Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf.D
Comments
53 15 November 2021, 04:16
James CLOL! Welcome aboard mate 😉
I forgot how many bloody wheels this thing has!
15 November 2021, 16:14
Robin (WhiteGlint)Taking a seat.
Yeah, the Panther has a lot of wheels. Much like the Tiger and Königstiger.
16 November 2021, 11:26
James CWelcome guys 🙂
The Panther is probably my favorite tank from WW2.
The kit was a dream to assemble, and I never cease to be amazed at the quality of engineering and fit of these more recent Tamiya kits.
The photo etch was a nice addition as well, but I can't say the same for the replacement barrel set as it offers nothing over the single piece main barrel that comes with the kit, other than the loading breach.
But this is a little pointless, as there is no other internal detailing for inside of the turret. I'd personally not bother with it, as the stock parts cleaned up quickly and easily, and you still have to use the 3 piece muzzle break from the kit anyway.
I'm hoping to get the replacement track links cleaned up and possibly assembled today so that I can move onto primer and hopefully begin painting over the coming weekend.
16 November 2021, 16:50
Alan GVery nice indeed James. I have the Tamiya G version and i'm getting seriously tempted to have a shot at it.
16 November 2021, 18:27
Moritz FentzahnCount me in James. As always a very fast and clean build. I am a bit anxious about your steadiness. So many projects finished in a row, and still becoming better. Keep on the good work 👍
16 November 2021, 18:35
RuiCount me in as well. The Panther is my second favourite tank of the Second World War, after to Panzerkampfwagen III.
16 November 2021, 18:41
Murad ÖZERyep that's tamiya, lightning fast build!
can't wait to see her in camo. 👍
17 November 2021, 00:22
James CThanks Alan, Moritz, Rui and Murad 🙂
@ Alan - I built the steel wheeled version of the Tamiya Panther G kit a short while ago, and it was a very nice kit as well.
Today was a bit of a bust regarding the replacement tracks.
To cut a long story short, I found that they continually fell apart during assembly... even when keeping handling to a minimum by doing them in 10 link sections. I did eventually get both runs assembled, but found that they still wanted to fall apart. On repairing with glue to make them more secure... they would fall apart again somewhere else much to my annoyance.
I could have pressed on and made them into link and length sections instead, and probably would have had I not installed the side skirts on the tank itself. In the end I was just too pissed off with them so decided to just bin them and use the rubber tracks instead.
Based on this, I'd not recommend them whatsoever, as they are no substitute for more weighty and robust, workable metal links. But nothing ventured is nothing gained I guess.
Anyway, I gave it a final cleanup before dis-assembly and primer coating at some point tomorrow.
17 November 2021, 03:57
Jean-Christophe ZeusVery nice! I hope you didn't really bin the tracks, though. Maybe you can use them on another kit as link-and-length, as you said?
17 November 2021, 07:35
Alan GI'm glad you said about the track problem. I was just about to buy a set for the Panther G kit
17 November 2021, 17:00
Hugh CAST.Waouh! Very nice and clean job. In my mind, the best tracks for Panthers are those produced by T-rex Studio. Easy to assemble and very nice.
17 November 2021, 20:50
James CThanks guys 🙂
@ Alan - Yeah, while the replacement Tamiya tracks were nicely molded with hollow guide horns, they were just far more trouble than they were worth. That's not to say that they are un-useable, but personally I think there are far better alternatives available. I'd definitely recommend getting a set of metal replacements if you can afford it. For my Panther G build I used a set from Masterclub which worked out really well as they used resin pins rather than wire like you normally get with Friuls etc Tracks for Pz.Kpfw.V Panther.. (MasterClub MTL35001, 1:35)
[img1]
Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf. G | Album by Jim C (1:35)
@ Hugh - Thanks mate. I haven't heard of T-rex studio, but will look into them 👍
17 November 2021, 21:58
James CA little more progress made with the primer coat done and some pre-shading
18 November 2021, 05:10
James CI got the wheels and tracks mounted this morning finally.
I'm hoping that by clamping the tracks while the glue sets, I can get them to sit and hang a bit more naturally. Will leave them for a couple of hours, and if it works out ok, I will repeat the process on the other side.
Also started adding a bit of chipping to the upper hull and turret.
19 November 2021, 22:04
James CThanks mate 🙂
The clamping worked out really well so I have repeated on the other side.
Should be able to secure the upper hull to the bottom once properly cured.
20 November 2021, 01:28
James CThanks Murad 🙂
With the tracks mounted and given a more natural looking sag, I was able to finally mount the upper hull to the lower.
Next up is the decals, then once sealed in, i'll break out the MiG oil brushers.
20 November 2021, 04:04
James CMany thanks Villiers 🙂
I wasn't overly happy with the initial camouflage pattern that I did, so after thinking it over last night, I decided to tweak it a fair bit this morning to more closely resemble the patterns listed in the instructions. While it was a bit risky, I'm glad I did in the end as I think it looks a lot better.
21 November 2021, 04:14
Villiers de VosI share your strive for excellence in my own efforts. Again, I like the outcome very much. Including the restrained weathering.
21 November 2021, 04:23
Simon NagorsnikI liked the first pattern much, it was also seen on the real panthers but not to often on model panthers !
