Panzer V Panther A, Takom 1/35

[vytautas]

 

Beautiful work! I am really enjoying following your thread.

 

Vytautas

 

[Longbow]

Very nice work !!

 

But... If you’re building 96, I’m pretty sure you need to plug the machine gun port in the mantle. 
 

96 had extra radios in the turret, in front of the loader.  
There was no room for the Co-Axial machine gun, and the mantlet hole was plugged. 

[Marco1965]

On 8/4/2021 at 7:37 PM, Longbow said:

Very nice work !!

 

But... If you’re building 96, I’m pretty sure you need to plug the machine gun port in the mantle. 
 

96 had extra radios in the turret, in front of the loader.  
There was no room for the Co-Axial machine gun, and the mantlet hole was plugged. 

Hi Longbow, thank you for the tips, Takom includes those details in the kit: turret radios and  transformers for the turret radios, no turret MG-34 and some other thingies to assemble a Befehls Panther.

 

Marco

[Marco1965]

Job interferes too much with hobby... 😁.  I continued working on the turret details.  I glued the front plate and cannon base to the turret, added some scratches to several parts, nice touch from Takom providing the vent hose in flexible plastic.

 

I painted the interior of the rear escape hatch in dark yellow, same exterior color, nice that it opens-closes perfectly.

 

 

Glued the radios and transformers in place, and added some wiring (evidently needs retouch in black).  No much of this will be visible when everything is glued together, but it contributes so the intricate appearance of the interior.

 

 

I could not find any reference pictures about the turret wiring from the transformers to the radios, so I followed some blueprints of how they were wired.

 

Not too much will be noticeable once I close the turret... But for now, still several things to do, needs still some scratches, weathering, etc before I close it (and the crew figures).

 

I corrected a mistake in the kit, about the radio-operator´s MG-34.  Takom offers the MG-34 with the butt molded, but in every reference that I found, the butt in that MG was removed to operate from that position, and stored together with the bipod in a box somewhere nearby.  So I cut the butt, sanded smooth and applied some new paint.

 

Marco

[vytautas]

Beautiful work Marco, the work that you have done is really excellent, just stunning!

 

Vytautas

[edjbartos]

Again, fabulous work Marco, the detail that you are putting into this is just amazing..

 

Ed

[mick]

great work

[Marco1965]

Started experimenting with the crew:  this is a part I don´t particularly enjoy... but I love to see my models with crew, so, no complaints.  I am using a combination of Dragon (light gray plastic) and Stalingrad (Dark Gray resin) crew sets, from left to right the tank commander, the loader, radio-operator, and gunner (without head...)

 

For the radio-operator, I modified a Dragon figure, moving his inferior limbs together, bending the torso forward by the waist and shortening the height, and using and repositioning his arms to match the reference pictures of the tank.  Test 1, arms pinned to torso with copper wire, still movable, but I think gives the correct impression.  I think that I will change the hands, though.

 

The gunner is no complication at all, glue and paint.   It had a seam line right in the middle of the face, though, that needed sanding.  It has to be fit in position, though, before gluing the floor and base of the turret, as there is no way to move it afterwards.  I was not aware that his hands are holding elevation and traverse levers, so these are off in the turret... not much to be seen, though, managed to reposition one, the other one is hidden.

 

  

 

And this is the other occupant of the turret, the gunner, which I will show in standing position.  Stalingrad figure is excellent for an "in action" gunner, which I... don´t need.   But, the figure is really nice, so let´s imagine that the guy is doing something to the cannon breech.  Notice that in order to fit the figure, the gunner´s seat had to be glued in folded position (it is provided in extended position in the kit)

 

The massive cannon breech will go right between the two figures, so it will be quite crowded in the end.   The commander will be standing, not seating with half of the body out of the turret hatch.  The bulky Dragon figures seem to simulate properly the thick jacket that the commander is wearing in the reference pictures, so we´ll see.

Marco

[mbthejester]

Just caught up from the start, Stunning , this is a awesome build very well done 👍 

[Josebagasteiz]

Great job!!! 

 

The appearance is excellent!! 👌

[Marco1965]

I really like to work with figures like those from Stalingrad.  I am not really too good with figures, so getting as much help from the molded features is great!  I decided to paint the gunner in the Erbsenmuster camo pattern used in Normandy in 1944.  I used Dark Green, Green, Dark Earth and Dark Earth/White 1:1.  The cap and boots were painted in Anthrazit.  I applied flat coat and glued to his seat.

 

 

Fit of the figure in its place in excellent, hands match position of cannon levers, feet rest on the turning pedals.  The intercom cables were issued with fine copper wire.

 

I issued the headset arch with rests of PE, painted then black and glued in place.

 

 

Once the turret base was glued to the turret floor, the gunner can´t be moved anymore, it is glued in place anyway.

 

I was concerned about the cannon breech and gunsight interfering with the figure, but nope, everything moves without parts interfering at all.  Here the cannon leveled, notice the sight in front of the gunner´s face, with enough separation that allows for elevation and depression of the cannon-gunsight unit.

