• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • The Fine Print
    • Disclaimer
    • Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Paul Ooi Modelworks
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Instagram
Paul Ooi Modelworks

Paul Ooi Modelworks

Building a better world, one scale model at a time

  • Index
    • Aircraft
      • WW1 Aircraft
      • Inter-War Aircraft
      • WW2 Allied Aircraft
      • WW2 Axis Aircraft
      • Modern Aircraft
    • Armored Fighting Vehicles
      • WW1 AFVs
      • WW2 AFVs
      • Tractors and Buldozers
      • Cold War AFVs
    • Ships
      • WW1 Ships
      • Inter-War Ships
      • WW2 Allied Ships
      • WW2 Axis Ships
      • Modern Ships
    • NordicCon Show
    • Figures
    • Buildings
    • Sci-Fi
    • Miscellaneous
  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial 1: Making a Wooden Platform Helipad
    • Tutorial 2: Wooden Hard Stand for Aircraft
    • Tutorial 3: Filling Large Plastic Seams
    • Tutorial 4: Diorama, Sicily 1943
    • Tutorial 5: Making a Gun Emplacement with Earthworks
    • Tutorial 6: Basic figure painting (1/35 scale or 54mm)
    • Tutorial 7: Filling Large Mouse Bite Gouges
    • Tutorial 8: Frames for Vacuum Formed Clear Canopies
    • Tutorial 9: Prepared Tank Position Diorama
    • Tutorial 10: Installing Multi-Piece Track System
    • Tutorial 11: Masking and Painting “Bird-Cage” Clear Canopies
    • Tutorial 12 – Aircraft Wing Tip Navigation Lights with Colored Bulbs
    • Tutorial 13 – Installing Wood Laminate Deck for Model Warships
    • Tutorial 14 – Painting a Rusted Muffler and Exhaust Pipe System
Home / Armored Fighting Vehicles / Hedgerow Eyes-and-Ears – Puma Sdkfz 234/2 Armored Car

Hedgerow Eyes-and-Ears – Puma Sdkfz 234/2 Armored Car

Armored Fighting Vehicles, WW2 AFVs

Immediately after the successful Normandy landings by the Allies, their advance into the Cotentin Peninsula grounded to a halt in the hedgerow country, also known as Bocage. The farmlands in the area were surrounded by centuries old stone enclosures overgrown with bushes and trees that hid the roads and obstructed line of sight for the combatants. The terrain favored the defenders who could mount concentrated defensive lines with enfilading fire on the attackers. The Wehrmacht employed many self-propelled guns and anti-tank guns along hedgerows. To serve as forward observers for these ambush units, the Germans employed several units of Puma armored cars.

The eight-wheeled armored car was ideal for running mobile recce to mark the approach of Allied tanks. The Puma would run on quiet low gear along hedgerow lined lanes listening for the engine sounds of the Shermans, and then radioing back the information to waiting German units. The design of the Puma was very advanced for its time, with a reliable chassis and good cross-country performance. The Sdkfz 234/2 variant mounted a turret with a high velocity 50mm gun. This enables the Puma to be a good ambush fighter in its own right against soft-skinned targets. So good was its design that this armored car was copied by the Allies, spawning vehicles like the Soviet BTR series of APC’s and the US Piranhas.

Gallery

 

 

Construction Notes

 

It has been a while since I actually sat down to build a model because of our 900-mile move from the Twin Cities in Minnesota to Loveland in Colorado. I did not have my own project room in the temporary apartment, so it wasn’t until February 2019 that I finally could build a model the way I wanted to. I chose the 1/72 scale Puma by Italeri because of its simple construction, so that I can re-start my spray booth and construction table without worrying about the kit’s complexity. Despite its simplicity, the kit did have very good detail and it did present some interesting color schemes to get my airbrush going.

