"Help in identifying these 15mm tanks please....." Topic

Can any of you identify the manufacturer of these two tanks….

First is a Panzer 35t?

Next a panzer iii or IV I think….

Thanks for your help
Chris

Maybe old Panzertroops or Custom Cast?

The second one has to be a Pz III. Note that there are six bogies on the ground (the Pz IV has eight), and that the rear of the hull doesn't the vertical side vents of the Pz IV.

The top one is a Panzer II

link

I think, to my eye, because of the flat turret face and bogey configuration first one is a Panzer 38(t).
I second that the 2nd is a Panzer III.

I don't know for sure but I think 79thPA might be on to something with Custom Cast.

Pat

Are Custom cast still in business?

I don't think so. Or at least my googlfu is not up to par today.
I remember seeing Custom Cast minis and the production quality looks equivalent. That's my only estimation.
So an old man's memory is all I'm going on.
Good Luck,

Pat

The first one is a Pz 38(t) and the second a Panzer IIIG. Neither from manufacturers I am familiar with.

The Custom Cast vehicles followed Duke to Heritage. When Heritage folded, the 15mm WWII ranges went to Quality Castings, in Virginia. While there, the owner cleaned up quite a few and added to the range. When he called it quits, 19th Century bought the range. As far as I know, they still are producing them.

I would suspect that there is where you will find those two (and many more) PZ 38T and PzKfw III. BTW, an easier way to tell a III from a IV is that the III has 3 return rollers and the IV, 4. That's how I learned it years ago and at my advanced age, I can still remember it!

v/r
Tom Dye

The 38T looks like Quality Castings (the highly detailed wheels and dimple rather than raised rivets are a good clue) …

Dye4minis' back story sounds convincing

Phil

BTW, an easier way to tell a III from a IV is that the III has 3 return rollers and the IV, 4.

Well, except for when the IV switched to 3 return rollers… :O

Damon. :)

Quick! Tell Walter J. Spielberger! His Panzer IV book only shows the 4 return rollers! (Also read his technical description of the tank chassis- See page 21, first sentence: "The upper length of the track was carried and guided by four 250 x 65-135 return rollers."

Phil: I followed this particular range from Duke's brass masters (from the old original Comet Models) and Stan Glazner's dollies for the infantry thru the 19th Century purchase. Had I known that Quality Castings wanted to sell, I would have made an offer when I had GFI, for the range.

v/r
Tom

The 3 has 6 wheels a side, the 4 has 8.

That is right. That means there is one return roller per pair of road wheels, regardless of the two Marks.

Dye4minis, you don't have to believe me if you don't want to. But here is a photo:

Damon.

Incidentially, nice conversation about the topic on Missing-Lynx: link

Damon.

In case anyone is still interested (or cares), the aformentioned Spielberger book mentions the reduction in return rollers from four to 3 on 2 pgs: pg 69 (in the caption upper right, also shows a Pz IV with 3 return rollers), as well as pg 80: "In the last months of the war, the final version of the Panzer IV underwent a further simplification of the running gear; instead of the previous four return rollers on each side, only three rollers were used."

So the Spielberger book clearly documents this change.

Damon.

Counting the wheels and dividing by II has never failed me.

Thus VIII wheels divided by II is a PzIV.
And VI divided by II is a PzIII.
Simple.