Last night a friend presented me with a real surprise gift. A Diorama of a Lurking Panzer Tiger I in 1/35 scale I believe. I was totally taken aback by his kind gesture and have taken some photographs to share. It is extremely well finished, by whom I do not know, as my friend obtained it quite some time ago whilst browsing around a flea market. Regards Tom
Blinking 'eck Tom, I wish I had friends like yours ! I like your use of the word 'Lurking' too, very apt. Cheers Andy
Andy, Thanks for your comments. Werner is an ex Bundeswehr Panzer man and entered the army when it was restarted and equipped by the Allies, mostly American Tanks, but has said that he got to drive Centurians and Chieftains. Regards Tom
Kevin, I have a small Kodak Digital camera. Kodak Easy Share M381 with 12 mega pixels. Always carry a camera with me, you never know what may pop up! If my photos are poor, it is not the camera's fault Regards Tom
I told Werner that the model was too good to give me as a present, but he would not take no for an answer. I have been looking at the markings and it shows a SS Panzer Regiment "Das Reich" Temporary insignia as shown here. Das Reich Temporary Insignia Prior to Operation Citadel (the Kursk offensive) Das Reich adopted a temporary Divisional symbol to confuse Allied intelligence. This symbol ( a horizontal bar with two vertical bars) was seen on Das Reich vehicles several months before and after the Kursk offensive. Sdkfz. 231 prior to Operation CitadelTiger I during the battle for Kursk This was apparently to confuse the Allied intelligence. The German's did not realize that Ultra intelligence knew just where every Division was employed. The normal Insignia was this. The divisional symbol (a wolfsangel - sometimes enclosed in a shield) was usually small, and often stencilled or hand painted on the hull of AFV's usually on or near the driver's plate. The Das Reich symbol was usually painted in yellow or white. Click on the Unit Logo below for a background history. This dates the diorama to just before or after the battle of Kursk in the USSR. Details from Divisional Markings Regards Tom
I'm impressed. Decent depth of field Kevin, My previous Kodak model had to be set for very close up Macro shots, but this model automatically sets itself from the auto focus, from macro to infinity. Regards Tom
