PHOTOS!!--Leopard IIA6's at Wolfhagen, Germany, PART I

the doog

Member since
January 2007

PHOTOS!!--Leopard IIA6's at Wolfhagen, Germany, PART I

Posted by the doog on Thursday, July 17, 2008 1:57 PM

Hi guys! Here is the first instalment of Leopard II's taken on my my trip to Wolfhagen. I'll spare the small talk and get straight to it. This first installment is of the Leopard IIA6 exterior details, and some other related items.

Wolfhagen--"Home of the Wolf"--photo from the van...

The Leopard 2A6

One happy doog...

Gettig the "tour"--"I'm goin' in!"

"Y'all better just clear on out of there; I just might hit some buttons in here and I've got nooo idea what they do!!" LOL! (Do I look like a Panzer Commander?!)

Gunner's hatch--look at the "chipping" around the AA ring! Proof of "weathering"!!!!

The commander's 360 targeting thingy..note the reddish hue to the glass

The gunner's hatch..

Looking down the Commander's hatch...

Gunner Doog and Commander Beam...anyone for a co-ed turret?! LOL! (Actually we're both in the TC hatch)

The muzzle reference sensor...

Light detail--note the little chains on the tow hooks, and the method of securing the track cleats...

Mirrors...

I found this interesting--many of the hull/turret bolts are safety wired--just like my dirt bike grips..

Driver's periscopes--note the greening tinge...

It was a tight fit going in this way! I'd hate to have to bail this way!

BRAAAAP!!!!

Here's one of the reasons I paint my tracks off-the-model; to get the proper weathering inside the tracks! Check out the color and wear of the tracks and teeth!!! There's no reason you wouldn't extrapolate this to just about any tank with similar wheels/tracks set-up! And remember--these are rubber-rimmed wheels, too!!!

They have some Leo 2A4's out back too...

Here's an interesting weathering shot of ust around the spare track on the front of one of the A4's...note that there's rust spots also in various places

and some rear details...

One of the A6 turrets removed, with some really neat shots of the attachment points for the add-on armor.

This really surprised me--check out the "woven" texture of the fume extractor here! To my knowledge, this has never been accurately represented in molding of these kits? Those "velcro" slabs there are attachment points for a unique Canadian camo covering which the Canadians use which I didn't get to see but which apparently can be used in-situ while the tank is moving as well as stationary? Cool!

Last shot for now--the gas filler cap...

I'll have another one up sooon of the interior shots I took. And then another of some of the Leopards "in the sheds" with some interesting mods and details. ENJOY, Guys!

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toadmanstankpictures

Member since
May 2005
From: San Jose, California

Posted by toadmanstankpictures on Thursday, July 17, 2008 2:05 PM

Nice pics! Thanks for posting them.

Chris "toadman" Hughes

http://www.toadmanstankpictures.com

http://toadmanstankpictures.blogspot.com/

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mg.mikael

Member since
December 2007
From: Bridgeview, Illinois

Posted by mg.mikael on Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:20 PM

Wow, you sure got a ton of fantastic pics!!! Can't wait for part II!

Achtung! Hope you noticed the sign in the tank before hitting some buttons in the Leopard 2A6, doog.

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

Photobucket

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doc-hm3

Member since
August 2007
From: The Plains of Kansas

Posted by doc-hm3 on Thursday, July 17, 2008 5:51 PM

Fantastic pics doog! Lots of nice weathered shots. Thanks.

All gave some and some gave all.

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stikpusher

Member since
July 2004
From: Sonora Desert

Posted by stikpusher on Thursday, July 17, 2008 6:34 PM

very cool pics! I do love some of the nomenclature too! Especially the "commander's 360* targeting thingy".

A great motorpool walkaround!

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

- Plankton

LSM

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RBaer

Member since
September 2006
From: Dripping Springs, TX, USA

Posted by RBaer on Thursday, July 17, 2008 7:08 PM

I'm jealous......

Super cool pics, doog. Thanks!

Apprentice rivet counter.

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disastermaster

Member since
July 2003
From: On my kitchen counter top somewhere in North Carolina.

Posted by disastermaster on Thursday, July 17, 2008 7:08 PM

How convenient! I just got this kit last week.

http://www.pretticons.com/s/d/62a82059.gif

Gee...rock star goes to germany to get me some pictures too.... what a friend, Wow, thanks!

Sherman-Jumbo-1945

"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"

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russianfist

Member since
July 2004
From: Oregon, Rain country U.S.A.

Posted by russianfist on Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:13 PM

Outstanding pic's Doog!

I have an idea how to simulate that texture one the fume extractor.

I bet you could use the same method that the aircraft guy's use to "skin stress" their kits?

As for the safty wire on the bolts, well ther's something else I am going to have to detail now darn it .

Looking forward to the next series.

P.S. glad you made it back in one piece.

You got a telegram from headquarters today. Headquarters--what is it? Well, it's a big building where generals meet, but that's not important right now. [ img] f_armorsecretm_ac7eb73[/ img]

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the doog

Member since
January 2007

Posted by the doog on Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:21 PM

disastermaster wrote:
How convenient! I just got this kit last week. Gee...rock star goes to germany to get me some pictures too.... what a friend, Wow, thanks!

