Panther Ausf G

[Vincent Power]

Here is my entry for the Group Build....... actually what I should say is that this build is the reason I haven't joined the GB yet. I was looking for something to start and finish quickly, filling the space between the end of the Jagdpanther and the start of the GB. I decided this Tamiya Steel Wheel Panther I bought at a swap and sell some time ago would be perfect.

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Notice the white label clearly spelling out everything that is missing from the kit.
What I saw printed on that label was "buy me, buy me...I'm cheap"
Unfortunately, this bargain based blindness would cause the delay in starting the kit because basically, I didn't want to do the steel wheel version. I knew the kit contained two sets of roadwheels, both the steel and the standard types, so I decided to do a generic Ausf G. That's when I discovered that there is a missing roadwheel (remember the label?)so I had to come up with a solution. I also had to face up to the prospect of making my own Zimmerit.
The Zimmerit came first. I used a water-based wood putty (the light colour) and Tamiya putty(the grey colour). The pattern was embossed using Trumpeter Zimmerit tools.

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Once I had this done I could move on and start some serious building. You can see my solution to the missing roadwheel.

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I still have to get a clear idea of where some of the PE details go but I'm close to putting on some primer.
Thanks for checking in.
Vincent

[Steve Hutchinson]

Nice work Vincent

good looking zimmerit and a canny solution to being wheeless too

I am sure it will only been a few weeks before you are back on the GB track.

Have you got your Si-Fi and AA choices selected yet?

Regards

Steve H

[Adam Durrant]

Nice work on the Zimmerit, any chance you could post a pic of the container the wood filler comes in?

[Vincent Power]

Nice work Vincent

good looking zimmerit and a canny solution to being wheeless too

I am sure it will only been a few weeks before you are back on the GB track.

Have you got your Si-Fi and AA choices selected yet?

Regards

Steve H

Thanks Steve. The Zimmerit was a steep learning curve.
I'm hoping I can motor on with the build and get to the GB soon. I have a Miniart GAZ AAA Quad Maxim truck that I will probably do for the AA part but the SciFi has me stumped. Obviously it's not urgent at this early stage so I can give it plenty of thought.
Cheers,
Vincent

[Vincent Power]

This is what I used for the Zimmerit Adam. It's standard wood filler putty stuff that I picked up at a hardware store.

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To be honest though, I'm not confident in recommending this method. The wood putty does not stick well to the plastic even with a good rough up on the surface so spreading it around is a problem. Adding a very small amount of water to the stuff does smooth it out, however, imprinting the pattern then becomes difficult. The thinner you apply it,( ie the closer to scale you go) the faster it dries and the harder it is to get a good clear pattern. The crosshatch lines also tended to drag the pattern out of alignment when it was wet, so I had to try to line up each segment as it dried. Very fiddly work. Cutting the crosshatch lines when it was dry resulted in the small square pieces falling off.

There is a sweet spot between too wet and too dry and as much as I tried, I couldn't find it consistently. I reckon any technique should be easy for everyone to duplicate and I don't think this is. It is doable obviously, but I was removing large sections more often than I care to say before I could move on to the next bit.

I experimented with a few different makes of putty and the Tamiya putty was by far the easiest to use. Not perfect but easier. I hope this helps you.

On a brighter note, I managed to do the Bronco tracks today.

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I'm very happy to have them out of the way.

Cheers,
Vincent

[Philipp Gross]

A very nice build Vincent! What paint scheme have you in mind?

Philipp

[Vincent Power]

Thanks Philipp. I'm thinking of a scruffy well-worn winter scheme over DunkelGelb. I know most Panthers are depicted in three colour camo but I kind of like the combination I have in mind. After all, this will be a generic Panther, not a particular vehicle from a specific Division.

My only concern will be how the water-based wood putty holds up to the chipping process. I may end up with no Zimmerit at all.

Cheers,
Vincent

[Steve Hutchinson]

Morning Vincent

A coat or varnish over the Dunkelgelb should protect everything even the wood filler.

Sounds like a cool plan with a really good scheme for weathering

Enjoy

Steve H

[Vincent Power]

Thanks Steve, I'll give that a go and see what happens.

In the meantime, I've finished most of the PE and given the Panther a coat of primer.

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I'll let that dry thoroughly then start with some paint.

Thanks for looking in.
Cheers,
Vincent

[Vincent Power]

Okay, I have given the Panther some pre-shading using Vallejos' Gray primer and Black surface primer mixed together in various shades.

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I'm happy with it so far so I will look at doing the base coat next.

Cheers,
Vincent