Panda 1/16 PzKpfw. 38t Ausf.E

[trekfanj]

Well, it's finally finished!

This kit was a battle from the very start; the entire lower hull is made up of individual sheets (not pieces, sheets,) of plastic that make up the front, rear, and sides that all sit on top of a floorplate. The floorplate was so badly warped that it almost looked like a taco shell; even adding the side panels didn't even straighten it out. I had to use three types of CA glue just to hold it together. I then quickly added the upper hull and that helped get everything aligned to more or less the position I wanted it in.

The fenders are just... if that gives you any idea. There is no support other than the PE brackets, which took the strength of the Hulk to bend them into shape but then once bent into shape they love to get all mangled and twisted up. Copious amounts of CA glue were needed to keep it together. I totally botched the front fenders and had to make one replacement from thin styrene sheet.
When I added the tools to the fenders my heart skipped a beat at the slightest "crack" sound.

And then there's the tracks... I didn't have any problem with the tracks themselves other than the tedious cleanup but that's fairly normal with indy link tracks anyway. My problem was the track pins; I wish Panda had made these more like Modelkasten's track pins, which are attached to a length of sprue that you can use as a handle while you move the pin into place. And the pins seem a bit too small; I used CA glue to glue them into the links but each time they were picked up a few pins would fall out. I ended up just using .030" styrene rod for the tracks which worked loads better.

But it wasn't all doom and gloom; the parts fit very well and have really good detail, the road wheels are made up of two parts, the rim and the tire itself, so this makes painting easier. You get a choice between building an Ausf. E or F, which as far as I can see the only difference is a few bolts omitted here and there. It also comes with an aluminum barrel and a plastic one, so that was an added bonus. And of course, it's HUGE! I can't help but wonder how big Trumpeter's 1/16 King Tiger is after seeing this thing.

The figure is Tamiya's 1/16 Panzer Crewman; not much to say about him other than great fit, nice detail, usual Tamiya stuff. I'm pretty sure his cap isn't period-accurate to this tank, but I like the way it looks, so...tough cookies.

That's probably enough jabbering; all I can say is this kit is recommended for expert builders, but I muddled my way through it, so I suppose anyone who's up for a super-sized challenge could build this thing, too.

On to the pics! "clap"















One last note; I've been wondering if this kit was originally supposed to have an interior; the floorplate has spaces marked off on the insides and the machine guns have full details on the breech. Maybe it was scrapped due to production costs?

Till next time!

[gerry7944]

Great build in this large scale.

I always find that a build that has been a pig is the most satisfying when complete.

Lets be honest if they all went together without any problems it would become boring.

Cheers

Gerry

[trekfanj]

Great build in this large scale.

I always find that a build that has been a pig is the most satisfying when complete.

Lets be honest if they all went together without any problems it would become boring.

Cheers

Gerry

Thanks, Gerry!
It's true; I like to say that all of my best projects usually feature my worst mistakes!