Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Panzer Walkers (DUST)

Here are a few more walkers for Dust Tactics.
They continue with my Afrika Korps theme.
I tend to collect more of the lighter panzer walkers since I figure Africa is a less important front and doesn't receive the best equipment. My force is based around a siege of Tobruk, pioneers and armored infantry for the siege work and recon to keep the desert free of enemies to the rear. But a few heavier walkers have made it to the sands of North Africa.
Including a venerable old MEDIUM PANZER WALKER ''LUDWIG'', nicknamed "Old Bones" that is a common sight around German lines. (I rarely play a game without a Ludwig in my list)

"Old Bones", one of the first panzer walkers built.

The 88's of the walker tend to be used against fortifications rather that enemy armor.

Sand and the elements have been the biggest danger to the walker, so far.
Recently received by the Afrika Korps are some of the new laser weapons, both in infantry form and walker mounted versions. High command wanted to see how the weapons work in hostile environment of the desert. The Light Panzer Walker "Hermann" mounts a large laser weapon but has proven less than useful is the siege warfare around Tobruk, its limited range and danger of overheating have relegated it to second line service. (In game terms the Hermann is my least favorite version of the light panzer walker)

The Laser Weaponry of the Herman make it a danger to enemy tanks and walkers.

But allied walkers are in short supply in the desert.
 As they have been doing since the first days of the war in North Africa, the maintenance section of the Afrika Korp have been keeping vehicles running however they can. This often leads to cobbled together vehicles and armor. One of the earliest walker modifications was the "Heinrich Mk II" they place the 20mm AA guns from the "Heinrich" on the lighter chassis of the "Hans". The anti-aircraft walkers were thought to not need the added armor, since they were not intended for the front line. So all anti-air walkers in the army are now based on the "Hans" chassis freeing up the better armored walkers to be armed with better weapons.

Heinrich Mk II with quad 20mm cannons.

Additional targeting equipment was added to the "Hans" hull.
 The DUST miniatures are still some of my favorite 28mm stuff on the market, and the price is definitely right. Stay tuned for more DUST in the future.

2 comments:

  1. Walkers
    Walkers can make it easier for people to move and is compact, portable and easy to use. Light weight, comfortable and mostly oven baked finished.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Walkers are a ridiculous premise but they look damn good! Nice work on these sir. I have bought a "light" for an Ostfront 1947 idea...

    ReplyDelete