Ground Power The Newsletter of AMPS Central Virginia - John Robinson, Editor

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1 Ground Power The Newsletter of AMPS Central Virginia - John Robinson, Editor INSIDE THIS ISSUE: German Vehicle Names 1-3 Demo: Model Parts in 2D 4 Military History Weekend 5 Display Models from August 6-9 AMPS Boresight 9 Workbench-Cam 10 AMPS/IPMS information 11 Upcoming Meetings: Thursday, September 22 Thursday, October 27 Thursday, November TBD MEETING AGENDA: AMPS-CV Group Build: Tamiya M8 Greyhound During last month s meeting, we kicked off the group build with Mike Petty giving an overview of the schedule. Mike also brought in various reference sources and aftermarket accessories that you may or may not choose to use for your build. Anything goes here, so be creative with your choices. Mike suggested that we gather up the kits/ details needed, do the research and have everything ready to start following the conclusion of our October meeting. Brian Alfano has already been bust creating some bling for our build that can be used when we finish it and want to show it off at a convention. This photo does not do it justice, but hopefully you will see it in person. Let s just say that it involves electricity. Be sure to track the build on our website, under the Events page. 6:30 BUSINESS 7:00 DEMONSTRATION 7:30 PASS IN REVIEW 9:00 ADJOURNMENT 9:00 BUILD TIME (ends at 11:00) MEETING demo Zimmerit on 1:72 scale models--are you crazy? You be the judge. Glen Martin took inspiration from a demo we had previously to try Zimmerit on a small scale model and was pleased with the results. He ll show us what he did. The demo previously scheduled for this month, Building Bases Using Plaster by Ashley Abernathy, is postponed until the October meeting. German Vehicle Naming of World War II by Joe Paulchell The German Army of the Second World War employed a remarkable array of weapons and units on the battlefield. The German Army, or Wehrmacht; and the Waffen-SS (Schutzstaffel) had numerous types of armor, guns and field units. This is perhaps one of the reasons many armor modelers tend to build German WW2 subjects--the large number of models and variations create a tantalizing breadth of possible subjects and paint schemes. The Germans were highly organized and efficient at categorizing and naming. Combine this with the peculiarities of how German terms are strung together into very long words, and the need for abbreviations becomes apparent. Modelers or historical buffs will encounter these names and abbreviations frequently, perhaps without thinking much about what they mean. Hence, this treatise will shed some light on the German military nomenclature, naming and abbreviations. The German scheme is very simple but with some variations to be aware of. A piece of German armor was named based on a description of its purpose and a designation of the variation within that group. These include the chassis type, the model version within that hull type and perhaps the gun type it carried. For example, tanks were named differently from selfpropelled guns and armored cars. In addition, self-propelled guns that were purpose built were named slightly differently from adaptations made to Continued on the next page AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 1

