Tomcat's Unlikely Tamiya Twosome

[Tomcat64]

After a quick stash dive I decided to go for another early WW2 tank in the shape of Tamiya-san's recent (2024) Panzer 1b kit


Here are the sprues




And a typical Tamiya instruction booklet


There are also some poly caps, a PE exhaust shield and some decals

But while I was stash diving I also stumbled across this and decided to do them both together


Why? Well I remember building a Tamiya jeep when I was a kid but it obviously wasn't this kit as this is a new tool from 1997, but mainly because I was intrigued to see how the two compared size-wise.


I'm fascinated by just how small early tanks were - not so much manned as worn.

Anyway here are the sprues for the jeep


And an older style Tamiya fold out instruction sheet


Only the two sprue frames so surely even I can finish this pretty quickly??

Let's see - hopefully we'll start cutting plastic this weekend

[Stokesy44]

Errr, forgive me for stating the obvious, but aren't they on opposing sides?

[digger303]

Errr, forgive me for stating the obvious, but aren't they on opposing sides?

It's a balanced build unbiased

[Stokesy44]

Errr, forgive me for stating the obvious, but aren't they on opposing sides?

It's a balanced build unbiased

That's TC for you. A true man of the people

[Quax]

looking forward to seeing what you do with them!

Paul

[digger303]

Errr, forgive me for stating the obvious, but aren't they on opposing sides?

It's a balanced build unbiased

That's TC for you. A true man of the people

[Tomcat64]

Thanks for dropping in chaps - I could waffle on about balance & comparison etc but the real reason for having both builds in here is that I wanted to tackle both kits and couldn't be bothered running separate threads - anything else would just be flimsy rationalisation of the highest order

I made a start on both kits on Sunday so let's see if I can keep things tidy... first the jeep

Willys Jeep

Intro

From the instruction leaflet:
Without a doubt the Jeep Willys MB occupies a significant position in the whole of automotive history. The origin of the jeep vehicle dates back to early 1941, when U.S. Forces ordered the Willys, Ford & Bantam companies to develop prototypes of a small multi-purpose 4-wheel drive vehicle. During the early stage of WW2, Germany had achieved their outstanding successes by using motorized troops with their "Blitzkrieg" tactics. It became a pressing need for allied nations to possess tough and reliable vehicles with excellent cross-country abilities.


In November 1941, the US Army, with alterations on the front grille and hood to the Ford design, chose the Willys vehicle as the basis for the mass production model. This marked the birth of the Willys MB (Model B) that provided unmatched ability to transport Allied troops during the conflict. Due to the necessity of of increasing production, the Army ordered Ford to join the mass production using the Willys MB blueprints. It was designated the GPW, and a simple, pressed steel front grille was introduced.


During WW2 the Willys MB and Ford GPW ran over every battlefield. As a means of transit for soldiers, it played an important role in bringing the Allied victory. It was also used for liaison, command, communication and sometimes even as an ambulance or light firearms carrier.


Production reach approximately 640,000 units by August 1945.

Build Part 1

Here are the first few instruction stages - dealing with the engine block, chassis & body


Here are the engine block & chassis - part A23 (exhaust & plate) is just dry fitted and will be attached permanently once painted


Onto the body and the only minor niggle so far are a few ejector marks - some of which may well be visible so I'll sort these out with some filler & sanding


Here's the body as far as I got it with the seats dry-fitted


And all dry stacked together

At this stage I decided to switch sides to the grey team

Panzer IB

Intro

General conception
After Hitler’s victory in the 1933 elections, Germany started rearming and expanding its army. Due to the treaty of Versailles, the German army wasn’t allowed to have any tanks when Hitler came to power. Officially called the Sd.Kfz.101 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug/Special-Purpose Vehicle), the Panzer I became the first mass-produced tank of the Wehrmacht. In 1933, after extensive trials, production of the Sd.Kfz.101 began. In 1936 it got its modern name, the Panzerkampfwagen I Ausführung A (Ausf.A). The first fifteen were delivered without turrets, for training purpose only. Mass-production of the proper military model began later.



