while musing on the various secret weapons of WWII, i had the idea to build a fictional kraut battlesuit, but unlike the sleek and streamlined jin-roh, i wanted it to look unwieldy and frankenstein-ish, sort of like someone stripped down a tank and bolted parts of it to a leather jumpsuit.
About this creation
Knowing the burgeoning fondness that their Japanese allies had for robotics, the Third Reich copied some research and techniques and began experimenting in armored infantry. the result was, to the despair of the allies, the PanzerMann.
Most land based models were armed with an underslung MG-34 machine gun welded to the right arm. later models were equipped with flammenwerfers or shoulder mounted panzerfausts as well as the MG.
the soldier's face was encased in a special mask equipped with vampyr night vision goggles and a special double chambered air filter that was intimidating as well as functional.
The panzermann looked like a cross between a tiger tank and a panzerjager, and the suits were painted accordingly. the helmet was stamped with the number of an armored division the suits were coated with anti-magnetic paste and the shoulder boards were painted with the german cross, panzer style. this imagery created the illusion of an unholy hybrid of man and machinery.
as well as featuring a short wave radio, the suit was powered by a relatively compact diesel engine that rested snugly on the soldier's back.It was from there that motorized metal struts-attached to the wearer's arms and legs- would accelerate the soldier's movements. the engine was the suit's Achilles heel, though, for a well placed round could send the suit(and pilot)up in a ball of flame.