Conversions of the Roco Panzer III

Many Panzer III tanks were used as funklenk controllers for the Borgward IV.

The Borgward was a small vehicle that could be driven by a driver, or controlled by radio or by wire.  It carried a large demolition charge on the front.  I could drive up to a bunker, drop the charge and back away, then detonate the charge.

Short barrel Panzer III with extra gear.

Extra rifle for the tank commander to use to fire at close assaulting infantry.

Submachine gun for the same reason.

Panzer III Conversions from Roco

Famo made halftracks with interleaved suspensions.  About a half a dozen of these suspension types were used on the Panzer III.  It was decided that it was not worth trouble and cost for the minimal improvement offered.  They were used in anti-tank training of infantry for a time and then they were used near the end as tanks against the enemy.

Large plow, such devices were used to clear roadways after massive bombing raids.

Another Panzer III this time with old Roco Panzer IV side skirts and horseshoe collar.

A few Panzer III tanks were given railroad wheels.  An easy and quick conversion.

Bottom view, not much more than replacing the original wheels with train wheels. 

Panzer III Conversions

The Roco Panzer III is a very old kit, they have been around since the 1960's.  As such, it frequently shows up in used collections.  It's pretty good for a kit that's so old.  This one has an old Roco Panzer IV turret with machine gun on top.  It was not a vehicle that was fielded, but it could have been.  I like to have the occasional unusual vehicle in the collection, for use in Weird War Two games or for other one off games.

Mid to late war the Panzer III was often protected with extra armor in the form of side skirts and a horseshoe collar.  Some of my collection includes tanks like this with armor made from sheet sytrene, and others with armor converted from the old Roco Panzer IV.

Panzer III as engineer vehicle.  Open top box superstructure, crane on the back, and wooden beams for bridging.

Flamethrower version, slip a small metal tube over the regular barrel to simulate the thicker flamethrower barrel.

Supply vehicle with canvas cover.  Remove the turret and replace with a "canvas."

Munitions carrier, very common in Tiger companies.  Tiger ammo was large and heavy.

Roco Panzer III

Bog standard Roco Panzer III M.

Panzer III N with the short barrel 75mm gun and a small box on the front fender.

Artillery observation vehicle, with extra antennas, and a fake gun and a machine gun where the regular gun usually goes, and track link on the front hull.

Another version of the artillery observation vehicle.  These were important because they could keep up with the tanks, and provide both radios and protection to the observers.

Panzer III, notional version with the L/43 medium length 75mm cannon as found on the mid production Panzer IV, never put into production.

RSI Airfix Italians Marching

A few more pictures of my RSI headquarters.

I made all the furniture and accessories removable.

That way I can rearrange it or replace it with other items.

The flag was simple paper, glued to a wire.

Flak Tower

The water table is high in Berlin and the Germans discovered that as long as an air raid shelter has a really strong roof, the sides did not have to be underground to withstand the fall of bombs.  So they built three massive flak towers in Berlin that included air raid shelters.  They also built smaller command post and radar centers nearby each one to control the anti-aircraft guns.  The shock wave from firing the guns was too great to put the radars on the same towers.

This one is nearly finished. I have resin cast the shutters, they go on over the small brown patches.  The shutters were thick steel doors that let in air when it was safe and they were closed when the raid was on.  I have all the guns, but they still need to be painted.  I am working on the staff for the interior.  The center part of this model is a couple boxes with drawers.  The drawers pull open so the troops can be moved around inside the model.  There are five drawers on two opposite sides for a total of ten interior rooms.  I plan on making a command post for the tower, a command post for the troops in the area, a hospital and the rest will probably be generator room and civilian air raid spaces.

The tower is 1/72nd scale.  My plan is to finish it next summer when I do the smaller control tower.

General Tank

Low profile star on the lower side.

A small piece of wire makes the hull machine gun.

Testors 1911 Olive Drab was used on most of these tanks.

The Chaffee was used both at the end of World War Two but also in Korea.  Allied nations used it for decades later.

This is my division headquarters general tank.

Two antennas for command, and plaques for a Major General.

All the tanks together.

Chaffee Company Plus

A mass of Chaffee tanks.

Note the yellow bridge weight classification on the bow.

Each platoon has a unique combination of track colors, and markings.

One of the platoons is nice and clean.

Another one is a bit rusty.

The third platoon is dirty and rusty.

Three platoons of five tanks each, two HQ tanks.  One five tank platoon for my reconnaissance unit.  And one additional division HQ tank.

Chaffee

A quick glance shows the difference in the tanks.

Simply look at the markings and you can see who is who.

I have also painted the tracks differently too.

Platoons on the move.

I really like the looks of this tank, first fielded around Christmas, 1944.

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Chaffee Tanks

Paul Heiser Models M24 Chaffee in HO scale.

It's a very nice model.

Hull, two tracks, turret, hatch, and gun.  Easy fit.

I used different markings on them to organize the platoons.

A US Army tank battalion had a light tank company.

Five tanks per platoon, three platoons, per company, and two headquarters tanks for a total of 17.

Five tank platoon, circled white star on front and plain star on turret side.

Next platoon has US Army serial number on the side and a circle star too.