Another Trumpeter 1/16 Panther G Build - Steel Wheel - ONE MORE CORRECTION...DAMN TRACKS.

LSP_K2 · May 3, 2022

5 hours ago, Juggernut said:

I will admit that it's getting harder and harder to add needed details as I get closer to the end.

That's a good thing.

Juggernut · June 5, 2022

Some more progress on the turret. First is an overal shot of the turret without a lot of the guts installed. It appears as though Trumpeter used a Panther A turret for their G kit. Although they're supposed to be similar (if not identical), there are some differences I've found between the turrets. At this stage of the game, I decided to forego the changes as it would've involved a lot more scratch building and I got closer to the G turret by just leaving some parts out.

Here's a closeup of the gunners side. All I added here was the cable between the foot trigger for the MG34 and the gun. An F of 5.6 did not seem to do much better to bring the depth of field in better so some of the image remains out of focus. The pattern on the spent shell container is from the lighting and not a painted pattern.

Another shot of the gunner/commander area from above. Again, I didn't add a lot here.

The area at the front of the turret (underneath the gun) got the most attention. I added conduits and electrical wires to the turret basket hangars (for lack of a better/correct term for these). I used 1/16" aluminum tubing for the conduit and 0.015" lead wire for the electrical cables. All-in-all, I was happy with the way it turned out. The pulleys ar for cables that connect the gun to what I think is a counterbalance hydraulic cylinder. Cables run from the bottom of the cylinder, around the pulleys and attach to a fitting on the bottom of the main gun. I'll add these cables (there are four of them) just before I join the turret basket to the turret shell using EZ Line so the gun will still be able to move without causing anything to break.

This is a shot of the gun raise/lower gears that install on the right side of the turret. There were several parts that make up this assembly; the largest of which had a gigantic sink mark in it that took a lot of superglue and judicious use of accelerator to close. After taking these photos, I installed them in the turret. More photos of that process coming soon.

This setup is the controls for the gunner to control the gun traverse and elevation. It'll be connected to both the traverse motor and the elevation transmission by drive shafts that I did not photograph. Again, this assembly is made up from several parts but luckily there were no gigantic sink holes in this part, just one that I had to leave alone as it won't be seen once the turret basket is installed in the turret and in order to fix it, I would've had to shave off all the bolt and washer detail. That was more than I was willing to do for the sake of modeling accuracy.

These last couple of images are of the commanders cupola control lever. Trumpeter did a fairly decent job here but molded it as if the commanders hatch were in the closed position. I had to remove the bottom section of rod between the handle and the body of the unit to better represent it in the open position. The locking handle (at least that's what I think it is) got a coat of red paint after I took the photos and the coloring is just a guess on my part after looking at black and white photos of the assembly. The crank handle itself got painted black. I added a spring using 0.010" lead wire as Trumpeter didn't render this component on their part.

I'm coming to the end of the "assembly" stage of the kit (Thank God!) and am getting ready for the painting stages. I have a few more things to show here before that happens so check back in a couple days and I should have another update.

Thanks for looking in!

josebagasteiz · June 6, 2022

Muy buen trabajo hasta ahora.

¿Has pensado en algo para la manguera de extracción de humos?

To improve the depth of field the f number should be much should be much larger, f9, f11, f16 for example.

Edited June 6, 2022 by josebagasteiz

Juggernut · June 6, 2022

6 hours ago, josebagasteiz said:

Muy buen trabajo hasta ahora.

¿Has pensado en algo para la manguera de extracción de humos?

To improve the depth of field the f number should be much should be much larger, f9, f11, f16 for example.

Hi Jose! Yes, I have an AFV Modeling fume extraction hose that goes between the the can and the exhaust fan in the roof. It's made of what seems to be soft rubber (RTV) so I haven't really decided how I'm going to affix it to the fan (or can) just yet. I don't think there will be any left over so for the second hose from the spent shell holder to the can I may have to design and 3D print one. That'll be a chore but hopefully I can do it without a lot of difficulty...just need the proper measurements.

Uncarina · June 6, 2022

It’s looking good Tim, and I’m taking notes! It’ll be great to see her in paint.

Cheers, Tom

Juggernut · June 6, 2022

16 minutes ago, Uncarina said:

It’s looking good Tim, and I’m taking notes! It’ll be great to see her in paint.

Cheers, Tom

Thanks Tom, I’m looking forward to that part as well. As a side note, this steel wheel version has some extra steel wheels and I think I may be able to do a very late Panther with my other kit, like you’re doing.

LSP_K2 · June 6, 2022

4 hours ago, Juggernut said:

Thanks Tom, I’m looking forward to that part as well. As a side note, this steel wheel version has some extra steel wheels and I think I may be able to do a very late Panther with my other kit, like you’re doing.

I can see why you'd be growing weary of adding details. That's precisely the reason I won't bother with AFV interiors, regardless of scale.

