Tamiya 1/16 Panther G Build

[GooglyDoogly]

Here's my build thread for my Tamiya 1/16 Panther.

Nice big box.


Here's the aftermarket things I bought for my tank. Metal sprocket wheels for my (soon-to-purchase) metal tracks, metal sprocket guides, metal mantlet, and metal very detailed muzzle break. Also, some PE parts in order to fully detail this bad boy.


Here's the rest of the parts, RC components included.


These kits are wonderful, here's my Tamiya 1/16th Tiger (not finished paint detailing it yet)

[kimtheredxd]

Even though the Tiger isnt finished painting, DANG that looks nice.Wish I could be that good

[pickelhaube]

That sure is a lot of pieces parts GD. Good luck
The Tiger looks great !!

[MG40K]

Cant wait to see what you d with this one.

[Yoxford]

GD,

Any paint sceme yet? Ernst Barkmann's Panther G during the Ardennes Offensive would be so sweet.

[GooglyDoogly]

Yoxford, I was thinking about doing Barkmann's Panther 401 during the Ardennes Offensive, but can't find any conclusive info about what kind of Panther G did he have.

So I'm basically gonna make a late-war Panther, possibly an Eastern-front Panther.

So Here's the basic start of this build. Starting with the tension pulleys. Each pulleys has 9 parts. Good thing there's a good show on TV while I was building this tank.


I also installed the suspension housings, torsion bar stays, torsion bars, and suspension arms. Had a bit of a problem with one of the suspension housings, because the srew holes won't line properly. So I had to use brute force. -_-



Tension pulleys installed.


Metal sprocket wheel guides installed. I prefer this because the sculpt is far more detailed than the stock Tamiya parts.


The mechanism deck plate and the two gearboxes installed. I need to remember to break these gearboxes in before I run in outside.


Idlers, sprocket wheels, and the roadwheels installed. Each roadwheels are composed of 9 pieces, including the rubber tires. This is probably the most tedious part of the build.


Up next, installation of the remaining of the electronics, turret assembly, and detailing of the hull.

[pickelhaube]

[GooglyDoogly]

Tracks installed, It's not gonna be it's permanent tracks, but I need to put them on to make sure the side skirts will not be a hinder.


Here are the side skirts and the support brackets.



Here's one of the the rear two cable brackets.


Here's a part of the gun cleaning rod case. It's made from two pieces of metal parts that had to be bent into shape. That coin is a dime. Thank God that the smallest part of this build that I have to handle.


Gun cleaning rod details.


Rear hull PE details.





Up next, turret assembly.

[olifant]

Wow, that thing is going to look great. I look forward to future progress GD!

[immeww2]

That is gonna be one fine looking tank!!!!!

[GooglyDoogly]

Thanks guys!


I forgot to post a pic of the electronics assembled inside the tank, minus the receiver.


Here's the recoil unit. This is the worst part of the build for me, because the aftermarket mantlet's gun tube hole is VERY rough and VERY tight. I had to carefully sand inside, and do it slowly, or else I'd take off too much material and cause the barrel to wobble.


Here's the flash unit. It's my first time installing one of these, because I never really like the unit protruding out of the muzzle break. But, I vow that at least one of my Tamiyas would have this, so I decided to put it in.


The gun elevation unit.


Turret details, and some little welding work.



The turret is done! Please note that the barrel is in the recoil position, so it's really not that short.

[pickelhaube]

Good progress so far.

[thehun]

Yes indeed, Looking very good so far.
TheHun

[GooglyDoogly]

Thanks! I'm really having fun with this build, although I'm itching to finish it so I could try my new airbrush.

I realized that the rear PE parts like the exhaust supports are way too skinny and not realistic...not to mention they are very fragile. I broke them when I accidentally bumped my Panther while doing a test run.

Soooo....I decided to modify the rear exhaust. I backdated it a little. I cut the rear exhausts at their base, and took some exhaust pipe from my cannibalized King Tiger.


And scratch-built some exhaust guards out of some spare PE parts.


Success! I just need to add a little more detail to them, but they're basically done.


Finished the rear of the hull. I also added a little bit of texturing and weld lines.


I also scratched-built from spare PE parts some...I don't know what these are supposed to be, but I've seen a lot of them in 1/35 Panther models...maybe they're poison gas detector mounts?



Now for some hull details. First, here's a scratch-built front mudguards braces.


Tool details:




Here's the Schumo load cable holder. The Tamiya kit part is way underscaled, plus it's positioned in a wrong way.


