Static Jagdpanther RC Conversion

[B_Man]

A few months ago I picked up a static Tamiya Jagdpanther kit off eBay for a pretty good price. I've been mulling over converting one of these to RC for a couple of years and with a bit more spare time on my hands due to COVID the timing was spot on.



It also came with a few extras:




After a frustrating experience a few years ago I have steered clear of photo etch but it's time to give it another go. Over the last few months I've been doing some reading on Jagdpanthers and collecting parts so it's time to kick this build off. Just a warning, with work, kids and other things my tank time is very limited so this isn't one of those threads that will have updates every few days. My last build took a few years and I still haven't finished painting the commander figure. Hopefully this one will be much quicker but with plenty of rain this year it looks like a good fishing season is coming up so I cant make any promises.

Anyhow, onto the build.

[ronnie42]

Like the tow cables , see the eyelets are pre bent. Need to look for a set now as i thought it was the usual Aber fiddly bending setup.

[B_Man]

One of the main issues with converting this kit to RC is the lack of gearboxes, or more specifically, the lack of third party gearboxes that will fit this hull. The angle on the front of the Panther hull leaves very little room for the gearbox and any options with more than a few millimeters in front of the drive shafts wont fit without some major modifications. The obvious answer to this is Tamiya gearboxes but they are expensive, hard to source, and in my opinion, not that great.

After many hours looking at pictures of gearboxes on the web I decided to bite the bullet and order a PDSGB. These are also pricey but from what I've seen they are rock solid and can be fairly quickly swapped out to another tank which is perfect for me. I have a few models now and they spend most of the year looking pretty on a shelf in my garage so it really doesn't make sense for me to have a few hundred dollars in unused internals in each one. Going forward, I'm aiming to reuse my existing Elmod Fusion Pro and this PDSGB in future builds and make them as easy to swap as possible.

The slow boat from Hong Kong finally arrived today and as I suspected the PDSGB wasn't a straight fit either. It was close but not quite there so after a bit of thought I decided to break out the dremel and cut some more holes in the front of the hull.





As Tamiya also used this method to fit their gearboxes it seemed like the best option. I had no intention of using Tamiya's sticker to cover the holes and instead planned to cover them with styrene so i didn't take a lot of care with the cutting and took out more than was needed.



The gearbox is about 1mm out from the front of the hull. My next step it to cut out a piece of 1mm styrene with gaps for the gearbox and another piece of .5mm styrene to cover the lot. This will obviously add 2mm to the front of the hull but it's a good compromise and not likely to be that noticeable. Sadly I'm out of 1mm sheets so a trip to the hobby shop is in my future.



After a quick test fit everything seems to go together nicely now.

[43rdRecceReg]

I'll follow your progress with keen interest, B.
You've already seen my current effort, to inject life into the display version of Tamiya's tasty looking Jagdpanther. If building one of these were like the Grand national steeplechase, many would fall- or refuse- at the first fence. That's the one where the static model needs gearboxes to attach to, and drive, the supplied sprockets. Like you, I looked at alternatives. Tamiya Panther/Jagdpather boxes are expensive and (when I began my project) were, in any event, unobtainable.
I was seriously tempted by the custom made ETO transmissions. The not only look good (beautifully engineered), but should also be a good fit in Jagdpanther, but also allow the sprockets to be fitted in the correct position. However, at $265- plus doubtless extortionate shipping, import duties...etc...they're way beyond of my spending limits.
Tamiya gearboxes are pretty much identical, apart from the output shaft length. I have other Tamiya gearboxes, but it seems impossible to buy the output shafts needed to adapt them for Panther/Jagdpanther use. So- I took the boxes out of my Panther and put them in the Jagdpanther. I prefer the Jagdpanther to the Panther, just on the basis of looks. I'm not really sure why.

Anyway, it will be fascinating to see what you can do with the PDSGB, and an Elmod (an option I also considered ).

