I normally do aircraft only… But looking at the 1/72 Airfix Panther… which was super cheap(and the tank looks “cute”!)… I decided to start on armour… Just one question…
The pics I have seen all show a dual cammo scheme… But the Airfix kit calls for a single colour scheme of desert yellow… Anyone got any idea as to whether this scheme is right?? If any one’s built this kit before… any points to look out for? Any tips would be greatly appreciated…
Thanking you in advance…
Cheers,
Nandakumar
Depending on where they were and when they were there, and sometimes what paints were available in the field, Panthers had numerous paint schemes, from single colors like your desert yellow, to full ambush schemes. Also, the variant may have some influence on schemes. Check your kit. Is it a Panther A, D, G, F?Then check some reference sources for schemes common to the variant.
Sorry, I haven’t built the Airfix kit, so I cannot offer any suggestions.
If all else fails, paint it purple! LOL!
Gip Winecoff
Either one is correct. About the time the Panther came into production, the German Wehrmacht (Army) decided to change from German grey to dunkelgelb (dark yellow). This is a very mustard looking yellow. Most new vehicles were issued in this base color for the remainder of the war.
Additionally, at this time, a red brown and a green paste were issued to with the vehicles. These pastes were a do-it-yourself camouflage kit. The pastes were supposed to be thinned with paint thinner and applied by the crews as they saw fit. Some crews used thinner, others used fuel, some used water and others just smeared the paste on. As you can see, the schemes would look quite different from vehicle to vehicle based on crew skill and other factors. Even the type of thinner used would effect color. So have some fun with it.
As far as the kit itself, Airfix 1/76 scale kits (sometime along the way they changed the listed scale from 00 to 1/76 to 1/72 but is the same kit!), they are older kits that have seen better days and most have been bypassed by superior modern kits. Especially true of a mainstream subject like the Panther.
Some people swear by them and most will build up into nice little kits. Just use caution when mounting the tracks onto the suspension. For a kit this scale, the mounting pins for road wheels and sprockets are not that big and the pressure used when stretching the tracks over the wheels may snap off one of the idlers or sprockets.
Nandakumar,
welcome to the Dark Side! [:)]
the insidious pull of the armor lures another innocent airplane modeler!
ed.
Welcome Nandakumar! Don’t forget to let us see that Panther when you’re done… yes, they are pretty things in their own way, aren’t they… a very graceful design for a tank.
Ron.
Thank you very much guys…
It’ll take a long time for me to build this one… and if old airfix airplane kits are anything to go by then its gonna take a really long time…!! Woah… Wildwilliams… I hope my experience will be a nice one!! :-))
And Rob…
Thanks for the info… No wonder its hard to spot patterns in these tanks…
Cheers,
Nandakumar
So please be patient…
the power of The Dark Side is impossible to resist…
[}:)]