"T-34's, Panthers and Tigers" Topic

In the same spirit as the Sherman thread here: TMP link

Do you collect different variants of these iconic tanks?

I don't, though I have two types of each:

7 × T-34/76's 1943
6 × T-34/85's

3 × Tigers late prod.
1 × Tiger early prod.

5 × Panthers Ausf G
3 × Panthers Ausf A

Yes, if it is appropriate to the time period or the unit I am trying to model I will buy and use the appropriate tanks. FREX,I have 2 different variants of the Panther G. Modeling is just as important to me as the gaming.

Damon.

Only if a really obvious difference like different barrel lengths. T34 yes, panther and tiger no (though I do have different models of each from GHQ I only use them to denote platoons)

Tigers, Panthers and T34s? Oh yes, I'm far more picky about variants of those than I am Shermans, although in fairness there are only two kinds of Tiger – proper early models with nice road wheels, smoke dischargers etc and the dodgy late war ones with horrid wheels, and only really three kinds of Panther, so not much variety at all.

I collect all the variants that I can get.

I'm going to buy the PSC T34s, so I have both 76mm and 85mm turrets. Not that I'm going to have much use for the 85mm turrets, as I'm only building an Engineer-Sapper battalion which means 76mm guns in support (with flamethrowers and/or mine rollers).

Mine roller tanks are getting the full magnetization treatment, to allow for tank riders, different turrets, and presence or absence of mine rollers. Important visual differences!

Panthers and Tigers are Panthers or Tigers. I actually have the BF Tiger (P)s painted in desert sand for 1942/43.

@Martin Rapier

Tamiya and other kit makers beg to differ. According to them there's a "mid production" Tiger which is basically a late Tiger with rubber roadwheels.

BTW I also have one each of both variants of the King Tiger.

Interestingly, I only have one variant of Panzer IV, the H. 5 of them.

Short answer is yes. I have many variants for different time periods and theaters in both 15 mm and 28 mm (1/56) of Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs. When I start on my Russian forces there will be early and later war variants of the KV and T-34.

Not really though I have plenty of variety in my armor forces (I play in 6mm for bigger games).

Hmmm. Numbers are approximate (haven't taken them out to count them all lately)….

10 x T-34m1940* (L-11 76.2mm gun)
24 x T-34m1941* (F-34 76.2mm gun, single hatch on turret roof)
32 x T-34m1942* (F-34 76.2mm gun, hex turret. 3 sub-versions including welded, cast and laminate turrets, 6 with cupolas)
12 x T-34-85m1944 (S-53 85mm gun, laminate turret, split ventilators)
30 x T-34-85m1945 (S-53 85mm gun, welded turret, double ventilators)
5 x PT-34m1942 (mine rollers)
3 x OT-34m1941 (F-34 76.2mm gun, ATO-41 flame thrower)
2 x T-34-T (kit-bashed recovery vehicles)
2 x VT-34 (post-war recovery vehicle)

Enough of the talk! How about some pics???

Some of my T-34s have been in my collection since the mid-1970s. They are veterans of many battles.

Few things in gaming give me as much of a thrill as watching battalions of T-34s roll across the steppes …

Recovery vehicles, including VT-34, T-34-T based on T-34m1941, and T-34-T based on SU-122.

*Note: I use the Russian nomenclature. Most western sources identify m1941 and m1942 variants with the single-hatch turret, and call the hex turret models the m1943. But Russian sources use m1941 for the F-34 armed single-hatch turret models, and m1942 for the hex turret models. WW2 German sources (and post-war British through about 1975 or 80) called T-34m1940s T-34a, m1941s T-34b or T-34c, and m1942s T-34d, T-34e and T-34f. There is no sound basis for the somewhat arbitrary German sub-divisions of models … they quite simply didn't understand what they were seeing.

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

Tamiya and other kit makers beg to differ. According to them there's a "mid production" Tiger which is basically a late Tiger with rubber roadwheels.

Well the Tiger was continually updated. I'm assuming the mid war Tiger has the new cupola, up armoured martlet, binocular gun sight, no turret smoke dischargers, rubber rimmed road wheels and no Feifel air cleaners. So those produced from roughly June '43 until January '44.

sorry, nope to these, a panther is a panther and a tiger 1 is a tiger 1…a sherman is a sherman with a 75, or a firefly, 105 or 76