 

And when the cannon is depressed, the figure can be easily appreciated, a plus when trying to show the interior.

Marco

Edited September 14, 2021 by Marco1965

[mbthejester]

If I could turnout figures like this I would be a very happy person, well done on this 👍

[ERK]

Brilliant work.

 

Erk.

[Marco1965]

After finishing the interior details, some wiring and such, I glued the turret to the base and floor, no issues, but let it dry overnight just in case.  Fit was perfect and it sits flush on the Panther´s hull, no excessive gap.  Notice how testing the base ring in the hull has scratched the red paint from the ring.  Doesn´t matter, will not be playing with it.

 

 

 

The Panther that I want to represent, had spare tracks attached to the turret, 6 x 4 tracks sets.  I used a resin set from Dnepro model that provides individual tracks to assemble.  Additionally, the hooks to which the tracks are attached, are not provided in Takom´s kit.  I checked several references, and as these hooks were issued in the field, I decided to go for these ones:

 

I issued them with thin wire, I pressed it to get sort of a flat shape (although they used whatever was available, I wanted them flat...), and attached them to the turret using CA-

 

The spare tracks attach easily to the hooks, they are not glued yet of course, just checking leveling and looks..

 

 

 

Now something I suspected since I saw the Dragon figure, was that Mr Tank Commander Pfannkuche was too tall... In fact he proved to be an average 1.90m tall figure, and it shows, his body was too tall out of the hatch.

 

So he underwent some plastic surgery.

 

After some cuts here and there, Mr Pfannkuche fits much better into the hatch and looks more natural.

 

Plastic surgery reduced his height to around 1.72m, and doesn´t look too short compared to the Loader´s figure from Stalingrad.

 

And... those were my advances, close to start painting this beauty, but some details still pending, like the bent front fenders which I need to issue before painting.

Marco

[Stef N.]

That plastic surgery made me wince.😖😀

 

Great work Marco.👍

[Marco1965]

Before painting, I had to bend the front mudguards, they look battered in the real tank.  So some heat and a metal edge did the job.

 

I did use the plastic cannon and muzzle provided in the kit,  filled and sanded as carefully as I could, used Mr Surfacer 1200, more sand, more Mr surfacer...

 

I continued working on the paint scheme of Befehlspanther 96.  Information regarding the camo scheme is, well, put in an optimistic way, almost no-existent. Although there are 4 pictures of 96, contrast is poor, and apart from some clues for the front and back pattern, there is nothing for the rest.  So I took the standard paint scheme for the time: Dunkelgelb RAL7028, Rotbraun RAL 8018 and Olivgrün RAL6003 (All Ammo MiG).  First I applied the Dunkelgelb as they would have done in real life, "Fresh" from the production plant!

 

Then I started applying green and then brown color, according to my best taste and following some random references.  Trying to follow the pattern at the front and back of the tank, this was the result... 

 

I applied the paint trying not to saturate the color, as 96 seems quite battered in the reference pictures, will make the weathering easier afterwards.

 

I applied the brown and olive freehand, as the references show soft edges for the camo.

 

I painted the wheels in Dunkelgelb using metal wheel masks, a beauty that shortened my work significantly. 

 

Befehlspanther 96 is missing the cover of the left rear cargo bin, I had to issue the inner wall with plastic sheet in order to realistically show the interior of the part..

 

 

I bored open the holes where the lock pin is attached to keep tools in place.

 

And attached the copper wire provided for cables to the plastic tips. with CA

 

Fitting the copper wires to the plastic tips was not difficult, CA and carefully twisting the wire upon inserting it.

Marco

[Marco1965]

Continuing with the painting of my Panther, I applied a series of washes with artist oils (white and a touch of light yellow), then some panel accent (black and brown), then another darker but more diluted wash with water colors (dark brown), and this is where I am...

 

 

 

Notice the open cargo bin at the back of the tank, without cover, and the absence of the right bin, according to references.

 

 

The only visible markings that Befehlspanther 96 has, is the number 96, in white, at the back of the turret.   I read somewhere that all the Befehlspanthern in the group had numbers in the 90s series.   I didn´t have a decal, and I really don´t want to put a decal on all that intricate zimmerit detail, so I decided to paint the number.  I chose a good picture as reference, printed it to the size needed, and cut the masking qccordingly (X-Acto and Tamiya masking tape).

 

No retouches, straight from the oven, I am quite satisfied.

Real number seems not to have been perfect, most probably hand painted with a brush.  I think I will not suffer for the slight differences and let it stay as it is. + washes of course.  Quite happy to see that Hauptmann Pfannkuche´s Befehlspanther can now be easily identified!

Marco

[Lazy Modeller]

Looking great so far!

Cheers

LM

[Marco1965]

Entering "terra incognita"... I have no experience weathering tanks... so let´s dive it a try.  Started testing some colors and pigments on the tow cables, the one with less rust is the one that I like better. Weathering and "blending" with the tank still ongoing.

 

Some chipping with Gray-blue, will add graphite when finished.

 

Started gluing some tools in place, final weathering to blend with the tank still pending.  Interesting that the "U" shaped towing link is hanging only from one side in the real Panther.

