Sounds good Matt! I know what you mean... I am cleaning my bench off this weekend.

Alvaro, looks like you're off to a great start! I hope to catch up soon.




Jeff

G'day guys

Finally I have decided which of the six Panthers in my stash I will be using for this build:



Now comes the hard part - deciding where it will be, with what figures, photo-etch etc etc

I'll keep you posted.

Regards

Rob

Hi all, just dropping in with one I've pulled out of the stash. Plan is to do an Ardennes panther out of this.

Eric;

IF you are planning on using that early G Panther "Italy" for an Ardennes kitty, and you retain its early Panther features, you will want to have it zimmerited, I think, as all early G had zimm (Panther G started production in 03 - 1944, so all early G would have been zimm'd at the factory - something which has sort of dissuaded me from building this kit as an actual early G in Italy, 1944... ).

Someone out there will know much better than I but my vague understanding of Panthers seen in the Ardenne and the BoB were mostly mid and later production kitties - many of which had missed the zimm period, and a few steel-wheel G - produced after SEP 1944 and thus also zimm-free.

PS: The early G "Italy" is actually pretty correct for what it shows on the box, from all I understand - there were a few early G in Italy with that cool added armor on the turret, and even a couple with added armor over the engine vents! But you need to add the zimm to get the full picture.

Bob

Hi Bob, thanks for the heads up but I've got it covered, the kit comes with the crew heater, chin mantlet and other goodies. Found my reference pic in Zalogas "Battle of the Bulge" (pg 250) so it shouldn't be hard to tweak it. The kit is basically the original smart kit with add ons for the earlier armour.
Just started on the running gear over coffee this morning so Ill post a pic later today.
Eric.

Update.

Fresh out of the paint booth. The tracks and road-wheels were masked using plastic cling wrap.


Paint dried.


I started by painting the wooden bits (tool hands, turret-ring cover, etc.) I decided to break from the kit by adding accessories. This particular style of bergepanther was a stop-gap design. It's missing many of the features you see on the production bergepanthers. I figured the crews of these stop-gap vehicles would adopt some of the features of the production version. One feature is the ditching beam. I made this from a length of wood.


Painted the tracks. Dry-brushed on red-brown, field-gray, and steel. Added the side-skirts. I had a photo of them without the side skirts but it was a bit too blurry for use.




I hit up the spares for additional stowage. A couple of toolboxes, a couple of buckets, and a length of chain. The ladder was added due to the Panther's height. The production vehicles added a grab handle on the bow. The figure is from the spares.


Added a medium wash and dry-brushed.




After a darker wash and some "mud". Basic painting of the stowage. The other bucket is hooked to one of the rear tow shackles. The new crew figure is from Tamiya's crew set. I figure he's a member of a disabled tank and is getting a ride as hedirects them to its location. He'll also be needed to drive it back if it is recovered and able to start up.




And that's it for now. I still have to work the crew and add a few bits and baubles. I do wish the crane assembly was also included in a stowed position. I mean, it doesn't make a lot of sense to ride around with it erected. The photo above does not have it erected and bergepanzer IVs had racks for it to be broken down and stowed.

Jeff, Tx!
Alex, nice job in this cat!.

Now, some update, heavy rains here keep me working....
I will try to keep this cat OOB, but I add some details but no pieces.

Regards from the south
Alvaro

A quick couple hours work, forgot how great this kit is. I think the DML smart kit panther G kits are as close to Tamiya's ease of building as dragon has ever gotten. I have the lion roar P.E. set, but honestly I'm going to use very little on this build as most of the kit parts are more than good enough.

Thanks Alvaro.

Update. Added the handles for the hatches, tow cable, the front tow shackles, and a jerry can. Driver was an easy addition...he's from the Academy early Tiger 1 kit. The other guy is an old Tamiya figure...I am not sure which kit he came from. Painting on both was pretty basic. I decided to leave the panzer crew man off.











