PANTHER D. ZVEZDA 1/35th ***FINISHED 12/12/2020***

[DaveyGair]

I have yet to finish a 1/35th scale military vehicle since the 70's when I was really into TAMIYA 1/35th stuff. I've got a few languishing on the SOD hoping to be resurrected sometime. I took the decision earlier on in the year to get rid of any unstarted 1/35th kits but somehow have managed to hang on to this one, maybe it was the fact that I have pre-painted some parts, tracks and wheels. Nothing is stuck together though.

I seem to have bought a set of 'Star' decals, a metal gun barrel and some resin figures.  I intend to .do the winter camo scheme shown in the photo but I don't know if I'll use the barrel and the figures (I don't think they are in winter uniform?!).

Hopefully will start this soon, it'll be OOB and hopefully should be a fairly quick build 🤔.

Any glaring errors with the kit anyone can comment on I may fix but I know this isn't as detailed as a 'Dragon' offering.

 

Davey.

 

 

[Ozzy]

Nice box of bits there Davey, the kit looks pretty good from where I’m sat. I haven’t even thought about decals yet, that’s very organised of you.

[DaveyGair]

14 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

Nice box of bits there Davey, the kit looks pretty good from where I’m sat. I haven’t even thought about decals yet, that’s very organised of you.

Cheers Ozzy, it's mainly because it doesn't have Zimmerit applied😉

 

Davey.

[Jasper dog]

Good luck, nice to see another D rather than yet more Gs!

 

Atb

Darryl 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Welcome Davey... always nice to see more Panthers. 

[Six97s]

I'm building the same kit. I've found a couple of references to the turret being too small.  I have no other Panther kits to compare it with, so perhaps someone with another make of kit can supply measurements?

[DaveyGair]

On 11/9/2020 at 12:00 PM, Six97s said:

I'm building the same kit. I've found a couple of references to the turret being too small.  I have no other Panther kits to compare it with, so perhaps someone with another make of kit can supply measurements?

 

I think the turret looks OK when placed on the hull but I am no expert and I'm just going to build the thing OOB, good luck with your build.

 

So far I have assembled the lower hull suspension parts and placed the main road-wheels on after having (roughly) painted the tyres, what a job! is there any 'easy' way to it?  The inner-outer wheels are glued and setting, the inner double wheels and track are just loose at the moment.

I decided to go for a 'closed up' vehicle and thus have left out almost all of the internals of the turret, I also assembled the kit main gun which looks quite good actually so will probably just use that, here shown loose fitted in the mantlet.

 A photo of the actual vehicle shows no smoke launchers fitted, also the un-whitewashed area where the right hand side bin is missing, which is shown on the colour diagram for the decals. 

More soon.

 

Davey.

 

 

[Redcoat2966]

That's interesting.....never seen a recessed area for the tool racks before. Interested in seeing the rack on the hull and what that looks like........looking good so far.

 

Regards

Simon.

[DaveyGair]

19 hours ago, Redcoat2966 said:

That's interesting.....never seen a recessed area for the tool racks before. Interested in seeing the rack on the hull and what that looks like........looking good so far.

 

Regards

Simon.

 

Here you go Simon. 

Been busy just putting as many parts together, avoiding the tracks at the moment!  The drive sprockets and idlers are not glued on at the moment. I didn't add the clear vision blocks for the driver/co-driver positions until I add a bit of paint around that area, I like how they have done the mudguard area, being added to the lower hull before the upper hull.  

I have noted in Six97s's build the fact that there are no bolts around the outside of the transmission hatch so will fill them before painting.

More to come.

 

Davey.

 

 

[Six97s]

1 hour ago, DaveyGair said:

 

Here you go Simon. 

Been busy just putting as many parts together, avoiding the tracks at the moment!  The drive sprockets and idlers are not glued on at the moment. I didn't add the clear vision blocks for the driver/co-driver positions until I add a bit of paint around that area, I like how they have done the mudguard area, being added to the lower hull before the upper hull.  

I have noted in Six97s's build the fact that there are no bolts around the outside of the transmission hatch so will fill them before painting.