I chose to build the version used by the 2nd Panzer Division in Normandy in 1944. This unit of Pumas operated among the hedgerows and performed very well until they got decimated in the Falaise Gap. The model had the 3-colored camouflage scheme adopted by the Wehrmacht in 1943 comprising dark yellow, olive green and chocolate brown.

 

Construction of the hull was straight forward, with one-piece leaf-spring suspensions making it easier and less fragile to assemble. Just make sure that all the axle tips are coplanar so that all eight wheels will contact the ground.

 

The turret itself comprises of a one piece hexagonal tub with the 50mm gun and the Saukopf mantel dominating the front. The coaxial MG is a little tricky in its insertion, and beware not to break it where the barrel meets the mantel piece. After the turret, the two side skirting were added to the hull.

 

 

After a few more surface details ( I left off anything that protruded out like the rear mirror, tools, jerry cans), I prepared the hull, turret, and wheels for spray-painting.

 

 

I started with my usual Tamiya NATO Black prime undercoating. This is followed by Model Master ’43 Panzer Dukelgelb. Then, using a fine tipped airbrush setting, I sprayed highly diluted (1:4) ’43 Schokoladen Braun web pattern by freehand airbrush, followed similarly by ’43 Olivgrun.

 

Shortly after, I installed all eight road wheels and the spare tire at the rear of the hull. Road wheels are painted NATO Black with Dunkelgelb hubs.

 

To apply decals, I first undercoated the underlying area with Testor Glosscote Lacquer. This provides a high gloss surface for the decals to adhere to without silvering. Once the decal dries, I seal the paintwork and decals with several coats of satin varnish.

 

All the remaining detail items are painted and applied to the hull.

 

 

The hull and turret assemblies are then painted with an oil paint wash of Lamp Black mixed with Burnt Umber. Mechanical details are given a darker shade of the same wash.

 

 

Weathering is applied, first by drybrushing small quantities of Buff on raised details. This is followed by painting in scuffing and paint chips using Tamiya NATO Black, then highlighted with Prismacolor silver for high wear areas.

 

 

Upper surface fading is done by spraying a very fine dusting of thinned Buff. Then the lower regions (tires, chassis, edges of the skirting) was sprayed with Dark Earth to help blend with the ground later.

 

 

The plywood base measures approximately 3″ x 3″. To provide a core for the raised hedgerow, I glued on a section of 1/2″ square balsa wood.

 


Using light weight spackle plaster, I coat the lane and hedgerow, then imbedded pieces of railroad model talus (coarse) to simulate the hedgerow rock enclosures at the base, then a sprinking of fine talus for the texture of the lane.I use the vehicle itself to create the necessary tire impressions on the wet plaster (protecting the vehicle by lining the plaster with kitchen shrink wrap).

Then the assembly is undercoated first with Tamiya NATO Black, followed by Tamiya Dark Earth, with Buff highlights.

 

 

Grass and summer flowers were applied first, affixed with diluted white glue. Then foliage fiber clusters are glued to the hedgerow mound to create bushes. Lastly, trees were carefully inserted on hedgerow mound itself.

 

 

Once dried, the vehicle is mounted permanently onto the display base, complete with a thick messy tangled hedgerow.

March 1, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Previous Post: « Stuck! – USMC Sherman M4A3 in Iwo Jima
Next Post: Hawker Sea Hawk – Suez Crisis Musketeer »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hey! It is nice to meet you!

Paul Ooi Modelworks welcomes casual visitors browsing, and enjoying the pictures as well as more serious fellow modelers looking for tips and references on the art of making miniatures and relishing in the challenge. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the models.

Please feel free to leave a comment or a question.

  • Email
  • Instagram

NEVER MISS A POST

Member of International List of Scale Model Related Web Sites

International List of Scale Model Related Web Sites

Paul Ooi Modelworks

NEVER MISS A POST

Sign up for notification on new posts.

Footer

  • Email
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright

© 2011–2025 · Paul Ooi Modelworks · All Rights Reserved