WOW! Excellent luck, Steve!! Hey, PM me your address and I'll shoot ya a disc of photos!

Glad you guys are enjoying them--here's a few more:

Moving out of the shed

The smoke/HE dischargers--can you see the little tiny numbers on them?

Turret castig numbers, just aft of the TC's hatch, at about 10:00 o'clock; partially occluded by the anti-slip stuff. This is actually synthetic diamond carbide suspended in resin--it is nasty stuff!

I'll try to get the next installment up by Friday evening!

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Carves

Member since
April 2014

Posted by Carves on Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:33 PM

Great pics Doog.

You must be really happy finally can touch and even go inside a living tank.

---
Ben

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the doog

Member since
January 2007

Posted by the doog on Friday, July 18, 2008 12:36 PM

Carves wrote:
Great pics Doog.
You must be really happy finally can touch and even go inside a living tank.
---
Ben

"A living tank"--LOL! Actualy, I guess that's pretty accurate--I've been in some "dead" museum pieces, but nover a real, operational one. It was quite the thrill!

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doc-hm3

Member since
August 2007
From: The Plains of Kansas

Posted by doc-hm3 on Friday, July 18, 2008 6:45 PM

Hey, do you guys know if our M1's main armament is still interchangeable with the Leopards?

All gave some and some gave all.

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caSSius

Member since
April 2008
From: Canadian Prairies

Posted by caSSius on Friday, July 18, 2008 7:20 PM

Fantastic pics and great to see you home safe.

It looks like you got a lot of really cool pics (you can always tell when a modeller takes pictures...lol...the average person stands back and takes a shot or two of the whole unit...the modeller's in tight shooting wear patterns and bolt heads...lol)

Outstanding stuff...and glad to see my countrymen were proper hosts. Anxious to see the next installment.

Cheers

Brad

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

- T.S. Eliot

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Townsy11

Member since
August 2007
From: Peterborough, Ontario

Posted by Townsy11 on Friday, July 18, 2008 8:41 PM

the doog wrote:
One happy doog...

-----...Oh lord...---awesomeness.. OVERLOAD!!!

Doog, you have to be one of the luckiest people I know... I've long dreamt of seeing real "live" Leopards ever since I first saw a picture of one..and not only that, there CANADIAN too!!! I've never even seen a "real life" tank before and heck, I'd sell every kit I've ever owned just to get to do that!

and also:

doc-hm3 wrote:
Hey, do you guys know if our M1's main armament is still interchangeable with the Leopards?

Not anymore, the current Leopard 2A6's main armament has been upgunned to L55 calibre, however the main gun of the Leopard 2, 2A1, 2A2, 2A3, 2A4, 2A5 are still interchangeable with the M1's M256/L44 cannon.

"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his."-- General George S. Patton

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stikpusher

Member since
July 2004
From: Sonora Desert

Posted by stikpusher on Friday, July 18, 2008 8:53 PM

Townsy, those Leopards look German. Unless the Canadians train on tanks with German markings in Germany...

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

- Plankton

LSM

Reply

Townsy11

Member since
August 2007
From: Peterborough, Ontario

Posted by Townsy11 on Friday, July 18, 2008 9:10 PM

lol well I meant that they're being crewed by Canucks.

"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his."-- General George S. Patton

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Jeordicat

Member since
December 2007
From: Southern NJ

Posted by Jeordicat on Friday, July 18, 2008 9:17 PM

Doog! Great photos. Although I don't have a real interest in AFVs that are not modern American (sorry guys!

) you're pics have given me some ideas. I can't wait to see more!

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the doog

Member since
January 2007

Posted by the doog on Friday, July 18, 2008 9:37 PM

stikpusher wrote:
Townsy, those Leopards look German. Unless the Canadians train on tanks with German markings in Germany...

Actually, the Canadians were indeed training on German tanks--they were basically taking them apart and putting them back together again, like one would do their rifle, so that they could repair and service them properly.

Some of the German guys were telling me that some of the hi-tech stuff would fool foreign crews; like, they'd not be able to get something working, and they'd start to tear apart something, when all they had to do was to hit a switch or a "reset" button. So the Canadians were there to learn all that stuff.

I think they also had some of the modifications to the tanks being performed there, and I believe that these tanks were going to be shipped to Afghanistan as well, because they had the additional add-on armor on the front lower hull on on the tanks in the shed--I'll be showing that in the next installment.

Bottom line though, most of these WERE German marked Leopards!

CaSSIus, your fellow countrymen were consumate hosts, great conversationalists, and man, could they drink! WOW! LOL!

Reply

redleg12

Member since
July 2006
From: New Jersey

Posted by redleg12 on Saturday, July 19, 2008 6:22 AM

Nice, the only thing missing would have been a smell of muzzle blast! It was really nice of them to give you the tour that they did.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Can you imagine tooling around the woods of upstate NY in that as opposed to your bike???

