After I had fraternized with the latest models from Tamiya in scale 1:48, I want to start also to build my personal favorite in the tanks of the Wehrmacht. Like you can read in the superscript it is the „Panzer V – Panther“ in version G. To the original, I dont want to write so much, whoever is interested in, can find a lot of information in the web or in the pertinent compartment-literature. 

The modell:

Now here appears a kit in accustomed, very good quality after open the box. Unfortunately Tamiya still has the metal-tubs in his 48-kits, there the oscillating-arms are already grown. Here, the possibilities are restricted for the builder; something one can hope that the manufacturer lets himself occur to something here new. However, let us come back to the model again, that is as said about very good quality and a clean casting. After a short study of the construction-instruction, you can start with the building, after doing a few considerations, like what version you wants to build and what do you wants to use from the accessories-sector. Here my election was an etched-part-set of the company Hauler, which includes only the ventilation-lattices. The company Friul - known for her fine metal-tracks – has started the first tracks in this scale on the market. And these are, exactly right for me, of course that for the panther. I could not resist the temptation here and bought them. 

The construction:

In principle you can proceed after the construction-instruction, within my model I have altered the sequence, that I had not used the kit-tracks. The big advantage of the metal-tracks appears here, because you can pull them at the ready model easily at last. The only disadvantage at the normally good kit are the only indicated grasps a. Here you should change them to grasps of wire.

The painting an oldering:

Here, I startd to carry out the possibilities, that MIG-Gimenez describes in his book " F.A.Q´s ". The painting itself took place with Valleyo colors again. These are wonderfully to  process after a certain habituation. Afte finishing the building-phase, I have stated painting with a black pre-shading along the crust. As next, the primer-color is served, in my case a dark yellow which was brightened up with sand-color. In the low area of the tub and the impellers are treated with earth-colour, which is served cloudy, and this is also the first oldering. The rubber of the castors is painted with black, here, I have worked with a brush. If the color became drily, I had served the camouflage. In order to achieve a clean and hard masked camouflage, I was going a new way here. To mask I hab used no masking-tape, but fixing-pads. You can knead these and bring them in every form to place them exactly. As a further advantage you can leave them wonderfully after painting. So I have served then a green tone, 012, and finally the red-brown, 041. After a dry-time of 24 hours the first layer Matt-lacquer was applied. After another extensive dry-time, the decalses were installed and after them again a layer Matt-lacquer. In the meantime, I  got started to complete and installe the tracks, they was primed black. 

For the oldering, I was going the way with pigments and oil-colours.. I have used umbra and Sienna burned to emphasize the depth-effect. I have treated the area of the castors with pigments and a dark earth-brown, as well the tracks.. I have treated the upper side of the tub and the tower with pigments, in this case of a light sand-color. The pigments are found to it, in small quantities and distributed with a brush that is drenched in turpentine. This method has the advantage that you can make it retrograde with pure turpentine. I have tried to represent the scratches with Valleyo colors, 822 + 874. The areas where you can see naked metal was generated with a pencil. Like at the MG or the crust on the front-sheet metals and the tower. 

Conclusion:

An appealing kit for the beginner just as suitable as for the advanced or professional model-builder. I think, it was not my last „Panther“ in this scale.

Happy modelling
Andreas Dobinger