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This was shot whilst walking in a village about two hours outside of Varanasi the day after my three day workshop. This is the first of two images of this little girl.
The image was captured by a Nikon D-800, camera modified for infrared. Super Enhanced color conversion done by LifePixel with a 80-400 mm Nano coated VR II lens at 400iso using the Nikon electronic file format (.Nef) Shot on Lexar 32 gigabyte 1000 speed UDMA Flash media. file was post processed using capture NX 2.0 software, Nik Color Efex 4.0 and Silver Efex Pro 2.0.
Pictured: Justin & Delicious Pizza!
Shot with late 1960s Keystone Instamatic 125x Camera / Magicube Flash Cube
Modified 126 Cartridge
Kodak 35mm Portra 160vc loaded into 126 Kodak Cartridge
Film Expired 12/2008
Image © 2009 Michael L. Raso
About the film stock:
Kodak Expired Film Promotion.In the summer of 2009 Kodak created a Flickr group called KODAK EXPIRED FILM and offered 400 people around the world the chance to receive 10 rolls of expired Kodak film. I was fortunate enough to be part of this group.
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A black and white version of this photo, modified for the current DPS assignment, which is monochrome (go figure!).
The ST-70 series II i owned after modification with JJ capacitors, Russian paper in oil's, new diode's and Alan Bradley resistors.
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Spain, Eurofighter IPA4, marked C.16-20 / 11-91, seen arriving back to Getafe (LEGT) after a mission testing air to ground launch of dumb bombs. We can see a belly fuel tank that looks modified to carry photo equipment to record weapons launch and separation proccess.
Volkswagen Beetle (Modified) 1300 (1966-70) Engine 1285cc HO4 OHV
Registration Number ETJ 788 J
VOLKSWAGEN SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623738785355...
VW Beetle modified in the style of a US hot rod, or speedster
Shot at Weston Park Car Show 25:04:2011 Ref 70-428
Please do not forget to visit the Flag Counter on my Profile page to record a visit from your country.
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+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
Armored wheeled vehicles were developed early in Germany, since they were not subject to the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. The Sd.Kfz. 234 (Sonder-Kraftfahrzeug, or Special Purpose Vehicle) belonged to the so-called ARK series vehicles (the type designation of the chassis) and was the successor to the earlier, eight-wheeled Sd.Kfz. 231/232/233 heavy scout car family. The Sd.Kfz. 234 was a considerable step forward and incorporated several innovative features, including a monocoque chassis with eight wheels and an air-cooled Tatra 103 diesel engine that was originally chosen for use in North Africa. The latter gave the vehicle an extraordinary range of more than 600 miles (1.000 km) and a very good performance. The vehicle had eight-wheel steering and drive and was able to quickly change direction thanks to a second, rear-facing driver's seat, what made quick retreats and unexpected position changes easier.
Chassis were built by Büssing-NAG in Leipzig-Wahren, while armoured bodies were provided by Deutsche Edelstahlwerke of Krefeld and turrets by Daimler Benz in Berlin-Marienfelde and Schichau of Elbing, with engines from Ringhoffer-Tatra-Werke AG of Nesseldorf. The first and possibly best known version to reach frontline service was the Sd.Kfz. 234/2 ‘Puma’. It had a horseshoe-shaped turret armed with a 5cm L/60 gun, which had originally been developed for the VK 16.02 Leopard light tank which never made into production. Even though it was a dedicated reconnaissance vehicle, the armament made it possible to defend the vehicle effectively and even take on light armored vehicles. The Sd.Kfz. 234/2 was produced from late 1943 to mid-1944 and replaced in production by the second version, the Sd.Kfz. 234/1, which was less complex and easier to build. It had a simpler open turret and was armed only with a light 2 cm KwK 38 gun (in the so-called Hängelafette 38). It was manufactured from mid-1944 to early 1945 and became the standard reconnaissance vehicle in this period.
Other versions were derived from the Sd.Kfz. 234, too. The Sd.Kfz. 234/3, produced simultaneously with the 234/1, served as a support for the lightly armed reconnaissance vehicles with more firepower. It had an open-topped superstructure, too, but carried a short-barreled 7.5cm K51 L/24 gun. This gun was intended primarily for use against soft targets, but when using a hollow charge shell, the penetration power exceeded that of the 5cm L/60 gun. This variant was produced until late 1944, before switching production to the 234/4. This version replaced the L/24 gun with the 7.5cm L/46 PaK 40 and was primarily another attempt to increase the mobility of this anti-tank gun and not a reconnaissance vehicle. It was not very successful, though: the heavy weapon stretched the light 234 chassis to its limits and only a very limited ammunition load of just twelve rounds could be carried on board due to lack of storage space. This variant was manufactured from the end of 1944 on only in limited numbers.
