1:72 Sd.Kfz. 171/4 "Kugelpanther" SPAAG, Winter 1945

[Dizzyfugu]

After the manag figurine I was busy with generative A.I. experiments and considering a new aircraft project, but in the meantime I dug out some ingredients to build a small "interim whif" model - another German Heer '46 SPAAG, the "Kugelpanther".


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
The need for a specialized self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, capable of keeping up with the armored divisions, had become increasingly urgent for the German Armed Forces, as from 1943 on the German Air Force was less and less able to protect itself against enemy fighter bombers. Therefore, a multitude of improvised and specially designed self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were built, many on the Panzer IV chassis, starting with the Flakpanzer IV Möbelwagen (a stopgap design) and progressing through the Wirbelwind and Ostwind models. However, these designs were tall, open-topped designs with sub-optimal armor. These flaws were to be eliminated in the Kugelblitz, the final development of the Flakpanzer IV.


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The first proposal for the Kugelblitz SPAAG envisioned mounting a modified anti-aircraft turret, which had originally been developed for U-boats, on the Panzer IV chassis. It was armed with dual 30 mm MK 303 Brunn guns. However, this was eventually abandoned, since development of this gun had not yet been completed, and, in any case, the entire production run of this weapon turret would have been reserved for Germany's Kriegsmarine, anyway. However, enough firepower that enabled the Flakpanzer to cope with armored attack aircraft, namely the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2, which was a major threat to German tanks, was direly needed.

As the best readily available alternative, the SdKfz. 161/7 Leichter Flakpanzer IV 3 cm, nicknamed "Kugelblitz" because of its unique turret design. It comprised 30 mm MK 103 cannon in a Zwillingsflak ("twin flak") 103/38 arrangement, and it combined the chassis and basic superstructure of the existing Panzer IV medium battle tank with a newly designed turret. The turret's construction was sophisticated and comprised a spherical body, which was protected with 20 mm steel shells in front and back. This core was hanging in a ring mount from the Tiger I, suspended by two spigots – it was effectively an independent capsule that only slightly protruded from the tank's upper side and kept the vehicle's profile very low, unlike its predecessors. Elevation of the weapons (as well as of the crew sitting inside of the turret!) was from -5° to +80°, turning speed was 60°/sec. The turret was fully enclosed, with full overhead protection, 360° traverse and (rather limited) space for the crew of three plus weapons and ammunition. Compared with all earlier SPAAG designs, the Kugelblitz turret was a fundamental step ahead.


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The tank's MK 103 was a powerful weapon that had formerly been fitted in single mounts to such planes as the Henschel Hs 129 or Bf 110 in a ventral gun pod against tanks, and it was also fitted to the twin-engine Dornier Do 335 heavy fighter and other interceptors against Allied bombers. When used by the army, it received the designation "3 cm Flak 38". It had a weight of only 141 kg (311 lb) and a length of 235 cm (93 in) with muzzle brake. Barrel length was 134 cm (53 in), resulting in Kaliber L/44.7 (44.7 caliber). The weapon's muzzle velocity was around 900 m/s (3,000 ft/s), allowing an armor penetration for APCR 42–52 mm (1.7–2.0 in)/60°/300 m (980 ft) or 75–95 mm (3.0–3.7 in)/ 90°/ 300 m (980 ft), with an effective maximum firing range of around 5.700 m (18.670 ft).

The MK 103 was gas-operated, fully automatic and belt-fed, another innovative feature at that time for AA guns, which were formerly fed only by ammunition clips that had frequently to be manually re-loaded and prevented continuous fire for more than a few seconds. In the Kugelblitz turret the weapons could be fired singly or simultaneously, and their theoretical rate of fire was 450 rounds a minute, even though 250 rpm in short bursts was more practical to save ammunition and prevent overheating. The total ammunition load for both weapons was 1,200 rounds and the discharged cases fell into canvas bags placed under the guns, to be collected and recycled (due to material shortage). Since the MK 103 cannons produced a lot of powder smoke when operated, fume extractors were added, which was another novelty.

