DML Jagdpanther Late Complete PICS P9 12-12-10

Yeah me too.

Tony Lee

This one is coming along nicely sir.  Personally, I love the look of those big ol' bolts around the mantlet.

Cheers

Dave

Thanks Aces, Panzerwaffe, and Tony!

Dave, definitely agree with you about the mean-look of the mantlet...can only imagine the size of those things in real-life!

As often happens, several odds-and-ends things interfered with my bench-time this weekend but I did manage to get all the external details attached in anticipation of painting next weekend.

Going back to the skipped steps, I started first with Step 11 which adds all the various gear and equipment to the right hull side. In terms of order, it's best to start by adding the small fender strip, H24, and then add the supports underneath it vs. the other way around. This is due to the fact that the part, at least for my kit, was slightly warped and by gluing it first to the hull and then adding the supports, I could work out the warp slowly one bit at a time instead of trying to do it all at once.

Some of the parts on the C sprue were also warped which meant that things like the spare track holders and the tool racks for the front of the hull had to be carefully glued into position and held with tweezers until the glue had caught enough to keep one side from popping up. I opted for the version of the jack block holder that had the block separate as that will allow for greater flexibility for painting and detailing that particular item. All of the pioneer tools will be painted and detailed separately after the hull is painted so these were also put off to the side for now.

For the left hull side, I first went back to Step 9 and assembled the gun cleaning rod case as directed. I used a sanding stick to carefully remove the join line once the glue had set up and set it off to the side until I had finished with Step 12 when it was installed to the hull as the last item.

Just as with the left side, the right side parts were also slightly warped and had to be dealt with in the same way. I also added the Bosch headlight and didn't bother with adding the clear styrene insert.

I also managed working in short sessions throughout the week and finishing up this weekend to get the MK track runs together. Since the guide-horns are separate pieces, it was a little more time consuming than usual but was worth the effort in the long run.

Next up will be the exterior paint work.

Coming along wonderfully.  Can not tell any thing was warped at all, mighty fine work.  One day I am going to try those MK tracks, yours always look so good.  Really anticapating the paint on this, that is really the exciting part and you have such a good base to work with.  Will be watching.

Rob

I agree with Rob.......I can't wait to see what you have planned for the paint scheme on this one!

Nate

Thanks Rob, the JP certainly provides a lot of "canvas" to play with!

Nate, paint scheme for this one will be the diagonal stripe three-tone pattern. It's one I've wanted to do for a long time but just haven't ever gotten around to it.

Moving along nicely....

Rounds Complete!!

GOOD choice of camo scheme, Bill!

Nate

Panthers just have that look that's hard to resist.

Getting this place winterized is stealing a bit of my bench time too Bill.

Tony Lee

Thanks Mike!

Tony, I hear you about the Panther's look...definitely has those sleek lines. It isn't yet time to start winterizing here...but I did have to mow the grass and take care of a few odds-and-ends since I will be travelling on business most of this week. Fun, fun!

Wbill76: Finished my jadgpanther 10/11/10 waiting for metel barrel to get here so I can swap them out so far yours is looking good, keep going. I used the pe grills also they sure make a difference in the models looks when done.                   ACESES5

Always looking good especially the MK tracks!   But gluing two separate guide horns to each link may drive me crazy this time.  Atleast they are much bigger than Panzer 1 tracks I assembled recently.   I can't remember if my DML Jagpanther with Zimm kit comes with magic tracks or not... looking forward to your next update as usual. 

Thanks Aces!

Andy, all of the DML pre-zimm kits have DS tracks so your kit doesn't likely have Magic tracks.

   Looking good there Bill! Gotta say these were one of the coolest looking AFV's the Germans produced.

Some say it was probably the best tank destroyer fielded during the war.

It's been a little while since I was able to get back to the bench due to the usual prep-for-fall activities and being busy with work but I was able to get some time in this weekend. Work picked up where I had left off with the focus on the exterior paintwork.

First order of business was to lay down a primer coat of MM enamel Italian Dark Brown by airbrush. This allowed me to check all the seams and other work prior to the base coat application and also has the handy dual use of serving as a primer coat for the PE that was added.

