PZKPFW 38(T)

 

This is Tamiya's updated Pzkpfw 38(t) in 1/35 scale. When the Germans took over Czechoslovakia in 1938, they realized that the Czechs had developed a vehicle that was superior to the Panzer I and II. So, they appropriated the design of the 38(t) and ramped up production. Certainly these vehicles were obsolete by mid war, but many of them continued to serve into 1945. And this is why I choose the tri-color camoflauge as German Grey was going to be a bit too lack luster given my mood.

Assembly was pretty straight forward with only one piece of photo etch included in the kit.

I used a piece of steel wire for the antenna, and the tracks are from Fruilmodel.

I used the Mission Models Dunkelgelb which is supposed to match the German RAL swatch number during the war. It has a slightly different tint than the traditional Tamiya Dark Yellow, but I do like it. I also used Tamiya Red Brown and Olive Green for the other two colors.

The stowage set is from Value Gear and some pieces from the kit. I had to do some work to get the Fruil tracks to fit as they were slightly too wide, but I made it work.

I used pigments to make the muffler nice and crusty, as well as for the dust and some of the mud and dirt on the tracks. I ordered the decals from Star Decals as they are specifically for late war vehicles. I took a file to the tracks for that burnished appearance. The Fruil tracks worked really well for this model and gave the results I was looking for.

I enjoyed building this kit, and for the record, I always wanted to build one of these. Now it's done and I hope it can stand up to the quality models that those in this club produce 

Be well.