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Author Topic: Scrap Heap Challenge - KampfGruppe Mullhalde  (Read 907 times)

Offline dadlamassu

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1535
    • http://www.morvalearth.co.uk
Scrap Heap Challenge - KampfGruppe Mullhalde
« on: April 17, 2018, 08:36:52 PM »
Not sure if this is WW2 or Weird War?

Kampfgruppe Müllhalde – October 1944

Kapitan Gert Mehnding answered the field telephone, it was the Battalion Commander,“ Come to my office,“ was all he said.  Leaving the comparative comfort of his command post in the Village of Nirgends he walked swiftly to HQ.

He was ushered into the CO’s office, saluted and stood to attention.  The CO looked up and smiled thinly, “Orders for you,” he said fingering the brown envelope on his desk.  “You are promoted to Major and you are to proceed to the depot tomorrow morning.  You will take command of the replacements there and form a mobile battlegroup.  Unfortunately you will need to find your own vehicles and heavy weapons.  You have authority to take any vehicles and weapons you can get running from the repair and replacement park.  The General wants the battlegroup fighting fit in 3 weeks.  Good luck and I think you will need it.”

“A fine gift for my birthday,” the newly promoted Major thought as he put his new rank badges on his grubby uniform.

 The “battlegroup” was on parade as he arrived.  About 450 men and a few women drawn from army hospitals, training units, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine as well as some Hitler Youth stood in the drizzle.  At the side of a ruined warehouse stood a group of black clad SD.  Hardly a fighting force to strike fear in the Allies!  Kampfgruppe Müllhalde indeed.

He set the men and women to work finding workable equipment and renovating the workshops in the warehouse and factory.

 This project arose from a couple of boxes of broken and damaged models and toys that were found in a school where 30 years ago I helped run a wargames club.  The Deputy Head was one of te wargamers and he remembered me when he saw me pick up my grandchidren.



From the wreckage two SdKfz 234/6 (6 rad) Armoured Personnel Carriers made from two badly broken Airfix Armoured Cars


One SdKfz 234/7 with 8cm mortar made from an Airfix Armoured car with scratch built mortar


One Airfix SdKfz 222


Two Panther Chassis acquired Matchbox Puma turrets to become AufklarungsPanthers


Two heavily damaged Airfix Stug III had their guns fixed and a new mantlet fitted on one,  Both had missing track lengths so card schurtzen (bazooka plates) fitted to become a StuG III and a StuH III


In the box was a few bits of a PaK-40.  Not quite enough to make a gun but I have plenty of them.  There was also the hull of a Matchbox Firefly lacking some suspension units but there were a couple of Airfix ones so I mocked up a self propelled gun.  Ans also tried the gun on an RSO.  Not sure yet which I'll use.



The leftover Pak-40 bits combined with a Revell 10.5cm leFH18 to become (nearly) a leFH 18/40.  It needs a bit of work yet and a muzzle brake.


More to come.
'He could have lived a risk-free, moneyed life, but he preferred to whittle away his fortune on warfare.'
-- Xenophon, The Anabasis

Offline zippyfusenet

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 420
Re: Scrap Heap Challenge - KampfGruppe Mullhalde
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2018, 10:08:57 PM »
An interesting premise, and some creative kit-bashing. I'm entertained.

I do this kind of thing myself, salvaging junk models and figures. It's a mild obsession; I can't just throw something out and start over, which would be far more time-and-cost efficient, I must repair it. Fun is where you find it, I guess.

Show me more.

"Isidore, you sure are a crap artist." - Philip K. Dick Confessions of a Crap Artist
You'll shoot your eye out, kid!

Offline has.been

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 8227
Re: Scrap Heap Challenge - KampfGruppe Mullhalde
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2018, 06:23:30 AM »
Amen to that Zippy.
I haunt dicast toy fairs for cheap broken di-casts & create from there.
I find fun in going through my boxes of 'interesting' bits & make up a 'kit'
e.g if I have two similar di-casts a quick trawl through the boxes results in the following:
found 7 of 'interesting' bit shape 'A' so each dicast can have 3 (put the surplas back in the box &
any interesting shapes that I find two of means each dicast get one.
When I have gathered enough for a 'kit' I start playing around with how it will go together,