28mm Krupp Protze Polish conversion

[Steve-the-Duck]

The Polish 10th Armoured, the Black Brigade, used a licence-built version of the Krupp Protze as a troop mover. I'll be converting Blirtzkrieg Miniatures 28mm Kommandeurwagen version to the Polish, thanks to Pete at Blitzkrieg supplying me with an extra set of wheels
What a snice chap he is


This is the basic model

And this is where we're going

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

This is the kit. Resin body, 3D print windscreen and steering wheel, plus wheels. Blitzkrieg do a large range of early-war and western desert vehicles, and they're changing over from white metal small parts to 3D print


So, I've made a start. A lot of cutting, drilling, filing, and that's just the easy bit!

Things can only go downhill from here!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

So, with everything carved off and partly filled, on with the spare wheels

First, new side panels to the front seats

On with the wheels

Rear mudguards extra front panel added, then the spares mudguards added from Apoxie putty
Just a little sanding clean-up needed next, then the small extra outward extensions to the rear mudguards to add
Then time to finish re-shaping the body rear

 

[Jim R]

You're off to a good start Chris. 3D printing is become much more mainstream these days. I imagine chopping and changing resin is harder than styrene. Certainly some associated health issues with sanding and cutting resin.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

You're off to a good start Chris. 3D printing is become much more mainstream these days. I imagine chopping and changing resin is harder than styrene. Certainly some associated health issues with sanding and cutting resin.

Oh yeah, I always wear a mask when slicing and sawing and grinding because it does produce dust, but it's pretty heavy so it doesn't cloud too badly. The resin most wargames vehicles are made of IS quite hard, but it does cut relatively easily with a razor saw, so not SO much more difficult than styrene. Plus you can break bits off with a pair of pliers! Some manufacturers, the resin is practically indistinguishable from styrene anyway

We inherited a top-range 3D printer last year, from a late friend who was a professional model maker, but we had nowhere to set the thing up properly, so I've not downloaded the thirty-or-forty vehicles I've seen that I NEEED! And print them off at the relative size / scale I work in. Fortunately, as here, I've found some very friendly producers of stuff who are willing to print me off copious spare wheels. My next project after this is a Morris CDSW and then a six-wheeler Albion BY, all of which I got spare wheels from the very nice lady at Highlands 3D printing.

Some things I can convert, but the Albion is going to be almost entirely scratchbuilt, apart from the wheels!

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Right, the extra rear mudguard panels are on and the back end rear-shaping, including the tilt cover, is completed

Next up is adding all the small details: windscreen, wing mirrors, stand lights, steering wheel, gear stick and handbrake, licence plate and towing hook
Plus, the two huge hooks that stick out the front

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Well, the build is officially complete! All body re-shaping done and small details added


The wheels will be glued on after painting. Which won't be done until I've practiced the camo schemes with my airbrush a bit more. Thinking I might add a driver figure later too

Oh, and a shout out to Paul Corcoran of Blitzkrieg Miniatures for the extra wheels supplied

Now, my brother-in-law, a car mechanic of forty-plus years standing, had some choice comments about this particular vehicle. Spare wheels that block access by the driver. Unpadded arm-rests on the middle seats. The original vehicle was perfectly fine so why the re-design
I guess the poles just liked their transportation open plan!

 

[Jakko]

Those spare wheels “need” to be there next to the driver, because like this, they will prevent the vehicle from getting stuck on terrain.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Those spare wheels “need” to be there next to the driver, because like this, they will prevent the vehicle from getting stuck on terrain.

Hmm, never considered they could be 'unditching' wheels, like a lot of vehicles have. I'm thinking of various Laffly trucks, and at least two Japanese armoured cars. Unditching wheels are usually smaller though? The German truck version does have them in the same place too
Interesting thought

 

[Jakko]

Using spare wheels for unditching was fairly common in 1930s military vehicles. The Krupp L 2 H 143 that yours seems to be a variant of, most certainly has them there for this reason, as this photo of the vehicle without its body shows:

(source)

Others I can find on a quick browse through a book about German vehicles are the mittlerer Einheits-Pkw. and the early models of schwerer Einheits-Pkw. but the only post-war one I can think of right away is the Dutch DAF YA 126:

(source)

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Yes, I've seen the 'naked' protze before, so 'unditching' is kind of obvious

Iterestingly, the Horch and Steyr kimmandeurwagen have a mid-mounted spare, which would serve that same purpose, but this Protze that I used doesn't
I might have saved myself some work if I'd just done a 'cut-and-shut' by sticking the front half of the truck to the back half of the kommandeurwagen, but then I've needed TWO kits, and been left with two halves I couldn't use

 

[Jakko]

IMHO, what you did here is the better solution, then And as you had to cut away the sides anyway, it’s not that difficult a conversion at that point, I would think.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

IMHO, what you did here is the better solution, then And as you had to cut away the sides anyway, it’s not that difficult a conversion at that point, I would think.

Straightforward, certainly. But I've still time to muck it up with the complicated Polish three-colour camouflage!
Hmm, have to think about a driver too...