1:72 E-50 Ausf. C with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" launch rails

[Dizzyfugu]

1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The "Entwicklung" tank series (= "development"), more commonly known as the E-Series, was a late-World War II attempt by Germany to produce a standardized series of tank designs. There were to be six standard designs in different weight classes, from which several specialized variants were to be developed. This intended to reverse the trend of extremely complex tank designs that had resulted in poor production rates and mechanical unreliability.

The E-series designs were simpler, cheaper to produce and more efficient than their predecessors; however, their design offered only modest improvements in armor and firepower over the designs they were intended to replace, such as the Jagdpanzer 38(t), Panther Ausf.G or Tiger II. However, the resulting high degree of standardization of German armored vehicles would also have made logistics and maintenance easier. Indeed, nearly all of the E-series vehicles — up through and including the E-75 — were intended to use what were essentially the Tiger II's eighty centimeter diameter, steel-rimmed road wheels for their suspension, meant to overlap each other (as on the later production Tiger I-E and Panther designs that also used them), even though in a much simplified fashion.


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Focus of initial chassis and combat vehicle development was the E-50/75 Standardpanzer, designed by Adler, both being mostly identical and only differing in armor thickness, overall weight and running gear design to cope with the different weights.
The E-50 Standardpanzer was intended as a medium tank, replacing the Panther and Tiger I battle tanks and the conversions based on these older vehicles. The E-50 hull was to be longer than the Panther, and in fact it was practically identical to the Königstiger (Tiger II) in overall dimensions except for the glacis plate layout. Compared with the earlier designs, however, the amount of drilling and machining involved in producing the Standardpanzer designs was reduced drastically, which would have made them quicker, easier and cheaper to produce, as would the proposed conical spring system, replacing their predecessors' torsion bar system which required a special steel alloy.

The basis development, the E-50 Auf. A combat tank, was to carry the narrow-mantlet 'Schmalturm' turret (originally designed for the Panther Ausf. F), coupled with a variant of the powerful KwK 43 88 mm L/71 gun, but heavier guns (a new 10,5 cm gun for both the E-50 and E-75 and the 12,8 cm caliber gun for the E-75) in bigger turrets were under development.
In service the vehicle received the inventory ordnance number "SdKfZ. 304" and was officially called "Einheitspanzer 50" (Standard tank), retaining its E-50 abbreviation. The weight of the E-50 vehicle family would fall between 50 and 75 tons. The engine was an improved Maybach HL234 with up to 900 hp output. Maximum speed was supposed to be up to 60 km/h.
The E-75 Standardpanzer (SdKfz. 305), based on the same hull, was intended to be the standard heavy tank and become the replacement of the heavy Tiger II and Jagdtiger tanks. The E-75 would have been built on the same production lines as the E-50 for ease of manufacture, and the two vehicles were to share many components, including the same Maybach HL 234 engine and running gear elements. As its name indicates, the resulting vehicle would have weighed in at over 75 tons, reducing its speed to around 40 km/h. To offset the increased weight, the bogies were spaced differently from on the E-50, with an extra pair added on each side and eight instead of six wheels plus a slightly wider track, giving the E-75 a slightly improved track to ground contact length.


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The KwK 45 10,5cm gun had already started in 1943 as an answer to the heavy KV and later the IS series of Soviet combat tanks, and it was ready for service in September 1945, just in time for the deployment of the E-50/75 family of tanks. The KwK 45 was specifically designed to fit into the turret mountings of the 8.8cm KwK 43. This would enable older vehicles to be upgunned with minimum modifications; hence, the fleet could be upgraded in a shorter time and at a lower cost.
The breech used a horizontally sliding breechblock for loading the fixed cartridge cases. The gun recoiled only approximately 29 cm (11.5 inch) in most applications, automatically opening the breech and ejecting the empty cartridge case as the gun returns to battery from full recoil. The cannon had a weight of 1.287 kg and was able to achieve a rate of fire of up to  eight shots per minute Schuss/Minute, with an effective range  of 4.000 m (2.5 mi) ). HE rounds were fired with a muzzle velocity of 1.100 m (3,600 ft ) per second and APDS rounds achieved 1.500 m (4,900 ft) per second. This was sufficient to penetrate 170 mm (6.7 in) of armor at a range of 1.800m (5,900 ft) or 280 mm (11 in) of armor with APDS rounds, respectively.

In the E-50 tank, the KwK 45 was carried by the Ausf. C variant in a voluminous Henschel turret, wich was similar in outline to the earlier Königstiger heavy tank, but it was a simplified construction and had varying armor strengths for the E-50 and E-75 tanks. Instead of the initial L52 barrel, which made the KwK 45 compatible with the Schmalturm turret of the initial E-50 variants, the bigger turret of the Ausf. C allowed to add additional counterweights so that a longer caliber 60 barrel without a muzzle brake could be installed, which improved the weapon's range and hitting power further. Otherwise the E-50 Ausf. C was identical to the earlier versions. Thanks to the relatively large turret, a total of 64 105mm shells could be carried (typically 50% high explosive and 50% armor-piercing), plus 4.800 rounds for the secondary 7,92 MG 34s on board (32 ammunition belts with 150 round each).


