From AlanD: Romanian Transformations (Cybertron) (58 points)

Last week, I requested a ride down a Warp Maelstrom with Barks, who obligingly dropped me off between Vogsphere and Cybertron. Imagine reading that sentence out of context!

My next destination is Cybertron, and it's all about transformation. One of the biggest problems the Romanian army faced in WWII was the lack of adequate anti-tank weaponry or armoured vehicles that were capable of facing Soviet tanks. The Germans demonstrated that they could not be relied on to support their allies, and the Romanians lacked an adequate industrial base to produce their own tanks or self-propelled guns. One of the ways the Romanians attempted to fill this gap was the TACAM R-2. A true Frankenstein's monster of a vehicle, the TACAM R-2 was based on the chassis of the Romanian R-2 tank (similar to the Pz 35(t)), with an armoured superstructure made from plating stripped from captured Soviet T-26 and BT-7 tanks. The gun was a 76.2mm ZiS-3, also captured from the Soviets.

So, what we have is a transformed Romanian tank, using recycled bits of Soviet equipment to produce something akin to a German Marder. However, there is another sense in which it fits the theme of transformation. Although the TACAM R-2 was developed in response to Soviet armour, it was never used against the Red Army. Instead, by the time it was ready for action, Romania had changed sides, turning on its erstwhile German and Hungarian allies in August 1944. As a result, the TACAM R-2 was first used against counter attacks to the Romanian defection from the Axis.

This model TACAM R-2 is from Great Escape Games, with a resin superstructure and metal running gear. It's basically a nice model, although I was a bit irritated by the crew figures that came with it. Neither of them fit easily in the fighting compartment, so I have tried to come up with some plausible explanation for their poses, having one kneeling on the rear deck fiddling with a tarpaulin (made from the foil from a wine bottle). The other crew member inside the compartment appears to be passing out a shell that is clearly too large for the ZiS-3, so make up your own narrative to explain that!

I think this is worth 20 points for the TACAM, and 7.5 points for 1.5 figures. I'm claiming 30 bonus points for Cybertron after being transported there from the outer rim, so 57.5 points total.

What a hybrid vehicle! I do like these Frankenstein creations as armies run out of equipment and have to come up with cheap cannibalised fixes. A great find on Cybertron. Good work on the dodgy crew poses. Your whitewash is fantastic and you must take us through the process. The Spreadsheet of Doom doesn't seem to like 0.5 points and it has given you 58 points here.

Barks