1:72 SdKfz 171 Panzer V "Panther" Ausf. H; Weser region, 1946

Dizzyfugu · August 24, 2022, 12:00:31 AM

A simple and small "three-day-quickie"...

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
Even in the early phase of the development of the Panzerkampfwagen V "Panther", there were doubts as to whether the Panther would still be sufficiently protected against enemy anti-tank weapons in 1943. The attempt to introduce reinforced armor in the development of the "normal" Panther failed. For this reason, a further development called "Panther II" was worked on. The initial design of the vehicles differed only in terms of armor thickness. However, at a meeting on February 10, 1943, MAN 's chief development engineer, Dr. Wiebecke, said that the Panther in its original form did not meet the requirements of the Eastern Front.

In the days that followed, the Army Weapons Office called on the two companies Henschel and MAN to work more closely together, also because the logistical problems with the supply of spare parts for various types of tanks on the Eastern Front were obvious. The goal was, as set out in a meeting on February 17, 1943, to convert the production of the medium battle tank V Panther, which was just being introduced, to the advanced model of this vehicle at the latest with the introduction of the main battle tank Tiger Ausf. B (Tiger II), which could have as many common assemblies as possible with the second generation of the heavy main battle tank. One such standardization of the types had been demanded by the Panzer Commission. For example, the ZF AK 7/200 gearbox and the Maybach HL 230 engine were to be installed in both vehicles. In parallel, the development of a completely new vehicle generation, the "Entwicklungspanzer" (also known as "E-Panzer" and later "Einheitspanzer") tank series, which took the interchangeability of elements and production simplification even further, was pushed. The perspective was that from 1945 on the Panther would be replaced with the medium E-50 battle tank with an 88mm main gun.

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

This development was not certain, though, so that the Panther was further updated as a stopgap solution until E-50 production was running sufficiently. Consequently, the Army Office's WaPrüf 6 department also involved the Rheinmetall company and discussed the design of a new, simplified turret for the Panther II on February 18 that could accept the powerful new 8.8 cm KwK 43. Many specifications were made in the planning phase, for example a maximum turret radius had to be observed so that the driver and radio operator hatch could be opened in every turret position. Other dimensions were also specified to ensure access to the engine compartment. On February 19, the installation of machine gun 42 in tank turrets was discussed with Krupp, Rheinmetall and Daimler-Benz.

During a development meeting on March 5, 1943, it was determined that either a Maybach-Olvar or a ZF all-claw manual transmission could be installed in the drive area of ��both the Tiger II and Panther II. By March 20th, construction plans for the steering gear and side transmission should be ready. Then, on March 30, it was determined that Krupp should begin production of the Panther II, and MIAG should supply parts for this. From April 1943 the project designation Panther II was used, and MAN had already promised a prototype for mid-August 1943.

In the period that followed, MAN developed the "rubber-saving rollers" for the project. These were later tested on the Panther Ausf. G and were used on the Tiger II and Tiger I. However, it was discovered that the Panther's track had problems with these rollers and the project was expanded to develop a new track to be used with these rollers. Both were gradually introduced to the still running Panther production or retrofitted to damaged/recovered earlier Panther models in field workshops. It was planned that in view of the alignment of the chassis, the regular Panther II track should be usable as a transport track for the Tiger II. However, the Panther track would be shorter, since it would have two rollers less than the Tiger II. The rubber-saving track rollers were a major point in the discussions surrounding the introduction of the Panther II since they meant an additional 2 tons of weight. To compensate for this, the use of side skirts on the hull was discussed. It had already shown during the first operations on the Eastern Front that the sensitivity of the Panther's side armor to the fire from the well-known Soviet anti-tank rifles was less than feared. To simplify production and save material, the lateral reinforcement was consequently not implemented.

On January 4, 1944, there was a meeting of the tank commission, where the changes to the armored hull of the Panther were discussed as the main problem of standardization. If a temporarily reduced production would be accepted by the German command, the following identical components should be used from the Tiger II: its Maybach HL 230 engine, same cooling system, same gearbox AK 7/200 or Olvar B, steering gear, side transmission, and the rubber-saving rollers with the modified track. However, some of these changes should already be used on the Panther Ausf. G, which was the current production variant. Ultimately, it was decided that reduced output of Panthers was unacceptable. Overall, Dr. Blaicher from the Main Committee determined that series production of the Panther II could only begin in late 1944 or early 1945.

