Another (Taigen) Late Panther G , 'Müncheberg' IR April 45

[Dr Phibes]

jofaur86, thanks again for the links - as always I very much appreciate your input. The video of Ron S's tank is an excellent example of a well done 1/16 RC Panther G for sure. It is, however, not entirely consistent with nr. 122. and misses a number of characteristics common to both IR equipped Panther G's and nr.122 in particular. It looks to be based on a 1/35 scale model of 122 I recall seeing elsewhere (forgive me for not having the reference to hand) but, in any case, it's a well presented example of the blend of RC and scale modelling.

RiskR, yes, as Mr Bix points out and I have learnt, even in the confined space we have in our tanks the speaker box can make a significant different. I think the quality of the speaker itself is very important of course, which is why I only use Visaton full range speakers. However, tweaking the cabinet space can change the audio dynamics for the better too. In particular tinkering with different designs I found that in certain cases reproduction of separate sounds can be enhanced and 'cleaner' to the ear, though this varies depending on the quality of the source. For sure, if you doubt it just try your speaker without its box, it will sound similar but probably much 'muddier' and washed out, not crisp or at all well-defined - any box is certainly better than no box

Thanks , as always, Herman for looking in. As you know I am ever grateful for your comments and advice. The colours for nr.122 were not so much a problem as was the placement of those colours and the camouflage patterns. Your suggestion is quite correct regarding late German WW2 colours and I had collected the colours in that set(well the Ammo version) as well differing options for olivegrun, rotbrun, and dunkelgelb. I'm sure you are aware but Ammo actually have three of the latter covering early, mid, and late war variations (apparently). It all gets a little confusing but, in general I have opted for the later variations as the most likely application for nr.122.

Having said the above, a couple of developments of very minor scope have been addressed so I might as well use this opportunity to add them to this build thread. As I said before, looking at the original photos I tend to think that Dennis Oliver's book is mostly correct regarding nr.122 Camouflage but I differ a little regarding wheel colour. In particular, it seemed to me the sprockets are probably olivegrun (though, this is all of course somewhat subjective/speculative, I agree);

Earlier, I also pointed out that Daimler-Benz factory produced Panthers did not fit the new self-cleaning idler wheel, which you will see generally fitted to Taigen tanks, and mine was no different. Have acquired the earlier idler (also available from Taigen) there is an noticeable difference. The older type of idler (seen here on the left) is smaller than the new self-cleaning version and this translates to a 3mm difference in scale (37mm dia old, 40mm dia new). Moreover, the old version is deeper dished;

What I didn't anticipate was the difficulty of fitting the older version of idler in a bid to keep to the actual spec of nr.122. The problem was that the deeper dished earlier idler need a longer shaft to run on and which accommodated the supplied spacer. The shafts it came with were (oddly) the same length as those already fitted. The spacer was needed to ensure the idler run central in the tracks between the track horns. Anyway, I eventually knocked up some replacement shafts and all was well;

At last I think I now have the lower hull as it should be for nr.122 as a Daimler-Benz factory product. I'm planning, for the first time, not to go too far with the weathering on this build. Rather I'm aiming to reproduce this 'Muncheberg' Berlin IR Panther as fairly factory/field ready more or less before it got a proper battering, so to speak. Nonetheless, some application of a little chipping, washes and filters, etc, will be needed to complete the project - we shall see In the meantime, I am now getting ready to start tackling the fiddly stuff upstairs (upper hull, etc) which I know will take me some time to complete but is also, in many ways, the fun stuff

[Dr Phibes]

Good Morning, Doc,
I love following your Builds. It is indeed the work of a slightly maniacal Surgeon to get those Panther Innards so clean and organized and most importantly, functioning. I have a late War Panther G rebuild that will require a new lower. Do not be surprised if I hit you up for one of those Smoker\Speaker boxes in a year soon to come. Following along!
regards,
Painless

Hello Painless old friend, thanks so much for dropping in.
As you know I'm a great admirer of your work and am happy to make my humble efforts available to you whenever I can. Yes, I have to confess I take it as something of a challenge to squeeze as much in so little room as possible - but it's fun for sure!
The speaker box in situ in this build has modifications (e.g. to provide clearance for the idler adjuster cams) that I overlooked when I first designed it. However, the next version will have these tweaks incorporated (for any future builds with Taigen Panther lowers). In addition, I'm thinking of adding the pass-through apertures for the smoker tubes as knock-outs. That way they can be used with or without the smoker. I'll update the design very soon just let me know when you start your old Panther rebuild and we'll take from there.

