Johan, I have had a look, online and in books. I can find some models of 221's in DAK colours, but not the real thing. I would have said yes, but now not to sure.

Johan: from my research, I can't find any use of the 221 in Afrika.

i haven't found anything either. given they were build stating in 1935 it would nmake sense they were upped to 222s due to poland and france experiences.

... ditto on the 221.

There was mention on another forum of a French publication having a photo of one in Africa, only added description being it had it's antenna extended.  So wonder if this is the one:

Have not found definite caption for it, but if it is Africa it might be Tunisia due to the vegetation, and what looks to be a slight hill in the background - but this could be Europe/Russia too - inconclusive!

The Kstn files for 1941 are incomplete, but the charts do allow the 221 and 222 to be intermixed in recon units.  The vehicle was still around in 1943, many being equipped with a light AT weapon.

regards,

Jack

This is my first GB and "armor" build.  I have received both the HobbyBoss M3A1 and Sd.Kfz.222 kits.  I decided to start with the M3A1 since it looked easier.

I had a good laugh reading the instructions. You just have to love wooden translations:

It is nicely packaged..

I did begin the engine. Wow, these parts are small and getting ready for some paint. I really hope the carpet monster doesn't eat too many of these.

Now for a big question.  Does anyone have a picture of the desert camo that was used on these?  I have found some British ones in B&W, and one Patton used, also in B&W.  I would love to see some pics, in color, of some US Camo.

put a towel across your lap when you are working and it will catch a lot. cut really small parts off the sprue by putting the sprue inside a big clear freezer bag and cutting in there. and most important

THE LAWS OF PHYSICS DO NOT APPLY TO DROPPED PARTS!.

as for the camo i would say any us halftrack (infantry, at, mortar) would probably work.

Well I decided to give this a start today, and lets just say that the build gathered momentum and went faster than I would have imagined.

So this is my basic kit- Tamiya's 1976 vintage M13/40 that with the help of a left over part from an Italeri kit of the same subject I will use to make a Carro Commando per Semoventi, basicly the Italian equivelant of a Befehlspanzer for theit assault guns (Semoventi). 

I figured that I could find a suitable commander figure from this figure set

And this is my prime reference source- it has a small section on the vehicles

of course step one is the roadwheel bogie units

and step two is the idler wheels and drive sprockets

steps three and four is attaching these items and other items to the lower hull- Dinner hppened sometime in step three

step five was building the fighting compartment superstructure- and here is where I added teh flat plate in place of the turret

Step six was buiding the turret- obviously skipped. Seven is adding the superstructure to the lower hull as well as some fiddly bits such as headlights, the machine guns. One thing that I did do was open up the bores for teh twin ball mount machines guns

and here is everything placed together 

I still need to add the pioneer tools on the engine deck, the crew step rails on the sides of the superstructure, and the tracks. But in less than 4 hours, BOOM a tank. And to think that I had almost chosen this kit for Weekend Madness this year until this North Africa GB was announced.

Don - When I was working on it I thought about using the Pz III Ausf N DAK kit rack which I have, however reviewing photos with the vehicle I was building didn't match the N's rack so I scratch built the rack using left over PE material. Pz IIIs could be ID just looking at the storage rack on and were unique to different regiments. I have several reference books on DAK units so let me know which regiment / unit you plan to build. Books include Panzers in the Sand - History of Panzer-Regiment 5 Vol. 1 and 2. Rommel's Afrika Korps - El Agheila to El Alamein and Panzer III Work Horse in North Africa. Armor86

Here's a start on my 1/48 AB41. It went together pretty easily. I've used a little filler to tidy up some joins, but the flash has accentuated it.

This one will just be an out of the box build, nothing extra. I'd just started when I remembered to take the initial photo.

Cheers

Tony

Stik: nice progress, so far.

Tony: looking good.

PM, thanks!

Tony, all right! Another Italian AFV building up fast! I do like those Italian armored cars. Good lines to them.

Those look great guys!

armor86

Don - When I was working on it I thought about using the Pz III Ausf N DAK kit rack which I have, however reviewing photos with the vehicle I was building didn't match the N's rack so I scratch built the rack using left over PE material. Pz IIIs could be ID just looking at the storage rack on and were unique to different regiments. I have several reference books on DAK units so let me know which regiment / unit you plan to build. Books include Panzers in the Sand - History of Panzer-Regiment 5 Vol. 1 and 2. Rommel's Afrika Korps - El Agheila to El Alamein and Panzer III Work Horse in North Africa. Armor86

          Thanks for the info, Dan.  I was planning to build one of the kit options; No. 3 from Pz.Rgt. 8, 15th Pz Div.  Found a photo on the web that looks to be this vehicle abandoned outside of Tobruk.  It had a rear mounted rack although I haven't yet compared it to the PzIII AusfN kit rack.  Actually, the photo is on another computer; I'll post a copy as soon as I retrieve it.  If your refs have any additional photos, I would greatly appreciate having a look, or at least tell me which book and I'll hunt down a copy.

Don

Tony, nice work, off to a good start already.

