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ATENÇÃO:
A publicação de qualquer imagem ou informação referentes ao nazismo, fascismo ou quaisquer outros regimes totalitários deve ser entendida como reprodução do rigor histórico e não como apologia a estes regimes, líderes ou símbolos.

Panther Ausf D dozer blade (Räumschaufel Panzer Panther). - case report

Kameraden !!
      Another pretty and very, very rare German girl: Panther Ausf D dozer blade (Räumschaufel Panzer Panther).
      This project was built in July 2008, but the results was very taste and different...Again, the start point were actual photos: a Panther Ausf D without main gun and with a dozer blade adapted in her snout... Räumschaufel Panzer Panther. This vehicle was transformed by MAN, Nuremberg, maybe in 1944.
Räumschaufel Panzer Panther- Panther Ausf D dozer blade - front right view

Räumschaufel Panzer Panther - Panther Ausf D dozer blade - front left view

Räumschaufel Panzer Panther - Panther Ausf D dozer blade
Say 'Cheese'!!!
          It´s an old Panther Ausf D (look at the commander cupola like garbage can and the absence of the bow machine gun in front glacis ...) used as a bulldozer for cleaning the bombed german cities in 1944. 
    Notice the turret shows zimmerit and the hull, not. This must mean the use of scrap of Panthers in the MAN's plant (Nuremberg) to do a vehicle with this job ...
      Well ... I was looking for a kit to be the "host" of this "Frankenstein" and I found this old and antique Italeri kit in the flea markets:
Panther Ausf d Italeri - an old kit, full of dimensional problems
 but ideal for a session of madness!!
      My original plan was to scratch the dozer blade, but which was not my surprise when NeoGrade (today, Adler Scale Models) released this conversion kit, five years ago...
NeoGrade picture- notice the wrong turret and commander cupola...
       At the time, I thought: Wow!!
      I ordered and received the kit from LuckyModel. Here is what I found when I opened the box:
NeoGrade kit. Notice the dozer blade, completely twisted
Unbelievable!!
bubbles and ...
the blade looked more like a wing ...
Holly Crap !!
      I thought to give a bath of boiling water and try to straighten the thing, but with absolute certainty the blade warp again. The correct line is to replace the portion of the twisted dozer and scratch the part in plasticard. I decided to cut the resin dozer in the red arrows to preserve the rivets details. This is the new blade above the NeoGrade:
Planning surgery
internal details...
      The Panther was built easy and fast...
Italerii's Panther. Notice the NeoGrade mantlet.
      NeoGrade kit specified the building of the blade only with steel rods ...
Installing the dozer, by the NeoGrade booklet.
Notice the reinforcment in the blade 
Bird view
worm view: (opposite of bird view...ehehehehe)
       At this stage, we discuss on Armorama that dozer blade should have some kind of lifting mechanism, for more effective action.Jim Dodson warned about the fact that, in the photos, some kind of wheel appears in the inner apex region between the blades, on top.


Notice the wheel in the top of the apex blade
      And Alan McNeilly drew a sort of sketch of what could be the mechanism ...
Alan's sketch.
      The elevator sistem would be similar to the lift blade system of the Studebaker snow-plow, that also I build:


      While I decide how to build the blade elevation system, I continued to assembling the Panther: Making Zimmerit wioth soldering iron:
Notice the scalpel blade adapted in the tip of soldering iron
     Something like this, as I show in these 4 short films, in sequence.


 

  


       And the results:
Turret with Zimmerit: vertical standard - left side
Turret with Zimmerit: vertical standard - right side

Panther ready for painting....
Primmed
I post this building in Armorama and received many ideas and contributions of various fellows. Jim Dodson (thanks a lot, Jim...) sent the saga of this vehicle:
     "The story behind this vehicle is that the MAN factory in Nurnberg converted a Panther in for rebuild/major repair to plow the rubble from the streets. It could be that there was internal damage that prevented replacing the gun or that this was a temporary fix and the plow was removed, the gun replaced/repaired and the Panther was sent back to the front. 
      I tend to think that it was a quick fix and was replaced. They had placed Ausf D turrets on Ausf G chassis so why waste the turret. The only thing that needed to be done was weld on a lower mounting point for the plow. This could have been left on or removed when the vehicle was returned to service.
      After seeing the pictures of Nurnberg after the war they needed more than one Panther with a plow. The city was flattened, just giant piles of rubble. If it wasn't for a turret from the castle on the hill I would not have recognized the place. Gave a whole new meaning to "precision" bombing! "Yes, Sir! We dropped out bombs and hit or target! Most of them did land in the city, a few in the suburbs!"      
      So, the idea is that this vehicle was built with parts from other vehicles, to serve as a bulldozer while awaiting repairs in your weaponry ...
And with cammo. Notice the different patterns of cammo. Turret and hull for different vehicles...
The Panther dozer in details...


