1:72 KüBa 39 (Sd.Kfz. 190) 21 cm mortar SPG, Northern Germany, early 1945

Dizzyfugu · March 01, 2023, 12:58:56 AM

Finished a while ago, and I try to catch up with photographs to my hardware output during the past weeks. This time a vehicle, a (relatively) big one:

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The 21 cm Kanone 39 (K 39) was a Czech-designed heavy gun used by the Germans in the Second World War. It was original designed by Škoda as a dual-purpose heavy field and coast defence gun in the late 1930s for Turkey with the designation of 'K52'. Only two had been delivered before the rest of the production run was appropriated by the Heer upon the occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
Initially, the K 39 only saw limited use as a field cannon in Operation Barbarossa, the Siege of Odessa, Siege of Leningrad and the Siege of Sevastopol. During the war, nine of these guns were sold to Sweden, too.

With the ongoing (and worsening) war situation and the development of heavy tank chassis towards late 1944, the K 39 received new attention and was adapted by the Wehrmacht as a long-range mortar, primarily intended as a mobile coastal defense weapon for strategically important naval sites, and as a second line artillery support. There were several reasons that made the heavy weapon still attractive: Unlike the German practice of sliding block breeches that required a metallic cartridge case to seal the gun's chamber against combustion gases, Škoda had preferred to use an interrupted screw breech with a deBange obdurator to seal the chamber. This lowered the rate of fire to 3 rounds in 2 minutes but had the great economic advantage of allowing bagged propellant charges that didn't use scarce brass or steel cartridge cases, since these metals became more and more short in supply. This also meant that the propellant charge could be adjusted to the intended range, what also helped save material.
The other unusual feature of the gun was a monobloc auto-frettaged barrel, created from a single piece of steel that was radially expanded under hydraulic pressure. This had the advantage of placing the steel of the barrel under compression, which helped it resist the stresses of firing and was simpler and faster to build since the barrel didn't require assembly as with more traditional construction techniques.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Every shell used by the K 39 weighed 135 kilograms (298 lb). HE shells (the 21 cm Gr 40), anti-concrete shells (21 cm Gr 39 Be) and an armor-piercing, base-fuzed shell, the 21 cm Pzgr 39 were available. The K 39 used a bagged charge with a total weight of 55 kilograms (121 lb). The base charge ("Kleine Ladung") weighed 21.5 kilograms (47 lb) and had an igniter stitched to its base. The two increments ("Vorkart") were lightly stitched together and enclosed in another bag tied at the top and with another igniter stitched to the base. The medium charge ("Mittlere Ladung") consisted of the base charge and increment 2 while the full charge ("Grosse Ladung") consisted of the base charge and both increments. The increments were loaded before the base charge. This resulted in a muzzle velocity of 800–860 m/s (2,600–2,800 ft/s) and a maximum firing range of 33 km (36,000 yd).

