Dragon 1/35 Elefant - "102" 1/653 Italy - WIP

Kit looks good with that Zim on it.  Well, can't wait to see the finished product.

Hey Scott, that's a nice Elephant you got there!  Everything looks good so far, can't wait to see the camo on it and all weathered up!  Funny you started working on this one again after a couple of years...just last week I decided to finish up two builds that have languished since last year.  They're not quite as far along as your Elephant, but they should be ready for paint by next weekend...I hope!

So the question now is when are you going to build the other kits  Personally I'd luv to see you do the Aberdeen Elephant!

Like your elefant. now i gotta buy one. Its been over 20 years since i was at aberdeen but seems like everything was grey and rusty then. Was it the elefant that had the impressive round strikes on it? Impressive in that they didnt penetrate. Are they still in such a sad state or have they done any work on them yet?

44Mac wrote:

Like your elefant. now i gotta buy one. Its been over 20 years since i was at aberdeen but seems like everything was grey and rusty then. Was it the elefant that had the impressive round strikes on it? Impressive in that they didnt penetrate. Are they still in such a sad state or have they done any work on them yet?

I've never been there, but have seen a few pics. Some rounds struck the gun mantlet. There is a Jagdtiger with some gouges on the glacis plate, maybe that is what you're think of.

If you decide to get this kit, consider the Premium Edition. It comes with PE upgrades, an aluminum barrel, and I believe corrected Magic Tracks, which are easier to assemble then kit #6126.

There are a couple of impact gouges on the Aberdeen Elefant.  One is on the front of the gun mantlet and the other is on the front plate of the gun box just to the right of the mantlet.

There doesn't appear to be any impact damage anywhere on the front bow plates.

If you're interested in my Aberdeen Elefant pics, you can see them here:

http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y106/Zushia/Elefant%20Aberdeen/

Here is a front shot of the JagdTiger at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. There is a big impact gouge out of the gun mantlet, and two gouges on the front bow plate. 

I still wanna know why the Elefant is sitting out there in a field, derelict and unloved!

SOMEBODY SAVE HORTON!!!!

the doog wrote:

I still wanna know why the Elefant is sitting out there in a field, derelict and unloved! SOMEBODY SAVE HORTON!!!!

restoration work by private donations only?

There is a foundation which raises money for the Ordnance Museum.  The big fund drive right now is to build a permanent facility so all the tanks and vehicles can be moved inside. 

The story of the Elefant is still unknown.  At the time I was there I was told it had been bought by someone or an organization so it could be restored.  It all came to naught when they tried to transport it over to the rail spur so it could be shipped via flatbed rail car.  The tow cables snapped due to the extreme weight of the Elefant.  They tried removing the superstructure, but that didn't work either, still too heavy. 

It had been sitting out there in the field for probably at least a year or more before I saw it.  I heard a rumor that it had finally been moved, but I can find no evidence to back that up.  

You can find out more about the foundation here. 

http://www.ordmusfound.org/foundation.htm  

I make a contribution every year.  I was so bumbed about the state of the Elefant when I saw it that I coughed up a hundred bucks to try to help.   

where is this one?

ps1scw wrote:

where is this one?

I just found a thread on another forum that seems to indicate the Elefant has been restored or is in the process of being restored.

http://www.com-central.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7422

When was that photo taken?  The annoying thing is that no Elefants had a scheme like that.  Some Ferdinands had something similar to that at Kursk, but no Elefants.

I found it on this site:

http://www.battletanks.com/

espins1 wrote:

Ah, that must be an old picture of the Elefant at Aberdeen long before my pics were taken.

The above pic turned into the mess that was abandoned by the railway that you took pics of?

ps1scw wrote:

espins1 wrote: Ah, that must be an old picture of the Elefant at Aberdeen long before my pics were taken. The above pic turned into the mess that was abandoned by the railway that you took pics of?

Aye laddy, so it would seem.  It's really a shame.  That's the only Elefant in existance today (unless you count the Ferdinand at Kubinka near Moscow).

Ferdinand/Elefant fun fact for the day...... 