Stik, same as, good start.

italeri BEDFORD truck. i got at a vendor sale. hopefully all the pieces are there, looks like an opportunity to try my hand at making canvas ttarps/tops. if the weather holds off  i woll get started on it at my ship club workshop. if not it's backburnered and i will be airbrushing shelf queens.

i have a pair of these that are in the may build in the future so i will watch your build closely

M3A1 Scout Engine

The HobbyBoss kit has a nicely detailed engine although it is lacking in some areas (Where is the radiator?). My reference doesn't show the same engine as the kit but I did find a few photos using Google that were similar.  I doubt the silver color they suggest. Most of the photos I've seen are grey/black.  I did a bit of scrap building. The alternator didn't have a fan belt wheel so I had to make one and I used some Heavy EZLine to make the fan belt. The engine was painted, dry brushed with flat aluminum and subjected to a Flory Black Dirt/Grime wash.  Maybe a bit overdone? A flat coat will tone it down a bit. Do you think it would benefit from using some lighter EZLine to simulate spark plug wires? Or is there some other technique you use?

All in all, I'm pretty happy with how it's coming out, especially since it's my first non-aircraft engine.

Alan, engine is looking good.  

Myself, I've never detailed one beyond what's provided in the box.  For spark plug wires, try looking at some micro tubing that is sold at fishing shops.  There's a variety of diameters and colours out there.  Very flexible too - I believe fly fisherman use to make their own lures.

regards,

Jack

I went to my LHS for the weekly "nerd night" and managed to get a few parts (vision ports, doors, fuel cap, etc) added to the hull!

the hull top/bottom mated....

that's all for now - gonna see if anything's on NetFlix while I put a few more parts together.

Tony, you're almost finished. LOL

Stikpusher, Tony, Alan and Greg. All of you guys are off to a really great start!

Planning to crack open my build today, will post pictures later on today.

David

While I watched a couple of flicks (Bounty Killer & Resident Evil), I was able to get a bit of modeling done

Here's the status of the 222....

I added the fenders and attatchments, access hatches, stowage bins, headlights, exhaust pipes and the front/rear tie rods.  I also started on the gun mount. 

you might try the scale auto forum or the automotive forum here. i went so far as to get a book on diesel technology from the library so i could learn what some of the parts are since many of my mofdern trucks are diesel. radio shack colored wire, really thin solder. i have the a/k interactive on engine weathering which is pricey but very detailed. someone posted that most german and soviet block engine blocks were base metal, i painted my ww2 us halftrack (dragon) OD. here is the engine for my UN UNIMOG.steel and chrome silver and black with oil pin wash of raw umber. the injector lines are on the right side. no one will see this but fun and good practice. my primer came out rougher than i like. i will have to be more careful.

Greg, Alan, Stikpusher, Tony - great start - I'm currently working on another GB - Armorama - Armored Car Campaign - Sd.Kfz. 232 Afrika-Korps Tamiya Kit 1/35. Last of the items for the Panzer IV Ausf. D "DAK" came in the mail. Enclosed some pictures below.

Verlinden Productions - Panzer IV Interior Detail Set

Don - Enclosed some of the reference books. Echelon Decals offers Panzer III & IV DAK Markings of Pz.Rgt. 7 of 10 Pz.Div. & Pz.Rgt. 8 of 15 Pz.Div. Suggested reference book is "Battleline 1 - Workhorse Panzer III in North Africa - Claude Gillono 2011. Armor86

Dan: your 232's looking good, so far

Dan, some nice work there. Nice collection of books there as well. I like the look of that last one.

Dan, ditto on what everyone else said! I'm jealous of all those books!

I started my Bishop yesterday and took a lot of pictures. But somehow I ended up deleting most them off my camera before uploading them Anyway here's a picture of the box

Odd looking isn't it? This was a rushed design for combat in North Africa, to make a 25pdr self propelled gun. From the research I've done on the Bishop it was hated by its crews. A really high silhouette, something you don't want in the desert. The maximum elevation for the 25pdr was only fifteen degree's! This led to crews usually having to build large ramps out of earth for more elevation. Also to make matters worse since the Bishop was based on the Valentine chassis another unpopular vehicle. It shared it characteristic slow speed 15 MPH. Needless to say once the British started getting M7's and Sextons they quickly got rid of the Bishop.

Anyway on to the build. This is the first Esci armor kit I've build and the hull was made up of panels. Just like the Eastern European kits a real bear to get together. A few gaps but nothing I can't deal with. A lot of the parts had injector pin marks that needed filling. After three hours of building I ended up with this.

I did my best trying to get the boxy superstructure to fit together, but still have some gaps to fix.

Anyway that's where I'm at right now.

Guys, great start on your respective builds.

Dan, interesting books, I've got the Workhorse publication.  Other than photos taken at the port of Tripoli, are there any early campaign  shots of grey panzers? 

regards,

Jack

I just found that Workhorse book from a UK seller so decided to order it. The Tamiya kit comes with the markings depicted on the cover, along with others using the playing card idea, and I am doing one of those, so hopefully will get some nice info on it.

Dug my kit and AM out and shorted out what figures I am using, so I am all set.

Looks like some great references, Dan.  Found a copy of the "Workhorse" book online; thanks for the recommendation.  Spent a few hours at the bench working on the kit

         Skipped the first step which entails assembling the drive sprocket, return roller and road wheels; this can all be done later.  Concentrated on the suspension and all the fiddly bits that comprise the muffler/exhausts and rear armor plates.  As usual, Dragon's instructions always require one to keep alert.  For example, the instructions indicate that the six torsion bars per side are part A1 (that's the sprue A indicated in gray numbers, as opposed to the other sprue A indicated in blue numbers).  But there are only 4 parts labeled as A1; the other two are parts A2.  Indistinguishable from each other, so go figure...  I did get caught though assembling the towing pintles on the rear plate incorrectly as they are shown in one step relative to the rear plate shown upside down, whereas in the next step the plate is shown in the correct orientation.  Ggrrrr!!!   But mistake caught and corrected before the glue had set.  So this is where I am currently:

Don