I am proposing a campaign to commence Jan 1, 2012 after the current crop of 2011 campaigns expire (about 10 or so at last check). This campaign would concentrate on armored fighting vehicles (cars, tanks, etc) that were designed and in production between November of 1918 and the entry of that country into World War II. I found a good starting point here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_interwar_armoured_fighting_vehicles

That being said, it is not a definitive list. I would urge participants to do some research on the vehicle in question if they are uncertain of a vehicle's status. I was over at one of my hobby shops today and found a ton of interwar vehicles from some pretty obscure eastern European manufacturers.

The rules are pretty simple:
1. Kits must be unstarted prior to the beginning of the campaign.
2. No builds from other campaigns, please. This is a (hopefully) unique period so build something new. After all, you can now add an interwar tank to your Christmas list. It's never too early, just ask the retailers!
3. A photo must be uploaded at the start of the campaign showing the unstarted build.
4. A finished photo of the build must be uploaded to the campaign gallery for your campaign ribbon to be awarded.
5. Diorama/vignettes are encouraged, but in no way required.
6. Scratchbuilding (even one little bitty part) is also encouraged.
7. Proposed dates: 01 Jan 2012 until 31 Dec 2012. Twelve months should be long enough.
8. Scale: 1/72 to 1/16. This can be adjusted as needed, but if I see somebody with a 1/144 T1 Cunningham, I will personally have them committed to the nearest asylum.

Ok, enough with the rules. I think this would be a great campaign idea. We were bouncing it around on some proposal threads, and John (Nito74) promised he wouldn't steal it. Sign up for his Balkans campaign; I know I am going to!

I set the time period for a full year, as we have a "Great War 11-11-11" campaign that Jeremy (VonHengest) is running, and he agrees that this would dovetail nicely with that.

I will be designing the ribbon and probably a nifty little banner as well.

Thanks for looking and let's get those interwar engines rumbling! Well, maybe not rumbling, but chugging!

Sign me up of course, I have a few ideas in mind. Some nice British aircraft out there, and it would be a good excuse to get a BT-7 built in Spanish Civil War livery perhaps?

Count me in!!
thanks,
Sean.

12 months starting in January 2012, never build a Pz. I, yeah why not

Jeremy, Sean and Sal,

Good to see some early interest. I did a little research late last night (ok early this morning) and was looking at some of the little known manufacturers (at least to me) and found some really positive reviews of Mirage models (lots of the T-26/T-28 variants), ICM (which I already knew about) and even some decent Zvezda reviews (for all you Soviet armored car enthusiasts). Of course the new Vulcan Models Mk.VIB coming out would also be a nice addition as well. Tamiya does a really nice BT-7, and of course Dragon has every Pz I and Pz II variant out there. Even the PzKpfw 38(t) is out there from Dragon.

I imagine there will be some questions on the FT-17, so I'll try to head those off. Technically, the FT-17 was designed and built prior to the end of World War I (by Renault in France), but the Soviets used the FT-17 as the basis for the MS-1 (T-18) and the Su-18 76mm SP artillery, so I would accept the build as an MS-1, but not an FT-17. Same would go for any other vehicle that might blur lines as a "between the wars" AFV.

I think lots of folks are unsure of what is even out there for plastic kits. I know I was surprised when I started digging around!

A quick search (again, on Scalehobbyist.com's cool search) shows that Tamiya's M3 is still available for a cheap $12. That dates to 1940. I wonder if I could backdate it further to an M2A3 or M2A4 light tank. Just looking at ideas. Plenty of time before the new year.
...Oh yeah, an M2A3 "Mae West" with twin turrets just screams "I'm not ready for another World War!" and shouldn't be beyond me to modify. Little weathering too, for a pretty parade vehicle with lots of flags.
-Sean.

Annual Army Day Parade, Washington DC, 1938, M2A3:

Hi Matt,

Given it starts next year, I'm in. I've got an old Maquette BT-2 that desperately wants to be backdated to the original Christie M1931 prototype!

Tom

Tom,

Glad to have you onboard! I found myself looking over some TKS Tankettes and other obscure mid war armor kits during my lunch hour today. I'm really liking the Zvezda T-28 I found. Also found some others, including a Hotchkiss 35. What I like about this idea is that it's not the everyday "Sherman this, Tiger that" but something that would really be a change of pace for most of us.

Yep -there's some really great inter-war stuff to model, and most of it would take a little surgery! Should be a fun campaign.

