Trumpeter 1/16 Panther G Late

[Whitewolf]

Hi guys, I've been thinking about this as my next project, but am curious as to whether Trumpeter have made any effort to re-produce the rolled steel/cast effect on the exterior of the hull and turret? If anybody has this kit, could you please comment?

Many thanks

Edited August 19, 2022 by Whitewolf

[spruecutter96]

I had a couple of big Trumpeter tanks, including a Panther. IIRC, the company doesn't make any attempt to reproduce armour-texture. In other words, the armour is simply moulded flat and smooth. Time to dig out the Milliput...?

 

Cheers.

 

Chris.     

[Whitewolf]

18 minutes ago, spruecutter96 said:

I had a couple of big Trumpeter tanks, including a Panther. IIRC, the company doesn't make any attempt to reproduce armour-texture. In other words, the armour is simply moulded flat and smooth. Time to dig out the Milliput...?

 

Cheers.

 

Chris.     

Thanks Chris, to be honest, for the price I had expected better, but guess my expectations were a tad on the high side.....

[spruecutter96]

Hi, Whitewolf. 

 

I would treat the big Trumpy kits as a "foundation" to building a fully-rounded model. They do not reproduce every last detail and nuance of the original, but - compared to what was available 10-20 years ago - they are amazing kits.     

 

It is quite fashionable to slag Trumpeter off on-line, but the detractors never seem to consider that the company produce subjects in scales no other manufacturer would even contemplate. Yep, they often have some accuracy issues, but even the Holy Grail kits of Tamyia, Hasegawa and the like have some issues, as a rule. 

 

Cheers. 

 

Chris.  

[Whitewolf]

Hi Chris,

I've built a few Trumpeter kits, and some are really very good! But in 1/16, and given the price, I would have expected Trumpeter to have made some effort to re-produce the rolled steel effect. You could of course use ATAK zimmerit to help disguise it, but I'm not sure how many, if indeed any, of the late G models with Steel wheels actually had zimm.... 

[Kingsman]

Have a look at the real thing and see how smooth the armour plate actually is.  Castings will have some texture but rolled homogenous armour plate (RHA) is hot-rolled at considerable pressure.  It has very little surface texture at 1:1 and nothing that you would notice at 1:16.  A thickish coat of paint is probably about all the texture you need.  Some Mr Surfacer with a stiffish brush, perhaps.  Certainly no need for Milliput or other putty.

[spruecutter96]

13 hours ago, Whitewolf said:

You could of course use ATAK zimmerit to help disguise it, but I'm not sure how many, if indeed any, of the late G models with Steel wheels actually had zimm.... 

I think I read that the "Age of Zimmeritt" on German tanks lasted about 12 months and ended in the autumn of 1944. I always thought that it was a pretty un-necessary measure - essentially a solution waiting for a (perceived) problem to come along. 

 

Chris.  

[redcap]

Agree with Kingsman having seen the real thing at Bovington; they are incredibly well engineered for their actual purpose. When I see some AFV kits with 'texturing', it makes them look like someone took a sandblaster to them in 1/1 scale rather than paint and a spray gun. 

 

Even in 1/16, I doubt you would see 'texturing' and especially so as I couldn't see any even at 1/1 scale. Look at the T-34 however and that's another matter, as that vehicle is positively agricultural and crude by comparison.

 

The Trump 1/16 kits for what they are are superb (I have the Panther G Early & Pz IVH kits) and kits like this were unimaginable even just a few years ago and are a bargain compared to what Tamiya charge for their 1/16 range of AFVs which are aimed more at the RC gang than static armour modellers.

 

Build and enjoy.

 

Gary

 

[Whitewolf]

Thanks Gary. 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Whitewolf

[Josebagasteiz]

Hello everyone!! 

 

I'm building Trumpeter's Panther G Early 1/16 and although the Steel Foundry textures are not reproduced, for me, it is very fun to reproduce them with miliput putty in areas such and the Commander's dome, the mantle, etc, etc!!

 

And I agree that it is a great model despite the errors that it presents and that are a challenge to correct. 

[Whitewolf]

On 23/08/2022 at 17:21, Josebagasteiz said:

Hello everyone!! 

 

I'm building Trumpeter's Panther G Early 1/16 and although the Steel Foundry textures are not reproduced, for me, it is very fun to reproduce them with miliput putty in areas such and the Commander's dome, the mantle, etc, etc!!

 

And I agree that it is a great model despite the errors that it presents and that are a challenge to correct. 

You can use the Atak zimm kit with the early G which goes a long way to resolving the lack of texture issue whilst looking pretty impressive!

[Peter2]

Another way I see some modellers have tried to texture tank hull and turret armour is the old standby of applying some liquid glue to the plastic surface (avoiding fine details such as rivets so as not to damage those), leaving it for a short while, then carefully dabbing the softened surface with the bristles of an old toothbrush, say. If the result becomes a bit too "bumpy", it can be smoothed slightly with fine wet'n'dry paper. I have been impressed by examples of the Tamiya Tiger I in 1/16 where some modellers have used similar techniques to modify the perfectly flat look of their models to make them appear less "plasticky" and more "steely". It does take care, and it may not even be scale-accurate, as Kingsman suggests, but occasionally a slightly rough surface adds to the look-and-feel of a model, especially in those bigger scales. Modelling techniques are a broad church. Liquid cement, then a toothbrush; roughening the surface by sanding; thickened paint dabbed on unevenly; adding powders to paint to thicken it; brushing on a proprietary surfacer; spreading a fine layer of filler: all have a role to play in modelling armour, during these uncertain times. "Little people, why can't we all just get along?" (as President Dale asked in Mars Attacks!)