The first Panzer
The Panzer I was the very first in a long line of tanks. The only other German tank at the time was the sluggish and massive Neubaufahrzeug. Its story is linked to the 1919 treaty of Versailles, which severely reduced the abilities of the German Army to rebuild a potent army. The total amount of soldiers allowed was reduced, so that only a police and defensive token force could be maintained. However, many officers saw in these limitations the potential to build a new small, but well-equipped and very well trained, professional army. Due to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forbidden from owning any kind of tanks. But, despite the fact that the few tanks built in 1917-18 never had the power to change the outcome of the Great War, the potential of this new weapon was well-understood.

In 1930, Krupp was selected by Waffenpruefwesen 6 (the automotive and tank design office of the German army) to work on the design of a small light tracked tractor named Kleintraktor. It was to be equipped with a 20 mm (0.79 in) auto-cannon, powered by a 60 hp engine and weigh no more than 3000 kg. A year later, in 1931, Krupp sent a description of the Kleintraktor-Fahrgestell (chassis) to Wa.Prw.6. A description of the superstructure was promised after the construction of a wooden model.

The Krupp Kleintraktor was described as a fast and manoeuvrable tracked vehicle that weighed about 3.5 tons and could achieve 45 km/h (28 mph). The hull was made of steel sheets welded together. It was armed with a 20 mm (0.79 in) auto-cannon and carried 500 rounds.
As development proceeded, several prototypes were made, and faults were removed from the tank. The turret was redesigned to fit 2 machine guns and armor was increased. In 1933, the Panzer I was considered ready and an order was placed for 150 training tanks, with another 1000 combat-ready tanks being ordered the following year. Neither of these orders were fully delivered.



The Ausf.A
This first model came into production in late 1934, and continued until early 1936. Around 800 were built, having several limitations. The armor was insufficient, being only 13 mm (0.51 in) at its thickest. There were problems with the early suspension, making the tank pitch backwards at high speeds. There were also concerns about the propulsion, overheating, the commander being both gunner and loader of the two machine guns, and communication going through old-fashion vocal tubes. With its two machine guns, light armor and speed, these machines were nothing more than training and scout tanks. Despite this, most of them fought in regular Panzer divisions alongside the improved Ausf.B until late 1941.



Ausf.B and variants
The Ausf.B was an improved version of the first model. It appeared in 1936 and was built until 1938, with around 675 machines produced. The main difference was a longer chassis (by 40 cm) with one more road wheel, in order to accommodate a much more reliable and powerful water-cooled, six-cylinder Maybach NL 38 TR delivering 90 bhp, along with a new gearbox. The suspension was also largely improved. The weight rose to 5.8 tons, but neither the armament nor armor were modified. During the war, the ‘main’ version of the Panzer I was the Ausf.A. Soon, both Ausf.A and B served as basis for sub-versions and adaptations, such as the kleiner Panzerbefehlswagen, or light command tanks, which had their turret replaced by a larger superstructure. In 1940, several Panzer I Ausf.Bs were rearmed with the Czech 47 mm (1.85 in) gun, resulting in the Panzerjäger I tank hunter. Other were equipped the 15cm sIG and became the heavy artillery carrier 15 cm sIG 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf B, which was designed to destroy fortifications with its 150 mm (5.9 in) howitzer. The resulting tank had a very high profile, only partial crew protection, and both the chassis and propulsion were highly overloaded.

Build Part I

The first couple of pages of these instructions built up the "bath tub"


As expected there were no real surprises from Mr Tamiya's team - you can see that I've followed my usual habit of adding some weight into the hull to give the model some "heft"


There were a couple of fiddly moments with the equipment on the rear plate - the light was a bit tricky both with tweezers & my thick fingers which instantly all turn into thumbs when presented with a small part

And that's where I called it a day - a really enjoyable start to both kits and hopefully more of the same on the horizon

Thanks for looking

[Stokesy44]

Nice. Good to see both kits off to a quick start

[RangerNeil]

If you get the spare time have a look for the reports of what happened when the Panzer 1's, 2's and 3's came up against Matilda's and their French equivalents during the battle for France. Two different theories about the use of armour met head-on - lightly armoured and (relatively) fast vs.heavily armoured and slow with fairly predictable results. Had the Matilda's and their French equivalents been concentrated instead of dispersed the French campaign may have ended very differently. As it was only the early Panzer IV had an equal-ish chance against the Matilda 1's on a 1 to 1 basis.

