Mark Hoffmanly Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) I bought this a while ago, and I have been slowly working on it. But It seems to be a very detailed model and looks to be a very promising model once completed. I also ordered all 3 of Takoms panthers today, I have big plans for those three but that has yet to come. I opted to go with the heater on the back end of the tank, as I found it neat. The biggest challenge is trying to to get glue on the clear parts or accidentally scratching it. Edited March 13, 2018 by Mark Hoffmanly 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Looks fantastic, can’t wait for mine to arrive. Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 look forward to your build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) Hi Mark It looks great, a very very detailed model and looks like a real chore to build but you've got it mostly done already. It's going to be fun to paint, maybe you will need to borrow Plastix's paint brush, LOL. Panthers are one of my favorites, right up there with King Tigers. I'm not sold on the clear hull and turret though. I had bought an AFV Club T-34/85 with the clear hull and turret and ended up re-texturing the clear parts to represent armor and then painting them like a normal vehicle. I found it tough to glue parts to the inside of the clear hull and turret and the glue wouldn't stick all that well, also the danger of getting glue in the wrong spot so there's a mess. I really like Rye Field's kits and have half a dozen Tigers, Abrams and the Assault Breecher but while I want a Panther G I don't need the detailed interior and I sure don't need the clear so I'll probably pass on this one. The Meng Panther A is a nice enough kit but has some serious engineering problems, mine ended up getting scrapped after I broke off several swing arms trying to get the wheels on and off. The Takom Panther is a really really nice kit from seeing it on Andy's Hobby HQ but again it has an interior and it can be an "A" or a "D" as far as I know. The biggest problem with both of them though is that they are Panther A's and require zimmerit which I can't do unless it's glue-on resin sheets. I would never buy the Meng Mickey Mouse zimmerit decal sheets, why didn't they do it in resin , so what if it costs an extra $10 or $20? The decals are dumb and look even dumber. Sooo I guess it's wait for the Trumpeter 1/16 Panther G which does have an interior but it's big enough for me to see to work on and being a "G" doesn't require the globbed-on paste with fancy lines in it. Who knows, Trumpeter might get it together before next Christmas. Take care Mark and good luck with your Panther troop or tribe, should look great together. Lloyd Edited March 13, 2018 by BlackMax12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hoffmanly Posted March 13, 2018 Author Share Posted March 13, 2018 47 minutes ago, BlackMax12 said: Hi Mark It looks great, a very very detailed model and looks like a real chore to build but you've got it mostly done already. It's going to be fun to paint, maybe you will need to borrow Plastix's paint brush, LOL. Panthers are one of my favorites, right up there with King Tigers. I'm not sold on the clear hull and turret though. I had bought an AFV Club T-34/85 with the clear hull and turret and ended up re-texturing the clear parts to represent armor and then painting them like a normal vehicle. I found it tough to glue parts to the inside of the clear hull and turret and the glue wouldn't stick all that well, also the danger of getting glue in the wrong spot so there's a mess. I really like Rye Field's kits and have half a dozen Tigers, Abrams and the Assault Breecher but while I want a Panther G I don't need the detailed interior and I sure don't need the clear so I'll probably pass on this one. The Meng Panther A is a nice enough kit but has some serious engineering problems, mine ended up getting scrapped after I broke off several swing arms trying to get the wheels on and off. The Takom Panther is a really really nice kit from seeing it on Andy's Hobby HQ but again it has an interior and it can be an "A" or a "D" as far as I know. The biggest problem with both of them though is that they are Panther A's and require zimmerit which I can't do unless it's glue-on resin sheets. I would never buy the Meng Mickey Mouse zimmerit decal sheets, why didn't they do it in resin , so what if it costs an extra $10 or $20? The decals are dumb and look even dumber. Sooo I guess it's wait for the Trumpeter 1/16 Panther G which does have an interior but it's big enough for me to see to work on and being a "G" doesn't require the globbed-on paste with fancy lines in it. Who knows, Trumpeter might get it together before next Christmas. Take care Mark and good luck with your Panther troop or tribe, should look great together. Lloyd 8 I completely agree with having to glue parts to the clear hull/turret as it becomes a pain trying to get enough glue on the model to get the part to stay in place but not too much or else you risk glue dripping. I recently completed RFM's Tiger I which terribly lacked interior detail compared to this model, but at the same time I feel like RFM overdid this model, they tried to fit as much detail in a 1/35 model as possible which becomes annoying and tedious