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In order to improve the tanks' long-range strike capability, some of the new E-50/75 battle tanks were additionally equipped with launch rails and a visual guidance system for the new Ruhrstahl X-7 anti-tank missile, unofficially nicknamed "Rotkäppchen" (Little Red Riding Hood).
The aircraft-shaped X-7 was the first operational anti-tank guided missile in history. It was created on the basis of a command of the Army Ordnance Office to Dr. Ing. Kramer and its origins dated back as far the beginning of the year 1934, but it had no high priority from official side and there were numerous problems to be eradicated. An appropriate number was built in the factory in Brackwede and handed over to the army for field-testing before the war, but the weapon initially did not receive much interest. The main version was wire-steered, but other trial versions were equipped with the automatic infrared steering system "Steinbock" (Capricorn) or with the electro-optical guidance systems "Pfeifenkopf" (Pipe bowl) and "Pinsel" (Brush) - the latter used vidicon cameras to detect the difference between the target and the background. Various guidance systems were tested, too, both for anti-aircraft and anti-tank use.
As an anti-tank weapon the small, aircraft-shaped missile could easily be transported and deployed on light vehicles, but it was also tested as an auxiliary weapon for tanks, from which it could be fired and steered from the inside with the help of an optical guidance system.

The X-7 was a compact weapon and had a length of 0,95 m (37 1/2 in), a body diameter of 150 mm (6 in), a wing span of 0,60 m (23 1/2 in). Its launch weight was about 9kg (~20 lb). It was powered by a solid fuel twin rocket engine that delivered 676 N of thrust for 3 seconds at the start for a maximum speed of 245 m/s (550 mph; 476 kn; 880 km/h) and sustained 55 N for another 8 seconds, achieving a cruise speed of 100 m/s. The missile carried a 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) hollow charge, triggered with an impact fuze, that could penetrate more than 200 mm (7.9 in) of armor at a 30° angle.


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


For the use on board of tanks, the X-7 was carried on special launch rigs which could be easily attached to turrets or casemate hulls. Typically, two of the missiles were carried, ready to launch. The optical guidance system was based on the ZG 1229 "Vampir" infrared night vision system - but for the X-7 guidance, the device had been modified into a periscope that was mounted on the roof of the gunner's station, so that the missile could be fired and guided in the safety of the armored turret.

However, initial field tests in early 1946 revealed that the X-7 hardly offered any benefit when compared with the heavy German cannon. The potential benefit of a dive attack on a tank target, which would reduce the relative armor strength of the target or hit the weaker upper armor of such a target, was only theoretical because aiming and guiding the missile even at a direct course was not easy. A ballistic flight path was possible, but under combat conditions unrealistic. Furthermore, the missiles unprotected storage made them highly vulnerable against enemy fire, and many were lost early because the fell off of the launch racks or were simply ripped away when the tank moved through obstacles like trees or ruins. An internal storage of the weapon in a tank was also impossible. Therefore, the X-7 was soon banned from battle tanks and either mounted on light, unarmored vehicles, which could more easily employ "hit-and-run" tactics, or the light missiles were carried by two man teams for ambushes. In mid-1946, trials to fire the X-7 from a Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri helicopter ensued.


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Specifications:
    Crew: Five  (commander, gunner, loader, radio operator, driver)
    Weight: 54 tonnes (60 short tons)
    Length: 7.27 metres (23 ft 8 in) (hull only)
                    9.36 metres (30 ft 8 in) incl. gun
    Width: 3.88 metres (12 ft 9 in)
    Height 3.35 metres (11 ft)
    Ground clearance: 495 to 510 mm (1 ft 7.5 in to 1 ft 8.1 in)
    Suspension: Conical spring
    Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)

Armor:
    30–120 mm (1.2 – 4.7 in)

Performance: 
    Speed
      - Maximum, road: 44 km/h (27.3 mph)
      - Sustained, road: 38 km/h (24 mph)
      - Cross country: 15 to 20 km/h (9.3 to 12.4 mph)
     Operational range: 160 km (99 miles)
     Power/weight: 16,67 PS/tonne (14,75 hp/ton)

Engine:
    V-12 Maybach HL 234 supercharged gasoline engine with 900 PS (885 hp/650 kW)

Transmission:
    ZF AK 7-200 with 7 forward 1 reverse gears

Armament:
    1× 10,5 cm KwK 45 L/60 with 64 rounds
    2× 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with a total of 5.200 rounds (one mounted co-axially with
         the main gun and an optional AA gun on the commander's cupola)
    2× X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launch rails on some vehicles



The kit and its assembly:
Another Heer '46 model, and again one of the many 1:72 Modelcollect kits. Even though I rather have a knack for exotic vehicles I thought that a relatively simple battle tank could not hurt in the collection - but I still had an idea how to add a personal touch and take the basic idea further.
This came when I remembered the small X-7 missile, and wondered if that could not have been used from 1945 onwards - e.g. as an additional stand-off weapon for tanks like the post-war AS.12 in France - the light AMX-13 tank could carry four of these above the gun on its oscillating turret. And that made me wonder if and how the German missile could find its way on a battle tank?