2 German Vehicle Naming of World War II Continued from previous page carry a given gun type. Lastly, there was a standard for naming vehicles adopted into the German army from non-german sources such as the Czech guns and tanks that entered German service. Let s look at tanks first. German tanks are called panzerkampfwagen. This breaks down into three constituent parts: panzer, meaning armor or armored ; kampf, meaning fighting ; and wagen meaning simply vehicle. Hence, we get armored fighting vehicle. Now, since panzerkampfwagen is a mouth full and quite a bit to write or type, it was abbreviated to Pz, PzKw, or Pz.Kpfw. Following this was the designation for the design in the series, typically as a Roman numeral for German designs and Arabic numerals for non-german designs. In the case of non-german designs, an abbreviation in parenthesis indicated the origin. Finally, the model variation within the series was designated by a letter or a letter-number combination where the only difference was the gun. In German this is ausführung, abbreviated Ausf., which means model or mark. So, the second model of the third major chassis design for German tanks would be the panzerkampfwagen III ausführung B, abbreviated to Pz. III Ausf. B. Purpose-built self-propelled guns were given a name, a series number using Roman numerals, and often included the designation of the gun type carried using the term mit, meaning with. The gun type designation followed the gun naming nomenclature discussed in my previous article. Briefly, a gun on a self-propelled carriage was called a Sturmkanone or StuK, whereas a tank gun was called a Kampfwagenkanone (KwK). The remainder of the gun designation included the caliber and gun barrel length, such as the 7.5cm L/48 with a bore diameter of 75mm and a barrel length of 75mm x 48 = 3.6 meters. Assault tanks were designated sturmgeschütz (StuG), meaning assault gun, or geschützwagen (GW), meaning gun vehicle. So the series four assault guns carrying a 75mm gun were designated the Sturmgeschütz IV mit 7.5cm StuK 40 L/48, translating to assault gun with 75mm bore diameter gun having a 3.6 m barrel length. Simple, right? Gun carriages that were adaptations of basic chassis designs had a slightly different naming scheme. In this case, the gun designation was used first, followed by auf, meaning on followed by the gun carriage used with an optional vehicle common name. So, for example, an 88mm PaK gun mounted on the StuG IV chassis was designated as the 8.8cm PaK 43/I L/71 auf GW III Nashorn, meaning an 88mm bore diameter gun with a 6.248m barrel length on the Geschützwagen III chassis and commonly called the Nashorn, or Rhinoceros. German nomenclature also had special names for the role a piece of armor would play. For example, tank hunters / tank destroyers were called a panzerjäeger or jadgpanzer, and designated Jagd. Other special purpose armor designations are in Table 1 below. When Germany acquired foreign armor, they were designated as Panzers, but then used a letter designation to indicate country of origin. The Czech model number followed by (t) indicatesg Czech origin, whereas h indicates French origin. So, the Czech LTvz. 35 became the Pz. 35(t) and the Ltvz. 38 became the Pz. 38(t). Where the 35(t) or 38(t) chassis was used for an adaptation, such as a carriage for a gun, they were given the German designation for the role they would play. For example, a tank destroyer was designated a panzerjäeger, leading to the Panzerjäeger 38(t). When the Germans then further modified this variation, a model designation was added, such as the Panzerjäeger 38(t) Ausf. H. The French Hotchkiss H-35 was renamed the Panzer 38H and the Char B1 s became vehicles such as the Flammwagen auf Panzerkampfwagen B-2 (f). Continued on the next page Table 1 Name Abbreviation Meaning Flakpanzer FlakPz Anti-aircraft tank Flammpanzer Flame tank Funklenkpanzer Radio controlled tank Funkwagen Fu Wireless tank or wireless car Jagdpanzer Jagd Tank destroyer or Tank hunter Minenräumpanzer Mine-clearing tank Panzerbefehlswagen PzBflswg Armored command vehicle Panzerbeobachtungswagen Armored observation tanks Panzerspähwagen Pz.Spw. Armored car Räumschaufelpanzer Bulldozer tank Schutzenpanzerwagen SPW Armored personnel carriers Schwimmkörper Amphibious tank Selbstfahrlafetten Self-propelled carriers Sturmgeschütz StuG Assault gun AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 2

3 German Vehicle Naming of World War II Continued from previous page All German vehicles were also given a unique number in the German ordinance inventory. This number was the sonderkraftfahrzeug (Sd.Kfz.) number, meaning special purpose motor vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. number was often added to the end of the vehicle name or used fully in place of the full formal vehicle name. For example, the Pz. III Ausf. N was the Sd.Kfz. 141, the Marder II was the Sd.Kfz. 131 and the Elefant was the Sd.Kfz Armored cars, halftracks, and other vehicles were generally designated by their Sd.Kfz. numeric designation, such as the Sd.Kfz. 234 armored cars. These vehicles may also have had other designations as well, including nicknames. For example, the eight-wheeled armored car carrying a 5cm KwK 39 L/60 gun was designated the Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma, whereas the eight-wheeled armored car carrying a 7.5cm PaK 40 L/48 gun was designated the Sd.Kfz. 234/4 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen, or armored scout vehicle. Lastly, we commonly see nicknames applied to an army s beloved vehicles. These colloquial names have become synonymous with the vehicles they represent, often replacing the formal name in many situations. For example, the Pz. V was called the Tiger, while the Pz. VI was called the King Tiger. Similarly, special purpose vehicles had nicknames as well, such as the Sd.kfz. 184 Elefant and the Panzerjäeger Marder III Ausf. M. In Table 2 below are of some of the nicknames associated with German armor. By no means is this a fully complete or exhaustive treatment of the subject. Rather, it is the basics and covers many of the most commonly encountered terms and abbreviations. There is more detail out there and more derivations and variations. Sources: German Tanks of World War II in Color, Green, M., Anderson, T., Schulz, F., German Tanks & Fighting Vehicles of World War II, Ellis, C., Wikipedia Various Internet sites Table 2 Vehicle chassis Nickname Meaning Pz.Kpfw. IV Brummbar Grizzly bear Sd.Kfz. 184 Elefant Elephant Pz. 38(t) Grille Cricket Pz. 38(t) Hetzer Hunting dog Pz.Kpfw. IV Hornisse Hornet Pz.Kpfw. IV Hummel Bumblebee Pz.Kpfw. VI, Tiger II Koenigstiger King Tiger Pz.Kpfw. I Luchs Lynx Pz.Kpfw. II, Pz. 38(t) Marder Marten Sd.Kfz.?? Maultier Mule Pz.Kpfw. IV Nashorn Rhinoceros Pz.Kpfw. V Panther Panther Sd.Kfz. 234 Puma Puma Pz.Kpfw. VI, Tiger II Sturmmoerser Storm mortar Pz.Kpfw. VI, Tiger I Tiger Tiger AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 3

