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

[chromdome35]

Aug 20, 2023 17:08:10 GMT -5 reserve said:

Leave them out in the sun for a couple hours and then form them to the running gear. Glue the roadwheels so the do not turn, then glue the track to the bottom of the roadwheels. Then, as S sez, a series of pins drilled into the hull at the proper heights will hold the top of the run down so you get that nice Panther track curve. Paint the pins rust and presto no one will be the wiser.

I've used this method more times than I can count to good effect on bandy tracks

Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it!

[Tojo72]

Nice improvising,those tracks will be much better.

[406 Silverado]

Aug 20, 2023 18:17:24 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

So our (stikpusher ) exchange regarding aftermarket tracks got me thinking (you could probably smell the wood burning). I have the sister kit to this one, the 1/25 Jagdpanter in my stash. I opened that box up to look at it's tracks and what did I find?



Boom shaka laka! Individual linked TRACKS!!!!

They aren't very detailed, but I bet they sit on the tank a WHOLE lot better. Every single link has two injection spots... Good thing I'm a sanding stick whore.


There are a couple of other details I'm going to borrow from the Jagdpanter, Shackles, Radio mast base, and...the Jagd came with 1/25 figures. Now I just need to figure out how to steal Steve Zuleski skills in figure painting.


I feel kinda dumb for not cracking open the 1/25 Jagdpanther until now.

Ran into a slight problem, the drive sprockets have different geometry on the teeth. The sprocket from the Panther G kit has more teeth than the sprocket from the JagdPanther. This prevents the sprocket from the Panther G from working with the JagdPanther's tracks.



Fortunately, these are very similar kits, and the drive sprocket from the JagdPanther fits perfectly on the Panther G using the exact same mounting method.

Ya see.......it's for that reason right there that I'll never attempt OOB individual track links. After seeing the 3-D printed stuff I could never resort to these. I tip my hat to you for giving these a go though Brian. 

[chromdome35]

Just a little bit maybe



I still need to finish sanding them for this side, but I needed to see if they were going to work before I put in a marathon sanding session.

[Tobi]

Aug 19, 2023 23:46:06 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Yes, I plan to add the weld beads to the MG ring once I permanently mount it. The coupla hasn't been attached yet as I need to paint the periscopes before I install them through the underside. Once that's all in place, I'll add the weld beads.

Beware, no weld bead around the bottom of the cupola.

Some molding lines around the wheels don't hurt, the real rubbers had them, too.

[deafpanzer]

WOW! What a great save to find those track links in another kit! Have fun sanding those marks off... that's what I had to do the same with my RFM kit recently.

[chromdome35]

62 Links per track, 2 mold spots per link = 248 spots to sand.

[hasenpfeffer]

Nice find on the track links, Brian. And I think you're getting off easy... typical links per side is more like 87. LOL! Also, I think the spacing between the drive sprocket and first set of road wheels varies from side to side due to the torsion bar offset. But I'll have to verify.

[deafpanzer]

Aug 21, 2023 8:59:10 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

62 Links per track, 2 mold spots per link = 248 spots to sand.

[chromdome35]

Aug 21, 2023 5:13:51 GMT -5 Tobi said:

Aug 19, 2023 23:46:06 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Yes, I plan to add the weld beads to the MG ring once I permanently mount it. The coupla hasn't been attached yet as I need to paint the periscopes before I install them through the underside. Once that's all in place, I'll add the weld beads.

Beware, no weld bead around the bottom of the cupola.

Some molding lines around the wheels don't hurt, the real rubbers had them, too.

Correct, none of my reference photos or books show weld beads around the base of the cupola. They did show weld beads around the periscope guards. I am looking for photos showing the weld beads for the MG ring attachment to the cupola.

[chromdome35]

Aug 21, 2023 9:54:32 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Aug 21, 2023 8:59:10 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

62 Links per track, 2 mold spots per link = 248 spots to sand.

That made me laugh!

[hasenpfeffer]

Small bead on all 3 sides. (This may be an Ausf A.)

[chromdome35]

Aug 21, 2023 10:26:56 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

Small bead on all 3 sides. (This may be an Ausf A.)

THANK YOU!!!!! +1 Karma to you my friend.

[chromdome35]

Allow me to introduce you to a very handy tool. The Dispae electric sander, equipped with sanding pads.

This is in effect a small rotary tool. It recharges via USB-C. Throw a 400 grit sanding pad on it and you have the perfect tool to wipe those track link blues away.  This is a video of me using it on the links for the Panther.




Sander: newtype.us/p/gLifjhBLuJ00UIA0Ccq6/h/es-p-portable-electric-sanding-pen

Sanding Pads:www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804834361050.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.68ee3b8fyUenAw&algo_pvid=cc5c83db-8f92-4c83-b633-1f05f1e0b8d1&algo_exp_id=cc5c83db-8f92-4c83-b633-1f05f1e0b8d1-1&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%215.76%213.8%21%21%215.76%21%21%402101f4a116928427255831114e869f%2112000033741590796%21sea%21US%213952334907%21&curPageLogUid=YPxNgqmBQYT8

[chromdome35]

I corrected the hull-mounted MG length and then I added a bit more detail such as the shackle spots at the front of the tank. I used a 4mm styrene rod which I cut as thin as I could using my razor saw and miter box. Then I sanded it down until it felt like it was the right thickness. Then came the hard part, I used a 2mm bit to drill a hole in the center of the 4mm wafer. It took a few tries to get the hole centered correctly. I added them to the tank and dropped in some weld beads.


