Hi there people ...Just starting a new project and I'm waiting on my P/E set to get here ,so I thought I'd do what I can while I'm waiting ...This is going to be one of the late panthers with the steel wheel on the last suspension arm so I modified the cupola by filling the holes for the anti aircraft ring and added the post instead ..I also added the periscopes from the steel wheeeled panther kit and added some weld details as well .



Next I textured the mantlet and added a wider rain guard over the site.



I decided to change the front fenders and used the one in the Dragon Panther G kit as the details are much better than tose on the tamiya kit



I scratchbuilt the drivers hatch spring using wire and a plastic card.



I added the hatch stoppers from plastic card ..



I added some details around the hatches using a small drill bit do make the sunken screw holes .I don't know if they are screws or bolts but at least they're there..lol



another closer shot ...



I added weld beeds along the front hull joints..



and last but not least I lenghtened the overflow tube to make it look a bit better ..



Now if I could only get my P/E set so I can really start to work on this kit it would be great ...All comments are welcome ..

Rick

I'm not in front of my references, but I recall reading several times in various forums that the steel wheel Panther was not a late G. All the pics I have seen would support that. It was just a G with steel wheels, no mantlet w/ a chin, etc. Or is this one just going to have the sole steel wheel at the rear?

Hi Alex ...it's just going to have the rear steel wheel .

Rick

How do you feel about replicating a casting seam along the mantlet & lifting eyes, bolts, nodules (whatever you want to call them) on the sides? Based on an earlier post from you - are you going to try and modify a leftover Dragon steel wheel from a Tiger kit? I look forward to seeing more.

well I 'm not sure about the casting seam ..I have some pictures that hardly shows it at all ...the lifting bolts will be added from the dragon kit and as for the steel wheels well I think I'll just steal one from the Tamiya SW panther kit ..I know it is a bit big but at the same time I don't want to ruin a kit just for two wheels if you know what I mean...I'm still thinking about those steel wheels ...I might not bother .

Rick

Nice start there Richard. I noticed in the third pic the wire cutters, I have some from the same company (I think) and they are crap aren't they? Wire seems to dent the clippers more than the clippers seem to cut the wire!

I like the cast texture on the mantlet, what did you use?

Hi David and yes they are crap for sure!! I have another pair that are really beaten up but I'd rather use those ..lol For the cast effect I used Mr Surfacer 500 put on using a brush with the bristles cut short.. I love this stuff I don't know what I did before I found it.

thanks for the comments.

Rick