OK folks,
This is my first build log here. This is also my first build in 15 years, not counting a couple of projects that never made it to completion, I'm hoping this build log will help me to finish this one! I guess this could be categorized as another oob by a noob!
This is Tamiya's old Panther Ausf A kit.



I should note that technically this is more of a 'paint log' than 'build log' as I wanted to see what I could do to this nice, but severely outdated kit, with only paint, pigment, and a little putty to fill the seams.
I had started this build a long time ago and put it on the shelf, I hadn't put much care into the initial assembly and the build wasn't that great, so I went back and stripped the original basecoat (using windex), sanded it, tried to get rid of any flash that I had ignored and then filled the seams (pretty bad in the front and back where the hull halves meet). Once that was done I started to think about what I could do with it.
I decided to make it an abandoned (allowing me a little mor artistic license and also to remove the terrible mgs provided with the kit!) east front panther with a soft edge 3 tone camo covered by a field applied whitewash.
I figured that I would be able to use snow, frozen mud and ice to help hide some of the inaccuracies of the kit, but that will come much, much later!

So for the first post I give you the basecoat and pinwash (unfortunately I did not take photos up until this stage!)



What is that I hear?
*Gasp*
No zimmerit!! Well no, I debated for a few days on whether or not to apply the zimm but in the end decded that in keeping with the oob theme I shouldn't and also that I wanted to get stuck into the painting asap as that is really what this build is about. I know it is not historically accurate, but this is really more a painting experiment for me to learn some techniques and get back on the horse.



I started by filling the seams, adding a couple of weld seams with putty (primitive, but my first time!) and priming with testors rattlecan grey primer.
Next I applied the 3 tone camo using Golden brand fluid acrylics thinned with Isopropal Alchohol Yellow oxide, Red Oxide and Sap Green Hue with my brand new ( ) Iwata revolution CR! My first time using an airbrush and hand applying a camo scheme (of course after practicing on scraps of card first)! I'm pretty happy with how it came out, although I did learn alot and will approach it differently next time! I then applied the decals and brushed on a few layers of liquitex matte medium, waiting a couple of minutes for it to set up and then using a fine flat brush to stipple it for texture. After this I sprayed a very thin mixture (about 15:1 thinner to paint ratio) of a light sand color holding the airbrush at a 90 degree angle to the top of the model to simulate fading and ingrained dust, just a very light coat. Unfortunately my airbrush started spitting in the middle of this process so it looks a bit heavier than I intended. But since its going to be whitewashed I decided to leave it alone. I then gave the whole model a light wet sanding with 2000 grit paper which took some areas down a bit too far, but those will be patched up later when I get into chipping.



Once all this was dry I made a matte varnish by mixing liquitex brand matte varnish with matte medium and isopropal alcohol until I got a sprayable consistency that would still provide some protection, and gave it a few light coats
I then did a pin wash that I made using thinned down artists inks (black yellow and red mixed together) It came out a bit thick in areas but I think I will be able to blend it in when I do the oil dot application next.



Then I put a base coat on the storage items, (basically just the tools, jack and exhausts, and the spare tracks which I have not put on yet) and then finally I painted the tracks, spraying them with Vallejo's Rust color, then applying ground up orange and burnt umber artists pastels with a brush soaked in mineral spirits. Once that was dry I put a thinned (1:1) wash of black ink over it to tone down the pigments and ran a soft graphite stick over them. Ready to be put on the vehicle at a later stage before final weathering.



OK next I will be trying out the 'oil dot' method as explained by adam wilder to tone down the brilliance of the colors and begin the weathering stage.

I forgot to mention as well that if all goes well I plan to place the panther in a small vignette with 2 of Dragon's Gen 2 Wiking Grenadiers as seen here: figure build log but those will come after the panther I think as I want to save up some $$ for some vallejos to paint them with!!
Can't wait to hear any tips, critiques or comments!!