More to come.

 

Davey.

 

 

 

 

I got that info on the bolts from a review, and a quick image search seemed to confirm it.  However, I noticed on someone else's thread that Dragon also moulded them? 🤔 There are definitely none to be seen in this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zguDtwk_Bs

 

I imagine the thinking behind the recesses for the tool racks was to allow for a thicker, stronger moulding, while appearing closer to scale thickness once installed on the hull.

[Redcoat2966]

2 hours ago, DaveyGair said:

 

Here you go Simon. 

Been busy just putting as many parts together, avoiding the tracks at the moment!  The drive sprockets and idlers are not glued on at the moment. I didn't add the clear vision blocks for the driver/co-driver positions until I add a bit of paint around that area, I like how they have done the mudguard area, being added to the lower hull before the upper hull.  

I have noted in Six97s's build the fact that there are no bolts around the outside of the transmission hatch so will fill them before painting.

More to come.

 

Davey.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Six97s said:

 

I got that info on the bolts from a review, and a quick image search seemed to confirm it.  However, I noticed on someone else's thread that Dragon also moulded them? 🤔 There are definitely none to be seen in this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zguDtwk_Bs

 

I imagine the thinking behind the recesses for the tool racks was to allow for a thicker, stronger moulding, while appearing closer to scale thickness once installed on the hull.

 

Thanks Davey, and yes Six97 that makes sense.....

[DaveyGair]

Ok, so, bit the bullet and got on with the part of this build I wasn't looking forward to, the tracks!  Actually, once getting into a rythmn, not too bad a chore, the part that took the time is removing the pieces off the sprues!  I have done one side so far, just gluing together the pieces with a bit of liquid poly which allowed the track to remain flexible so it could be taken around the wheels.

As a base colour I went for MiG AMMO 'Rust Tracks', I will be adding other washes and dry-brushes.  The edges where they were snipped off the sprue need painting as well.  I'm having a go at going for a 'drying in mud' type effect, using a MiG Ammo Mud wash with Vallejo Ochre powder to add some chunks of caked-on mud.

I notice in photo's of vehicles in service there appears to be some 'seepage' of lubricant from some if not all of the wheel hubs and will add this as well.

I'm new to all this and what you see in the photo's will be 'spruced-up' a bit as I go along!

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

More soon.

 

Davey.

 

 

[PlaStix]

Hi Davey. That looks to be progressing beautifully. Very well done.

Kind regards,

Stix 

[Ozzy]

Nice going Davey, looking good.

[Six97s]

Looks good. You're ahead of me, I've just started with the tracks on mine.

[DaveyGair]

Thanks for the kind comments folks, keep 'em coming!

 

Here's where we are so far. Got all the tracks and painting and most weathering done, then assembled the upper hull. I must say, the fit of the kit so far has been excellent, I would say just about up there with Tamiya, et al.

 

I had painted the upper deck before fitting the radiator/fan parts and vision blocks.  I have painted the turret but must admit it looks very Green-ish? I have looked on the 'net and, not surprised, there is much discussion about what colour 'Dunkel Gelb' actually was.  I'm using Vallejo RAL 7028 and in the bottle it has a green tint to it but a lot of people seem to think this is correct? Any thoughts?

I can't remember what colour I used to spray the wheels a couple of years or so ago now🤔

 

A photo of this actual tank on the 'net is a shot from the rear showing the crew loading up with ammunition.  The right hand side stowage bin is indeed missing and shows the original colour missing the white-wash applied elsewhere. Also no Jack under the exhausts and no towing shackles, not much in the way of spare track either. maybe a lot of the external gear goes missing when in action over time?  It also shows the large stowage bin on the right hand side of the hull is missing as well, I had already glued this on so I'm just going to leave it.

So, nearly done with this, just got to basically add paint and the tools etc and markings.

More to come.

 

Davey.

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

7 hours ago, DaveyGair said:

I had painted the upper deck before fitting the radiator/fan parts and vision blocks.  I have painted the turret but must admit it looks very Green-ish? I have looked on the 'net and, not surprised, there is much discussion about what colour 'Dunkel Gelb' actually was.  I'm using Vallejo RAL 7028 and in the bottle it has a green tint to it but a lot of people seem to think this is correct? Any thoughts?

