Dear Fellow Modelers (99% of whom are far better at this than i):
i have a bevy of Jagdtigers i’m working on (yes, i love disused, elephantine monstrosities) and since i prefer correctness and some authenticity i invested in a trove of nice metal (mostly) stencils to airbrush unit symbols, divisional insignias and the like. Even company stencils are in my box. I’m finishing one now and i chucked the Peddinghaus decals for the Schwere Panzerjager Abt 653rd insignia and used the stencil and it came out great. i only knew the placement from the Peddinghaus decal instructions.
So, why am I bothering you? i can’t find one definitive source which shows where even 1/4 of these markings actually go! i’ve turned to photos but some of the Munch photo descriptions note that the symbol is misplaced. help.
there must be something that shows where these stencils go.
please: this isn’t a debate about stencils vs decals either. Truthfully i intend to use the decals for the cross and number because the stencil process is so nerve wracking it’s like defusing a bomb!
Dan
btw, i’m not limiting this to Jagdtigers
Different units sometimes placed the markings in different locations, but they were generally in the same location, and in the same style, WITHIN the same unit. If you want all of your models to belong to the same unit then place the markings in the same place on all of them. If you want a vehicle from each of several units, then research each individual unit. Note that late in the war some of these Jagdtigers only had a cross and tactical numbers, maybe sometimes a unit symbol. Check references for various units.
Thanks Biggles
I’ve been tryin* my friend. Spent a fortune on the Munch, Devey and some other books. Id have to travel to the Bundeswehr archives next. The 512th and 653rd SP Abt battalions seems to be operating on their own
Thanks my friend
This website might help you with some identifications. German Armor Balkenkreuz and Tactical Numbers
It seems here, that for this particular vehicle, you can pretty much put them anywhere you choose, and challenge any to counter your placement!
I have researched the marking locations of Tiger in order to design decals for multiple kits.
Within a single unit, as Biggles50 said, the markings tend to be the same - often painted with the use of stencils - and in much the same place. But not PRECISELY the same place.
But, a unit will tend to reorganise itself every few months, and then the numbers will need repainting. If it acquires new tanks, the complete set of markings must be added to them. The style and position tends to be different for each round of repainting. So, the unit will have a mixture of different styles.
David
The 512 and 653rd Abt Jagdtigers had unit/battalion insignias which I found after days of searching. So I was able to airbrush stencil the insignias on but didn’t want to take the time to do it for the crosses and numbers. Geesh. Maybe next time. I’ve got every Panzer unit stencil in metal there was
Also, occasionally, vehicles were transferred from disbanded units, and even though the tactical numbers were changed to conform to the new unit, they sometimes retained their original camo job, resulting in a very eclectic collection.