Hello all - Being an aircraft modeler I know nothing about tanks. My housemate has asked me to build a Sherman and a Panzer for her. Her uncle and father were in the 82nd and 101st Airborne. What she wants is a Sherman depicting one used by Patton, and because she says she can’t have one without the other, she wants a Panzer as used by Rommel.
Did these two commanders ever face off to each other?
So, I need help choosing kits for these two subjects. I’ve never built a tank, but I know how to model. Not looking for any extreme detail, but cost is no option either, if it gets me what I need.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Yep, Patton did face Rommel’s Afrika Corp. As for teh tanks involved, I would have to reserach it. The movie Patton is not accurate with their tank representation in that battle as we all know.
Kind of … Patton’s II Corps faced and defeated Rommels forces at El Guettar on Mar 23, 1943. But Rommel had already been replaced as commander of the forces in N.A. and and left the theatre of operations.
If you just wish to build a kit representing these two Generals, I would suggest building an Africa Korps Panzer III or a Panzer IV Ausf.D as they were more prevelent there for the Germans.
To represent Patton … Tamiya’s M4 Sherman Early or even better yet the rare and OOP DML M4A1 would be perfect.
Hey stinger, the Tamiya M4A3 actually comes with decals for a tank of the mighty 4th Armored Division – Patton’s killer armored vets. The model itself is old and has a few problems, but it’s still a good enough kit. Just one thing. Leave the applique armor off. M4A3’s didin’t use it. Other problems are for the armor purists only.
For the Panzer, I’d suggest a Marder! Marders were used to great effect in the Desert – so why not use Tamiya’s great kit (the Marder III – the one with the Russian 76.2mm gun)? It even comes with 15th Panzer Division decals, and instructions on painting the neato sand over grey camo pattern. You can see inside the fighting compartment, which is great in this case, as the stuff inside is cool.
(Don’t use the Marder IIIM --which has the fighting compartment in the back. Use the Marder III, with the compartment in the middle, and the Russian gun. Those are the ones sent in lergest numbers to Rommel’s crew.)
If I were to do a vehicle for Rommel, In lieu of a panzer I would do the Tamiya 1/35th scale SdKfz 250/3 Greif … it should be relatively cheap if you can find it.
This kit is of the actual command halftrack used by Rommel in Africa; it is not a tank but it still has tracks! It even has a few figures, one of which is a Rommel figure himself[:p].
Thanks Peter and Sherm - Keep the ideas coming! I haven’t bought them yet, so I’m still hearing you all. I think, though, that Janet really wants a Panzer, just to match up with the Sherman. I think she’ll be surprised though at the comparison. From what I’ve seen on the History Channel, the Panzers totally outclassed the Shermans. It was just by pure numbers that gave us the advantage, or am I wrong?
Keep it coming friends.
Personally I think the Sherman and the Panzer III / IV were pretty much evenly matched. It’s when the Panther and Tigers got thrown into the fray that things tilted in the German’s favour. At least one on one.