Attached Link: http://www.vanishingpoint.biz/freestuff.asp?StartNo=322

Now also available from Content Paradise:

http://www.contentparadise.com/us/user/product_19381

looks really good - thanks!

Very nice German uniforms serie. A few remarks - If he's a Totenkoft officer then his rank is Hauptsturmfrer (Waffen SS) and not Hauptman (Wehrmacht). I don't exactly know what a Major is but I rather think the equivalent to Hauptman is Captain, Major behing the above ranking. As a Tank officers I find he's looking a bit old. Tank officers where young especially in the SS (25/30 is a good age for a Hauptman). Or raise his rank, I sure he will agree ;) Another note is that he's lacking all the decorations German where wearing even in combat. As a Hauptman he should already have the 2nd and 1st iron cross, as well as the Tank assault insigna. Please consider my remarks as constructive ones, I really appreciate this serie.

Yarp,

I agree that the ranks and medals and things are not totally accurate.

I did not make the model, that was done very well by RanMan38 (I can't make clothes, just tanks, lol), I just made the renders and wrote the write-up.

The rank on the shoulder of the model is not entirely accurate, and the closest I could find that matched was a Hauptman according to the rank book I have got.

If I get the energy after my work is finished I was planning on making a more historically accurate texture set, but the mind is willing and the flesh is tired.

The medals will hopefully, if everything works out as planned, be available as extra add-ons, and a whole lot of extras will be available soon, such as more caps, belts, pouches, mess-kits, holsters, etc.

Yes, he is a bit old, lol, I was trying to get the thousand yard stare, battle weary look of an unshaven tired and experienced commander, as opposed to a fresh faced typical Mike look. went a bit too far I think.

More to come in the next few weeks.

Helgard

I did not make the model, that was done very well by RanMan38 (I can't make clothes, just tanks, lol)

Sorry didn't knew. The PZ IV in the background is impressive too. I'm eager to see the rest.

Be careful - the display of third reich insignia is illegal in some european countries - and the fines are high.

MungoPark, I read the laws on the display of Nazi symbols, and of things pertaining to the German military in the Second World War. The Nazi symbols are allowed to be used if they are used in historical context, such as in a museum, a documentary, a historical model or in reference work, such as say a website dealing with uniforms from the period. The symbols are legal in all countries, including Germany, if they are in historical context.

If I used the symbol on say for instance a biker jacket, or a modern car, or on an Orc or a Space Marine, then those symbols would be illegal.

In this case the symbols are used on what are hoped to be accurate uniforms from the period. They are in no way promoting Nazism, Fascism, racism or any other ideology, and the intended use is for historical pictures and animations.

If the user used these uniforms and/or symbols in a non-historical context, or to promote these ideologies, the user would be the one creating illegal pictures, not the maker of the uniform.

I hope this clears up this issue.

Helgard

I know this Helgard and you are right - but its not legal when uniforms are used out of historical context, and that is what some people do. Just a warning, nothing else.

Love the uniform.  Congrats to RanMan38. 

PS  I love the tank also.

The guy was a young man, in his mid-twenties, when the war began, but then, due to an unfortunate mess-up with the wife of an admiral of the Kriegsmarine -who spent a long time out in the sea-- he was sent to the Eastern Front. Helgard worked after a picture taken in the Ukraine in 1943. Three years of fighting against Stalin's troops made the unfortunate Werner Von Stuck look like that. Also, as an added punishment, he was never issued a new uniform, that's how his grade insignia became faded.

I hope this little piece of info restores the historical truth of the tragic events pictured here.

Bravo Helgard for the accurate representation of this long forgotten lost soldier!

The tank BTW is fantastic!

--Panos

Lol @ Panos.

I didn't want to say anything about the incident with the wife of the admiral, you know, all that stuff about respect for the fallen soldiers, etc, but now that Panos mentions it, yes, a woman can age you very rapidly. Or did you mean that the eastern front is what caused him to look so old?

A combination of both, Helgard, plus the lousy food provided by this renegade Dutch cook attached to Werner's unit --you know the story...

:)

Panos

The black field uniforms in this style were worn by Army tank crews, before there was ever a Waffen-SS, and I would have been quite happy if this clothing set had been for such a soldier. It is, I reckon, just asking for trouble to make this figure represent a soldier from an SS division when there's no need.