In mid-1945 another reconnaissance variant appeared, the Sd.Kfz. 234/5. It was a kind of hybrid between the earlier 234/1 and 234/2 variants, combining the light armament with a fully closed turret that offered the crew better protection from enemy fire and climatic conditions. The origins of the Sd.Kfz. 234/5 remain a little unclear – in fact, this variant started as a field conversion of a handful of Sd.Kfz. 234/2s in Hungary in mid-1944, which were retrofitted in field workshops with turrets from damaged Panzer-Spähwagen (neue Art) II ‘Luchs’ (also known as ‘Panzer II Ausf. L’, ‘Sd.Kfz. 123 mit 2-cm-KwK 38’ and VK 13.03 during the vehicle’s development phase). This simple combination of existing components turned out to be so effective and popular among the crews that it was quickly ordered into production.
Both chassis and turret remained unchanged, with a maximum armor of 30 mm (1.18 in), but the small turret with its light weapon (which had been adapted from a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun with a higher rate of fire than earlier guns of this type) reduced the overall weight to a little under 11 tons. This, and a slightly more powerful variant of the Tatra 103 V12 diesel engine, raised the vehicle’s top speed by 10 km/h (6 mph). In service the Sd.Kfz. 234/5 was generally known as ‘Puma II’ and the frontline units frequently modified their vehicles.
Among these field updates were commander cupolas, transplanted from damaged Panzer III and IV and sometimes outfitted with a mount for a light Fla-MG (anti-aircraft machine gun), as well as more effective exhaust mufflers for a reduced noise signature. Additional thin, spaced armor plates were sometimes bolted to the hull and/or to the turret front to better protect the vehicle from armor-piercing weapons, esp. against rounds from Russian 14.5 mm tank rifles. Makeshift wire mesh shields against hollow charges, similar to heavier Thoma shields on battle tanks, were occasionally added, too, as well as smoke dischargers, mounted to the turret sides or to the vehicle’s front. Night vision devices (Infrarot-Nachtsichtgerät F.G. 1250 or F.G. 1252) were fitted when available, and some late-production Sd.Kfz. 234/5s had a 140 cm (55 in) Telemeter KDO 44 stereoscopic rangefinder/telescope integrated into the turret, protruding from it on both sides. Vehicles that were almost exclusively operated on roads frequently had the wheels of the 2nd axle removed in order to reduce overall weight, rolling resistance and save precious rubber/tires.
Since production could not meet the operational units’ demand the Sd.Kfz. 234/5s were issued very selectively to Panzerspähwagen companies of the Panzer Aufklärung battalions. They were operated alongside other Sd.Kfz. 234 versions and Panzer II, III and 38(t) Spähpanzer versions to provide artillery, AA and AT support. The Puma IIs were mostly given to veteran crews and equipped primarily Panzerdivision units operating in Russia, even though a few were sent to the Western front, too.
Exact production numbers remain uncertain because the original production of 81 new vehicles by Büssing-NAG was complemented by an uncertain number of field conversions that allowed older/damaged Sd.Kfz. 234/1 and 2s to be repaired and/or updated with the light ‘Luchs’ turret. The total number of operational Sd.Kfz. 234/5s remained less than 100, though.
Specifications:
Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/2nd driver)
Weight: 10,600 kg (25,330 lb)
Length: 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in)
Width: 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.32 meters (7 ft 7¼ in)
2.53 meters (8 ft 3½ in) when outfitted with a commander cupola
Suspension: Wheeled (Tires: 270–20, bulletproof), with leaf springs
Track width: 1.95 m (6 ft 4 1/2 in)
Wading depth: 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Trench crossing capability: 2m (6 ft 6 1/2 in)
Ground clearance: 350 mm (13 3/4 in)
Climbing capability: 30°
Fuel capacity: 360 l
Fuel consumption: 40 l/100 km on roads, 60 l/100 km off-road
Armor:
9 — 30 mm (0.35-1.18 in), sometimes augmented with
additional 5 — 10 mm (0.2-0.4 in) armor plates on the front of hull and/or turret
Performance:
Maximum road speed: 90 km/h (56 mph)
Operational range: 1,000 km (625 mi) on-road
600 km (373 mi) off-road
Power/weight: 20,75 PS/t
Engine:
Air-cooled 14,825 cc (905³ in) Tatra 103 V12 diesel engine,
with 157 kW (220 hp) output at 2.200 RPM
Transmission:
Büssing-NAG "GS" with 3 forward and reverse gears, eight-wheel drive
Armament:
1× 20mm KwK 38 L/55 machine cannon with 330 rounds
1× co-axial 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 42 with 2.550 rounds
The kit and its assembly:
A straightforward conversion, and at its core this is not a what-if model because the Sd.Kfz. 234 was actually outfitted with the light ‘Luchs’ turret – even though this was probably only a field-modified, single vehicle that was eventually captured by Allied troops in Czechoslovakia in 1945. It was not an official variant (yet). However, as exotic as this combo seems, there is a complete 1:72 kit of this exotic vehicle from Attack Kits, but it’s pricey, and ModelTrans/Silesian Models from Germany does a resin conversion kit with the ‘Luchs’ turret. The latter set was used for this model and mated it with a Hasegawa Sd.Kfz. 234/2 hull, IMHO the best model of this vehicle, and even as a combo cheaper than the Attack kit.
