Hi all, I found this Panther kit to be sub-standard for a Tamiya. I guess it must be old. A lot of fit issues and very vague or missing information in the instructions. So, I decided it was a practice-only kit, which freed me up to try new techniques without being to precious. I hope to approach all kits like this now, and let fate take its course.
Can’t figure out how the spare track links fit…anyhow, here’s what it looks like so far. Still gotta weather the wheels, and make the tracks sag. Ideas on the latter please?
Well now, here’s an oldie, but a goodie. You’re right, it’s perfect for practicing new techniques. Everyone will tell you it’s not worth fixing up, but I did.
The Tamiya Panther G indy inks fit perfectly, even though they are not recommended by Tamiya. Ditch the rubber bands lol. They work, but you won’t be happy with the results, I think, because I wasn’t.
Keep it around for effects practice long enough and you’ll either find it’s ultimately not worth the effort, or spend a lot of time working on it, as I did, and make something awesome out of it.
Okay, now that the standard preamble is out of the way…
You did well with it so far. There is a lot of room for improvement, but don’t stress it. Most of us have built this kit at one time or another. As I stated above I upgraded and scratch built some stuff, tried new ideas, and added a commander.
I’m mostly happy with mine, but I’m still kinda working on it once in a while. I lost interest and I’ve got the newer Panther Ausf G kit and it’s a far better kit right out of the box.
Looking good! The kit is rough because it was the first kit Tamiya ever made and dates to the early 1960s. I agree that it’s perfect for experimenting on and incidentally, I’m using the same kit to tinker with DIY Zimmerit (which is something the kit needs because all but the earliest Panther As had Zimmerit).
As for track sag, short of using aftermarket individual links which can double the price of a kit like this, the best trick I saw is to drill a hole in the hull at a point where you can insert a spar to hold the track down. I did this for a Tiger and used a piece of brass rod. It looks pretty good, just use some extra thick mud or whatever to hide the spar between the track links.
IIRC the spare track links go on the small strips with the pairs of bumps, and get mounted at the aft of each hull side.
Hi Dazz. I know of two tricks for getting the sag. One uses cotton through the sprocket holes in the track. Basicaly, you thread the cotton through the top and bottom and tie it off, hiding it behind the road wheels. The other uses a cut off sewing pin. Hold the track in place, heat the end of the pin and push it into the hull. When it cools, the track will be hald in place by the pin. Then just a bit of touch up paint and Bob’s your uncle! I have used this many times on rubber band tracks and its never let me down.
Well, I believe I’m done with this “practice Panther”, as I’ve come to call it.
I had fun and learned a lot without being too precious about it. Critique away please, I’m keen to know where I can improve.
Oh that’s neat! Nice job with that vintage kit. Did you use pins or tie down the tracks to keep them from floating? And you got the spare track links right where they belong.
This was my second 1/35th tank kit way back in the late '80s. I did the same camo pattern and think I used the same turret number. Yours looks a lot like mine except better!!!
That is great to hear. For enjoyment purposes I’d suggest another Tamiya kit first, as Takom, Dragon, AFV Club, etc. kits tend to be over-engineered and somewhat fiddly. Not all of them, mind you, but they do build up beautifully if you take your time.
I like all of them. But my recent Tamiya E-8 builds have been so satisfying to build, so I’m a bit biased at the moment lol.
My efforts with my Tamiya Panther Ausf A have taken me years of patience, but the newer Ausf G was a pleasure to throw together in contrast.
I will be looking forward to your next build, sir.
Nice work Dazz. I reckon you’ve done a pretty good job. I’m not going to critique as I’ve only just started building models, (other than the occasional figure), after a break of many years, so I’m hardly qualified.