[PainlessWolf]

Doc Phibes!
Thank you again, my Friend, for your considerations and kindness. The Box you have designed is a work of Genius. Major manufacturers should pay heed. Yes, I have been putting my slate of Rebuilds off, ( Stuart, Panther G, Porsche King Tiger, Walker, M3 Halftrack ) to get some of the current tank Builds done. I just finished my late War Jagdtiger and am awaiting the crew to call that one complete. My next Build is a Dual one featuring a Mato M4A3 and Taigen-Torro Jagdpanther. Both vehicles based loosely on the ones in the book, Panzer Spirit (an engaging fiction read). Parts have been ordered so another wait begins. Thanks, Doc! It feels good to get all of that off of my chest. Just for fun, here is a pic of the old HL\Taigen Panther G that will be getting the Rebuild (probably at the end of this year)
regards and stay safe!
Painless

[Dr Phibes]

Painless, your old Panther looks a real beauty already! The camouflage is excellent and it's the kind of contrast and overall look I have in mind for my Panther nr.122 - if I can keep away from some of the myriad weathering products available these day

(The crew figures look great btw. I really need to learn how to paint my own properly as, at my own efforts to date have ended up looking like goggle-eyed loony tunes figures )

[PainlessWolf]

Doc Phibes!
You and me both, Doc. ( 'Crazy Joe' anybody? ) I get the uniforms looking very good but the faces turn out like Anime characters if I put in eye whites. I have learned to just do a slash of dark color to indicate a 'squint'. ;0) That Panther's paint job came stock from Taigen! It was topic of conversation and amazement back in the day. So much so that I left it as is and color matched details to work with it then applied flats to preserve it. Someone was on the ball in the paint booth the day that tank was painted. I will continue to preserve it with the rebuild as much as possible with most of the serious work going to the lower. Following along!
regards,
Painless

[Dr Phibes]

Hello all.
Well, it's time for a long overdue update of progress on this build. Although it has been quite a while now I have been busy working on Panther No.122 I but unfortunately hadn't found time to post as well. Still I have taken a few pics along the way so here goes. I must confess this has been a more difficult project than I had anticipated simply because this is, for me, the first time I have attempted to recreate a specific tank ((i.e. Muncheberg Division, N.122) rather than a generic representation of a 'typical' tank (i.e. a 'Panther G', etc).

As a result I think I have become, with this build, somewhat even more obsessive with detail than usual although I have the impression this is the nature of the beast when attempting to stick (however loosely) to something akin to the history and details of a particular military vehicle like this. Still, it has been a slow but rewarding processs this time with many hiccups, re-evaluations, and ( ) more than a few reworkings! Anyway, here are a few more updates which I will follow up with one or two more posts to catch up, so to speak;

Turning attention, then, to the rear of the upper hull first the initial step was of course to strip it back to a bare plate ready to take the various upgrade parts, some of which are necessary for No.122 and others just desirable;

Pretty straight forward but what I added here that can't be seen is the increased thickness (1.5mm) as I found the rear plate quite flexible once stripped of the parts welded to it by the Taigen glue monsters

Next was to start putting together the rear storage bins. The one on the left, part of the photo etch collection I have assembled, went fairly well although the little padlocks (unnecessary really as probably lost in reality the moment the tank rolled of the production line). Still, it was fun playing with them. In the end I opted not to build this box with an opening top lid because, frankly, the photo-etched hinges are in my opinion too frail to be practical on a working RC tank. This was to be a reoccurring theme/consideration in much of what follows latter;

The more difficult task was to follow, which is to say the right hand storage box because this, on IR Panthers like 122, were not the same as the left box. What I learnt, after some research, was that the right hand tool box was not just a somewhat different shape with a large rear opening door to accommodate storage of the infrared equipment, but was also sporting 10mm of armour all around. This made the IR storage box look larger too (which was good for me because I thought it was my eyes getting worse ). So, using the Aber box as a starting point a more or less complete re-fabrication was undertaken, including adding the extra armour to the box. In the end I was quite happy with the result and managed to make the door functional too;

The next step was of course too affix the boxes to the rear armour panel along with other upgraded bits and pieces including the convoy light (which I ended up spending hours researching just to figure out what flippin' colour it should be ), and new brackets for the exhaust flame suppressors (Flammvernichter) the latter of which I am now entirely happy with (the turbo top on the Taigen not bad but I think could be better detailed as they are quite prominent - but that's just me I guess);

More to follow......................