The general design of the Panther II followed the conception of the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther. However, the armor at the front was to be increased to 100 or even 120 mm, and the side armor was planned to be brought to 60 mm. Furthermore, gun mantlet, turret front, roof, sides and rear were also supposed to be better armored, what led to the so-called "Schmalturm". This new design was introduced with the Panther Ausf. F, the first standardized interim variant on the way to the true Panther II. However, this turret was only outfitted with a long-barreled 7,5-cm-KwK 44/I (L/70) without a muzzle brake, so that there was no significant improvement in firepower in comparison with other contemporary German tanks. Nevertheless, offering improved protection, an overall lowered weight and simplified production effort, the Schmalturm entered production and was, beyond the Panther Ausf. F, also combined with some late Panzer IV hulls as well as with early E-50s.
After that, further turret development for the Panther and the E-Series of medium/heavy battle tanks was pushed forward independently from the base vehicle, since a modular concept appeared to be the most effective way to ensure constant output of new tanks.

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Eventually, the "Panther II" never materialized. In the meantime, the E-50/75's development as well as Panther production had continued, and the latter gradually adopted new elements from the E-Series of tanks as well as simplifications that saved material and reduced overall production time. This gradual evolution led to two Panther hybrid variants. These vehicles, even though they looked quite different from the early Panther variants, retained the original SdKfz. 171 ordnance inventory designation. The most common variant was the Panther Ausf. F with the standardized rubber-saving running gear and the Schmalturm with the long-barreled 7,5 cm gun. The other standardized crossbreed was the Panther Ausf. H; it was based on a simplified late Panther Ausf. G hull with 50 mm side walls, but it featured a new welded 100 mm front glacis plate without any openings for either the driver or the radio operator's machine gun. Sight for the crew members in the hull was provided exclusively through periscopic mirrors. Like the Panther Ausf. F, the Ausf. H featured the simplified running gear with rubber-saving rollers and a track that consisted of the Tiger I/II's train transport track.
However, the Panther Ausf. H's engine was new: it introduced a Maybach HL 234 V-12 gasoline engine, which was a HL-230, used in former Panther and Tiger tanks, upgraded with a fuel injection system which allowed easier engine operation even at low engine temperatures (such as a cold start), good adaptation to a wide range of altitudes and ambient temperatures, precisely governed engine speeds (including at idle and redline) and improved fuel efficiency. The HL-234 had originally been developed for the heavier E-50/75 and even the super-heavy E-100 tanks, and it was designed to deliver up to 900 hp (650 kW) in them. However, for the lighter Panther it was limited to just 700 hp (434 kW), with emphasis on torque at low engine speeds and durability. In the Panther Ausf. H this extra power was transferred through E-50/75 transmission elements, which had generous dimensions and material strength, what greatly improved the tank's mechanical reliability. Thanks to the more powerful engine and transmission, the Panther Ausf. H was more agile than the earlier versions, despite a higher overall weight of 53 vs. 45 tons, which was almost on par with the earlier Tiger I. With the new drive train, the Panther Ausf. H was able to achieve a top speed of 56 km/h (35 mph) on level terrain or roads, and acceleration from standstill was markedly improved so that the tank was less likely to be hit during battles when it changed positions.

To improve the Panther's firepower and get it on par with the retired Tiger I that it replaced, a 8.8 cm KwK 43 cannon was mounted in a new turret called 'Langturm'. The Langturm was another E-50/75 development element that was adapted to the old Panther hull. It was in fact just an extended variant of the Schmalturm from the Panther Ausf. F and it shared the same layout and armor level, but it had an overhang at the rear to make space for the KwK 43's longer gun carriage and a bigger ammunition supply. As a beneficial side effect, the overhang also provided a counterweight for the long and heavy gun barrel, alleviating the turret bearing. Because the KwK 43 had a different and heavier turret mount than the KwK 44/I from the Panther Ausf. F, a different mantlet had to be used. Turret movement was supported by an electric drive and targeting was supported by a built-in stereoscopic rangefinder, with optics in twin matching armored blisters on the turret's flanks in front of the commander's cupola. Fully rotatable periscopes in the turret roof replaced pistol ports in the turret flanks, thereby removing these weak armor spots.

To provide the Panther with some form of defense against infantry attacks after the deletion of its hull machine gun, a Nahverteidigungswaffe grenade launcher was mounted in the turret roof. This was a simple breech-loaded launcher tube oriented at a fixed 50° angle and fitted in a fully 360° traversable mounting. The Nahverteidigungswaffe was designed to mate with the standard 26 mm Kampfpistole flare gun. It could be loaded and fired under full armor and sealed by an armored plug when not in use. Aiming was by periscopes located on the turret and cupola. Typically, Sprenggranatpatrone 326 LP anti-personnel explosives were fired; this device had a range of 7 to 10 meters (23 to 33 ft) around the tank with a blast point of 0.5 to 2 meters (2 to 7 ft) above the ground. It splintered to a circumferential distance of 100 meters (328 ft) after an initial delay time of one second. It turned out to be very effective, even though all turret hatches and openings were to be closed when the 326 LP round was fired. Alternatively, the Nahverteidigungswaffe could fire a range of flare, signal or smoke grenades, too.

