Introducing the Panzer II

The Panzer II was a light tank of the German army. Designed and built during the mid to late 1930s, it was a version derived from the Panzer I, with a larger turret and main gun, conceived as a stop-gap measure while the Panzer III and Panzer IV designs made it into production. Nonetheless, it was built in large enough numbers (1856 in total) and was the main battle tank of the German army in the early years of the war, seeing action all the way to North Africa. It was armed with a 20mm main gun, and a 7.9mm MG34. Its crew consisted of three men. A driver on the left side, a radio operator/loader sitting behind him, and a commander sitting in the turret, who also aimed and fired the two guns. The front armor was initially 14-15mm, but later models Ausf D/E and F had 30mm and 35mm of front armor respectively. Even then, that was not sufficient to survive against contemporary anti-tank guns with armor-piercing shells. The tank was powered by a 138hp engine, which gave it a maximum speed of 25mph. Its range on-road was 120 miles, and off-road it was 78 miles. It was initially phased out by the Panzer 38(t) and later by the Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks which had more powerful main guns, and thicker armor. Its chassis lived on as part of tank destroyers like the Marder II and the Wespe. 

Eagle Design 1/30 Panzer II Ausf F

I am not aware of any Panzer IIs from 21C or FOV, so it was a nice surprise when I ran into this model from Eagle Design. The scale is supposed to be 1/30, but it fits really well with 1/32, I guess because the tank itself was relatively small in reality. Eagle Design, built it quite sturdily, and it feels like it is all made out of metal. Even the tracks -although that also means that the tracks do not move. All else, the turret, guns, antenna, hatch, have nice degrees of movement. The price was a bit steep though, so I won't be trying to assemble a platoon of them any time soon. 

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Introducing the Panzer 38

The Panzer 38 (t) was a light tank designed by the Czech company ČKD in the 1930s After the German annexation of the Sudentenland (in 1938) and subsequently, the rest of  Czechoslovakia, the German army incorporated this tank into their arsenal under the designation Panzerkampfwagen 38 (t), the letter t being the first letter in tschechisch, the German word for Czech. The Panzer 38 was considered superior to the Panzer I and Panzer II which made up most of the armored ranks of the German army at the time. About 1400 of them were produced up to 1942, when they were no longer deemed a match for the medium Soviet tanks like the T34. In the meantime, they saw action during the invasion of Poland and France, and the early years of the war on the eastern front. The Panzer 38 was armed with a 37mm gun, and two 7.9mm machine guns. It was operated by a crew of 4: commander & loader in the turret, and driver (on the right) and radio operator/machine gunner (on the left). The commander was also the one who aimed and fired the main gun. The maximum thikness of the armor (in the front) was 25-30mm in the earlier models (Ausf A-D), and it was increased to 50mm for the Ausf E model (and G as well). Its 123.3 hp engine provided it with a maximum speed of 9 mph off-road, and 26 mph on-road. The Panzer 38 had a good reputation for reliability and ease of maintenance. After production stopped, its chassis was still used for other vehicles, such as the Marder, the Jagdpanzer 38, a Flakpanzer 38, and even a reconnaissance vehicle,  the Aufklärungspanzer 38.

21st Century Toys Panzer 38 (t)

The 21C Panzer 38, does not only represent a light tank, but it is also literally, a light tank. Made up entirely of plastic, it feels quite underweight in your hand. As is the case with other 21C tanks, the tracks move, as does the turret, although this one catches a bit the tools on the side. Also the machine gun in the turret moves along the vertical axis, but the one next to the driver is fixed. This Panzer 38 came with the antenna a bit bent, but other models have it straight. I did not bother to straighten it out as I feel it gives it character, and I did not want to risk it breaking off. All in all, this is not a very common model to run into, so I was happy to be able to add it to the ranks of my German army.

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Introducing the PAK 36

The PAK 36 was a 3.7 cm caliber weapon. It was the main anti-tank gun in the German Army until mid 1941, when given its inability to deal with the soviet medium tanks like the T34, it was replaced by the PAK 38 which fired a 5cm shell. The PAK 36 was initially issued in 1928 and first saw combat in 1936 during the Spanish civil war. It was also used by the Chinese against the Japanese where it was a lot more effective neutralizing the lightly armored Chi-Ha tanks.