[Herr Dr. Professor]

"As a result I think I have become, with this build, somewhat even more obsessive with detail than usual...." And, I insist, you have become (probably already were) remarkably skilled. Your effort is admirable; the results are remarkable.

[Dr Phibes]

Following on...........

I next moved to the rest of the upper hull itself, Stripping back all the tools and racks, etc, including the fenders. I had planned to simply paint over the original Taigen paint scheme but, on reflection, decided to strip all the paint back to the bare plastic - which wasn't quite as easy as I thought - I must admit the paint they use now appears pretty tough and I suspect they are using an acrylic lacquer now (good);

Before moving to the detail of the upper hull I wanted to strengthen it somewhat as it is quite flimsy and the extra weight of various planned upgrades was likely to put further stress on the structure. In truth it would probably be OK but to be sure I introducing bracing across the hull as well as adding polystyrene reinforcement. In addition I Added angled braces to the side armour which I designed and 3D printed. These were set at the correct angle for the sides of the hull and would correct a problem I had with this tank having a gap along the rear edge of the side plates (pointed to earlier in this thread);

To this I added a little paint to tidy up;

What I didn't anticipate, however, was the stresses on the sides of the abs hull caused by the braces themselves. In forcing the sides to the correct angle the unforeseen was cracking appearing in and around the posts that quick lock on to the lower hull and around the engine deck vents (dohhh) Consequently some further remedial work was in order;

Once the repair work was done I then turned to the upside of the hull and having finished removing all the Taigen paint gave the whole a coating of Mr Hobby's Mr Oxide Red Surfacer 1000 which I can thoroughly recommend. It dries very quickly and leaves tough finish that fills minor imperfections without unduly clouding details;

Following this I started on the photo-etched fenders. These were pretty tricky to get right. I had laboured over whether or not to upgrade the fenders with the photo-etched stuff at all as, given this was to be a working RC tank, it wasn't clear the thin brass fenders would be adequate to the job, even though they looked so much better. To be honest I was persuaded of pushing ahead with the fender upgrade when following Herman Bix's build thread on his Panther No.111 and decided to do likewise in terms of heavily supporting the undersides with a liberal portion of epoxy resin, etc;

By the time I'd got to the end of installing the fender kit what become immediately apparent was that whilst the side rails were fairly well supported the those curved mudguards up front were far too flimsy for a running RC tank - especially at this size and weight. Hence the introduction of some structural reinforcements on the underside. These were fashioned from brass and screwed into the hull- ok from the underneath its not going to look so good but it's not on show or even easily spotted from above;

At this point I begun working on some of the upper hull detailing itself. This turned out to be a far more protracted process than I had envisaged, although it was also in many ways very intesting and rewarding. Here are a couple of the components, the drivers periscope cover and the travel lock;

The travel lock in particular was a bit of a pain. It consists of 44 individual links and works just like a bicycle chain when completed. However, putting it together is a test of nerve because the fear of dropping a link and it falling into that vortex calleds ever present 'the floor' is ever present (there are three spares on the sprue as it turns out).

To be continued.............

[Dr Phibes]

"As a result I think I have become, with this build, somewhat even more obsessive with detail than usual...." And, I insist, you have become (probably already were) remarkably skilled. Your effort is admirable; the results are remarkable.

Herr Dr. you are always too kind, but I thank you all the same

[PainlessWolf]

Doc Phibes!,
Beautiful work (as per par ). I hear you on the Storage Bins. On the current Jagdpanther Build, I used the tops and bottom support plate only after opening up the Taigen plastic Bins. I did make the lids operable but have them latched down currently. I looked at the tiny locks and had a good chuckle and left them off in case I ever did want to open up a bin lid again. Following along still.
regards,
Painless