[B_Man]

I spent a long time looking at gearbox options and the ETO boxes were certainly in the mix and likely would have gone in much easier but like you I just couldn't justify the cost for the limited use this model will likely get. There was also a German manufacturer that offered a very similar design to the ETO version in kit form but it was still over budget.
I did manage to track down a hobby shop in Germany that had Tamiya gearboxes at very reasonable prices but they don't ship internationally. I tried to use a mail forwarder to get around it but they only accept payment via direct bank transfer so that forced my hand with the PDSGB. Anyway, I don't think I'll regret my choice when it's up an running.

[43rdRecceReg]

I spent a long time looking at gearbox options and the ETO boxes were certainly in the mix and likely would have gone in much easier but like you I just couldn't justify the cost for the limited use this model will likely get. There was also a German manufacturer that offered a very similar design to the ETO version in kit form but it was still over budget.
I did manage to track down a hobby shop in Germany that had Tamiya gearboxes at very reasonable prices but they don't ship internationally. I tried to use a mail forwarder to get around it but they only accept payment via direct bank transfer so that forced my hand with the PDSGB. Anyway, I don't think I'll regret my choice when it's up an running.

The German hobby shop would most likely be : https://www.modellbau-seidel.de/index.p ... odelle.web
They have an amazing array of Tamiya products but, as you discovered, don't mail them outside of Germany Again, that was an option I looked at, but couldn't use.
Still, Seidel's catalogue of parts/part numbers can be useful for identifying bits needed for projects. Indeed, I used their pics in my 'Tamiya Info File' thread here on RCTW.

PDSGB gearboxes are certainly creating a fanbase here, so I'll be keen to see what you make of them.

[Xiaoshan_Sailor]

You'll like the PDSGB - I'm getting a custom set for my Hetzer from FMP, DKLM"s manufacturer, a couple hours north of me. They also supply them several hulls & a few other goodies. Excellent product! You'll be quite happy with your purchase.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28709&p=276124&hili ... er#p276124

[B_Man]

After a few hours of tank time on Sunday I have a quick update on this project. Not a very exciting update but an important step in getting this thing moving eventually.

I had originally planned to simplify things a bit by modifying the Tamiya drive sprocket to fit the PDSGB drive shaft and use the plastic tracks. Unfortunately Tamiya have gone with solid guide horns which just doesn't look right to me so I decided to have a look at third party options which would also save me modifying the sprockets. After some searching on the web it looks like Mato are one of the only suppliers that does the hollow guide horns on their panther tracks so I ordered a set from Hong Kong.

The package arrived last week and all looks good. The Mato drive sprockets are slightly larger than the Tamiya version but the detail looks good. The Mato Idler wheels are noticeably smaller and have an ugly hole in the centre but I don't intend to use them anyway. The tracks look great. They are the same width as the Tamiya tracks and the guide horns are the dimensions so should work with the rest of the running gear.

With the sprockets and tracks on hand it was time to break out the calipers and do some thinking about how best to mount the gearbox. As expected none of the pre-drilled holes line up and the quick release nature of the PDSGB limits where fixings can go and how high they can be. After a few dry runs to make sure everything lined up I decided to drill some new holes in the hull and attach with some 16mm M3 bolts.



On tightening the nuts I realised the PDSGB plate is fairly soft metal and easily bowed so I cut some thick styrene blocks from scrap I had laying around and glued them to the hull floor to give some support. I also covered the existing holes that wont be used with scrap styrene.



PDSGB is in.



Tolerances are reasonably tight but the sprockets spin freely.



And the top hull fits. Hopefully the motors wont cause issues with the main gun later down the track.



Then it was time to break our the styrene strips and sort out the unsightly hack job I did on the front of the hull. I used JB Weld to make up a simple frame and left it to cure. Later this week I will cut a section of .2mm styrene to cover it all and give it a hit of primer.

[Estnische]

Good to see some progress. Your photos came out smaller this time?

[B_Man]

Good to see some progress. Your photos came out smaller this time?

I think I might have used a different option on the website I use to upload photos. If you click on them it should open a larger version but I'll see if I can sort it out for the next update.