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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 917
Location: Spain
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 Posted: 02-Apr-2004 16:18 Post subject: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf L Ozelot |
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A diorama featuring a prototype Panzer, I liked the name, made me think of Raven (Ocelots), so here it is
http://www.ontheway.us/articles/graphics/sbpz4photo3.JPG
the caption reads:
Photo 3. The Pz IV ausf. L Ocelot mini-diorama, circa early1945 in defense of a Reich city. Note the sloped T-34 like hull armor, new gun mantlet with coaxial mg port, brake access hatches in front glacis, turret and turret-skirt without side doors, and the new Panther-like commander's cupola. The vehicle is set on a Matchbox dio-base, with added debris and a Revell 1/72 figure for scale.
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Raven!
Clan Snow Raven
Galaxy Commander
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 1326
Location: United States
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| Posted: 02-Apr-2004 16:38 Post subject: RE: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf L Ozelot |
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WOOHOO!
First off, thats a damn sweet looking vehicle. And the name, is just awesome. I'll work up a BattleTech conversion for that... it will be special.
Raven!
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-Mud
ex-Jade Falcon
Bounty Hunter
Joined: 04-Nov-2003 00:00
Posts: 1082
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| Posted: 02-Apr-2004 17:14 Post subject: RE: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf L Ozelot |
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That looks pretty sweet. Was this a real Mark IV variant, or just something someone dreamed up?
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Nightmare
Lyran Alliance
Kommandant-General
Joined: 03-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 2214
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| Posted: 02-Apr-2004 22:40 Post subject: RE: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf L Ozelot |
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The L is no variant I ever heard of. It's probably a prototype, unless they managed to confuse model numbers and names with something else. The proving grounds did send their prototypes into battle in the final days of the Third Reich. Don't know if they actually fought anything.
Looks very cool, whatever it is.
IIRC there were plans for building more variants of the IV, such as one with a Panther turret. It could have merited a cat name if it ever was produced.
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Motown Scrapper
Clan Ice Hellions
Galaxy Commander
Joined: 24-Jul-2003 00:00
Posts: 2074
Location: United States
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| Posted: 02-Apr-2004 23:08 Post subject: RE: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf L Ozelot |
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I looked up the Panzerkampfwagen IV and they only went up to Ausf J
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Still crazy after all these years
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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 917
Location: Spain
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| Posted: 03-Apr-2004 02:59 Post subject: RE: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf L Ozelot |
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Ok, enough fun 
Here's the story:
http://www.ontheway.us/articles/sbrezinskiPzIVarticle.htm
"The Pz IV ausf. L Ocelot is my attempt at a little artist's license in doing a conversion of an ESCI kit to a proposed upgrade of the Pz IV to standards reflecting the Soviet T-34 (assuming the Panther was never developed). The design was supposedly found by allied engineers sketched on a napkin in the Krupp factory's cafeteria at the end of the war… so being German it had to be made into a model! The design is rumored to be that of Dr. Phront Porche, half-brother to Ferdinand Porche and was pushed strongly by General Avril Phools. The armor was sloped on the front and sides, and is estimated to be 60-mm thick plate in the front and 40 mm plates at the sides. Turret armor remained the same at 50-mm front and 30 mm sides, though the side doors were deleted and replaced by a turret hatch over the gunner. The turret cupola was developed at the French Ford Motor factory and was thereafter known as France's Ford Cupola. The KwK gun was to be lengthened to L50 or L55 to achieve a slightly higher velocity. This AFV would have stretched the limit of the Panzer IV's leaf spring suspension though would have been cheaper than the Panther and with fewer man-hours to produce."
You have been the victim of an elaborate (and belated) April's Fools Day joke 
Cray sent me this pic to illustrate a point about schürzen (sideskirts), he just did a Google search and grabbed the first pic he found. On receiving it I was rather shocked, a Panzer variant I didn't know of? Ungaublich! It took me some digging around to find the original article, but by then I was certain that it was a joke
Let's see, it's a Panther chassis with Panzer IV wheels, and the turret from the Ausf H, but the gun is the one from a late StuG III tank destroyer with saukopf mantlet, and to boot, the sideskirts are those of a British Centurion tank ! A veritable Frankenstein tank
The name of this bogus variant made me think of Raven and I posted it here to see how many people would fall for it 
[ This Message was edited by: Vampire on 2004-04-03 03:06 ]
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Nightmare
Lyran Alliance
Kommandant-General
Joined: 03-May-2002 00:00
Posts: 2214
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| Posted: 03-Apr-2004 08:55 Post subject: RE: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf L Ozelot |
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That's a good one. I just thought the modeller had mixed up the names when he did a kit-bash of some Panzer IV prototype.
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A tree fall in the forest, and no one is around, and it hits a mime. Does anyone care?
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-Mud
ex-Jade Falcon
Bounty Hunter
Joined: 04-Nov-2003 00:00
Posts: 1082
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| Posted: 04-Apr-2004 10:34 Post subject: RE: Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf L Ozelot |
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It does look cool in any case...
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