4 Demo from August: Replicating a Model Part in 2D Sometimes you may want to replace a part that is too thick or comes molded solid instead of hollow. There may be photo-etched sets available to do the job, but likely they include all sorts of other parts that you may not be interested in using. It wouldn t make sense to buy a complete set and use just one part. You can make your own but it takes a lot of measuring, dry fitting, and perhaps soldering. I ran into this challenge recently with the Fine Molds Type 89. Although the kit is superb, it curiously comes with an exhaust guard that is molded solid with raised detail to depict the frame and mesh. I could not live with this part but was not interested in tracking down the photo-etched brass replacement. I needed a simple way to create a 2D (two-dimensional, flat) version of a 3D (three-dimensional) part. As I thought about what to do, I came up with this solution. I think it works well in many cases, but of course not all. Here s what you need: Tamiya tape Sharp scalpel Black ink pen Surgical scissors (optional) Straightedge (good metal ruler) Thin metal. I used aluminum because it cuts easily and holds bends without the memory that brass has. But thin brass is an alternative. Lead foil is too, but it is so soft that it bends too easily. My aluminum happens to be printer s sheet which was given to me years ago. You can more easily find aluminum in food packaging or takeout trays or disposable cooking pans. Start out by applying the tape over 1. the whole part you wish to replicate. If it takes more than one piece of tape, make sure the pieces overlap. Take a sharp, preferably new, scalpel blade and cut off the excess tape that extends from the edge of the part. Try to use the part edge to guide the blade so you don t dig into the part. When you re done cutting, use your marker to trace around areas to cut out, or along sharp crease lines. Again use the marker at 90 degrees to the crease edge to trace it without wandering. If it does wander, no worries, it can be corrected later. The part in my images had windows of material to remove to create a cage effect. Parts like front fenders will not have this to work around. If the part has bends with creases, the tape will tend to bunch up on itself. This is not desirable, so you may have to cut lines or fillets into the tape along the curves. Doing so will allow you to lay down a single layer of tape without bunching. Once your marks are done, remove 2. the tape carefully without distorting it. Remember the overlaps if you have them, and start pulling the tape from the tape layer that is bottom most. Have your metal sheet ready, and when the tape is free from the part, lay it down on the metal and carefully flatten it out without distortion. Take a straightedge and cut along 3. the edges. This is the time to correct the wandering lines if you have them. Continue to cut until the part comes away from the metal sheet. Bend it along the crease line you made, or continue to cut out the areas not needed. Simple bends are made using tubing formers. Remove the tape when done and you have your part! The image at the top shows the original part and the new part, which is a frame with mesh glued behind it AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 4

5 Military History Weekend: Williamsburg, VA AMPS-CV has been invited to staff a few display table at this event. At our last appearance, our tables proved to be very popular with visitors and the organizer s were very happy we were there. The organizer s were eager to ask us to return and provide a model display along with building demonstrations. Read over the flyer above and visit the website for more background information. Hobby Town USA Demonstration/Build Days HobbyTown USA (8032-B W. Broad St. location) store manager Dave Pack has graciously designated the third Saturday of each month as a day that modeling chapters can come to build and demonstrate. This will be a running event through the rest of the year. There are six tables dedicated to the event, so we must keep track of those attending. If you want to go, please coordinate with Erik Roberson so we avoid over staffing. Reach Erik at panzerace71@gmail.com. This event is open to both AMPS-CV and IPMS Richmond. Building subjects do not matter. Be prepared to engage the public in a polite and helpful way, and represent your chapter responsibly. This is all about sharing the hobby to others and answering questions, no matter how many times you are asked, Is that a Tiger? Dave has a business to run, so please respect his authority there. He s a nice guy, so introduce yourself to him if you haven t already and let him know we appreciate the opportunity to be there. AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 5

