That exact same question was discussed by another guy on amorama some time ago. They even mentioned the point that Pentlands painting was signed by Diers, even though the photo doesn’t seem to resemble the painting. I can see where Diers would probably not be too concerned about such a detail when signing something that honored one of his final combat actions. The telltale spots on a ambush camo scheme are usually pretty obvious even in black & white photos. The other renderings of his vehicle are showing it in a plain 3 tone scheme with the 314 being just a simple black outline. I would have to remove my tools, tow cables & fenders to create this vehicle. I hate to do that. I spent alot of time on all the pe clasps and I really like the metal cables.
I agree that I don’t see even a trace of spots on the photo, they should be visible even in this low resolution shot. This makes me disappointed with Pentland, since my “bunker” sports a copy of his “Counterattack at Viller’s Bocage” [:(]
I too would hate to butcher tools off a finished model, perhaps back date it to just prior to this action, no sense in scrapping all that hard-fought PE! This appears to me to be the standard, (and at this time frame, factory applied), 3-tone scheme, although with red-primer substituting for red-brown, as according to Jentz, page 138, Germany’s Tiger Tanks, VK45.02 toTiger II.
Just to add to the confusion, page 7 of Tigers in Combat II states that Tiger IIs of sSSPzAbt 503 were finished in Ambush Scheme…with no mention of any other variation…[*-)] Perhaps Mr Pentland isn’t wrong after all?
Then there is this if you want to wade around;
http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/search?searchterm=ambush+tiger+314+sSSpzAbt+503&sort=match
Ah…, blurry photo interpretation…always fun. [bnghead]
Where’s that dead horse emoji when I need it?
Well, I guess at the end of the day we just have to go with the most educated guess and conclusion we can come to. It wouldn’t be a 1st in the history of man. It’s a hobby and for enjoyment after all. I think even Pentland uses some artistic interpretation in his work. Mig Jiminez is big on that point. I’m going to go with your suggestion and just back date it a little. I’ve read the same concerning the red oxide base coat. I think it will turn out nicely. Looking forward to sharing it wth u. Thank you for your time and help. I’m going to have to use my wife’s coveted laptop to upload the pics.