RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

The model as it stands today
Regards, Louis

Hi,

This is the start of the Hummel Interior fighting compartment. A good level of study of available references is required and then some planning. Keep in mind there are no complete historical view of the inside of the hummel. The surviving vehicles have partial interiors in bad shape. All references material and kits show anomalies and differences.

Graphic view from the front, the left side show a consistent cartridge bin with 15 rounds, with ammo bins at the back.
What is probably a tool box on the right of the cartridge bin on the above graph is not present on this view below, which are definitely inspired from one another.
Graph view of the right side. There is not a single historical picture confirming the presence of a cartridge bin on the right side. So, this is very suspicious.
The graph below show an empty space at the same location.
This top view picture show an angled panel on the right side.
On this picture, as the gunner is preparing to aim the howitzer, we can see a crewman getting into action to prepare for the fire mission and is handling what seems to be a removable panel.
However, i think it might actually be the left side cartridge bin cover that the crew might be storing on the right side location when the gun is in action, but impossible to confirm. It would make sense that the crew would position the panel there and certainly not throw it overboard or leave it on the floor.
The Dragon kit is showing a box of vague shape and size. Again, such box has not been seen in any of my references and is suspicious.
As for my old Bandai 1/15 kit, the rear compartment is inaccurate, the floor and the ammo bins at the rear are not realistic, the rest of the space is mostly empty.
View of the Saumur Hummel cartridge bin, a good reference.

The Dragon 1/35 provides good measurements and positioning of the cartridge bin that can easily be extrapolated to 1/16 scale. Cartridges on the left bin, the actual ammo are inside the two bins at the back, standing up.
As my Hummel will have a crew in action. I am showing two cartridges being removed and used. The back of the cartridges to show on the bin are made using a cutting compass.
Getting there in 1mm plasticard.
The cartridge bin is installed.
View of the Tamiya instruction on the shape and size of the ammo bins at the rear.
Notice the embossed stiffeners that need to be reproduced.
These are easily scribed using the tip of an old blades that is shaped accordingly and run against a metal ruler. It takes a few minutes.
The ammo bins are completed.

Good Morning, Louis!
A Great Jobs worth of Research has produced an excellent set of Stowage Bins. Beautifully Done!
regards,
Painless

The ammo bins are installed.
Starting the personal weapons of the crew. Four metal MP-40 sub machine guns and one MG-42 from Dioramaparts have been gathered and need to be positioned in their holders inside the vehicle at different locations, with mags removed.
The detail of the MP-40 is not that great but they are in metal. I thought about getting more precise resin MP-40s from Reedees Miniatures but these are really fragile for an RC vehicle.
View of the rear of the vehicle as it stands today. There is a lot more to do.
I kept the vertical plates holding the cartridges removable for now in order to easy painting later.
The MP-40 machine gun on its stand scratchbuilt with brass channel strips.
I also reduced the size of the nuts on the front fenders mud guard, as previously indicated.
This is it for now, more to come on the interior, and the crew in action, later.

Regards, Louis

A truly remarkable bit of modeling excellence. Bravo!

Louis,

That Hummel must be a labor of love! Outstanding in every single way! Blown away once again!

Regards,
Eric.

Hi, thank you very much for your encouragements.

With the following posts, the construction phase of the Hummel is nearly over. I only need to do another walk around and add secondary details, like tie downs, exhausts, some more brackets. And of course, the dreaded travel bars for the howitzer barrel at the front.

On the left side of the howitzer, some references show 2 boxes. Although the larger tool box at the bottom is consistent in all references and 1/35 kits, i have not seen this upper box shown in any pictures.
The pictures i have seen either show the box removed, or showing two smaller tool box with embossed stiffeners on the lid.
View of the restored Munster Hummel, showing the two upper tool box and the larger one below. We have to be careful in using this Hummel as main reference because its restoration as it is a mixture of original items and some others that were recreated sometimes in non authentic material with basic look and feel.
Same as with the other items inside the Hummel, everything needs to be scratch built.
Here is the finished interior. The inclined panel on the back right of the interior is the loose door panel for the ammo cartridge bin on the left, removed and positioned there by the crew when on a fire mission.
References show a variety of personal weapons and stands for the crew. I decided to equip them with 3 MP40 in position seen in references, and a MG42 machine gun. Contrary to the Nashorn which was operating closer to the front line, i have not seen any Hummel with MG42 flexible stands attached to the top sides of the armor for close quarter fighting.
View of the MG42 storage stand at the front seen on the Munster Hummel. Two single brackets, one with a hole for the tip of the barrel, the back with two strips to keep in there. It seems original and confirmed by other sources.
I am not sure what was the purpose of what seems to be a gas or air canister on the right. This same canister is sometimes seen at the front to the right of the howitzer, sometimes not at all. I reproduced what i saw. I thought it look cool.
Continuing on following post

Overview of the model as it stands today.

Modellino (Panzerparts.com) sells some much needed crew and ammos for the Trumpeter 1/16 15cm sFH 18 howitzer, fully reusable here.
View of Hummel crews in action. They were equipped like infantrymen with infantry caps or steel helmets, not panzer troop uniforms. The ammo round handler is on the left, the crewman with the rod used to push the round deeper into the breech is on the right, the cartridge case handler is at the front right. This crew position was seen consistently in all pictures.
Starting to sort out the material that was purchased.
Next step, finalizing the Hummel and starting the crew.

Regards, Louis