Building the fictional Sd.Kfz. 234/5 from these ingredients was a very simple affair, everything was basically taken over OOB. For a more sophisticated in-service vehicle, I took over the smoke dischargers from the Hasegawa kit, added a leftover Panzer IV cupola as well as scratched fairings for a stereoscopic rangefinder, and replaced the original twin exhaust mufflers on the rear fenders with a different/bigger piece from an early Panzer IV, placed above the spare tire. This made enough room to add stowage boxes and no less than six jerry cans (all from the Hasegawa kit).
The antennae were made from heated sprue material and the gun barrels are brass pieces, left over from a First To Fight Sd.Kfz. 232, which looked better than the (already fine and good, though) parts from the ModelTrans conversion set. The commander figure came from the Hasegawa kit.
Painting and markings:
A conservative approach, and I stuck to German late-war practice to apply a uniform Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028) livery over a red primer base upon delivery. Individual camouflage in medium green and dark brown was later applied in the field on top of that – a classic ‘Hinterhalt’ scheme.
Initially, the hull’s underside was sprayed with Oxidrot (RAL 3009) from the rattle can, while the upper surfaces received a primer coat with a sandy brown. On top of the sand brown came a thin layer of RAL 7028 (thinned Tamiya XF-60, which is a rather desert-yellowish and pale interpretation of the tone, it should AFAIK have a slight greenish hue) to all directly visible surfaces, wheel hubs and the turret, for a cloudy and uneven basic camouflage. The individual, disruptive ‘tiger stripe’ camouflage was inspired by a late-war Panther battle tank from literature.
The stripes were applied to the Dunkelgelb basis with a small brush and thinned Tamiya XF-58 (Olive Green) and XF-64 (Red Brown), for a makeshift camouflage with scarce paint that still meets official regulations. Following these, the wheel hubs remained in just a single color (making them less obvious when on the move), and the light Dunkelgelb was chosen to lighten the lower vehicle areas up, esp. with the rel. dark interior of the wheelhouses. The interior of the turret and the hatch were painted in a yellowish ivory tone (Revell 314), the tires were painted with Revell 09 (Anthracite) and later dry-brushed with light grey and beige.
A thin black-brown ink wash and some dry-brushing along the many edges with grey and beige were used to weather the model and emphasize details. After decals had been applied (taken from the Hasegawa kit), the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and grey-brown mineral pigments were very lightly dusted onto the model with a soft brush around the wheels and the lower hull to simulate some dust.
Well, this can be considered a semi-whif since such a vehicle actually existed – but there never was a serial production, and I tried to enhance the fictional aspect with some added details like the commander cupola or the rangefinder. It’s a subtle conversion, though. I was initially skeptical about the “tiger stripe” livery, but when it was applied, I was surprised how effective it is! It really blurs the vehicle’s outlines and details – making the turret conversion even less apparent.
A modified Y165 for driver only operation with the Shunters windows as originally envisioned by Clyde when they prepared plans for the Y class.
My modified Brickmania M4A4 Sherman tank.
White stars from Archer Transfers.
Credit to Rumrunner for the headlight design.
Everyone has their own way of modifying their cars. This example shows that within his particular culture, these modifications are likable and desirable. Other cultures and car groups (classic car guys) may not be very accepting of this car.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Waffenträger (Weapon Carrier) VTS3 “Diana” was a prototype for a wheeled tank destroyer. It was developed by Thyssen-Henschel (later Rheinmetall) in Kassel, Germany, in the late Seventies, in response to a German Army requirement for a highly mobile tank destroyer with the firepower of the Leopard 1 main battle tank then in service and about to be replaced with the more capable Leopard 2 MBT, but less complex and costly. The main mission of the Diana was light to medium territorial defense, protection of infantry units and other, lighter, elements of the cavalry as well as tactical reconnaissance. Instead of heavy armor it would rather use its good power-to-weight ratio, excellent range and cross-country ability (despite the wheeled design) for defense and a computerized fire control system to accomplish this mission.
