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Panzer V Panther A, Takom 1/35


Marco1965

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Brilliant work. You've given everything a real weight and your weathering is consistent throughout. I'm sure that if I tried a full interior like this you would be able to spot the point at which I gave up and just started to rush. 

Driving one of these doesn't look like as much fun as you might imagine. I guess drivers were picked according to their size rather than ability.

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I suspect a good driver could mean life or death to the crew, depending on where he placed the wagon in action.

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Worked on the engine cover and vents.  First of all, the kit provides 2 options for the circular vents, without explanation about the version they correspond to.  I found that the ones with spiral grill is early, Panther D and early As..., and the one with radial grill is late... meaning... I don't know which ones "96" used, taking in to account that I had to issue some modifications corresponding to the mid-A version.  So, I chose the radial ones.  No picture of Befehlspanther 96 showing that area.  PE screens will be added later.

 

4Lg9rWel.jpg

 

I intend to leave the engine access door, and the complete engine compartment cover, able to be removed, to show at least some of the excellent engine compartment, had to fill some ejection pin marks in the interior of the door, used Vallejo Plastic Putty for that.

Df1Bvczl.jpg

 

Another part that will be removable, is the one above the driver and radiooperator, allowing for a decent view of the forward compartment when finished.  The detail of the doors is excellent.  I have no reference about what the internal square part is, padding or something else.  In any picture that I have is that part shown

pAELMPKl.jpg

 

Radiooperators MG-34 is so detailed, nice, even the funny support for the head of the radiooperator is there.

7psPT5wl.jpg

 

Another nice detail is the driver's visor hatch, in the closed position,...

3v6iB1al.jpg

 

...and you can open it at will.  I thought that I would be able to look at the face of the driver's through the opening but no... seems that armored glass moved in place to protect the driver from threats.

sdacluyl.jpg

 

Really nice to find all these small details, absolutely accurate research from the Takom guys.

 

Marco

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Waiting for the moment to close the hull, but not yet.   I painted the interior in "Cremeweiss" (MiG) and "Rotbraun".

J7MCHMml.jpg

 

The MG-34 fits in its slot and swivels freely, a very complete representation including the head support and sights.  Missing still is the ammo bag.  Periscopes were inserted in place, and some weathering using panel accent (Tamiya) was applied.

 

Nu9ok8Xl.jpg

 

I glued the vents screens using CA, fit perfectly.   I painted the screens in Rotbraun before attaching them in place, not to miss any spot that might shine later because of having left it unpainted.  After having glued them in place, I proceeded to paint the Dunkelgelb from the outside, as it would have been the standard process (I guess) painting the Panthers.  I will add camo spots later on.

u2HZdlTl.jpg

 

And proceeded to add "weight" effects, like from people stepping repeatedly on them.  No intention to rip any of them.

mA1fOdIl.jpg

 

Adding some rust and weathering effect will complete the impression of having battered screens.

OhhM0u0l.jpg

 

Marco

 

 

Edited by Marco1965
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  • 2 weeks later...

Radio equipment is the last thing that I need to finish in order to close the hull.  The FU5 radio system as provided in the kit, includes parts for a "box" and the radio itself.  I could not assemble the box without having the radio fitted inside, which complicated masking and painting as the box should be white, and the radio dark gray, and there is a narrow space between each.  I bored open some holes to fit in the cables afterwards.

sySQY9ql.jpg

 

After painting and some panel accent, started to look decent.

K7O8ibrl.jpg

 

Decals are excellent, as I have said before.

7Y0sUJwl.jpg

 

And added some cables, missing some others, but it is starting to look nice!

jV1vA6Ll.jpg

Marco

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Cripes. What am I doing here, I don't do 1/35 armour, I barely do 1/72 but wow, what a treat, a masterclass on what goes on inside a Panther? This is superb for a nosey parker like me who loves to know how stuff works, it has been quite a journey. Fantastic. Thanks.

Steve.

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On 7/23/2021 at 4:59 AM, stevehnz said:

Cripes. What am I doing here, I don't do 1/35 armour, I barely do 1/72 but wow, what a treat, a masterclass on what goes on inside a Panther? This is superb for a nosey parker like me who loves to know how stuff works, it has been quite a journey. Fantastic. Thanks.

Steve.

I didn´t usually assemble tanks, either... HA!  I just wanted to have a Panther, that´s it, but this kit, ooooohhhhh this kit!  It was a trap!  All those details, it invites you to do some research, and why the double torsion bars, and the Maybach, and the ammo storage, and the MGs and the armor, and the distribution, and the weaknesses, and the strengths, and, and, and!   I have rarely enjoyed a kit as much as this one, not an empty shell but complete, down to the smallest detail!

 

I already have the King Tiger waiting it´s turn.

 

Marco

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31 minutes ago, Marco1965 said:

I already have the King Tiger waiting it´s turn.

Looking forward to this - especially after seeing how your Panther is progressing!

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So I finished gluing the radio in place, added some wiring, scratches and it looks like this:

zZOartql.jpg

 

A Schmeisser for the Radiooperator was an additional touch, from an old Tamiya kit.  I have seen in reference pictures the ammo bags laying on the floor behind the radiooperator´s seat, so I added the remaining bags in that fashion.

XAiw9C0l.jpg

 

And this part was not easy, since before starting the project, I had decided that I wanted my Panther as realistic as possible, and that included closing the hull, I don´t like gaps showing all around the edges because the hull is not glued in place.   Last view of the full interior...

