The photo sessions slowly catch up with my builds, so here's another one that had been finished a while ago but had waited in the queue for a photo session. A whiffy Sturmgeschütz on the basis of a Panther chassis. 


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
In 1942, Albert Speer placed an order for a howitzer mounted on a tank chassis to keep up with the Panzer Divisions. Alkett received the order to design the new vehicle, which would be known as the Sd.Kfz.166, Sturmpanzer, or Sturmpanzer 43. Although commonly referred to as the Brummbär, this was the nickname given to the Sturmpanzer 43 by Allied intelligence, not by the Germans. They referred to it casually as the "Stupa 43".
The chassis was the one of the reliable mass-produced Panzer IV. Above it, Alkett fitted a massive 15 cm (5.9 in) Sturmhaubitze (StuH) 43 L/12 developed by Škoda, which had common ammunition with the standard siG 33 howitzer in German service. The howitzer was protected by a casemate with sloped sides and thick armor plates. The first production vehicles proved their superstructure was way too heavy for the chassis, and experienced breakdowns of suspension elements or the transmission. The second series corrected this issue with a newly shaped, lighter casemate. The decision was taken in October 1943 and after the redesign, 800 kg (1,800 lb) of steel were spared, including from the gun mount itself on the third series. This new series was named StuH 43/1. Also, the Zimmerit anti-magnetic coating was factory-applied until September 1944. All in all, around 300 were built and primarily saw service in 4 dedicated battalions, the Sturmpanzer-Abteilungen (Stu.Pz.Abt.) 216 - 219.

By that time, the limits of the Sd.Kfz.166 had become apparent and constant losses required new or at least more vehicles of this type. To fill these gaps and provide the assault gun carrier with improved mobility and protection, a successor on the basis of the then-state-of-the-art German medium battle tank Sd.Kfz. 171 Panzer V 'Panther' was conceived. The Panther had been born out of the shock of combat on the Eastern Front during the 1941 Operation Barbarossa. There, German units first met the T-34 and KV-1 tanks which posed significant problems to the German tank and anti-tank cannons. The use of sloped armor kept the weight of the tank down but maintained its protection level. Panther tanks first saw action on the Eastern fronts, but they were subsequently also used in Italy, France, Belgium and Holland. The tank had better cross-country mobility than the heavy Tiger and had the same if not more hitting power, with its 7.5 cm Kw.K 42 L/70 long barreled high velocity anti-tank gun. Around 6,000 were produced.


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


By early 1944 a dedicated anti-tank SPG on the Panther's basis had been developed, too, the Panzerjäger V Panther, also known as "Jagdpanther", even though its official designation was "Sd.Kfz. 173 8.8 cm (3.46 in) Pak 43/3 auf Panzerjäger Panther". It was based on the upgraded Panther Ausf. G that had just entered production.  This type was earmarked to be converted into a Sturmpanzer, too, but it became soon clear that the 15 cm Sturmhaubitze (StuH) 43 required a different mount than the Pak 43, placed further forward in the casemate to accept the weapon's stronger recoil and leave enough room for the crew to properly handle the bigger and heavier rounds. While the Panther chassis was retained, the superstructure had to be modified accordingly. As a consequence the "Stumpanther" became an almost independent development from the Jagdpanther, even though it was still regarded as a variant of the latter with the designation Sd.Kfz. 173/2.

The Sturmpanther was produced in two batches, called "Serie 1" and "Serie 2". The initial production run was based on converted Sd.Kfz. 171 battle tanks, which were typically recovered damaged battle tanks and re-built at Alkett as Sd.Kfz. 173/2s. The tanks lost their turrets and the respective area in front of the engine bay, creating a spacious combat section with the weapon and its crew but also with the driver and a radio operator station (which was occupied by a 2nd gunner who also operated a defensive machine gun in the front, too). Above the chassis' waterline, a new boxy casemate was added that protected the front section. Viewed from the front, the casemate had a trapezoidal shape with flat walls. While these plates were thick, they were also slightly sloped to provide additional protection. Unlike the Jagdpanther's construction, the Sd.Kfz. 173/2's superstructure was not welded to the hull but was instead held in place by bolts, what made it possible to lift the whole casemate away and easily mount/replace the main gun or work on the drivetrain.

