Stik’s Panther

[stikpusher]

Place holder for now. Have some traveling ahead before I can start…

Anyways, I’ll be doing something like these





using this kit…

[dupes]

Ye Olde Italeri kit!

[stikpusher]

Jun 1, 2023 11:41:56 GMT -5 dupes said:

Ye Olde Italeri kit!

It was a brand new release when I bought it… 🤨

[dupes]

😬😬😬🤣

[deafpanzer]

NICE!!! While I was doing research last night for my Panther Ausf G, one thing I noticed was that many Gs were missing armor skirts while most Ausf A had them. So I guess I will go shirtless this time since my kit doesn't come with skirts. Maybe it is a good thing?

[robbo]

I done one ages ago Andy with no skirts and I thought it looked better without them

[deafpanzer]

[armornutii]

  IMO Panthers look way better without skirts.

[robbo]

Agree

[Tojo72]

Same here got some stuff still to work on.

[DennisM]

Just a hint from back in the day about this kit if don't already know.
The zimmerit pieces are separate and injection molded and out of the limitations of the process quite thick.
Just sand the back the zimmerit pieces on sandpaper until they are paper thin and it will look much better

[stikpusher]

Jun 2, 2023 9:52:51 GMT -5 DennisM said:

Just a hint from back in the day about this kit if don't already know.
The zimmerit pieces are separate and injection molded and out of the limitations of the process quite thick.
Just sand the back the zimmerit pieces on sandpaper until they are paper thin and it will look much better

Thanks for the tip! I was actually planning to use my Dremel to thin down the Zimmerit stuff… it gives me a good reason to use that tool. 😏

[Joe Rix]

Nice choice Stik. You should do righteous by it.

I’m in agreement that a shirtless panther looks better. Although the scheme I’m considering for my panther calls for skirts I believe I will ditch them. Some artistic license on my part.🙄

[DennisM]

Jun 2, 2023 12:01:27 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Nice choice Stik. You should do righteous by it.

I’m in agreement that a shirtless panther looks better. Although the scheme I’m considering for my panther calls for skirts I believe I will ditch them. Some artistic license on my part.🙄

Someone once told me that just because there is a picture of a vehicle configured a certain way, say with side skirts, it doesn't mean it stayed that way. Most likely they were lost at some point. Google "Knocked out Panther" and you will see that most ended their lives without them.

[stikpusher]

Well, I hate to disappoint all those in favor of no skirts, but I will be using the skirts on this build… for two reasons… 1, I’ve never built a Panther with skirts before, at least never one that I can remember…. and 2, as shown in the two photos that I posted, the skirts have no zimmerit, so they will make a nice contrast to the adjacent zimmed armor areas on the hull. Like a skirt and fishnet stockings 😏

[hasenpfeffer]

Jun 2, 2023 12:25:54 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Well, I hate to disappoint all those in favor of no skirts, but I will be using the skirts on this build… for two reasons… 1, I’ve never built a Panther with skirts before, at least never one that I can remember…. and 2, as shown in the two photos that I posted, the skirts have no zimmerit, so they will make a nice contrast to the adjacent zimmed armor areas on the hull. Like a skirt and fishnet stockings 😏

Idk, I like the skirts. It makes the Panther more modest. You can always flash a little track here and there with missing panels. LOL
I wish you much luck on the thinning process. It ain't gonna be easy.

Oh, and I love the GD subject too!

[406 Silverado]

I'm in!!

[stikpusher]

Jun 3, 2023 6:54:15 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

Jun 2, 2023 12:25:54 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

I wish you much luck on the thinning process. It ain't gonna be easy.

Oh, and I love the GD subject too!

Thanks 😉

I know about the thinning not being easy. Years ago I built the old tool Tamiya Panzer III M/N and decided to thin the skirts to a more scale thickness. That sure did take a considerable amount of work. 

[ogrejohn]

I built one of these years ago and I used the skirts too. Still have it. Yes, thin the crap out of the zim and you might get something to replace those 2 piece vinyl tracks.

[hasenpfeffer]

Jun 3, 2023 11:04:25 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Jun 3, 2023 6:54:15 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

I wish you much luck on the thinning process. It ain't gonna be easy.

Oh, and I love the GD subject too!

Thanks 😉

I know about the thinning not being easy. Years ago I built the old tool Tamiya Panzer III M/N and decided to thin the skirts to a more scale thickness. That sure did take a considerable amount of work. 

Yeah, being somewhat lazy, I ditched the supplied zim panels and replaced them with AM. There is a lot of stuff about this kit that leaves a lot to be desired. I am looking forward to seeing how you tackle it. (The MG ball mount being one of them...)

[406 Silverado]

Jun 3, 2023 11:04:25 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Jun 3, 2023 6:54:15 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

I wish you much luck on the thinning process. It ain't gonna be easy.

Oh, and I love the GD subject too!

Thanks 😉

I know about the thinning not being easy. Years ago I built the old tool Tamiya Panzer III M/N and decided to thin the skirts to a more scale thickness. That sure did take a considerable amount of work. 

I can only imagine the amount of time you spent with the sandpaper / sanding sticks on that bud. Looking forward to seeing more progress on this one Carlos.

[stikpusher]

@hassenpfeffer, yeah, I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I made nice work of their early production Tiger I kit, so I’m not too worried. But I know it won’t be some uberkit….🤔

Joe, I don’t remember how many days it took to thin down those schurzen plates, but it was several days or evenings of long sessions of work. This must have been at least twenty years ago now… 🤨

[stikpusher]

Well, here I go again, kicking off another build, while still so many more are not yet completed. I started the build yesterday at the AZ AMPS meeting, and made pretty rapid progress so far before reaching where I need to start doing some paint work.

I was able to get most of the lower hull, and running gear built





The kit even includes a basic engine compartment, although I will not deep dive into this one as I did on my M47 from 2021



and I was also able to get the insert area for the driver and bow machine gunner built and installed



the kit comes with alternative pre made zimmerit parts, but they are a bit thick, so I will be thinning those down before installing those. The next update will be after some painting, and getting those items taken care of…

[Tojo72]

Couldn't resist huh,looks good,nice engine compartment there.

[armornutii]

  Right on stik, looks good. Are you going to keep engine compartment open or just give us the hint of a " deep dive"?

[stikpusher]

Thanks guys!

No Tony, I couldn't resist...

Perry, I am fighting every urge to do any detailing in that engine beyond painting. As far as keeping it open... I'm leaning that way, but not sure beyond that... maybe if I can get that Tamiya panzer mechanic crew set....

[Joe Rix]

Boy stik, you certainly did make the most of your time. Excellent progress. Well, it would be kind of a shame not to leave the engine open and showcase an awesome paint job you would put on it. Just me 2 centavos worth.

[stikpusher]

Jun 11, 2023 23:28:24 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Boy stik, you certainly did make the most of your time. Excellent progress. Well, it would be kind of a shame not to leave the engine open and showcase an awesome paint job you would put on it. Just me 2 centavos worth.

Thanks for the vote of confidence there Joe. 

[Leon]

Off to a good start Stik. That engine looks nice! I'm also ready for some paint.

[stikpusher]

Thanks Leon. I think that today and tomorrow are going to be painting days at the bench… 🤔