Joerix's 1/48 Tamiya Panther

[Joe Rix]

We're off and runnin'! Here is what I'll be working on.



Extras to boot:



And at 5:00 am MT on 6/1, cutters met sprue 

[stikpusher]

You're gonna enjoy this kit! It's a good one.

[deafpanzer]

It is going to be blast! I can't wait to start mine tomorrow or Saturday. Good luck!

[Tojo72]

Lotsa extras should bring it to life

[406 Silverado]

Oh yeah......I'll be glued to the set on this one!!!

[Joe Rix]

I see wheels! Lot and lots of wheels!

Yup, got 'em all cleaned up and ready for paint. Not too bad really. Just a bit of time. On the other hand, those who were bemoaning the metal diecast chassis. I get it now. There is no fixing imperfections easily. There were some where the lower front plate glues on that caused an ill fit. It took some sanding on the plastic plate and a good deal of test fitting to get it where it belonged before putting glue to it. All good now (I think).

So, here's where I am at so far.

[chromdome35]

Are the torsion bars molded into the body pan or are they moveable?

[Joe Rix]

Brian, They are molded in the die cast chassis.

[adt70hk]

A lot of wheels!!! Not a problem I face with my JP!!😉😆

[406 Silverado]

Jun 8, 2023 10:35:05 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Brian, They are molded in the die cast chassis.

Any progress on this one brother Joe?

[keavdog]

Tell me about these quickwheel masks! I avoid a lot of armor due to the tedious roadwheel & track work. Very interested to hear/see how this works.

[Joe Rix]

Jun 9, 2023 18:35:53 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Jun 8, 2023 10:35:05 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Brian, They are molded in the die cast chassis.

Any progress on this one brother Joe?

No movement on my front lately. Busy entertaining family that are visiting at the moment. Excited you are. Wait you must.

[Joe Rix]

Jun 9, 2023 18:56:42 GMT -5 keavdog said:

Tell me about these quickwheel masks! I avoid a lot of armor due to the tedious roadwheel & track work. Very interested to hear/see how this works.

I have yet to try them out. I am hoping they ease the pain of painting the plethora of wheels. I will keep you updated.

[Tojo72]

I have used them in the past for a jagdpanzer IV,they are okay but they aren't a magic bullet,care is needed to fit and hold the wheels in place to avoid overspray,I found that circle templates work just as well.
Hope they work well for you.

[Joe Rix]

It's been a bit of a slow go but I actually have some progress to share. The turret is complete aside from the machine gun and mount. I've got some more to go on the hull. Getting close to finishing construction on that though. Still have yet to start on the Quick Tracks. Everything is going together nicely overall. Here is a pic of the turret.

[406 Silverado]

That looks like something that should be in 1/35 scale Joe! You got all the sides and top together dang near flawlessly. Some really good work here brother.

Say.....what is that jig you've got that turret sitting on?

[Tojo72]

Moving along nicely,don't worry we got till the end of the year!!

[deafpanzer]

Looking good! Now you have made me very curious what was the tool that is holding the turret...

[Joe Rix]

Jul 5, 2023 20:16:17 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

That looks like something that should be in 1/35 scale Joe! You got all the sides and top together dang near flawlessly. Some really good work here brother.

Say.....what is that jig you've got that turret sitting on?

Thank you Joe. Hard to wrong with good ole Tamiya engineering.

The vise is a Dispaie multi-directional table vise. I got it this winter and I am immensely happy with it. It's a bit pricey but, it is hugely functional with excellent engineering. It can be used for multiple things.

[Joe Rix]

Jul 6, 2023 6:42:02 GMT -5 Tojo72 said:

Moving along nicely,don't worry we got till the end of the year!!

Thanks Tony.

[Joe Rix]

Jul 6, 2023 10:25:39 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Looking good! Now you have made me very curious what was the tool that is holding the turret...

Thank You Andy. The tool is the Dispaie multi-directional table vise. Great tool to have on the bench. I just posted a pic in a prior comment.

[Leon]

That looks like a nice tool to have around!

[deafpanzer]

Thanks man! I definitely want to get one now. LOL

[406 Silverado]

Jul 6, 2023 20:01:55 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Jul 5, 2023 20:16:17 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

That looks like something that should be in 1/35 scale Joe! You got all the sides and top together dang near flawlessly. Some really good work here brother.

Say.....what is that jig you've got that turret sitting on?

Thank you Joe. Hard to wrong with good ole Tamiya engineering.

The vise is a Dispaie multi-directional table vise. I got it this winter and I am immensely happy with it. It's a bit pricey but, it is hugely functional with excellent engineering. It can be used for multiple things.

I may have to check one of these out.

[hasenpfeffer]

Yep, looking really sweet Joe. Can't go wrong with an Al turned barrel. Looks so good.

I dig the vise too. $50ish doesn't seem too steep to me when a punch/dye set is easily $80-100. I'm curious as to the general dimensions of the thing though. Would it work for most scales? Could definitely be useful when you need that 3rd hand. LOL

[reserve]

So who's in a hurry? Nice and clean sir

[Joe Rix]

Jul 7, 2023 20:41:45 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

Yep, looking really sweet Joe. Can't go wrong with an Al turned barrel. Looks so good.

I dig the vise too. $50ish doesn't seem too steep to me when a punch/dye set is easily $80-100. I'm curious as to the general dimensions of the thing though. Would it work for most scales? Could definitely be useful when you need that 3rd hand. LOL

Thank You Dave. Yeah, to me metal barrels are usually a must.

The dimensions of the vise base are 3.5in L X 2.5in wide. It's 3.5in tall and the vise opens to about 1.75in, depending on where you place the pins. I'm unsure how useful for large scale but, it's great for sub-assemblies in any scale. I have only scratched the surface on what I can use this for. Here is an additional pic of it in my hand for a bit of scale size.

[Joe Rix]

Jul 8, 2023 6:06:30 GMT -5 reserve said:

So who's in a hurry? Nice and clean sir

Thank You kind sir. Not in a real hurry but, when life grants me some bench time any progress feels really really good.

[Joe Rix]

Well, I have to admit that with AM track links coupled with assembling and painting German armor wheels you armor nuts have introduced me to a whole new realm of tedious.



In all honesty these Quicktrack links are pretty sweet. Thanks to Anthony for turning me on to these. Now, I've only assembled 5 ten link sections so far and I've only broken 6 links. Pretty good in my book. I watched the how to video from their site and the dude on there set the timer on his phone and proceeded to assemble on full length of these in just over 12 minutes. I'm not sure which particular universe the gentleman resides in but it dang sure is not the same as mine. This has taken me nigh on 30 minutes. I suppose he has a bit more practice than me. I am unsure how many links per run for this kit but, I guess it will be by test fitting that I figure it out. For now, I really recommend them as they just snap together with a little pressure from the tip of some tweezers.

[Leon]

Joe, those tracks sound pretty sweet! May have to check them out.