New build - very old kit - Jagdpanzer IV L48

We (modellers) all have among the boxes of fresh releases, those old kits from the 70's. Back then, when the market was shared between Tamiya and Italeri, these kits were considered state of the art and I remember, that in the late 80's, Tamiya suddenly stopped producing many of these models. Panic set in and these oldies became disputed objects at annual contests and model conventions. The Tamiya Jagdpanzer IV is one of these kits. Until recently it was still the only option on the market (Italeri's kit of the Jagdpanzer IV was actually so terrible, that modellers everywhere ignored it alltogether). But with the years catching up, what to do with such oldtimers?
I couldn't sell it on Ebay as no one wanted it anymore. At the local hobby clubs no one cared either. Only one thing left: Build the darn thing.
And here it is now. The model depicts one of the hundreds of vehicles lost during German "Unternehmen Frühlingserwachen" (operation spring awakening) in Hungary 1945. This was the last large scale offensive aimed at pushing the Soviet forces in Hungary, back to the Danube river and to retake the city of Budapest. Hoplessly outnumbered and fighting in very muddy terrain around lake Balaton , the German struggle lasted merely ten days and collapsed sooner than expected and the remains of the German units quickly withdrew into Austria.
I'm particularly proud of the result on this one, simply because the model was released 40 years ago and was basically a toy! There are too many modifications and extra detailings to list here but the most remarkable features of the model are the Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste texture created with epoxy putty, the side skirts made from 0,3mm plastic plate and an extra detail job on the front fenders.