PzIV/Hetzer hybrid - Done

[Buzzbomb]

During the current pestilence.. some time has been spent culling the model room of "stuff".
Found another box 'o' bits. This time left over Panzer IV stuff, some Italeri, Dragon and Tamiya stuff and also some Hetzer leftovers from a ARV conversion.
Some key components were missing to cobble up a complete Pz IV but enough to get going


So after a session of hacking and mauling plastic we have this PzIV/Hetzer hybrid.


I suppose another way to look at this type of build is the vehicle is smaller than the box of sprues, so it is a space saver, but finding shelf room, is an entirely different fish

After a couple of sessions I have got this far, working out weapon fit
Rotary 37mm canon


Rather large, Low Pressure Demolition gun, I figure much like the Churchill AVRE, although similar to the Brummbar, but larger calibre and lower pressure.. more mortar like


The top hull extension is either to store lots of 37mm hoppers or a reasonable amount of large calibre Demo rounds.
So maybe the best of both worlds. I tried putting a longer gun like 88mm but they looked either too long and impractical (too much chance of grounding over rough ground), or too similar to existing vehicles like the Panzerjager IV

I must say that I think the Demo gun version is leading.

[GTX_Admin]

Errr...did you mean to post a different image for the bottom one?

[Buzzbomb]

Errr...did you mean to post a different image for the bottom one?

Bad cut and pasting and editing.. what a duffus.

[Old Wombat]

Depends on whether you want to go obvious or subtle, the LPDG is more ... feasible (I had a better word last night & can't think of it now), while the tri-barrel cannon ... well, isn't.


I kinda prefer the option most likely to confuse JMNs, myself.

[Frank3k]

The demo gun looks good. Maybe put one or two 37 mm in a turret atop the hull as "suppressing" fire? There may not be enough room in the tank, though.

[GTX_Admin]

Another option:  fit it with something such as the twin Panzerwurfkanone PWK 8H63 proposed for the Panzerkleinzerstörer Rutscher:



This proposed to use two Panzerabwehrwerfer 600, officially designated 8H63 lightweight anti-tank guns that used the high-low pressure system to fire hollow charge warheads:

[Buzzbomb]

Greg.. hmm.. good plan, however I have stampeded down the Engineer Vehicle path

Of course that meant a dozer blade



There is some RW precedent, a Stug with Dozer Blade and a Panther as well.


(thanks to Panzerserra, who does a lot of whiffers as well,  for having these pix handy)

[Old Wombat]

Yeah! Looking the business, BT!

[apophenia]

Yeah! Looking the business, BT!

Indeed! That is looking seriously good 

[Buzzbomb]

That's pretty much it for this one

Lots of Spares ratting for tools and tracks and the box o bits provided almost everything else.

Was looking for a more "urban" scheme for a demolitions/Engineer vehicle. Did not quite come out the way my Mind's Eye saw it, but certainly was not going back to do it all again





Now to rat through and find something for the BdB group build.

[GTX_Admin]

 

[Old Wombat]

Brilliant piece, BT, & the camo is perfect for a late-war field applied urban scheme!

[Frank3k]

Looks good - does the blade move up? The urban/color blind Mondrian camo looks good.

[Steve Blazo]

Now that's a real world looking vehicle, very nice. It looks sweet !! That Hetzer looks like it was designed for the PzIV chassis.

[apophenia]

Wow ... that looks amazing! It was already impressive but your 'urban' scheme really ties it together 

[ChernayaAkula]

Lovin' this. 

What about the camo scheme aren't you happy with?

[Antonio Sobral]

Loved the design (the dozer blade added that "extra" touch)!

The Berlin Brigade type camo was most appropriate since it is a German vehicle :)

[Buzzbomb]

Lovin' this. 

What about the camo scheme aren't you happy with?

I reckon I did it backwards, I started on the primer grey, when I may have worked better on a Red Brown base, which was a more normal primer for the period. I think there is too much red and not enough of the other colours. It was more a Berlin Brigade look I think I was after.

Still thanks all for the encouragement.

[robunos]

I think there is too much red and not enough of the other colours.

Nahh, Dude, you're good . . .      


https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-03327-jagdpanther--1256482


cheers,
Robin.

[apophenia]

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-03327-jagdpanther--1256482

Excellent example 

To me, all that red fits in beautifully with the heaps of brick rubble that would have been about. Your camo scheme could also have been quickly brush-applied leaving patches of primer exposed as the background red. (There, I'm thinking of a factory-to-fray urgency.)

[finsrin]

Build and camo are fine.  Not seeing anything to do different.  Blade adds character. 

[ChernayaAkula]

What about the camo scheme aren't you happy with?

I reckon I did it backwards, I started on the primer grey, when I may have worked better on a Red Brown base, which was a more normal primer for the period. I think there is too much red and not enough of the other colours. It was more a Berlin Brigade look I think I was after.

Ah, I see.  I thought it would be the red. I must admit I also thought it looked a bit odd/unusual to me initially as there was so much red. But then I thought it actually made sense to have so much red precisely because of that red primer. The red brown would've been the base coat, while the other patches were added by the crew with paint rollers or brushes.