Chris' YATJ - Yet Another Tamiya Jagdpanther!

[cib2265]

Well here's my first SiG/GB entry at ISM - would've been my second as I'm all ready to start an Academy 1/32 Sopwith Camel for the WW1 SiG, but I'm still waiting on some photoetch!

Must admit, the Panther and Jagdpanther are my favourite WW2 AFV, and they make up most of my stash (although I've been bitten by Tigeritis recently...)

This will be my third armor model - no wait fourth, I started another one on the weekend - since getting back into this in February.

So please be kind! I've learnt a tremendous amount from the eggsperts here at ISM, but I'm nowhere near that level!

First, The Usual Suspects - Sprues and Things:



Oh yeah! What am I building? Its a YATJ - Yet Another Tamiya (Late) Jagdpanther!









Right, by my count theres six or seven Jaggies under way in the build, so why do another? I dunno - I have a half dozen Dragon Panthers in the stash but don't feel ready for them yet, so Tamiya is the go.

I'm going to do some kitbashing - as Ive found with the Dragon kits that they seem to pack 1.5 tanks into the kit, with so much leftover. I swear I could build another Panther or at least 2 Stug IIIs from the spares I have.

Only aftermarket is some grills and maybe some command aerials - I might do a Behefls Panzer, not sure;



And the Dragon spares - this shot is from my Coelian FlakPanther kit - almost all that you see there is surplus!



Heres what I've dug up - I'll use these to do a late Jaggie (late 44/early 45) with field modifications, more explano latero:


So lets go!

[cib2265]

Ok, my first admission is I like to tinker, so this build will be about me trying to vainly improve the mid 1990's Tamiya kit into a true Late Jaggie - but!

Without having to dive deep into PE extras and what not - so a little scratchbuilding and some kitbashing and switcheroo to get the result.

Heres basically what I want as the end product, these drawings are from a superlative resource: http://www.amazon.com/Gunpower-24-SdKfz ... 8372371660







Note the major field modification is cleaning up the "turret" sides by moving all of the tools to the rear engine deck/wall/plate and installing much longer tow cables. Theres also an additional stowage box but I wont be adding that.

As for color scheme I'll probably drop the red and just keep the yellow/green faded scheme, as I've seen on other Panthers.

[cib2265]

So the first step is actually Step 4 - the rear plate modifications:



I need to move these towing eyes to the bottom of the plate and mount them, since I'm moving all the tools off their racks, I'll use the Tamiya racks to make new mounts:



After fitting this plate to the hull, I realise in real life they need a little shelf underneath them to stay put! So I'll add that tomorrow - the hooks are just sitting there for now, not glued in.

Started the wheels by scratching and bashing up the outer rims and taking to the drive sprocket with a brush to get some irregularities. Ready for priming alongside the interior - built the gun and the top deck as well, will prime this tomorrow while I'm working:




And that's where I'm at - I intend to do a few firsts with this build, foremost is some battle damage! I've taken to my spare pile and have been trying some techniques as I want to represent a fairly beat up battle hardened vehicle. Given this was a cheap kit - and the Evilbayer I bought it off posted it without any protection (I was lucky - the other kit, a Tamiya F-4U, did not come off so lightly) why not give it a go?

Til next time, cheers
Chris

[cib2265]

A little more progress today...but

First I need to say thankyou to the other chaps doing Jagdpanther builds who inspired me to get started and put my work up here - especially Adam (Mannloon) and PaulAyrey's builds.

Ive assembled the breech and mantlet, given a rough primer in white:



Also primed the interior before installing the various periscopes and whatnots:



And installed most of the top parts, including a Dragon vent which looked a bit crisper and I preshaded/darkened the vent hatches, we'll see if that works:



Had to babysit today so only got a bit more done! Solved the problem of the eyehooks on the back hull taking a leaf out of Mannloons solution, plus I installed most of the external parts before I tackle the P/E grills and the rest of the moved toolware. More photos later cheers!

[mannloon]

Glad i could help.

[PaulAyrey]

Looks a great start. Can't wait to see more. Thanks for the compliment by the way, also glad I could be of service.

[cib2265]

Thanks chaps!

