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Building a 1:8 Scale Panther: Part 1

Correcting the Suspension

I redesigned an idler adjustment system using cap head screws; round brass bar and the small steel angled brackets normally used in kitchen furniture construction. These once aligned were both bolted and f/g in place. I then cut off the 2 ‘prongs’ on the deck (these are on the actual tank are the side armour plates that are mortised into the glacis plate, the deck and rear plate prior to being welded) which were then fixed to the hull by bolts and set with f/g.

In view of the suspension units being of mild steel and required to bear a considerable bearing weight, I heat treated them to improve their strength. The road wheels are fixed to their own axles. The method of fixing appears to be that the end of the axle is peened over the outer face of each wheel's bearing! In view of this I did not remove the wheels I noticed however that some of the bearings were very tight indeed and a considerable amount of time was spent loosening them up.

Almost all of the non-scale wheel hubs were deformed. These were removed (held on by mastic, as are many components), a master having the correct number of bolt heads and shape etc. was made and three silicon moulds were taken from this. Once I had 16 hubs, the wheels were cleaned up and the new wheel hubs fitted. The rubber tyres on the road wheels are of a soft sponge like rubber. They also had to go. I purchased 35 feet of 6 mm square hard rubber from a local supplier and made new tyres for each wheel. This took some time in view of the need for precise measurement and cutting. Each road wheel was then sprayed with 2 coats of acrylic car primer and when dry, given two coats of airbrushed German Dark Yellow. Once dry each road wheel was re-tyred (I use Tamiya paints throughout, easy to use, high coverage and ease of cleaning your airbrush).

I next turned to the sprockets. These are basically 3 major components to each sprocket. There are 2 bronze ‘gear wheels’ bolted on to a hollow inner steel distance piece what can best be described as a cotton reel shape. All were removed, the deformed bolt detail on the sprockets lathed or ground off, the casting marks filed off or filled and replaced with new bolts.