DONE +++ 1:72 Sd.Kfz. 234/5 "Puma II" (late); East Prussia, summer 1945

Dizzyfugu · July 27, 2021, 01:45:59 AM

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
Armored wheeled vehicles were developed early in Germany, since they were not subject to the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. The Sd.Kfz. 234 (Sonder-Kraftfahrzeug, or Special Purpose Vehicle) belonged to the so-called ARK series vehicles (the type designation of the chassis) and was the successor to the earlier, eight-wheeled Sd.Kfz. 231/232/233 heavy scout car family. The Sd.Kfz. 234 was a considerable step forward and incorporated several innovative features, including a monocoque chassis with eight wheels and an air-cooled Tatra 103 diesel engine that was originally chosen for use in North Africa. The latter gave the vehicle an extraordinary range of more than 600 miles (1.000 km) and a very good performance. The vehicle had eight-wheel steering and drive and was able to quickly change direction thanks to a second, rear-facing driver's seat, what made quick retreats and unexpected position changes easier.

Chassis were built by Büssing-NAG in Leipzig-Wahren, while armoured bodies were provided by Deutsche Edelstahlwerke of Krefeld and turrets by Daimler Benz in Berlin-Marienfelde and Schichau of Elbing, with engines from Ringhoffer-Tatra-Werke AG of Nesseldorf. The first and possibly best known version to reach frontline service was the Sd.Kfz. 234/2 'Puma'. It had a horseshoe-shaped turret armed with a 5cm L/60 gun, which had originally been developed for the VK 16.02 Leopard light tank which never made into production. Even though it was a dedicated reconnaissance vehicle, the armament made it possible to defend the vehicle effectively and even take on light armored vehicles. The Sd.Kfz. 234/2 was produced from late 1943 to mid-1944 and replaced in production by the second version, the Sd.Kfz. 234/1, which was less complex and easier to build. It had a simpler open turret and was armed only with a light 2 cm KwK 38 gun (in the so-called Hängelafette 38). It was manufactured from mid-1944 to early 1945 and became the standard reconnaissance vehicle in this period.

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Other versions were derived from the Sd.Kfz. 234, too. The Sd.Kfz. 234/3, produced simultaneously with the 234/1, served as a support for the lightly armed reconnaissance vehicles with more firepower. It had an open-topped superstructure, too, but carried a short-barreled 7.5cm K51 L/24 gun. This gun was intended primarily for use against soft targets, but when using a hollow charge shell, the penetration power exceeded that of the 5cm L/60 gun. This variant was produced until late 1944, before switching production to the 234/4. This version replaced the L/24 gun with the 7.5cm L/46 PaK 40 and was primarily another attempt to increase the mobility of this anti-tank gun and not a reconnaissance vehicle. It was not very successful, though: the heavy weapon stretched the light 234 chassis to its limits and only a very limited ammunition load of just twelve rounds could be carried on board due to lack of storage space. This variant was manufactured from the end of 1944 on only in limited numbers.

In mid-1945 another reconnaissance variant appeared, the Sd.Kfz. 234/5. It was a kind of hybrid between the earlier 234/1 and 234/2 variants, combining the light armament with a fully closed turret that offered the crew better protection from enemy fire and climatic conditions. The origins of the Sd.Kfz. 234/5 remain a little unclear – in fact, this variant started as a field conversion of a handful of Sd.Kfz. 234/2s in Hungary in mid-1944, which were retrofitted in field workshops with turrets from damaged Panzer-Spähwagen (neue Art) II 'Luchs' (also known as 'Panzer II Ausf. L', 'Sd.Kfz. 123 mit 2-cm-KwK 38' and VK 13.03 during the vehicle's development phase). This simple combination of existing components turned out to be so effective and popular among the crews that it was quickly ordered into production.