Good job so far and interesting mix for the matt varnish.

Looks good! I think the tracks came out well. Your method of stippling a thick clear does have quite the pronounced effect. It looks good!

I just checked my model inventory and indeed, this kit lurks within so this is definitely something I will follow.

You mentioned parts not fitting together, was this the upper and lower hull or more? I ask because I recently almost finished an OOB build of an older Tamiya M5 Stuart kit. It all went well until the final assembly of the hull sections together. There was a HUGE gap at the front that would be too much for even putty. I was very disappointed and it is currently in limbo. I have read that the older Tamiya kits that could be motorized, identifiable by the battery sections in the lower hull, were among the worst kits Tamiya made in terms of fitment. Is this Panther one of those motorizable kits and how bad was the over-all ill fitment of parts with this kit?

BTW: I did get the Disc Camo article!

Thanks guys!

Jim it was not a motorized kit (edit; I guess originally it was, but by the time I got mine those were long gone) but yes it was indeed the top and bottom of the hull. There was a gap of about 1/16th of an inch in the front, which doesn't sound so bad except that it goes across the joins of the armor plates. So I used some epoxy putty to fill it in and then went back with a file when it was dry to give the 'cut' texture to the ends of the armor plates where they dovetail (you can see this in the second pic down in my Original Post. Other than that there were no major problems, just had to do some minor filling around grab handles, the cupola etc etc. One area to take care is the the mantlet and rear plate of the turret as the guides aren't too accurate and alot of slipping can take place while the glue dries (even instant dry glue!!) I'm not sure if I got it right, but its staying the way it is!

Great Start. Who needs Zim when you are just back and praticing.If you hand done a little resource on wikings. They did have a Panther A that didint have Zim It was a befehlsPanther( command tank) Tac No (Yellow II02) she was an early ausf A mind, but she also had a White winter camo. Never mind always another prodject. LOOKs good for your 1st Air Brush, Bring it on. Love the "Wiking" Figures too LOL Geraint. One Qustion why rub down the painted panther with 2000 grit paper? I would like to Know, thanks

Great start to a good model. Just keep reading your reference materials and hope you have fun, because that is what it's all about after all. Warren

I like it. It is one of the old dogs that the experts will tell you "isn't worth the glue" to build, but it is a perfect kit to get your feet wet and dive back into the hobby. I look forward to seeing it completed.

thanks again everyone...this is really great for helping me keep my enthusiasm up on this one!
@geraint well I was actually thinking that his would be one of the 11th pz division's panthers which fought alongside the wiking division south of karkov in early 43...but honestly this is not from doing any research, just old stuff knocking around up in the old noggin, as a sort of 'permission' for me to build something! And like I said before, historical accuracy is not the goal for this project, getting it built and painted is my priority! But its too bad I didn't know about that wiking panther...oh well, next time!

Oh yeah and the 2000 grit sandpaper is part of my experimenting, kind of a way to start the weathering in the early stages of the paint job, and to achieve a kind of well used burnished texture. Also it helped to knock down the 'ingrained dust' coat a bit (you can particularly see the effect on the closeup shot of the turret on the cupola and cleaning rod holder) I'll let you know at the end of the first stage (before the whitewash) if I think it was worth it.

I just finished up the 'oil dot' process and will take some pics tomorrow morning when I have some light, I think it came out pretty well (better than I thought it would at least!!)

cheers everybody!

great job on that panther! I like the camo pattern. What paints are they? They are very interesting. I'm not a huge fan of the oil dot filter, I never could get it quite right. Good luck!

