Color profile of VK1602 Leopard armor recon tank, with late-WW2 style camouflage of african yellow base color, light forest green soft-edged stripe over-spray, interlaced with earth brown moth patterns. It contains 2 antennae for inter-vehicle and regimental HQ communication.

VK1602 Leopard camouflage profile | BPC

This version shown with full size Panther chassis ( aka, 4 outer roadwheels, compared to 2 outer ones for smaller compact version ). Upon review, the smaller compact version was more conducive to armor recon role since its compact size enabled better concealment and mobility. In addition, full size Panther body would make the 5cm gun mount & turret look quite puny, somewhat odd in appearance.

With cancellation of VK1602 Leopard recon tank project, its chassis was vested onto Panzerkampfwagen V Panther. Left photo shows Panther R02 with Zimmerit ceramic paste applied onto turret and hull to defeat Soviet anti-armor magnetic mines. Numeral R02 indicates 2nd vehicle from Regimental Headquarter company, probably manned by unit's commander.

Panther tank | Wiki

Zimmerit history and vehicle application | CMC

Zimmerit | PWN

March 1945, Panzer V Panther Ausf A destroyed at Cologne Cathedral | HOW

Right photo shows late-WW2 Panther ( as denoted by replacement of driver visor on front glacis with driver periscope to prevent chink in armor protection ), tank also adorns famed German " Ambush Camouflage " scheme, along with at that " uber " military high-tech of Infrared targeting scopes for night-time engagements.

Panther tank model and 1944-1945 Kurland battles | UweM

Ersatzjagdpanzer IV tank destroyer with Infrared Scopes | UweM

Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer tank destroyer with Ambush Camouflage | UweM

An early conceptual line-art of VK1602 Leopard recon tank. It has standard 5cm gun turret, but with Panzer III or Panzer IV style armor copula installed.

Panzer IV Cupola Display | APC

Panzer III / IV 1/16 scale | WDM

Copula size produced bulge on turret side, which is a weak point in armor protection since it protrudes out of turret design.

Top view of tank shows it is designed on smaller compact chassis with only one set of engine air intake on ventilation deck. Roadwheels are also mounted in non-interleaving format.

VK1602 prototype with interleaving roadwheels and Panzer I Ausf F turret armed with twin 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns. Design has strong influence from VK601 Panzer I Ausf C light tank project.

Panzer I Ausf F | WW2C

Panzer I Ausf C VK601 Boxart Jpg | UweM

Panzer I was first German tank designed during secret rearmament of early-1930s. To conceal this effort, Germans titled project " Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper " ( farming task carrier ) or Agricultural Tractor.

Alan's 1/35 Panzer I Ausf F model review | IMC

Only 8 Panzer I Ausf F were deployed to Ostfront with 1st Panzer Division for combat field trials, rest of inventory relegated to tank training schools. Story has it only 3 Panzer I Ausf F survived WW2, but they had stories of their own. 1st one currently at Russian Kubinka armor museum west of Moscow ( which charges all visitor hefty prices for site visits... including extra staying-over-museum-closing-hour charge ). 2nd one served as armor monument / gate-keeper at Belgrade war museum - Serbia - Yugoslavia, but rumored to have been destroyed by NATO airstrikes during 1999 Kosovo War. 3rd one sent to US Aberdeen armor museum - Maryland, but was dismantled for scrap metal during 1950s Korean War.

1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia | Wiki

NATO Bombing of Serbia / NATO bombardovanje Srbije | Youtube

Rear view VK1602 showing outer fender mufflers ( similar Sdkfz 234 design ), access doors to engine mount ( similar to initial American M3 Lee and M4 Sherman tank designs ).

Alan's 1/35 Panzer I Ausf F model review | IMC

This Leopard project would eventually be cancelled in favor of Panzer II Ausf L " Luchs " ( Lynx ).

Being fully-tracked vehicle, Luchs had better cross-country mobility than Sdkfz 234/2 8-rad armor car, thus also replaced the Puma as armor recon vehicle by late-1944.

Line-art profile of Sdkfz 123 Panzer II Ausf L " Luchs ", armed with 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 gun, twin antennae for inter-vehicle and regimental HQ radio communication ( star antenna array ).

Panzer II Ausf. L Luchs . VK1303 . Sd.Kfz. 123 | WHC

Inter-leaving roadwheels also gave defacto hull protection against light caliber enemy rounds.

TASCA 1.35 PANZER II AUSF. L Luchs model review | DTI

Note armament downgrade from Puma 5cm to Luchs 2cm tank gun. Rationale was to give sufficient firepower to fend off sudden enemy encounters, but not engage in actual tank gunnery duels. In addition, smaller gun meant weight savings ( gun mount + ammunition + number of crewmen need for operations ) in giving vehicle optimal & concealment mobility.

Course of reasoning similar to US debate over Infantry Fighting Vehicles ( IFV ) since 1991 Persian Gulf War, for IFV concept derived from mid-1980s via upgrade of fully-tracked Armor Personnel Carriers ( APC ) to fulfill dual roles of troop carrier and anti-armor engagements, as seen in M2/M3 Bradley IFV.

Bradley M2 / M3 Tracked Armoured Fighting Vehicles | ATC

Military doctrine critics charge that enabling this dual role diminishes main role as troop carrier, since crew are vested with up-armed weapons for such anti-armor engagements. However, IFV armor protection is no where near that of main battle tanks, thus if IFV is destroyed in combat, it would not only kill its 3-man crew, but also 6 infantrymen being transported.

