Tamiya Ausf.A with a Diorama !

[lowlife]

Hi Guys !

Well here goes, first tank build ever !

Im more than happy for comments good or bad, im bound to mess some bits up so feel free to point it out, or how will i know ? 

Heres the kit, and a detail set from Eduard just to make life difficult for me !

[lowlife]

Lucky to have a free day yesterday so got stuck in ! 

Thought id leave the wheels / tracks for now as the upcoming dio will need the suspension altered to fit the stance of the kit...

So im starting at the top instead, the turret to be precise !

 

Didnt take too long to prep and glue the turret together, so i jumped in with the photoetch and added that..

This took the rest of the day, several curse words, and a few games of `find the p/e piece i just dropped on the carpet`....

But all in all im happy, i replaced the handles too with wire, just need to fill the holes on these !

Oh and the handle on the front right, didnt notice it was bent so ive straightened it out !

 

[Tojo72]

Ands he's out of the gate !!
That's some delicate PE work

[chromdome35]

Great start, nice PE work!

[stikpusher]

This kit has its detractors, but it is one of the perfect kits for a novice armor builder. Straight OOB, it has its flaws in accuracy, but will look like a Panther when completed. It’s also a great kit for trying out new techniques upon. If anything goes wrong and you toss it out, you’re not out a big investment. And you can have fun doing as much or as little upgrades as desired.
You’re off to a great start here!

[reserve]

Have at it brother looks fine

[dupes]

First tank build EVER? That's some fine looking PE work!

[deafpanzer]

What a great start!!! Your PE work will transform that old kit into a masterpiece at the end!

[Joe Rix]

Man, it's good to know that I'm not the only armor novice here. Yet, from the looks of your opening build efforts I would never ever guess that. Excellent work on the turret and your PE is extremely well done. I'm sporting the idea that when you are all done no one will be able to guess it's the older vintage Tamiya kit. Well done my friend.

[lowlife]

Thanks guys, much appreciated !I

Yes I believe this is the first time I've tried building a tank, as a kid we used to build planes, spitfires and 109s, then quickly moved into cars. It's been cars ever since !
I lost any interest in building anything a few years back, so decided to build my favourite plane as a kid, the Mitsubishi Zero.
I really enjoyed it so I'm now trying a tank, and hopefully a diorama, and I'm glad to say I'm enjoying these too !
If you've been building a while, most models use similar techniques like the photoetch for example, so it's fun to try something different. I quite enjoy researching my projects too so this is a whole new world to me as well !

Lastly, joining this forum has been great, it's nice to be accepted when your a newbie to the subject !

[Leon]

Your doing a fine job! Keep it up.

[406 Silverado]

Jun 2, 2023 13:06:44 GMT -5 dupes said:

First tank build EVER? That's some fine looking PE work!

You should see what he does with cars. Ol' Martin has definitely got a few tricks up his sleeve.

[406 Silverado]

Jun 3, 2023 3:45:05 GMT -5 lowlife said:

Thanks guys, much appreciated !I

Yes I believe this is the first time I've tried building a tank, as a kid we used to build planes, spitfires and 109s, then quickly moved into cars. It's been cars ever since !
I lost any interest in building anything a few years back, so decided to build my favourite plane as a kid, the Mitsubishi Zero.
I really enjoyed it so I'm now trying a tank, and hopefully a diorama, and I'm glad to say I'm enjoying these too !
If you've been building a while, most models use similar techniques like the photoetch for example, so it's fun to try something different. I quite enjoy researching my projects too so this is a whole new world to me as well !

Lastly, joining this forum has been great, it's nice to be accepted when your a newbie to the subject !

You're off to a good start with this one and you're handling the detail work perfectly and I'm' looking forward to more.

I'm glad you did join this forum Martin as I've always known you to be a great builder and have a great attitude in helping others.

[hasenpfeffer]

Yeah, that PE can sure be finicky. It looks like you're handling it well though. I'll just add this as FYI... those "handles" on the turret top (2 on the front and 1 centered in the rear) are actually big ol' beefy lifting rings. (Check out the builds with that crane...) The kit parts themselves might be more scale appropriate for those anyway. But I leave it to you to decide.

[406 Silverado]

Jun 3, 2023 6:09:51 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

Yeah, that PE can sure be finicky. It looks like you're handling it well though. I'll just add this as FYI... those "handles" on the turret top (2 on the front and 1 centered in the rear) are actually big ol' beefy lifting rings. (Check out the builds with that crane...) The kit parts themselves might be more scale appropriate for those anyway. But I leave it to you to decide.

And that's what I've always liked about this place is this attitude of help right here. Karma to you Dave.

[lowlife]

Jun 3, 2023 6:09:51 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

Yeah, that PE can sure be finicky. It looks like you're handling it well though. I'll just add this as FYI... those "handles" on the turret top (2 on the front and 1 centered in the rear) are actually big ol' beefy lifting rings. (Check out the builds with that crane...) The kit parts themselves might be more scale appropriate for those anyway. But I leave it to you to decide.

Thanks for the heads up, appreciate it !

Hopefully this is more in scale, just thicker wire !  Im adding the two piece gun barrel currently , now i know why you guys buy the metal ones ! 