[digger303]

If you get the spare time have a look for the reports of what happened when the Panzer 1's, 2's and 3's came up against Matilda's and their French equivalents during the battle for France. Two different theories about the use of armour met head-on - lightly armoured and (relatively) fast vs.heavily armoured and slow with fairly predictable results. Had the Matilda's and their French equivalents been concentrated instead of dispersed the French campaign may have ended very differently. As it was only the early Panzer IV had an equal-ish chance against the Matilda 1's on a 1 to 1 basis.

I read somewhere that where the Germans couldn't deal while a particular tank or tanks there called in the luftwaffe to do it for them. Which leads me to ask how strong was the French airforce ?

[Stokesy44]

If you get the spare time have a look for the reports of what happened when the Panzer 1's, 2's and 3's came up against Matilda's and their French equivalents during the battle for France. Two different theories about the use of armour met head-on - lightly armoured and (relatively) fast vs.heavily armoured and slow with fairly predictable results. Had the Matilda's and their French equivalents been concentrated instead of dispersed the French campaign may have ended very differently. As it was only the early Panzer IV had an equal-ish chance against the Matilda 1's on a 1 to 1 basis.

I read somewhere that where the Germans couldn't deal while a particular tank or tanks there called in the luftwaffe to do it for them. Which leads me to ask how strong was the French airforce ?

On paper it was very strong, its aircraft were not up to the standard of the Luftwaffe but they certainly had numbers. The problem was the same as the problem with the tanks, they were poorly used and once the Germans had made their initial breakthrough, the French effectively ceased to mount a coherent defense. The British did exactly what the Germans wanted, they drove North East and got encircled which ended at Dunkirk while the French, cut off from the BEF, basically capitulated due to appalling leadership.

[Tomcat64]

Yup this is a subject I've done a lot of reading on over the years - most recently James Holland's War in the West (Parts 1 & 2). They're both hefty reads but well worth a look - he covers the socio-economic & logistical aspects as well as the actual battles themselves and covered areas I'd never considered before. F'rinstance the German "national meat" of choice at the time was pork whereas the British equivalent was mutton; sheep eat grass, but pigs eat more or less the same as humans so the Germans were in the slightly bizarre position of competing with their food for food.

But the point is well made ref the use of tanks - there's no point in having superior equipment if you're not using it properly and to digger's point - yes one of the significant aspects of the German offensive was a complete combined arms approach effectively using aircraft (especially the JU-87) in an artillery/tank destroyer role - Close Air Support as we know it today.

Anyway onto the kits but always happy to chew this subject over as an aside

Willys Jeep - build part 2

Skipping the Jeep's wheels for now the rest of the instructions covered building up the rest of the body components




The windscreen glass is still to be added and will go in after the base colours have gone down, and the hood is loose


Additional details around the back end - there'll be a little tidying up to do once it's all cured


So the Jeep is currently a pile of components waiting for paint

Panzer Ib - build part 2

Over on the Panzer I - the next steps were the wheelie bits


So last weekend was all about making them up, masking and painting


The the tracks - these were also painted up (black primer, dark brown and then a gunmetal dry brush)


Then this week in the evenings I've added the tracks bit by bit


And around the other side - the tracks fitted perfectly


With that done I can move onto the superstructure next.

That's all for now - we're busy this weekend (ask Stokesy why ) but hopefully I'll be able to plug away at these next week.

Thanks as always for looking

[Stokesy44]

Gosh those tracks look nice. What a great invention link and length tracks are, especially when molded with built in sag.

[digger303]

Cruising through these 2 builds.

[Tomcat64]

Well... I was convinced that I'd posted an updated after the previous one.. but apparently not so here's a bit of an update - let's see if I can remember what was going on

Willys Jeep - build part 3

The engine was painted up and attached to the chassis


Wheels were assembled, masked & painted


Which allowed for a quick dry fit with the bonnet (hood) left loose


Seats, engine bay details & pioneer tools were painted up and added (and the wing mirror was pinged off for the first time)


Engine bay with chassis fitted


Down the back end


Front seats added


Decals were added and then everything was dirtied up a bit - wing mirror reattached


The driver figure was a bit ropey and needed mould seams sorting out & a bit of filler - wing mirror pinged off again


Windscreen was masked & dirtied - not happy that I scratched the clear parts while cutting the masks (again)


