It is a very nice kit and the build is a tight one. There are 5 options you can build out of the kit and so you have to really read the instructions and make a build plan so you know exactly the parts you will be using.
Meng are doing a Panther D as well which should be as good as this.
There are 4 styles of zimmeritt which were applied on Panther A's and as I was copying one that is in my warehouse awaiting refurbishment back to operating condition then I chose the patern that was right, which in this case was no.4.
Meng say that the zimmerit is applied direct to the vare plastic and you paint ontop of it and if there are any problems that you use CA or normal plastic glue.
I did have problems with the zimmerit sticking from the start. This was a new venture to me and although I followed Mengs emailed instructions I just cold not get stuff to grip or bend.
I didn't want to start messing with CA or polystyrene glue so I sat and thought for a while.
Eventually I decided to use this kit as a test bed as this zimmeritt was a new technique to me and as the OEM instructions weren't working and I didn't want to start messing with CA glue or melting the thing with normal kit glue then something new had to be tried.
Whet I did was go back to basics and think of how to get the zimmeritt decals to stick to the surface if they won't do it to bare plastic then something else had to be done.
a rough surface usually works well in these cases so I primed the exterior with Stylnrez grey primer which covered the red plastic up. I then put bog standard white PVA glue onto the primer surface and then put the zimmeritt decals in place after first soaking them in warm water to release them from the paper.
Once dry and the glue cured the decals stuck like **** to a blanket and all that was needed was the base coat.
Meng's Tiger II with interior set is now on my bench and I have been playing with the big parts to decide on display options and I am really impressed at the tight engineering that this shows. I may decide to put up a full build on here. This vehicle will also be done as of my recovered vehicles from the Munchenberg Panzer Division, Seelow Heights battle, Berlin 1945.
The Tiger II recovered was made in February 1945 and so has the dark geen RAL 6003 base coat. It also showed signs of having night fighting IR equipment on the Commanders Cupola which matches surviving records of that division.
I also have the new Rye Field Models' Panther G with the clear upper armour and interior. Should be a very interesting build too. This will also be a 1945 Panther G with IR as recorded in the division records of the Munchenberg Division.
I was unable to find any IR devices during the recovery of the vehicles from a lake north of Berlin, but the Panther G has a differet box on the rear plate which was designed to hold the IR equipment when not being used. An area beside the lake was where the Munchenberg Division's field repair, replacement and workshop was.
James