1/72 Dragon Sd.Kfz184 Ferdinand [Kursk Group Build]

[dirkpitt289]

User Name: Dirkpitt289
Name: Dirk Pitt
Category: Beginner
Kit: Dragon
Scale:1/72
Accessories: To be determined


Well after looking at the other people starting up I decided I would give it a go. I haven't build a tank since I was a kid so this should be interesting.

My entry will be the Sd.Kfz184 Ferdinand as seen below.



Characteristics of the "Ferdinand," a German self-propelled gun

General
Weight 70-72 tons
Length 22 feet, 11 3/4 in
Height 9 feet, 10 in
Width 11 feet, 5 3/4 in
Track width 2 feet, 5 1/2 in
Clearance 1 foot, 7 1/2 in

Armor
Hull
Front 7.87 in
Sides (vertical) 6.29 in
Rear 4.33 in
Belly 1.57 in

Fighting Compartment
Front (vertical) 7.87 in
Sides (sloping) 3.74 in
Rear (sloping) 3.34 in
Roof 1.57 in
Mantlet plate 4.33 in

Armament
One 88-mm super-long gun fitted with muzzle brake.
One MG 42.

Ammunition carried
70-90 rounds for gun
2,000 rounds for MG.

Suspension
Six independently sprung bogies, diameter 2 feet, 7 1/2 inches; evenly spaced and not overlapping.

Performance
Maximum speed 12 1/2 mph
Cruising speed 6-9 mph
Maximum gradient 30°

Drive
Two Maybach motors, HL-120 TRM 300 hp each.

Crew
Total, six: commanding officer of ordnance--lieutenant (tank or artillery), gunner, mechanic-driver, radio operator, two loaders.

Brief History



What do the German Tiger tank and Ferdinand tank destroyer have in common?

Both vehicles had their origins in a competition to become Germany's premier heavy battle tank of WWII. Two designs were submitted for Hitler's consideration in April 1942, one by Henschel and one by Porsche. The Henschel design won the competition and soon gained infamy as the Tiger I tank. The Porsche design, on the other hand, was produced in limited numbers and modified into a tank destroyer (named the "Ferdinand" in honor of its creator, Ferdinand Porsche) that by most accounts was a bitter disappointment.

Ferdinands first saw action in Russia during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. Although the Ferdinand was a successful tank destroyer when engaging targets at long range, its complete lack of defensive armament made it extremely vulnerable to close-in infantry attacks. According to Squadron's "Tiger in Action", Ferdinand crews sometimes resorted to firing an MG 42 machine gun down the barrel of the main gun to counter infantry attacks!

Following the German defeat at Kursk, surviving Ferdinands were returned to Germany and retrofitted with a commander's cupola and a bow mounted MG 34 machine gun for protection. These vehicles were redesignated as "Elefants" for service in Italy during 1944. Once again, however, the Sd.Kfz. 184 Ferdinand/Elefant was not up to the task and suffered heavy losses.

I will post more photos later when I get home

[T Bolt]

Great Dirk! We have a real group build going on now!

[dirkpitt289]

I wouldn't go that far but we're getting there.

[Airframes]

Nice choice Dirk. I know of the Ferdinand, I have info on the Ferdinand, but I don't know anything about it! Guess I've been too lazy to read the stuff! I've learned something just reading your post - always thought they were just used in small numbers at wars end!
Looking forward to seeing your build. I had thought of throwing in a Panther or PzKfw IV, but got too many other things going!

[vikingBerserker]

What a nice choice. Looking forward to this one!

[dirkpitt289]

Here are the spree shots. This kit has some really nice details.









Even the underside is detailed

[Wurger]

Looking very nice.Keep working ....

[imalko]

Cool stuff Dirk. Looking forward to see this one coming together.

If I recall correctly Ferdinand was build in a limited number of just 90 vehicles (all of them build in 1943). As said above, after Kursk surviving examples were upgraded and renamed Elephant.
In a way Ferdinand became synonym for German effort and failure at Kursk. From 1943 onwards in mind of ordinary Soviet soldier every German self-propelled gun was "Ferdinand" and every German tank was "Tiger".

[T Bolt]

Dirk, I found this video on youtube. It'd part 2 of a 6 part doc about the Tiger, but has interesting info on the Ferdinand at Kursk. The parts about the Ferdinand is from 4:30 to 6:00 min, and from 8:00 to 9:00 min I think you'll find it interesting.

YouTube - German panzer Tiger Tank WW2 russian kursk kiev battles history part 2 of 6

[dirkpitt289]

More server issues. It seems I can't post photo's right now so my updates will have to wait.

[Airframes]

been having the same problem Dirk. It seems to be running very slow for uploads.

[dirkpitt289]

Back of the turret opened hatch



Hatch in place



The front wall of the Turret was put in place



this collar came cracked through at the top. I used a little ca glue to restore it. You can still see the seam of the break. This should be invisible after primer and paint.



Installed the 88-mm super-long gun along with the fitted muzzle break



Two top hatches installed



Its nothing ground shattering but its progress

[T Bolt]

Looks real good Dirk! It has much nicer molded detail than my Tiger.

[dirkpitt289]

Looks real good Dirk! It has much nicer molded detail than my Tiger.

I'm not so sure about that but thanks. Yours looks pretty impressive from where I'm sitting. If this Ferdinand comes out half decent i might have to do some more and your Tiger is at the top of the list.

[dirkpitt289]

Some more history of the Ferdinand

The "Ferdinand" is guided by observation through periscopes (one each for the commanding officer, the driver, and the gunner). There are no observation slots. Radio transmitter and receiver are provided for external communication; there is a radio-microphone for internal communication. The motor is situated practically in the center of the hull. Gasoline capacity is 242 gallons.

Russian experience shows that the most effective methods of fighting the "Ferdinand" are:

(a) Concentrated artillery fire, with the use of armor-piercing incendiary projectiles of all calibers on the armored installation of the gun and on the gasoline storage tanks in the center of the hull.

(b) Artillery fire of all calibers on the cannon, observation equipment and on the mobile parts of the gun (caterpillar, driving and steering wheels, bogie wheels).

(c) Grenade and Molotov cocktail attacks on the motor section, the turret lid, the rear slot of the turret through which empty shell cases are discharged.

The "Ferdinand" self-propelled guns are organically included in German heavy demolition antitank battalions. Such battalions contain three artillery companies, a headquarters company, a repair company and transport. Each artillery company has a total of 14 "Ferdinands," four to each of three platoons and two to immediate company control. The headquarters company has two of these new self-propelled guns also. Thus the battalion has a total of 44 "Ferdinands."