Interesting color more like an Olive Grûn rather than Dunkel Gelb. The plastic color is closer to what I imagine as Dunkel Gelb, a tannish yellow/Lt.brown color. 

[Six97s]

That does look green!   I have some Mig paints lined up for mine and having tested them, the Dunkelgelb looks nothing like that.

[DaveyGair]

53 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Interesting color more like an Olive Grûn rather than Dunkel Gelb. The plastic color is closer to what I imagine as Dunkel Gelb, a tannish yellow/Lt.brown color. 

 

19 minutes ago, Six97s said:

That does look green!   I have some Mig paints lined up for mine and having tested them, the Dunkelgelb looks nothing like that.

 

I'll have to have a look through my paints, if you look at previous photos of the road wheels that is more like the colour I'm after, but I forget what I used!😠

 

Davey.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Maybe just have to get a scrap of plastic and brush samples of everything thats a possibility. When its dry you should be able to figure out whats closest ? 

[Jasper dog]

Hi, the kit looks as if it's gone together well, nice work. 

As you say the dunklegelb used on the turret does look really green, not wanting to ask a daft question but I assume you bottle was really well stirred and shaken? I've a bottle of the Vallejo dunklegelb and it looks nothing like that.

I actually used the AK version as I didn't have enough of the Vallejo one left, they are all slightly different but nothing as green as yours.

 

Good luck

Darryl 

[Longbow]

The Hermann Von Salza Panther D, S25, that you took the foot from, should have been dark yellow with a mottled overspray of green and brown, and then white wash. 

 

The area where the missing stowage box was would have been red brown primer. 

 

Most references have the dark yellow as a mustard color, but once white wash was applied the yellow would turn a lot more Khaki in color, due to the white pigment staining the dark yellow and the lightening the over spray colors. 

[DaveyGair]

5 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

Hi, the kit looks as if it's gone together well, nice work. 

As you say the dunklegelb used on the turret does look really green, not wanting to ask a daft question but I assume you bottle was really well stirred and shaken? I've a bottle of the Vallejo dunklegelb and it looks nothing like that.

I actually used the AK version as I didn't have enough of the Vallejo one left, they are all slightly different but nothing as green as yours.

 

Good luck

Darryl 

 

Hi Darryl, the kit is very good and to me looks like a Panther. The detail is good enough for me.

Yeah, it had a good stir/shake, I even tipped the contents out into a plastic shot glass I use for such things. I have a couple of Sand type paints available to me so should be able to sort something out!

 

2 hours ago, Longbow said:

The Hermann Von Salza Panther D, S25, that you took the foot from, should have been dark yellow with a mottled overspray of green and brown, and then white wash. 

 

The area where the missing stowage box was would have been red brown primer. 

 

Most references have the dark yellow as a mustard color, but once white wash was applied the yellow would turn a lot more Khaki in color, due to the white pigment staining the dark yellow and the lightening the over spray colors. 

 

Thanks for the info, interesting about the red primer behind the stowage boxes, it does look dark in the photo, then the background through the white-wash looks the same but I think I'll do that just to create interest.

 

Cheers everyone, keep the info coming as I'm no expert in such matters!

 

Davey.

[Jasper dog]

6 hours ago, DaveyGair said:

 

Cheers everyone, keep the info coming as I'm no expert in such matters!

 

Davey.

No problem, feel free to ask, can't guarantee we"ll know the answer but chances are someone will!

 

Atb

Darryl 

[DaveyGair]

Ok, here's what I've come up with (and it's staying like that!).  I mixed some Vallejo Dark Sand with Light Brown and added their RAL 7028.  I think it isn't quite 'yellow' enough?  But once I get the Green/Brown over-spray and White-wash on and then a bit more weathering it should look OK. What do you think?

The photo's were done earlier on with sunlight coming into the man-cave by the way so may give a more accurate appearance.

 

Davey.