Rapid Fire! 20mm Sdkfz 263 for several theaters

This is a German vehicle I still didn´t have. The Sdkfz 263 is one of those ugly beauties WW2 produced in relatively small numbers (240) and used in all fronts in the Nachrichten detachments and also in Army and Korps headquarters. 

The models are PSC and as usual with this marvellous brand many parts were left on the sprues from other variants provided in the box. 

Well, a few years ago I converted one from the Airfix Sdkfz 234 but looking at it now makes me feel ashamed. This was the atempt: 

Ok, don't laugh, it was made two years ago when I was just 50 years old. 

This one is Generalmajor Erwin Rommel's Sdkfz 263 when commanding the 7th Panzer Division in the French campaign of May/June 1940. Rommel is a PSC figure provided in the Pz38t and variants box. It started as an artillerist and I just added the bottom part of the overcoat and a pair of binoculars. Rommel used many different overcoats during the war and the overcoat is not his most distinctive piece of clothing during the French campaign as it was hot during most of the campaign. This was the closest I got to a figure that could look like Rommel in 1940 and 1/72nd scale: 

Here Rommel with Hoth at the village of Éplessier in the Somme using one of his overcoats. 

The model is a beauty of simplicity and builds very quickly.

The two others went to the DAK, one to each of the Panzer divisons. As usual with this Korps plenty of stuff was used as extras: the pith helmets came from the Atlantic DAK, stowage was made of two component paste and the jerrycans are my own making from soft styrene sheet.

The Nazi flag was a constant in this type of vehicles but the truth is that its presence offends some people who sometimes call my attention to the fact. As they are absolutely right I placed them wrapped  around a pole as they were occasionaly seen. 

The crew for these two came from Esci and Revell (left model) and PSC (right model).

Here Rommel looks at the future and sees itself as Generalleutnant of the DAK...

Next: Maybe modern Russians, Ozereika Romanians or something else but beach will get in the middle and sand and glue dont mix very well.