Large scale Panther

[TRAINS1941]

Very nice Dave.

Jerry

[Hydrostat]

A couple more photos... The gas cans are NOT in their final colors! Next is a shot of the rear plate-- the bolts for the various access panels include cotter pins to allow the nuts to be loosened without them coming off. The jack between the exhaust pipes is the one exception to the minimal weathering rule-- the design of the suspension often gave trouble and the jack was likely used often. Finally the spare track links hung from to turret sides to provide a little extra metal between the crew and the enemy anti-tank guns.    DF

Seems to be a very clean build. To me the wear on the jack looks amazingly realistic and I like your approach of minimal weathering:



But I'm a bit concerned about the tools' handles, which don't look like real wood to me:
 


The bolt clipper's cutting edges may benefit from building them from single pieces to get rid of the ' cast in one block'-look they have at your picture.

I think I'd better now jump the trench.

Volker

[Dave Fischer]

Thanks for the "other eyes"! Actually, the wire cutters ARE made in separate pieces and the division and wear at the cutting edges is not clear in this photo. The shovel handle is made of fine-grained wood (as are the axe and sledge handles on the other side) and is much more convincing in real life... I'll see if I can get a better shot. The handles of the REAL wire cutter were made of resin-impregnated paper, as were many late-war items-- gunstocks, periscope housings, even uniform buttons. They all had that patchy tan-and-brown look unless painted, and the model cutters are matched to the real thing. By the way, there are metal straps and tensioning handles to be added to each tool clip after camouflage painting and final assembly.

One other note: Roddy MacDougall, author and WWII historian in Scotland, has been a major source of the information necessary to build a model to this level of historical accuracy, both through his books and his photo collection. His interest and generosity have made the impossible possible. My recent email to him to share these progress photos went unanswered until an email from his wife told me that he had passed away last summer. His knowledge and dedication will be sorely missed.   DF

[Hydrostat]

Thanks for the "other eyes"! Actually, the wire cutters ARE made in separate pieces and the division and wear at the cutting edges is not clear in this photo. The shovel handle is made of fine-grained wood (as are the axe and sledge handles on the other side) and is much more convincing in real life... I'll see if I can get a better shot. The handles of the REAL wire cutter were made of resin-impregnated paper, as were many late-war items-- gunstocks, periscope housings, even uniform buttons. They all had that patchy tan-and-brown look unless painted, and the model cutters are matched to the real thing. By the way, there are metal straps and tensioning handles to be added to each tool clip after camouflage painting and final assembly.

Dave, thank you for the explanation. I'm looking forward to another shot of the items. Indeed it was the shovels wood which looks rather somewhat spotty than grained in that picture.

[finescalerr]

So the more we learn about the actual tank, the better the model looks. That's typical of models on this forum. Ho-hum.... -- Russ

[Chuck Doan]

Wow, looking great Dave! I don't feel so bad now taking so long on my project. Very interesting regarding the material used for the handles. I also like the thinking regarding the weathering vs. the amount of time this spent in the field. Although there is beautiful weathering going on these days, it seems rare that consideration is given to the often short life spans of these tanks. Looking forward to more progress! Maybe in less than 3 years? Hee.

[Dave Fischer]

Russ-- I thought you would appreciate the fact that parts of a REAL tank are made of paper...
And Chuck-- I have to admit I have been envious of the speed at which you get things done. Maybe some day!    DF