastics for these Pz IVs, after spending an hour or so going through the stash I’ve found 4 x Revell Pz IVHs and a Hasegawa Pz IVH unbuilt, and these 5 shelf queens, 2 x Italeri Hs, 2 x PSC Hs and a PSC D/C, I had forgotten about these 5 shelf queens, built maybe 15 years ago, I need 9 x Pz IVHs and a Pz IIIL (I have a built one ready to go) for my plans, so it’s actually a perfect number, I was going to do the vehicles of the 1st company, 1st battalion, however the turret numbers of the shelf queens are for the 3rd and 5th company. The turret numbers should also be yellow, also I need to replace the lost commanders hatches on the Italeri kits, and add turret skirts to the PSC kits, so I’m left with the question do I try to save the paint jobs of these, or strip them and start over? I quite like the paint jobs they have, especially the PSC kits, but they will look weird if I make turret skirts and paint those separately, then there’s the Pz IV D/C, I’ve seen pics of a Pz IVC attributed to the 21st, I don’t know to much about that tank, and will have to research it, but it had a dark yellow and green camo scheme, so I’d have to repaint that one, I do have a couple of unbuilt mirage Pz IVDs I could use if I really want to add a short barrelled Pz IV, I’m also considering 3D printing the running gear for the Pz IVHs, building the running gear is the most time consuming part of a tank, so it may be a good compromise, and the details of the STL I have are quite nice and a big step up from the PSC tracks, lastly, there is a misconception that the 21st used French tanks during the battle of D-Day, but the 21st had been refitted with Pz IVs by D-Day, however, for interest and fun purposes I will be adding a couple of French tanks, maybe just an RPM H39 and a Somua S35 which I have plenty of.
