The Zhodani Commando: SF3D/Maschinen Krieger: Pak. ((PaK stands for Panzerabwehrkanone) Kröte

Blog discription

What will you find here? Ramblings from an aging gamer-miniature painter. When I first started out in this hobby computers were in their infancy and finding other gamers could only be done by going to conventions or as in my case bumping into somebody who happened to see me reading "Panzer Leader" on the school bus. Look how far we have come! The internet has allowed our small community to be able to connect on a level I never dreamed of when I was but a small lad. What I do hope you will find here is something interesting from one wargamer/miniature painter to another. I paint miniatures somewhat decently, so I will be posting some pictures of my work, and perhaps a review or two of games and/or miniatures. Most of all this is just about having fun and anything I post here is meant to be for that reason.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

SF3D/Maschinen Krieger: Pak. ((PaK stands for Panzerabwehrkanone) Kröte

My favorite vehicle in the world of Super Armored Fighting suits, now known as Maschinen Krieger or Ma.K., was the TW-47 Krote. I first saw a 1/20th scale model of this in an actual brick and mortar store that sold models years ago (boys and girls I am talking like 1985!). These kits back then were pretty cool and a lot of armored kit builders snapped these up without knowing anything about the lore (which was being written on the fly). You don't see those kind of hobby stores out there anymore, an era gone by, but not my love for models. The models I have now are 15mm metal miniatures that I purchased from Slave2gaming

I've written a little bit about the Krotes history (from articles I've read) down below:

In 2884, the driver-less assault light scout tank, Krote , was recognised as a regular weapon of the Shutoral forces because of its versatility. The Krote was suited to movement in the wastelands because of its superior drive system which allowed it to travel in most areas on its own two feet. It had a strong armoured defence of tungsten and special ceramics as well as an unequalled internal structure. Moreover, it was armed with a Vulcan MG515, which was the most efficient weapon the Shutoral forces had at the time, and a scouting computer and other electronics good enough to meet the demands of the front as both a light assault unit or as a reconnaissance drone. Furthermore, they were fairly cheap to mass-produce and their maintainability was good, which endeared them to the units they were stationed with.

Later It was decided that the Krote could accept a bigger weapon than the standard 1.5 cm Vulcan, and this would allow the Krote to accept more of a active role in front line duty. The 75 mm Pak43/2 was chosen to be mounted on the Krote as it was a very reliable weapon with a small signature. It was mounted with a 15 round autoloading magazine along with strengthening of the leg and fuseluge section of the drone. However, tests soon showed that the recoil of the Pak43/2 gun was greater than anticapted and this would have an effect of the durability of the Krote . However, because the Krote was going to be phased out with the introduction of the Neuspotter, additional bracing was not added and the drone entered service anyway.

Below Krotes on deep patrol walk by a destroyed IMA Dollhouse