ARMOR - Panther (PzKpfw V) Group Build (any scale)

Tim, the only places I have dealt with are :
www.greatmodels.com
www.rollmodels.com
www.modelmecca.com

They are all good choices IMHO.

Eric- I almost have it whooped, only my 2 year old whooped the indi tracks alot better as such it will now have the rubber band ones instead. It is all together and the weathering started tonite, tried a new technique on it that looks pretty good, just afraid I may have over did it though. Should have finished pics up tommorow, it was a pretty good build and no matter how hard I try I can't slow down to much or I start to do to much to them. The table will be cleared for the Panther though on Mon. now if my extras just get here.

Sorry Chris, I read your other thread. Can't punish a child for an accident, but a cat......... At least you'll have it finished (told you you could do it) in time for the group build.

Yea the cat today was a whole different result . Was not on purpose though I swear.

i ordered this book last week http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0887408125/qid=1070166956/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_2/103-2249220-5065401?v=glance&n=507846 and i just got it yesterday , i read it a little and so far all i can say is wow , more information in there than i ever wanted to know , 100's of pictures and very nice line drawings. prety much every single modification made to panthers from prototype to panther F is covered in the book along as, for most of them, the date they started making the modifications.

can't wait to get started , only 1 more day

Thanks for the info PantherLehr.
I spent my day off painting my son's room and I'm tired. I won't be complaining about cleaning the airbrush again. Anyway 2 days till P-Day (Panther day). Everyone know what their doing yet? Jon, which of your many kits is the lucky winner?

yep i got a prety good idea of what i'll be doing as far as building goes. i probably won't use all of my pe, i might use some of the more important parts but i won't spend 4 hours trying to build a tiny tool clasp. the quality of the instructions i got with the pe leaves a lot to be desired too. paint-wise i'm not sure yet. maybe i'll paint it according to a drawing that was posted before or i'll make up my own camo

how are the instructions on the eduard pe set for those of you working with it?

Mine is going to be pretty straight forward. The only thing not OOB is the eduard barrel and grill pe. The rest came with it including the pe zim. Figure just the pe should keep me busy most of the time. I'm ready to go with it, got the Stuart off the table and everything cleaned up and ready to get messed up once more.

PantherLehr, I agree with you. Who would want to spend so much time on a little piece of pe that won't make enough difference in the outcome anyway. I would never finish a kit. Don't get me wrong however, if I had time and experience etc., I would look into it. I truely admire the people with the talent to do it. I'm only going to do it when I feel it will make an impact and I don't mean on my wallet.

Thanks for the links Tigerman

Tim

I'm brand new toFSM and forums. Can anyone explain what a group build is.
I'm a Limey working in China but should be back to the UK for Christmas where I have the usual "old mans attic" full of unbuilt kits.
All WWII Werhmacht armour and I'm sure I have Panthers up there.
How do I get started?

Ginge

Welcome to the forums Ginge. This group build is easy to join and I think you will find that the rules are rather laid back.

First you have to find a kit of a panther tank, or I think we have agreed that any panther variant will also suffice. Secondly we will be starting to build our kits on, or around the 1st of December. This is a rather lenient rule, for example I will be starting mine on the 12th due to finals. Next we will be trying to wrap up our builds before the 1st of February. Once again these rules are rather flexible and there will be no one handing out reprimands for deviating from the group build. Finally it is required that you post as many pics as possible (if it is feasible) so that we can all see each others progress. Claymore68 has set up a website specifically for this purpose, and you can send your pics to him to be published on the web if you wish.

Once again, I think everyone will agree that all rules are optional, and the real purpose of the group build is to have fun building, sharing info, and comparing with other modelers. And did I mention that we want to see as many pics as possible?

welcome to the build,
edog

Claymore, I was thinking that perhaps you should set up a reference page and a rules page on your site for the group build. This would help prevent repetitive posts on the thread. I can understand how sifting through 24 pages, or 870+ posts could be daunting for someone just joining the forum. Just a thought…

To tell the truth, I cant keep up with all the posts myself!!! So if this has been brought up in a past post I apologize.

QUOTE: Originally posted by PantherLehr i ordered this book last week http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0887408125/qid=1070166956/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_2/103-2249220-5065401?v=glance&n=507846 . pretty much every single modification made to panthers from prototype to panther F is covered in the book along as, for most of them, the date they started making the modifications. can't wait to get started , only 1 more day

PantherLehr:
is there any info on the ersatz m-10 mod in this reference ? there were only about 10 of these made, so reference material is scarce 2 say the least... i wouldn't mind a few photos before i start my group build project !
hope u had a good holiday !
frosty

QUOTE: Originally posted by edog Claymore, I was thinking that perhaps you should set up a reference page and a rules page on your site for the group build. This would help prevent repetitive posts on the thread. I can understand how sifting through 24 pages, or 870+ posts could be daunting for someone just joining the forum. Just a thought… To tell the truth, I cant keep up with all the posts myself!!! So if this has been brought up in a past post I apologize.