6 Member Display Models At The July Meeting A B D C A - Tamiya U.S. M8 Greyhound by Mike Petty In advance of the Greyhound group build, Mike brought in his one and only attempt at the kit that Tamiya released in Not much in the way of aftermarket accessories were available at the time, but Mike did use Yanks chained tires and On The Mark photo-etched brass for the light guards. He also added communication gear inside and wired the gunner s foot controls. The figures come from Yanks, Warriors, and Dragon. Mike used Model Master enamels for the finishing, because, you know, it was during the Neolithic period of modeling. D - Dragon German Sd.Kfz 234/1 by Alex Valz Alex finished this recently (and there was much rejoicing). He was very pleased with the detail, fit and accuracy of the kit and the fact that it doesn t require 120 track links per side. Tamiya paints were used to camouflage the model, and a thinned Dark Yellow overspray effectively toned down the overall color including the decal marking. For those judges out there, Alex was wanted point out that all eight wheels are level. B - Dragon U.S. M4A2 Sherman in 1:72 scale by Bob Walls Bob had seen a photograph of U.S. Marines with a Japanese Type 94 on the engine deck and wanted to do this in 1:72 scale. Although a styrene Type 94 is not available, Dragon recently released a Type 95, which is slightly larger but still gave the effect that Bob wanted. The M4A2 Sherman was diesel-engined and was primarily exported overseas and used by the U.S. Marines. Bob altered Dragon s kit by adding the wood planks on the hull sides. He also added the wading trunks by scanning the photoetched brass parts and transferring them to photo paper. C - Tamiya U.S. M8 Greyhound by Brian Alfano Brian built this a few years ago and altered the suspension by cutting apart the axles and turning them for a different look. He also added resin wheels with chains. The stowage and antenna were additional modifications that Brian made. AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 6

7 Member Display Models At The July Meeting A B D C A - Dragon U.S. M4A3E8 Sherman by Eric Rains Since the last meeting, Eric worked up a scenic base to show off all the hard work he s put into it so far. The base comes from Styrofoam and Celluclay, with a Woodland Scenics rock wall (modified) and an Armand Byardi resin tree. Eric used Liquitex texturing gel to work in to the ground surface and to also glue the model down. D - Dragon German Maus by Mickey Bates Mickey followed his photo references to camouflage this Maus as it would have appeared if fielded in Production plans were withdrawn in October 1943, but prototype testing continued until the end of the war in May of Mickey plans to build the rail vehicles designed specifically for the Maus by using various rail kits and a fair amount of scratch building. B - AFV Club British Churchill AVRE by Glen Martin Coming soon to AMPS Boresight magazine, this build is nearing completion. AFV Club did a fine job with the kit, which Glen says needed no filler anywhere. While the camouflage choices are limited on this subject, Glen used his airbrush chops to fade the paint. He plans to follow up with conventional dark washes to further enhance the look. The Allied star on the roof was painted with the aid of a stencil and weathered with a hairspray barrier to encourage the white paint to chip away. C - Tamiya British Universal Carrier by Bob Walls One of the wacky ideas of the British engineers was to use rockets to assist the extrication of a vehicle stuck in mud. Here we see what this what have looked like on a Bren Gun Carrier. You be the judge whether this was a good idea or not. AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 7

8 Member Display Models At The July Meeting A B D C A - Dragon German SturmPanzer IV Brummbar by John Robinson Since the last meeting the model was repainted. Following the research to find out what color damaged Zimmerit should be, the model was first painted Lifecolor Khakibraun on the Zimmerit only, followed by hairspray. Then the entire model was sprayed Lifecolor Gunkelgelb/Olivegrun. This camouflage was chipped off the Zimmerit at random and on damaged areas. The original markings (decals/dry transfers) were replaced by using stencils to airbrush them on, which could then be chipped away using the hairspray technique. At last the model looks like what John wanted to portray. D - Dragon U.S. M4A1(76) Sherman in 1:72 scale by Bob Walls Bob built this straight from the box and hand-painted the balck camouflage bands to simulate a Sherman in the ETO. B - Tamiya German Sd.Kfz 222 in 1:48 scale by Glen Martin Glen wanted to build an Afrika Korps subject so he test out the new weathering set from AK Interactive. This seemed like an easy way to accomplish that task, but the Tamiya box conceals the fact that inside is an older ICM kit with not so nice details. Glen made a few scratch modifications to the gun turret and had to correct the position of the wheels. C - Tamiya U.S. M8 Greyhound, circa late 1960s Mike Petty Just thought you might like to see what the first Tamiya M8 kit looked like. Note that the motorization components were a primary part of the marketing on the box art. AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 8

