It is time to start a new project. I have been working on some stuff that I can't reveal and also a little time away from the bench, but now with Hayfever season with us I have decided to make a little space in my stash.
I have had this on my list since it was first released and I was recently able to get it at a good price and throw some extras at it.
This is what is in the box besides the manual and paint chart.
That is what is in the box. I particularly like that Meng include side skirts in etched metal as they are just like the originals and slot on to the mounts and you can put on or leave off what you want. It is very much a positive thing and shows that someone at Meng is paying attention. I have already spending quite a while with the build manual and I think that quite a bit of this kit can be made to work such as the main winch etc. For those with the right technical knowledge, micro motors etc could be used to make the winch work properly.
The extras I have chosen:
2cm metal barrel. Not sure if it will fit or not and although the kit has slide molded this, it will sharpen up the armament. I decided not to go with a metal barrel for the MG34.
Quickwheels' set for mengs' panther kits. Makes painting the wheels so much easier. If I decide to do another Meng Panther then this set will fit! I have bought a set for the RFM panthers/Jagdpanther I have in my stash and that one set will do all 3 kits. This proves good value for money.
I am dumping the tracks and going with a new provider which has come to my attention. Available from China Vendors on Ebay and BMA in Australia (who have decent prices and shipping options). this is R-Model and this set is for the Panther A,F & G and is a double pin set which is one up on Friul who provide a long length of brass wire.
In the set you have 3 bags. One with the tracks, one with long pins and one with short pins. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out how these go together.
I have a couple of sets of Eureka XXL Panther tow wires on their way, but as I do not need them until much later in the build then I am not worried. This Ebay vendor is very reliable and only the post can mess up! Incidentally this kit arrived from China 9 days after it was ordered. Some of the AM stuff took much longer but they came from Europe.
I will be using Vallejo for the interior paints and Hataka for the exterior Dunkelgelb. Vallejo still have not released new dunkelgelb paints which make me look to other vendors. Hataka's claim is that their paints are accurate and not scale correct stuff. Meng provide for two variants which have different equipment set ups on the sides of the vehicle. It was common on these vehicles to have lots of equipment mounted and there were modifications to add equipment mounts in the field. I am going to combine as much as I can!