Modelling the Paper Panzers

The allure of the 'Paper Panzer' has long fascinated fans of World War II German armor modeling. The thought that there were literally hundreds of designs that never went beyond the drawing board piques the curiosity of modelers and opens up a whole realm of 'what-if' possibilities, filling the void between historical fact and science fiction - an area that is becoming increasingly popular in kit form. The efforts of the German military to create an endless stream of armour concepts dates back to well before even the Nazi party. In 1933 there existed a very formalized process for the development and adoption of armored vehicles. However, by 1939, as the war began to increase in intensity, the relevant parties within the German armor community veered from both reason and sound tactical doctrines in an effort to incorporate numerous aspects of mechanical and armament technology in a near-obsessive drive to produce ever-superior tank designs.