Winter Panther with 18 Grenadiers.

[Rob59]

Hello Folks.
Started a new Panther project.
This is the original picture taken somewhere at the Ostfront:

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A while ago I intended doing the same project with a HL Panther too, but after finishing the Hinterhalt Tarnung, I did like the result too much to screw it up with a white wash.
Maybe some of you might remember that project:

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A few weeks ago I found a HL Panther on the Dutch selling site Marktplaats with the TK-7.0 for €120.
Decided to take it and make a real Winter Panther of it this time.
The one in the original pic, probably is an Ausf-D or even an A, don‘t know.
I won‘t rebuild this G into one of the earlier versions.
What I will do is this:
6 Schürzen on each side, out of one piece aluminum.
Grills out of a kitchen seeve.
Adding the 2 spare roadwheels on both rear sides.
Hinterhalt Tarnung camo scheme.
Opening the driver‘s hatch.
Remove the on/off switch out of the Funker‘s hatch towards the stowage bin on the rear right side of the heck. Otherwise the Funker figure won‘t fit.
Take off the Flammvernichter exhaust system and replace it by 2 early style exhausts out of metal. I need to do this to get some clearance for the 4 Grenadier‘s legs, sitting on the heck.

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[Rob59]

I once bought a Tiger 1, also on Marktplaats, and when it arrived the maingun was broken into 2 pieces, exhausts broken off and more of that anoying stuff.
So I talked about it with the seller of this Panther!
No I did not need to worry, never would happen with what he ships.
This is how my Panther arrived:

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MG at the bow broken off.
Both tracks broken into pieces.
Spare tracks broken off.


All this due to bad packaging!
It was just thrown into the wooden crate it came in.
Very anoying, always wondering what they would think if they would receive a package like this???
With a little effort, almost everything should arrive in one piece.
Wrote him a message about it, but all he said was he was sorry some things broke off.
Needless to talk any more with this guy, would only bring me more frustrations!

[Rob59]

Made a start with the grills on the engine deck.
Won‘t see much of it later with all the guys riding the Panther.
Also covered up the Kampfraumheizung, it‘s Winter after all…..
Later I will ad the Pizza parts.

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[Rob59]

Did remove the on/off switch:

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[Rob59]

Took out the driver‘s hatch

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[Rob59]

As you might have noticed in the previous pic, tactical numbers and Hinterhalt Tarnung have been done too.

[Rob59]

Exhaust system.
Took off the Flammvernichter with everything that goes with it.
Never use the smokers anyway!
This is the metal set

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Drilles some holes to make sure it will stay where I want them to stay!

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Next I took some electricity wires, cut off the plastic protection and stick it into the system

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Cut it into the proper lenght and glues both parts together

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[Rob59]

Next step, spare roadwheels.
These came with the set of Grenadiers I got from Ali, which I did not expect!
But the quality is lousy, so to say.
Once mounted they never have to come off again.
Painted them in Nato Green from Tamiya which comes the green HL uses, pretty close

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Used 2 nail/wheel besides glue, to secure them onto the upper hull.
I also drilled out the bolts printed onto the roadwheels

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[Rob59]

Painted both tracks with Humbrol Matt 160 enamel, and no.90 silver

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[Rob59]

The Schürzen.
Decided to ad 6 each side this time instead of the 5 the G models normally have.
The real one in the pic in my first post has 6, so I had to make 6 too.
Thise 6 are slightly less high compared to the 5 on the later models:

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This Panther project was not planned, so I did not have enough brass to make the Schürzen detachable. To do that, I would have needed more brass which I bought for some upcoming StuG en Panzer III projects.
By making the 6 in one piece, I only needed 3 brackets/side.

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