Let’s try this again…
I have a thing for the Panther G, those who followed my now "paused" build of the RFM Panther will understand this. I still plan on tackling that beast again after I figure out how to deal with some of the kits problems, the biggest being the fact that the turret sits WAY too high on the hull. There are fixes for it that can be found on Missing Lynx, but they need to be done earlier in the build. Anyway, the Dragon Smart Kit is well known, but can be pretty expensive these days. If you look around though you can find the kit in other guises such as the kit I have started here. The Cyberhobby BefehlsPanther kit is the original Smart Kit with extra bits for the command tank. Armored arial pots, star antenna, and re-enforced mantlet. I do not plan on building the command tank, but a September - October build in the Ardennes, or Alsace with "circle" camouflage. I bought the Alliance Model Works PE set, which looks great and comes with film coating on the back. I like the film as it will keep tiny parts from flying away when cutting them out. For the circle cammo I bought the Alliance stencil set, for a pattern used by the 1st SS Panther Battalion, though it is used by others as well. Since this will require the "small" rear idler the last picture compares the Dragon rear idler with the RFM read idler, they are nearly identical, Dragon has a small rectangle on theirs which I believe is correct when you look at Panzer Tracts. So here we go, Fall beer, Fall Panther. Autumn Mist here we go!
Full speed ahead Senior!
What was that line that Chief Dan George delivered to Clint Eastwood in The Outlaw Josie Wales..."endeavor to persevere" ? 🙂
LOL, the Smart Kit is a breeze to build. We will see how the PE works out!
Some model subjects can become an obsession as everyone knows. I guess yours is almost limitless, taken in consideration the number of Panther panzers available today 😉 hope this one can be a less stressing than its predecessor on the bench
It should be, Dragon hit the nail on the head with these kits. This will be my 4th one, all have been easy peasy.
Sorry to hear that bad news about your other Panther kit. I had no idea there was a problem with the kit, especially one of that nature... Yikes ! I have one of their Tiger's in the stash, and I hope this is not a common occurrence with their releases.
I also have the circular disc camouflage in queue for a future Panther build. It is my all time favorite camouflage pattern on my all time favorite tank... so it's a win / win for me either way you look at it.
Mine will be done using the adhesive reusable masks that are made by Uschi. I also want to build up the new tool Tamiya Stug IV Lang using the same circular pattern. With any luck, I hope that mine turn out looking half as good as this one did...
Chuck Villanueva @uscusn
sent me a set of decals for the Panther wearing these colors, so now it's all systems go... First there are some other projects that have to be finished before I pull the trigger on these two.
You hit the nail on the head with the Dragon Panthers... "They're GREAT" to quote Tony the Tiger... I think you will like the Dragon / DML Magic tracks too. I have had some very positive experiences with them. With a tank like the Panther that has a sagging track, they will look much more realistic than a single once piece rubber band style track. With this set you can make them sit on top of the road wheels much easier.
I have also used Fruil Model cast metal individual track links. They look great, and since they're heavy, the weight of the track alone is enough to make them sag naturally on their own.
Please keep us posted on how this one goes. I'll definitely be watching for updates.
Yes I have used the Magic Tracks many times on this and other kits. I hate that they have mostly replaced them with those horrid DS tracks. I prefer the Magic Tracks to Fruil, the Fruil tracks are much more labor intensive.
Happy building!
Here's a note to those that may buy this kit, I just discovered it does NOT have the standard mantlets' that come in the regular kit. Only the re-enforced type seen on some late Panthers. So no standard gun mantlet or "chinned" mantlet. Fortunately for me I have a spare regular mantlet from a previous build.