1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing)

[Dizzyfugu]

Hmm, this seems to have slipped my notice and a post in the SF forum section - and it fits perfectly here, since it is a whif/fantasy kit, rooted in the Ma.K. universe: the PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus"!


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - Picture composing by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

This one actually was just a prop piece for a larger project, an 1:35 scale combat scene diorama:


1:35 Maschinen Krieger/SF3D - Commando "Dead Snow": Assault on  Torifujiograd, Winter 2884 (Diorama competition submission) - picture composing by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

But, neverthless, it's worth an entry on its own.


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - Detail shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - Detail shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - Detail shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - Detail shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Manufacturer: Metallunion AG
Chassis Nos.: 19100-001 to -599
Crew: 2
Weight: 10.800kg
Length (hull): 3,47m
Width (hull): 1,85m
Height: 2,53m

Engine: Magna MTU-3488c
Radio: FuG 50/c-M
Speed: 30km/hRange: 280kmArmament: PWM.47/Sd. Laser Gun, 6x IR smoke petard
Armor:  Early Police models 15mm Tungsten. Army use models 25mm Tungsten + 12mm Special Heatproof Ceramic Armor. Late models often carried individuals upgrades
and modifications.

The HX-39 "Krampus" was one of the first quadrupedal tank designs conceived for the SDR forces. Designed in 2874, this compact, manned tank was originally intended as a lightly armored riot control and urban combat vehicle for the National-Defense Army Police Battalions.

Speed and armor was of secondary priority - the HX-39 was rather focussed on high mobility in difficult and confined terrain, and consequently a compact overall shape was the result.
Beyond the Police use, the Krampus (lending its name to a fiendish mythological figure) also saw sparse use with the Strahl National Defence Army as a light scout and training vehicle. These vehicles features upgraded armor and a 15mm machine gun instead of the Police version's water cannon. In 5 years of production, about 600 of these vehicles were built.


1:35 Maschinen Krieger/SF3D - Commando "Dead Snow": Assault on  Torifujiograd, Winter 2884 (Diorama competition submission) - Zoom shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

With the start of hostilities on Earth in 2882 and the quick advances in A.I. technology, which lead to unmanned scout vehicles like the Gans tank or the Neuspotter, the Krampus was quickly withdrawn from SDF front service. Yet, the small tank's design still proved useful for training, landing units and special operation groups, where it was kept in service in small numbers.

The Krampus' hull offered, thanks to its simple but sturdy construction and the original design's water tank, room for constant improvement and the development of special purpose versions. Popular field modifications in the 2880ies were upgraded armament. The 15mm machine gun was often replaced by a compact laser, and/or Neu Panzerschreck missiles were added, too. An additional flame thrower in the turret was also a popular choice as a close range weapon and means of defense. With an internal tank, this weapon would allow fourty bursts with a range of up to 60m.


1:35 Maschinen Krieger/SF3D - Commando "Dead Snow": Assault on  Torifujiograd, Winter 2884 (Diorama competition submission) - Zoom shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

In some cases with special ops teams, parts of the original Tungsten steel hull were replaced by or lined with ceramic pieces - which massively improved survivability in the changing battlefield. In some cases even indirect sight systems like the KgZF4 were installed, what got the 'Krampus' up to date with modern contemporary combat suits like the P.K.A Ausf. M 'Melusine'. The famous Skull Combat Team kept four H-39F as support units in this configuration, and a handful of other Krampus tanks still served with similar equipment in late 2886.

Beyond this development potential, its ability to retract its legs for minimum width also made it useable in scenarios where larger and especially wheeled or even tracked vehicles would either get stuck or could not use the terrain to their benefit. It would, neverthless, be rarely encountered in large scale battles.


1:35 Maschinen Krieger/SF3D - Commando "Dead Snow": Assault on  Torifujiograd, Winter 2884 (Diorama competition submission) - Beauty shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Effectively, the small 'Krampus' tank saw service behind the front lines in small numbers for a long time. One was, for example, used at Bomvol & Zionel for artificial intellgence experiments in early 2883, and a battalion of modified HX-39 was employed in the SDR raid on Torifujiograd in December 2884 in a command task, where it fought alongside PKA units in an urban battlefield.



Well, I will admit that this story is totally fake, but based on the vague, semi-official Ma.K material which is available out there. This mecha was inspired by three things: one aspect was my faint interest for the Ma.K universe and its original mecha designs.
Then there was the inspiration through the KV-2X walking tank from MiG Productions, which looks impressive but which I never liked for its (IMHO) poor technical design.
And then there was the fact that I got hold of a box with collectible Melusine combat suits in 1:35 scale. There were so many of them, I seriously considered a diorama - but at 1:35 scale only a few Ma.K mecha designs are actually available as a kit. Hasegawa's Nutcracker tank would have been an option - but it was too big for my taste and the space available. So, traditional scratch-building was the only valid option!