And with that I'm calling this one done. Thirteen days...not bad.

The kit had its moments, but it does represent the first dozen Bergepanthers, which were conversions. I think it might look good on the shelf parked next to the Italeri production Bergepanther.

The kit itself is so-so, even for a 90s kit. It doesn't hold a candle to any of the Tamiya Panthers from that decade. Ths would be an easy scratchbuild conversion to make. At around $20 it's still cheaper than a Dragon or Italeri Panther D kit to convert.

This one probably will be re-purposed pretty quickly. I can see other uses for the crane boom. And I probably will reuse the chassis for a what-if "wonder-weapon" project. If it had some interior it could be the basis for a training vehicle.

A picture should be up in the gallery shortly. I might do the E50 and I might not. It'll probably be after the New Year before I decide on that....I might just build it for the World of Tanks 2 Campaign. I'm debating on building it or my E25.

Alex, the crane should work for a Jagdpanther or Jagdtiger so long as it has the mounting points. It looks pretty good, as well.

Picked up the Dragon Panther D premium kit on the cheap so i will join in on this one! Pics later as the kit is in the mail (just excited to join since I've been really aching to build a panther tank)

some progress of my panter and base
the base is now completed. the figuures are from dragon and the snow is from woodland scenics

Next step whether the turret with streaks, add ammo boxes on the back and tarpoline and maybe some sort of wire mess on the sides

Thanks.

I'm thinking more of adding it to a truck or maybe a halftrack as part of a field mechanic unit. I've got a Bergepanzer IV I built for another campaign. I've got a couple of other vehicles set aside for it.

Nice work Gary!

Regards from the south
Alvaro

Gary

Great looking Panther. However (and I admit, coming from a climate that doesn't see snow from one year's end to the next), I think the snow on the street and in the tracks may look a bit too clean.

Regards

Rob

Been traveling a bit with work, but here's the latest update on the Jagdpanther. Starting the paint using Lifecolors paint from their German Tanks set. Need to finish the Olive green on the back deck and gun barrel and then move to the red brown.Have decided to build one of the 560th Heavy Destroyer jagds Ardennes 1944.




Only photoetch I'm using is for the grills.

Gary, Nice looking Panther. Snow and ice is tough. Here, we don't get a lot of it. When we do, it's as often sleet as it is anything.

I tend to agree with Rob. The snow needs be a bit dirtier, especially the edges near the road surface. I'd also add some dirty and wet slush, where the snow is visibly melted. I'd also add a bit of snow and ice to a few of the crossbars on the tower. Maybe some icicles from the light.

Nice job Joe.

I cant help with the snow, here never fall...


Regards, Alvaro

More minor work. I'm thinking of replacing the coax machine gun in the mantle with a bit of brass rod.



Lots of nice work going on.

Here in the state with 'Greatest Snow On Earth' the white stuff on the streets doesn't stay white for long. After just a little traffic it quickly turns to 'snirt' (snow-dirt). We won't go into 'snit' is composed of.

Keith

panther progress....

Had a small crisis the other day when I couldn't find the rear plate... Hunted high and low and came to the conclusion that I must've thrown it out in a drunken workbench tidy-up... I was just reaching for the plasticard, resigned to the fact that I'd have to scratch a replacement, when it struck me that the offending part might be under the self-healing cutting mat... And low and behold... It was... phew.... panic over...







Next up, the drive sprockets and tracks… I'll try not to lose them...

Cheers

Matthew

Here is my entry, DML's Panther G Late

Cheers

Slowly working on my ICM

Update:



@Rob

I did that same kit for the other Panther Campaign.
It's a great kit, full of extras, I had tons of fun, I regret not buying another one when I had the chance..

Hi Guys,
Here is my model kit and some accessories.
Dragon Panther A early type,Atak zimmerit,Masterclub track link and a Jordi Rubio barrel.








best
Antonio

Update, lower hull & wheels








ICM Wheels


Dragon Wheels