say landwasserschlepper 3 times fast

Bruce has located an excellent site--in Britain for reference and drooling modeling envy of their finished projects. The Miniature Armoured Fighting Vehicle Association. Excellent modeling, beautiful photography and a great place to go for ideas and references.

This is a definite bookmark site for modelers. The Brits are so good at creating and supporting hobby organizations---(which we of course are trying to do). It may be because eccentrics are really appreciated in Great Britain...ha!
But much thanks to Bruce for finding this excellent site. 

http://www.mafva.net/index.htm

The Germans never really thought out their desired invasion of Great Britain very well and the landwasserschlepper displays their attitude of "I kinda want to invade but i'm not really so sure on how to do it?" 

The landwasserschlepper (I love writing that word) was designed to pull a wheeled, boat like trailer full of troops across the English Channel along with the 20 troops which could be carried internally. Then onto the beaches, after which time, I imagine, they would turn about for another load and repeat the process. A couple of problems arose--first they would have needed thousands of these vehicles which were really complex mechanically and tough to produce at those numbers. Secondly the landwasserschlepper was not armored--because of the, we need it to travel across the ocean like a boat thing going on and neither was the troop trailer it was suppose to tow. Armored things have a tendency to sink in the water.

Unless the British sort of forgot to shoot at them while landing, this was going to be a severe problem and after building 12 landwasserschleppers the entire idea of invading Britain wound up being called off and that Russian vacation we all know of took it's place. There was a thought of using the landwasserschlepper in Russia, due to the large swamps, rivers etc...but that lack of armor thing came back around and that was called off although a second prototype was produced that was armored..but only two of those made it off the assembly line.

The 12 Schleppers that were produced wound up being stationed in Denmark and Norway--great duty for a German guy if you managed to be a crew member of this detachment and nobody really knows what they actually did there except take a bunch of photo's, which still exist (lucky for us modelers) and date the Danish girls. 

All of this background brings me to my current project a 1/35th landwasserschlepper---an excellent kit, very detailed, producing a big model, because in all actuality these things were REALLY big---a tankboat--- so try and imagine a big boat on treads driving down your street. This kit fits my personally bizzare, major requirement of a model being very, very mechanically unusual.

Currently I have completed priming all parts, painting the lower hull, building the suspension and I actually scratch built something which gives the appearance of an engine if I decide to leave one of the many engine access hatches open on the model.

I did purchase two supplemental items to work into the Landwasserschlepper model. First is a Verlinden 1/35th German pioneer raft, supplies and figure kit. This kit has been around for years and considering the amount of material you get with the kit, barrels, ammo cans, tool boxes, jerry cans, paddles and the two figures it is an excellent value for the cost. My plan is to construct a tubular rack on the landwasserschlepper rear deck to hold the below illustrated inflatable raft just to add interest..plus i'll put the barrels and other supply materials to work onto/into the schlepper....

Crewing the Landwasserschlepper was another problem--that is until I found the below illustrated 1/35 Italeri kit designed as a crew for their 1/35 German version of a PT boat called the Schnellboot. These figures are easily adaptable to the  landwasserschlepper, they are modled with standard helmets and coveralls, which could easily represent any German service unit and are molded with life vests--which was the big selling point to me for use on the landwasserschlepper. The kit contains 10 figures...

I am thought experimenting out a display or diorama, of a beach, the schlepper, crew members and maybe a swimmwagen with officers nearby...I am really enjoying this build and taking my time with it, trying to put to use the new construction and painting techniques I've studied. 

We meet up for coffee, model and military history talk the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month in Roswell at the Starbucks near NMMI 1900hrs....if you are interested in military modeling stop by...