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Building a 1:8 Scale Panther: Part 1

The Rear Details

Once removed, I sanded off all of the detail including the rear stowage boxes. Some items were not suitable for an Ausf. A and others, just badly moulded. Moulds were made of the inspection covers and the new exhaust manifolds. Brass tubes of the correct diameters were bent to shape (the only way I have found to successfully bend a small diameter tube and not have kinks is to seal one end by crimping in a vice, pour in lead and melt it and when full allow it to solidify and once cool, bend to suit. The only down side is melting out the lead having completed the bending and of course, cleaning the tube out), there are a total of 4 pipes, three on the left and one on the right manifold.

The 2 larger pipes (one on each side) are the exhausts and the two smaller on the left manifold were an interim measure on the Ausf. A to provide pumped cooling air into/out of the engine exhaust manifold area. This was an attempt to reduce the engine fires caused through overheating that the Panthers were initially plagued with.

I had decided that a concealed on/off switch and charging jacks were preferable. I made new stowage boxes and their clips from reinforced plasticard. The original boxes were both part of the rear plate and incorrect in shape and size. The new boxes were fitted and a 20-amp switch and 2 charging jacks fitted, one to each side. Whilst on the rear plate I ground off all of the raised detail refixed all of the new access covers and fitted new bolt heads.