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Compared with the earlier Panther variants with the 7.5 cm main weapon, its 8.8 cm gun meant considerably more firepower, and the KwK 43's long range made it possible to keep the tank out of most enemy weapon's range. As long as the crew was able to keep the Panther Ausf. H's reinforced, sloped front armor facing towards its enemies the vehicle was virtually invulnerable to almost any Allied medium tank in late 1945, except for very close range or when the tracks were targeted to immobilize the tank. The only real threat at the time was the Soviet IS-3 with its heavy 122 mm D-25 gun, or surprise attacks against the weaker flanks.
The interleaved running gear still made maintenance and operations in wintertime challenging, though, but this was regarded as a reasonable price to pay for the tank's overall effectiveness. As a benefit from the complex running gear, the Panther had probably the best suspension system of all German tanks of the time, offering a very smooth ride, and it was therefore very popular among its crews. However, the high-quality steel that was needed for the Panther's torsion bar suspension system became more and more rare. The situation became so dire that these suspension elements were recovered from damaged vehicles directly at the front lines, collected and then conveyed to the MAN production line to complete new Panthers and put out as many as possible.

Nevertheless, due to the E-50/75's ongoing development, its rising production priority from late 1945 on and an ever-worsening resource situation, the final Panther variants, the Ausf. F and H, were only produced between early 1945 and summer 1946. After that, Panther production ceased altogether in favor of the new Einheitspanzer family. Exact production numbers of the Panther Ausf. H are uncertain, because of the many hybrids and the chaotic production conditions, but less than 250 were finished and sent to frontline units.

Specifications:
Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator)
Weight: 53 tonnes (52.1 long tons; 58.2 short tons)
Length: 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in) hull only
9,14 m (29 ft 11½ in) overall with gun facing forward
Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height: 2,81 m (9 ft 2½ in)
Suspension: Double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels
Fuel capacity: 720 liters (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)

Armor:
15–100 mm (0.6 – 3.93 in)

Performance:
Maximum road speed: 56 km/h (35 mph)
Operational range: 250 km (160 mi) on roads
100 km (62 mi) cross-country
Power/weight: 13.2 PS (9.5 kW)/tonne (12.02 hp/ton)

Engine & transmission:
Maybach HL234 V-12 gasoline engine with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW), coupled with
a Maybach OLVAR OG 44 16 11 A gearbox with 8 forward and 2 reverse gears

Armament:
1× 8.8 cm KwK 43 (L/56) with 67 rounds, stored in the turret and the hull
1× 7.92 mm MG 42, mounted co-axially with the main gun with 2.500 rounds
1× 26 mm Nahverteidigungswaffe in the turret roof
Optional 6× Schnellnebelkerze 39 smoke dischargers, mounted to the turret flanks
Provision for a 7.92 mm MG 42 or MG 34 FlaMG on the commander cupola

The kit and its assembly:
This fictional Heer '46 Panther variant was inspired by a Hasegawa Panther Ausf. F kit, which features rubber-saving all-steel wheels and a Schmalturm as optional parts – effectively a 'whif-out-of-the-box'. I got it dead cheap, but just the plastic, without box, decals or instructions. I wondered how this hybrid could be even more upgraded, so that it could become a (fictional) stopgap solution to bridge the delayed introduction of the E-50/75 tank family? The result became my fictional 'Ausführung H'.

To this end, I gave the Panther a bigger 8.8 cm gun, but this necessitated an enlarged turret. To keep things simple, I used the OOB Schmalturm to create a fictional extended version with a longer overhang at the rear – a "variant" that is actually available as one of the Modelcollect OOB E-50 kits, too. The overhang was scratched with the Schmalturm's rear wall, styrene sheet material and 2C putty – the overhang is not large, but IMHO the turret looks now much more balanced than the original Schmalturm? For an individual look I also modified the gun mantlet, using early Panther parts from the Hasegawa kit and an 88 mm gun barrel with a muzzle brake left over from an Armorfast Jagdpanther. Additionally, some details were added to the turret, including a cover for the Nahverteidigungswaffe, periscopes and some free-standing lugs.

Another small modification: I removed the machine gun opening from the front glacis plate as a production simplification measure – after the driver's visor slit had disappeared from the late production Panther Gs, removing the only other weak point in the front armor appeared like a plausible step. To create an even more E-50ish look I moved the light from the mudguards to the center of the glacis plate.

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The running gear was taken OOB from the Hasegawa kit. To create a different look, I omitted the Panther's standard side skirts that had protected the tank's weak spot in the running gear above its tracks.

