This is my first post here but a model I finished about 2 months ago for our IPMS "Airfix" model contest. I'm primarily an aircraft modeller but have started to warm up to tanks :)
This kit was the first Panther Tank kit released (ever) by Airfix so there are some variation discrepancies in it, originally it was marketed as a 1/72 but it is a 1/76 in reality as raised and brought up in many other forums along with FSM.
I wanted to do this as OOB as possible. It was planned as a 1 day build but ended up taking 5 :D lots of work had to go into it to make it presentable, in short:
1. filling in the canyon sized seams, I've never had this many to fill in on a kit, was all fun and a bit nail biting at times.
2. smoothing and adjusting some of the contours on the piece
3. Adding milliput zimmerit and the rear hatch with milliput(first experience with milliput and I have to say, I love it)
4. The tracks, they were the most stubborn thing on the kit,
a. the fit was too short but since I had a spare set I was able to cut and adjust them in a couple sections in order to fit
b. No glue on the face of the planet wanted to glue these down, I went through all the grades of my super glue in the tool box and finally settled on a two part, it usually takes around 5-20 secs for it to glue anything down but it ended up taking 1-2 hours for it part by part. After a full day/night of glueing the tracks the effort paid off :)
Kit was airbrushed and markings hand painted to resemble the reference photos and a little "dirt" hand painted to make it fit the part. Love how the kit turned out and all in all I would definatley build another, but the next time I think I'll have to fix all the small little imperfections that are present on the kit. For its age, it is a great kit :)
On to the History of this tank, the Soviet forces captured and used some Panthers in the field. They were excellent tanks but due to the complicated mechanics were no good at around 150km and had to be disposed of.
This tank represents an Ausf A, white "513" from Guards Lt. Sotnikov's 8th Guards, Praga, Warsaw Suburbs August, 1944
Photos of the tank below (pictures are not my own but from the net)
and pictures of the completed kit, thank you all for any comments :)