A production rate of 30 Kugelblitz SPAAG turrets and the respective conversion and production of complete vehicles on the basis of Panzer IV hulls per month by December 1944 was planned, but never achieved, because tank production had become seriously hampered and production of the Panzer IV was about to be terminated in favor of the new E-series tank family. Therefore, almost all Flakpanzer IV with the Kugelblitz turret were conversions of existing vehicles, mostly coming from repair shops after having been damaged in the field.


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In parallel, work was under way to adapt the Kugelblitz turret to the Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer hull, which was still in production in the former Czechoslovakian Skoda works, and to the new, light E-10 and E-25 tank chassis. Since the production of the new types also did not gain momentum, a new and immediate interim solution was required to provide the tank units with mobile protection from enemy aircraft. As another stopgap solution, hulls from standard SdKfz. 171 "Panther" medium battle tanks were modified to accept the Kugelblitz turret.

These vehicles were almost exclusively revamped or unfinished battle tanks, mostly late "G" models, but early "D" and "A" models were also converted, lending them a second life. The adaptations were minimal, though, and were executed at Kosmonosy, the former Skoda works, where Kugelblitz conversions were concentrated. The modified vehicle received the official designation SdKfz. 171/4.
The Panther's original turret ring had to be exchanged, and its' diameter enlarged to take the Tiger I's turret bearing. Another factory modification for the SPAAG role included additional armor plates over the ventilation grilles on the top of the engine deck, to better protect the powerplant from aircraft attacks. Theoretically the Panther's side skirts were supposed to be mounted on the SdKfz. 171/4, too, to protect its weak spot in the side armor around the running gear, but lack of material and rushed production simply prevented this. However, the side skirts were, when available, sometimes retrofitted in the units' field workshops.

Driver and radio operator were in the front of the hull, as with all German tanks. In the turret, the commander/gunner, who had a small observation cupola on top of the turret, was positioned in the middle, behind the main guns. The two gunner assistants were placed on the left and right side in front of him, in a slightly lower position. The assistant situated on the left of the guns was responsible for the turret's movements, the one on the right side was responsible for loading the guns. The spare ammunition was located on the right side. Each of these three crew members had individual hatch doors, which they could use to enter or exit the vehicle. The gunner assistants' hatch doors each had a small round shaped extra hatch, which were used for mounting sighting devices.


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Additionally, to improve accuracy and save ammunition, plans were made to outfit the turret with a stereoscopic telemeter for the commander – due to the lack of resources only about 1 in 4 turrets received this device, though, and such vehicles were reserved for platoon leaders. The stereoscopic telemeter was like an earlier stereoscopic rangefinder, but only with a single eyepiece. Since the original Kugelblitz turret offered not enough space for the device's integration it was added to a new, more bulbous hatch for the commander and mounted externally in an armored horizontal fairing. Vehicles with the rangefinder device received an "Ausf(ührung) B" suffix.

When Einheitspanzer production gained momentum the Panther conversions into SdKfz. 171/4 and other SPAAGs like the SdKfz. 171/3 'Coelian' vehicle family were stopped. Roundabout 50 SdKfz. 171/4s reached frontline units, only a dozen of them of the Ausf. B with the stereoscopic telemeter device. By mid-1945 the Panther-based SPAAGs had gradually replaced most of the outdated Panzer IV AA variants and other earlier improvised SPAAGs with open turrets. However, the SdKfz. 171/4 SPAAGs were soon joined and replaced by the newly produced, dedicated Flakpanzer variants of the new Einheitspanzer family, and already phased out by mid-1946, when Panther spare parts ran low and to unify and simplify field logistics with the new generation of standard tanks.