Very Nice Panther ! Keep On Modelin... milvehfan

OK I finished up the oil dot filter last night

It doesn't look quite as refined in the harsh light of day, but I'll take this one on the chin as its my first try, and keep moving along



I used 6 different colors a light yellow/buff, very light green, light pink for the open areas, and a dark rust, dark green and deep violet for the areas next to details and panels etc



Things I would do differently:
1 Use more vibrant colors; my highlight colors were all too white I think, lending a vey dusty or washed out appearance
2 use smaller dabs of paint and a smaller brush to blend (I used a flat 1/4" or .63 cm brush) in order to maintain more color seperation
3 intermix the color areas more; instead of using light yellow only over the yellow and green over the green etc, mix them more
4 add another color or two that are a little outside the range of the base color I'm covering, the most effective areas I think are where the dark violet and rust colors go over the yellow, the color contrast adds a certain vibrancy to the overall color, instead of dulling it down...
5 and this will have to wait until I get a pressure regulator for my airbrush, spend a bit moe time on the base coat, and try some modulation there, along smaller areas, and pick out some higlights along the extrusions of the hull with a brush before starting the oil dot filter (as Mr Wilder did in his article)



The hardest part for me were the horizontal surfaces of the model, but if you are used to working with oils they are very forgiving, allowing you to add or take away at any time during the process. The turret top was my first horizontal area and I think it came out ok, but the filter is a bit heavy and washed out...oh well, next time!



I am most happy with the way the turret sides came out, especially the rear panel. I also went back over the welds with a rust wash and other details with a very dark blue wash (since this will be a winter panther I used blue to help accentuate the cold temperature) I think I still need to work on the concentration levels of my pin washes...and the steadiness of my hand!!

So thats it for now, next I think I'll try some more delicate pin washes and then begin some chipping (the major chipping, I think I i'll save most of the minor chipping for after the white wash)
Oh and I almost forgot, ignore the running gear for now, I am planning a different technique there!

And also 2 quick questions for you guys:

1 is that a jack block on the right side tool fittings? If so was it wood?
2 the bolt cutters on the same side...what color would they have been? I've seen them done in either yellow or grey...any ideas?

Thanks for all the comments guys!!

Okay, moving right along....

This afternoon I went back and applied another pin wash to help accentuate the details and make the model a little less washed out looking



note the fender and weld seams where the plates come together...I'm much more satisfied now

Next I began the chipping process
using a very fine brush with a mixture of very light yellow, hardly thinned at all I started work on the turret



I'm trying not to go overboard and so far I'm pretty happy with the results...except that smudged scratch on the turret side...oh well I guess the whitewash will have to cover that up!!

I have to say the most useful tool, the one that once I started using made me say to myself "so that's how those pros get such good results" is....you guessed it... the old magnifying glass!! I wish I could afford a magnavisor, but until then I'll have to work one handed!

Okay, next step the roof...



again I'm pretty happy, still need to add a couple small nicks here and there scattered around but other than that I think it looks pretty darn good (if I do say so myself!!)

But I ran out of time for the day and the next few days I'm going to be pretty busy with work, but I'll try to get in there and finish up the chipping before the weekend



Oh and today I ordered this:
EiC#2: Frozen Hell Can't wait for it to get here! I'm looking forward to seeing some of the tips, especially as the closer I get to the whitewash phase the more trepidation I feel!!

Also I checked out this product: small shop snow/ice coat Has anyone used this? And if so would they recommend it?

Well then..until next time!!!

Looking good! Great step by step process, descriptions and pictures do it much justice, that's for sure. Thanks for sharing this, I'm sure most of us will learn something as you move along.

Cheers -

Tim

thanks Tim, I'm having a lot of fun doing this!
...my wandering heart is already imagining what I could do with one of the new dragon releases...maybe a premium kit (if there is a good one) with mostly correct detail, PE and even...a metal barrel...!

But first things first, have to finish what I started!

Besides I think my wife would kill me if I bought another model!!

