Academy 1:25 Panther G - 8/25 Onto the next problem

[chromdome35]

I am starting up my next build which will be the Academy 1/25 Panther G. This model was set up for motorization; however, I will be building it as a static model.

I have acquired the following aftermarket that will be used during the build: fenders, side skirts, engine deck grills, tool holders, replacement barrels for the main gun and both MG's, 2M antenna, and tow cable.



My goal is to represent a late Panther G from Kampfgruppe Peiper (Vehicle 301 of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstrandarte SS Adolf Hitler) during the Battle of the Bulge. I plan for the model to represent a tank that has been in battle and therefore has some external damage such as bent or missing fenders, side panels and tools. I may attempt to replicate one or two non-penetrating hits.

Camo will be based on late-war German tri-color in the Ambush style. Weathering will consist of general grime associated with being driven on muddy roads. Chipping and flash rust will be used on and around damaged parts of the vehicle. External stowage will be limited to camo netting, a bucket, and possibly a couple of tree mats (Logs wired together similar to a mat, to be used for traction in mud/snow)

These are the reference photos I'm using


Panther with Log "ladder"








Command tank w extra antennas


Reference books for the build


Before I start building, I've been going through the instructions and planning the build. I highlight areas where PE will be used and make notes of things to be careful about. I also write in page numbers of the various reference books I have that I will want to refer to during the build. Does anyone do something similar?



So let's get to work!
1st step was to fill in the motorization holes in the tub.


Then add the torsion bars


Because I hate sanding road wheels and this one only has 32 of them, I'm going to do those as I work on the rest of the model. The next step is to work on the back plate.

[Tobi]

That will be fun. 1:25 is an odd scale and I never grew accustomed too.
I see Academy took the easy road and made all swing arms identical?

[chromdome35]

Jan 31, 2023 13:31:40 GMT -5 Tobi said:

That will be fun. 1:25 is an odd scale and I never grew accustomed too.
I see Academy took the easy road and made all swing arms identical?

Yes, it is an odd scale, surprisingly there was a fair bit of aftermarket available; however, I can't find 1/25 tracks anywhere so I guess I'll use the kit tracks.

Regarding the swing arms, yes they are all the same.

[chromdome35]

A question for the board...On this kit, the sponson's are not closed in and I will need to fix this. I can't find any pictures of exactly how the sponsons are located. Are they flat, do they incline, decline, etc... Do any of you have pictures of the sponsons on a Panther G, or do you have a model that you can look at (and maybe share a picture of) that is correct?

Open Sponson


Here is the side view of a Panther G


Do the sponson's run horizontally as shown by the red line, or do they slope downward as per the blue line?


I suspect they are horizontal but need to confirm. If so, then on the back end, the side armor plate actually would hang lower than the sponson?

[Tobi]

No overhang, the sponson bottom plate would follow your blue line.
Do a search with term "Panther G Wanne" and you will find pics.

The Panzertracts issue also should cover this in drawings somewhere

[chromdome35]

Thanks, Tobi, the Panzer Tract does show them but it wasn't 100% clear (Or I'm not good at reading blueprints which is more than likely the issue).

I'm trying to determine and finalize the build order for the kit since I need to remove the fenders at the front and replace them with their PE counterparts. It looks like the easiest way to proceed would be to remove the stock ones before I mount the hull to the top section, then attach the new PE fenders.

[mustang1989]

The depth of research that goes into these tracked vehicles is nothing short of amazing. Looking forward to this big scale Panther Brian.

[chromdome35]

Spent the evening bending little brass pieces to make the fenders (That I may not use).

My soldering skills are suspect at best.

Btw, Aber PE instructions might be the vaguest, devoid of information, and worthless instructions I've ever seen, that is all.

[Tobi]

When soldering, don't be shy with usage of a soldering flux. I made the experience that this is a must, though others say differently. Your joint on the inner fender looks a tad if it was soldered "cold", meaning the parts were not heated up enough. This is also a typical problem (like in a welding process) when you try to connect a very large part with a tiny part. The large part needs local heat application before even starting the joining process. A small chef gas torch can be a great little helper on the bench, and make sure your soldering iron has enough power. Typical 25 watts might be too little, heat adjustable is the optimum. On larger parts I often use simply the gas torch only, the flux and gravity make the solder flow in all the crannies.

The small reinforcement ribs on the beam look soldered well. A glass fiber pen will help you with the afterwards clean up in difficult places, but wear gloves for protection. The fibers are nasty and no joy when getting stuck in the fingers. This pen can also help to prep the joining areas with it, to get rid of any passive layers, but usually that is also a job the soldering flux should do. Last advice I can give: I'm using a solder that contains a lot of silver. It was very expensive but is only 0,3mm in diameter. Ideal for model building and I never need much since it has the lowest melting point.

[Tojo72]

Love all the extras,should be impressive

[Steve Zuleski]

Ah, the 1/25th scale, excellent. Tamiya had some 1/25 figures, if I remember correctly. I've got the Academy kit, but it must be an early version and yours a rerelease?. Where did you get the aftermarket PE, etc?

Bookmarked.