Forces of Valor PAK 36 (with CTS crew) - Part 1
This PAK came with the kfz 70 truck which was used to tow it.

 

Forces of Valor PAK 36 (with Italeri crew) - Part 2

Here's a better picture of the gun. The CTS gunners were holding ammo that was too big for it. These Italeri crew guys are better fitted for this smaller gun, and the picture does show a bit more detail.

Forces of Valor Sd Kfz 70 as Artillery Tractor - Part I

The same chassis as a regular kfz 70, but this time a different configuration on the back, adapted to carry a bunch of ammo boxes for the PAK 36 which it is towing behind. I did not show it in this picture, but it is also possible to load the PAK on to the back of the truck, with the wheels resting on the middle seat and the tip of the gun pointing back. In such case, you can't have the men sitting there. 

Forces of Valor Sd Kfz 70 as Artillery Tractor - Part II

Here is a shot with the PAK deployed. This is BTW, the only PAK 36 that I have come across, so it was a nice extra that came with the truck. Unfortunately it does not come with an artillery crew.

Introducing the German 7.5 cm IG 18 cannon

In German this is called the 7,5 leichtes Infanteriegeschütz 18, or 75mm light infantry howitzer. It was designed in 1927, so I am not sure where the designation of 18 comes from. In addition to the version used by the regular infantry, a couple other variations were made for Mountain Troops and Paratroopers, both of which could be disassembled into multiple pieces that could be carried/dropped into battle to be reassembled on the spot. The version made for the Paratroopers did not have a shield. I can imagine that the aerodynamics of dropping that from an airplane and having it land predictably had something to do with that decision. Weighing close to 400kg, it could be dragged/pulled into position by 3or 4 men. It could fire a 6 kg shell, up to 3.5 km away.

21st Century Toys 7.5cm IG 18 cannon and crew

 This particular set from 21C toys is a nice addition to the collection, although the gun feels a bit brittle. The range of movement is not great and it feels like you might break it if you press too hard. The figures are versatile enough that they could be reassigned to operate other German guns. It also comes with a base of cobblestone surrounded by rubble that gives it an added dose of realism.

Warhansa - Toy Soldiers

Warhansa is a toy soldier firm based out of Russia that sells resin figures in 28mm and 54mm. Somewhere I read that they are more like a consortium of sculptors that bring their figures to market through this firm. That could explain the eclectic mix of periods and sculpting styles in their range of figures. They go all the way from fantasy/sci-fi to historical sets, and their periods cover ancients, knights, western/indians, all the way to WWII. Unfortunately their selection of WWII figures is very limited. They have only released Soviet Infantry and German Paras, of which I only have the latter. Let's check them out. 

Warhansa German Paratroops

This set is OK, but in the context of Plastic Platoon's recent German Paratroopers releases, it has a high bar to match. The poses are a bit static, the figures feel slightly chubby, maybe because the oversized weapons required bigger and thicker hands. And the material is a bit too shiny for my taste, although that's something that will be taken care of once they are painted. Anyhow, I am glad that Warhansa has added some more figures to the range. And on a positive note, I do like the expression of the officer quite a bit.

Warhansa Soviet Infantry - Defenders of Brest

These figures are only OK in my opinion. I feel that the body language lacks the sense of urgency and action that you might expect from men who are fighting with their last resources, against the odds, as the weapons and the wound suggest, and as the story of the Brest Defenders goes. The main thing to like about these figures is the material. It is a very solid plastic. Firm, but not hard. The one touch I did like quite a bit is the hair style of the wounded man. Well done. 

Warhansa Soviet Infantry - Nameless Height

This set is named after a Russian WWII movie. I have not watched it so I don't know if the figures depict any specific events from the movie. And speaking of movies, the man with the rifle above his head reminds me very much of Ron Perlman in Enemy at the Gates. I wonder if that was intentional. Maybe not the resemblance with Ron Perlman, but to depict the same features that made Ron a good cast for that role. Other than that peculiarity, this set, like the one above, is OK, but not great, and at $30 for 4 figures, it's only a set I purchased to fill a hole in my collection. 

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