Custom 1/32 Panther ausf. D (WIP 4/29/17)

[PanzerArm]

Hey guys, just wanted to share with everyone that I have been using some of the spare time I have been blessed with lately to get back into the hobby. I have been inspired by Ledhead's ausf. A and wanted to do a Panther as well. I chose to do the D model, the initial variant that first saw action in the summer of '43. I won't be able to work on this much this weekend unfortunately, but I am going to try and have this one done by the end of the month. I have finally branched into the realm of molds anf casting parts, so I am hoping the work i put in now to make the molds will pay off later if i decide to do another panther.


Still a lot of work to be done, but here is a pic to wet your whistle:



-Kevin

[ledhead0085]

awesome Kevin. sorry i've been detached from the hobby for a while. looks like your doing well with the molding. thats what had me hung up. also check this out. http://youtu.be/nMAd4FpXpy4

[PanzerArm]

Quick update. Progress has been slow, mostly due to work, but here is a quick pic of the work I have done. Doesn't look like much but the devil is in the details.



I have Friday off so I hope to get some work knocked out then.
-Kevin

[PanzerArm]

Another quick pic of some progress I made after I got home from work today:



I have tomorrow off, so I am hoping to get the hatch for the commander's cupola done, as well as the hinge mechanisms for those glacis plate hatches.

-Kevin

[hworth18]

Looking good!!!

[normandy]

Fantastic looking Panther D!! I must say the details stand out, wonderful custom!
Leadheads Panther A is looking good as well. Both of you are moving towards a
custom 1:18 D or A version. Keep up the good work.

[Fitzy]

Looks Great. Looking forward to the next Pic's.

[PanzerArm]

Thanks guys. Progress has been slow because I am taking the time to make molds of most of the pieces. I say most because I am not going to make molds for all of the crazy detail that I plan on doing on this tank. For example, I started to make the working drivers hatch in the upper glacis for my tank. I am only making the mold for the hatch and the hinge, but the internal parts to make it work would be up to the builder. Small parts like that don't lend themselves to molding very well anyway, and they would be relatively easy to fabricate by the end user. I have tried making molds for some other small parts and it did not work out well, so for my sanity's sake I am going to forego making molds for these sort of parts.

Anyway, not much progress to show for now, but I did finish the master for the driver's hatch and made a cast that turned out pretty well:


-Kevin

[PanzerArm]

Ok, still chugging along...

Making molds of things as you go, especially when you are new to the game of mold-making, has beed quite a time consuming aspect to this custom. Here are some updates:

Undersides of the hull sponsons are done; will be molding these as soon as I finish the mantlet pieces:


Here is the drivers hatch "finished". I still need to make a mold of the front hull plate so this will be coming off to make that:


Below is my improvised method to molding a mantlet that had a gun tube i couldn't get off without breaking it. Basically cut a hole in the bottom of the mold's box, and then sealed the edges of the hole with clay:


Here is the commander'd cupola with working hatch:


Finally two shots of what that mold two pics up produces. Here are a front and back shot of the mantlet without the "chin" on the 21st mold. Notice the bubbles in the resin. I am utterly sick of seeing bubbles in my resin casts, but until i can get some sort of vacuum chamber/pressure system concocted, I am going to be limited in the quality of parts I can make:



That is it for now, hope to have the back part of the mantlet's mold done today/tomorrow, so I may post some pictures of that soon.

-Kevin

[cjg476]

Really cool Kevin, with the amount of time and work maybe you should duplicate and make two.

[PanzerArm]

Really cool Kevin, with the amount of time and work maybe you should duplicate and make two.

The plan is to make the parts available for sale, so maybe there will many duplicates out there one day . This statement comes with a qualifier however. I do not want to produce crap like my molds are yielding now and try and sell that. I have find a better way to cast the parts in resin. I think I have found a solution thanks to PizzGuy and Youtube, but it is going to take some time (and $) to get the requisite parts. I will keep you guys posted on the progress on this, but as it stands now I am going to need to procure a good quality compressor and tank, as well as a painter's pressure pot. All said I think I can get that stuff for ~$200, but the cheaper I can find it the better. If anyone has any good sources for such things let me know. I think I am going to use my local Craigslist for the compressor and tank, but the pressure pot is going to be a bit more complicated to find non-retail.

-Kevin

[PanzerArm]

Completed the molds for both parts of the mantlet and the casts are turning out pretty good. I anticipate these parts could be fairly popular sellers.



-Kevin

[Fitzy]

Looks Good Kevin Keep the pictures and updates coming.

[PanzerArm]

Going to brush the dust off this thread and bring it back from 2 years ago nearly to update you guys on some work I have done. And in case you were wondering why such a long time between updates, well I have been blessed with a second little one in the time since last posting about this project, and life does not give me many opportunities to work on hobbies like I used to.

Anyway, I am finally putting all the pieces together in an effort to have it all assembled for paint by the end of this month. These most recent shots are the addition of the sheet brass side skirts. These were a real pain in the ass...








I am hoping to fit the tools on the side this weekend and do some more work on the details on the rear plate as well. I will keep you posted.

-Kevin

[Rxrated]

Looks Good!

[[CAT]CplSlade]

Some nice work there, panzer.

[PanzerArm]

Thanks for the compliments guys. It is coming along finally

As promised, here is some more progress, this time the left hull side:



-Kevin

[PanzerArm]

And the front periscopes done:



-Kevin

[PanzerArm]

Right side tools done




-Kevin

[PanzerArm]

Here are some more update shots. The outside is pretty much done. I just have to affic the rear stowage bins and that's all for exterior. I started work on the interior a couple of days ago and man is it tedious work. Anyway, here are the pics:











And since I am getting co close to painting this tank (finally), I have decided on a paint scheme/unit. I am going with a tank for the 52nd pz abt during their action at Kursk. Not settled on which tank yet, but this is the general look it will have:




-Kevin

[Rxrated]

Looks great! The interior detail looks good. Can't wait to see it painted.

[PanzerArm]

Can't wait to see it painted.

You and me both buddy. This thing has been a shelf queen for far too long.

I had some time to work on the turret interior today as well:



-Kevin

[Rxrated]

Outstanding work!

[PanzerArm]

Another quick update for you. The build is basically done. I am honestly cutting short on a few of the interior details because I am tired of building and I am ready to paint. The "problem" is I am taking the family on a vacation to Hawaii this coming Sunday and I wont be able to start painting in earnest until I get back. I will pick up where I left off when i get back! In the meantime, here are some pictures of a primed tank, ready for some tri-tone camo!

















The rear looks a bit wonky because it is just loosely fitted. I am keeping away from glue and such for now until I am done painting the interior.


-Kevin

[PanzerArm]

All the hatches open




-Kevin