HL Panther

[Nic.H]

Hi Andy, do you know if the late g's had side skirts?...as i would like to fit those.

Nic

[littletankman]

Hi Nic . The G did have side skirts that look the same as the Ausf . D and A . But I think the attache to the tank diferently . Will have to check up on that . Ive made brass skirt mounts for my A and styrene skirts .

Andy

[Nic.H]

Hi Andy, I have been watching your panther re-build, you have a lot more skill than me..The skirts would be a nice addition.

Nic

[littletankman]

Hi Nic, Thanks for the coments . Ive just posted some picts of the turret/cupola . Im sure your very good at modeling , beleive me Im no expert . But thanks . To make the Ausf.D/A style skirts I just worked out the length of each skirt . Added styrene slots in the relevent places . Then made brass skirt holders simply by bendin an L shape piece and the gluing the little brackets on . The skirts are made from thin styrene so just cut the slots out . The only thing I havent done is I think they had a screw in locking piece in the top slot . I think Im leaving this off .

Andy

[Phil]

Crispy, its the only way to go mate,The jagd came today so the box is hidden in the shed awaiting the next visit to the tip
Abo

Now that sounds exactly what I did, In the end I get them posted to work, I know it's sad to hide stuff but hey they soon look like you have had them for years lol

[STEINER]

Here is a Video posted on utube of the new HL Panther. I really like the tank, but I wish HL would delete the tank rocking back on its tracks every time the gun is fired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xqT9A_U ... 5F810028A2

Cheers

STEINER

[Crispy]

Wish I could get mine posted to work. Large couriered parcels like tanks arent so bad but my usual postie isnt the sharpest tool in the box. He regularly leaves anything that wont fit through the letterbox and doesnt need signing for outside against the door in full view of any little thieving gits going by. He doesnt bother ringing the bell either, a couple of times i've been in and discovered a parcel left outside as it was pushed over by my own front door opening! He's even posted stuff that was sent "first class signed for" through the letter box without getting a signature or taking the barcode tags off it... Yeah he really deserves more pay and better conditions....

My wife runs a bit hot & cold regarding tanks. Mostly its "oh god you're not doing tank stuff again are you" then she's offereing to buy me another one for Christmas.... so how does that work then?

Back to Panthers, seeing as there wont be many decent cheap allied tanks coming out for a while Im quite interested in the 1/35 Dragon Erzats M10 and the HL Panther looks like a good candidate. I assume it was used during the Battel of the Buldge to cause confusion with the allies but does anyone have any real info/history on this tank or is it just another "what if" paper panzer job? The Dragon website has a little info and some nice production pics:

http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/dmlusa/p ... id=DRA6561

[grim_marmazet]

They were used during Operation 'Greif'. It was a covert action to mislead and misdirect Allied forces ahead of the main German advance. They were ment to give conflicting orders, secure bridges, and lead Allied forces to the wrong locations. Unfortunetely, they could get very few Allied vehicles, no tanks, only a handful of English speaking soldiers, and even less that knew American coloquialisms. They disguised a few Panthers to look like M10's and repainted some Armoured cars OD with stars. The operation was a miserable failure. Due to this action the Allies ended up shooting any German soldier caught in American or British gear, even though most were just using it because it was warmer.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Rik

[Nic.H]

They were used during Operation 'Greif'. It was a covert action to mislead and misdirect Allied forces ahead of the main German advance. They were ment to give conflicting orders, secure bridges, and lead Allied forces to the wrong locations. Unfortunetely, they could get very few Allied vehicles, no tanks, only a handful of English speaking soldiers, and even less that knew American coloquialisms. They disguised a few Panthers to look like M10's and repainted some Armoured cars OD with stars. The operation was a miserable failure. Due to this action the Allies ended up shooting any German soldier caught in American or British gear, even though most were just using it because it was warmer.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Rik

Hi, if memory serves me well, it was run by a guy called Otto Skorenzy, he was also behind the rescue of mussolini too...he was a bit of a nutter apparently, well decorated on the eastern front.

Nic

[grim_marmazet]

You are right Nic! He was Hitler's 'go to' man, and would take on anything he wanted done. The irony is, if Operation 'Greif' had had all the equipment and men it needed, it probably would have turned the Ardennes Offensive to the German's advantage, and prolonged the war.
Cheers,
Rik