To the rear part of each side armor plate, a cone-shaped pistol port was placed. These were actually conical plugs that were connected to chains: When in use, the armored cover would simply be pushed out by one of the crew members. Once open, these would just hang on to the chains and could be closed back by dragging the chain back in. In the middle of the casemate's rear wall above the engine deck, a large two-door hatch was located, and two additional pistol ports with plugs were placed on both sides of this door. The front plate had a round-shaped opening in the middle for the gun ball mount, which was further protected by a sloped cast deflector mantlet against direct frontal attacks.
The casemate's top was flat but slightly angled down (4°) toward the front. An arc-shaped armored cover protected the gunner's periscope. To the right of it, initially only a square-shaped two-piece hatch for the commander with a periscope was located, but this was soon replaced or retrofitted with a shallow command cupola. Further back, on the left side, the loader's round-shaped two-part hatch was located. In the back corners, two round-shaped ports were used by the two loaders to see the surrounding rear hemisphere with periscopes. In the middle, a ventilation port with protective sides was installed.


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Sturmpanther's frontal lower armor remained at the Panzer V's standard 55°-angled 80 mm, while the steeper casemate front plate (just 20° angle) had a thickness of 100 mm to provide comparable protection. However, the seam between hull and casemate was a weak point. The casemate's side walls were 60 mm thick and placed at a 30° angle, flush with the hull's side walls. The rear armor was the same armor thickness placed at a 20° angle. The top was much lighter, at only 30 mm.
In the field, especially the frontal armor was augmented with equipment like spare track links, and additional steel plates of 30 mm were frequently bolted onto the front and/or the sides of the casemate – but this added weight, shifted the center of gravity forward, and it reduced the vehicle's performance and handling, too. Additionally, protective skirt armor made from 4 mm face-hardened steel plates could be added to protect the visible 40 mm chassis side armor visible between the top of the track and below the pannier. It was believed this area would be vulnerable to penetration at close range by Soviet anti-tank rifles, but these items were rarely mounted and were also easily lost in the heat of battle.

For the use in the Sturmpanther, the StuH 43 was modified further and received a longer barrel for more firepower and versatility: the original short L/12 barrel (only 180 cm/ 6 feet) was replaced with a new L/24 barrel, and the gun received a hydro-pneumatic recoil damper to compensate the higher recoil forces. The longer barrel resulted in a considerably higher muzzle velocity and therefore in a longer firing range. The so-called StuH 43/2 had a maximum range of 14.500 m (15,900 yd) when firing a standard I Gr 33 HE round (which weighed 38 kilograms / 84 lb), which now achieved a muzzle velocity of 880 m/sec. (2,887 ft/s), almost three times as fast as the former short-barreled variants of the gun.

The vehicle could fire 1-2 rounds per minute, but the biggest letdown for the Sturmpanther was its limited ammunition capacity: It only had internal space for 20 shells, usually 13 HE and 7 Concrete- or Armor-Piercing, so that many crews stowed more rounds externally on the rear deck, too, sometimes in sophisticated transport racks that were welded to the hull. Smoke rounds were available, too, but only carried/fired when the tactical situation required them. It took up to 40 minutes to resupply ammunition and it needed a very strong loader, as each shell weighed around 40 kg. This would strongly affect combat capabilities, especially if supply lines were bogged down, or if an offensive lasted too long, meaning that the tank would run out of munitions far too quickly. But an experienced crew would make the best use of its limited ammunition and fare well.


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Twenty-two "Serie 1" vehicles were converted in this fashion, and they differed from each other in many details as they were based on a mix of already existing variants of the Panzer V. When a dedicated production line was eventually established, "Serie 2" Sd.Kfz. 173/2s were built in a more standardized fashion, using Panther Ausf. G hull and elements from the Jagdpanther production (which had priority). More than sixty Sd.Kfz. 173/2s were newly built this way, and an interspersed "Serie 3" was technically the same as the Serie 2, but were, due to the lack of StuH 43/2 howitzers, only outfitted with a 10.5 cm Leichte Feldhaubitze 18 L28 with 44 rounds. These vehicles received the separate designation Sd.Kfz. 173/3 and were primarily used in urban combat against fortifications, strongholds and bunkers; less than thirty were built.
Exact production numbers are uncertain, but when Sturmpanther production ceased in mid-1945 in favor of the new Einheitspanzer tank series, a little less than one hundred of all variants had been built and delivered. At least one Sd.Kfz. 173/2 was in early 1945 tested with a 38 cm Sturmmörser RW 61 (the same weapon as used on the "Sturmmörserwagen 606/4", the Sturmtiger), but it was found that the Sturmpanther's chassis was not strong enough for the heavy weapon, so that the E-75 chassis was chosen instead for the Sturmtiger's successor.