      At this stage, I decided to make the blade lift system, adapting the Alan's sketch. See the pics below; I used many spare parts of my scrap box...This apparatus was an exercise of pure imagination ...based on logic, but only imaginary.
The 'Panzerserra-McNeilly' elevator device
A german tank needs german stuff: Panzer I wheels...

Installing the elevator sistem- top and medium apparatus...
Belly (or worm...) view
almost there...
When I started to build the elevator, I imagined something like the actual photo:
Above top: my kit with concept wheel; above, actual pic.
Steering wheel in position (concept)
Othe rview
      And the elevator sistem done:
Finally, the steering wheel in place. Notice the vertical steel strip, for reinforcement.
front view
side view
belly view
            After painting the Panzerserra-McNeilly device:
Panther - dozer ready for decals : Future !!!!
German decals !!!!
       Starting the weathering...
Weathering the Panther.
        And, finally...For the pics, I used my generic 'stone' base, with rocks and debris....
Räumschaufel Panzer Panther - Panther Ausf D dozer blade
Nuremberg, Germany, 1944.


Räumschaufel Panzer Panther - Panther Ausf D dozer blade
Nuremberg, Germany, 1944.





Räumschaufel Panzer Panther - Panther Ausf D dozer blade
Nuremberg, Germany, 1944.


Räumschaufel Panzer Panther - Panther Ausf D dozer blade
Nuremberg, Germany, 1944.

      And if someone wants to build something like this beast, this is the cake recipe:





      And to wind up, it appears that the elevator system Panzerserra-McNeilly was successful because Adler Models (the successor to NeoGrade) 'adopted' our design. See and compare:
Adler pic: elevator sistem. Notice the only difference is that
they have not 'adopted' the vertical steel strip,
for reinforcement. See below ( 25mm strip):
Panzerserra scratch: elevator sistem (2008)
Adler pic: belly view
Panzerserra scratch: belly (worm) view...(2008)

Adler pic
Adler pic

Räumschaufel Panzer Panther - Panther Ausf D dozer blade - 2008
See you, Gents !!!!

2 comentários:

  1. Hi KOJACK, please tell your boss that I am pleased that he added zimmerit to the turret because I believe I can see a slightly different pattern on one of the three photos of this D model. My guess is that the particular turret had seen war and was then put onto a D model hull that was one of the early Panther Ds that had so many teething problems that they were taken out of combat during the Kursk battle. Of course they had so many problems they had to be towed away. Then, back in Naziland there was a program that gave two options: to update some of the early D's and use them to try to iron out any problems represented by all the D's, and the other option was to use the others as driver training vehicles. of course the D models were improved and many were sent to the Normandy battlefield with a lot going to the Hitler Youth and there are photos of D models where A models and new G models were all in the same photos. Oddly enough, there are photos taken in Northwest Europe of at least two new G model hulls that had D model turrets. You know you can never, ever say something was never done in that war. And lastly, Solmodel is producing your bull dozer, I hope with your approval. Here is a link to their site with that D model bull dozer! https://www.solmodel.com/product/135-wwii-german-panther-dozer-detail-up/691/?cate_no=85&display_group=1 Naturally, I had seen your article and when I came across Solmodel, I jumped for my PayPal account so fast I looked like just a blur! Solmodel makes some good accouterments for vehicles though now they seem to be moving in the nearly naked 3D printed female soldiers. I know that has been big for a long time but it is a shame that companies who produce a lot of boobish figures would do well to make some women that are actually doing something useful. Aurora, a Japanese company that specializes in metal figures does some really great Luftwaffe and Hitler youth girls doing things other than wanting to be comfort women.

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    Respostas
    1. Hi, JClifford... Nice to see you again, here!!!
      Kojak gave the message and thank you very much for the compliments. Yes, I have the same opinion as yours: this vehicle was an authentic Frankensteins, built with vehicle parts that were in the factory for maintenance or reconstruction. therefore, I made a point of making different types of paintings in the camouflage of the parts used. Once again, thank you very much for your encouragement and for your historic contribution to the model. About Solmodels, no...unfortunately nobody got in touch with me, as it was with Adler. We live in difficult times, my friend... Very difficult... But that's ok... the important thing is to have fun!!! And when you build your girl (which I hope is not naked, as it seems to be the specialty of the Company you mentioned...), have a lot of fun... and send photos!! Dozer girl, of course!!! A big hug, be careful and Kojak (and his lovely assistants...) send a big hug!!! Come back often... the house is yours!!!

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