I am a complete beginner of working on models but i find it interesting and want to continue with this.
I started working on this Tamiya 1/35 Panther over a year ago, finally after getting done with sports and what not in high school, I needed a hobby that can fit my schedule with college classes and work, so I got this Panther and began working on it.
Thankfully,
I only began working on the turret. I have it assem,bled and i think i got a fairly good job done with working on sanding down the barrel itself, yet some other parts have had quite some space and i used Tamiya putty to fill them up, no I need to get some hardcore job done on sanding it down, thankfully this isnt a TIger with a Zimmerit surface otherwise I would have some major issues.
Heres the (BAD) work so far:
WIll the putty be fine this way for painting or should i prime it with something?
What should I do once I have these little things fixed, should i start painting it, if so how? I only have spraypaint avaiable to me.
Should I start working with the body of this tank and have it painted sperately from the turret and the tracks and wheels?
I think thats all so far, I will have more questions to come soon I think…once I establish a desk and get supplies for working on the rest of this magnificent tank of WWII
I’m also a big fan of the Panther tank, but I am in no way an expert on it or the many models available. Here’s my [2c]:
This looks to be the venerable Tamiya #35065, Panther A. There are a lot of dimensional and accuracy issues with this kit and it lacks detail and features that are found in some of the newer kits. My biggest problems were the plastic “axles” for the first and last roadwheels, the lack of sponsons, the lame hull MG ball assembly and the woeful spare tracks! Nonetheless with TLC it builds into a fine rendition of the big cat!!
On my kit I removed all the roadwheels, sprockets, etc and painted them separate from the hull, but I did put the poly-cap hubs on the axles before painting. You probably don’t need any primer before painting, but I suggest that you gently wash all the parts with warm soapy water followed by a thorough clean water rinse before painting to remove dust, grease and anything else that might prevent good paint adhesion.
That being said, one of the benefits of applying primer to the kit is that building errors like scratches, bad sanding, excess glue, etc., will be very apparent. Many builders like to primer their kits simply for this reason. It allows them to fix cosmetic problems before painting.
I hope this answers some of your questions! Feel free to ask more! Good luck and don’t forget to post photos of your completed Panther!![8D]
Yes I looked at that after opening scratched my head and scratched my head.
I will be sure looking out for everything you have told me when I get near the completion and I guess Ill paint everything seperately.
I will definately have a look at that book, I was looking for some paper reference for building models.
Thanks for the replies so far guys, If anyone has got anything else for me keep it coming! :), and I will definately keep you posted on whatever I get done this week.
Im not sure, but i think the rear hatch on your turrent is inside out. It should open out. Overall though, looks really good! That exact kit was my first armor model as well actualy!
I built 35065 for my second armor model many years ago, and did an armor-finishing skills piece on it published by FSM around 1998 – I think it’s in the online archives, and the article got some good feedback at the time. If you can locate it, there’s a step-by-step guide to doing this kit, photos and all.
It’s a straightforward kit and it builds well, and though it has accuracy issues against later kits I think it’s a fun build. I remember a very nice texture resulting, and no significant fit problems, though the example I built had some damage to the muzzle break which took some fiddly work with files and putty to repair. The only major gap-filling I encountered was that seam across the top of the turret, which was a clean enough job.
I look forward to more photos, and seeing how your Panther takes shape.
Yes that is true! Yet Im planning on building a diorama in the future of a little fight or convoy i a hostile area and who would want the tank commander to get shot?
the commander is in that big thing on the toop of the turrent, with all the little parescopes on it. what were trying to say, is that the back hatch should be on the outside of the turrent, instead of the instide like you have it. Do a google image search for panther turrent, and look for how the back hatch rests. lookin forward to seeing any updates on it!
yes its outside if the hatch is open, im intending on keepting it closed, unless theres something else im not getting [D)]
tomorrow ill be on my way to buy an airbrush and some primer, theres a bunch of nicks and scratches that it got during storage that I need to flatten out a bit, and get some supplies to make some “real” towing cables.
In the closed position, this hatch is flush with the outer turret wall. When opened, it swings outwards on the hinge mechanism. As it stands, it looks like you have mounted it to the inside of the turret, leaving a circular depression where the hatch should be when closed.
To augment Phil H’s verbal description, I built the same kit last year and here’s a photo showing the turret hatch. With regards to your question about priming over the putty, I don’t use primer and haven’t had any issues. Good luck with the rest of the build.
Now some progress on the back hull part. Its glued and just shot the first layer…might use it as primer, with my new badger brush, its a bit bright, I couldnt find anything that would be a bit darker, and I guess i made the mix a bit to watery i did 1:1 ratio with the thinner. Anyhow, heres the pic
I think the Online Archives are available to FSM subscribers, but I couldn’t swear to that as I’ve never actually looked for them! I do remember something coming from FSM in the post several years ago on the occasion of the article being entered into an archive or online publication of some sort.
ABARNE – awesome build on the Panther! The zimmerit looks great, the figure is excellent, and the tank looks the part, weathered and mean! It just goes to show that good technique can make a fine model from kits without all the bells and whistles of the new stuff.
schwarzpanter: One of the essentials of building a nice final project is to ensure seams between parts are either filled or appropriately joined. By building and painting in large sub assemblies, you may face difficulty. You should aim to build most of the subassemblies together before any paint goes on.
Here’s an extra tip – when sanding tight areas, like around the base of the commander’s cuppola, wrap a fine grade of wet’n’dry paper around a rigid support (I use an old metal nail file), and use the resulting sanding blade to get into spaces much too fine for paper backed simply by a finger. Always sand wet, too. The paper wears out quickly, so keep turning it around. Use a small swatch, cut from the sheet with scissors, and change it as often as necessary. With practice, this technique can get you clean seams in fiddly places.
Ok guys thanks for the tips, I used some of them, and as promised heres sime work ive done recently.
I had some issues getting the right color, flat yellor just looks to bright and i fianlly used zinc chromate from testors and its seems like it did the right job, now i just need to finish the lower hull and tracks, and then unto detailing!
Abarne – been meaning to ask, are those AM tracks, or did you glue the vinyls down to the roadwheels to get the sag? Whichever, it’s spot-on for the look of the real thing!
