FJR in Normandie: PAK40 Battery Towed

 

I've had several models on the go at once and that with my non-hobby life taking over has seen this set taking much longer than it should have. Here we have 1/72 scale PAK40 anti-tank guns towed by a pair of 8 tonne tractors.

The guns are a pair of Italeri fast build models which I had to bash into a towed configuration. This was a shame as I later found two more models which had a towed configuration option. These Italieri kits are excellent and would have made better deployed models.

The tractors are old Matchbox kits (I think) which I made in the early 1980s as a teenager. They were not well put together and even less well painted. I painted over the desert yellow with a wash of dark sand, dry-brushed then pin washed it as best I could. I hand painted the intense camouflage scheme, blending the green and brick red with desert yellow before stippling it on in an attempt to achieve a faded look.

I would normally have preferred to build a complete and properly towed model but didn't have sufficient spare tractors for both towing and deployed representations. Thus the guns are separately based and not hitched properly.

I didn't have any canopies, nor did I have any seated crew figures in a year I have sworn to buy no more miniatures. I therefore resolved to fill the tractors with stowage (mostly ammo boxes) and the gun crew will follow in kubelwagons. I modelled the ammo boxes referencing the Italeri kits using balsa and plastic card. The tarps are all Green-stuff and I included a rolled cammo net from gauze.

I'm near finished the two kubelwagons which will finish this ATG battery. My two Opel Blitz trucks and a Hanomag 251 half-track are also near completion which will transport my three FJR companies. I have started the painting of my resurrected Puma armoured car and Stug IIIG. So, more posts this way soon.