9 Member Display Models At The July Meeting A B A - Italeri Italian AB40 by Brian Alfano This armored car was Fiat s early attempt at the vehicle type. It was armed with three Breda 8mm machine guns (one of which faces the rear--not a good sign). It proved to be very suitable for the desert and Mediterranean climates that it operated in. Brian has a straight from the box model at this point. B - Italeri Italian L40 da 47/32 by Brian Alfano Brian added a compartment cover by using epoxy putty, brass rods and brass rings. This greatly improves the simplistic kit parts and adds interest to the model. A Few Words About AMPS One of the benefits to AMPS Central Virginia is that we don t have membership dues. But it s easy to forget that we probably wouldn t exist if not for the founding of AMPS. Chapters like us are free to chart our own course as we determine, and it has worked well for over a decade. We don t mention it enough, but if you like being a member of AMPS Central VA, you ought to consider becoming a member of AMPS. As a member of AMPS, one of the benefits is the society s magazine, Boresight. It s a bi-monthly, full-color publication in a professional format. Unlike newsstand publications, Boresight content comes from AMPS members on a volunteer basis. That means readers and modelers just like YOU. It s a fact that some of your fellow modelers that you see at local shows and even in our chapter are contributors. The most recent issue was a special issue where content was exclusively from the SoCal AMPS chapter in California. AMPS members are all over the world and bring different techniques and perspective to armor modeling and you ll see them in each issue of Boresight. But there s more to AMPS membership than just Boresight magazine. There are vendor discounts, exclusive deals and the opportunity to meet and share techniques with the best modelers in our hobby. You can t beat that for $30 a year. If you want to know more about the benefits of a membership in AMPS, just visit their website. AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 9

10 Workbench-cam ICM Opel Admiral Cabriolet by Erik Roberson Yes, your are seeing this right. The Opel Admiral was a civilian car before being pressed into service with the German military during WW2. Erik chose to paint this in one of the stock colors of the time, metallic red. Dragon German Tiger I by Erik Roberson Erik continues to build up the interior of this kit using Verlinden resin parts. Mini Art Figures by Mike Petty Mike is reviewing this figures set for the AMPS website. These injection-molded figures look to have really nice sculpting for the material. Eastern Express Soviet KV-1 by Mike Petty Looks like Mike is fitting on some Model Kasten KV track to this beast. The Eastern Express kit has different colored plastic on different parts of the kit. AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 10

11 The Armor Modeling and Preservation Society, Inc. was founded in AMPS s main function is as a modeling club. The purpose of AMPS is to foster a knowledge and appreciation of the history of armored vehicles, through examination of preserved examples located in both museums and private collections, in miniature through modeling. To this end, AMPS publishes a bi-monthly magazine called Boresight. It covers reviews, tips, articles on preserved vehicles, and comparisons of models and related items. AMPS also hosts an international convention in which armor is supreme. It features the best armor model vendors, seminars from armor experts, and the best armor models from around the world in its competition. Competition is organized into five levels--junior, basic, intermediate, advanced and master--and the judging system rewards the modeler for his individual effort, not in comparison to other modelers. IPMS/USA is an organization dedicated to the fun of Scale Modeling. It was started in 1963 and now has branches all over the world. Many local chapters and regions sponsor model shows and contests every year. Membership is not required to visit the shows or attend the clubs. IPMS/USA membership includes the bi-monthly Modeler s Journal. In it are stories on subjects such as aircraft, armor, automotive, ships, figures and much more. Also included are listings of IPMS contests and swap meets, hints and tips and reviews. Membership grants participation in IPMS/ USA sanctioned Regional contests, as well as the National Convention. Membership grants access to the online Member s Forum, where a wide variety of Society and modeling topics are discussed. Also enjoy access to other modelers to answer questions about modeling or the Society in general. In addition, many hobby shops offer discounts to IPMS/USA members. AMPS Central Virginia ampscv.org info@ampscv.org 11