Panzer V Panther Ausf. A Normandy in 1:35

[OrionsPainting]

Looks great man loving it so far. Keep it up. Those figure are also looking nice... Are you gonna put a filter or something over the camo on them just to knock it back give them a dusty used kinda look?

[spock1701]

Good job leaving the intakes free of rust that is a common mistake you see

Thanks, I did some research on other Panther builds and someone mentioned that.

Looks great man loving it so far. Keep it up. Those figure are also looking nice... Are you gonna put a filter or something over the camo on them just to knock it back give them a dusty used kinda look?

Yeah, I think so. Maybe an oil filter, but only if I have the right color. If not that, then pigments, I guess

[spock1701]

Hi everybody.

Thanks for all your comments. They keep me motivated.

Last night was good, I have to say. Got some productive time in at the bench, and I did two things:


-Matte coat
-Yellow Ochre oil filter

Here are the pics:

I use AK Interactive Ultra Matte varnish, sprays really well unthinned, dries quickly, and looks fantastic. I know a lot of modelers have trouble finding a good matte varnish, but this is really good.



Simple filter with Winsor & Newton artist oils. It's a pretty subtle effect, but it looks good, I think. Blends the camouflage paints and fades them in a way I like. It also makes the decals less stark. Oils are a really good investment. I can't see myself using up the tubes I have for years.




That's all I've got today. Cheers!

[spock1701]

Hi guys.

Another update with some oil paint work.

Basically, after this, the tank itself is 95% done.

DOT FILTER!

I used six oil colors (Lamp Black, Burnt Sienna, Titanium White, Cerulean Blue, Sap Green, and Yellow Ochre)

Dots on:


Blending the colors with a damp brush:



And the finished result looks pretty good, I must say :




Looks like a grimy tank to me.

Also did some progress on the tracks. One benefit of the DS is that you can glue them with regular plastic cement.

They are big for the suspension, so there is a lot of slack to be glued down. I was going to leave them off until I did the dirt, but that may not end up being the case.

Take care everyone, and I should have some more work tomorrow. Probably I'll get the rust on the exhaust done tonight.

[privatepete]

Very nice job, well done

[Stokesy44]

Beautiful work on the filters mate

Blends in the camo nicely and gives the hull that superb outdoors in the elements look. Really well done.


Re the tracks, they may sort themselves out when you glue them down to the tops of the wheels. If not you may have to do a it of surgery and remove some links You'll get there though

[OneSmallStep1966]

Good job on the oil dot filter, it looks great

[spock1701]

Very nice job, well done

Beautiful work on the filters mate

Blends in the camo nicely and gives the hull that superb outdoors in the elements look. Really well done.


Re the tracks, they may sort themselves out when you glue them down to the tops of the wheels. If not you may have to do a it of surgery and remove some links You'll get there though

Good job on the oil dot filter, it looks great

Thanks for the comments, guys. Much appreciated.

Small update for today.

Got the rust on the exhaust done.

I used Ultimate Rust wash and then stippled AK Interactive Medium Rust pigments over the wet areas to get texture. Then it got a coat of Ultra Matte.

Final Result:

[spock1701]

Hi all. Got back to this build only last night as I've been working on some other things.

I got the tracks on, and they look... fine, I guess. The sag isn't great, and I think it looks weird, but you tell me. I'd love some feedback on this. Anything you think I could do to fix it, or if it actually looks good. Anything is helpful.

[Stokesy44]

Hey Spock,

I think the tracks look good, if you're not quite happy with them I think you might get a better result if you look at the following:

1- Apply a little CA glue to the drive sprocket teeth that are just rearward of the sprocket's highest point (in your picture of the left side track its the tooth directly below the point where the fender meets the hull) and press down the track so that it doesn't rise beyond the highest point on the sprocket. On the real thing the track's weight should mean its tight on the sprocket as it comes over the top then falls away to the road wheels.

2 - Then if necessary, apply a little CA glue to the top of the furthest forward outer road wheel and press down the track onto it. You'll then get the look of the tracks sitting on the wheels until they are forced upwards towards the drive sprocket.

You may not need the second option, getting the track to sit down on the sprocket may be all you need to do.

There looks to be enough slack in the tracks that the above should still give you a nice sag effect between the sprocket and the first outer wheel. Its easy to test the ideas first - just by pressing down the tracks with a paint brush or cotton bud etc. to see how it looks. This is the look you want.

http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/n ... rung-A.jpg

This is just an opinion - it looks pretty tasty already mate

[spock1701]

Hey Spock,

I think the tracks look good, if you're not quite happy with them I think you might get a better result if you look at the following:

1- Apply a little CA glue to the drive sprocket teeth that are just rearward of the sprocket's highest point (in your picture of the left side track its the tooth directly below the point where the fender meets the hull) and press down the track so that it doesn't rise beyond the highest point on the sprocket. On the real thing the track's weight should mean its tight on the sprocket as it comes over the top then falls away to the road wheels.

Thanks, Stokesy. I took your advice and it looks much better.

This is it, gentlemen. The Panther is finished and ready for the diorama.

It has been a long process with many hiccups, but in the end I got a result that I liked.

See for yourself (and do not be afraid to offer your honest opinion. If you like it, then please comment. If you don't like it, then please tell me what you think can be fixed. I strive, above all else, to improve):

[Stokesy44]

Really good result mate.

It looks dirty, it looks dusty and it looks like its been in the field for a good amount of time. Just how its supposed to be.

The tank commander looks good too. Nice shading and fading of the uniform and the face is great.

[OneSmallStep1966]

As above, a lovely job all round

[spock1701]

Really good result mate.

It looks dirty, it looks dusty and it looks like its been in the field for a good amount of time. Just how its supposed to be.

The tank commander looks good too. Nice shading and fading of the uniform and the face is great.

As above, a lovely job all round

Thanks guys. I'm glad you like it. Your comments have kept this build going.

I'm taking a hiatus from this now. Waiting on some diorama materials.

[ElCapitan]

Looks really good, the tracks turned out great!

[spock1701]

Looks really good, the tracks turned out great!

Thanks! I think those were a real success in the end. A bit of bother to create, though.

Well, I am getting this build back into gear in the hopes of finishing it before I leave home in July.

I have decided to discard the Trumpeter figures. They didn't turn out very well and they would have ruined the dio in my mind. So I have decided to replace them with Tamiya's old 7.5 cm Pak 40 AT gun kit. I've already begun weathering it. I envision the Panther passing by on a small dirt road. On its right is a hedgerow, on its left is the AT gun emplacement with sandbags. Surrounding the gun will be several impact craters, possibly from mortar fire, which forced the crew to abandon the gun.

It was primed (as always) in Ultimate Black, base coated with Vallejo Model Air Dunkelgelb. Chipping done with Vallejo German Cam. Black Brown. Rust streaks with Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna.



I've picked out a frame for the diorama. I wish it were a bit bigger, but it was what I had lying around.



I'm really excited to get started on this again! Cheers!