RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Got a couple of projects sprung on me from the guy that paints & supplies figures.
This one is a very well presented 'Disc-Cam' Panther.
As the Tamiya tanks open up completely, it makes fitting tow cables in the recently used position a bit hard.
He has asked me to make him 4 tow rope kits for Panthers & jagdpanthers so he can retro fit them to completed builds.

I will admit to having rather a (In the words of Rik out of the Yong Ones) runny bottom due to nerves when 'A' an expensive Tamiya is presented for retro-work
'B' Said expensive Tamiya is in a completed state
'C' Said expensive Tamiya is owned by the only person I actually in real life know that can make figures NOT look like pissed clowns on the way to a Mardi-Gras

I gently removed the factory rear deck cable mounts & dressed the spot where the new mounts will go.
Folded two new mounts out of brass flat bar & drilled pin holes across.
I used a dress making pin through each on the bottom to help secure them to the hull with Gel super glue.
I will add chains & pins to these, and drill the front cable retainers for pins as well.
I shortened the cables to length being carefull to allow enough to fit over or around the currently absent spare track links on the rear.

Then make another 3 sets that e can fit as required.

Her also wants me to construct and fit the classy Schumo MG on the cupola mount................
These things are just beautiful & look so fragile, so this will be a great education for me.

Herman much luck with that beautiful work of art you have there I can see what you mean that things superb. I'm sure you will do well with your surgical precision skills

Until now I was hesitant to use those supplied cables. Do these look good when painted? In comparison to those Aber or the new Shumo cables the "eyes" seem to be a bit off in scale.

those panthers are gorgeous. The lizard-flage is very striking too.

Superb work Herman! As usual

Soeren wrote:Until now I was hesitant to use those supplied cables. Do these look good when painted? In comparison to those Aber or the new Shumo cables the "eyes" seem to be a bit off in scale.

Hi mate, i do not like how they look when painten, chips of falling paint always been a problem for me, so years ago i tried the blueing process: got steel wire of the correct gauge, old oil engine, an old brush, a piece of wood, some nails and a dremel blowtorch

The wood and nails i used to conform the final shape desired for the wire
Then soak the wire with oil and start to burn it.
Repeat until the colour is of your like

Best regards

Yes, it is a problem with paint sticking to the metal. Oil and blowtorch sound like a plan. Thx.

The eye is a little off, but not by much. Are those Taigen/Asiatam? I used those on my PzIIIM. Painting them was a problem. Primer doesn't stick well and neither does the paint. Using both seems to add to their gauge and detract from their realism. What I liked about the Schumo cables that I used on my PzIVG were the steel cables. I didn't need primer...just some diluted dark paint and rust chips from a steel patio table. Picture hanging wire will work well. The burnt oil is a great idea.

Son of a gun-ner wrote:

Marc780 wrote:The lizard-flage is very striking too.

No, I can't hold it back, and I know I run the risk of looking more dumb than I already do.

What the hell is a lizard flange?

Mick.

I think is was supposed to read "lizard-flage"
The disc camo pattern.

Ive got one of these Panthers back on the bench to fit a set of Aber skirts.
The owner wants them to be very robust, so Ive not used the aber hangers.
I have made a set of brass flat bar hooks back to back soldered together, removed all the tamiya mounts and secured the fender strips with PVA glue along the entire length of them.
Drilled holes through each of the hanger positions and secured the new brass hooks with high impact super glue, supported again with PVA.
Now I know that the look of made hangers is not the same as the Aber diamonds, but these will stay on under impact and allow easy removal of skirt plates as required.
Its destined to be the Herman Goering Div tank R01 I believe, disc camo on the skirts & different hull etc.

Half the hangers are on, 6 to go.

Looking the goods so far.

Its done. No pics handy tho. Will put them up over the week.
im onto the PzIV schurzen now, all brass, hell of a job that is, but it will be well worth the effort once its finished.
A Taigen all metal with the new version 2 electronics..................really nice hardware and huge improvement in the sound file with the funky reader it has now.