Quote - It is, I reckon, just asking for trouble to make this figure represent a soldier from an SS division when there's no need.

Antonia, I can understand your concern, however may I remind you that we are all artists here, not politicians. We are just telling stories in a pictorial sort of a way. And to tell a visual story involving good guys and bad guys you need to be able to show them both. No one is trying to promote Nazi ideals, or any other kind of ideas, here. Storytelling tools are offered, that's all.

Please let us not start a political discussion over this... :)

Panos

quote :

a woman can age you very rapidly. Or did you mean that the eastern front is what caused him to look so old?

The Russians used women as front soldiers (unlike the other countries involved) : double trouble !

Helgard, everybody writes how fantastic that PZ IV is, but  :

a) where do I find the whole model (not your wreck). I know one here but who knows, even DAZ has a PZ IV (tank 128).

b) does that model have the H-type sideskirts or did you make those for your wreck ?

I will be adding a camo texture, and what the heck, I'll throw in an Iron cross and tank assault badge as add ons very soon. Thanks for the positive feedback. I did not go super accurate on the shoulder rank, as, in my mind, and in my renders, he would be in the background as a scene detail, and not out in the forefront. I envisioned our war weary veteran in his hatch barking orders, etc. Since he would be 10+ feet in the air on top of his tank, I did not feel ultra accuracy was something I needed to do. However, I will try and rectify this as it seems several would want it to be as accurate as possible. So, keep an eye out. I will keep you all informed. 

I hope to have my Panther available also in the near future as a semi-functional Poser prop.

The Panzer IV will be released soon. In the next few days. Just finishing off the fourth texture set for it.

Yes, it has the H-type skirts, and they are removable as well.

A new model ? Splendid. All I have to do now is to find a way around Paypal at Vanishing Point.

Quote - All I have to do now is to find a way around Paypal at Vanishing Point.

All Vanishing Point products are also available at Content Paradise --that's a good way around Paypal.

Panos

I've been doing a bit of digging into the uniform details, and this model is a bit of a mix-up. The hat has the SS insignia, while the Cuff-title is for an SS division (most Army panzer divisions didn't use them). The rest of the uniform is Army, with the coloured piping and badges--there's a long Cavalry tradition in Europe, not just German, of using the skull and crossed bones as a badge. The shoulder-boards are the post-1955 type. It's not to hard to change these details, though I think only the visor of the cap should be black, with the rest of the black area being dark green.

I know about CP, but I don't get the VP discount there ...

P.s., you can download this and use it as the shoulder board texture if you wish.

New shoulder boards and collar tabs represent a SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer  (Captain)

If it's an old model I'm hoping for enough accuracy to distinguish it as an D, A or G version. A "3-in-1" model with enough parts to make either of these versions would be even better.

Though I know from real-world modeling making an "accurate" German tank is hell :

• there were 7 basic models (not counting the "borrowed" foreign ones).

• each model had a number of versions along the years, with hybrids inbetween.

• each of those versions had an early, mid - and late sub-version, with hybrids inbetween.

Not to mention prototypes, variations according to the theatre of war, field modifications, ...

Maybe you have to replace "each" with "most" but you get the picture ...

Click my name and check out my gallery for a G model.

Great! Now I have a Tiger for my Commander! :thumbupboth:
Can't wait for some add-ons....:woot:
Thank you!!!

Attached Link: http://market.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2647050

Quote - As for the hat, this modified texture (I took the cockade/oak-leaves from a photo) should be pretty close.

Those textures are looking good. When you've packaged them up for everyone to download, let us know and we'll be happy to list them on the Free Stuff section at Vanishing Point.
 
And be careful not to use any possibly-copyrighted items "from a photo" that you don't have express permission to use. ;)
 
--John

"this model is a bit of a mix-up"

Theres no such thing as 100% historical accuracy. In field modifactions where/are commonplace for all soldiers. How many sqauddies today buy their own boots because the kit issue is kack ?.  Vehicles even more than uniforms often get the comfort zone treatment.    

If you consider a typical scenario of that period - your're retreating from the Red Army  would your prime concern be saving your a**e or worrying if your uniform had the right insigina ?