Juggernut · June 6, 2022

53 minutes ago, LSP_K2 said:

I can see why you'd be growing weary of adding details. That's precisely the reason I won't bother with AFV interiors, regardless of scale.

If the kit interiors were complete and accurate, I'd really have no trouble with them but since they're not, I won't bother with the remaining kits I have and won't be buying any more 1/16 Trumpeter kits. They're about to release my favorite tank destroyer in 1/16, the Jagdpanther, but I'll not have one since it's incomplete (I've already studied the sprue shots)... I don't have enough of a modeling lifespan left to impart all the work needed to do these kits justice. I do have them in 1/35 so those will be my go-to kits for interiors from now on.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Juggernut

Juggernut · June 13, 2022

Tiny update.... I had to create some decals for the turret since Trumpeter doesn't provide them. According to my book on the M.A.N. factory (Nurnberg's Panzer Factory by Panzerwrecks), the steel-wheelies got very limited stencil markings. So, since there were only two needed (really three), I decided to create them using the trusty Alps printer and an old version of Illustrator. This is what I created:

After some very good feedback from some of the guys on missing-lynx, I updated the decals to better represent the stencils as they actually look. Getting those decals off was a chore but they finally succumbed to my efforts to remove them.

And then one more correction to change the quotation mark in the counterbalance stencil to a degree symbol:

Now it's installing the intercom equipment, counterbalance cables, giving the turret a coat of flat, some washes, and highlights and it'll be complete. Oh, just an FYI, I discovered that in most German panzers, including the Panther and Tigers (I and II), the loader does NOT have a set of headphones or a throat mic. I also confirmed this with the Panther Fibel and Tiger Fibel books as well as some German radio people at Missing-Lynx. So, if you're ever building a German WWII panzer crew with a loader, make sure he doesn't have a headset and throat mic...unless it's one of the few exceptions...I don't know what those are that this moment so check those references.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Juggernut
corrected spelling errors

josebagasteiz · June 17, 2022

On 13/6/2022 at 17:03, Juggernut said:

Pequeña actualización... Tuve que crear algunas calcomanías para la torreta ya que Trumpeter no las proporciona. Según mi libro sobre la fábrica MAN (Nurnberg's Panzer Factory de Panzerwrecks), los caballitos de acero tenían marcas de plantilla muy limitadas. Entonces, como solo se necesitaban dos (realmente tres), decidí crearlos usando la confiable impresora Alps y una versión antigua de Illustrator. Esto es lo que creé:

Después de algunos muy buenos comentarios de algunos de los muchachos sobre el lince perdido, actualicé las calcomanías para representar mejor las plantillas como se ven realmente. Quitar esas calcomanías fue una tarea ardua, pero finalmente sucumbieron a mis esfuerzos por quitarlas.

Y luego una corrección más para cambiar las comillas en la plantilla de contrapeso a un símbolo de grado:

Ahora está instalando el equipo de intercomunicación, los cables de contrapeso, dándole a la torreta una capa de pulido, algunos lavados y reflejos y estará completo. Oh, solo para tu información, descubrí que en la mayoría de los panzer alemanes, incluidos Panther y Tigers (I y II), el cargador NO tiene un par de auriculares o un micrófono de garganta. También lo confirmé con los libros Panther Fibel y Tiger Fibel, así como con algunas personas de la radio alemana en Missing-Lynx. Por lo tanto, si alguna vez está armando una tripulación panzer alemana de la Segunda Guerra Mundial con un cargador, asegúrese de que no tenga auriculares ni micrófono en la garganta... a menos que sea una de las pocas excepciones... No sé cuáles son. que este momento así que revisa esas referencias.

Great job on those signs!!

Uncarina · June 17, 2022

Nice work Tim, and thanks for sharing those stencils!

Cheers, Tom

josebagasteiz · July 6, 2022

Ok, now I see it.

Juggernut · July 16, 2022

Paint is on... but looking at the photos closely, I need to do some touchup here and there as well as correct a couple of spots that "magically" appeared on the left stowage container Oh well, it's getting closer to being done. The lower hull is Tamiya XF-60 (armor dark yellow) in my attempt to create sort of a shaded gradation between the lower and upper hull. The red-brown is also Tamiya XF-9 Hull Red while the remaining two colors are MiG AMMO dunkelgelb III and dunkelgrun from their Rye Field Models Panther paint set. The entire paint job was airbrushed freehand which is probably why I need to go back and touch up some spots (as you'll notice in the photos). From the three-foot range it looks pretty good but up close...well, you'lll see.

The camouflage pattern is loosely based on actual photos of tank 221 from the 2nd kompanie, 1st SS Panzer Division during the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944. There's no shots of the top of the vehicle and no good shots of the rear of the vehicle so I just used the color profiles in the Panther: External Design and Appearance book of the factory painted steel-wheel Panther to give me a guide of sorts.