Emplacing the K 39 on its original box trail carriage took six to eight hours, mainly to dig in and anchor the firing platform, and a significant entourage was necessary to operate it. To improve the weapon's handling and mobility, and to protect the crew especially against aircraft attacks, the K 39 was in 1943 to be mounted on a self-propelled chassis. Initially, a standardized "Schwerer Waffenträger", which would also be able to carry other large-caliber guns (like the 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette), was favored. However, the vehicle's functional specification included the ability to set the heavy weapon gun down on the ground, so that it could be operated separately, and this meant an open weapon platform as well as complex and heavy mechanisms to handle the separate heavy guns. The Schwere Waffenträger's overall high weight suggested the use of existing standard heavy tank elements and running gear and drivetrain elements from the heavy Tiger II battle tank were integrated into the design. The development of this mobile platform had high priority, but the focus on more and new battle tanks kept the resources allocated to the Schwerer Waffenträger project low so that progress was slow. As it became clear that the Schwere Waffenträger SPG would not become operational before 1945 a simpler alternative was chosen: the modification of an existing heavy tank chassis. Another factor was the Heeresleitung's wish to protect the weapon and its crew through a fully enclosed casemate, and the ability to set the weapon down was dropped, too, to simplify the construction.
Originally, the SdKfz. 184 (Porsche's chassis design for the Tiger I battle tank, which was not accepted in this role but instead developed into the tank hunter SPG Elefant/Ferdinand with a modified combat compartment at the rear, was chosen. But since this type's production ended prematurely and many technical problems occurred through its complex propulsion system, the chassis of the Sd.Kfz. 186, the heavy Jagdtiger SPG, was selected instead, as it was the only readily available chassis at the time in production that was capable of carrying the K 39's size and weight and of accepting its massive recoil forces.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Jagdtiger itself was based on the heavy Tiger II battle tank, but it was lengthened by 260 mm. Due to production problems with its main armament, many Jagdtiger hulls were left uncompleted, and to bring more of these heavy vehicles to the frontlines it was adapted to the Sd.Kfz. 187, the Jagdtiger Ausf. M with a modified internal layout (casemate and engine bay positions were switched to fit an 88 mm gun with an extra-long barrel), a stronger but still experimental X16 gasoline engine, and a simplified Porsche running gear.
Since it was readily available, this re-arranged Jagdtiger base was adopted for the so-called Sd.Kfz. 190 "Küstenbatterie K 39 (auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M)" self-propelled gun (SPG), or "KüBa 39" for short. The casemate-style combat section at the rear offered sufficient space for both the huge weapon and its crew, and also prevented the long gun barrel from hanging over too far ahead of the tank, improving its handling. Space for ammunition was still limited, though: racks on the casemate's side walls offered space for only four rounds, while fifteen gun charges were stored separately. Gun elevation was between +50° and –3°, azimuth adjustment was achieved through turning the whole vehicle around.
The Sd.Kfz. 190's hull featured the Jagdtiger's standard heavy armor, since the Sd.Kfz. 190 was converted from existing lower bodies, but the new battle compartment was only heavily armored at the front. This was intended as a protection against incoming RPGs or bombs dropped from Hawker Hurricane or Typhoon fighter bombers, and as a sufficient protection against frontal ground attacks – the vehicle was supposed to retreat backwards into a safe position, then turn and move away. Roof and side walls had furthermore to be thinner to reduce the vehicle's overall weight and lower its center of gravity, but they still offered enough protection against 20mm projectiles. Nevertheless, the Sd.Kfz. 190 weighed 64 tonnes (71 short tons), almost as much as the original Jagdtiger SPG it was based upon. Since it was not intended to operate directly at the front lines, the Sd.Kfz. 190 retained the Jagdtiger's original (but rather weak) Maybach HL230 P30 TRM petrol engine with 700hp and the Henschel suspension with internal torsion bars, what simplified the conversions with readily available material.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A pair of retractable supports at the rear of the vehicle could be lowered to stabilize the vehicle when firing and distribute the gun's massive recoil into the ground. The tall casemate's rear featured a large double swing door which were necessary to avoid crew injuries from the massive gun's pressure when it was firing. The doors were also necessary to re-load the gun – a small crane was mounted above the doors on the roof of the casemate, and a hoist to move the heavy rounds around in the casemate was mounted on tracks under the combat compartment's ceiling.

