Juggernut Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 (edited) And so it begins..... First thing I noticed other than the sheer size of this vehicle (I'm used to Large Scale Panzers -see what I did there?) is that the armor plating that makes up the lower hull is very smooth in the kit. I've also been watching all the other 1/16 Panther builds in this forum and you guys are giving me great inspiration! Damn you! I already spent too much money on the kit(s) already! Yes, I have both 1/16 Trumpeter Panther model kits. Being that I am MUCH slower than most of you, I'll try and entertain you with some mundane images of how I fixed the smooth armor plating to better resemble what the armor plating really looks like...far from smooth. This is what the side of the kit hull looks like out of the box: See how smooth the sides are? Below are photos of what it looks like AFTER I "textured" the surfaces of the armor plating. For those of you that are curious, I used Mr. Surfacer 500 as it has the innate ability to stick to itself as it dries creating lumps, bumps and irregularities. I used stippling motion with a flat-tipped paint brush. A quick pass with some fine sandpaper after it's dried, knocks down the really high spots and, I think, makes it look like German WWII rolled armor plating (not cast). Below is an "in progress" shot of the Mr. Surfacer being applied. I used smaller paint brushes around details like nuts/bolts and access panels. Anyway, that's my progress for the past couple days.... Last evening and today, I add weld beads to the various places on the hull and attachments. No photos of that yet but I'm using Magic Sculp two-part putty; it's very much like Milliput but more cost effective (you get more for less money). You'll notice the pencil marks in the above photograph. I've discovered that the rectangular box vent that runs from the engine compartment to the brake housings on Panther G's was in fact, tubing made of several sections. The rectangular box went away with the last Panther A. Two tubes ran from the brake housings to the right engine deck fan and two tubes ran from the transmission to the left engine deck fan. On Panther's with the crew heater, this changed again, adding more tubing for the crew heater ducts to the drive and radio operator positions. I'm trying to find the best way to construct these tubes. Since I have two 1/16 Panther kits, I am attempting (without a lot of success just yet) to design these in a 3D modeling program (Fusion 360) but I think I'm in WAY over my head with this software program. I need a lot of schooling on how to model in 3D. Provided I can create these tubes in CAD, I will then 3D print them (in sections) on my Elegoo Mars resin 3D printer. That's the plan.... What actually happens MAY be entirely different. Edited August 30, 2022 by Juggernut Rockie Yarwood, LSP_K2, mpk and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 I, for one, will certainly be looking forward to more. Juggernut, mpk and Gazzas 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggernut Posted November 9, 2020 Author Share Posted November 9, 2020 13 minutes ago, LSP_K2 said: I, for one, will certainly be looking forward to more. I’ll do my best to provide more. I just finished adding weld beads to the hull/pannier joints on the right side of the hull. No photos yet....the work is tedious and time consuming. I managed to get through the right side before the amount of putty I had mixed started curing. Hopefully I’ll be able to post some progress photos tomorrow. Uncarina, LSP_K2 and mpk 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzas Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 mpk and Juggernut 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Do you intend to do the steel plate texture, on the entire interior too? Juggernut and mpk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 As much as I like the Panther, my next big AFV kit (after a Takom Panzer I), will be the big Trumpeter Panzer IV, unless of course the StuG III is released before then. LSP_Matt, Juggernut and mpk 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggernut Posted November 9, 2020 Author Share Posted November 9, 2020 7 hours ago, LSP_K2 said: Do you intend to do the steel plate texture, on the entire interior too? Yep, already have it on the inside of the bottom hull. The last two photos in the first post are of the lower hull interior. I actually purchased another bottle of Mr. Surfacer 500 for doing the upper hull and turret parts. I'm about 1/2 way through the first bottle I had... I'm actually proud of myself for thinking a little proactively here on that. Usually I just run out or get damn near to it before ordering more. LSP_Matt and Uncarina 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggernut Posted November 9, 2020 Author Share Posted November 9, 2020 10 hours ago, LSP_K2 said: As much as I like the Panther, my next big AFV kit (after a Takom Panzer I), will be the big Trumpeter Panzer IV, unless of course the StuG III is released before then. I had the Panzer IV H but sold it. I'm not a big fan of all those tiny road wheels. I have the Tiger II, the early Panther G (as I mentioned above), and like you, the Jagdtiger. At my build rate, these three kits will last me several years. That's in addition to all the 1/32 airplanes and 1/35 armor I already have. I hope I live long enough! I should stop buying model kits now...yeah, right. LSP_Matt, Uncarina, Gazzas and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 2 hours ago, Juggernut said: I had the Panzer IV H but sold it. I'm not a big fan of all those tiny road wheels. I have the Tiger II, the early Panther G (as I mentioned above), and like you, the Jagdtiger. At my build rate, these three kits will last me several years. That's in addition to all the 1/32 airplanes and 1/35 armor I already have. I hope I live long enough! I should stop buying model kits now...yeah, right. I think the same thing, and frequently too; "why do I keep adding all of these kits"? But add them I do. Gazzas, Uncarina, LSP_Matt and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncarina Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 (edited) Late to your build Tim, but I WILL be following with interest! Great start. Cheers, Tom Edited November 10, 2020 by Uncarina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockie Yarwood Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 Excellent! looking forward to more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ray Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 11 hours ago, Juggernut said: I had the Panzer IV H but sold it. I'm not a big fan of all those tiny road wheels. I have the Tiger II, the early Panther G (as I mentioned above), and like you, the Jagdtiger. At my build rate, these three kits will last me several years. That's in addition to all the 1/32 airplanes and 1/35 armor I already have. I hope I live long enough! I should stop buying model kits now...yeah, right. PzIV road wheels aren't so tiny in 1/16th scale! Nice work so far! LSP_K2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 33 minutes ago, LSP_Ray said: PzIV road wheels aren't so tiny in 1/16th scale! Nice work so far! Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggernut Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 9 hours ago, LSP_Ray said: PzIV road wheels aren't so tiny in 1/16th scale! Nice work so far! well, relative to the panther and tiger road wheels... LSP_K2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggernut Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 (edited) As promised, below are some photos of the weld beads I've added to the hull. I'm not sure I captured the interlocking joints of the pannier-to-hull properly/completely so that area may get updated. I created a special tool from small brass tubing to get the "arc" in the welds. On others, I just used the squished end of the same piece of tubing (opposite end), shaped into a semi-circular cross section and added weld bead detail. The good thing about Magic-Sculpt is that if I don't like it, I can always just scrape it out, even after it's dried. It's a little tougher after its dried but it isn't impossible. Before it's dried, water takes it all away. Edited November 10, 2020 by Juggernut LSP_Matt, LSP_K2, Out2gtcha and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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