A bit more to report on, first here's the little cleats below the clevis thingies:



Next I installed the photoetch on the engine grates - first time ever using PE and was not that hard really (no bending):



You'll notice I put a mesh in one of the exhausts - this was done to stop nasty grenades falling down there. I've only done one because of two reasons:

A. That piece of PE is actually for the middle vent on the Tamiya part, whereas a surplus Dragon part does, so I installed it
II. I will only install one pipe with the elbow, given the other fell/blown off

Here they are installed:



Next Ive put most of the tools on the rear deck or wall and dry fitted the cleaning tube - more on that later: 605



Oh and did I mention that this kit had some damage? Not visible until I installed the lower and upper hulls - theres a warp or a crush in there somewhere, because the Evilbayer shipped this kit (and a 1/48 Tamiya Corsair) without any packaging...

Big gap that I could not close even with clamps, so out comes the Mr Surfacer (which is no prob since I will tackle all the welds anyway):

[cib2265]

Next thing I tackled was the gun cleaning tube. First I extended the height of the mounts/clamps by glueing on a similar size piece of plastic - this isn't quite authentic as it was more of a U shaped clamp, but it will do for now.

From this photo (Ausf G Panther) I wanted to add some more detail to one end of the tube:



So I started with the tube, a piece of chain PE and a surplus clamp and eye: (sorry about quality)



Came up with this - not 100% happy, the eye is too big for scale, but it will do:



Here it is on the deck (still dry fitted, I need to fill the seam between the hulls). I may yet make the mount higher on the deck:

[cib2265]

Last thing to tackle is the rear end! I fabbed up a new clamp for the starter crank using surplus Dragon tools against the original Tamiya tool:



And installed the exhausts, jack and tools on the rear plate:



Im in two minds whether to continue with detailing on the rear here, eg putting some pins through the clevis mounts and a hose on the fire extuinguisher:


Not sure if the hose is authentic though, but will be putting some battle damage on the exhaust covers....with suitable weathring:



Enough for now! Will tackle the wooden block and maybe install a command antenna (still not sure about that) - here's my idea so far using a Panzer III part and spare antenna mount:





And the original, although I'm sure this comes from an early (pre Sept 1944) Jaggie (notice Zimmerit)

[mannloon]

Very nice man, I dig that you're mixing up the placement of the tools on the engine deck, I'm sure that wasn't uniform between tanks, and the barrel cleaning rod tube as well. I thought about doing that but my reference vehicle didn't have it. little PE details and stuff look really great.

[cib2265]

thanks Adam - yeah reference photos show things all over the place really - Im taking some license, but almost all of what Im doing was done somewhere along the line!

Last things to do before finishing the rear is to build the stowage boxes. These were quite flimsy in construction and I'm yet to see a single reference photo (except a factory fresh version) without some dings or even significant destruciton.

So going with my practice with damage, I started with this - the Tamiya bins and lids and some Dragon spare tools



And finished with this:





I installed them after cleaning up some seams on the rear hull/deck junction (and having a go at redoing the weld seams aroudn the front MG mantlet with Mr Surfacer 500 - may try some Tamiya putty next) plus installed the wooden block and the gun cleaning tube...

...will post on that later this weekend or early next weekend. Still lots of construction left to do before the REAL fun starts!

[mannloon]

Very cool. Thought about adding the clamps to the boxes myself. It's definitely one of the weaker points of the Tamiya Jagdpanther. Damage looks good.

[schweinhund227]

Nice Effect on the Storage bin ! Keep up the good work !

[PaulAyrey]

Looking good, great details!

[cib2265]

Thanks chaps!

Id like to get a soldering iron or something similar as I was just using matches to get some heat under the plastic before using a file handle to make indents and other marks.

[cib2265]

After following Mannloons build so closely: http://intscalemodeller.com/viewtopic.p ... 5&start=30

I wanted to replicate his hatch improvement idea, although Im still not sure if I'll keep the hatch open with a figure (Im hopeless at painting figures in 1/35 scale)

Heres Mannloons (Adam) vast improvement over the Tamiya parts:



And here's my attempt:



Ive put a spare handle on the other hatch, plus I'm going to give a go at using fuse wire to replicate the rubber seals on the hatch

[cib2265]

Heres the result, not sure if it works or not - for now I'll leave it off to prime:



Now onto the front, where I've thinned the mudguards and put in some damage:



And added a wire from the headlight to the hull, ala this reference:





Although I think I got it the wrong way around!

[mannloon]

Dude that's nice. Really cool way you made those hatches. I am loving that my build had some hand in inspiring what you're doing. That's the whole point of this forum and it's a great thing to see.

By the way, not sure if I posted it in my thread or not but I made my light conduit out of a staple I found at work.