Being based on the Panzer V, the Sturmpanther was reliable mechanically and even more agile than the regular Panther, thanks to its lower center of gravity. The first vehicles arrived at the front lines in summer 1944 at the Western front and were immediately thrown into action. The Sturmpanther initially tended to be used for direct fire as an assault gun, which saw it fighting against enemy positions, but not necessarily enemy tanks. However, even though rather designed as a bunker breaker, the Sturmpanther was more and more employed as a Jagdpanzer against enemy tanks and turned out to be quite effective in this role. Whilst the weight of the shells resulted in a slow rate of fire and lacked penetration power, the sheer mechanical shock of a hit was enough to kill the crew of an enemy tank or disable it. It was reported that the Sturmpanther's HE shell could totally blow the turret off of a heavy tank like a Soviet KV-1 or at least jam it, and the blast could turn over a medium tank like an M4 Sherman or T-34 and totally disable it.
AP shells for direct attacks were available, but these large-caliber rounds were expensive, hard to make, and were in very short supply, as well as only being a little more effective than the HE round.


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Many Sturmpanther were outfitted in field workshops with launch racks for unguided rockets like the 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 or 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42 (four to six) were mounted on top of the engine deck, firing forward over the casemate. 8 cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer (a copy of the Soviet BM-8 "Katyusha" multiple rocket launcher) were occasionally used in this fashion, too, with one or two 12-rocket-racks mounted above each other. These weapons had a range of up to 7 km (4½ ml), gave the Sturmpanther crew more tactical options and stretched the short internal shell supply.

Like the Sturmpanzer 43 before, the Sturmpanther was concentrated in dedicated Sturmpanzer-Abteilungen, but the type's limited number only made it operational in single companies within three battalions, including the newly founded Sturm-Panzer-Abteilung 220 that exclusively operated the Sturmpanther. The Sturmpanther was heavily used during the "Battle at the Bulge" and also saw extensive action in Southern Germany, Austria and Hungary.


Specifications:
    Crew: Five (commander, gunner, 2x loader, driver)
    Weight: 45.5 t (44.8 long tons; 50.2 short tons)
    Length: 8.46 m (27 ft 8½ in) overall
                   6.87 m (22 ft 6 in) hull only
    Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
    Height: 2.66 m (8 ft 8¾ in)
    Ground clearance: 54 cm (21¼ in)
    Suspension: Double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels
    Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)

Armor:
    15–100 mm (0.6 – 3.93 in)

Performance:
    Maximum road speed: 46 km/h (29 mph)
    Operational range: 260 km (160 mi) on road
                                       130 km (81 mi) cross-country
    Power/weight: 15.38 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)

Engine:
    Maybach HL230 P30 V-12 23.800 cm³ petrol engine with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
    ZF AK 7-200 gear; 7 forward 1 reverse

Armament:
    1× 150 mm (5.9 in) StuH 43/2 L/24 howitzer with 20 rounds
    1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun in the front glacis plate with 800 rounds


The kit and its assembly:
This build was inspired by leftover parts from other projects, including a complete casemate from a Trumpeter 1:72 Elefant and the gun barrel from a Trumpeter 1:72 KV-2. This made me wonder about a German Sturmpanzer, a successor for the Panzer IV-based Brummbär with its short 15 cm howitzer. At first, I considered a Tiger I chassis (got one left in The Stash™) but found that it would resemble too much the real-world Sturmtiger with its 38cm rocket mortar. A medium Panther chassis appeared like a better and more plausible option. The real world Jagdpanther would have been a similar SPG development, so I settled upon a Panther basis, in this case a Hasegawa 1:72 Panther Ausf. G.

The Hasegawa Panther is a simple and by today's standards almost primitive affair, but it goes together well and can be easily modified. Hull and running gear were taken OOB, including the original rubber-rimmed wheels and parts of the protective side skirts. Mounting the Elefant's casemate onto the turret-less hull took some effort, though. First, it had to be modified to match the Panther's front section, and it was tailored down accordingly in height, until width and length matched the hull. A double door from a Jagdtiger was glued to the casemate's back side, as the original round opening fell victim to the trimming-down measures.  As a lucky coincidence, the casemate would fit well between the front glacis plate and the engine deck, resulting in a very Jagdpanther-esque look, and the longer barrel reminds of the Soviet ISU-152 SPG?


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Integrating the gun mantlet and the bigger barrel into the new kinked front was a bit tricky, though. To fill the hole in the Elefant's casemate front plate I used the ball mount from the same kit and fixed it into position with a sturdy styrene tube from behind, so that it would still be movable. The Elefant's front cover was missing, though, so that I had to improvise from this point on. I found a gun port from a Jagdpanther and totally disassembled it, using it to cover the ball mount from the outside and to frame the narrower opening on the model.


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The ball mount had to be further protected with a mantlet, and I used a relatively narrow piece from a Schmalturm (IIRC from a Hasegawa 1:72 Panther Ausf. F), which was glued between the KV-2 barrel and the Elefant's trimmed-down ball mount. A Frankenstein creation that looks surprisingly natural!