than challenging because there are so many tiny parts that can shoot off and disappear in the carpet void. They also used PE where plastic parts would be far better, having to switch between PE and plastic becomes maddening, especially when dealing with the clear parts. RFM offers 2 different versions a 1944 production and late 1944/45 production model. But the instructions are if-y as I have found out that I would need to go ahead in the instruction book to find out if the part(s) were correct for the model year I chose. I also plan on painting certain parts of the clear hull to hide the glue stains and add texture to it. I decided to pass up Mengs panther as it didn't come with an interior since I enjoy taking more than a week to assemble a model as I feel like I am getting my money's worth. I wish that Takom would've casted the zimmerit pattern onto the hull and turret, like they did with their KT. But by far the one thing that makes me the happiest with both kits is that they did not mold the ammunition to the ammunition racks like they did before, this makes it so much easier and less time consuming when painting. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Am I mistaken or is the Takom Panther price wise interesting even if you would not to the interior at all when compared.to Dragon or Tamiya? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hoffmanly Posted March 13, 2018 Author Share Posted March 13, 2018 4 minutes ago, Soeren said: Am I mistaken or is the Takom Panther price wise interesting even if you would not to the interior at all when compared.to Dragon or Tamiya? I did notice that Takoms Panther price was substantially cheaper than that of RFM, where RFM's Panther was around 78$(USD) while Takoms is about 40(USD). This allowed for me to buy all three of Takoms panthers at once, compared to 70$ for their KT. I am unsure as to why the price is so low but I am not complaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hoffmanly Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 Well, I was able to finish up the model and decided not to paint it as the model took longer than expected. Also my Takom panthers arrived today so I will be set on Panthers for a while now. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Nice work on a interesting looking kit. But you won't paint it? Takom is going to do a zim Panther as the fourth from what I have seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 It actually looks pretty good unpainted and that would be a devil of a job to do now so best leave it. Sure is busy under the hood on that baby. If Takom does bring out a Panther A with zimmerit maybe there is one in my future too but I don't think I'd buy an "A" without the pre-moulded zimmerit. Since I can't seem to do it then I just ignore it, LOL. Take care and I'm waiting on the 3 part Takom adventure, Lloyd BTW how is the big momma KT coming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hoffmanly Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 9 minutes ago, BlackMax12 said: It actually looks pretty good unpainted and that would be a devil of a job to do now so best leave it. Sure is busy under the hood on that baby. If Takom does bring out a Panther A with zimmerit maybe there is one in my future too but I don't think I'd buy an "A" without the pre-moulded zimmerit. Since I can't seem to do it then I just ignore it, LOL. Take care and I'm waiting on the 3 part Takom adventure, Lloyd BTW how is the big momma KT coming? I was hoping that Takom would include the molded zimmerit on the tanks like they did with their KT, but they didn't, sadly. So I am looking at all possible ways to make zimmerit, and pattern, and apply it to the Panther. I'm currently deciding on what I want to do since I have a stockpile of models to build but I cannot choose. I'll start something really soon. I decided to take another break from the KT, since the release of the Panthers, I have painted roughly 60% of the model so far, but none of it has been weathered, or detailed. Im not sure if I have posted the pics on here. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripaman Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Man does that look good with all that detail Regards Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Hey mark Here's a dumb question but shouldn't the mesh screens be on top of the vents and the fans on the rear deck? I don't think I've ever seen them underneath. Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hoffmanly Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 4 minutes ago, BlackMax12 said: Hey mark Here's a dumb question but shouldn't the mesh screens be on top of the vents and the fans on the rear deck? I don't think I've ever seen them underneath. Lloyd I went with RFM's instructions, and that's what they had me do. So it might be wrong it might not be, idk. I can pull up some pics of the manual when I get home to show ya. