Tamiya Panther Panzer V Ausf. A in 1/35 scale
I was walking through my local hobby shop a few months ago and saw this on the shelf for $20. I couldn't resist getting such a classic tank for that deal. I figured it was probably an older model that had been created decades ago and had not been updated in a while which is why it was so cheap. Boy was I right. Although there were some challenges, it actually went together pretty well and I was able to work with most of the existing parts. I built this simultaneously with my other German tank, the RC Panzer IV Ausf. J, which I posted about recently. This allowed me to try a method on one tank before doing it on the other.
Although I could live with the majority of the issues and correct some of them, like drilling out the exhaust tubes so they were hollow, I could not live with the original rubber tracks. They were horrible. They had no detail and they wouldn't even stretch enough to fit the wheels. I decided to get other tracks. I decided on getting Tamiya's single track links. These were very detailed and had extra links to replace the simple ones on the side racks. They were also only $18 so I wasn't breaking the bank to get the result I wanted.
Other than those issues everything else went pretty smoothly. I have been painting my German tanks with a rust red primer coat first just like the real tanks were so that I can get a more realistic result when chipping. I use AK Heavy Chipping Fluid for that process.
As far as trying new things, this is my first attempt at oil washes. I found Winsor and Newton oil paints at a local store and sealed everything with Winsor and Newton Galeria Matt Varnish which I absolutely love. The pin wash is AK Streaking Grime and the paints are all Tamiya.
Very excellent result. You nailed the look of the spare tracks on the side.
Thank you. I forgot to mention I did the rust effects with Lifecolor rust system. It is such a great looking result.
Super job, Joel!
Thanks, Spiros.
Great work indeed 👏👏👏👏
Thank you.
A great looking Panther, Joel @wintermodeller
The extra effort you put into this one clearly paid off.
Thank you. I guess I shouldn't discount any model because it may not be the best. Some just need a little more attention than others.
Great job on this Panther, Joel @wintermodeller! 👍 That kit is one of the three tanks I've done so far, and I enjoyed building it too. Your paint chipping and other weathering looks really fine, Joel! 👏
Thank you. I checked out your build of the Panther and it looks great as well. Well done.