Good idea Edog; I'll get something up today (11-30-03).

Ginge: Welcome to the forums, if you want to check out my web page there is a link at the very bottom of my posts titled "web" (not the URL in my sig line) or type "www.geocities.com/highland_eagle68 @ sbcglobal.net" (remove the spaces) in your browser address bar.

P.S. I hope you guys and gals don't mind but I started on my Fruil tracks. I figured it was close enough to the first (OK, i'm just as impatient as a kid on Christmas morning. ) and I am the keeper of the page so I thought I would get a jump on things. Of course I could have said nothing and impresed you with my early progress.

I don't think anyone's gonna mind Derek, I took advantage of the last 75 degree day and primered mine before the weather went to crap.

Oh and welcome to the forum Ginge, hope you jump into the build and have some fun.

Rules (such as they are ) and submission guidelines are up on the site. Link is in the intro before everyone's pages.

Derek,
no penalties for an early start!
PantherLehr has been doing a bit of track work, an i confess that i washed the kit a few days ago, and have begun to remove a few bits from the sprues.

i have gotten the idler arms cleaned up, and glued to the hull, joined the
halves of the drive gears. twice. once without the poly cap inside,
and then again w/ it in there where it belongs.

i even cut the first piece of PE zim from the fret and would have glued it to the front of the lower hull,
BUT . . . my CA bottle had glued itself shut and
resisted all attempts to make a new hole in the nozzle w/ exacto blade or needle.
then my girlfriend came home, and it was time to make dinner.
i excuse myself for jumping the gun as i will be losing build time running back & forth from PA to NY the holidays.

i do have a question about the road wheels:
the eight wheels that make up the 'middle' set of road wheels are comprised of two pieces.
when i was dry fitting these pieces, i could see that they will make two distinct halves.
(so there wil be a visible 'split' between the rubber sections)
i have looked over the directions, and will check my references (such as they are) when i get home,
but i take it this is how the pieces are supposed to fit?
and if so, should some painting be done before they are glued together?

Ginge,
welcome to the forum, and hopefully to our build!
the main purpose is to supply information and motivation to one another.
(and armor rookies like me can get pointers from the veteran treadheads)


ed.

QUOTE: Originally posted by wildwilliam i do have a question about the road wheels: the eight wheels that make up the 'middle' set of road wheels are comprised of two pieces. when i was dry fitting these pieces, i could see that they will make two distinct halves. (so there wil be a visible 'split' between the rubber sections) i have looked over the directions, and will check my references (such as they are) when i get home, but i take it this is how the pieces are supposed to fit? and if so, should some painting be done before they are glued together? ed.

They used two seperate wheels per axle so the gap is correct. The only paint in between them would be base coat and overspray from the camo, likewise for the backs of the wheels.

I already have a question about the pe zim. How should they be glued down? I mean is it best to use of few drops here and there or to put CA all the way around the piece and sort of seal it to the hull. Since this is the first pe I have ever touched I don't want to screw it up from the get go.

Derek,
thanks!
now when i get back home tonight (5+ hour drive), i can continue reducing the number of parts!

i figured that must be how they were supposed to fit, as Tamiya stuff usually fits well.
but i thought i should check before i either glued them up wrong, or spent time 'fixing' them wrong.

J-Hulk is on the other side of the intnt'l date line, right?
so does he get to start 'early' or have to wait?

Chris I think the CA glue will work, I used a different superglue on my Panzer grilles. I would probably (not sure) use it liberally. It might get really messy to seal it. You could maybe putty any gaps between plates. Perhaps someone with more experience with pe could answer this.

Welcome Ginge to our forum and group build, hope you can join us.

Well I better get started, I'm feeling left behind. Seriously, I'm just going to clean some remaining pe and wash my tracks. Otherwise, ready to "roll".

QUOTE: J-Hulk is on the other side of the intnt'l date line, right? so does he get to start 'early' or have to wait?

I believe his was started he need motivation to finish.

Welcome Ginge to the forums

frosty: there is one picture in the book of a panther disguised as a m-10, i'll scan and post it later , right now i'm just finished getting my airbrush setup to prime my pak-40 when i'm done with that i'll get it for you

heres a photo of a M10 frosty

Chris,
my intention was to put a light coat of CA on the plastic of the hull.
i roughted up the back of the brass & the hull w/ sandpaper.
once i teach this blasted CA bottle the error of its ways,
i will give it a try and let you know how it turned out.
but at least for the first piece, i will go for complete coverage.

ed.
(back in his apt after a very stimulating 5 hour 15 minute drive back from upstate NY)

Thanks Ed. I was just figuring that a bead at least around the edges would be need so that there were no gaps between the model and the pe and possibly some in the center of the piece to keep it from bulging out.

Gringe,
I am new to the forums also, I hope you are able to join in the group build as well, this is a great place for information and good advice.

Tim