Kleiner Panzerbefehlswagen (Sd.Kfz. 265)

[Dario Risso]

I started these kits in last december; I will post the entire blog from the beginning:

In order to recover some of the time I spend playing WOT, I start a "2 in 1" project with this little panzer. My intention is to take advantage

of the miriad of lefct over parts fron other Dragon kits Para recupto improve the Zvezda one.

Info:

By mid 1936 the name "kleiner Panzerbefehlsawagen" (Sd.Kfz. 265) was applied to the command version of the Panzer I. Basically it was a Panzer

I chassis with an added superstructure made of nickel-chromiun arnor plates, 13 mm thick at sides and front, 8 mm thick at the roof. The crew

consisted in 3 men: driver, radio-operator and commander/gunner. Armament consisted in a MG 34 in a frontal ball mount. The radio equipment

consisted in a trasnmitting/receiving Fu 6, beside the original Fu 2 of the Panzer I


184 vehicles was produced between july and august 1936.

Modifications and/or improvements was introduced during or after productions; the most important for modellers are:

• Adding, in 1937 of 2 "loop-holes" in the superstructure.

• Backfitted, in 1938 of two types of commander's cupola


Models to use:

1) Dragon 6597: edited in 2010, it looks well molded, with crisply details, but with 2 fails: there should be 2 "L" sprues, with 8 road wheels

weach, but the box contain only 1; I've not checked the second fail yet, buy I read there is not enough track links in the bag to complete both

tracks

Review in Modelingmadness

2) Zvezda 3523: kit edited in 1982; I coudn't find online reviews

http://www.scalemates.com/products/prod ... ?id=184903


WALKAROUNDS

The only survivor was captured in Africa by british troops and is exhibited in the Tank Museum of Bovington


http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op= ... artid=3740

http://gallery.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/13467

http://militarymodels.co.nz/2012/05/30/ ... mand-tank/

http://jtrowbridge5.smugmug.com/Bovingt ... -repainted

http://kentylertankphotos.built2scale.c ... anzer-i-b/

Recommended books

German Military Vehicle Rarities 2 - Tankograd Sp 4002
Panzerkampfwagen I & II - Almark
Panzer I - Podzun-Pallas - Waffen Arsenal 18
Panzerkampfwagen I - Panzer Tracts 1-1 y 1-2
Pz.Kpfw I Vol.I - Wydawnictwo Militaria 226
PzKpfw I - KlPzBfWg - Wydawnictwo Militaria Militaria in Detail
Die PanzerKampfagen I und II - Motorbuch Verlag

Lets go to the kits

Chasis comparation, pretty similar



Adding weldings to Italeri model. Note the armor plates added (seen on Bovington's vehicle)



Adding to the interior: floor, boxes and firewall are from other Dragon kits Bison and Pz Jg I), adapted with cutter and sanding; radios are

not used parts from Dragon Bison II (not the same Fu, but fair enough). The spare MG barrels case is from an unknow kit; the holders for the

flags are styrene rod from Lion Roar; the upper firewall and the ammo rack are made out of styrene sheet.



The seat back is from a Dragon 251, the cushion is styrene sheet



Here the tragic-funny part: you know Leo, my kleine-adjutant; as you can see, he looks interested in the small road wheels



It seems one morning, he was boring, and take some parts to play (a bogie)....he bite the parts or he simply left them on floor and then me or

someone of my family walk over parts...or whatever



Well, I can't resist to add more interior details...damn, I can't wait to start the painting!
Added the seats, radio frames and a electric box and wires




Added the original radio, frame, MG and related items


Those details would not be much visible later:





I repaired some of the parts broken by the cat:





Darío

[Gary Boxall]

Good to see this one again Dario. Keep the updates coming

Gary

[Dario Risso]

Little progress:









Both vehicles road wheels, with the characteristic shiny band seen in most pics. They still needs a wash and some dust



Dragon's Model

This will be painted in the 1939 scheme: Dunkelgrau/Dunkelbraun, in Poland

1) The jack block have 2 molded in triangles that I suppose must be sanded and replaces by a strap.
2) The fire extinguisher in this vehicle was in that location, but must be turned 180º (my bad)



3) Copper wire made springs
4) Otra distracción...la pieza en FG que hace de puntera de la barra va del otro lado
5) Antenna support modified according to pics



Zvezda's Model

This will be painted in African scheme, with the characteristic mods of DAK vehicles.
These 4 pics are of the unique vehicle existing today, in the Tank Museum of Bovington

You can see in the first pic the jerrycan bracket added in Africa and it seems to be the jack block (?)



Look at the 4 ammo holes








1) Jerrycan holder must be added
2) The kit includes the spare box
3) This "trop" version includes aditional armor
4) Mudguard brackets added
5) New position of the F.E.
6) I choose a version with commander cupola
7) Another trop feature: engine ventilation



8) I added chains made out of copper wire
9) The rear light was added too
10) Hinges and mudguard spring
11) I need a new jack (the one provided by Zvezda is bad)

And that's all up today
Auf wiedersbye
Darío

[Vlad Seabrook-Smith]

Good to see these up and running, the interiors look very good

[Steve Hutchinson]

Great to see these again Dario

Your interior detail is always top notch,

Good to see another Panzer I on the site, more to come soon

Nice one

Steve H

[Raoul Kunz]

Nice Dario! Especially the super-detailed custom made interior of the old Italeri kit is awesome!


Best regards

Raoul G. Kunz

[Justin Wooding]

Hi Dario!

So great to see your interior master modeling here! Your work is always so great to watch progress.

Nice to see Leo helping you out

[Eugene Tur]

Great interior, what else can be said!

[Vincent Power]

The interior is fabulous Dario. I like the details you've added to it. Can't wait to see some more progress.

Cheers,
Vincent

[Dario Risso]

Thanks, guys
Wow, almost 2 months of no posting, what a lazy guy!

First coats of paint: dunkelgrau and dunkelbraun, plus some paint chipping.



I read somewhere that both colors was very dark and similar to each other; so I darkened a bit the dark brown and then I add a light diluted coat of the dark gray over it, in an attempt of make them match



Using Photoshop to check the low contrast between colors



Here is today, with some pinwashes and dust. Pic was taking using flash



For the next pic I don't used flash...just to see how the colors change according to light souces.
You can see some little green and yellow spots: that was my attempt of representing paint chipping, allowing to see the pre-war colors



Still needed:

* Fix the frame antenna and add the wire, plus retouch some unwanted paint chipping
* Add mud (both, wet and dried) in some places, including crew foot prints and crew attempt of disguise the bright white balkenkreuze (used as aiming point by polish gunners)
* Dust and mud on drive and idler wheels
* Add spare tracks and wheel and the roof hatches
* Make the base and terrain
* A black wash on MG
* Perhaps some rainmarks and some spills of fuel

I prepare a nice kommandant from Tristar: I cleaned the mold seam lines, glued the parts, etc...and then I realized the figure is bigger than the hatch OK then, no kommandant for now









Darío