ElCapitan's Tamiya 1/35 Jagdpanther (Late Version)

Post by **ElCapitan** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 8:59 am

Welcome to the build thread for my entry into this SIG. I'll be building Tamiya's 1/35 Jagdpanther late version - which I will build OOB. The kit is a 1996 tooling and I don't think it should give me any real problems.

The sprues:

Can't wait to get cracking!

Post by **Kevthemodeller** » Wed Feb 27, 2019 6:56 pm

Great choice, one of WW2 best looking and I think powerful tanks.

Post by **Quax** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 5:57 pm

Looking forward to this coming together!

Cheers
Paul

Post by **alextheblue** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 6:36 pm

Another one for the, "must follow list". Love it!

Post by **ElCapitan** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 9:05 am

As is customary, here's a bit of information about the subject:

The Jagdpanther is one of the most iconic tank destroyers of World War 2. Based on the Panther chassis, the famous tank destroyer was produced from 1943 up until the end of the war in 1945. Mechanically more reliable than the Ferdinand/Elephant and the Köningstiger, armed with the 88 mm (3.5 inch) Pak 43 “Panzerknacker” and with up to 100 mm (3.9 inch) of frontal armor (on the mantlet), it was a formidable opponent for any tank at the time. During the war, over 400 tanks were produced, seeing action on both the Eastern and the Western European fronts. After the war, captured Jagdpanthers were used by the French army, along with Panthers and other German tanks, up until the 1950’s. Overall,the Jagdpanther was a great mix of mobility, firepower and armor. Today, only 10 of the tank destroyers are left, spread across various museums worldwide.

Design
When the Pak 43 was designed, it was originally meant to be towed into battle, but it soon became clear that the anti-tank gun was very unwieldy to transport in the field. As a result, the Wehrmacht started looking for a self-propelled platform to mount the 88 mm (3.5 in) gun onto. The solution was found on August 3rd, 1942, when the Heereswaffenamt (the agency in charge of R&D for the German army) decided to mount the Pak on a Panther chassis. Krupp was awarded the design contract, but was unable to deliver the design drawings by January 1943, and so the project was handed over to Daimler-Benz. Krupp, however, remained responsible for the production and delivery of the Pak 43, the main armament of the Jagdpanther. In the first designs, the tank was named the “88mm Sturmgeschutz” and later came to be known as the Sd.Kfz.172.

The final design was presented to Hitler on his birthday, and subsequently accepted by the Heereswaffenamt in May 1943. As production started on the first models of the Jagdpanther, it became apparent that there was a shortage of workspace in the Daimler-Benz factory. That, combined with Daimler-Benz not being able to produce the contracted amount of Panthers, lead to production being handed over to MIAG, a Braunschweig based company. A pre-production model was presented to Hitler on the 20th of October, alongside a model of the Tiger 2 and the Jagdtiger. November that year, mass-production of the Jagdpanther was authorized.

Jagdpanther in action
The Jagdpanther mainly saw action one the Western front from its deployment in March 1944, with deployment to the Eastern front only occurring from January 1945 onwards. The first unit to receive the new Jagdpanther was the schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 654. Each Jagdpanther Kompanie was scheduled to receive 14 of the tanks destroyers, and an additional 3 command tanks for the battalion headquarters. Due to production problems, it wasn’t possible to bring the 654th to full strength before being sent to the front in June, 1944.

Ardennes Offensive
In preparation for the Ardennes Offensive, the OKH had planned to fully equip five tank hunter battalions with Jagdpanthers. Three of the five units were already at the front and as such weren’t at full combat strength. Due to supply problems, only 27 of the 56 planned Jagdpanthers made it to the battalions before the start of the offensive, with only 17 of them being operational.

Eastern front
Many of the tanks that were sent to the Eastern front weren’t destroyed by Soviet troops, but at the hands of their crew. The main problems that plagued the Panzer divisions were a lack of spare parts, fuel and delays in the production process that prevented more Jagdpanthers from reaching the front. In January 1945, the 563rd s.H. Pz.Jg.Abteilung managed to take out 53 tanks whilst only losing four Jagdpanzer IVs and one Jagdpanther to enemy fire. The bulk of their losses were credited to tanks being blown up lest they fell into enemy hands. For example, a stunning 12 Jagdpanthers and 17 Jagdpanzer IVs were destroyed by their crews in the 563rd alone. The rapidly deteriorating situation meant that many of the Jagdpanther crews sent to the front in 1945 had received little or no training, which reduced the already impaired effectiveness of the tank destroyer battalions.

Post by **ElCapitan** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:40 am

...and I've made a start!

As usual with Tamiya kits, this has gone together so easily so far. I've attached all the suspension arms and the rear of the hull. Not much I know, but at least it's something! There is a warning about lining up all the suspension arms but with a locator pin on each one it's not really an issue.