[hasenpfeffer]

Jun 7, 2023 12:16:08 GMT -5 lowlife said:

Jun 3, 2023 6:09:51 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

Yeah, that PE can sure be finicky. It looks like you're handling it well though. I'll just add this as FYI... those "handles" on the turret top (2 on the front and 1 centered in the rear) are actually big ol' beefy lifting rings. (Check out the builds with that crane...) The kit parts themselves might be more scale appropriate for those anyway. But I leave it to you to decide.

Thanks for the heads up, appreciate it !

Hopefully this is more in scale, just thicker wire !  Im adding the two piece gun barrel currently , now i know why you guys buy the metal ones ! 

So, a bit closer, yet a bit further away. Below are a couple pics from a Panther Ausf A walk around. It should give you a good idea of the differences in the lifting hooks and the grab handle above the loader hatch. I've seen that appear differently, so this is just one option, but the thickness would be relatively the same. The lifting hooks are much larger gauge and appear as half "loops". Probably the original grab handle you had was more appropriate and the thickness of this new wire might be closer to the lifting hooks. The shape just needs to be tweaked a little. Maybe bend the wire around a paint brush of the correct size? I say all of this only because it seems like you want to know and appreciate the input. Otherwise, it is looking good. Even if you are having some issues with the barrel.

I really hope this helps.

[deafpanzer]

Wondering where can we find this real Panther A thing? Nice update on your build by the way.

[hasenpfeffer]

Jun 7, 2023 20:40:53 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Wondering where can we find this real Panther A thing? Nice update on your build by the way.

Best way is to time travel. LOL

IIRC, this one is on some military base somewhere. I'll have to see if I can find the original walk around. I tend to find these things and save the pics for myself so I don't have to do that searching every time.

[Joe Rix]

Excellent progress. Looking better with every step you take. Great info from has.

[406 Silverado]

In all the years I've known you, I never would've thought you would've tackled an armor build Martin.....but you're doing a swell job of it. I've yet to venture into this territory (save for the RFM VW Staff Car that I built a couple of years ago....which technically doesn't count but hey....it's an RFM kit) but with each armor build and each update within those said builds I get more and more interested in trying one out. I've got a couple of kits in the stash to start with. Time will tell.

[406 Silverado]

Jun 7, 2023 20:27:39 GMT -5 hasenpfeffer said:

Jun 7, 2023 12:16:08 GMT -5 lowlife said:

Thanks for the heads up, appreciate it !

Hopefully this is more in scale, just thicker wire !  Im adding the two piece gun barrel currently , now i know why you guys buy the metal ones ! 

So, a bit closer, yet a bit further away. Below are a couple pics from a Panther Ausf A walk around. It should give you a good idea of the differences in the lifting hooks and the grab handle above the loader hatch. I've seen that appear differently, so this is just one option, but the thickness would be relatively the same. The lifting hooks are much larger gauge and appear as half "loops". Probably the original grab handle you had was more appropriate and the thickness of this new wire might be closer to the lifting hooks. The shape just needs to be tweaked a little. Maybe bend the wire around a paint brush of the correct size? I say all of this only because it seems like you want to know and appreciate the input. Otherwise, it is looking good. Even if you are having some issues with the barrel.

I really hope this helps.

Ya see.....this is the kind of stuff I like seeing. Support within the group and GREAT information at that. Karma +1 to you Dave.

[chromdome35]

Great pictures, thanks for posting! Where does this tank sit?

[lowlife]

Thanks for the replies guys !

Thanks Dave, really helpful pics i hope you approve as im not doing them again ! !   

Gun barrel is in primer, not quite perfect but getting there...

[tcoat]

Jun 9, 2023 5:57:42 GMT -5 lowlife said:

Thanks for the replies guys !

Thanks Dave, really helpful pics i hope you approve as im not doing them again ! !   

Gun barrel is in primer, not quite perfect but getting there...

Lifting rings are now PERFECT!

[hasenpfeffer]

Jun 9, 2023 6:15:33 GMT -5 tcoat said:

Jun 9, 2023 5:57:42 GMT -5 lowlife said:

Thanks for the replies guys !

Thanks Dave, really helpful pics i hope you approve as im not doing them again ! !   

Gun barrel is in primer, not quite perfect but getting there...

Lifting rings are now PERFECT!

Yep, looks awesome! And I don't blame ya. LOL

[armornutii]

  Spot on, this Tamiya offering as stated is a GREAT project for first timers...or old timers...or anytimers LOL. So far things look outstanding, yes the handles and lift rings are perfect now.
    Don't be to upset about the barrel, it happens. Patience and practice will fix the issue....or the fancy turned aluminium. I prefer both. Model on Garth!!

[reserve]

Bash on sir 'tis looking good

[lowlife]

Thanks for the comments guys !

Started the rear panel next, looked fairly straightforward till you get to the p/e pieces !
Not all glued yet as i might paint the exhausts before fiting, the exhausts were drilled out and left a bit rough as these will be rusty anyway !

So 19 pieces of photoetch later, 15 of which needed bending to shape, heres the result...

[Tojo72]

All of that extra PE work males a difference