Oh No! I fell off the tank-wagon again...

[Max-U52]

No, not a notek light, just something better than that bug-eyed LED HL crammed in there. I really like the solution Painless provided. I have a couple different Bosche lights around here somewhere, I'll have to figger out which one I need to use. I don't think the Panther and the King Tiger had the same headlight, did they?

[PainlessWolf]

Max!
The Panther and King Tiger may not have used the same Bosch headlight shell in real life but for Taigen and HL's purposes ( and maybe other manufacturers ) I'll bet that they do now ;o)
regards and back to Roy!
Painless

[Max-U52]

Yeah, I checked the taigen site and the PIV, the panther and the tiger one all have the same headlight. I'll have to dig mine out, I know the light for the KT has a different base, I'll see if the rest is the same.

[General Jumbo01]

You can find for sale complete metal headlamp replacements or, as said above, simply replace the front 'lens' in situ. My Taigen Panther G also sports the front positioned cross with the corners chopped. Like you, l like the way it looks!

[43rdRecceReg]

Big-eyed certainly describes the HL LED headlight solution,lads. It doesn't take long for the tank-purist urges to come to the fore, does it? I'm forced to agree that the headlight mars an otherwise passable appearance. DO remember, though, that my brief here was to have a 'runner', rather than a 'stunner'
That said- yes, is an eyesore and quite a bright one indoors too.
I was sure I'd seen Panthers equipped with the Notek lamp. In a 'senior' moment, I'd quite forgotten the pics I'd taken of The Panzer Museum's Panther Ausf A. If you take a peek here you'll see a mix of Notek, and a sort of Chameleon-eye lamp mounted on the right (our right) glacis plate. I know I've seen Panthers with the Notek in that position, as well. Just can't think where.
I have a Notek somewhere from Dominique, and I also have the domed cover- complete with slit- for the bug-eyed lamp. As I recall, I used one of those (a Ludwig extra) for my Comet project.

Panther Ausf A- Munster Panzer Museum

...and a Notek:

There's also a short, but informative, piece on the Notek here- pity that the adverts leech so much bandwidth; but it's worth a look
https://www.heraldnet.com/life/illumina ... tek-light/

[43rdRecceReg]

You can find for sale complete metal headlamp replacements or, as said above, simply replace the front 'lens' in situ. My Taigen Panther G also sports the front positioned cross with the corners chopped. Like you, l like the way it looks!

...and without too much effort, these can be added..given the number of spare connectors for LEDs on the V6 unit:

Panther G Blue column light-rctank.de

Panther G blue column light.jpg (196.72 KiB) Viewed 1793 times

Tarn-camouflaged- headlight

I might just make a domed cover, with a slit, for the existing lamp.

I'd almost overlooked the fact the Dave, the legendary Forgebear, also sells these units.
The pics from rctank.de were to illustrate a point.

[oldowl1953]

Great looking Panther! I had the same momentary lapse of reason and ordered a H/L Tiger I. It should here in a week or so. Being fairly new to tanking, I was impressed with the Heng Long models straight out of the box. I am going to try my hand at weathering on a few to try to match some of the detailing on my old 21st Century models. Yesterday I did drop a couple of Red390s in my Leopard at my first attempt at modifying it's innards. The extra torque kept popping the screws that holds the top and I think I need to put some locktite on the drive sprockets to keep them coming loose. I enjoy working with the tanks very much. I'm older than I act and I think they are keeping me a little younger.

Great looking Panther, I'll post some pics of the Tiger just out of the box when it arrives.

[43rdRecceReg]

Great looking Panther! I had the same momentary lapse of reason and ordered a H/L Tiger I. It should here in a week or so. Being fairly new to tanking, I was impressed with the Heng Long models straight out of the box. I am going to try my hand at weathering on a few to try to match some of the detailing on my old 21st Century models. Yesterday I did drop a couple of Red390s in my Leopard at my first attempt at modifying it's innards. The extra torque kept popping the screws that holds the top and I think I need to put some locktite on the drive sprockets to keep them coming loose. I enjoy working with the tanks very much. I'm older than I act and I think they are keeping me a little younger.

Great looking Panther, I'll post some pics of the Tiger just out of the box when it arrives.

Yes, thanks! Until recently, I think, HL never bothered with paint- unlike Taigen, with it's more 'upmarket' offerings. I guess they just added dye to plastic to simulate Dark Grey (Dunkelgrau), or Dark Yellow (Dunkel Gelb), or the Olive Drab used on the Sherman, and so on. RTR models would arrive like this, and all the customer had to do was add the supplied decals.
Now, thankfully- and this certainly applies to this Panther- their models are now delivered with a coat of acrylic paint. Taigen/Torro's non-entry level models have generally been delivered with a decent coat of two, or three-coat, camo (as appropriate). My Taigen Tiger (late production model) even came with a coat of Zimmerit.

Tamiya does some good 'weathering sticks', and 'weathering masters', for modest- but effective touch-ups. Panel line (accent line) droppers are also available for creating a more 3-D appearance.
I used the accent line dropper on this model. Tamiya warns that the accent line effect should only be used on top of a clear coat (varnish)- or an acrylic paint coat. In this instance, I used it on a painted base.
https://www.tamiya.com/english//product ... /index.htm
https://www.tamiya.com/english/products ... /index.htm
I have a few things to do yet. I'm going to remove the obtrusive metal stud on the engine bay. It was there for the RC aerial-but an aerial's not needed on V6 models.
I'll fill and paint the residual hole.
Then, I'm going to cover the headlight with a proper slotted shield and fit a blue convoy light. After that, well- that will be it for now.
There's so much to be had from the hobby: not just picking up new engineering and painting skills, but also delving into the history of the models- and more besides, of course.
Never mind the age thing. I've just reached my 'biblical' quota of years , but have found that immersive distractions, with a strong and fun learning element, help to keep the Grim Reaper well at bay.

Don't forget to add your Tiger Pics

[43rdRecceReg]

Here's the offending metal stud, that used to serve as the basis for the RC aerial. It now looks obtrusive, and has to go A decent grippy pair of pliers did the trick, and a blob of Milliput was used squeezed in to fill the gaping hole. When it's dry, I'll brush a little pint over it. Note that on the Tamiya Panther G, both those vent covers are are indented in the centre. This one now has an indentation.

HL Panther-aerial stud removal

Unwanted metal stud indicated by red arrow:




Next, I'll be tackling the 'bug-eye' headlamp eyesore. It's the only obvious flaw in the model's appearance.

[PainlessWolf]

Roy!
Great progress! I know that the HL Eyesore will be the next to fall to your tender ministrations!
regards and following along,
Painless