Hi there again. It has been a while since my last post... I wasn't sure where to put this one so I took my best guess.

I bought Trumpeter's E-50 kit so I could use its Schmalturm for my Dragon Panther II kit, whose Schmalturm is too big all around. I modified the Panther II hull and Trumpeter turret to allow it to fit on the hull, but it still sits too high due to this thick ring in the picture, indicated by my red arrow.



So how would I go about trimming that ring down so the turret will sit lower as it should? I have thin sanding files but they can't reach the innermost part of the ring; they get stopped by the ring above it. I also don't want to use my modelling knife to cut it down because the force required to cut into it is high. I run the risk of cutting a section off the ring and the knife flying into the actual base of the turret, damaging it. Any help would be appreciated.

I would use a grinding or sanding wheel on a dremerel. Not having that use a razor saw to make a vertical cut and at then a horizontal cut in one section at a time

I'm thinking it would better to expand the hole than try cut that ring.

...Or use a razor saw and take the whole thing off so the turret can sit flat - add some tabs or a ring of plasticard to center the turret in the hole.

I'd use a razor saw to cut all the rings off straight across. The smaller ones are molded to the larger one anyway.
You don't really need them to positively position the turret. I'd assume you're going to glue down the turret anyway.

I use cut off saw blades in my Dremel that are actually miniature buzz saw blades, one is so fine it leaves a cut no wider than fine thread-- they come three or four to a pack from Micro-Mark. Using those, you could zip around both rings quickly, remove the one you want and discard the other-- although it looks like the smaller locking ring is "stepped" inside the larger one, so cutting it off would leave a larger circumference hole that would need to be filled to support the smaller ring.-- can't really tell from the photo.
VR Russ

Was the Schmalturm intended for Panther II at all? I rather thought it was a later development planned for the Panther Ausf F.

The Panther II was a 1943 project that was cancelled before a final turret design was standardized. The plans originally called for a turret that resembled a slightly stretched Panther A turret. If the tank had proceeded to production, it might have eventually received one of the two "Schmal" turret designs that were considered, or it may have kept the original design.

Since we are dealing with an alternate universe scenario, it's difficult to be dogmatic about which configuration "would" have actually been adopted.

Dragon's version has several what-if features that deviate from the actual Panther II hull that was displayed at Fort Knox, like the Panther G engine deck rather than the King Tiger deck components seen on the prototype. It also has a bunch of dimensional and angle errors. If you want a really accurate Panther II, expect to do a lot of surgery on the kit, and access to Jentz and Doyle's "Panzer Tracts" title on the Panther F and Panther II would be required.

As with all models, it finally comes down to, how close is close enough?

Beware, that Panzer Tracts 5-4 is selling for really outrageous prices.

Take an awl or a needle (dividers?), scribe the circle all the way around in a few passes, then trim or sand the excess layer of plastic using a file or nail sponge.

You have many options but the simplest would be to cut off the ring all together or enlarge the hole.

I'd cut the tabs off and plane it down with a chisel or a mini shoulder plane. I have one from the link below. Excellent quality and it's been useful for all sorts of things around the property. Should be other mini tools on the same page.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=64300&cat=1,41182
Comma and numbers at the end needed to be part of the link..