In order to save development cost and time, the vehicle was heavily based on the Spähpanzer Luchs (Lynx), a new German 8x8 amphibious reconnaissance armored fighting vehicle that had just entered Bundeswehr service in 1975. The all-wheel drive Luchs made was well armored against light weapons, had a full NBC protection system and was characterized by its extremely low-noise running. The eight large low-pressure tires had run-flat properties, and, at speeds up to about 50 km/h, all four axles could be steered, giving the relatively large vehicle a surprising agility and very good off-road performance. As a special feature, the vehicle was equipped with a rear-facing driver with his own driving position (normally the radio operator), so that the vehicle could be driven at full speed into both directions – a heritage from German WWII designs, and a tactical advantage when the vehicle had to quickly retreat from tactical position after having been detected. The original Luchs weighed less than 20 tons, was fully amphibious and could surmount water obstacles quickly and independently using propellers at the rear and the fold back trim vane at the front. Its armament was relatively light, though, a 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202 gun in the turret that was effective against both ground and air targets.
The Waffenträger “Diana” used the Luchs’ hull and dynamic components as basis, and Thyssen-Henschel solved the challenge to mount a large and heavy 105 mm L7 gun with its mount on the light chassis through a minimalistic, unmanned mount and an autoloader. Avoiding a traditional manned and heavy, armored turret, a lot of weight and internal volume that had to be protected could be saved, and crew safety was indirectly improved, too. This concept had concurrently been tested in the form of the VTS1 (“Versuchsträger Scheitellafette #1) experimental tank in 1976 for the Kampfpanzer 3 development, which eventually led to the Leopard 2 MBT (which retained a traditional turret, though).
For the “Diana” test vehicle, Thyssen-Henschel developed a new low-profile turret with a very small frontal area. Two crew members, the commander (on the right side) and the gunner (to the left), were seated in/under the gun mount, completely inside of the vehicle’s hull. The turret was a very innovative construction for its time, fully stabilized and mounted the proven 105mm L7 rifled cannon with a smoke discharger. Its autoloader contained 8 rounds in a carousel magazine. 16 more rounds could be carried in the hull, but they had to be manually re-loaded into the magazine, which was only externally accessible. A light, co-axial 7,62mm machine gun against soft targets was available, too, as well as eight defensive smoke grenade mortars.
The automated L7 had a rate of fire of ten rounds per minute and could fire four types of ammunition: a kinetic energy penetrator to destroy armored vehicles; a high explosive anti-tank round to destroy thin-skinned vehicles and provide anti-personnel fragmentation; a high explosive plastic round to destroy bunkers, machine gun and sniper positions, and create openings in walls for infantry to access; and a canister shot for use against dismounted infantry in the open or for smoke charges. The rounds to be fired could be pre-selected, so that the gun was able to automatically fire a certain ammunition sequence, but manual round selection was possible at any time, too.
In order to take the new turret, the Luchs hull had to be modified. Early calculations had revealed that a simple replacement of the Luchs’ turret with the new L7 mount would have unfavorably shifted the vehicle’s center of gravity up- and forward, making it very nose-heavy and hard to handle in rough terrain or at high speed, and the long barrel would have markedly overhung the front end, impairing handling further. It was also clear that the additional weight and the rise of the CoG made amphibious operations impossible - a fate that met the upgraded Luchs recce tanks in the Eighties, too, after several accidents with overturned vehicles during wading and drowned crews. With this insight the decision was made to omit the vehicle’s amphibious capability, save weight and complexity, and to modify the vehicle’s layout considerably to optimize the weight distribution.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Luchs already had two complete driver stations at both ends, a pair of late-production hulls were set aside in 1977 and their internal layout reversed. The engine bay was now in the vehicle’s front, the secured ammunition storage was placed next to it, behind the separate driver compartment, and the combat section with the turret mechanism was located behind it. Since the VTS3s were only prototypes, only minimal adaptations were made. This meant that the driver was now located on the right side of the vehicle, while and the now-rear-facing secondary driver/radio operator station ended up on the left side – much like a RHD vehicle – but this was easily accepted in the light of cost and time savings. As a result, the gun and its long, heavy barrel were now located above the vehicle’s hull, so that the overall weight distribution was almost neutral and overall dimensions remained compact.