This was also the starting point for a model and diorama for a model kit contest of a German SF modelers' internet forum (much like starshipmodelers.com). At this early project stage I had the idea of an urban PKA mass scene, rushing forward between ruins with the support of a small armored vehicle, soemthing like the Gladiator. Consequently, I wanted a (small) tank for an urban or tight setting, and keep the construction as compact and simple as possible. Four legs were a must, and I wanted to use a single stock kit for the hull. Elements for both requirements were found after long research!


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - making of (2/8) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The hull comes mostly from a 1:35 scale Hotchkiss H-39 tank. By the way, I love French tank designs from the pre-WWII era, because they most of them have a very unique and almost organic look to them, due to their cast steel hulls. The H-39 is no excemption, and this smooth look makes it IMHO quite suitable for the Ma.K universe and Kow yokoyama's design without much modification. I found a H-39 from Trumpeter, a good base for my project.


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - making of (3/8) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The legs come from a walking tank from the Japanese 'Junk Tank Rock' series of models - scratch-built tanks like Kow Yokoyama's design. The TACO-34M 'Beetle' donated its complete four legs, and with little modification some parts from this resin kit's original hull found their way onto my Krampus design.

Assembly rather followed "look and feel" than a true conversion plan. At an early stage I found that the typical "small tank" look of the hull had to go, and that the hull was too long for the original Beetle Tank's leg assembly. Instead of elongating the legs I decided to shorten the hull, making it even more compact. About 1.5cm were taken away from the front, and the glacis plate elongated to form a rather vertical front. This stubby look moved the turret relatively forward, which resulted in a nice and different look. For reference: in real life, the tank's hull would just be about 3.5m in length! A really tiny tank - anyone remember the 'Bonaparte' tank from Masamune Shirow's "Dominion" manga series? This could be a close relative...

During assembly, a lot of spare parts went into the kit, to much to make a list. But among others, many generic parts from a HO scale "Roof Details" Set from Cornerstone Modulars found their way on and into the kit. Most of the newly-built engine bulk was constructed from these parts.


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - Detail shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Melusine figures came already painted in a winter livery. Being the design benchmark for the diorama, the Krampus would receive a similar finish. Overall, the paint scheme looks much like a German Luftwaffe Dark Green from WWII, with light grey and/or white painted on top of it, plus yellow-orange markings.


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - Detail shot by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

To match this look, the Krampus was sprayed all-over in dark olive green (RAL 6003, "Olivgrün"), with some lighter shades sprayed lightly onto the top sides and dark olive drab from below - but this can hardly be discerned at all.
Next, decals were applied (from the scratch box).


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - making of (4/8) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - making of (5/8) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

On top of that and around the decals, light grey was painted with a flat brush, leaving free edges and areas which would be difficult to reach by 1/35 scale hands under field conditions. This was done twice, with Humbrol's 28 and 196 and with different brush sizes. The idea was to create an improvised and weathered look, with the dark green shimmering through. This effect would later be enhanced through a coat of snow and more weathering with black and earth colors. The stripe markings on the hull and legs were painted by hand, too, with a mix of yellow and orange, emulating the Melusine suits' OOB contrast stripes.


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - making of (6/8) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

After a coat of matte varnish, the snow coating followed. As per usual, I used white joint mortar (plaster is too grayish and becomes yellow over time, as it absorbs up humidity!), rinsed through a fine mesh onto the kit which was sprayed with water.
From above, only a thin coat of fresh snow should be seen, but the legs and lower body rather clogged with dirt and snow, as if the Krampus had been walking through deep snow for some time. This was achived through more of the same joint mortar, just mixed up with a bit of water (so it would remain grainy) and real "dirt", scavenged from balcony flower pots
When dry, the stuff sticks well to the kit's surface and can even stand being touched, but some hair spray and more matte varnish sealed everything in place.


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - making of (7/8) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:35 (Inspired by) Maschinen Krieger - PzKl. HX-39 "Krampus" (Kit bashing/scratch-built) - making of (8/8) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

As final step, the legs were assembled onto the hull and hydraulich tubes installed, and final painting details like some metal and rust or the commando cupola's visors were added. Finally, the Krampus was ready for action!

I will admit that this kit is not the most complicated one, compared to a truly scratch-built item. But matching two carefully selected basic kits yielded an IMHO nice and plausible model, and due to the time pressure of the model kit contest where it would take part in, I am pretty satisfied, esp. with more work ahead with the diorama and the tuning of about six Melusine figures...


1:35 Maschinen Krieger/SF3D - Commando "Dead Snow": Assault on  Torifujiograd, Winter 2884 (Diorama competition submission) - all side view (1/5) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



More about the diorama can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dizzyfugu/sets/72157623045230524/with/5499588002/

[Rheged]

"......................................................."      (Lost for words!!)   Gosh!!

[NARSES2]

"......................................................."      (Lost for words!!)   Gosh!!

As am I....so double gosh !!!!  

[Dizzyfugu]

  Thanks a lot! I must admit that I have a long tradition (and routine) in building mecha kits, but this Ma.K. project was the first of its kind. Turned out very well, though.

[Weaver]

That's excellent in every respect - well done! 

[Army of One]

Holy moly......!!! Very impressed....!!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot, again 

[Sticky Fingers]

Looking cold! I mean, cool!