Some small details like sight slits, plug covers and bolts on the casemate were added, and I transplanted a shell rack from the 1:72 Trumpeter KV-2 onto the engine deck, with some additional supports and struts (styrene profile material). I first thought that this was a launch rack for unguided missiles, but due to its fixed in position I rather assume that it is "only" a storage rack for additional howitzer rounds. Still plausible, though, and it adds an interesting detail to the model.


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
Another iteration of the standard Hinterhalt paint scheme, in this case only a two-tone variation with wide stripes in Rotbraun (RAL 8017, Humbrol 160) over a Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028, Tamiya TS-3 from a rattle can as overall primer) base. The model received an overall watercolor washing with black and burnt umbra, as well as dry-brushing with grey and beige. Rust and dirt residues were created with watercolors (burnt sienna, umbra). The black vinyl tracks were painted with watercolors, too, with a mix of grey, ochre and burnt umber.


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The tactical code's color and arrangement are unusual, but this style with the code numbers in a contrasting tone and separated by the national marking was for instance used by the Schwere Pz.Abt.506 (operating Tiger IIs) in early 1945. The Mickey Mouse decoration comes from a Luftwaffe aircraft, as well as the small tank "kill markings" on the barrel; both came from a generic TL Modellbau sheet.

The finished model received an overall coat with matt acrylic varnish, was then assembled (running gear and tracks), and the lower areas were lightly dusted with artist mineral pigments.


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Sd.Kfz. 173/2 (1. Serie) 'Sturmpanther'; vehicle "132" of the Stu.Pz.Abt. 220, 1. Kompanie; Zwettl (lower Austria), early 1945 (What-if/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A cool model, and this fictional assault gun carrier on the basis of a Panther chassis looks very natural – it reminds a lot of the Jagdpanther, but there are many small differences that only become apparent with a second, closer look. I like that.  The paint scheme in just two tones also looks better than expected, I expected it to look quite dull. But the tiger stripes are quite disruptive, altogether a pretty subtle whif vehicle.

I freaking love this Thomas ..it's the prefect model and guess what? ...your gonna see this in 1/35th scale as I've been looking for a great idea for my Meng Panther A ..ive had bucket loads of Panthers and I'm bored silly of them..thanks matey 
I'm even looking at your camo too...mate you've rocked this model beautifully 😀💚👍🤘

Thank you, glad you like it. I am amazed how plausible it looks, despite the combination of parts that were not meant to be welded together. at one point I was even disappointed that it looked so much like a Jagdpanther, but when you take a close look it's totally different above the waterline, very subtle. The paint scheme was an experiment, too - had a two-tone Hinterhalt scheme in Dunkelgelb and Rotbraun on my agenda for a while, even though it was not an enthusiastic choice. I was even not convinced of the simple "tiger stripes" across the hull. Eventually, it looks better than expected and in the scenic pictures it turned out to be quite effective, too!

Good job Dizz.

Thank you, too! 

Nice!

The rocket launcher on the back brings to mind the Australian Matilda Hedgehog.

Well, I don't think that this is a rocket launcher - I thought so in the first place, too, but in the meantime I have become convinced that it is just a rack for howitzer rounds. Here's the original arrangement on another model, a captured KV-2:

That's come out really well Dizzy 

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on March 07, 2023, 12:55:47 AMI am amazed how plausible it looks, despite the combination of parts that were not meant to be welded together......

And that's what Whiffing is all about of course. 

Well, but it is not too often that the result of a kitbashing really looks "like the real thing". 

It's a looker for sure Dizzy and yeah that Jagdpanther look I there all right but you can see the angle of the frontal is steeper from the glacis plate which looks better than the Jagdpanther ..makes it looks bigger ..which of course I like 
I have a ISU-152 barrel sitting in my upgrade box and it's needed ingredients a home..it's got one now ...it might be 152mm but it's now 15cm 
I'm pretty sure I have a gun mantlet knocking around somewhere and if I can find it then even better .
The paint scheme is like I said great and will look pretty damn good when done and I might just add a little more ...like a autumn or spring camo combination with your design...just to fill in the gaps but not wipe out your work.
Thre ammo rack won't be a problem ..what will be is the 15cm ammo..I don't think I have any loose rds..but we'll see what I can come up with.
I'm getting excited about this Thomas   

I am curious about your interpretation, if it enters the hardware stage. 

Thomas matey it's gotten past the in my head design stage ..I looked over the kit last night..found the gun barrel and today I'll go thru thr remaining bits so see what else I can find 
I believe I've got some spare white metal Panther track links so they'll get used as spare links on the hull.
I'm quite looking forward to this 

Really nice "could have been"
Your usual nice work and terrific backstory

Hey Duzzy that mickey mouse on your beast was that generic to that unit or individual to just one tank?
I've kinda forgotten how that worked