[cib2265]

Thanks Adam

Ive lost a bit of mojo with this build, too much too quickly methinks. I managed to get some tow cables and hooks together and did some welding and added the rear spare track racks, but I'm beat for now.

I started a Pz 35(t) hoping it would be a quick and easy build, but also hit a wall with it - mainly bl##dy individual tracks (although is link and length). PITA - next kit I do will be Magic Tracks or rubber tracks, heaven forfend.

Had enough of individual track links...have 3 armour builds stalled now because of them.

Anyway, near the end of the build phase here, really want to get on with painting and weathering!

[mannloon]

Thanks Adam

Ive lost a bit of mojo with this build, too much too quickly methinks. I managed to get some tow cables and hooks together and did some welding and added the rear spare track racks, but I'm beat for now.

I started a Pz 35(t) hoping it would be a quick and easy build, but also hit a wall with it - mainly bl##dy individual tracks (although is link and length). PITA - next kit I do will be Magic Tracks or rubber tracks, heaven forfend.

Had enough of individual track links...have 3 armour builds stalled now because of them.

Anyway, near the end of the build phase here, really want to get on with painting and weathering!

I totally understand. I have my Jagdpanther on hold as I'm waiting for some weathering products, but I also have a Tiger I just sitting there 80% built. This is not to mention the 10+ other kits I've started since January that I haven't finished. I'm trying to set a new tone with my Jagdpanther build by finishing, that's half the reason I joined the SiG.

As for indie links. I built the Bronco ones for the Jagdpanther, and those were kind of a nightmare. I built the AFV workable tracks for my Tiger and those were a pleasure to build. I've even bought a few more sets for all my future Tigers. I have some Friul tracks for my Panther D, which I look forward to building but have no idea when I'll get around to them.

I hope you find the mojo to finish. It can be a real hard thing to find. While waiting for things to continue the Jagdpanther I picked up a few kits from the shelf of doom, trying to finish them up finally.

[cib2265]

Right time to get back on track. I lost a bit of mojo on this build so I made this as a diversion:



ITs the very old (1975 stamp on molds) Flak 38 20mm quad mount. I experimented with a view techniques including how to actually paint Panzergrau, dot filtering and winter streaking. I will probably add a layer of dust and then maybe try a winter wash on one of the protective panels, we'll see.

I like having quick, small kits hanging about as they help break up a big project and do some experimenting without "ruining" your current project.

So I finished up the build by installing the sideskirt hangers, but no sideskirts, plus some filling and cleaning up - here she is primed (black is my preferred primer, XF1 or AK Interactives primer):



And the wheels:



Small tip - if you can make out my writing, I organised these into the various inner/middle/outer wheels by putting them in rows on a big piece of packing foam.

Ive started laying the base coat last night (before work intervened) which is Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028) - Tamiya XF60 straight for the wheels and lower hull, then I'll add XF55 to the upper hull and then almost 50:50 for the top deck/engine deck as a form of modulation.

Not sure what camo scheme to go for, I quite like the olivgrun (RAL 6003) alone in faded stripes, but may add the rotbraun - redbrown (RAL 8017) ala:



Suitably filtered and faded though.....mmmm we'll see!

[KSmodeler]

Very nice. I am a recovering Tigerholic. Tigeritis is very contagious!

[PaulAyrey]

Wow, you are doing really well, it's really coming together now!

[cib2265]

Wow, you are doing really well, it's really coming together now!

Thanks Paul - Ive actually done a bit more now, but havent taken any photos - shall do this arvo (babysitting today so will have to wait til the little shi..ts...darlings are asleep)

Its been quite busy at work (I only model while Im working, I know its weird, but there it is!) so havent had chance to take piccies on the way, just quickly do 5 minutes of painting, go back to work....watch the screen for 20 minutes or so, then go paint something etc rinse repeat for 12 hours or so!

I get distracted and have started another 3 or 4 kits since starting this build (including nailing in the coffin that I'm not touching Airfix ever again, not after building some Tamiya/Hasegawa/Hobby Boss stuff), including almost building a complete Hetzer (late Academy version, bloody brilliant little kit)

And I started a HB Ta-152 cause I saw someone else here on ISM (James I believe) start his C-11 version (I have the C-1) and I thought - woo - like that!

So Ive got 12 kits underway now....ooops


Its a hard job but someone has to do it!

[cib2265]

So a bit more progress - forgot to take piccies of the wheels, but they are all painted (in dark yellow only, with rims in NATO black) and futured, ready for weathering.

