Good day fellow forum members,

First of all I must say that I'm not sure if I have posted this question in the right place. I'm new here. I wanted to know how to do research online for scale modelling projects.

For example, you want to build a model of a Panther D tank as close to reality as possible. But you want to do research first. But you not really have books on the topic. How can you do your research as much as possible on the internet?

I hope I have provided enough information. And please tell me if you need more information or clarification on the topic, would be glad to provide it to you. So that you can help me out as best if you can I hope.

Greetings, Lada_Niva

Subjects like Panther D are fairly well documented, so just type Panther D in the browser and you will find a lot of information. Be sure to search among pictures as well, you possibly find dedicated pages easier. A good way is to check Wikipedia - even though the entry might not be the most accurate historically the wiki pages usually have good source lists that can direct you to more specific resources. I also like Primeportal, they have original photos of existing equipment in museums, parks etc.

What type of research, general info, or a specific tank?

Search in English, German, ad Russian.
Visit the only D left in Breda.
Use FB groups
Use terms like walkaround, build, restoration.
For the above, make spelling errors on purpose
Widen the search to German Ww2 subjects ( be prepared to visit some really nasty places btw)
Look at build logs by others, they might have some of the work already
Get books, there have been some excellent recent books on Panthers that have really improved knowledge on the tank.
Bundesarchiv, getty images, ebay

Hope thus helps a bit

As mentioned earlier; be sure to click on the "IMAGES" button at the top of the web browser page. When looking for model reference you will often find more useful data among the photographs and drawings on your subject than in the "All" or "Articles" search.

Also you don't necessarily need to just go to an "official" search engine. Just type your search topic into the URL window at the top of the browser page. Different search engines and different tactics may produce a variety of results producing more data.

Thank you all for your help so far, really appreciate it.

If you're into German tanks I'd suggest you to take a look at Panzer DB's albums on Flickr. Here's the link to his Panther album (more than 800 period pics to choose from...)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/panzerdb/albums/72157623977660684

H.P.

Remember though, not everything on the internet is true. Published books entail someone investing capital so there is at least some barrier to entry. This tends to reduce (but not eliminate) some of the more useless ‘research’ whereas anyone can type anything into the internet and no fact checking is required. There are frequent captioning errors (or no captions at all) on images I see online.

And some of the published books (e.g. Panzer Tracts) are both pretty reliable and often less than a 1/35 kit, so you won’t be consuming too much of your modelling budget. You did say that you wanted to build something as close to reality as possible.

Here is a site with a lot of photos, for panthers go to the german section, tank subdirectory and there are several directories for panthers. Not sorted by model but some of the image descriptions will have will tell you what they are and you'll soon learn to identify which is which.

https://www.worldwarphotos.info/

Again, thank you all so far for your replys.
I will be really glad to use all of these sources in my modelling projects.

Hi Lada_Niva, As with all Internet searches, you must use appropriate and meaningful key-words in your searches, something I've found that many people just don't understand.

I often use Google;Images for photos of either models or the real thing. You can often follow their source links for more info.
Pinterest is also a great source for photos. Again, follow their source links to even more info.

YouTube is my favorite site. Full of videos on modeling techniques, finished models and videos of real tanks.
For example, on YouTube, search for "The_Chieftain". In his channel, he provides great, in-depth videos on tanks (exteriors and interiors) that he tours in museums.

Of course, Armorama is full of great information and references. There are many similar web sites loaded with modeling information.

Good luck, Ralph

My suggestion:

Depending on your exact subject...

You are seeking info to build a model. Keep in mind that many people have already done almost any general and most specific subjects before you, so go as us scientists go... "Stand on the shoulders of the giants that went before me". Others have raised the questions and sought the often-same answers.

That is, maybe the best places to get a lot of model-focused info about a subject are the blogs and sites where the modelers hang out and discuss those specific issues - "how to make my Panther accurate for... Kursk, 1943" - or whatever. You will learn about what kits seem to serve whose needs best, what details need to be fixed or added or deleted, how to create the needed modification, what details are appropriate for... "A StuG III G at Arnhem, 1944" , etc. Ooodles of modelers have deeply explored many of these types of questions for many different subjects - because they have already chatted on the answers, you needn't start at some beginning in primary literature. Go to the publications to refine stuff that you hear about but are not sure of, etc. Starting with reference pubs without some idea of what you are looking for may be info-rich and certainly interesting, but quite possibly very time-costly and frustrating.

And visit the photos on the 'net that follow any Google (or other engine) search. As you look... Remember that the photos usually tell some truth (unless "shopped") - but the LABELS may lie.

And if you are still not happy.... Get on any of several model armor-oriented sites (Missing-Lynx, Track-Link, Armorama, etc.) and ASK questions! LOTS of great folks and you'll doubtless get all sorts of replies and info!

Cheers! Bob

There are some sites I would avoid tho others may not agree with me. I'd avoid game enthusiast sites as references. A lot of inaccurate info can be found on them. Some attribute miraculous, outrageous and ridiculous powers to their favorite vehicles and will viciously defend their often wrong opinions even when faced with historic, documented facts. You can also find a lot of documentaries on Youtube but you have to be creative in your search parameters.

H.P.

Thanks again for all the great answers you are giving to me.
And thank you Bob for the very detailed and rich comment you provided to help me with my search on the internet for future projects. Still have lots of projects I want to make about various World War II topics. And all the help you guys give me are very appreciated. I will also take a look myself to the tools I'm using for my research on the internet.
Anyway, thanks again so far for all your rich and detailed replys on my question.

Lada_Niva