Monday, 30 November 2020

Rapid Fire! The beginning of the Panzerwaffe in 20mm - The NbFz A (or V if you prefer)



The Neubaufahrzeug A, with Rheinmetall turret, was a mild steel "Propaganda" tank that obviously could not have a real fight by WW2 standards. It spend a good part of its life at the German training ground of Putlos but, as always with these German less known weapons, a big number of speculations  (truths?) are easily available. In one of them, one of the two NbFz A made may have been sent to Norway to replace one destroyed by a British operated 25mm Hotchkiss AT gun (or were they Boys AT rifles?...I´m getting confused...). Another story places the mild steel versions in Berlin in 1945 when all available sticks and stones were used to its defence while other accounts say they were scrapped in 1942. Well, you have stories for all tastes like it happens with the three other more active brothers with Krupp turrets.  



 The fact is that this tank is one of the most elegant and powerfully looking (even if not) AFV's of WW2. The model is a MiniGeneral 3d print and ,as you can see, the printing lines are barely recognizable, showing that this technology and in particular this brand is getting better and better. The camouflage is one that the Germans used before the war with a lighter tone of the Panzer Grey (Vallejo Basalt grey here), a medium green and the more usual brown. 

The figure is the tanker from Fujimi with a GreenStuff large bonnet. The opening in the turret is the large round one but it could be open in two halves as there are photos of both of them being used in this NbFz. 

Next: more 21st PD in Normandy. 

2 comments:

  1. The thought of that trundling around the ruins of Berlin taking on IS2s is mind boggling. But has to be done!

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    1. True. But I think it's speculation. Also read that the Nbfz was used in late war for panzerfaust target practice so many ends are possible. But the IS2 idea is tempting :)

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