Converting HL Panther "G" to a Late "A"

SovereignZuul · Post by **SovereignZuul** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 2:32 pm

Wow, that is crazy. How did you even hold the key while shaping it?

PainlessWolf · Post by **PainlessWolf** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 3:56 pm

Good Morning,
I agree with Sov. ;o) That is splendid work indeed. Luna!
regards,
Painless

Post by **dgsselkirk** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 4:28 pm

No guys, I didn't make the key it comes in the Aber kit with the locks.

Here is the link to the kit. If you look bottom left you can see the keys (you get 2) and the locks that you fold to create.
http://www.aber.net.pl/#
http://www.aber.net.pl/detal,869.html

Aber makes some great stuff and on most sheets you get tons of extras of a lot of things so you can afford to screw a few up as you practice. I figure out of this sheet I would get 3 or 4 tanks worth...

Post by **dgsselkirk** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:19 pm

Eastern Front wrote:Awesome job on your Ausf A build, its a momentous undertaking but looks great thus far, so now just quit eating and sleeping, your wasting time, I am dying to see it in its final form

Cheers!

I know. I know, I wish I could put more time to it. But with full time job and wifey having me do things too it is never enough!

The other thing is most of what I am doing here is first time stuff so it takes a little trial and error to progress through the mods. Like anything by about the 3 or 4th one I can almost guarantee it will take 1/2 the time!

Thanks for the comment Magman!
I average 2 or 3 hours a night and on the weekends sometimes 4 or 5 a night but this weekend was a bit of a bust too much to do but got a couple of more things done.

First laid up the storage bins on the back of the tank. I have the convoy light wired so drilled the hole out and set it up

: Panther A 179.jpg (51.02 KiB) Viewed 4090 times

Then using Bob Smith Plastic Cure glue, (the best I know of) and some heavier clamps tacked the boxes on.

: Panther A 180.jpg (58.45 KiB) Viewed 4090 times

: Panther A 181.jpg (67.62 KiB) Viewed 4090 times

Well those dried and hardened thought I would tackle the towing pintle. The one that's modeled on the HL seems to be modeled on the "A" at Munster. So I started fabricating that from a reference book that Hotte sent me (thanks buddy!) and this book has been invaluable in planning and building this project. So spent a couple or 3 hours doing it it up BUT, from what I can tell this is not the correct one! The more I looked at other reference the more I realized at least for the "A"s, this is not the correct one. So I used some online illustrations and my Panther in Detail by Culver & Feist. A great reference book to start over

and build the one I think is more accurate.

: Pintle.jpg (52.98 KiB) Viewed 4090 times

And here are the results! Brass pipe, some putty, little chain and copper itty bitty drill bit a little solder and about 3 hours work!

: Panther A 182.jpg (52.06 KiB) Viewed 4090 times

: Panther A 184.jpg (49.03 KiB) Viewed 4090 times

And fitted my power and smoker switch box into the upper hull. Just fitted it, didn't click it in yet!

: Panther A 183.jpg (58.71 KiB) Viewed 4090 times

Hopefully I have a more productive week this week!

ALPHA · Post by **ALPHA** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:27 pm

Fancy......................................

ALPHA

Post by **HERMAN BIX** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:09 am

Salubrious even !!

Post by **dgsselkirk** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 1:46 am

Herman, that's a big word and sounds like it should be in a porno title...

working hard on the next big thing to do on this tank and it is painful to the extreme... I wanted to add the Schürzen skirts to this tank, oh boy, more scratch building. I should mention I don't have any fancy tools, drill press, lathe, stamping equipment, etc... Just my exacto, dremel, the basics so these will look a little crude but 20 feet away on our battlefield won't matter. Plus they will be functional and I hope fall off on occasion just for fun!

So I will let the pics speak for themselves. Using my line drawings and pics from assorted sources I used brass rectangle and square tube, and impact skirts meant for the Tamiya "G" model cut down. You can buy these really cheap as they have cosmetic blemishes but won't affect the final look of course.

Post by **dgsselkirk** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 2:01 am

And here are some more. AA LOT of adjustment as I went along and still have some to do but I like the look of it so far...

: Panther A 196.jpg (55.81 KiB) Viewed 4063 times

: Panther A 197.jpg (57.01 KiB) Viewed 4063 times

: Panther A 198.jpg (51.87 KiB) Viewed 4063 times

What I did was slide the arms into the bracket and soldered at the back. What this does is create a sort of spring effect that lets the arms move around but are very secure...

: Panther A 199.jpg (38.5 KiB) Viewed 4063 times

: Panther A 200.jpg (40.74 KiB) Viewed 4063 times

: Panther A 201.jpg (59.41 KiB) Viewed 4063 times

: Panther A 204.jpg (51.74 KiB) Viewed 4063 times

Post by **dgsselkirk** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 3:17 am

Thanks for the kind words Eastern. I wish they had made an A D kit too, save me hacking apart one of their G kits. Even though they were cheap still seems a shame however the trees will be put to good use. More on that later. I'm not sure having all the right tools would let me work any faster or not!

In the meantime someone PM'd me for a shot more head on and from underneath. I also still have to add nuts and bolts to the tops of all the frames as on the real thing and there are small lock plates that will be put on the front to close up any gaping that shouldn't be there...