Both test vehicles were completed in early 1978 and field trials immediately started. While the overall mobility was on par with the Luchs and the Diana’s high speed and low noise profile was highly appreciated, the armament was and remained a source of constant concern. Shooting in motion from the Diana turned out to be very problematic, and even firing from a standstill was troublesome. The gun mount and the vehicle’s complex suspension were able to "hold" the recoil of the full-fledged 105-mm tank gun, which had always been famous for its rather large muzzle energy. But when fired, even in the longitudinal plane, the vehicle body fell heavily towards the stern, so that the target was frequently lost and aiming had to be resumed – effectively negating the benefit from the autoloader’s high rate of fire and exposing the vehicle to potential target retaliation. Firing to the side was even worse. Several attempts were made to mend this flaw, but neither the addition of a muzzle brake, stronger shock absorbers and even hydro-pneumatic suspension elements did not solve the problem. In addition, the high muzzle flames and the resulting significant shockwave required the infantry to stay away from the vehicle intended to support them. The Bundeswehr also criticized the too small ammunition load, as well as the fact that the autoloader magazine could not be re-filled under armor protection, so that the vehicle had to retreat to safe areas to re-arm and/or to adapt to a new mission profile. This inherent flaw not only put the crew under the hazards of enemy fire, it also negated the vehicle’s NBC protection – a serious issue and likely Cold War scenario. Another weak point was the Diana’s weight: even though the net gain of weight compared with the Luchs was less than 3 tons after the conversion, this became another serious problem that led to the Diana’s demise: during trials the Bundeswehr considered the possibility to airlift the Diana, but its weight (even that of the Luchs, BTW) was too much for the Luftwaffe’s biggest own transport aircraft, the C-160 Transall. Even aircraft from other NATO members, e.g. the common C-130 Hercules, could hardly carry the vehicle. In theory, equipment had to be removed, including the cannon and parts of its mount.
Since the tactical value of the vehicle was doubtful and other light anti-tank weapons in the form of the HOT anti-tank missile had reached operational status, so that very light vehicles and even small infantry groups could now effectively fight against full-fledged enemy battle tanks from a safe distance, the Diana’s development was stopped in 1988. Both VTS3 prototypes were mothballed, stored at the Bundeswehr Munster Training Area camp and are still waiting to be revamped as historic exhibits alongside other prototypes like the Kampfpanzer 70 in the German Tank Museum located there, too.
Specifications:
Crew: 4 (commander, driver, gunner, radio operator/second driver)
Weight: 22.6 t
Length: 7.74 m (25 ft 4 ¼ in)
Width: 2.98 m ( 9 ft 9 in)
Height: XXX
Ground clearance: 440 mm (1 ft 4 in)
Suspension: hydraulic all-wheel drive and steering
Armor:
Unknown, but sufficient to withstand 14.5 mm AP rounds
Performance:
Speed: 90 km/h (56 mph) on roads
Operational range: 720 km (445 mi)
Power/weight: 13,3 hp/ton with petrol, 17,3 hp/ton with diesel
Engine:
1× Daimler Benz OM 403A turbocharged 10-cylinder 4-stroke multi-fuel engine,
delivering 300 hp with petrol, 390 hp with diesel
Armament:
1× 105 mm L7 rifled gun with autoloader (8 rounds ready, plus 16 in reserve)
1× co-axial 7.92 mm M3 machine gun with 2.000 rounds
Two groups of four Wegmann 76 mm smoke mortars
The kit and its assembly:
I have been a big Luchs fan since I witnessed one in action during a public Bundeswehr demo day when I was around 10 years old: a huge, boxy and futuristic vehicle with strange proportions, gigantic wheels, water propellers, a mind-boggling mobility and all of this utterly silent. Today you’d assume that this vehicle had an electric engine – spooky! So I always had a soft spot for it, and now it was time and a neat occasion to build a what-if model around it.
This fictional wheeled tank prototype model was spawned by a leftover Revell 1:72 Luchs kit, which I had bought some time ago primarily for the turret, used in a fictional post-WWII SdKfz. 234 “Puma” conversion. With just the chassis left I wondered what other use or equipment it might take, and, after several weeks with the idea in the back of my mind, I stumbled at Silesian Models over an M1128 resin conversion set for the Trumpeter M1126 “Stryker” 8x8 APC model. From this set as potential donor for a conversion the prototype idea with an unmanned turret was born.
Originally I just planned to mount the new turret onto the OOB hull, but when playing with the parts I found the look with an overhanging gun barrel and the bigger turret placed well forward on the hull goofy and unbalanced. I was about to shelf the idea again, until I recognized that the Luchs’ hull is almost symmetrical – the upper hull half could be easily reversed on the chassis tub (at least on the kit…), and this would allow much better proportions. From this conceptual change the build went straightforward, reversing the upper hull only took some minor PSR. The resin turret was taken mostly OOB, it only needed a scratched adapter to fit into the respective hull opening. I just added a co-axial machine gun fairing, antenna bases (from the Luchs kit, since they could, due to the long gun barrel, not be attached to the hull anymore) and smoke grenade mortars (also taken from the Luchs).