Nazi swatikas are only illegal in Germany if used to promote right-wing material. Kit modellers have been able to purchase and use aftermarket decals for years. Look in Finescale Modeller and you'll see german and former soviet bloc companys selling them. So theres no legal issues here.

Theres a big hoo-hah here in the UK about a bank built in the 1920/30's  which has swasitikas on the floor. When this built the symbol meant good luck. Now some groups want these removed because it might hurt someones feelings.   Just another silly example of how P.C. we've got.  

Yet last year when around 16000 watched  a WW2 german plane complete with swastiki beating up shoreham airfield in a great pyro display. You'd didn't see protesters complaining about the insignia. But I reckon if you censored this, then you'd hear complaints because  you're removing a core part of it's historical context.  

BTW - Farnbrough airshow is on again this year :)

From Wikipedia:

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

The swastika (from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक svastika) is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles in either left-facing (d) or right-facing (e) direction. The swastika is a holy symbol in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. In the West, it is most widely known and used as a symbol of Nazism. It is traditionally oriented so that a main line is horizontal, though it is occasionally rotated at forty-five degrees. The Hindu version is often decorated with a dot in each quadrant.

The British author Rudyard Kipling, who was strongly influenced by Indian culture, had a swastika as his personal moniker on the dust jackets of all his books until the rise of Nazism made this inappropriate. One of Kipling's Just So Stories, "The Crab That Played With The Sea", had an elaborate full-page illustration by Kipling including a stone bearing what was called "a magic mark" (a swastika); some later editions of the stories blotted out the mark, but not its captioned reference, making the readers wonder what the "mark" was.

During World War I, the swastika was used as the emblem of the British National War Savings Committee.[17]

The swastika was also used as a symbol by the Boy Scouts in the United Kingdom, and worldwide. According to "Johnny" Walker,[18] the earliest Scouting use was on the first Thanks Badge introduced in 1911. Robert Baden-Powell's 1922 Medal of Merit design adds a swastika to the Scout fleur-de-lis as good luck to the person receiving the medal. Like Kipling, he would have come across this symbol in India. During 1934 many Scouters requested a change of design because of the use of the swastika by the Nazis. A new British Medal of Merit was issued in 1935.

And the funniest one:

In Dublin, Ireland, a laundry company known as the Swastika Laundry existed for many years in Ballsbridge on the south side of the city. The company's fleet of electric delivery vans were red, and featured a black swastika on a white background. The business started in the early 20th century and continued up until recent times. The Laundry's tall chimneystack was emblazoned with a large white Swastika, which was clearly visible from the surrounding streets. One story tells how the physicist Erwin Schrodinger,in political exile in Ireland after fleeing the Nazi regime, was almost killed by one of these vans when crossing the street, and briefly believed an attempt had been made on his life by the Third Reich. The name and logo eventually disappeared when the laundry was absorbed into the Spring Grove company.

After checking it all out, I will repost it at vanishing point and link to it from here, and will upload to content paradise as well.

Yeeehaw! :tt1:

Terrific, this one really looks like a real one.

No its not legal - you go to jail for three years max: 86a. (1) Mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu drei Jahren oder mit Geldstrafe wird bestraft, wer 1. im Inland Kennzeichen einer der in 86 Abs. 1 Nr. 1, 2 und 4 bezeichneten Parteien und Vereinigungen verbreitet oder fentlich, in einer Versammlung oder in von ihm verbreiteten Schriften ( 11 Abs. 3) verwendet oder 2. Gegenstde, die derartige Kennzeichen darstellen oder enthalten, zur Verbreitung oder Verwendung im Inland oder Ausland in der in Nummer 1 bezeichneten Art und Weise herstellt, vorrig ht, einfrt oder ausfrt. (2) Kennzeichen im Sinne des Absatzes 1 sind namentlich Fahnen, Abzeichen, Uniformstke, Parolen und Gruormen. Den in Satz 1 genannten Kennzeichen stehen solche gleich, die ihnen zum Verwechseln nlich sind. (3) 86 Abs. 3 und 4 gilt entsprechend. one excception: 3) Absatz 1 gilt nicht, wenn das Propagandamittel oder die Handlung der staatsbgerlichen Aufklung, der Abwehr verfassungswidriger Bestrebungen, der Kunst oder der Wissenschaft, der Forschung oder der Lehre, der Berichterstattung er Vorgge des Zeitgeschehens oder der Geschichte oder nlichen Zwecken dient. Neverthe less the thing is in a twilight zone - remember that all games etc. have to remove the insignia.

