Panther Ausf A late 2-20-10 I'm calling this one DONE!

Karl,

After viewing your Ersatz build, I humblely accept your praise. Thank you!

Here are some pics of what I got done before my night shift stretch.  The tracks are painted with MM Exhaust Buffing Metalizer.  They will be weathered up with some Vallejo washes and some road gunk.  I am thinking about putting this in a vignette with some DML panzer riders on the back.  I will need to put a commander in the coupla.  Any suggestions on a figure?

Here is a pic that proves life is good and that my wife loves me and spoils me rotten.  There is another layer of kits behind the ones you see and, don't let it get out but there are wingy things lurking in there.

I finally got to get started on the camo today.  I used Tamiya NATO Brown.  Next will be Tamiya NATO Green.  The color plates I've seen of Sophie is that she was covered with a lot of green.  There is some over spray here and there.  I was having a heck of a time with the AB today.  I'll be able to shoot the green tomorrow.  The schurtzen have not yet been painted.  Only primed.

Cheers

Dave

Well Dave i've missed this totally,Sorry. I guess I spend to much time back there at the bench and I need to get out more. Man you've really got a handle on this Panther and it's looking great.

Love the looks of those road wheels and I was going to do mine but forgot. Also forgot to drill out the sight on the cannon as well. It's a bummer to get old.

I'll try to keep up with this build from now on.                                                                             Tony the Mutt

Tony,
Thank you for the compliment! No worries about missing this. Better to be out at the bench.
With a small enough pin vise you should still be able to drill out the sight.
I was going to try and get the green on this evening but I've got other commitments starting shortly and running until late tonight. Oh well, at least I was able to get it started. I realized right after shooting the pics is that I did not get the camo started on the lower front. Doh!
I found the missing spare track retention pin today. I was on the phone with M1Carbine, glanced down and there it was on the bench. The PE Gods were smiling on me. OR, I am looking in the wrong direction and not seeing the freight train.
Thank you for following this build.
Cheers
Dave

Nice delicate pattern on that, David! Looks pretty cool with those thin lines!

Bring it on home, baby!

Great squiggly camo Dave. What kind of an AB do you use?

Doog,
Thank you so much for the compliment. I may be asking for some advice regarding washes and filters and modulation.

Tigerman,
For the fine stuff I use an Iwata Custom Micron C+. I also use a couple of Badgers: a 150 and a 200 single action that I've had since I was 13 (I'm 43 now)
Cheers gentlemen
Dave

You my friend are officially Mr. Squiggly from now on!

Looks great man!  I would be so afraid of spelling out a bad word or making a face or something if I did that freehand, or maybe Jesus's face!

Dave, this is looking absolutl awsome my brother. I totaly agree with Ed, you are to be called from now on:

"Lord Master of the Squiggly Camo Lines"

LOL, great work man, cant wait to see it all weathered up.

 

Your humble underling

Bob

Edmund,
LMAO with the Mr title. Shared that with my wife and she darn near burbled wine from her nose.

Bob,
Lord Master eh? I wonder if I could get that printed on a business card or get it put on my badge at work. I'll be shooting the green on it Friday. And there is a lot of green. To the point of not seeing much Dark Yellow or Nato brown.....if I do it right. It was good talking to you today

Thank you for viewing this and your comments. You guys crack me up. Thanks again.

Cheers
Dave

Printing your badge now.............LOL. 

 

Bob

Bob,

Do I get the decoder ring too?

Cheers

Dave

Dave,

Been watching this build for tips and inspiration. I like the whole thing, especially the PE and camo scheme.

Question on when you do "photo Etch? Do you do a couple (2 - 3) pieces at a time and then set it aside for the day or do you go all out and try to do it in one or two days day.

The reason I ask is that I have been working on a Tamiya 1/48 King Tiger for a couple of months with Voyager Photo Etch using this as my "baptism under fire" project. I get somewhat frustrated because the directions aren't always clear or the parts are a bear to deal with.

Just trying to get a feel of what others face as for time and effort.

IBuild148,

It varies.  If I am building german tool clasps, then I will build them all up production line style.  Then I will move onto something else for a bit.  Those buggers are small in 1/35 (the armor scale I work in), I cannot fathom how cross eyed I would be building those in 1/48.  If I have assemblies  that are interconnected in one form or another then, I will go "all out" and build it all up.

Directions, unfortunately, are not always clear.  The things I do to get through those,  I-am-going-to-launch-this-(insert favorite explitive here)-thing-across-the-room moments, are: hold the part up to the instructions (i know it sounds simple, but it does work); references, be they book, online, whatever; sometimes it comes down to using your own common sense (i.e. how would I build it given the technologies of the time, how accessable is it/does it need to be).

If you are getting frustrated with the assembly, set it aside and come back to it latter.  Sometimes that approach doesn't work and it is a matter of male pride.  The testosterone levels spike, the mono brow comes out, knuckles errupt with hair and start dragging. Then come H-E-double hockey sticks or high water you will finish it no matter what.