OK finally got the chipping done...I really really tried not to go overboard...but its very easy to get so wrapped up in those little details that you can over do it...which I think I did in some areas! Overall I think its ok





I also went back over some of the larger yellow chips with a dark grey in the center to imitate bare steel, which helped to tone things down a bit (like those scratches on the turret sides)



Next time I do this I will:
1 use a slightly darker shade of yellow for the chipping on the flat areas and in over the darker camo colors
2 use a hands free magnifier...much easier
3 step back frequently to check that I'm not overdoing it



I also had a chance to work on the tools and other ovm:



I had some question as to the colors of the metal tools but decided on grey over-painted yellow...so chipping ensued. I also wasn't sure if the square object above was a jack block (different than later panzers?) and if it was wood, but based on other pics I went for it...besides I need practice on my wood grain techniques!!



I treated the jack the same way as above and painted the exhausts with a base coat of black followed by vallejos hull red sponged on unevenly, followed by vallejo's rust applied the same way. Once that was dry I applied rust colored pigments (ground up artist's pastels) with thinner. The same for the ground up fenders and spare tracks, but I went back over the fenders with a light blue/grey pin wash to tone down the rust a bit.




Next I need to work on the running gear. I'm only going to do basic weathering here as I want to have it fairly covered with frozen mud and snow in the end.

After that it is time to begin the whitewash stage!!

thanks for following along, any tips or tricks would be most welcome!!

Hi, are you really going to whitewash over that beautiful camo!!! It looks really good so far. I'm in the dark as to what the "oil Dot Method is??" Amazing transformations you've done on this paint job.

Se this for oil dot, also called color modulation.

http://ru.armorama.com//features/2006

Yeah the plan from the beginning was for this to be a whitewashed vehicle. This whole process is just a means for me to practice my painting skills. Eventually this will go into a small dio with a couple of figures I'm also working on.
As I said in the first post this is my first true attempt at modeling in 15 years (since I was 15!) and I'm trying to figure out how some of the skills I've gained since then can be used to my advantage in modeling!
So far increases patience is the biggest advantage I have since then!!

I too have this kit in the stash and will be following the build/painting
Looks fantanstic so far

Yeah its an oldie but still a goodie (kind of!!) The reason I have it is that they just happen to carry it at Hobby Lobby, and I happened to be walking through one day and seeing this kit sitting there on the shelf really brought me back, incidentally as far as I can find hobby lobby is the only place within an hours drive from here where I can indulge my renewed hobby on a whim...somedays I dream of a nice LHS like I had when I was a kid!!

Great Work!

Nice step by step write up! This old Panther was one of my first kits when I was a kid!

Excellent work overall!

First off thanks for all the nice comments and replies, this has been a great experience!
OK not too much progress this week, I've been working on an apline figure for their figure painting contest, a long shot to be sure, but something to keep me motivated!
Anyways I did manage to get some work done on the running gear



I started by very roughly sanding the wheels, trying to get the effect of heavy wear and the sense of debris scratching them as they turned



After this, without cleaning (leaving the sandpaper debris on the wheels) I airbrushed a couple of coats of first lightened burnt sienna, and then some raw umber acrylic over the wheels and undercarriage of the tank. I'm still not to worried about the undercarriage as this will be mostly covered in mud, ice, and snow in the end.



I then finally went over with inks to simulate oil stains, lubricant, wet mud etc etc. I tried to keep it varied and not cover up too much, leaving some of the 'dustiness' achieved with the airbrush coat again the wheels will be fairly heavily covered in mud, etc, so I'm not too concerned at this stage whether it looks just right, but having said that I'm fairly happy with the results on the wheels


And that's it for now. I received my copy of EiC#2: "Frozen Hell" yesterday (an excellent value IMO) and I'm now eager to try out a whitewash technique based on some that are explained within!!

cheers!

Great job so far. I too have the same kit, I dont care if it is old and not up to today's standards. Your great care in painting and weathering show that you can still make a visually stunning model without a ton of PE and add on updates. Keep up the great work.

Looks pretty good to me also.

I have quite a Few Old Tamiya kits hanging around.

Keep up the Work.