Hi folks. I’m in the middle of Tamiya’s Sdkfz 223, you know, the one with the totally wrong interior. I’ve been looking at photos and a Hilary Doyle video filmed at NACC of a vehicle that has basically been gutted, so not the greatest help. I have no intention of building the whole interior, but want the view from the turret down to be approximately right, even though I’ll probably put a figure in the turret (yeah, I know it’s not a turret really). Here’s the question. I happen to have in my stash the Bronco SdKfz 221 with PzB.41 (the 2.8Cm squeeze bore weapon). To fit this weapon, according to Milsom and Chamberlain in “German Armoured Cars of World War 2”, the machine gun had to be removed. Since the PzB.41 seems to have been mounted on a pivot on the armour over the driving position, the turret front was cut away and presumably could no longer rotate. So was the whole machine gun pedestal removed also, there would be little point in keeping it, as it was that fitting that rotated the turret and it would get in the way of serving the gun? If so, since the pedestal is supplied complete in the Bronco kit, along with the whole unmodified turret of the standard 221, I can use it in the Tamiya kit, without spoiling the Bronco one. Can anyone advise? The Bronco instructions seem to suggest it is still needed but I’m not convinced, I suspect this is a hangover from the standard 221 kit.
Nuts & Bolts vol 47 says that on the Panzerbüchse 41 conversions “according to equipment list, the Drehsockel and the M.G. 34 were maintained as armament”
The Drehsockel für leichtes M.G. being a rotatable mount for light machine guns […] consisting of the pedestal base, the rotary column, the guide head with sliding-out tube and the protective cover[…]
There are a few photos but I can not see any detail regarding your question.
Thanks. You seem to be the only one to answer so far, from which I assume no one has any clear photos of the modified 221. My own research confirms you are right that the MG34 was retained, but it can’t be mounted in the Drehsockel, if still fitted, as the PzB.41 is in the way. In any case, I think I will just use the Bronco pieces in the Tamiya A/C as I have no immediate plans to put the 221 together.
I think your point makes sense, I have no idea how both the Drehsockel and the PzB.41 could be together without interfering
I went ahead and plundered the Bronco kit for its interior. I suspect that Bronco didn’t know what half the fitments were for anyway, so I’m beginning to wonder how accurate their interior is. The photos show the state of play before the hull halves were put together and the exterior parts added yesterday. The rough area in the middle of the floor is where I had to relieve the hull floor to allow the Bronco Drehsockel to fit (I still had to file the base to fit in properly). The layout of the interior is based partly on the Hilary Doyle video, partly on photos from the internet, partly on the Bronco 221 layout and partly common sense. Despite this, I discovered that the commanders seat fouls some internal items so that the turret won’t rotate, which made it impossible to add it to the completed hull without snipping off the locating tabs, not a big deal. The numerous hangers on the hull inside are, of course, for “Gurtsacken” for MG ammunition, but Bronco presumably didn’t know this, so didn’t provide any. Those in the photo were left over from the RFM Stug III. The large box was scratched from plastic card and the seats were leftovers from a Dragon Sdkfz 251. I didn’t bother with the front drivers compartment, as with the hull assembled, it isn’t possible to see any of it anyway. This will allow me to detail the 221 if I choose to make it and perhaps leave a front door open while putting a tarp or WHY over the turret to hide the missing bits. Re the Tamiya interior, which is plain wrong, I wonder if it was actually based on an Sdkfz 261 which had a crew of four and more radio equipment but no armament.
Here it is “buttoned up”. You can’t really see much of the interior now it’s together unless you pick it up and squint inside…The MG was sourced from the spares box, replacing the pitiful kit version. I think it’s AFV Club. BTW, what is the object in the photos to the right of the turret? It looks like some sort of filter leading into the vehicle. Maybe it is spurious on my version? Strangely, Hilary Doyle in his video says a radio mast is fitted in this location.
Now much, much later, I’m calling this complete, if only to prove that I do get things finished in the end. To be fair, it has been sitting in the garage for a couple of months with the three colour scheme I had decided on, waiting for a dust coat and dirtying up, now done. I’m still not sure it shouldn’t have a “sternantenna” rather than the frame, but the frame does mark it out as a radio car and I liked the look of it. “Hohenstaufen” had two of these vehicles in September 1944 along with several Sdkfz 222s, when according to the KStn 1109 they shouldn’t have had any of either type. Interestingly, there was also recorded an Sdkfz 247 present, a very rare early war command vehicle. This would seem to imply that some of their equipment came from training units or other such sources. Paints all Humbrol of course and I was able to fudge the existing Tamiya number plates to suit (see the Sdkfz 232 article).