The KüBa 39 had a standard crew of six men. The crew in the hull retained their role and positions from the Tiger II, with the driver located in the front left and the radio operator in the front right. This radio operator also had control over the secondary armament, a defensive machine gun located in a mount in the front glacis plate. In the casemate were the remaining 4 crew, which consisted of a commander (front right), the gunner (front left), and two loaders in the rear, which were frequently augmented by a third loader to handle the heavy rounds with an internal hoist under the casemate's roof. Due to the severe maintenance and logistics needs, the KüBa 39 never operated on its own. Typically, several dedicated vehicles accompanied the self-propelled gun carrier as a "battle group", including at least one ammunition carrier like the Hummel Munitionsträger, a crew transporter like a Sd.Kfz. 251 for more helping hands outside of the vehicle and frequently a command/radio vehicle to coordinate and direct the fire onto targets far beyond visual range.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The KüBa 39 was quickly developed and fielded, but it came too late for the Allied invasion in 1944 where it could have been a valuable asset to repel Allied ships that operated close to the French coast or even in second line in the Channel. The first vehicles became operational only in early 1945, and production was limited and rather slow. The ever-worsening war situation put more and more emphasis on the production of battle tanks and tank hunters, so that the heavy artillery vehicle only received low priority. However, the few vehicles that were produced (numbers are uncertain, but not more than 30 were eventually completed and fielded), found a wide range of uses – including the defense of the Elbe mouth and the Hamburg port. Some were shipped to Norway for coastal defense purposes, and a handful was allocated to the defense of German submarine bases in France.
Towards the end of hostilities, the survivors were integrated into infantry groups and used for long-range fire support at both Western and Eastern front. No vehicle survived, since most Sd.Kfz. 190 were destroyed by their crews after breakdowns or when the heavy vehicle got stuck in difficult terrain – its weight made the KüBa 39 hard to recover.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Specifications:
Crew: Six - seven (commander, gunner, 2 -3× loader, radio operator, driver)
Weight: 64 tonnes (71 short tons)
Length: 7.27 metres (23 ft 8 in) (hull only)
9.72 metres (31 ft 10 in) overall in marching configuration
Width: 3.88 metres (12 ft 9 in)
Height 3.81 metres (12 1/2 ft)
Ground clearance: 495 to 510 mm (1 ft 7.5 in to 1 ft 8.1 in)
Suspension: Torsion bar
Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)

Armor:
25 – 150 mm (1 – 5.9 in)

Performance:
Speed
- Maximum, road: 38 km/h (23.6 mph)
- Sustained, road: 32 km/h (20 mph)
- Cross country: 15 to 20 km/h (9.3 to 12.4 mph)
Operational range: 120 km (75 mi) on road
80 km (50 mi) off road
Power/weight: 10,93 PS/tonne (9,86 hp/ton)

Engine:
V-12 Maybach HL HL230 P30 TRM gasoline engine with 700 PS

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

Armament:
1× 21 cm K 39/41 L45 heavy siege gun with 4 rounds and 15 separate charges
1× 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 or 42 with 800 rounds in the front glacis plate

The kit and its assembly:
The project to put the massive (real) Czech 21 cm K39 gun on a German chassis had been on my agenda for a long time, but I have never been certain about the vehicle donor for this stunt. I initially favored a Modelcollect E-50/75 since it is available as an SPG version with a reversed engine/casemate layout. But this kit has two serious issues: it would IMHO be too late to be adapted for the pre-war weapon, and – worse - the kit has the flaw that the mould designers simply ignored the driver/radio operator in the hull's front – the glacis plate immediately migrates into the engine deck and bay, so that there's no internal space for the driver! Even if you'd assume that the driver would sit with the rest of the crew in the casemate behind the engine, there are no hatches, sights slits or mirrors? Well, it's a fictional tank, but IMHO it has been poorly designed.
Correcting this might be possible, but then I could also convert something else, probably easier. This alternative became a serious option when I recently built my fictional Sd.Kfz. 187, a Jagdtiger with a reversed layout. This stunt turned out to be easier than expected, with good results, and since I had a second Jagdtiger kit left over from the Sd.Kfz. 187 project I simply used it for the KüBa 39 – also having the benefit of being rooted in an earlier time frame than the E-50/75, and therefore much more plausible.

The Trumpeter 1:72 Jagdtiger first lost its mid-positioned casemate. Internal stiffeners were glued into the hull and the engine deck was cut out and glued into the former casemate's place, directly behind the driver section. The casemate for the 21 cm gun (a Revell field gun model of this weapon, highly detailed) was scratched, though, and designing it was a gradual step-by-step process. To offer more internal space, the engine deck was slightly shortened, what also changed the vehicle's profile. From the Jagdtiger's superstructure I just retained the roof. Things started with another donor piece, though, the massive gun mantlet from a Trumpeter 1:72 KV-2 tank. It was mated with the21 cm gun and the movable KV-2 mantlet mounted with styrene sheet spacer onto a scratched casemate front plate. More styrene sheet was used to create covers around the mantlet, and inside I glued an "arm" to the gun with lead bead ballast, so that the gun could be easier posed in raised position. The finished gun element was glued onto the hull, and the Tiger II roof positioned as far back as possible, what revealed a 3mm gap to the front plate – bridged by another styrene sheet filler, which was also used to raise the roof and add a kink to the roofline that would make the casemate look less boxy.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

