SPA Modeler

Posted: **Tue Apr 30, 2024 6:09 pm**

Thanks to some extra time and mojo, I have managed to finish off a few extra vehicles. One of them is a model I've been wanting to do for many decades, and I finally have it in my collection. This is a 1/72 scale Syrian Panzer IVH from the ancient ESCI kit and modified with a scratch built machine gun mount. The 12.7mm machine gun came from Modelcollect:

This next one is a Syrian StuG III from a Dragon kit. It has Arabic writing on the sides, so it is not accurate, but I had those decals soaking. They were originally for the PzIV but I realized they were wrong for that kit so I decided not to waste them and put them on this StuG:

The final one is the UM Models Egyptian Su-100 that had extra resin parts to more accurately make it an Egyptian vehicle:

And there they are. My latest vehicles so far. I have more coming down the pike so stay tuned.

Thanks for looking in comments are welcome.

Posted: **Tue Apr 30, 2024 9:15 pm**

Great bunch of desert armor!

Posted: **Wed May 01, 2024 3:29 am**

Very interesting builds Mark - good stuff.

What's the story with the ex-German tanks being used by the Syrians?

Posted: **Wed May 01, 2024 10:38 am**

Mark those look really cool! Nice trio of Arab Armor

Posted: **Wed May 01, 2024 1:31 pm**

Very cool Mark!

Posted: **Wed May 01, 2024 4:29 pm**

Tom, thank you! I'm so glad to finally finish these.

Thank you Stuart! They are definitely different. The story is that back in the fifties, the Syrian army was depleted of anything armor wise and with upcoming planned action against Israel, they were scrambling to get tanks and vehicles any where they could, even with their distinctive lack of funds to pay for anything. Because of their lack of decent funds, they got a lot of former German equipment from Czechoslovakia, Spain and France. Their total haul was about 30+/- Panzer IV tanks, 20-some StuG III's, a few StuG IV's six jagdpanzer IV assault guns(which during the Gulf War were listed as 'warehouse level assets') and about six Hummel Self Propelled Howitzers. These were mostly destroyed or captured in the 1956 and 1968 wars. All except the Jagdpanzer IVs. That's when the Soviets stepped in and started sending them T-55's and T-62's.

Thank you Carlos! These are some of my "must builds" that I finally got done! Especially that PzIV; I've wanted one of those with that big honkin' Russian machine gun for ages!

Thank you Mike!

Posted: **Thu May 02, 2024 11:28 am**

Duke Maddog wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 4:29 pm
Thank you Stuart! They are definitely different. The story is that back in the fifties, the Syrian army was depleted of anything armor wise and with upcoming planned action against Israel, they were scrambling to get tanks and vehicles any where they could, even with their distinctive lack of funds to pay for anything. Because of their lack of decent funds, they got a lot of former German equipment from Czechoslovakia, Spain and France. Their total haul was about 30+/- Panzer IV tanks, 20-some StuG III's, a few StuG IV's six jagdpanzer IV assault guns(which during the Gulf War were listed as 'warehouse level assets') and about six Hummel Self Propelled Howitzers. These were mostly destroyed or captured in the 1956 and 1968 wars. All except the Jagdpanzer IVs. That's when the Soviets stepped in and started sending them T-55's and T-62's.

Cool little bit of History that, thanks Mark, I didn't know any of it.

Posted: **Thu May 02, 2024 9:18 pm**

Duke Maddog wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 4:29 pm Tom, thank you! I'm so glad to finally finish these.

Thank you Stuart! They are definitely different. The story is that back in the fifties, the Syrian army was depleted of anything armor wise and with upcoming planned action against Israel, they were scrambling to get tanks and vehicles any where they could, even with their distinctive lack of funds to pay for anything. Because of their lack of decent funds, they got a lot of former German equipment from Czechoslovakia, Spain and France. Their total haul was about 30+/- Panzer IV tanks, 20-some StuG III's, a few StuG IV's six jagdpanzer IV assault guns(which during the Gulf War were listed as 'warehouse level assets') and about six Hummel Self Propelled Howitzers. These were mostly destroyed or captured in the 1956 and 1968 wars. All except the Jagdpanzer IVs. That's when the Soviets stepped in and started sending them T-55's and T-62's.

Thank you Carlos! These are some of my "must builds" that I finally got done! Especially that PzIV; I've wanted one of those with that big honkin' Russian machine gun for ages!

Thank you Mike!

Actually the Soviets sent the Syrians and Egyptians T-54/T-55s prior to the 1967 war. They equipped both armies with a fair amount of those tanks and the Israelis captured enough in 1967 to equip several IDF tank battalions afterwards. Prior to the 1973 War, they provided then cutting edge equipment such as the T-62, BMP-1, ZSU-23-4, and SA-6 to the Egyptians and Syrians.

Posted: **Thu May 16, 2024 6:06 pm**

That's great information Carlos! Now to get a few more of those so I can add them to my Egyptian and Syrian armies.... except maybe the ZSU-12-4

Posted: **Thu May 23, 2024 9:08 am**

Well done Mark!

Just interesting add-on info regarding StuG III

The Finnish Army used StuG's rather efficiently against Soviet tanks, destroying in total 87 Soviet tanks in 1943 & 1944, loosing only 8 own StuGs.
StuG III's were in use in Finnish army until 1966, replaced by T-54 and T-55:s

- Kari

SPA Modeler

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