Hi Frinik,
I checked the single-missions folder in my SP 1.5 beta install. There, the Panther did not replace the captured T-34/76; but at least the captured T-34s have now German late-war camo.
On my SP 1.5 beta install, the Tiger E-pack seems to run just fine (Late-war camo for the Tiger, new MG-42 sound). It is enabled as the last mod in my install.
In regard to the popularity of the Elefant/Ferdinand in Russia, I assume that it has acquired somewhat of an emblematic status, representing the Battle of Kursk. When my wife and I visited friends in Kursk, a few years ago, the local-history museum's section on WW II was full of images of the Elefant. They had a big diorama of the battle that nicely faded into a mural. This wall painting included plenty of burning Elefants as well. Apparently, the Soviets captured several of these vehicles and, of course, there were the ones that had been knocked out during combat, that could be retrieved from the battlefield afterwards. I believe, there even is an Elefant at the tank museum in Prokhorovka (spelling?), but unfortunately, we didn't have time to go there on our visit. Thus, I think that the Elefant has become a bit of a symbol for the Soviet vistory at Kursk. It's in just about every memorial for the Battle, representing German armor, much more so than the Panthers or Tigers, never mind the Mark IV's, etc.
But I agree, it would be great to have the Nashorn/Hornisse, the Jagdpanzer IV, or maybe even Dicker Max and Sturer Emil in the game, although these last two only existed in the form of two prototypes each, if I remember correctly.
Looking forward to your email,
FW