An unnerving challenge became the Luchs kit’s suspension and drive train – it took two days to assemble the vehicle’s underside alone! While this area is very accurate and delicate, the fact that almost EVERY lever and stabilizer is a separate piece on four(!) axles made the assembly a very slow process. Just for reference: the kit comes with three and a half sprues. A full one for the wheels (each consists of three parts, and more than another one for suspension and drivetrain!
Furthermore, the many hull surface details like tools or handles – these are more than a dozen bits and pieces – are separate, very fragile and small (tiny!), too. Cutting all these wee parts out and cleaning them was a tedious affair, too, plus painting them separately.
Otherwise the model went together well, but it’s certainly not good for quick builders and those with big fingers and/or poor sight.
Painting and markings:
The paint scheme was a conservative choice; it is a faithful adaptation of the Bundeswehr’s NATO standard camouflage for the European theatre of operations that was introduced in the Eighties. It was adopted by many armies to confuse potential aggressors from the East, so that observers could not easily identify a vehicle and its nationality. It consists of a green base with red-brown and black blotches, in Germany it was executed with RAL tones, namely 6031 (Bronze Green), 8027 (Leather Brown) and 9021 (Tar Black). The pattern was standardized for each vehicle type and I stuck to the official Luchs pattern, trying to adapt it to the new/bigger turret. I used Revell acrylic paints, since the authentic RAL tones are readily available in this product range (namely the tones 06, 65 and 84). The big tires were painted with Revell 09 (Anthracite).
Next the model was treated with a highly thinned washing with black and red-brown acrylic paint, before decals were applied, taken from the OOB sheet and without unit markings, since the Diana would represent a test vehicle. After sealing them with a thin coat of clear varnish the model was furthermore treated with lightly dry-brushed Revell 45 and 75 to emphasize edges and surface details, and the separately painted hull equipment was mounted. The following step was a cloudy treatment with watercolors (from a typical school paintbox, it’s great stuff for weathering!), simulating dust residue all over the hull. After a final protective coat with matt acrylic varnish I finally added some mineral artist pigments to the lower hull areas and created mud crusts on the wheels through light wet varnish traces into which pigments were “dusted”.
Basically a simple project, but the complex Luchs kit with its zillion of wee bits and pieces took time and cost some nerves. However, the result looks pretty good, and the Stryker turret blends well into the overall package. Not certain how realistic the swap of the Luchs’ internal layout would have been, but I think that the turret moved to the rear makes more sense than the original forward position? After all, the model is supposed to be a prototype, so there’s certainly room for creative freedom. And in classic Bundeswehr colors, the whole thing even looks pretty convincing.
This is a pentax manual lens. If you own one of the pentax DSLRs you know that the crippled KAF2 mount is incapable of reading the aperture setting and there are stupid little retarded methods of manual mode to barely let you use the lenses (so they can advertise that you can, but only *sort of*)
Being an engineering student, I naturally decided to take matters into my own hands. I don't have the money for auto lenses, especially not these nice pentax-m ones such as the 200mm f4 and the 50mm f1.4
Luckily, I few dremels later and I have converted my lenses to auto diaphragm! It really shouldn't be this easy.
And in all seriousness, what do you have to lose? If you mess up, its still just a manual lens.
The recessed pin presents problems. I don't have a machine shop and I cannot load in a spring loaded piston to reach it. This is the weak point of my dremel-tool workshop. A bif of steel wool hot glued in works for now. I wouldn't want to get it wet though.
And if drilling your lenses out makes you cringe, you can always put little pieces of scotch tape on the rim instead of holes. Its just an electrical contact, and the tape worked pretty well. Of course, you'll still have to deal with the nasty pin-3.
This is a modified version of a Public Domain NASA satellite photo of Japan, from the Wikimedia Commons: j.mp/qOMLgh
I've cropped out a LOT of islands, so please don't be insulted or start any international incidents over this.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The term "Schwerer Panzerspähwagen" (= heavy armoured reconnaissance vehicle) covers a broad family of 6- and later 8-wheeled armored cars Germany used before and during the Second World War.
In the German Army, armored cars were originally intended for the traditional cavalry missions of reconnaissance and screening. They scouted ahead and to the flanks of advancing mechanized units to assess enemy location, strength and intention. Their primary role was reconnaissance, but they would engage similar or light units and at times attempt to capture enemy patrols.
The first of the German armored cars, the Sd.Kfz. 231, was developed in secret, since no open research or production for military vehicles was possible at that time, and it was therefore based on modified Daimler-Benz, Büssing or Magirus 6x4 truck chassis’, onto which a welded body with sloped armor was mounted.
