Panther G Steel Wheel Conversion

[Jochen1944]

I'm about to embark on a Panther G upgrade project. I've already got a Heng Long Tiger 1 Late project under my belt (Wittmans 205 of course) and have been inspired to build a "Peiper Panther" after reading Duel in the Mist. As a result I want to make a late Panther G, with the steel wheel conversion. I've come across several references to steel wheels on this forum, but no clear guidance on which upgrade wheels will fit the Heng Long Panther G. I get the impression its not a simple swap. Advice please guys.

[jeff1101]

I am planning to order HL wheels for the Tiger II. (The outer wheel) as I will try to fit them to my HL Panther G to see if they match. I will not try a complete conversion to steel wheels as I will only try to replicate the late version Panther Gs that have the steel wheel at the very last station.

There are some difference as the pictures of real Panther Gs with steel wheels seem to have a different wheel hub appearance to the stock Tiger II steel wheels but I will try if I can modify mine once I get them. Will let you know.

Also I read (I'm not sure for certain, maybe some others can correct me) that only the MAN company experimented with fitting steel wheels on Panther G/F tanks. This means Daimler Benz and MNH did not produce steel wheeled variants of Panthers. I only mention this so that you can put the markings correctly on your tank once its completed. MAN, MNH, and Daimler Benz painted their respective Panther Gs quite differently from the factory, such as the location of the Balken-Kruez and camouflage details. You can check out the El Mito Pdf article about late model panther paint schemes. (Just do a search 'El Mito camouflage PDF' in google)

[jeff1101]

Also I think Eastern Front did a panther F (or was it panther II) using all steel wheels. I don't know though if he used Tamiya instead of Heng long as base.

[mustclime]

in case you need the info....good luck

[Jochen1944]

Thanks for the info. I'm wondering if the steel wheel upgrades you can buy will fit on the HL Panther hubs. I'm presuming the wheel diameter is compatible, but the hubs worry me. When my Panther arrives later this week, I'll compare it with the steel wheels on my late HL Tiger I.

[tanks_for_the_memory]

Welcome to the forum!

I've been working on a mid-production Tiger from Wittman's battalion - so get posting pics of yours!

And isn't Duel in the Mist a fantastic book? Lots of ideas for anyone modelling late war Panthers...

[DUQ]

Weren't the 18 bolt road wheels added much later on, such as 1943-44?