IFV vs APC forum | DTC

Old scaled military modeler proverb... " You wait long enough, someone someplace is going to release a complete model kit you desired ". Before HobbyBoss release of 1.35 VK1602 Leopard kit, only means of building one was either from scratch, aftermarket parts for kitbashing, or full resin kits.

VK1602 1.35 completed model | N54

HOBBY BOSS 1/35 VK1602 LEOPARD ( model parts on spur ) | PMW

HobbyBoss 1.35 VK1602 Leopard model assembled with photo-etched parts ( on smoke dischargers and star antenna array ). For roadwheel arrangements, options for either 2 or 3 outer roadwheel layout.

Hobbyboss' VK1602 Leopard built model ( 3 outer wheels ) | FSM

HobbyBoss 1/35 scale German VK1602 Leopard ( 2 outer wheels ) | FSM

1.35-scale VK1602 Leopard model sourced from various vendors, as denoted by different plastic and metal parts. Seems like modeler elected to use HobbyBoss VK1602 tank hull, DML Sdkfz 234/2 5cm gun turret, and various aftermarket metal parts for gun barrel - smoke discharger - rear spare gun barrel / antenna stowage tube, etc.

VK1602 Leopard (Hobby Boss) 1/35 | HCM

Photo-Etched Parts usage | UweM

Digital conception of Leopard armor recon tank upgrade, called " Puma WTF " ( aka Puma What-The-Frack ). Full Panther hull ( indicated by 4 rear engine deck air-intake vents ) used on shortened roadwheel base, elongated Puma-style turret with Saukopf ( pig head ) gun mantle housing what seems to be 7.5cm PAK40 gun.

Digital Art Armor Vehicles | DAC

Although a modeler What-If conception, design clearly indicates dilemma of up-gunning armor recon tanks to handle armor duels, by which their role shifted from mere battlefield recon, to actual tank gunnery engagements. However, overall armor protection is still geared for recon role mobility, thus not up to par with actual main battle tanks.

Main Battle Tanks | MFC

From 1944-onward, given massive superiority ratios of Allied versus German tanks, German elected to arm virtually all possible vehicles with anti-tank guns for battlefield mobility. These were basically soft-skin vehicles ( thin armor protection against light caliber rounds only ), such as 7.5cm PAK40 gun installed onto famed Sdkfz 251 Ausf D halftrack in above photo, vehicle designated SdKfz 251/22 ( or 22nd variant ). Note driver visor design, which had vision slits when fully closed and additional armor on inner plates for ballistic protection.

SdKfz 251/22 ( postwar reconstruction from OT-810 ) | FKR

SdKfz 251 OT-810 | 251.com

By 1945, dire military situation of all battlefronts compelled Germans to deploy Sdkfz 251/22 and other self-propelled anti-tank guns as regular tank formations, but their armor was so thin that one hit from enemy tank round was sufficient to destroy the vehicle. Note late-war Sdkfz 251 Ausf D driver visor design, to streamline production the visors are mere hinged metal flaps and no slit vision when fully closed.

SdKfz 251 /22 /D in Banja Luka, Republka Srpska, (Republic of Serbia) | PVH

251/22 mittleren Schützenpanzerwagen (Pak 40 7.5cm L48) "Pakwagen" | PVH

Early in WW2, US Army deployed M3 halftracks as self-propelled anti-tank platforms, designated T-19 Howitzer Motor Carriage (HMC) armed with 105mm Howitzer. US tank combat doctrine was still maturing, thus viewed this M3 weapons arrangement as conducive for mobility warfare. American forces in North Africa learnt that soft-skin vehicles were no match in tank gunnery duels, especially during their first encounter and first major defeat in European theater during Battle of Kesserine Pass - Tunisia, 1943.

T19 Howitzer Motor Carriage (HMC) with 105mm Howitzer | ODC

M3 75mm Gun Motor Carriage (GMC) | Wiki

T-19 designation referred to its vehicle prototype #19 version. Generic US description for tank destroyer or self-propelled artillery was Gun Motor Carriage ( GMC ).

T19 HMC halftrack | SVS

1/35 T19 105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage ~ Smart kit | DMUSA

Panzerarmee Afrika über alles | Panzer Army Africa Victorious ( or Over All )... German Gen. Erwin Rommel and Lieutenant Colonel Fritz Bayerlein ( who would later command famed Panzer Lehr Division ) standing in Horch command car, speaking to German troops bringing back hordes of captured American vehicles after Feb. 1943 Kasserine Pass battle. No T-19 HMC were captured since they were destroyed in combat, all be it M3 troop halftracks were in abundance. Use of captured Allied vehicles was bare necessity given stringent Allied air / naval interdiction of German supplies from Italian mainland to North Africa via British naval base at Malta island.

Fritz Bayerlein | Wiki

The Hammer of Hell, Chapter 4 — The Battle of Kasserine Pass | SKO

Battle of the Kasserine Pass | Wiki

The Siege of Malta in World War Two | BBC

Note that Deutsches Afrika Korps ( DAK or German Africa Corps ) arrived in North Africa on March 1941 and scored spectacular victories against British forces in Libya by April, driving them back to Egyptian frontier, thus consolidating its military fame. Two months after DAK combat debuted, German formation replaced with Panzerarmee Afrika ( Panzer Army Africa ) so that German Gen. Rommel would not be officially subordinate to Italian military command, and also placed Italian armor divisions under overall German command direction.

2cm FLAK 38 auf Fahrgestell Steyr 1500A/01 model & DAK - PAA | UweM