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Both chassis and turret remained unchanged, with a maximum armor of 30 mm (1.18 in), but the small turret with its light weapon (which had been adapted from a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun with a higher rate of fire than earlier guns of this type) reduced the overall weight to a little under 11 tons. This, and a slightly more powerful variant of the Tatra 103 V12 diesel engine, raised the vehicle's top speed by 10 km/h (6 mph). In service the Sd.Kfz. 234/5 was generally known as 'Puma II' and the frontline units frequently modified their vehicles.
Among these field updates were commander cupolas, transplanted from damaged Panzer III and IV and sometimes outfitted with a mount for a light Fla-MG (anti-aircraft machine gun), as well as more effective exhaust mufflers for a reduced noise signature. Additional thin, spaced armor plates were sometimes bolted to the hull and/or to the turret front to better protect the vehicle from armor-piercing weapons, esp. against rounds from Russian 14.5 mm tank rifles. Makeshift wire mesh shields against hollow charges, similar to heavier Thoma shields on battle tanks, were occasionally added, too, as well as smoke dischargers, mounted to the turret sides or to the vehicle's front. Night vision devices (Infrarot-Nachtsichtgerät F.G. 1250 or F.G. 1252) were fitted when available, and some late-production Sd.Kfz. 234/5s had a 140 cm (55 in) Telemeter KDO 44 stereoscopic rangefinder/telescope integrated into the turret, protruding from it on both sides. Vehicles that were almost exclusively operated on roads frequently had the wheels of the 2nd axle removed in order to reduce overall weight, rolling resistance and save precious rubber/tires.

Since production could not meet the operational units' demand the Sd.Kfz. 234/5s were issued very selectively to Panzerspähwagen companies of the Panzer Aufklärung battalions. They were operated alongside other Sd.Kfz. 234 versions and Panzer II, III and 38(t) Spähpanzer versions to provide artillery, AA and AT support. The Puma IIs were mostly given to veteran crews and equipped primarily Panzerdivision units operating in Russia, even though a few were sent to the Western front, too.
Exact production numbers remain uncertain because the original production of 81 new vehicles by Büssing-NAG was complemented by an uncertain number of field conversions that allowed older/damaged Sd.Kfz. 234/1 and 2s to be repaired and/or updated with the light 'Luchs' turret. The total number of operational Sd.Kfz. 234/5s remained less than 100, though.

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Specifications:
Crew: Four (commander, gunner, driver, radio operator/2nd driver)
Weight: 10,600 kg (25,330 lb)
Length: 6.02 m (19 ft 9 in)
Width: 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.32 meters (7 ft 7¼ in)
2.53 meters (8 ft 3½ in) when outfitted with a commander cupola
Suspension: Wheeled (Tires: 270–20, bulletproof), with leaf springs
Track width: 1.95 m (6 ft 4 1/2 in)
Wading depth: 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Trench crossing capability: 2m (6 ft 6 1/2 in)
Ground clearance: 350 mm (13 3/4 in)
Climbing capability: 30°
Fuel capacity: 360 l
Fuel consumption: 40 l/100 km on roads, 60 l/100 km off-road

Armor:
9 — 30 mm (0.35-1.18 in), sometimes augmented with
additional 5 — 10 mm (0.2-0.4 in) armor plates on the front of hull and/or turret

Performance:
Maximum road speed: 90 km/h (56 mph)
Operational range: 1,000 km (625 mi) on-road
600 km (373 mi) off-road
Power/weight: 20,75 PS/t

Engine:
Air-cooled 14,825 cc (905³ in) Tatra 103 V12 diesel engine, with 157 kW (220 hp) output at 2.200 RPM

Transmission:
Büssing-NAG "GS" with 3 forward and reverse gears, eight-wheel drive

Armament:
1× 20mm KwK 38 L/55 machine cannon with 330 rounds
1× co-axial 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 42 with 2.550 rounds

The kit and its assembly:
A straightforward conversion, and at its core this is not a what-if model because the Sd.Kfz. 234 was actually outfitted with the light 'Luchs' turret – even though this was probably only a field-modified, single vehicle that was eventually captured by Allied troops in Czechoslovakia in 1945:

This was not an official variant (yet). However, as exotic as this combo seems, there is a complete 1:72 kit of this apparently unique vehicle from Attack Kits, but it's pricey, and ModelTrans/Silesian Models from Germany does a resin conversion kit with the 'Luchs' turret. The latter set was used for this model and mated it with a Hasegawa Sd.Kfz. 234/2 hull, IMHO the best model of this vehicle, and even as a combo cheaper than the dedicated Attack kit.