It makes the model appear "lighter", this way you can preceive the shape and the details of the model better.
But i can understand you, sometimes i change my mind about what i have done and has to rework😁
However, the new one fits also very well and i like it too- good wofk keep on!
21 November 2021, 07:21
James CThanks Villiers & Simon 🙂
Still need to apply the decals (today hopefully) then move onto final weathering and assembly. The assorted tools and spare track links are just sitting in place at present.
@ Simon - In the end the pattern just wasn't tight enough, but was about as tight as my eyesight would allow. It would have bothered me had I left it, so that's why I went with the alteration.
21 November 2021, 17:10
James CThe decals are done now. Will leave them overnight, before sealing them in tomorrow.
22 November 2021, 01:47
Robin (WhiteGlint)The new camo scheme looks very nice as well, James. 👍
I was wondering, do you use some kind of mask for the wheels?
They are always so clean.
Hmm, while writing this I think see the masks in front of the Dremel. 😄
I should buy some too, masking is much easier than trying to paint the outer parts of the wheel with the brush.
22 November 2021, 11:57
James CThanks WG 🙂
Yes, you are correct. It's just a simple and very inexpensive circle template which you can get from most stationary or art suppliers.
22 November 2021, 16:27
James CI finished it off finally yesterday, but was a little late to take some outdoor pictures.
A really nice kit as you would expect for a fairly recent Tamiya release, with no fit issues as long as care is taken while removing parts from the sprues, and cleaning up any remaining attachment points.
The photo-etch grills for the engine deck were very good, and are a must have for this kit, and is a shame that they were not included by default as other manufacturers do.
The replacement metal barrel also fit like a glove, but offers nothing detail-wise (externally) to warrant going to the expense of obtaining... with the exception of the loading breach inside of the turret... which really should have been included by default as well.
However, the replacement Tamiya tracks were just bloody awful and probably some of the worst workable plastic track links that I've come across; which is surprising given Tamiya's normally faultless engineering.
The money saved on the replacement barrel and tracks would be better spent on obtaining some alternative (workable) metal track links instead.
In the end, the rubber tracks that came with the kit worked out just fine after a little manipulation to get them hanging correctly, and can be glued together using ordinary plastic glue rather than having to resort to CA etc.
All up, a really nice kit right out of the box, and a worthy addition for everyone's armor stash.
Anyway, cheers for following 🙂
Youtube Video
Youtube Video
Youtube Video
23 November 2021, 21:05
Simon Nagorsniki really like your result 👌
has become a nice panther, like the streaking and chipping effects!
thumbs up for you 😀
23 November 2021, 21:10
Gary KitchenGreat finish James. Loving the revised camo pattern too. So much so, I wonder if you'll let me know what paint and colours you used? I'm building a small flak38 vierling and your combinations look fantastic.
24 November 2021, 07:35
NeulingClean and careful work with very appealing camouflage and moderate weathering. Looks beautiful! Before the battle ...........
24 November 2021, 10:50
James CMany thanks Simon, Ahmet, Micky, Murad, Gary and Neuling 🙂
@ Gary - For the camo I used Mission Models Paint MMP-019 "Dunkelgelb" for the dark yellow, Tamiya XF-65 "Field Grey" for the green and Tamiya XF-68 "Nato Brown" for the brown.
@ Neuling - Thanks mate. I didn't want to beat it up too much as it wouldn't have been appropriate given that the battle of Kursk was their first major deployment after being rushed into battle fresh from the factory. As it is, it's probably a little over weathered... but I wont tell anyone if you don't 😉👍
24 November 2021, 17:27
Thomas K.Top build Panther! Impressive and really nice! 👍 I like it very much 🙂
25 November 2021, 06:23
Rui SHi James, it seams I've missed this Beauty. What a Great model, very well done as always 👍
19 December 2021, 16:02
James CThanks guys, and apologies for not noticing and replying to your comments before now 🙂
23 December 2021, 23:22
Album info
A really nice kit as you would expect for a fairly recent Tamiya release, with no fit issues as long as care is taken while removing parts from the sprues, and cleaning up any remaining attachment points.
The photo-etch grills for the engine deck were very good, and are a must have for this kit, and is a shame that they were not included by default as other manufacturers do. The replacement metal barrel also fit like a glove, but offers nothing detail-wise (externally) to warrant going to the expense of obtaining... with the exception of the loading breach inside of the turret... which really should have been included by default as well.
However, the replacement Tamiya tracks were just bloody awful and probably some of the worst workable plastic track links that I've come across; which is surprising given Tamiya's normally faultless engineering.
The money saved on the replacement barrel and tracks would be better spent on obtaining some alternative (workable) metal track links instead.
In the end, the rubber tracks that came with the kit worked out just fine after a little manipulation to get them hanging correctly, and can be glued together using ordinary plastic glue rather than having to resort to CA etc.
All up, a really nice kit right out of the box, and a worthy addition for everyone's armor stash.
Panzerkampfwagen V Panther Ausf.D
7th Company, 52nd Panzer Battalion, 39th Panzer Regiment
Kursk - July 1943
Completed November 23rd 2021
