I just recently started modeling armor and picked up the Tamiya Panther A for about $20 as a starter kit. I am in the process of building the turret, and the rear of the turret doesn’t seem to fit flush with the sides of the turret, but rather seems to be set back a bit. Is this proto-typical, or do I need to do some sanding and puttying to get the rear flush with the sides? Any pics would be great!
I think that it is supposed to be set back abit; it is on my Dragon Panther G. One of the more knowledgable people round here will confirm this for you.
Welcome!
Yes it is supposed to be set back. I recon it was supposed to be sort of a bullet splash sheild for the rear escape hatch…
If you really want the 411 on the old Panther A then contact Derek (claymore68) He built one for the Panther GB. Also there is a great article in the sept 1990 FSM that covers it very well…
Good Luck
Yes it is supposed to be set back. I recon it was supposed to be sort of a bullet splash sheild for the rear escape hatch…
If you really want the 411 on the old Panther A then contact Derek (claymore68) He built one for the Panther GB. Also there is a great article in the sept 1990 FSM that covers it very well…
Good Luck
i got a tamiya panther A not to long ago too! $30 can. tamiya’s panther(s?) are suppose to be very inaccurate; tools to big, hull to high, turret wrong shape, etc. i haven’t started mine (got too many models un built) i’m thinking about getting tamiya’s panther G, not sure if there is a diference other than price.
T3488g,
Yes your right the old Tamiya A is a dog(circa 1970) but the new ones (ausf Gs) (circa 1994-) are second to none. They don’t share any of the old parts. The fit is absolute and the detail is superb. The only complaint is the rubber band tracks the are so difficult to get the charactoristic Panther sag. Again though the kits released since the mid nineties of the panther are amazing.
I read some not-so-flattering reviews on the Tamiya Panther A, but I was looking for a relatively cheap kit to get my feet wet in the hobby. So far I have had no problem with pieces not fitting, but then again, if it doesn’t fit I break out my x-acto knife, putty, and file. Now I just need to get an airbrush!!! I have seen a few other pics and it seems that the rear turret wall is set back abit…interesting to see the reasoning behind this…looks like it would be a bad place to take a hit though, no deflection.
Does Tamiya make indy treads for the panther?
Chester111472,
Yep its a good starter kit… cheap and easy to build no doubt… An airbrush is a must for doing German armor. Good luck and keep us posted as you progress.
Armor Master, yes Tamiya makes a sep indi-link set for their Panthers, They run about 15 bucks or so. I can’t for the life of me understand why the don’t include them in the kits like the ol’ Tiger late and sturmtiger. I know a lot of folks are scared away by them but they could include them with the rubberband tracks. And at 40 bucks a kit the SHOULD put them in there…
ArmorMaster,
just to add to Kenneth’s post, yes they do, and they are relatively inexpensive.
BUT - if you are a stickler for accuracy, the guide horns are solid on the Tamiya links.
to make them ‘accurate’, you would have to drill them out.
2 horns per link, 85 ish links per track, 2 tracks per tank.
so, say about 340 holes to drill & clean up.
some one on the Panther GB did this.
it wasn’t me!
i put them on as is, and was satisfied.
Has anyone used that Eduard PE kit for the Tamiya Panther A? As this is my “learning” kit, I have though of putting off getting any PE kits until I break open my Tamiya Tiger I (Late).
You picked a good starter. The Tamiya “A” is very inaccurate but it is reasonably cheap and can be used for practice without wrecking an expensive kit. The rear of the turet is supposed to be set back from the side edges, there molded “welds” on the sides that show the position of the rear wall.
The fit on mine was typical Tamiya, real good to excellent, but the inaccuracies were over the top! The turret is too tall and improperly shaped, 8 road wheels missing, tools out of scale. The hull is too deep (left over from the motorized kit) and the kit tracks are the second worst I have seen. The road wheel/sprocket/idler bolt details appear to be oversized.
To solve the track isues I used Fruil tracks, I scratchbuilt a new turret and added Aber PE. Kenneth was also kind enough to supply a set of Dragon wheels/sprockets that were added to the kit and, for only 3x the cost of the kit I have a reasonably accurate Panther A!
Tamiya’s new "G"s are excellent if not perfect OOB. I plan on picking up another Tamiya “A” to practice Zim and other techniques on.
tHE OLD TAMIYA A…WHAT CAN iSAY THAT HAS NOT BEEN SAID… i beleive it to be a horraible kit. It was my first panther and never finished it, It became the practice your Zimm skills on. Indeed the newer panthers are great. I have 4 of them. but if you are not scared od Indy tracks check out Dragons panthers they are asood if not better.
Chester,
I currently have the Dragon A and D on the workbench. The Eduard PE kits were purchased for both (including PE Zimmerit). The PE kits are a must and are more than excellent. Patience required! PE instructions are pretty clear, but there is no substitute for research when applying these details. I would highly recommend them. However, the old Tamiya A may not be worthy of the extra $15.00, I didn’t see PE in the catalogue for a Tamiya A, maybe I missed it.
Good luck
Steve
Wild Bill,
It was Peter Battle (petbat) who drilled those links out, “all 198 of them”, his thread appears last month with pics of an excellent early D in diorama. Personally, I’m taking the easy way and have Fruilmodel tracks on the way for my cat. at $34.00 bucks a pop, you may be able to appreciate how I dread Indy track!
Steve
I used Modelkasten and loved them… a lot of work no doubt but worth it…