Driver primed up and everything (except that pesky mirror) in place


I'm thinking I'm going to raid the stowage stash and add some more bits & pieces to this

Panzer 1b - Build part 3

Right... over to the Panzer

Main superstructure parts were put together & then sprayed black on the inside where it'd be visible through the grille at the back of the engine deck


Dry fitted to the lower hull


Rear plate with exhaust manifold painted up in rust tones


Tamiya includes a nifty former to help bend the exhaust shield nicely


The cover was painted up & added - again it fits nicely against the internal plate


Here it all is in place


The turret was also built up with the interior painted up in ivory (elfenbein) - here's the back of the front plate


And as you could see from the previous rear view that dropped in nicely


Here it is after a coat of anthracite grey and a couple of the pioneer tools added


Decals up next along with the rest of the tools

Hopefully with a few quieter weekends coming up I'll be able to make some more progress on both projects

Thanks as always for looking

[Stokesy44]

Very nice work on 2 iconic vehicles. The jeep looks superb all dirty and dusty.

[digger303]

Nice work.

[Tomcat64]

Very nice work on 2 iconic vehicles. The jeep looks superb all dirty and dusty.

Nice work.

Thanks chaps

[Tomcat64]

Willys Jeep - Build part 4

Just the one photo of the Jeep - I spent most of Sunday painting the driver up; mostly happy with the results although I might revisit the helmet as I think I've made that a tad too dark. Otherwise he just needs grubbying up a bit when the weathering hits


I'm waiting on some ammo boxes to arrive and then I'll throw some stowage and weathering at it

Panzer Ib - Build part 4

Over to the PzI and I spent a fair amount of time on this one during the week but forgot to take photos of progress...

Anyway the decals were added and as usual I then "misted" the base colour back over to fade them in but it looks like I might have been a bit heavy handed in places


The remaining pioneer tools were painted up & added to the hull


And finally the commander was assembled and given a quick spray of grey primer


So obviously the commander needs finishing up and then a bit of weathering and this will be done

Thanks as always for looking

[digger303]

A little dark over the markings as you point out, but overall looking very nice.

[Phillip1]

Tomcat64-Very nice work and great progress! The decal weathering on the US jeep is impressive.

Phillip1

[Kevthemodeller]

Somewhat late to this one, couple very nice kits all being finished to your usual high standards, lovely figure work

[Tomcat64]

A little dark over the markings as you point out, but overall looking very nice.

Tomcat64-Very nice work and great progress! The decal weathering on the US jeep is impressive.

Phillip1

Somewhat late to this one, couple very nice kits all being finished to your usual high standards, lovely figure work

Thanks for stopping by folks

[Tomcat64]

Ok just a quick jeep update for this one

Jeep - build Part 5

I decided that it wasn't complicated enough so order these lads up


The box was full of bits


There was a LOT of cleanup to do with seams & flash etc and the fit of many parts was somewhat suboptimal but here's how the jeep crew looks so far


There's quite a bit of filling & making good to do before painting but I think they'll work... the chap in the passenger seat will have a scratch built map board in his right hand & I've not decided which of the weapons will be used.

Thanks as always for looking

[digger303]

[Stokesy44]

Looking nice and busy now Sir

I bought a Miniart figure set of winter tankers for my Elefant and they needed some serious cleanup too.

They're certainly not up to the standard of say Masterbox. Still, once the old TC magic has been worked I'm reckoning they look just fine.

[Kevthemodeller]

Now your just showing off

[Tomcat64]

Looking nice and busy now Sir

I bought a Miniart figure set of winter tankers for my Elefant and they needed some serious cleanup too.

They're certainly not up to the standard of say Masterbox. Still, once the old TC magic has been worked I'm reckoning they look just fine.

Cheers guys - yep I've used miniart figures before and was hoping in vain that they'd tidied their act up... oh well...

Now your just showing off

Not so much showing off as making life more complicated Thanks for stopping by mate

[Tomcat64]

Jeep - build part 6

Ok... just the figures for this update

Here's how they looked after I'd tidied them up and primed them


After a couple of days throwing paint at them - the trousers are more brown than they appear in the photos


And perched in the jeep - I still need to finish some details off & work on the final positions (especially of the dude leaning on the .30cal)


They've since received a coat of UltraMatte and fettling will continue along with adding more weapons & stowage

Thanks as always for looking

[Kevthemodeller]

Superb figure work there Neil, really boosts the model

[Tomcat64]

Superb figure work there Neil, really boosts the model

Thanks mate

[Tomcat64]

jeep build part 7

OK so the jeep's moved on a bit...

