Shenanigans 7: Tamiya Protze. Ancient and Modern...

[Guest]

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I was going to start a new 120mm figure for my next project, but I've still got the armour bug, so......

This is a more recent kit, and consequently has an awful lot more parts:

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It's supplied as a weapons carrier, so most of the stowage is of that ilk, but I'll probably add some oil drums and other bits and pieces. I wasn't going to bother with the figures, but they're actually OK.

My original plan was to replace the figures with these two:

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A Sovereign engineer and a Verlinden mounted field cook - the vehicle and horse being the 'ancient and modern' of the theme. They might not now fit with the vehicle, so may end up in a vignette of their own. Here's Gert Frobe in 'The Longest Day', the inspiration for the mounted figure, and a shot of the parts:

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This one will take me longer than the PzKpfw II, I promise!

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
Clever idea :thumb2: You have done horses before so no problems there.
Jim

[minitnkr]

Nice choice, have one in the stash in 1/87. They were pretty sophisticated for the thirties. Will follow along. PaulE

[scottie3158]

Pete,
Chair pulled up.

[Guest]

Jim - Quite looking forward to the horse. Should be easier than a Miniart 1/16.

Paul - Working on the suspension units I too thought how sophisticated the vehicle was (between bouts of swearing).

Scottie - Make yourself comfortable. This one will take a bit longer.

This is where I've got to:

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The suspension systems had quite a lot of parts but they went together easily enough. A lot of areas had annoying seams running through them (including, you guessed it, the suspension springs) but in the end I only cleaned up what I knew would be seen.

I went on to make up the wheels and realised I had no poly caps. I hadn't remembered seeing them either, so I decided to try and fit the wheels without them. No go, so I had to cut down some I had in the spares box and then make sure that everything was firmly glued into place.

The other problem I had was with the front axle. The wheels are meant to be steerable, but the strength of the whole thing relies on an extremely delicate steering rod, which I broke. I was going to glue everything solid anyway, but that proved surprisingly difficult given the lack of attachment points. However I got there, and made a new steering rod easily enough.

Next, onto the bodywork. Oh, and I found the poly caps when I was clearing things away, doh!

[scottie3158]

Peter,
Your off to a great start.

[Gary MacKenzie]

I built the first version (mm204) of this many years ago ( approx 38 ) and that was , for its time , a very nice kit.
This one looks better.
May just have to get hold of one later in the year, have to build a few of my started but not finished yet.

[Steve Jones]

Great to see you off and running again Peter. Nice work on the seat.

I am off on my holidays now so I expect to see a whole Wehrmacht division of vehicles on my return :smiling3::smiling3:

[minitnkr]

A great stress reliever. Mine has much fewer parts:smiling:, although I'll have to scratch the Drilling mount. You've crashed through the tough parts. Should be downhill from here. PaulE

[Mickc1440]

Its a great little truck this one Peter and one I really enjoyed building. Great start in spite of the breakage.

[Guest]

Thanks for looking in chaps. It is a really nice kit and wonderfully engineered - the fit of parts is perfect.

I'm toying with the idea of doing a dunkelgrau/dunkelbraun early war camo scheme. There's a Protze in the Overloon Museum done out in it:

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This PzKpfw is at Bovington:

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Just a thought.

[Steven000]

Interesting project Peter, I'm following
Cheers
Steven

[stillp]

Interesting scheme Peter. I like it.

Pete

[JR]

I'm in Peter, most impressed that you've managed that chassis so well. I just can't seem to get all the wheels on the ground.
John .

[SimonT]

Longer than the Pz.II, really - you've already finished most of it Peter :smiling:

(1978 kit this time but in 2011 reissue guise with new figures and accessories)