Clearly RFM didn’t intend this…..
Ahhhh Rob and puns, like Spring and pollen, slightly irritating! Ok, so I decided from the get go I wasn't going to build this with the clear hull and turret, and I went a step farther and took a moto tool and glue to everything! German armor was rolled plate steel, and especially towards the end of the war the steel had a rough look to it. The trick is to texture it without overdoing it or making it look cast. I tap a moto tool on the surface, then stipple it with Tamiya extra thin cement and an old brush, then sand most of the texture back off, lastly a coat of mr. surfacer. You can just make it out in some of the pictures.
A note about this kit is that the front glacis plate is a separate piece. I am thinking I may be able to make this removable to see the transmission and drivers area when I am done. One thing I have noted about this kit so far on the exterior is the understandable absence of texture (which I took care of) and weld beads around some areas that should have them, I added the beads with epoxy putty and Vallejo putty. Dragon attempted this in their Smart Kits, and that part I feel is superior on the Dragon offerings. Overall though this kit is a winner! Oh, I also held the turret up to the drawing in Panzer Tracts 5-3 and it was spot on.
Great progress Rob! Keep us posted willya!? Cheers, Michel
Your detail work looks good, Rob - and I like the idea of "removable" parts/pieces to show off the interior detail as well. This is gonna be a beauty, I can tell already.
very nice, good techniques! Want to see finished product!
Rob, will you be priming your model in black and then applying the final coat of paint or perhaps start out with Red oxide and then adding paint?
I know you have to have a Rye sense of humor to do these models...you can't fly off the handle when sipping a Porter either and doing a Panther. You'd get a little catty and screw things up.
HA!
Good progress, Rob.
I often find a cupola beers go well with an armour build.
You guys are good at this!
Great start on the Panther, Rob!
I love the few Rye Field models I've seen! (3) They have beautiful detail and great engineering, though some might argue that there might be too many parts. I have 2 of their M1A1/M1A2 models and they did a great job of reproducing the anti-slip texture that is done at the factory with special, VERY tough CARC paint but I suppose since they intended this (yours) to be done with the clear left ... uh, clear, then the texture probably wasn't cast in so it could remain clear. Am I making myself clear, hear? I mean - here. I like your Rye sense of humour ... as well as Stephen's. I too like the idea of removable parts. I've thought about doing something like that as well because I intend to do one of my M1A1s with full interior, because seeing inside the Driver's hole will be kind of hard to do if the hull is closed. I'll see what can be done.
A couple of the foaming ales - beer - bier - brewskis - or whatever adult beverage you care to have is the right way to approach armour modeling. (I LOVE the look of that beautiful , dark glass of brewer's finest shown in this set of photos. Reminds me of younger days.)
Very nice work on the roto-tool effort! Coming along just swell.
Thanks guys, yes Jeff that is a 9% Imperial Stout brewed in Northern California. Too many is not conducive to good modelling however! I find it best served cool, not cold. Too warm and it is a bit clingy, too cold and you lose the flavor. This time of year basement temps are just about perfect, I set it on the bench for a few hours and it is great!
Agreed, Rob. I spent nearly 8 years in Germany over the course of around 20 years and developed a taste for some fine beers. My favorite is a dark, triple Bock bier from the monastery at Kreuzberg, often cited as having the highest alcohol content (around 10-11%) in their "normal" bier as well as their spezial Weihnachten (Christmas) bier at around 38 percent (76 PROOF) bier! It's dark, a bit sweet, and a touch thick. Even the Germans say "Nur eine!" ("Only one!") to the Christmas beer! I had 7 1/2 liters over the course of 6 hours one lovely afternoon. Hic. Those were the days ... Uh, no - I was NOT driving home!
The German innkeepers/restaurant owners I talked with said that 4-5 degrees Centigrade/39-41 deg. Farenheit is the correct temperature for their bier. I agree, even though I prefer American beer at just above freezing, but that's just me. It brings out the best flavour at around 40 degrees.
Back to your awesome Panther, Rob! BY the way, I liked your reports on this Panther so much I went out & bought my own RFM Panther kit. WoW!
I used to be part of a "Beer of the Month" club my wife signed me up for one Father's day it had both domestic and international small batch brews. I had a triple Bock from Germany that was in that ABV range I wonder if it was from the same brewery. There was another from France that was in the 20% range, whoah...
Rob, interesting concept, I'll be interested in how it turns out.