Did you know the Ferdinand/Elefant was armed with an 88mm Pak 43/2 Sfl L/71 main gun?(88mm anti-tank cannon Model year 1943, modification 2 for self-propelled use, barrel length of 71 calibers)

So THAT'S what L/71 means! Actually, I didn't realize the "43" part was the year either, but I probably should have figured that out.

After building that 1/72 Elefant, I'm definitely going to have to invest in a 1/35 one...that thing is a brute! Looking real good so far...what camo are you going with? 

dupes wrote:

So THAT'S what L/71 means! Actually, I didn't realize the "43" part was the year either, but I probably should have figured that out. After building that 1/72 Elefant, I'm definitely going to have to invest in a 1/35 one...that thing is a brute! Looking real good so far...what camo are you going with?

To be honest, neither did I until I read it yesterday in one of my Elefant references. 

This is the exact scheme I'm doing on this beast 

Ferdinand/Elefant fun fact for the day...... 

The Ferdinand/Elefant had a very unique powertrain.  It consisted of:

Two Maybach HL 120 (V-12, overhead valves, engine displacement 11,870 ccm developing 265 metric HP at 2600 RPM using 74 octane fuel)

Each of the two engines drove a Siemens Typ K58-8 generator which generated the electric power needed to drive the two Siemens Typ 1494a direct current electric motors of 230 kilowatts each.

It had two fuel tanks of 125.5 gallons each for a total of 251 gallons.  This allowed the Ferdinand/Elefant a range of 94 miles on road, and only 56 miles cross country. 

The Ferdinand/Elefant had a maximum top speed of 19 mph (for only very short periods of time), cruising speed of 12.5 mph (on road) and a dismal 6 mph cross country.

You realize that means it burned 4.48 gallons of petrol PER MILE to creep along at 6mph in the grass.

For comparison, infantry on a forced march move about 4mph... If they were even slightly motivated (think "crazed soviet assault"), they should have been able to catch aforementioned machinegun-less ferdinand quite easily .

Ferdinand/Elefant fun fact for the day...... 

Did you know that it took at least three 18 ton Prime Movers to even attempt to tow a Ferdinand/Elefant?!?   

I have a great photo in one of my reference books that shows five 18 ton Prime Movers struggling to tow a disabled Ferdinand through some muddy countryside.

edit: Here is the photo

dupes wrote:

You realize that means it burned 4.48 gallons of petrol PER MILE to creep along at 6mph in the grass. For comparison, infantry on a forced march move about 4mph... If they were even slightly motivated (think "crazed soviet assault"), they should have been able to catch aforementioned machinegun-less ferdinand quite easily .

Which, by the way , is better mileage than the M1A2 Abrams.

Get out! I'm assuming that the Abrams is capable of a slightly higher speed at that consumption rate, though.

OUCH either way.

crockett wrote:

dupes wrote: You realize that means it burned 4.48 gallons of petrol PER MILE to creep along at 6mph in the grass. For comparison, infantry on a forced march move about 4mph... If they were even slightly motivated (think "crazed soviet assault"), they should have been able to catch aforementioned machinegun-less ferdinand quite easily . Which, by the way , is better mileage than the M1A2 Abrams.

Wow!  I did not know that, although the M1A2 is much faster and more "robust" 

Ferdinand/Elefant fun fact for the day..... 

Despite the fact that most of the Ferdinands were disabled by mines at least once (some several times ) during the battle of Kursk, they still managed to achieve a 15 to 1 kill ratio!  Gotta love that amazing gun!  

I'm going to swing by my local LHS today and pick up a new airbrush needle and tip so I can spray some spots this weekend. 

dupes wrote:

Get out! I'm assuming that the Abrams is capable of a slightly higher speed at that consumption rate, though. OUCH either way.

Oh yes absolutely, the power /weight ratio is astronomically superior. The Army spec is 300 kilometers and change on a semi improved road from a fully topped off Abrams. The front and rear fuel cells hold about 538 gallons (this may be less on the A2?) but, it barely makes this requirement. I have personally had to refuel after about 150k of "combat" driving over obstacles etc. during prototype testing. The tank is much heavier (turret) now so.....

SC