1/35 SdKfz. 173 Jagpdanther - Change of plans

[mahavelona]

Hello everybody

 

Whilst I am almost finished with my Jagdpanzer IV over on the Panzer IV GB, I've been thinking of my next project. It's going to be a late war Jadgpanther, sporting an unusual camo scheme of thin sand and green stripes over the red oxide primer base. I've got the Gunze Sanyo 1/35 kit of a late production machine; photos to come.

 

I like to build my models to represent a photographed historic vehicle. I find it adds to the fun. 

 

The main photograph is contained in Markowsky, Melleman and Skwiot's "SdKfz. 173 Jagdpanther" from AJ Press' Gunpowder series (2005, pp. 103). I got this copy from Flickr, though. Markowsky, et al. (2005) claim that the photo was taken on May 10th, 1945, in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, about 70km from the Dutch border.

A second photo, which appears to have been taken very soon after the first, is found online.

Interpreting this photo for us is the fantastic Mig Jimenez (yes, the chap who makes the pigments), in his great book "Camouflage Profile Guide: 1945 German colors" (2012, pp.29). Jimenez used some advanced methods to determine the shades of historic photos and the book is a real treasure trove for panzer fans. 

 

In summary: I'm building a very late war Jagdpanther, likely built in 1945, when paint was short and Jagdpanthers were only given a sparing application of camouflage colours over the red oxide base. On this example, the wheels and gun are left in primer, with a thin application of sand and green stripes. The vehicle's service history must have been short, and I'm fairly certain these photos were taken at an Allied collection point for German armour, hence the presence of so many other parked vehicles in the photos. I don't know much about the capture of Oldenburg, I'd appreciate any info about the historical context, or extra photos you may know of! I still need to read up on the orders of Jagdpanther production to see if I can work out some more details about this vehicle. 

 

I'll likely start the build next week, but the research process always comes first for me!

Edited February 11, 2019 by mahavelona

[Karlj72]

Looking forward to your progress.

Your like me I like to research and look through 100's of photos trying to find the vehicle that you want to build.

 

Good luck.

[Soeren]

You choose a great subject here. But regarding the camo interpretation. It doesn't look nowhere like on the picture.

[mahavelona]

1 hour ago, Soeren said:

You choose a great subject here. But regarding the camo interpretation. It doesn't look nowhere like on the picture.

Are you thinking in terms of colour and shade, or the shapes of the stripes? Cross-referencing photo and drawing, the stripes do look a lot more straightforward on the photo than they do on the drawing. I'd appreciate any thoughts!

[Soeren]

Hey there, I can't speak for the colours,  but thwe shapes are obviously different. 

[Harry Callahan]

Thank you so much

 

I never known before that Jagdpanther had been in my hometown Oldenburg, so i will, no i must follow your build report

[mahavelona]

On ‎07‎/‎02‎/‎2019 at 07:43, Soeren said:

Hey there, I can't speak for the colours,  but thwe shapes are obviously different. 

Agreed on that! 

 

10 hours ago, Harry Callahan said:

Thank you so much

 

I never known before that Jagdpanther had been in my hometown Oldenburg, so i will, no i must follow your build report

Thanks! I doubt you can recognise the place in the photo as I expect the town has changed. I might also note that this Jagdpanther might not have fought in Oldenburg; the photo was taken 2 days after VE day and it appears the Allies were gathering captured vehicles in an open space in Oldenburg..

[Harry Callahan]

Hello mate

 

Yes youre right, even i tried to recognise the place and compared with other black/white photos from Oldenburg, i cannot see where in Oldenburg this loacation is. I was thinking only Panzer IV or some Sturmgeschütze have fought in Oldenburg, its very hard to clear it up.

[mahavelona]

Blast!

 

I was just at the stage of trying to draw up an accurate colour profile for the tank, after the above discussions about the disparity between Jimenez's profile and the photos.

 

Well, I've noticed that I can't build '59' with my kit! 

 

Jimenez's profile misses off a key detail: the cluster of equipment attached to the Jagdpanther's lefthand side wall, at the front. This was a feature of Jagdpanthers produced before January 1945. From January 1945, tools were moved to be attached on the Jagdpanther's upper rear wall. Another major change at the same time was the introduction of a tall 'tower' on the rear deck, containing a fan for a crew heater. After careful scrutiny of those photos I now feel that '59' lacks this fan tower; making it most likely a vehicle produced before 1945. Unfortunately, Jimenez's profile shows a vehicle produced after 1945.

 

So, back to the drawing board!

I am now searching for a photo of a Jagdpanther with tools on the back and a tall fan heater on the rear deck, produced after January 1945, because that is all my kit will allow. Any interesting ideas would be welcomed! I'm off to hunt this out.