Depending on the manufacturer the vehicles differed in details and armament, but the 231 was typically armed with a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon (with 200 rounds) and a co-axial Maschinengewehr 13 machine gun (with 1.300 rounds) in a small turret. The crew consisted of a commander, gunner, driver, and a radio operator. A unique design feature was that the vehicle had a second driver's position in the rear, occupied by the radio operator, so that it could be driven either forwards or backwards with relative ease and change direction within 10 seconds. The vehicle weighed 5,35 t, was only lightly armored (8/14,5 mm) and could attain a top speed of 70 km/h (44 mph) on the road, but its off-road performance was rather limited.
Several variants of the six-wheeled scout car were developed, some with separate designations. One of them was the Sd.Kfz. 232 (6 Rad), which carried a Fu.Ger.11 SE 100 medium range and a Fu.Spr.Ger.A short range radio. This command model was very distinctive because of the heavy "bedspring" antenna over most of the hull. This antenna was supported by two insulated, vertical connecting tubes at the back corners of the hull, and an inverted U-shaped tube construction on the turret sides with a central joint allowed the turret to retain its full 360° traverse.
The 231 vehicle family was introduced into service in 1932 and already began to be replaced in 1937 when the German Army switched production to heavier and more off-road-capable 8-wheeled armored cars (the 232 (8-Rad), which was a different vehicle than the 232 6-Rad, and later to the more sophisticated and capable 234). Despite being replaced in frontline units, the six-wheel vehicles were still used by Aufklärungs ("reconnaissance") units during the Invasion of Poland, the Battle of France, and the invasion of the USSR. Most of them were withdrawn afterwards for use in internal security and training, and a small number was converted into half-track scout cars after the Inspectorate for Motorized Troops (AHA/In 6) had decided in 1939 that it would be useful that light, armored half-tracks would accompany tanks in the attack. They could satisfy requirements for which a larger vehicle wouldn't be needed, such as headquarters, artillery forward observer, radio, and scout vehicles. Demag, the designer of the smallest half-track then in service, the Sd. Kfz. 10, was selected to develop the "light armored troop carrier" (leichter gepanzerter Mannschafts-Transportwagen), which became the Sd.Kfz. 250. In order to bridge the operational gap until the introduction of this new vehicle, the outdated surplus 232 radio scout cars were ordered into an instantaneous conversion program.
To this end, the Sd.Kfz. 10’s running gear with its torsion bar suspension was taken off the rack, shortened by one road wheel station, and then adapted to the 232 (6-Rad)’s rear hull, where the interleaved track gear replaced the original pair of rear axles. The front axle remained unpowered, though. The armor was improved with additional armor plates (now reaching up to 30mm at the front) and the front suspension was beefed up in order to cope with the vehicle’s higher total weight of 6,2 tons and the heavier terrain that it could master now. For the same reasons, the 232 (6-Rad)’s original Büssing water-cooled MA 9 6-cylinder petrol engine with a mere 68 hp (48 kW) was replaced by a Maybach HL42 TRKM 6-cylinder motor with 4.17-litre (254 cu in), delivering 100 hp (74 kW) and much more torque. With this new engine and despite the tracked running gear the vehicle remained surprisingly fast, reaching a top speed of more than 60 km/h (40 mph) on the road. The original armament was retained, even though it was already outdated and ineffective against armored opponents. But the small turret could not carry any bigger weapon and a replacement with a bigger turret was ruled out, since there was no time for a new development that would match the relatively narrow bearing. However, in order to improve the chances of survival, an array of smoke dischargers was installed on the front bumper which held six cartouches.
A total of 120 Sd.Kfz. 232 (6-Rad) were converted in the course of 1939 and 1940 and re-designated 232 (Halbkette). However, their production was immediately stopped when it was clear that the new Sd. Kfz. 250 would be ready for service in 1941. Until then, the modified vehicles were deployed to France, Northern Africa and Russia, primarily used by artillery forward observers to accompany tank and mechanized infantry units.
At the Eastern front they were retired after the battle of Moscow in December 1941, and the last vehicles were used by the Afrikakorps in Northern Africa until late 1942.