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 They might be right but I've only ever seen a "G" with the screens on top of the vents and fans. I did a search on Google and doggone there are some Panthers with the screens under but it doesn't say "A", "D" or "G". Apparently there were at least 2 different styles of vents too, one with straight slats like yours and one with curved slats with cross bars like the vents on the King Tigers but I don't know which version had which. I kind of think when they added the heater on the left fan on late "G"'s they went with the straight slats so they could close the vents on the right and maybe then they put the screens under, don't know. I wouldn't try to change it though, I was just wondering about it and probably RFM is right as I imagine they did lots more research than I. Some of the experts should chip in here maybe. Take care, Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 (edited) The curved slats are underneath. The square screens are on top of the mesh guards. I thought that were additional adjustable covers, but not completely sure. Edited March 16, 2018 by Soeren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Soeren What is a "scare screen"? Or did you mean the straight slats? Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 (edited) it is auto correction. Meant square screens. Edited March 16, 2018 by Soeren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 (edited) Oh, I thought they were putting something on there to "scare" away the boogers......... Seriously, I realized it was a typo but couldn't resist. Lloyd Mark, looks like you and RFM are right though, and I learned something new today so it was a good day. Guess you can teach an old old dog new tricks. BTW the RFM Panther is around Cdn$120 and the Takom kits are just shy of Cdn$80 each. That's inflation when there's only $0.25 between US and Cdn dollars. Edited March 16, 2018 by BlackMax12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightoftheSky Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Nice work Mark. The sliding covers, over the air intake mesh screens, should only be fitted to the right hand side, when the raised crew compartment heater is fitted. Ref Panzer Tracts 5-3. Regards, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 (edited) I did it like this on my Jagdpanther. According to the layout form the Panther G kit. I guess you can easily make it right still. I am really looking forward to see all you other Panther kits coming. Edited March 17, 2018 by Soeren 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hoffmanly Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 1 hour ago, KnightoftheSky said: Nice work Mark. The sliding covers, over the air intake mesh screens, should only be fitted to the right hand side, when the raised crew compartment heater is fitted. Ref Panzer Tracts 5-3. Regards, Tim I realized this while going over the manual again, and I realized that RFM does specify this. So the sliding covers shouldn't be on the left-hand side. Great catch! 58 minutes ago, Soeren said: I did it like this on my Jagdpanther. According to the layout form the Panther G kit. I guess you can easily make it right still. I am really looking forward to see all you other Panther kits coming. Here is the instructions for the rear end of the Panther, there were a lot of different exterior options with this kit makes it a bit overwhelming. Also, what a shame that those kits cost that much up North! I managed to snag Takoms Panthers for 49$ each off of Spruebrothers with another 10$ for shipping, I also got RFM's Panther for around 80$ from SB with shipping. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMax12 Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Whew, I was half right on the screens, better than being 100% wrong, LOL. Yes the prices up here are a bit much but then if I buy a US$50 kit from Sprue Bros it costs me over Cdn$100 with the exchange and the outrageous shipping charges, usually $50 or more. So it's better to just shut up and pay the $100 locally, and not have to wait 2-3 weeks for a shipment from the USA. I'm trying to be a little more selective with the 1/35 stuff but the 1/16 I buy regardless of the price (well pretty much) So are you building the 3 Takom kits all at once or one at a time with a WIP for each? More flipping snow again last night, got a snow shovel calling me as it doesn't know Spring is only 4 days away apparently. Take care, Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hoffmanly Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 On 3/17/2018 at 12:45 PM, BlackMax12 said: Whew, I was half right on the screens, better than being 100% wrong, LOL. Yes the prices up here are a bit much but then if I buy a US$50 kit from Sprue Bros it costs me over Cdn$100 with the exchange and the outrageous shipping charges, usually $50 or more. So it's better to just shut up and pay the $100 locally, and not have to wait 2-3 weeks for a shipment from the USA. I'm trying to be a little more selective with the 1/35 stuff but the 1/16 I buy regardless of the price (well pretty much) So are you building the 3 Takom kits all at once or one at a time with a WIP for each? More flipping snow again last night, got a snow shovel calling me as it doesn't know Spring is only 4 days away apparently. Take care, Lloyd The weather down here is annoying since it snows one day then the next day its 60 with sun I plan on building all three of them back to back, but first I'm gonna build some of my models that are in my stash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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