Next step in the instructions would usually be putting all the wheels together but I'll leave that till later, so it looks like it'll be exhaust mufflers next instead (of which there is a choice of 2 designs depending on version) and the rest of the bits and pieces that go on the rear panel.

Post by **Tomcat64** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:15 pm

Looking forward to seeing how this comes together Rob - I have the same kit lurking in the stash and will be interested to see how it compares to Meng's kit.

Post by **ElCapitan** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:22 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:15 pm Looking forward to seeing how this comes together Rob - I have the same kit lurking in the stash and will be interested to see how it compares to Meng's kit.

Yeah I would be interested to see the Meng kit - is that what you're going to build?

Post by **Tomcat64** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:26 pm

ElCapitan wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:22 pm
Tomcat64 wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:15 pm Looking forward to seeing how this comes together Rob - I have the same kit lurking in the stash and will be interested to see how it compares to Meng's kit.
Yeah I would be interested to see the Meng kit - is that what you're going to build?

Yep - if I get the time I might build both and see how they look side by side.

Post by **ElCapitan** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:28 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:26 pm
ElCapitan wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:22 pm
Tomcat64 wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:15 pm Looking forward to seeing how this comes together Rob - I have the same kit lurking in the stash and will be interested to see how it compares to Meng's kit.
Yeah I would be interested to see the Meng kit - is that what you're going to build?
Yep - if I get the time I might build both and see how they look side by side.

It HAS to be done!

Post by **Quax** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 3:51 pm

3 jagdpanther for the price of 2! This is going to be such fun

Paul

Post by **ElCapitan** » Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:36 am

Moving on with this a bit.

After skipping the wheels step, I put together the exhaust mufflers (I went with the earlier version) and the jack, and attached those to the back panel of the hull along with some other bits and pieces. All very straightforward so far, and the detail is pretty good.

The exhausts are not fixed in place yet - I'm in two minds as to whether it would be easier to paint them separately. Opinions welcome!

Next up will be the Pak 43 gun.

Post by **Stokesy44** » Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:52 pm

Love the JP, The Tamiya kit is old but its a beauty. Good hunting Sir

Post by **Quax** » Fri Mar 08, 2019 8:15 am

looks good so far Rob,

I think if it was me I'd like to be aware enough to be thinking about whether I could do it better by leaving the exhausts off - usually its not until I'm painting that I have such good ideas by which time its too late!

I'm kak handed at painting around corners so I think I would leave them un-stuck

Paul

Post by **digger303** » Fri Mar 08, 2019 10:22 am

Might be a older kit, but the rough surface on the exhaust guards is nice to see.

Post by **ElCapitan** » Sat Mar 09, 2019 7:41 am

digger303 wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2019 10:22 am Might be a older kit, but the rough surface on the exhaust guards is nice to see.

The texture is also on the gun mantlet which is a nice touch.

Ive kept the momentum going and completed the gun yesterday evening. The barrel comes in two halves so it required a bit of sanding to remove the join line, but I was careful enough when I lined them up that it wasn't too big a job. As I say, the detail on the mantlet is really nice. I like the big chunky bolts.

Then I added all the periscopes to the upper hull along with some of the hatches, which I have decided to have in the closed position - my mojo is back on an upward slope so I'm trying to keep things simple!

I also skipped a couple of steps and added the engine grilles, simply because I had the correct sprue in front of me and couldn't see anything that wouldcause a problem if I added them now.

Some of the rear deck parts will require black paint underneath before I can add them, but a brush paint job will be sufficient. I'll paint the whole inside of the hull black too, just in case.

Post by **Tomcat64** » Sat Mar 09, 2019 8:28 am

Great progress Rob!

Ref the exhausts I always leave them off and paint them separately if I can, and do the same with the tools as well - I've got a reasonably steady hand but I just don't trust myself not to fumble and end up mucking up the underlying paintwork.

It's personal choice though as a I know some people are happy the attach everything and then pick them out afterwards.

Post by **ElCapitan** » Sat Mar 09, 2019 8:57 am

Tomcat64 wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2019 8:28 am Great progress Rob!

Ref the exhausts I always leave them off and paint them separately if I can, and do the same with the tools as well - I've got a reasonably steady hand but I just don't trust myself not to fumble and end up mucking up the underlying paintwork.

It's personal choice though as a I know some people are happy the attach everything and then pick them out afterwards.

Thanks, I'll leave them off. It'll make it easier for me to paint the jack as well, which I've already attached.

Post by **ElCapitan** » Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:44 pm

Last night I had a bit of spare time to fill, so carried on adding the detail to the hull.

I started by adding the engine vents after I had painted the recesses beneath them black. I finished the rear deck by adding the engine access hatch.

