Latest in my builds of 1/72 What if? models by ModelCollect, the E-100 Ausf. K “Wotan”. To be clear, whereas there are What if? Paper Panzer kits that were built to prototype stage, others reached final design, some were variations on a theme that were never built, these are basically fantasy models based on the Fist of War theme of German WW2 afvs that would have been created in some alternate universe where WW2 not only went on for years longer, but also involved all concerned taking leaps forward in technology that lead to massive and basically crazy designs. Be that as it may, it leads to some interesting and very fun models. The E-100 (walker) series of tanks is ModelCollects notion of what tanks would have been like in 1947 Germany if they’d abandoned tracks and turned to mechanised hydraulic legs. There are maybe five or six different versions of these E-100, each with a hull and legs that are identical, (see photo 6-8) which then mounts one of a variety of turrets. the Wotan has twin 128mm guns in an open turret, with a ball anti-aircraft turret to the rear. Note, they also use the same ball mount on the underside at the front to give an ainti-infantry weapon, while at the back underneath is a smaller turret with a machine gun to cover the rear. Nicely thought out, given the height the turret would have been at, and without such defenses these would have been wide open to close-in attack. Anyway, the hull is pretty easy to put together, underneath there is a ramp that can be lowered with a stairway that’d give acces to the vehicle, and ModelCollect thoughtfully provide a part to cover this inside the hull and to allow some detail as to what it would be like inside. As you can see, on display, you can’t see much, but it’s better than just a hollow hull. The legs are all the same, and while I’m sure they were designed to be movable to a point, once fixed in a pose they are set. Side armour covers the leg structure, a couple of hydraulic pistons on both are a nice touch. As you can see from the photos, the Wotan is in the same winter white-over camouflage as both the P300 and P1000 I’ve posted pieces about before, and in the last photos you’ll see the progressing second E-100, this time with a standard tank turret. I know these are all pretty scarce now, the Wotan in particular is very rare, but for anyone who has one of these in their stash, I recommend them. Be prepared for a bit of filling, , especially on the joints when making the legs/lower leg armour, but even then, a really interesting and fun build. Note, the comparison tank is a standard T-34/85, again in 1/72.
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Those look amazing.
Great work on those steel beasts
Cheers, it does feel counter-intuitive to paint a model like those fully, these in grey but previous ones in sand yellow, green and brown, only to then cover it to the greater degree with white, but it’s the only way to get the right effect. These certainly are interesting subjects, and a nice break from the usual kits of more traditional tanks, etc. That said, I’m also making a Haunebu I saucer in the same scale, so who knows, I might begin the Squadron Models Haunebu II next.