JQIABT7l.jpg

 

Hull closed.  Interior will be seen through the openings that you see in this picture when finished, decent perspective, of course some parts will be gone forever (like the driver´s face, impossible to see anymore!).

PXj725zl.jpg

 

And after gluing the hull cover in place, I got this gap at the back...  There was a gap between the vents and the rear wall, but NOT between the engine cover frame and the rear.

LZnTWJhl.jpg

 

Back to the old rubber bands, some pressure, Tamiya ET and CA...

oF5VEXxl.jpg

... fixed.  I´ll need to trim a little bit the frame below the access panel, need to straighten it.

PcRDLesl.jpg

 

Front end was not better, small gaps that will be fixed with CA and Putty, nothing complicated.

3vgu3btl.jpg

Marco

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I had a bit of a struggle to fit the top cover myself as well on my Panther, but this part of the model is pretty well engineered and

shouldn't be that much off.

I suggest you have a front bulkhead inside that hasn't slipped to its slot and so holds the cover up.

 

Nice work so far though the front gap will be tricky to fix.

Edited by vaoinas
Grammar
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7 hours ago, Longbow said:

Very nice work !!

Indeed! 

 

I agree with Longbow, but I can say something myself. :happy:

Thus, a short in memoriam:
Today is a sad day, a day when we could last see the most beautiful part of this Panther. We will remember this day with hope, knowing that that beauty hidden from our eyes still exists... :pope:

 

Vytautas

 

 

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1 hour ago, vytautas said:

Indeed! 


Today is a sad day, a day when we could last see the most beautiful part of this Panther. We will remember this day with hope, knowing that that beauty hidden from our eyes still exists... :pope:

 

Vytautas

 

 

 

Hmmm....

 

Pretty sure that's not a Shakespeare quote.....

 

But, could be wrong..... ;)

 

 

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4 hours ago, Longbow said:

Hmmm....

 

Pretty sure that's not a Shakespeare quote.....

 

But, could be wrong..... ;)

Who is this Shakespeare? Is this the guy who glues shiny cars in the neighbor forum? :rofl:

 

Vytautas

Edited by vytautas
Edited due to not being very respectful of other types of modeling. I corrected my post, although I know for sure that tank modeling is the only correct modeling, and everything else is heresy and the works of the evil spirit.
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1 minute ago, vytautas said:

Who is this Shakespeare? Is this the guy who glues shiny cars and similar poo-poo in the neighbor forum? :rofl:

 

Vytautas

 

Step away from the Keyboard !! 

 

Your Heathen is showing !! :D

 

 

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I have a friend who, confronted by people with different opinions asking why this and why that, used to say "because that´s the way I like it".  And that is it, Shakespeare or not, 😁.  Had a hard time deciding, too!  HA!  But in my case, I like realism, and if realism means gluing the hull closed to avoid looking at the gaps between halves, so be it.

 

Marco

Edited by Marco1965
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In the beginning I simply wanted "a Panther", that was it, I liked the tank (I was not a tank guy).  Then I liked Takom Panther A "Mid-Late" kit because of the interiors and crisp engineering... and then I chose to assemble a Befehlspanther (A) that, rarely, was photographed from the four sides while transiting to Nornamdy in August 1944, Befehlspanther 96.  Takom´s kit includes the option of a Befehlspanther, so everything was set, in my naive mind.    What I didn´t know at that time, was that "Panther A" means several different combinations and updates.  So my Panther 96, ended up being more an "Early-Mid" A, and not a "Mid-Late" A which was the kit that I got.  And the slight changes that this represented are now evident:  Engine exhausts, Jack type and supports, and I just discovered another one, related to the cannon sight.  But the good news is, that Takom includes parts for the three types of "Panther A" in the box!!!!!  That has been fantastic because simply checking on instructions of the Mid-Early type, I have managed to find the proper exhausts, supports, jack, etc.  And now the proper binocular cannon sight used by Befehlspanther 96!  KUDOS Takom.

 

   So let me tell you about the last "update".  I was about to paint the monocular sight, when I don´t know why, checked for the sight opening in the gun mantlet, and saw this:

sHYLiIHl.jpg

Evidently, 96 was equipped with an early binocular sight, as the picture clearly shows.  And... the kit includes both sights! (to the left, the binocular sight, to the right, the monocular sight)  It fits without modifying anything internally:

HwIjDEel.jpg

 

e5ncYWZl.jpg

 

Only thing that needed some additional attention, was the cannon mantlet, there was only one part in the kit for this one, for the monocular sight with one single hole visible.  But converting it was not difficult, just open a second hole following the guide in the internal parts (they come with the two holes open), flatten the zimmerit between the "eyes" and issue the "eyebrow" on top with stretched sprue.  And that is it, no other changes needed.

6Kcgmp4l.jpg

 

Worked on the interior of the turret, nice details, painted Cremeweiss typical for the period.  The fume extractor hose issued in soft plastic is a nice detail, hope paint doesn´t peel when manipulating it.  The rear hatch hinge works perfectly,.

mUX3A1Tl.jpg

 

Some dry fit, and using the lower part of the turret as masking to paint the lower rim Red Brown.

SRM9Ieel.jpg

 

The cannon breech is a beauty, in fact the breech opens and closes (if you are careful and don´t let glue into it).  Took me a while playing with this, even the rounds fit in (with a little bit of sanding, would fit perfectly).

to7meabl.jpg

 

PPuvet6l.jpg

 

   That is is by now, really enjoying this one!

Marco

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