This is my second ever model nearing completion, and my first to be posted to this forum, so please be kind
Bit of background to the 'frankenpanther', basically I originally painted this in an over all ambush scheme, to replicate Panther 301 in Normandy in 1944, and then royally screwed it up by covering it in the infamous Tamiya X-21....yeah....so then it went from an ambush scheme, to a paint job more appropriate for Stalingrad, not great to be honest....
So, many hours of sanding, swearing and washing later, no change, I was ready to throw the towel in and banish it to the shelf of doom, but with a little persuasion I got my hands on some primer red and resprayed the entire thing to create an alternate history version of Panther 301, so, bear with for a bit and go with it
Some (alternate) 'history' behind Panther 30...
Panther 30 served in the 101st SS Panzerabteilung in Paris at the time of the D-Day invasions, on the 7th June 1944, under Hitler's orders a section of the 101st SSPzAb with Panther 30 included was mobilized to reinforce the already stretched Panzercorps in the immediate area around Normandy. After fierce fighting in the bocage, the 101st SSPzAb retreated to defend Paris from the looming Allied invasion force. At this point Panther 30's turret was disabled by a shot from an Allied Sherman, and was pulled from the front line to be repaired. This involved scavenging a turret from a different Panther G (hence the different schemes) and was returned to the front line, now a mere few miles from Paris. The 101st SSPzAb then advanced in a counter attack in a ditch attempt to defend Paris and establish a frontier within Allied positions, bolstered by some ragtag infantry companies, and the now ineffective Luftwaffe, the 101st SSPzAb neared Falaise, and dug in, which developed into the battle of the Falaise Pocket. Panther 30 inexplicably survived the battle of the Falaise Pocket where the 101st SSPzAb lost virtually all of its Tiger I's, at this point the Abteilung was scavenging for vehicles and pressed Panther 30 back into service for the retreat from France.
On 9th September the 101st SS Panzerabteilung was almost entirely refit with Tiger II's and re-designated Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501, at which point Panther 30 was relegated to scouting duties with other vehicles the 501st had pressed into service for the retreat into Germany. The 501st S-Pz.Ab. then retreated further to hold out in Frankfurt, yet the Abteilung did not stay in Frankfurt long due to the Allied advance through the Ardennes, pushing through the German resistance. At this point the 501st S-Pz.Ab. was forced into retreat, to hold out in Berlin. While the 501st S-Pz.Ab. was retreating towards Berlin, an element including Panther 30 was deployed in an advanced bridgehead at Potsdam, which was rapidly overrun by the Red Army, through the 1st Ukranian Front, forcing the 501st S-Pz.Ab. to retreat in disarray, to what was left of central Berlin on 18th April, 1945. At this point, the 501st S-Pz.Ab. was in complete chaos, with pockets of resistance, dotted around Berlin, mixing and reinforcing the volkssturm jäger in a last ditch defense of Berlin. At this point, on the 24th April 1945, Panther 30 is modeled, the day before the Battle of Berlin ended, and Soviet forces, occupied the city.
I used mainly AK Interactive products, and some MiG washes to get the weathering for it, with AK's Rust Streaks applied more as a wash, along with MiG's Extreme Rust wash. The mud on the tracks in AK's Dark Earth mixed 20-80 with some pigment fixer to create a paste which I roughly applied. All the paints are either Tamiya or Mr. Colour, feedback is welcomed!
Thanks for looking
