Just built up a Jagdpanther while i wait for some stuff for my KT to come.
but before i paint the jadgpanther i want to add some battle damage.what would be best to make it look like its seem some action.it has no etched parts.am thinking of damaged front track guards and a few small arms fire on the hull.
Thanks in advance

Hi,

Like what you said, try to bend front/rear gards and give your tank a good weathering.
Very dirty. You can also make a few bullet holes.
Difficult to make in a good pattern but on an old tank a little practice, it should be work.

You can make tracks those are broken.
Damage wheels.

These are a few tips for a damaged look.

Greetz Hilbert

Lessee Wear and Tear, Dents, dings, big Prangs. Scratches. Busted lites with dangling wires, Road wheels with bits and chunks of rubber missing. Heck just looking at cars on the road you see alot of beat up cars and trucks and they're not even in combat. :-)

A good way to make dings and dents in tank fenders...

If you have left them off untill now,...just put them in your mouth and chew on them a little bit. It sounds crazy but it works beautifully. Your teeth do a great job of making dings and dents.

Try it. :-)

All good advice, just remember less is more.

For small arms fire or shrapnel damage to thin sheet metal parts, thin the inside of the plastic with sandpaper or a Dremel (carefully) until it is paper thin. Then take a needle etc. of the right diameter and poke a hole through from the outside, or right side. Wiggle it about a little to get the ragged puncture hole. If it's a through-and-through shot, make the second punture from the inside - out.. This will look very effective because you will get the outwards bending edges of the puncture.

Another good type of damage to replicate on any of the big cats (or most any tank with thick armor) is a gouge from a ricochet. That big glacis is a very inviting target and would easily turn away most projectiles that hit it.

Dents: soften the part(s) over a passive heat source (soldering iron, etc.), then use the eraser end of a pencil to press in the dents.
Small arms stikes: Use an Ex-acto with the triangular blade. Twist it at an angle and you'll get a hole with a ragged edge. You can also indicate the direction of the hit this way.
Large caliber hits: Again, soften as with the dents, then push the pointed end of the pencil through. Add some graphite around the edges.

Art

Tigeriv -

Some terrific ideas for "damage". Here's one I've used before and am using on my JagPanther for "Tank Destroyer". It is best to practice this first on an old kit or spare pieces. I take a match stick and twist off the "head" then place it on the selected location- front plate, hull, turret, or wherever. With another lit match, I light the placed match head and let it "flare" for a couple seconds. The "melting" of the plastic (that's why you try/practice it first) a gives the representation of an impact point of a round hitting armor. The longer it burns, the more pronounced the effect. It gives a pretty realistic looking "hit", and you can work the area with an blade or drill to refine the look. Many photos available in Concord, Squadron, etc. books to use as examples. Could work?!?!

Blade48mrd