Now, the Leopard is German....You have plenty of reference photos....sooo you should buy and build it ASAP....And as far as figures....well you should replace Hanze and Franze with Doog and Jenn. She can be in the TC hatch and you standing out front. You have no excuse, you have everything you need.

Thanks for thinking of the forum and sharing you photos with us.

Rounds Complete!!

"The Moral High Ground....A Great Place to Emplace Artillery."

Reply

dupes

Member since
November 2006
From: Coastal Maine

Posted by dupes on Saturday, July 19, 2008 2:11 PM

Wow. That must have been some day! How'd you arrange to get into the base motor pool?

This is the only one of the "modern" MBT's I'm missing - guess I better look a bit harder and secure one now...

So Doog, when should we expect a full build (interior and exterior) from you?

http://www.mycyclinglog.com/profile/dupes

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the doog

Member since
January 2007

Posted by the doog on Saturday, July 19, 2008 10:48 PM

LOL! Mike, Jenn loved the idea of modeling her into the tank! I'm actually building a 1/72 Leo for her so she can say "I was in this tank!!!"

dupes, our video director and cameraman Neal Johnson was talking to the Canadians in the bar one night and happened to mention that one of the band mebers really was into tanks, and they actually invited me, sight unseen! It was unexpected, and a real thrill!

I don't know about an interior build, but I've already built the Leopard 2A5KWS in KFOR regalia. Here's a few impromptu photos of mine....

One thing I should mention is that, I asked them about camo painting, and about using the same scheme or pattern, or whether or not they would just get the camo paint and start spraying; they said that as long as you got 3 colors on the tank, they would not follow any prescribed pattern or anything like a "plan"--they just did it basically freehand.

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panzerguy

Member since
October 2007
From: N.H.

Posted by panzerguy on Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:10 PM

DOD releases new military strategy:All tank TC's will be manned by beautiful females while drivers will be red headed rockers. This way while the enemy is busy gawkin at the TC that wild looking driver will manuver to give our gunners that critical first shot advantage.

Doog great pics I really like the close ups of the tracks great ref pics for just about any build.

"Happiness is a belt fed weapon"

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the doog

Member since
January 2007

Posted by the doog on Sunday, July 20, 2008 7:57 AM

panzerguy wrote:
Doog great pics I really like the close ups of the tracks great ref pics for just about any build.

Thanks, panzerguy! Glad you liked them! Yeah, the tracks shots surprised me--how they look like a light gray with no rust at all in some pics! And how the spare links on the other tanks are rusted right over!

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Specter

Member since
May 2007

Posted by Specter on Sunday, July 20, 2008 11:52 AM

Those pics are awsome doog!!!

Seth

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dupes

Member since
November 2006
From: Coastal Maine

Posted by dupes on Sunday, July 20, 2008 3:28 PM

the doog wrote:
I don't know about an interior build, but I've already built the Leopard 2A5KWS in KFOR regalia. Here's a few impromptu photos of mine....

Hmmm...alright, so no complete A6 build - at the very least do you have a 1/35 Doog figure* you can throw in the TC hatch of your A5?

*I'm sure Verlinden or Warriors make one.

http://www.mycyclinglog.com/profile/dupes

Reply

MECHTECH

Member since
January 2006
From: Grand Bay, New Brunswick ,Canada

Posted by MECHTECH on Monday, July 21, 2008 7:09 AM

the doog wrote:

CaSSIus, your fellow countrymen were consumate hosts, great conversationalists, and man, could they drink! WOW! LOL!

Doog, I think that comes from the ability at home of being able to drink a 5% or more alcohol beer. It is a little stronger than your beers usually.

Reply

Eoin6661

Member since
September 2008
From: The Black Country, UK

Posted by Eoin6661 on Saturday, October 4, 2008 5:10 PM

Great photos mate, but do you possibly have one of the loaders/gunners hatch (LH side with the AAgun?), preferably in the closed position showing the hinge mechanism....I'm buggered if I can follow Revell's instructions!

"Don't mistake lack of talent for Genius"

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the doog

Member since
January 2007

Posted by the doog on Saturday, October 4, 2008 5:14 PM

Sorry, bud--they only had them opened that day.

Hmmm...I 'll check to see if I have anything else anywhere.

Reply

LeopardMan

Member since
January 2006
From: Nevada, IA

Posted by LeopardMan on Thursday, October 9, 2008 1:32 PM

You might want to try this website. its in german but has tons of awesome picture. just pich on the left side referenz and then in detail. Pictures of about every vehicle past and present of the modern German Army

http://www.panzer-modell.de/

Never believe a statistic you haven't done yourself - Winston Churchill Member IMPS Pastic-Surgeons, West Des Moines, IA

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Higgy

Member since
August 2008
From: Windsor Ontario Canada

Posted by Higgy on Thursday, October 9, 2008 9:18 PM

Great pics of my fav. Tank Doog!!! I have the Tamiya 1/35 in my stash. These pics are going to really help out! Now I just need to find some Canadian markings. =)

-------

Born to land hard.

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"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now"