Specifications:
    Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader/2nd gunner, driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner)
    Weight: 41.5 tonnes
    Length: 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in)
    Width: 3.27 m (10 ft 9 in)
    Height: 2.79 m (9 ft 1½ in)
    Suspension: Double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels
    Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)

Armor:
    15–80 mm (0.6 – 3.15 in)

Performance:
    Maximum road speed: 46 km/h (29 mph)
    Operational range: 250 km (160 mi)
    Power/weight: 15.39 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)

Engine:
    Maybach HL230 P30 V-12 petrol engine with 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
    ZF AK 7-200 gear; 7 forward 1 reverse

Armament:
    2× 30 mm 3 cm Flak 38 (MK 103/3) with a total of 1.200 rounds
    1× 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun in the front glacis plate with 2.500 rounds


The kit and its assembly:
To be honest, this was a rather uninspired build. It was spawned by the thought that the Panzer IV-based "Kugelblitz" SPAAG might have been (re)built with a later/gigger chassis, too, and the Panzer V Panther appeared like a logical chassis. I had a Hasegawa Panther Ausf. G in The Stash™, as well as a surplus Kugelblitz turret from a ModelCollect fictional E-Series walking tank (a standard feature of the se kits in a ventral position, what makes NO sense at all!), and mating these was a rather simple task.

1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The Kugelblitz turret was built OOB, but to make it look a bit different and special I added a scratched rangefinder to the commander's hatch, which now turned into a kind of cupola.
The Hasegawa Panther was built OOB, the only mods I made are armor overs for the engine deck louvres, I left away the standard side skirts, and instead of the tube for a replacement 75mm gun barrel I gave the model a pair of thinner tubes for the smaller and shorter 30mm MK 103 barrels. To accept the new turret the original hull opening had to be enlarged – a bit tricky, but it worked well. Additionally, I scratched folded tarpaulins for the rear flanks, filling "blank space" on the mudguards. Another addition is a standard whip antenna on the engine deck, made from heated black sprue material.


Painting and markings:
A whiffy vehicle deserves a rather "typically German" livery, and I went for another variant of the Hinterhalt scheme, with the standard colors of Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028), Olivgrün (RAL 6003) and Rotbraun (RAL 8012). Painting started, as in real life, with an overall coat of Dunkelgelb, with Tamiya TS-3 from a rattle spray can. On top of that I added green and brown "tiger stripes" with Revell 84 (Lederbraun) and added smaller mottles with Revell 361 (Olivgrün). I did not pay much attention on being exact, since this field camouflage was improvised in real life, too, and it would disappear under a coat of winter whitewash, anyway. To emphasize the SPAAG's makeshift origin, I painted the turret cell in simple Oxidrot overall (RAL 3009, a standard German primer tone in WWII, even though frequently lighter due to be being stretched with pigments) and just applied some dry-brushing, while the armor collar received the hull's Hinterhalt cammo, too.


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The whitewash was done with thin acrylic Revell 5 (Flat White), only for a worn coat so that the dark cammo stripes and mottles underneath would shine through here and there. The tactical markings were spared from the whitewash, though, consisting of red code numbers from the Hasegawa kit's sheet and the scrap box. The OOB black vinyl tracks were also painted/weathered, with a wet-in-wet mix of black, iron, and red brown, all acrylics to avoid chemical long-term reactions with the relatively soft material through solvents.


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, and after the vinyl tracks had been mounted I also added lumps of snow to the running gear and the tracks (wet white tile grout, partly mixed with fine brown sand) and dusted dry white tile grout over the model to simulate light patches of snow, but not a full coat.



1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 SdKfz. 171/4 ,Mittlerer Flakpanzer V Ausf. B' a.k.a. ,Kugelpanther'; vehicle ,301' of the Unabhängige Kampfgruppe Mohnke; Berlin area, late 1945 (What-if/Kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[buzzbomb]

Terrific.

The snow effects look really good 

[Dizzyfugu]

The snow effects look really good 

Thank you, glad you like this literally little build.  . And white tile grout is just THE stuff for this kind of task: it's easy to appyl with some tricks, won't yellow over time, has a true 3D look and is even stable to the (gentle) touch after a coat with varnish.

[NARSES2]

Looks good Dizzy 

[Dizzyfugu]

Looks good Dizzy 

Thanks a lot! 

And I have added WiP pics to the initial thread post, I had forgotten them and had only uploaded the scenic pics from the finished model. 

[The Chaos]

Good Work.

[Dizzyfugu]

Good Work.

Thank you, too! 

[Rick Lowe]

 

[chrisonord]

Could have sworn I commented on this.  Very nice work as per Thomas. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much, glad you like it! ^^