Panzer I Ausf B with BREDA 20mm auto cannon

The origins of the Panzer I lie in the Treaty of Versailles, and the prohibition against German tank development. The original design work was hidden as agricultural tractor development.

The new Panzer I was supplied to Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. The new tank was not particularly effective, armed with twin machine guns and thin armour, it easily fell victim to its rival the T26. A small number were modified by raising the turret roof and fitting a BREDA 20mm auto cannon as the main armament. The mass conversion of these tanks did not take place as the Nationalists had captured sufficient T26 tanks to meet their needs.

So much for history. Now earlier I had built an FT and a Carden Loyd carrier for Operation Sealion games. For the opposition I wanted a light tank but something better than the German light tanks. So I decided that a Panzer I ausf B with auto cannon would be suitable.

Though the armour would not be able to deal with even the two pounder gun typical of British forces at the time, its light weight and availability would make it invaluable to the invading forces. the auto canon would deal with armoured cars and lighter tanks.

So, to the kit. The kit is cast in the metal filled resin typical of Empress with a bag of white metal pieces (most of which are for other Panzer I variants)

One feature of the vehicle that has required some research is the pipe that goes from the glacis to somewhere near the aerial trough (the trough will need to be scratch built. Its function has still to be determined.

The resin used by Empress likes superglue, it likes it a lot. Unfortunately I managed to get the track units in the wrong place (for subsequent builds I would glue the superstructure in first, then the tracks, hindsight is a wonderful thing).

Here is the basic model.

As you can see above, and in these detail shots, the track misalignment has lead to gaps between the body and the superstructure (and between the track units and the body on the right side).

 The gap above should be hidden by the aerial trough.

 The front and left side will require careful filling with greenstuff and milliput.