Tom

Hello All,
If a British Armoured Car Pattern 1920 MK1 is allowed, I am in.
Waiting for an OK.
Cheers,
Bruce

Bruce,

I did a little quick research, and your selection was a variant (thicker radiator armor and new wheels) of the modernization during 1920. As such, it is allowed in. Welcome to the group! I didn't know he used a squadron of them during his Turkish campaign.

See, I'm learning stuff already.

I like this idea a lot, so I'm bumping the thread to the top again!
It looks like Mirage and RPM have a selection suitable for this campaign around the US$ 12 to 15 mark, even if they need some cleanup. I haven't built either manufacturer yet.
Of course, Tamiya has a lot of early WWII larger tanks that would work, around the US $30 to 40 mark.
Just my thoughts.
-Sean.

The Mirage/RPM kits need work, but they are buildable. They have an extensive catalog based on the Polish 7TP/Vickers 6 ton family as well as the TKS tankette. I built RPM's Pz. Inz. 126, which is a "what if" created by RPM, but based on the 7TP. It required some work cleaning up the parts (and scratch building others) but it was an enjoyable build:






Mirage has an armored car that would fit the period, the wz.34-II. It needs a fair amount of work, but the results look OK. The camo colors on my build aren't accurate, though:



A great source of ideas, if anyone is interested in scratchbuilding, is George Bradford's AFV plans for 1914-1938:

http://www.amazon.com/1914-1938-Armored-Fighting-Vehicles-Plans/dp/0811705684

Frank

Sounds pretty cool - the more so as I have a Dragon early production Kleine PanzerBefehlsWagen 1B kit calling for me to build...

I'm thinking of an early trials vehicle mounting the first version frame antenna and the celluloid window in the hull MG port, and of course painted in the current Buntfarbenanstrich color scheme. Just in time for the 1936 Kummersdorf maneuvers!

Yeap. There were actually panzers with plastic windows in 1936! It'll be hard to wait until 01-2012 to start this up!

There are lots of German pre-1939 armor kits that could fit for this one: Dragon Pz.II B, Dragon or Tristar PZ. IA versions, Dragon and Italeri Pz. IB versions, Italeri SdKfz 232 6-rad, the MasterBox Pz.IA "modificado" and Kleine PzBefWgn 1A kits, some SdKfz 221 and 223 kits, those cool Bronco SdKfz 13 and 14 AC kits, etc. A rich field indeed for German fans!

If this goes, count me in!

Bob

Matt this is a brilliant idea ... count me in matey will be very cool to build something thats not WW2 or above ..I think something big and slightly nasty might be called for T-35 anyone hehehe or T28 ,,something i have never done before ,,ya this is will very cool

If 1933-36 counts, then so do the recent Neubaufahrzeug kits.

Hello Matt,
Can we build some of the cardboard tanks with the soldiers in them or trucks that had tank painted on them?
Cheers,
Bruce

I'm in with Alanger's T-35. I've been looking for a reason to build this kit. Just finished a A7V and like the big ones. Five turrets is impressive.

Im in. Great idea and nice timing.
I was just thinking of buying a Resin 1:76 Vickers medium tank and making it one in Australian service. We had 4 of them in the late thirties. Resin kit ok?
Cheers,
Tim

I have a few Mirage / RPM kits in the stash, so I'm in with one fo those

Hey!

Bump this up again! I think it's a GREAT idea!

If it'll help... I'll "shout" loud and long: "COME ON, ALL YOU NeuBau-FZ , Pz I and II, SdKfz 221 / 222 / 223 fans, you lovers of T-26 variants, Renault and Hotchkiss types, you fans of the quirky and the odd from before 1939!"

There's a lot to be said for building things which looked really cool and oh-so-military on pre-war parade grounds and neatly arrayed in training lagers... even if they turned out to be somewhat lacking when the going got real!

OK. So I WANT to do this. It will be COOL! So come on in and pledge to play!

Cheers!

Bob

Hey, BigSmitty! We've got more than 10...
you
JeremyH
windysean (that's me)
ltb073
barkingdigger
grayghost666
panzerbob01
WARDUKWNZ
retiredyank
Firefly74
ppawlak1

In addition, frank3k and GaryKato piped in but didn't commit.
You have enough to submit this and get the ball rolling!
-Sean H.

hello
I'm interested, since I must have a tank Hotchkiss in my closet .
cordially stephane

Not sure what happened but BigSmitty hasn't been on since August 21. I'm wondering if someone else should take over.