Base coat and then two tone camo - I did this freehand after getting used to thinning the Tamiya paint properly - I had some splatter on one side but this should blend in with the filtering/fading I plan to do. I hope...







Tools and what not also base coated, I did some chipping with the jack only because I had some Panzer grey on the brush! Also briefly highlighted the screens with some thin black paint - I'll hit that with a wash after:


With the tracks, I primed with a base coat of NATO Black XF-69, then I added Red Brown XF-64 to give it a very mild rust/used steel effect:


did the same with the spares and primed the tow cable (only using one):

I'll then use some track wash, pigments and dry brushing to bring the tracks to life.

Last thing to paint is the barrel - had a go last night at about 1am Australia time (I was up late trading US markets) but just couldnt concentrate enough - too tired. Will have a stab at it later, plan to paint it panzer grey as a primed-only replacement barrel.

[PaulAyrey]

Looks great, brilliant work so far!

[martin57]

Nice work looking great, like the flak gun too

[UKguyInUSA]

Great job on the Flak Gun, and the Jagd is coming along sweet, too!

[cib2265]

Thanks chaps, kind words, but Ive got a lot more to learn here!

Before the weekend I got a coat of future down, although I did put down some Micro satin finish, it wasnt what I liked - for some reason, on armor kits so far, future comes out as a flat/semi-satin finish....

Decals went down, I think I stuffed up the placement, and then I got a bit more done last night at my local hobby club monthly meeting - well actually, just some filters applied to the hull:









I prefaced that with a basic pin wash, and did dot filtering using about half dozen 502 oils - mainly german grey fading, buff, maroon fading I think.

I also repainted the barrel - its supposed to depict a replacement painted in panzer grey primer - and hit it with some faded grey and mud oil wash to blend it in.

Ive also applied a pin wash to the wheels and then experimented with some filters, going for different tones on the back, middle and front wheels, as well as different tones on the idler/sprocket. I'll post some pics when they're attached - I want to add some light dirt wash to the rims and then some random oil/grease marks too.

Oh and I got distracted and built a Hetzer:



This is the late Academy kit - the one with the masks and ambush pattern. Im not a fan and from my reference books found a different tricolor pattern - red primer with broad olive green and narrow dark yellow stripes. I used AK interactive olive drab primers just for giggles to see how it goes down - I think I'll get the red one (I have the rest) for future Hetzers. Great little kit - put it together while waiting for thigns to dry!

[cib2265]

A big update today and this really shows how bad I am at taking photos, but bear with me.

The model is fully assembled now:







Since last update, I weathered the tracks. I use a variety of pastel chalks (light orange/rust with some grey and brown) and then some MIG pigment - dark steel - fixed with odorless turps. I then installed them on the tank, with the wheels - which got another quick brown wash - and then hit the teeth and the outside cleats with some Tamiya weathering powder.

Trying new things here!

On to chipping, inspired by Hamilkar Barkas, I tried a variety of techniques - brush, sponge and graphite pencil. Heres the backend:



and the top deck:




Everything got another brown wash (using 502 oils) after the chipping, including the barrel to tie it all intogether.

Next and 2nd last step is some light dusting - Im going to try the Ultimate dark dirt and maybe light dirt washes, and maybe have a stab at some AK interactive dust effects as well and see what happens.

Then put the antenna on, paint, matt coat it and she's done!

thanks for looking!

[PaulAyrey]

Looking great, you are doing a fantastic job

[cib2265]

Thanks Paul!

this build has sort of devolved into a practice fest of techniques etc. I tried some Ultimate dark dirt wash last night - only thing I could do as Im having another bout of bad back pain (bloody kids too heavy).

Just need to install the antenna and put a matt coat on and it'll do I think - and learn how to take some proper pictures, just cant seem to get my camera to work right!

[MarkVerploeg]

Wow how did i manage to miss this build
Great work Chris

[cib2265]

Well I think I'm done - had a touch of man-flu and a bit of "modelmojo-itis" so I decided to call this one finished - after doing an antenna and a basic dusting job.

Here's a quick piccie I'll put the rest up in a reveal thread - Im trying to get better with my photography, my camera is a dinky little point and shoot and you cant adjust the aperture, and Ive only got some dinky little lights here - will get some more gear!

Im pretty happy with the result - its only my 3rd tank since getting back into this gig - although the problems I had with the warped upper hull have come back and bit me on the proverbial - big crack!

Moh well - this was a "free" kit - I got a full refund from the ebayer (plus a 1/48 Tammie Corsair) so cant complain!

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