You will notice that the crew escape hatch is now in place too - this is designed to be move-able to let you see inside, which is a nice touch, but I decided to glue it closed for simplicity as there isn't much to see in there anyway.

I also attached the spare track and tool racks and the gun cleaning rod case. I will be painting the tools separately and adding them later. I did try to wind the supplied wire around the spool but gave up after about 15 minutes of trying. We'll just assume it got lost in the chaos of battle...

Things are moving along smoothly for the most part, and I plan to add the schurzen rails next before probably starting work on the wheels.

Thanks for looking!

Post by **Tomcat64** » Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:54 pm

Coming together nicely mate

Post by **ElCapitan** » Fri Mar 15, 2019 3:23 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:54 pm Coming together nicely mate

Thanks! Not far from being ready for primer now. Just need to clean up the wheels and tools. Not decided on paint scheme yet though!

Looking forward to seeing you make a start on yours

Post by **ElCapitan** » Mon Mar 18, 2019 8:48 am

Tomcat64 wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:54 pm Coming together nicely mate

Thanks, I'm enjoying it!

On Saturday I cleaned up all the wheels so now they're out the way. Yesterday afternoon I fixed the tow ropes in position. It was tricky to bend them into a natural shape, but I'm happy with how they look now. One also snapped like dried spaghetti as soon as I touched it, which was weird. I guess it had a weak point. I managed to glue both halves on so that they lined up though so it's all good.

Also took stock of where I'm up to. It's just the tools and machine gun that I still need to clean up ready for primer.

While I was doing this my little boy was asking if he could play with the rubber tracks, so I went into my spares box to get some old ones and, lo and behold, I found some mesh that I forgot I had! I've got two sizes, both from different boxings of the Panzerjager I built - bit strange they would be so different! I think the smaller gauge one will be perfect for putting over the engine vents. Sadly there's only enough of it to cover the 4 rectangular vents, but I may put the larger size over the circular grilles anyway.

Post by **Tomcat64** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 11:52 am

More good progress Rob (still haven't started mine

)

Adding the rear grilles is always a neat step to just lift the overall look I think.

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 12:40 pm

Nice work so far Rob
Allthough i am a bit dissapointed with the hull
The unhappy faced lower hulo always makes me laugh when people show it in a thread
Anyway keep up the good work

Post by **ElCapitan** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:35 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 11:52 am More good progress Rob (still haven't started mine )

Adding the rear grilles is always a neat step to just lift the overall look I think.

Tut tut!
Yeah the vents look a bit bare without the grilles on them.

MarkVerploeg wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 12:40 pm Nice work so far Rob
Allthough i am a bit dissapointed with the hull
The unhappy faced lower hulo always makes me laugh when people show it in a thread
Anyway keep up the good work

Thanks, I think...

Not sure what you mean about the lower hull!

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:53 pm

i thought this could happen
What i met was that the old Tamiya Panther hulls had openings for a remote control unit and it's on/off switch
When you look at the hull the openings look like a sad emoji
So i absolutely was not talking bad about your work ,that looks great
But i just missed that hull part
It was in the old Tamiya Panther kits
Maybe even dating back to the 70's

20190319_185605 by Mark Verploeg - Flickr2BBcode LITE
This is the hull i was talking about
Seeing this sad little hull in a build still makes me chuckle

Post by **ElCapitan** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:11 pm

MarkVerploeg wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:53 pm i thought this could happen
What i met was that the old Tamiya Panther hulls had openings for a remote control unit and it's on/off switch
When you look at the hull the openings look like a sad emoji
So i absolutely was not talking bad about your work ,that looks great
But i just missed that hull part
It was in the old Tamiya Panther kits
Maybe even dating back to the 70's

20190319_185605 by Mark Verploeg - Flickr2BBcode LITE
This is the hull i was talking about
Seeing this sad little hull in a build still makes me chuckle

Ah I see what you mean! Yes it's a bit of a shame that my hull is boring and expressionless

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:29 pm

ElCapitan wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:11 pm
MarkVerploeg wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 5:53 pm i thought this could happen
What i met was that the old Tamiya Panther hulls had openings for a remote control unit and it's on/off switch
When you look at the hull the openings look like a sad emoji
So i absolutely was not talking bad about your work ,that looks great
But i just missed that hull part
It was in the old Tamiya Panther kits
Maybe even dating back to the 70's

20190319_185605 by Mark Verploeg - Flickr2BBcode LITE
This is the hull i was talking about
Seeing this sad little hull in a build still makes me chuckle
Ah I see what you mean! Yes it's a bit of a shame that my hull is boring and expressionless

The newer kit is probably a lot better then the ones with that hull though
And in the end you won't see the bottom of the hull once you build it

Post by **Kevthemodeller** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:40 pm

Looking good mate

But like my StuG it's all them wheels

Post by **Stokesy44** » Sat Mar 23, 2019 8:38 am

Kevthemodeller wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:40 pm Looking good mate But like my StuG it's all them wheels

Vorsprung Durch Technic as they say!

