This is my attempt at an early war Panzer IV, a tank that I can employ with my 1940 Wermacht forces against the British and French, but also use against the Soviet Union when I get my Russians based for the wargaming table.
This Panzer IV represents either an Ausf D or an F1, armed with a low velocity 75mm main gun. As far as I am aware, not that many saw action in France but they formed a considerable part of the German Panzer force when Operation Barbarossa started in 1941.
Both of my desert panzers are starting to take shape. After an undercoat of black and a solid coat of Tallarn Sand, I decided to go for a lighter shade than the usual Panzer sandy brown, using a liberal drybrushing of Ushabti Bone, and a diluted inking to bring out all the bodywork details. Not pictured, I have also gone over the tracks in a light grey and gone over the petrol /water tanks with Tallarn Sand to highlight them.
The next step will be to use darker browns and a pale green for the remainder of the stowage items, and ink the tracks a weathered brown.
These mark the beginning of my Deutsche Afrika Korps army. I've been meaning to start desert WW2 armies for a while, and whilst my BEF British are not complete, I took the plunge anyway.
I have started with two Plastic Soldier Company models, a Panzer III Ausf G and a Panzer IV Ausf F2 "Special".
The former was the workhorse of the early war German tank force. A medium tank that combined decent protection and a respectable 50mm gun, the Panzer III could hold its own against most Allied tanks. It's primacy was challenged by the appearance of the upgunned Crusader III and the Lee / Grant tank, both giving the Allies some respectable firepower.
The Panzer IV Ausf F2 "Special" is a late version of a tank that took over from its older brother. It has a long barrelled 75mm high velocity main gun, and good armour protection, able to match Allied medium tanks of the late war period. This model has no "Schurtzen" side skirts as these would have been impractical in desert conditions.
I've customised both with a variety of stowage and items on the back of the turrets. Why so many jerry cans? Well, they weren't used exclusively for fuel - in desert conditions it's easy to run out of precious water.
In terms of paint scheme I'm going to try my own desert scheme or combining a Tallarn Sand undercoat with an off-white drybrush. Combined with inking I hope by the time they're finished, Rommell would be proud to have them.