First up was to slap some mud around - made up of a mixture of Vallejo textured dark earth, some winter ground cover and a sprinkling of pigment powder


This was also thrown at the wheels which were then permanently attached along with the steering wheel and the likely lads


I also did a wash n wipe on the windscreen to make the accidental cut marks look more like dirt streaks


And finally started adding the stowage with a generous collection of .30cal ammo boxes


I think I need to sponge some weathering on the helmets - they look too clean at the moment.

Then it's weapons, map & final stowage bits before calling it done.

Panzer Ib - build part 5

Over on the somewhat neglected Pz1b I finished the commander up - Tamiya provided insignia in decal form so I decided to give them a go; they were a bit on the thick side but settled down nicely with microsol & a coat of ultramatte


As you can see the vehicle has picked up a layer of dust from where it's been left on the bench for a couple of weeks, but I'll finish this off with a dust/dirt layer in the same way as I did with my recent PzII.

Hopefully I can get both projects finished up in the next week or two and then it's time for a stash dive

Thanks for looking

[Quax]

both kits have turned out really nicely!

Paul

[Stokesy44]

Yep, more quality production on the TC line. I love the fella in the driving seat of the jeep. He's got swagger!

[RangerNeil]

Excellent work on both vehicles!!

[digger303]

[Tomcat64]

both kits have turned out really nicely!

Paul

Yep, more quality production on the TC line. I love the fella in the driving seat of the jeep. He's got swagger!

Excellent work on both vehicles!!

Thanks chaps

[Tomcat64]

We were out & about on Sunday but Saturday was more productive than expected at the bench

Jeep - build part 8

I had intended to just finalise the weapons for the jeep crew but got a bit carried away and ended up with these


I had a cunning plan about where to put things and it more or less worked... here's a quick walkaround - oh and the wing mirror was glued back on again


The fuel cans on the front bumper should probably have straps of some sort


The front passenger with his map & machine gun


The rear seat occupied by a blitz can & small pack


And an overhead view to finish

I'll probably add some dust/streaking grime at the same time as I do the same on the Pz1b but to all intents & purposes this is just about done

Thanks for looking

[digger303]

I like it.

[Tomcat64]

I like it.

Cheers mate!

[Tomcat64]

Right - first day of a week off work and I think I've finished these two

Panzer Ib - Build part 6

First up the Pz1 was given a liberal coating of dust/dirt courtesy of some Mig OilBrushers and some Vallejo Earth/grass mix


Down the back I added some fuel spillage on the rear deck too


And a couple more from the other side

Jeep - build part 9

Then the jeep - this was more or less done in the last update but I've also added a bit more weathering to this while I had the oils out on the Panzer

Finished

And here they are together for the comparisson I was looking for when I fished them out of the stash






So there's not a huge difference lengthwise and someone standing in the back of a jeep is almost the same height as someone standing in the turret of a Panzer Ib

I'll get out the grown up camera and do some proper reveal shots when I get chance

Thanks as always for looking

[Stokesy44]

Cracking effort on both proper battlefield look to both of them

[DRUMS01]

Wonderful job!

[Tomcat64]

Cracking effort on both proper battlefield look to both of them

Wonderful job!

Thanks chaps & apologies for the late replie

[Tomcat64]

While I had the camera out for the P-38 reveal I decided to run off a few photos of these two on a dio mat I picked up at Bovington last year












Thanks as always for looking

[Kevthemodeller]

Oh yes really nice figures, couple of top draw builds there

[Stokesy44]

Nice pictures mate, cool base too

[digger303]

[Phillip1]

Tomcat64-Both of these model builds are really well done! The figure painting is very impressive, especially in the jeep. Your photography is top-notch too! Congratulations on a great job!

Phillip1

[Tomcat64]

Oh yes really nice figures, couple of top draw builds there

Nice pictures mate, cool base too

Tomcat64-Both of these model builds are really well done! The figure painting is very impressive, especially in the jeep. Your photography is top-notch too! Congratulations on a great job!

Phillip1

Thanks chaps