[chromdome35]

Feb 1, 2023 10:19:57 GMT -5 Steve Zuleski said:

Ah, the 1/25th scale, excellent. Tamiya had some 1/25 figures, if I remember correctly. I've got the Academy kit, but it must be an early version and yours a rerelease?. Where did you get the aftermarket PE, etc?

Bookmarked.

Mine is the Academy kit as well.

I sourced almost all of the PE from Polish hobby shops and eBay. Took a few months to get it all located, purchased and shipped.
www.jadarhobby.pl/
www.super-hobby.com/

[Steve Zuleski]

Excellent. I just might build mine OOTB and add a few figures. I would have to beg at the street corner or wal-mart parking lot for model accessories soon, lol. No, my wife is not a Harpy, but I need to curtail my emotional purchases.

[chromdome35]

I folded all of the PE required for the fenders and the skirts. I still have a couple of pieces to solder but I'm waiting on a new jar of solder paste to arrive (Sunday). The Aber photo etch worked like it should and other than some vauge instructions, the PE went together with no problem. The fenders are a bit tricky as you have to give a 90d bend to a bunch of little bitty teeth. These teeth form a zipper to connect the top and side.




Tobi, I like to use this stuff. You just brush it where you want it and apply the heat. My current jar is almost dried out and I suspect that's why I may have been having issues, so I ordered some more. Do you have any experience with using solder paste vs traditional Solder/Flux?


Once I had all the PE bent, I started the destruction process to remove the molded fenders. This wasn't too hard to accomplish, now I just need to clean it up. I did end up with this finger of plastic, I suspect I will need to remove it. The vertical plate of the bottom hull sits between the finger and the glacis plate; however, since both sides of the glacis rest against the vertical piece, the glacis can't shift if the finger is removed. On the 1:1, there was no finger of steel there.

[mustang1989]

All of this metal in the build is really gonna yield some really good results. What's the dimensions on this track?

[Tobi]

Feb 2, 2023 19:40:13 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Tobi, I like to use this stuff. You just brush it where you want it and apply the heat. My current jar is almost dried out and I suspect that's why I may have been having issues, so I ordered some more. Do you have any experience with using solder paste vs traditional Solder/Flux?

Hi Brian, with paste I have no experience. I've tried solder with a flux core, which didn't work for me, and also a tube of something called "solder honey" didn't bring the desired result, so I ended up with watery stuff in a bottle that I could apply with a tiny old brush in every last nook. With that suddenly came first success on the small parts, until I got a feeling how much power and heat would be needed for larger works. I'm curious how your paste will work. Looks interesting for sure. Usually you can't go wrong with Japanese tools, can you?

[chromdome35]

Work continues...

I've fully removed the front fenders on both sides and cleaned up after the surgery. Still need to sand down the putty.



Next I added the missing sponson's. I did this using .8mm styrene sheet and some square rod.







While the putty was drying I soldered the PE for the fenders. I got in my new tub of solder paste. This is what it looks like Tobi, its akin to a very thick hobby putty.


I have a ceramic block that I use with toothpicks to hold the part in place while I apply the putty and solder it. This picture shows the solder paste before I hit it with the iron.


Afterwards


The Zipper


Not the best job, but better than I used to accomplish.

[mustang1989]

This is coming along nicely Brian. You're doing a better job of soldering than I could pull off pal. 

[Tobi]

The improvement in the achieved results with the solder and the flux paste is very noticeable. Lovely idea with the ceramic block and the tooth picks. Where have you got it from?

[chromdome35]

Tobi I got them off Amazon
Amazon ceramic honey comb soldering board

[Tobi]

Great, I will order this at the very next opportunity. Amazon Germany has similar offerings.

[chromdome35]

Tobi, paperclips can also be used in the holes as bracing; however, I like toothpicks better as their variable diameter allows a tight fit and can is useful for bracing.

Editing to add: Borrowing an idea from the woodworkers, you can fashion a paperclip into a hold-down. If you are concerned about damaging a delicate part, you can cover the paperclip with a silicone needle cap.

[Steve Zuleski]

I see only one issue of concern here, Brian,...................your desk is way too clean!

Ruck On!

[mustang1989]

That's a great idea Brian. Don't feel bad about the clean desk....mine's just as clean most of the time.

[chromdome35]

Feb 8, 2023 13:17:11 GMT -5 Steve Zuleski said:

I see only one issue of concern here, Brian,...................your desk is way too clean!

Ruck On!

My work area is pretty small and it drives me crazy to have stuff laying all over the place. So normally I "clear the decks" every day and put up everything I'm not currently using.

I set my space up to be modular. I have setups for:

Building
Painting
Weathering
Soldering

So when I'm building, only those tools are on the desktop, all the others are tucked away.

Everything put away


Building mode


Painting mode


My work area

[mustang1989]

Small??!! Mister…..that ain’t small.

WOW!!!

[Tojo72]

This us moving along nicely

[chromdome35]

Thanks!

Unfortunately, I'm going to be on the road for the next week and won't be home long enough to do any work on this until next Friday.

[mustang1989]

Feb 8, 2023 17:29:32 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Thanks!

Unfortunately, I'm going to be on the road for the next week and won't be home long enough to do any work on this until next Friday.

Bwoooooooo!!!!! Bwooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

[Steve Zuleski]

And I thought "I" was anal retentive, HA! Poindexter would be proud of you, Brian, HA!