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In an initial step I scratched a pair of X-7s from bombs and styrene profile material - they look a little clumsy and they became actually too large for authentic 1:72 scale, but their outlines turned out well. Using them as benchmarks I checked different tank kits and eventually settled for an E-50 with the large Tiger-II-style Henschel turret. This offered a good size and height to mount the two missiles in racks on the turret's flanks - these are scratched from styrene profile material, too. Otherwise the kit remained OOB, I just used the kit's night vision device and some material from the scrap box to create an optical guidance gear, mounted on the turret in front of the gunner's hatch.


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The E-50 kit goes together well, just some light PSR is necessary at the turret's base. This version of the kit also came with a surplus Schmalturm sprue and it did not come with vinyl tracks, like some former kits from this series that I have built, but rather with molded single track elements. I am not a fan of these, at least in 1:72 scale, and mounting these small bits was a tedious affair that took a whole day. The low mud guards hampered the process further.


Painting and markings:
The paint scheme is a variation of the classic German "Hinterhalt" camouflage, consisting of Dark Yellow, Olive Green and Red Brown. However, the pattern is a little special, because I wanted to recreate the original concept of the scheme, the ideal "factory finish". It was intended to apply the green and brown contrast colors on top of the dark yellow in the form of overlapping small, round dots of uniform size, applied with a gauge, that let the light color shine though here and there – plus small contrast speckles added to the dark yellow. A really complex camouflage pattern, but quite effective, because it mimicked well the fractal shadows under a tree, disrupting a vehicle's silhouette.
In real life, however, only a few tanks had been painted this way around August 1944 in the factories (I have seen Panther, Hetzer, Jagdpanzer IV/L70 and a Sturmtiger, sometimes only partly, finished in this fashion), because the application was tedious and time-consuming. Eventually, the tanks were delivered to the frontline troops in a uniform dark yellow finish, together with the green and brown as thick pastes which were to be applied individually by the crew, depending on the local needs and with whatever was at hand.


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


I order to mimic the original Hinterhalt scheme's look I initially gave the model an overall coat with RAL 8001 "Grünbraun" as primer and then added 7028 "Dunkelgelb" (Modelmaster) with a wide, flat brush, creating a cloudy finish. Once dry I used two self-made stamps for the application of the red brown (Humbrol 160) and the green (RAL 6003 from Modelmaster). The stamps were made from fine expanded rubber, die-punched into circles of 3 and 4mm diameter and then glued on top of sticks with superglue. Very simple, but worked like a charm!


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Adding all the circles one by one was another tedious task, esp. on uneven underground and around corners. Once this basic painting was done, the kit received an overall wash with a mix of black and red brown acrylic paint. Next came the decal application; the crosses and the "kill marks" for the barrel were taken from the OOB sheet, the red tactical code and the small unit badges were taken from a TL Modellbau aftermarket sheet. Next came a light dry brushing treatment with beige and light grey, highlighting surface details and edges. After painting some details and adding some rust marks came a coat of matt varnish (from the rattle can), the tracks were finally mounted and the lower area of the tank received a treatment with a greyish-brown pigment mix, simulating dust and mud residue.




1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Kampfpanzer E-50 Ausf. C (SdKfz. 304) with X-7 "Rotkäppchen" anti-tank missile launchers; vehicle "209" of the 2. Kompanie, Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung 508 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 508); Landsberg am Lech, spring 1946 (Whif/modified Modelcollect kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A relatively simple project, done in four days from which one day was spent with the camouflage and another one with the fiddly tracks. Creating the small X-7 missiles from scratch was tricky, too. Nevertheless, I think the effort was worthwhile, since the addition of the missiles and their racks give the otherwise simple battle tank a special touch and some Heer '46 futurism. After all, it's a what-if model. The complex camouflage also looks good, and it demonstrates how effective the original concept of the Hinterhalt scheme actually was, had it been applied properly. I might re-apply the concept on a mecha model in the future – probably with different colors, though.

[Old Wombat]

Nicely done, Dizzy!

I could never work that scale for armour again, though. My eyes aren't up to the task.

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, my eyes are also getting weaker through age and years of work at a PC screen - but for me it's a matter of familiarity with the scale and also a space issue. 

[zenrat]

Good job Dizz.

Well, my eyes are also getting weaker through age and years of work at a PC screen - but for me it's a matter of familiarity with the scale and also a space issue. 

I'm quite taken with 1/48 armour.  I can see to build them and then they don't take up too much space.

[NARSES2]

That is really, really nice 

[TomZ]

Very good

TomZ

[chrisonord]

As with your aircraft builds Dizzy,your armour builds are amazing, and give me inspiration. Marvelous 
Chris

[The Chaos]

Great work Dizzy

[Weaver]

Nicely done Dizzy - cammo looks great! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot, gentlemen! 

[stevehed]

Excellent build. I'm no expert although I know what the main kit offerings look like but this would have fooled me.

Regards, Steve