With the roofline defined I decided to extend the casemate backwards – after all, the original rear engine was gone and the vehicle would certainly need a spacious back door to enter and load it. Therefore, a back wall section was cut out and a casemate extension scratched from styrene sheet. When this was in place, the vertical casemate rear wall was added, and with the profile now fully defined the casemate side walls were created from 1.5 and 0.5 mm styrene sheet. The kink under the roofline was a self-imposed challenge, but I think that this extra effort was worthwhile because the casemate looks more organic than just a simple box design like the Ferdinand/Elefant's superstructure?

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Once the casemate was closed, surface details were added, including the doble door at the rear, the small crane on the roof, and the retractable supports (which came, IIRC, from a Modelcollect 1:72 T-72 kit). The rest of the original Jagdtiger kit was simply taken over OOB.

Painting and markings:
As a vehicle operated in the open field, I gave the KüBa 39 a classic, contemporary "Hinterhalt" paint scheme, in the sophisticated original style that was only applied to a few vehicles on factory level until the camouflage job was soon delegated to the frontline units. Painting started with a base coat of RAL 8000 (Grünbraun) as an overall primer, then 7028 Dunkelgelb (Tamiya TS-3) was sprayed onto the upper surfaces from a rattle can for a light shading effect. At this stage the markings/decals were already applied, so that the additional camouflage could be applied round them. They were puzzled together from the scrap box.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Then clusters/fields in Olivgrün (RAL 6003; Humbrol 86) and Rotbraun (RAL 8012, Humbrol 160) were added onto the sand tone base with circular templates/stencils made from densely foamed styrene that were glued onto the tip of toothpicks – the large casemate with its even surfaces lent itself for this elaborate "factory finish" scheme variant. The stamp method worked better than expected, and the result is very convincing. I just tried to concentrate the dark areas to the upper surfaces, so that the contrast against the ground when seen from above would be smaller than from a side view, which became more fragmented. The running gear remained uniform Dunkelgelb, as a counter-shading measure and to avoid wobbling patterns on camouflaged wheels that could attract attention while the vehicle would move.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

After protecting the decals with a thin coat of varnish the model and the still separate wheels received a dark-brown washing with highly thinned acrylic paint and an overall dry-brushing treatment with light grey and beige. Additionally, water colors were used to simulate dust and light mud, and to set some rust traces on exposed areas.

Artist mineral pigments were dusted into the running gear and onto the tracks after their final assembly, and some mud crusts on the tail supports were created with a bit of matt acrylic varnish and more pigments.

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Sd.Kfz. 190 Küstenbatterie (KüBa) 39 auf Jagdtiger (Ausf. M); "312" of 1. Abteilung, 144. Panzer Artillerie Regiment; Brunsbüttel, Spring 1945. (Whif/Trumpeter kit conversion) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A thorough conversion project, and the result is a really massive vehicle - its bulk is hard to convey, the Jagdtiger basis is already a massive vehicle, but this is "super-size", close to an E-100! However, you have to place something next to it to fathom the size of the 21 cm mortar and the huge casemate that covers it. But the conversion looks IMHO rather natural, esp. for a scratched work, and the Hinterhalt suits the bulky vehicle well, it really helps to break the outlines up.

PR19_Kit · March 01, 2023, 03:30:46 AM

A good thing that it DIDN'T exist, or be built in time to counteract the D-Day invasion!

That looks one formidable machine! $:-\$

Dizzyfugu · March 01, 2023, 03:43:53 AM

It's HUGE. The pictures hardly convey the thing's mass and size - I tried to take a Puma 8x8 recce tank into some scenes, but this still does not suffice.