PE can add some incredible detail to your kits but, sometimes you will have to ask your self: Just because the part is on the fret, do I really need to use PE? Would the styrene part work just as well?  That is up to only you

Sorry for the long windedness.  That am cup of java has kicked in.

Cheers

Dave

You know me i dont say much but this is lookin sweet, rock on .

Bodge,
Thank you very much!
Now, on to the latest progress pics. The green was about an hours worth of AB time. The eyes are uncrossed, now if I could just get the left eye to spin the same direction as the right one. Lots of pics with this posting. I apologize for anyone with dial up as this may strangulate a modem.
Cheers
Dave
The start of the green camo

Roughly half way done

A comparison shot of with/without green

Another comparison shot with the hull done.





Here is one of the "Thug" posting this stuff

Oops. I found another one. Front shot with the camo done

and another

I was getting a bit dizzing looking at that camo. Don't know how I missed this one but,. This is going to look great weathered, you got my attention.

 

Rob

Rob,
In hindsight , I should have post a seizure/dizziness warning. My bad!
Thank you for the two thumbs up. I still need to shoot some color on the schurzen. Now I am trying to figure out how best to do a filter on this camo. Gladly taking suggestions!
Cheers
Dave

Nice mask shot............................LOL.....holy I think I wet myself.  Anywho, the camo looks awsome brother absolutly AWSOME!

Bob

Bob,
I'm thinking about wear it when the kids start dating. Answering the front door wearing that with a black rubber apron with chest waders. You wanna date who?
Whew, sorry. Strayed from topic. Very long day today. Another coming up in a few hours.
Thank you very much for the compliment brother. I'm hoping to get more done before I go back to work.
Cheers
Dave

Dont forget the bio chem gloves...................LOL.

Really interested to see how this looks weathered - because that funky paint scheme is pretty darn sweet.

Bob-Thank you for the reminder.  The Devil is in the details.

Dupes- Thank you.  Replicating a random scheme gave me pause. This is the first kit in a loooong time that I've shot entirely with Tamiya paint, with the exception of the tracks. Learning curve.

Cheers

Dave

 

Good news/bad news.
Bad first. Mucked up the transfers on the right side. Again the camera caught the imperfections. The extinguisher one tore and the balkenkreuz slipped while transferring. Dang it! Gotta figure out how to fix those.

The left side turned out well. Just need to snuggle it down more.

FINALLY got the schurzen base coat on.

Cheers
Dave

I've only done dry transfers once - what do you do to get them to "snuggle down more"?

Dave I think oyu can get away with the cross that way.  Looks like it can attributed to trying paint inthe field and over an uneven surface.  Really dig those cotter pins and chians on teh tow hooks. Is the all PE?

Good morning gentlemen. Good night for me. Another 12.5 hour shift no breaks or lunch. To darned tired for the bench this am. Just gonna put the feet up and have a nice cold IPA, and ogle other peoples work!

Dupes,
After you get the transfer transfered to the model keep the transfer paper. Give the transfer a good burnishing with the paper still over the transfer. Get a toothpick and, with gentle pressure work the tip of the toothpick along the grooves (parallel, not perpendicular). As you work along the grooves use ever slightly increasing pressure to get the transfer to "snuggledown more".
I am finding that it is a bit more difficult with this pattern of Zim than on an Atak zim I used on a mid Tiger I. The grooves on this one seem a bit more coarse and deeper. I will make it bend to my will.

Wing_Nut,
Ooooh you just gave me a justifiable easy out! Woo Hooooo! Thank you! I like your rationale about the field painting. The cotter pins and chain are from the kit PE. They are one piece. I gave the chain a slight twist to give it more dimension. Laid flat it looks..... well.... flat. The tubes that hold the tow hooks were the kit part drilled out to make it look like a tube and drilled out with a #80 bit to accept the cotter pins. The tubes at the rear of the tank aft of the track holders are scratch built with brass strip and tube. Those too got drilled out for the cotter pins. The open ends were beveled with a tungsten cone bit to give the tube wall thickness a more scale appearance.

Cheers gentlemen and thank you for following/commenting/and questions this build

Dave

This was not a high output week. Work kicked my (deleted).
I did get the schurzen painted with camo, the balkenkreuz "snuggled down", the exhaust pipes painted.
I did get the tools painted. I tried something different with them. When I get them finished I'll post some pics to show how they did or did turn out. I may be able to get more done tonight. The kids are at a sleep over and the wife is working late. Batchin' tonight.
Cheers
Dave



The paint I used was Vallejo Dark Rust #302 from their Panzer Aces Set #01

This is as best a detail shot of the Aber 2m German aerial set. It comes with three aerials. Each aerial is a three part set: antenna, clamping strap (at the base), and a wing nut (trust me it is on there)

It's very unusual camo there...Fine paintwork mate....:)