Specifications:
Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/rear driver)
Weight: 5,2 tons (11.450 lb)
Length: 5,57 metres (18 ft 3 in)
Width: 1,82 metres (5 ft 11 ½ in)
Height (incl. antenna): 2,87 metres (9 ft 4 ¾ in)
Ground clearance: 28.5 cm (10 in)
Suspension: Torsion bar and leaf springs (front axle)
Fuel capacity: 105 litres (23 imp gal; 28 US gal)
Armor:
8–30 mm (0.31 – 1.18 in)
Performance:
Maximum road speed: 65 km/h (41 mph)
Sustained road speed: 48 km/h (30 mph)
Cross country speed: up to 35 km/h (22 mph)
Operational range: 250 km (155 miles)
Power/weight: 19,23 PS/ton
Engine:
Maybach HL42 TRKM water-cooled straight 6-cylinder petrol engine with 100 hp (74 kW)
Transmission:
Maybach 7 + 3 speed VG 102128 H
Armament:
1× 20 mm KwK 30 L/55 autocannon with 200 rounds
1× MG 13 machine gun mounted co-axially with 1.300 rounds
6× smoke dischargers, mounted to the vehicle’s front
The kit and its assembly:
This little, fictional vehicle was inspired by one of some profile drawings created and published by Logan Hartke at whatifmodelers.com, showing the Sd. Kfz. 232 with different half track arrangements – including the Sd. Kfz. 250's. When I finally got hold of the Italeri Sd. Kfz. 232 kit with the unique antenna (there’s also a more frequent one without this detail), I decided to re-create the 232/251 combo, because the vehicle looked really good and plausible, and there would actually have been a historic gap between 1939 and 1941 when it could have been realized, as outlined in the background.
The Italeri kit was basically built OOB, just the chassis had to be modified – with the help of a resin set with 1:72 Sd. Kfz. 250 tracks and front wheels from German short run manufacturer ModelTrans/Silesian Models. The parts were crisp and quite clean, and the track parts as well as the front wheels were mated to the original suspension with the help of added axis' as spacers between the two tracks. Just the mudguards had to be modified in order to match the more spacious, new running gear - since an extension was not easy I decided to just use their front and back ends and implant a new upper deck between them, adding a styrene profile on the flanks so that the original shape of the wheel arches could be more or less retained. Ended up better than expected!
The small gap between the tracks' and the front wheels' mudguards was closed with a small piece of styrene - similar to the Sd, Kfz. 250's arrangement.
As a vehicle operating in North Africa I added an improvised sun sail to the antenna array, made from paper tissue that was soaked in highly thinned white glue and later painted.
Painting and markings:
Many German vehicles that had been transferred to Northern Africa initially retained their original camouflage, and that was a uniform, very dark grey (RAL 7021, to be specific), sometimes with dark brown mottles added. This was totally unsuited for the environment, so that the crews had to improvise. Some vehicles were painted with Italian colors, even British paints (from salvaged enemy bases and convoys) were used. Alternatively, many crews mixed sand and dirt with water in a bucket and “painted” their grey vehicles over, or the hull was smeared with oil and sand was thrown onto it. It took quite a while until dedicated Africa colors had been developed and used in the factories or even in the field, so that some interesting schemes appeared.
My Sd. Kfz. 232 was to represent one of these all-grey vehicles that had received an improvised desert camouflage “on the go”. In order to create this look, I gave the whole vehicle an initial primer coat in Humbrol 67. Once dry, I added a streaky coat of thinned Revell 16 (Sand) on every upper/external surface, letting the dark grey shine through here and there. The areas for the national markings and tactical codes were spared, so that the decals would later astand out on a dark "halo" of the original color.
On top of the improvised desert camouflage I also added sand and dust through highly thinned paintbox colors (ochre and some burnt umber).
The sun sail was painted in field grey, but it received a dry brushing treatment in order to emphasize the tissue texture as well as the antenna shape below, and it was also "dusted" with paintbox colors.
Finally, everything was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish from the rattle can and teh lower vehicle areas were lightly dusted with mineral pigments.
A quick project, realized in just three days. The running gear conversion itself was quite simple - the biggest issues were the extension of the rear mudguards and the fiddly and highly delicate antenna array. But the result looks quite good - and in the unusual desert camouflage for this type of vehicle it's really a weird sight.
This is a modified version of leethal's Skoodlet pattern. See my Ravelry project page for more information.
I needed some tentacles for the Mucolid, so fitted the claw things downwards and re-used the waist tentacles at the base.
'Scuse the messy photo, I didn't chase down the bigger sheet of paper.
In the mid 1990s Marshall introduced their stylish "Minibus" as it became clear that the low-floor revolution would soon extend to minibuses. It featured the 4-cylinder Cummins B series engine and proved not to be all that reliable, certainly much less so than the Optare Solo and Dennis MPD that followed. Chester City Transport purchased two new and a couple more second hand. They tried various things to improve them, the most radical being the extension in length of 247 (P407KAV) to accomodate a 6-cylinder B series. The elongated rear overhand can be seen in this shot at Chester Station.
The iOptron stock levelers are too short for my location, with not enough range to compensate for angles.
This is my solution. Drill out the blind holes all the way through, then tap with a 10 x 1.5 mm tap.
Installed a padded leveler and alloy knob on stainless theaded rod. The plastic knob tightens down against the pier leg to lock everything in place and eliminate motion.