Building the fictional Sd.Kfz. 234/5 from these ingredients was a very simple affair, everything was basically taken over OOB. For a more sophisticated in-service vehicle, I took over the smoke dischargers from the Hasegawa kit, added a leftover Panzer IV cupola as well as scratched fairings for a stereoscopic rangefinder, and replaced the original twin exhaust mufflers on the rear fenders with a different/bigger piece from an early Panzer IV, placed above the spare tire. This made enough room to add stowage boxes and no less than six jerry cans (all from the Hasegawa kit).

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The antennae were made from heated sprue material and the gun barrels are brass pieces, left over from a First To Fight Sd.Kfz. 232, which looked better than the (already fine and good, though) parts from the ModelTrans conversion set. The commander figure came from the Hasegawa kit.

Painting and markings:
A conservative approach, and I stuck to German late-war practice to apply a uniform Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028) livery over a red primer base upon delivery. Individual camouflage in medium green and dark brown was later applied in the field on top of that – a classic 'Hinterhalt' scheme.

Initially, the hull's underside was sprayed with Oxidrot (RAL 3009) from the rattle can, while the upper surfaces received a primer coat with a sandy brown. On top of the sand brown came a thin layer of RAL 7028 (thinned Tamiya XF-60, which is a rather desert-yellowish and pale interpretation of the tone, it should AFAIK have a slight greenish hue) to all directly visible surfaces, wheel hubs and the turret, for a cloudy and uneven basic camouflage. The individual, disruptive 'tiger stripe' camouflage was inspired by a late-war Panther battle tank from literature.

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The stripes were applied to the Dunkelgelb basis with a small brush and thinned Tamiya XF-58 (Olive Green) and XF-64 (Red Brown), for a makeshift camouflage with scarce paint that still meets official regulations. Following these, the wheel hubs remained in just a single color (making them less obvious when on the move), and the light Dunkelgelb was chosen to lighten the lower vehicle areas up, esp. with the rel. dark interior of the wheelhouses. The interior of the turret and the hatch were painted in a yellowish ivory tone (Revell 314), the tires were painted with Revell 09 (Anthracite) and later dry-brushed with light grey and beige.

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A thin black-brown ink wash and some dry-brushing along the many edges with grey and beige were used to weather the model and emphasize details. After decals had been applied (taken from the Hasegawa kit), the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and grey-brown mineral pigments were very lightly dusted onto the model with a soft brush around the wheels and the lower hull to simulate some dust.

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 234/5 (late production) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 'Puma II'; vehicle "201" of the Panzer-Abteilung 511's Panzer Aufklärungs-Battalion; Klaipėda Region/Memel Territory (East Prussia), summer 1945 (What-if/modified Hasegawa kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Well, this can be considered a semi-whif since such a vehicle actually existed – but there never was a serial production, and I tried to enhance the fictional aspect with some added details like the commander cupola or the rangefinder. It's a subtle conversion, though. I was initially skeptical about the "tiger stripe" livery, but when it was applied, I was surprised how effective it is! It really blurs the vehicle's outlines and details – making the turret conversion even less apparent.

Gondor · July 27, 2021, 03:33:19 AM

Nice, simple and elegant

Gondor

Dizzyfugu · July 27, 2021, 03:45:32 AM

Thank you.

NARSES2 · July 27, 2021, 06:05:59 AM

I've always liked the Puma and that turret really does suit it

DONE +++ 1:72 Sd.Kfz. 234/5 "Puma II" (late); East Prussia, summer 1945

Dizzyfugu

Gondor

Dizzyfugu

NARSES2