The reference. I think I got pretty close. My weld bead is a bit large, but not obnoxiously so.



So my little Dspiae electric sander was just the thing to use on all those injection points on the tracks. I had originally set a goal of doing 20 a day which would have them all done in about a week. However, with the Dspiae sander, I did them all in one evening.

Here is the tank with the tracks on. Does it look the the tank is sitting in the proper position? The suspension is at its lowest point which I'm sure isn't correct. However, If it looks proper, then I'm not going to worry with changing it. Would appreciate feedback on this.








Up next, the part of the build that I'm most intimidated by, the fenders and plates. All are comprised of numerous pieces of photo etch that have to be joined correctly and installed perfectly. Depending on how this stage of the build goes, I may represent the fenders on a damaged tank!!

[Tobi]

For the stance I suggest you take a side view and try overlaying it in GIMP (or something similar) with a shot from the same perspective of a real tank.
It's not possible for me to judge it from here.

[chromdome35]

Aug 24, 2023 1:22:22 GMT -5 Tobi said:

For the stance I suggest you take a side view and try overlaying it in GIMP (or something similar) with a shot from the same perspective of a real tank.
It's not possible for me to judge it from here.

Great Idea! Thank you.

[handiabled]

Wonderful progress! I will be looking into the Dspiae sander, sounds like a godsend

[Leon]

Nice quick work on the tracks Brian!

[406 Silverado]

Aug 23, 2023 21:09:35 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Allow me to introduce you to a very handy tool. The Dispae electric sander, equipped with sanding pads.

This is in effect a small rotary tool. It recharges via USB-C. Throw a 400 grit sanding pad on it and you have the perfect tool to wipe those track link blues away.  This is a video of me using it on the links for the Panther.




Sander: newtype.us/p/gLifjhBLuJ00UIA0Ccq6/h/es-p-portable-electric-sanding-pen

Sanding Pads:www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804834361050.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.68ee3b8fyUenAw&algo_pvid=cc5c83db-8f92-4c83-b633-1f05f1e0b8d1&algo_exp_id=cc5c83db-8f92-4c83-b633-1f05f1e0b8d1-1&pdp_npi=4%40dis%21USD%215.76%213.8%21%21%215.76%21%21%402101f4a116928427255831114e869f%2112000033741590796%21sea%21US%213952334907%21&curPageLogUid=YPxNgqmBQYT8

Man.....thanks for sharing that Brian!!! I'll be picking one of these bad boys UP!!! WOW!!

Really glad to see that you got through that , what was normally a nightmare to accomplish, pretty quick and now have the tracks all assembled and ready to go. GREAT progress report.

[Joe Rix]

Awesome progress Brian. Love the detail you put into the shackle mounts. It all looks fantastic to me.

[Tojo72]

Oh nice,they did come out great.

[kyledehart5]

Excellent!

[hasenpfeffer]

Hey, thanks for the tool info. Looks like it could be quite useful. I think that you've mastered the weld bead thing. I've been meaning to find myself some of that epoxy. I suppose my excuse is that the stretched sprue seems to work ok for now. The stance question is a little tough to answer at this point. It is probably fine and just looks like it is "squatting" because the fenders are not present. So the predominant feature is the sloping angle from front to rear. But that is only a guess.

You've been adding a ton of great detail into this bad boy.

[chromdome35]

Thanks, everyone!

The fenders are giving me a run for my money...

The Photo Etch fenders are narrower than the molded on fenders. Enough so that when the fender is placed in the proper position relative to the glacis, it isn't wide enough to reach the exterior side where it should match up with the fender than runs the length of the side.

You can see the width difference in this photo



If the front fender is placed to where it meets up with the side fender properly, an inside gap of the same size appears.



Seriously considering omitting the front fenders and just installing the side fenders. I've seen plenty of panthers without their front fenders so it isn't unrealistic.

[Steve Zuleski]

Crackin work, Brian!

[stikpusher]

Is there another piece of PE for the fenders to cover the gap? Looking at some photos of the real tank, it looks like there should be a similar bolted on angle section to mate up with the hull.

[chromdome35]

Aug 25, 2023 10:19:49 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Is there another piece of PE for the fenders to cover the gap? Looking at some photos of the real tank, it looks like there should be a similar bolted on angle section to mate up with the hull.

Nope

There isn't one on the instructions



The PE fender is supposed to match up to the profile of the vertical plate. The profile is good, it's just not anywhere close to the correct position



Reference Photo

[Joe Rix]

Well, that is an unfortunate dilemma Brian. Perhaps some heavy damage to the fender could also help cover the issue.

[chromdome35]

Aug 25, 2023 11:05:45 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Well, that is an unfortunate dilemma Brian. Perhaps some heavy damage to the fender could also help cover the issue.

Unfortunately, both front fenders are not wide enough. So I would have to display both as damaged.

I'm looking at maybe adding the kit fenders back, at least they are the right width. I'll have to do some epoxy putty surgery to make them blend correctly because while cutting them off, they took some damage.