PE grates from a Modelcollect E-50/75 were fitted over the cooling fan openings (even though they did not fit perfectly), and I scratched two small smoke grenade mortar clusters for the turret flanks from sprue material. Tools and a container for a replacement main gun barrel segment were taken from the Hasegawa kit.

Painting and markings:
Another reason for this whiffy Panther was a camouflage concept that I had been wanting to test on a model for a while. It was inspired by French tank paint schemes from the early WWII phase: some vehicles carried a paint scheme consisting of horizontal, wavy high-contrast bands – an attempt to mimic a landscape with the horizon, consisting of relatively dark colors on low tank areas and light colors, even light grey or blue, on the turret. While some French tanks carried rather garish colors, I thought that this concept could work well with more subdued tones, only using the color contrast and trying to maximize the camouflage effect depending on the viewer's perspective on the tank : either horizontally against the horizon, but also from above, when the vehicle would need a different camouflage against the ground.

The typical German "Hinterhalt" camouflage colors, Dunkelgelb, Olivgrün and the darker Rotbraun (RAL 7028, 6003 and 8017, respectively) were a good, limited palette to try this stunt, using Modelmaster 2095, a mix of Humbrol 86 and 78 for a lighter shade of green and Humbrol 180. Conforming to German standards, the running gear was painted uniformly, and I used RAL 7028 all around as a countershading measure. RAL 7028 was also applied to the turret flanks and to the barrel's underside, to reduce the contrast of these areas against the sky.
RAL 6003 and 8017 were then primarily applied to the roof areas of hull, turret, and barrel, with only small RAL 7028 spots here and there to break these dark areas up against the ground when seen from above. To generally break the tank's outlines up, the demarcation lines between the light and dark areas were painted with sharp, very wavy, "amoeba-esque" edges.

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The model received an overall washing with dark brown ink and some dry-brushing with light grey to emphasize edges and details. The vinyl tracks were painted, too, with a mix of grey, red brown and iron (acrylic paints). The decals/markings are minimal, all taken from the scrap box, and the model was finally sealed with matt acrylic vanish overall, plus some very light extra dry-brushing with silver to simulate flaked paint, and dirt and rust residues were added here and there with watercolors. After final assembly, the lower areas of the model were furthermore powdered with mineral pigments to simulate mud crusts and dust.

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171 Panzerkampfwagen V ,Panther' Ausf. H; vehicle '222' of the 20th Panzer-Division; Weser river region (Western Germany), early 1946 (Whif/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A straightforward what-if/Heer '46 project. From a hardware perspective, the idea of an upgraded Panther as an E-50 stopgap for late 1945 with a bigger turret and gun works IMHO well, as the model combines old and new elements. The paint scheme experiment worked, too; when seen from the side, the wavy contrast between the light and dark areas breaks up the Panther's silhouette against the horizon, while the rather dark colors from above conceal the vehicle against the ground, e. g. when it would be hidden under trees or in the shadows between buildings. The overall package looks quite plausible!

Old Wombat · August 24, 2022, 01:30:30 AM

Nice work, Dizzy!

The solid front glacis is a good move but failing to rectify the lack of access to the transmission units at the front is a missed opportunity for improved maintenance times.

I particularly like the paint job.

Dizzyfugu · August 24, 2022, 02:40:25 AM

Thanks a lot, glad you like it. Armor protection and production simplicity were probably more relevant than maintenance-friendliness?!

NARSES2 · August 24, 2022, 06:22:10 AM

That's really nice

Dizzyfugu · August 24, 2022, 06:53:35 AM

Thank you, too!

Wardukw · August 24, 2022, 01:30:00 PM

Lovely build Diz

I thought it looked strange and it took a mo and then your build pics showed it..no bow machine gun..a very nice touch and like Guy i really do like that paint job..youve gor the touch for small armour matey

Dizzyfugu · August 24, 2022, 11:23:42 PM

Thank you. I actually did a few 1:35 tanks long ago (and used an Italeri M4 to learn/test weathering techniques), but grew up with the Matchbox 1:76 kit and eventually settled on 1:72, since this is my "familiar" scale, and there's the space/storage issue, too.

Glad you like it!

NARSES2 · August 25, 2022, 12:46:22 AM

I've got fond memories of those Matchbox kits, especially the little "diorama" base they came with

Wardukw · August 25, 2022, 01:06:29 AM

I remember those Chris and i still remember the only 76th scale models ive ever had..3 in total..Matchbox Easy 8 Sherman and a M40 SPG ..i had a Simitar to but dont remember who made it..Airfix maybe.
Oh i had no doubt you built 35th Dizzy but since you only post the wee armour i thought thats your pleasure now..didnt think about space tho