 

Mud... dust... I got couple "substances" from Vallejo: Thick Mud (European color, whatever that might be..) and "Splash Mud". The first one ihas the consistency of, well, mud.  Accumulates easy, thick, nice to add effects of mud stuck to different places.  The second one is more fluid, can we "splashed" using different techniques, or drybrushed, ot applied in different ways.  So this was my first (and last) try, "don´t panic... don´t panic", it doesn´t look bad once the suspension and tracks are in place.  I don´t really know if I overdid it, have seen tanks with much more mud, some with less.  I guess it is ok, not really "accumulating" but more a thin layer of mud staining everything and accumulating on specific places.

 

I guess it accumulated much more around these parts.

 

And I tried to replicate this nice splash of mud at the rear of the tank.  Looking at the reference I notice that it needs to be bigger, going higher.

 

And this is where I am, really enjoying this, so much that I bought another tank... now I have the Panther, and a King Tiger, a T-55 and a Sherman... in the box.

 

Marco

 

[Carius]

Impressive job so far Marco

 

Cheers from Brazil

 

Cesar

[Marco1965]

Experimenting with the mud and metal finish on the wheels.  The middle row wheels has a ring that would be quite shiny metal in operational Panthers, due to the friction with the track horns.  Initially thought of simply painting the ring in Steel (tried Model Master, non buffing metalizer), but the results were not good, lacked the shiny surface of metal against metal.  Then I tried using the same technique that is normally used for worn out metal: dark gray base rubbed with graphite, and I think that one provides a much better result.  So I painted the rings in Grayblue (Vallejo), and rubbed it with pencil, results in a convincing metal shine.

 

On the left, the wheel with the ring painted Steel NB Metalizer (MM), on the right the with the ring painted Grayblue rubbed with graphite.  The shine is much more natural.

 

The wheels had been previously weathered with washes, artist pastels and AK Thick mud.  

 

I followed the same technique for the teeth on the traction wheels.  Painted and weathered the wheels first, then painted the teeth blue gray and rubbed graphite. On the left with Grayblue paint only, on the right with graphite already applied.

 

I rubbed lightly "silver" to the tips to enhance the metal effect.  I think it is ready to use.

Marco

[vytautas]

Looks really good, seems like true metal.

Great idea to make shiny wheel rings. It adds more reality to the model, and, oddly enough, many don't, despite the fact that in many ww2 photos of the Panthers this is clearly seen.

 

Vytautas

[Marco1965]

You might have noticed that I didn´t follow the instructions regarding suspension and tracks installation, preferring to wait until last to do that, because of obvious reasons related to painting and weathering.  Anyway, this complicated things a little bit, but not too much.  I finished assembling, painting and weathering all the wheels (MiG and Revell paint, AK Thick Mud, Artist Pastels, graphite, etc).

 

Irresistible to look at the complicated suspension before final assembly.  It was tricky to insert like the complete suspension, tractor and return wheels, and upper segment of the track, all at the same time, patiently.  

 

The four track segments that I had assembled months ago, finally came to life!  It is interesting that none of the wheels are glued in place, just inserted, perfect fitting.  I will glue them later.  I installed the track gluing only the links to join the different segments.

 

Some tension added using wood clips, I think it was not really necessary but felt safer.  There was a small "step" at the joint of the front and down segments, which was easily corrected applying pressure with pincers.  Notice light layer of mud and dust on the metal above the tracks.

 

What took me about 2 hours sorting out how to and installing the right-side suspension and track, took only about 20 minutes for the left side.  Practice...  Much easier, no issues at all.  Notice the mild-moderate weathering of the suspension, Befehlspanther 96 does not show much dirt or mud in the reference pictures, preferred to keep it that way.  Weathering was issued with AK Thick Mud, White/Yellow oil pastels, Tamiya panel accent, and some scratches.  

 

I really like the gentle sagging of the track, following the soft plastic pattern provided in the kit.  

Marco

[Marco1965]

I feel now the anxiety to finish my Panther!  I worked on the skirts and skirts supports.  Panther 96 had but 1 remaining skirt in place, and most supports were gone or were bent.  I cut the remaining skirt from the part provided in the kit, sanded it thin to look more realistic.  And using the supports provided in the kit, cut and bent with heat, issued the damaged ones.

 

 

The final thickness of the skirt after sanding.

 

Applied chipping technique (MiG) to make it look battered (together with the commander's cuppola)

 

Bent skirt supports.

 

The exhausts come with a shallow recess simulating the openings, and no splitter.  I bored the hole open and added the splitters using thin plastic sheet.

 

 

And it is looking smore interesting as I add more and more stuff.  The spare tracks were glued in place (weathering pending), as were the tow cables and remaining tools.  I substituted the antenna poles with wire.

 

Notice that the spare tracks were not installed on the right hull.  

 

And sarted working on the diverse stuff that the crew carried on the engine deck, among them a milk can.  Got it from MiniArt, excellent plastic and PE milk cans.  Notice that the rear end of the tow cable was not inserted in the support ring, it was left loose on the engine deck according to references.

Marco

[echen]