Hi there!
Take cover! I am unleashing my Meng War toon tanks right now! 
Inventory:
- Swiss Hetzer at Toblerone line - Panzer 38 + Retrokit conversion
- Panther F in Berlin - Panther + Retrokit Schmalturm conversion
Enjoy!
- dutik
1 Like
A Swiss Hetzer in the making. Dunno if you know, but Swiss aqquired from Czech post-war some hundred Hetzters built to their specifications. The Hetzters served as antitank artillery for the light infantry units. Lets start with the basics: The kits.
Lower left the M2 HMG, upper right the conversion set.
And here is the base at the lower right. Not to forget a number of other toon tanks waiting to get built up.
The conversion work is easy: You have to cut off a little bit from the lower hull of the styrene kit, guided by the instructions. Then fit the upper (resin) hull, add a bow- and a rear plate, some putty to close a few seams and we are mostly done. Well, the most troublesome aspect is to cut off the resin parts from the pur plugs. Location is not the best, along the edge of the parts, but on the other hand also could have been worser.
I have added a stowage box (from a tabletop bathroom set, it’s a cabinet 
), a scratchbuilt tool box and exhaust and another optic on top (a former tank headlight) as well as some german tank tools (1/35 scale) at the rear fender from the spare parts box.
Photo:
That’s it so far. Enjoy!
- dutik
5 Likes
Conversion kits for Toon tanks! Now I have seen everything…
Very interesting dutik. I actually went and had a look at what is on offer from this company:
https://retrokitonline.net/product-category/afvs-related-hardware/retrotracks-egg-tanks
The fact that they make a “Correction Kit” to fix a fault on a Toon Tank (the Meng Char B1 bis) made me laugh.
1 Like
More parts - making spare track holders filled with some leftover Model Kasten tracks. MK says 98 links per side. 104 links per side are in the MK box, so I’ve got enough to make both a scale Hetzer as well as a toon one 
Aaaand finished construction:
Looks like a Swiss G13 now, minus mantlet and gun. Time to bring on the primer and to start painting 
Enjoy!
- dutik
8 Likes
Really liking this creation/conversion!
There is an ill kitten! A big one! A Panther in need of surgery
This will become Mengs Toon Panther converted into an mark F, or Schmalturm. 2 (two!) of them took part in the final fighting in Berlin. They had been made at Berlin Marienfelde at the Daimler-Benz factory there. Some more were in the making when war was over. There are photos of this very, very rare cats in the “Panzers in Berlin” book! Well, they featured Panther G turrets, not Schmalturm, but hey: Why not making a full grown Toon Panther F?
Retrokits Schmalturm turret is noticiably smaller than Mengs turret. It’s a Schmalturm (narrow turret), indeed So there is some surgery required at Mengs kit to remove the molded on turret ring. Also cut off the hatches to make my own mark F hatches, which were a little bit different, sliding instead of being hinged. Of course made some unwanted scratches that had to be filled with putty. Also left off some spare track links and filled the mounting holes. Dryfit of the new turret:
Enjoy!
- dutik
3 Likes
Completed the Panther F
Shown her under a coat of primer:
Made new hatches as appropriate for the F variant. Removed the drivers visor (more filling of scratches then) and relocated the hull periscopes. They got broken off again and again during handling, so I finally fixed them in place with superglue. I also added some details to the very plain jack (hidden between the exhausts.
All in all an easy and enjoyable build (except for the breaking off periscopes).
Regards
- dutik
2 Likes
Interesting that the Panther Idler looks like a Sherman road wheel. 
1 Like
Listen up folks, We need a Toon Campaign and we need it now!
4 Likes
Start a thread an see how you go!!!
What to do with the leftover Panther turret?
Building it:
Painting it:
Didn’t like the dark yellow. Repainted it with buff and wheatered it:
Congratulation, I’ve got a Panther turret strongpoint! 
Time to add some groundwork to finish this small project 
Enjoy!
- dutik
7 Likes
Building up a base using some balsowood, covered with AK Terrains dark earth medium and some pebbles:
Coming soon in this theatre: Painting ground and planting flowers - the renowned Broadway Megashow!
Regards
- dutik
6 Likes
Hmmm…wondering if that “Hetzer” could be modified into a Sci-Fi model in 28, or 25 mm scale? There are some 28 mm Colonial Marines, or Near Future Troopers that could support it. 
1 Like
It is a bit on the small side. Compared to Warhammer 40k vehicles the Hetzer is just half the size of a Rhino.
Regards
- dutik
Panther turret bunker:
AK Interactive/ Model Scene laser cut flowers are a pain in the ass to make, but at least the whole thing turned out as colorful as I envisaged it!
Enjoy!
- dutik
12 Likes
Work on the Hetzer resumed:
We need a comic cow. We build our own one from Master Box’ “Domestic animal” set. The cows are too large for our toon models, which is welcome. I’ve chopped off a good part of the model to make the cow shorter and cartoonlike.
BTW, if you know “Apocalypse now” movie - the cow chopped up in the finishing szenes is a real one, still alive. At least before.
Regards
-dutik
5 Likes
2 Likes