Post by **Kevthemodeller** » Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:07 am

Stokesy44 wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2019 8:38 am
Kevthemodeller wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:40 pm Looking good mate But like my StuG it's all them wheels
Vorsprung Durch Technic as they say!

Post by **ElCapitan** » Thu May 16, 2019 9:43 am

Wow, didn't realise it had been so long since I posted an update (or did any work) on this.

I recently managed to get the main colours painted. I've gone for a two-tone camo scheme. I couldn't find much in the way of painting guides which showed all angles, so I just did a random pattern. Paints I used were Vallejo model color Dark Yellow and Tamiya XF-61 Dark Green. The yellow looks quite green to me, but most sources I could find recommended it as a good dunkelgelb, so who am I to argue. It will maybe look a lot different in natural light.

The paint is a bit patchy and there is some overspray, but I'm not too fussed about that. It was my first attempt at free-handing camo on an armour subject, so I'm proud of what I achieved.

Post by **Tomcat64** » Thu May 16, 2019 2:28 pm

Nice work Rob the camo looks really good!

Post by **ElCapitan** » Thu May 16, 2019 8:38 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 2:28 pm Nice work Rob the camo looks really good!

Thanks! I'm glad I decided against a tri-tone scheme!

Post by **Tomcat64** » Sat Jun 01, 2019 11:55 am

Hi Rob - just a reminder that we only have a month to go in this SIG - hope you can get your build done in time

Post by **ElCapitan** » Sat Jun 01, 2019 11:12 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Sat Jun 01, 2019 11:55 am Hi Rob - just a reminder that we only have a month to go in this SIG - hope you can get your build done in time

I'm confident I'll make it - just tracks and weathering to do.

Post by **ElCapitan** » Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:44 am

All ready for weathering. Looks like I'll just finish this in time!

I don't care what anyone says - that colour is NOT dunkelgelb! Oh well, too late now.

Post by **Kevthemodeller** » Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:29 pm

ElCapitan wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:44 am All ready for weathering. Looks like I'll just finish this in time!

I don't care what anyone says - that colour is NOT dunkelgelb! Oh well, too late now.

Looking good Rob.

As for the dunkelgelb I think it's the silk finish that's doing it, mine was like that on my Stug until I matted it. What paint is it?

Post by **ElCapitan** » Wed Jun 19, 2019 6:44 pm

Kevthemodeller wrote: Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:29 pm
ElCapitan wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:44 am All ready for weathering. Looks like I'll just finish this in time!

I don't care what anyone says - that colour is NOT dunkelgelb! Oh well, too late now.
Looking good Rob. As for the dunkelgelb I think it's the silk finish that's doing it, mine was like that on my Stug until I matted it. What paint is it?

It's Vallejo Model Color Dark Yellow... Looks green to me. I'm sure you're right though. Different lighting might help too. I've got a filter to do too which should knock it back a bit.

Post by **ElCapitan** » Thu Jun 20, 2019 9:18 am

Tracks on, side skirts on and weathering started.

I painted the tracks with Ultimate black primer, then stippled on some Vallejo model color flat brown to give a rusty look. Finally I gently rubbed with a soft pencil to give the raised details a more metallic look. I'll add some pigment to them later - didn't want to coat the whole things when only a small part is visible.

Weathering so far has been a tan Mig filter and some of their brown wash. I'll continue with the wash before doing some streaks and chipping.

The finish line is in sight!

Post by **Tomcat64** » Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:15 pm

Nice work Rob - that's coming along really well

Post by **ElCapitan** » Sat Jun 22, 2019 6:08 pm

Wash, grime and chipping done. A coat of Testors dullcote will go on later this evening and it'll be ready for some pigments tomorrow evening hopefully.

Post by **alextheblue** » Sat Jun 22, 2019 6:48 pm

Looking really nice!

Great work Rob!

Post by **ElCapitan** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 9:27 am

alextheblue wrote: Sat Jun 22, 2019 6:48 pm Looking really nice! Great work Rob!

Thanks Alex, I've really enjoyed this build.

As of 1:00 AM this morning this is now finished, having used Testors Dullcote to matt the whole thing and then Mig Ammo dark earth pigment round the bottom of the hull, the side armour, wheels and tracks. I'll create a final reveal thread later on with better photos, but here's a phone pic in the meantime:

As always, thanks to those who looked in and commented. I hope you like the finished product!

Post by **ElCapitan** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 10:55 pm

Final reveal can be found at viewtopic.php?f=687&t=27179