Old Wombat · March 01, 2023, 04:03:57 AM

Fantastic build, Dizzy!

And I agree whole-heartedly with Kit! A sufficient number of those could have made a mess of the D-Day landings.

You need more people, Dizzy. People understand people as a scale reference. Especially in the town scenes, a few soldiers running past or walking alongside would scale it much better.

NARSES2 · March 01, 2023, 06:25:32 AM

Terrific build Dizzy

Big Guns have always fascinated me and I built a couple of resin 1/72 pieces for a friend who's grandfather was in the RGA in WWI. Nice to see these big guns being brought "up to date" so to speak

Wardukw · March 01, 2023, 11:08:58 AM

Big gun..big chassis...big armour...prefect combo Dizzy

This im loving...has the right look and as usual ya paint job rocks this model.. got me so tempted now for my Meng Panther..a medium sized sister to your big daddy

One thing tho...that tube on top of the gun ..that's called recoil recuperator..it's the main part of the guns recoil system and its not connected to the gun and it should be...without it connected the gun would go straight threw the back of your case mate moments after firing it

Honestly Id love to see that

rickshaw · March 01, 2023, 10:26:56 PM

Interesting. However, I wonder about the value of a hull mounted MG. It should be operating well outside contact with infantry. Also it appears to be too tall and a bit cramped, with the commander's cupola too far forward. It would/should be more to the rear and it would mount an MG for AA defence. Minor quibbles but important ones I feel.

Dizzyfugu · March 01, 2023, 11:43:58 PM

Quote from: Wardukw-NZ on March 01, 2023, 11:08:58 AMThis im loving...has the right look and as usual ya paint job rocks this model.. got me so tempted now for my Meng Panther..a medium sized sister to your big daddy

Well, just wait a bit, there are two more finished projects in the queue for pics, and the latest one will come close to these secret desires...

Besides, many thanks, gentlebeings, glad you like it!

Wardukw · March 01, 2023, 11:46:52 PM

Well stop dicking around then Thomas mate and get the bloody pics up ok !

Dizzyfugu · March 01, 2023, 11:49:47 PM

Quote from: rickshaw on March 01, 2023, 10:26:56 PMInteresting. However, I wonder about the value of a hull mounted MG. It should be operating well outside contact with infantry. Also it appears to be too tall and a bit cramped, with the commander's cupola too far forward. It would/should be more to the rear and it would mount an MG for AA defence. Minor quibbles but important ones I feel.

The commander cupola and its position in the roof ares 1:1 taken over from the Jagdtiger donor, and due to the less angled front and the new kinked roofline even further back! AA machine guns were rare on German tanks, even though it happened, esp. in the late war stages, so that I did not list it as standard equipment. Many tanks also carried light machine pistols as loose tandard equipment for self-defense against infantry, but these are typically also not mentioned in literature. The casemate is huge, but I agree that it is still relatively small for the massive gun - and firing it in this enclosed space would certainly not be recommended in real life. But, hey, it looks cool...

Dizzyfugu · March 01, 2023, 11:51:05 PM

Quote from: Wardukw-NZ on March 01, 2023, 11:46:52 PMWell stop dicking around then Thomas mate and get the bloody pics up ok !

Patience, young Padawan. First I have to get an aircraft project thorugh (shooting has been finished, but editing takes time). One step after the other, and I am already working on the Desert War Jet Provost while the V 200 takes its brake fluid bath.

Wardukw · March 02, 2023, 12:04:09 AM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on March 01, 2023, 11:51:05 PM
Quote from: Wardukw-NZ on March 01, 2023, 11:46:52 PMWell stop dicking around then Thomas mate and get the bloody pics up ok !

Patience, young Padawan. First I have to get an aircraft project thorugh (shooting has been finished, but editing takes time). One step after the other, and I am already working on the Desert War Jet Provost while the V 200 takes its brake fluid bath.

Haha ..never thought I'd be called young at 54

Age of 54 with the body now of a 75 yr old

Trust me matey I am extremely patient..I said that for the other guys