Once that had dried, I applied a "base coat" of 50/50 MM enamel Panzer Dunkelgelb/Light Gray by airbrush. I say "base coat" since it wasn't a true overall coat due to the fact that the camo pattern was going to end up covering large portions of the hull surface area. Rather than apply the Dunkelgelb color to the entire vehicle, I only added it over the surfaces that weren't going to receive camo and/or that had deep recesses like the gun mantle. I deliberately applied the stripes in a wide pattern so that when I applied the other camo colors there wouldn't be any of the primer coat potentially peeking through at the borders.

I also painted the road wheels at this point. They were primered the same as the hull and the rubber portions were added by airbrush with MM enamel Gunmetal. The exposed outer hubs were painted with the same hull base coat color using a draftsman's circle template to mask the rubber portions.

The camo pattern was up next. I started by adding the Olivegrun portions using MM enamel Khaki and "filled in the lines" left by the base coat application. I used the kit-supplied finishing guide as, well, a guide and applied the stripes free-hand. The Rotbraun strips were added last using a 50-50 mix of MM enamel Leather/Military Brown. I cleaned up some over-spray using the original base coat color mix and then heavily thinned what was left in the paint-cup to almost a wash-like consistency. This thinned mixture was sprayed over the pattern from a distance of about 12 inches to tie the scheme together and provide a touch of fading to the darker colors.

This will get a chance to sit during the week and hopefully next weekend I can start work on adding the details and getting this one closer to the finish line as a result.

Bill that camo pattern just jumps off the page at you.

Your application is pefect guy.

Tony Lee

Holy crap, how'd I miss this build, Bill? One of my favorite tanks, and you're almost finished with it already!? I think the lines of this baby remind me of a Plymouth Superbird with a big gun, lol!

I've finally managed to find an interior for my JP model--I'm looking forward to building it with maybe a cutaway to show off the inside?

Nice thing about this tank is that it doesn't have a lot of intricate assemblies. The camo scheme looks perfect.

The camo scheme looks excellent Bill! It was well worth the wait.

Thanks Tony! I spent about 2 hours at the spray booth yesterday and another 4 today so it took some time to get it all painted up. My "trigger" finger is still kind of numb as a result!

Karl, I started this one while you were still out galvanting around the globe so that's probably why it slipped by you. The JP definitely has some sleek lines IMHO and your project to include an interior w/ cut-away sounds like the perfect approach, look forward to seeing it when you get around to it!

BF, thanks for the comments as well, glad you like how it turned out so far.

Oh man, I don't think I should bother to build my DML Jagdpanther kit that my wife gave me for my 40th birthday... no way I can make the camo look as good as yours! LOL  Outstanding work!  Do we really have to wait for the whole week for your next update?

Andy,

Don't be intimidated, give it a whirl! The JP kit builds up nice and easy and there are plenty of camo schemes to choose from in the kit. Sorry to make you wait, but since I do my "normal" building time on the weekends, the calendar is relentless in that respect.

Ahhh....the zebra look......nice work. Looking real good.

I know how the fall chores can slow you down.......plus work....

Keep on swimming!!

Rounds Complete!!

Love the camo Bill!

Nate

Thanks Mike and Nate, appreciate the comments.

Those stripes make it look like a Christmas present.  It only needs 2 things.  A bow and to sitting under MY tree

I do like that camo.

Thanks Marc! For some reason I now have this mental image of a tree decorated with nothing but panzers/tanks in my head that I can't shake...I bet with your Peanut Butter legion you could actually pull something like that off!

wbill76

 I wonder if my boss would have a fit if I painted my work truck like that

Absolutely delicious Jagdpanther!!!

Paint is neatly applied and the result is evident ... a winner!

Please, keep on that nice work, as I´ll soon make one jagdpanther and your´s a nice example to follow!

Thanks Steve! I say you should just crank up the compressor and go for it...just be sure to keep the proper company logos masked off and you'll be fine.

Jose Luis, thanks very much for the kind words. I would definitely be looking forward to your JP when the time comes as well.