Here's the upper hull details. You can see the resin cast of the Antenna Base, PE engine grills, and spare track holders from Schumo. The spare track holders from the IMPACT set are too thin, rendering them virtually useless.


The pins that came with the track holders DOES NOT FIT! I had to make my own out of a spare aerial antenna.


Here are the small lifting hooks.


I also added some thick weld seam on the rear tow cable holders. Not only is it necessary, but they also act as supports for the fragile IMPACT parts.


Here's a cute pic. A 1/16th Panther, and a 1/144 Panther.

[GooglyDoogly]

Here's a few more updates. Added more details on the turret, including weld lines.





Added some chains.





Up next, priming the turret.

[GooglyDoogly]

I realized that the surfaces of the Panther is very smooth. The only part that has some defined texturing was the commander's cupola. I know that real Panthers don't have the cast-iron look like the surface of a T-34, but it just looks too toyish without any texture, so I added a little bit.



I better decide what camo job I should do soon.

[olifant]

Wunderbar!

[normandy]

Googly, love the amount of detail you've put into this Panther. This thing looks sweet.

[pickelhaube]

Go man go !

[GooglyDoogly]

Hehehe, thanks fellas.

I started priming again, but I ran out of my gray primer, so I used red-oxide primer. THEN I realized I forgot to add a few details on the turret.

I added the gun depression stopper on the rear side of the mantlet on both sides.


I also forgot to add a third gas detection mounting panel on the rear side of the turret roof.


Hopefully, the texturing I did shows through.



Done!


For a brief period of time during the fall of 1944, The Germans built armor with only the red-oxide primer as the base coat, and the camo colors were painted directly onto the primer. I believe this was done during September-October 1944.

I was going to keep it and use the red-oxide primer, but eh. Since there's such a big unresolved debate among modellers and armor historians how this order was implemented, I decided not to use the red-oxide primer as the base coat. I believe Minichamps released a 1/35 Panther with this camo job in mind.

So...I decided to paint my panther in dark green base color instead. This was done to all heavy armor from November 1944 to early January 1945. So I'm hoping to base my Panther to a Panther built around November-January. Because in February 1945, I think that the AAMG ring on the cupola was deleted from the Panthers.

Here's the roadwheels painted.


And here's my Panther with her base coat applied.


And here's the muzzle break:

[Yoxford]

GD
very well done.
are you thinking of doing the late war, long dark yellow snake like bands with the ambush type splotches over the base green?

[GooglyDoogly]

GD
very well done.
are you thinking of doing the late war, long dark yellow snake like bands with the ambush type splotches over the base green?

Like this one?

Hmm, not sure. I already have a tank that has an ambush camo, so I'm a bit hesitant about making another tank in those pattern.

At first, I planned on making a Panther with the straight broad stripes camo, like this:


That would have been perfect, because according to many sources, a lot of Panthers near or around Berlin sported this camo scheme. But the more I look at it, the more I don't like it. They remind me too much of candy stripes.

So now, I was toying with the idea of painting my Panther in a MAN or MNH-type of camo scheme, which is dark-green base with irregular rotbraun parts bordered with thin stripes of dunkelgelb.

[pickelhaube]

I am with you on the last 3 profiles. They would look cool. I am not too hip on the candy stripe eather.

[Yoxford]

Nope I never did like that candy stripe pattern either.
I do like the last two very much....
The pattern I am thinking of is more like the new Minichamps King Tiger...a base of green and then long patches of dark yellow with red brown splotches... field applied with rags and brooms... (and very quickly due to low flying p-51s)

Have you thought of adding the IR night vision scope?
good reference shot
http://members.tripod.com/~dietmagic/panther.html

[GooglyDoogly]

Nope I never did like that candy stripe pattern either.
I do like the last two very much....
The pattern I am thinking of is more like the new Minichamps King Tiger...a base of green and then long patches of dark yellow with red brown splotches... field applied with rags and brooms... (and very quickly due to low flying p-51s)

Have you thought of adding the IR night vision scope?
good reference shot
http://members.tripod.com/~dietmagic/panther.html

Oh! I think you're talking about the Octopus camo. I think that's a very unique camo that's only been done to a single King Tiger. At least, I haven't found any pics of other KTs or any other tanks sporting the same type of camo, other than the King Tiger pictured abandoned near Kassel.

And yep, I was thinking about doing an IR Panther. But the thought of adding huge armor plates on the rear engine deck to protect the infantry riding shotgun made me drop the idea. It doesn't look good because it ruins the sleek Panther lines, at least IMHO.

Thanks! I've finally had some time to work on the camo, so here it is.






I just need to paint re remaining parts, then weather the whole thing.