Whats that in english ?

hmm
ok outside of Germany you can show the items in question. it is legal in the UK, US etc. this is why games like Wolfenstien are ok everywhere but Germany. the German Gov can request that a site take items down or ban the site from national ISPs (see German Gov vs Ebay)

the German Gov has No Power to imprison anyone outside their borders on this matter. they ca complain and as stated block said website.

Its the text from the geman law forbidding the disply andproduction of nazi insignia

rough translation of the german posted

"1) with imprisonment up to three years or with fine one punishes, who 1st in the inland characteristics of one in § 86 Abs. 1 NR. 1, 2 and 4 designated parties and combinations spreads or publicly, in a meeting or in writings spread by it (§ 11 Abs. 3) used or 2nd articles, which represent or contain such characteristics, to the spreading or use in the inland or foreign country in the way designated in number 1 manufactures, keeps available, introduces or implements.

1. characteristics in the sense of the paragraph 1 are in particular flags, badges, pieces of uniform, slogans and greeting forms. Such stand for the characteristics specified in sentence 1 directly, which are similar to them for confounding. (3) § 86 Abs. applies for 3 and 4 accordingly.

one excception:

1. paragraph 1 does not apply, if the propaganda means or the action of the civic clearing-up, the defense of unconstitutional efforts, serves the art or the science, the research or the teachings, the reporting over procedures of the zeitgeschehens or history or similar purposes. "

thank you Babelfish.

Quote - Its the text from the geman law forbidding the disply andproduction of nazi insignia

note. GERMAN law. it is permissable in the rest of the world.
this site is bound by the laws of Tennesee and the United States.. so...

Point 3 is important here (for germans):

1. Absatz 1 gilt nicht, wenn das Propagandamittel oder die Handlung der staatsbürgerlichen Aufklärung, der Abwehr verfassungswidriger Bestrebungen, der Kunst oder der Wissenschaft, der Forschung oder der Lehre, der Berichterstattung über Vorgänge des Zeitgeschehens oder der Geschichte oder ähnlichen Zwecken dient.

It roughly means that this law doesn' works insofar the sign in question is used in art, science, research or teaching and showing history....
So even in Germany the usage is quite generously allowed!

"serves the art or the science, the research or the teachings, the reporting over procedures of the zeitgeschehens or history or similar purposes"

Exactly what I said originally. If the signs are used in historical context, for research, museum, military re-enactments, films, etc, it is totally legal. These signs on these uniforms are used to present a historical uniform, not to promote nazism in any way. If you read the whole law, not just three paragraphs, you will see that the use is legal even in Germany. Or do you want to tell me that German museums, or German books about the second world war, or German documentaries, do not have pictures of Swastikas in them.

I really love the way that people who have no interest in military history suddenly become legal experts at the drop of a hat, about a subject that that couldn't have cared less about a day ago. I have been working with, and researching military history for years, I have worked with military museums and researchers on books, and when I say I have researched the law I mean that, not just googling three paragraphs.

There are model kit companies who make accurate historical models and they are German companies. They can legally make historical models featuring all the original German insignia's. There are modellers magazines printed in Germany that feature explanations of how to paint the German insignias. These are legal, because model kits are considered historical representations. 3D models fall into exactly the same category.

I am so sick of this. I am leaving this thread because I have no time for trolls.

hope you don't mean me in that mate.
I do know a lot about military history.. I grew up on it thanks to my dad. everything from Napoleonic through to now..
please don't leave due to 1 person. your Panzerkampwagon IV is one I'm rather fond of (got that as a Tamiya kit when I was a kid)
so. we have the tank and the tank commander. anychance of the other Panzers? (1-3) and the Tiger / King Tiger?... and please.. a JU-88!!

(Ps if you want to see some of my dad's work as a military artist, go here - http://www.firefighter-supplies.co.uk/ - look for the name A.Miller. (also most of the Fireman and Military Bronzes are his work as well)