Ok, this is technically my second tank although I count this as my first since the first one, which I built last week, was a T34/76 that was used to get started and get into the whole world of building scale models again. It's now pretty much banged up, burned and rusted, from being hit. It served a purpose to get going.
Anyhow, this is not about a broken T34 - this is about the Jagdpanther!
When I two-ish weeks ago decided to get into tank building I quickly made a long list of tanks and armoured vehicles I wanted to build.
Upon finding a local-ish hobby store with a descent selection of manufacturers and models the list grew even longer and I decided to limit my initial purchase to three models. One to make all the initial errors with and then two proper tanks, and like so many before me I chose a Jagdtiger Sd.Kfz.173 and the Tiger Sd.Kfz.181.
I'd seen some people using photo etched parts but they were out of these parts where I ordered and I wasn't going to wait for parts to arrive. I wanted to build right away!
From what I'd read Tamiya had reasonably well detailed models with not too many parts to assemble. Personally I love the assembly part of the build so in the future I will get one of those really detailed models, complete with interior and hopefully engines etc.
Documentation was pretty ok after I'd read it a couple of times in order to understand how it worked. It wasn't 100% obvious initially and the fact that this kit obviously share sprues with the sibling Panther Sd.Kfz.171 took some time to realise.
I didn't want to assemble the wheels prior to painting so they are unmounted until they are painted. I also didn't glue the main gun to the upper half, nor did I glue the barrel to the rest of the gun assembly to make it easier to paint - and because I was afraid I was going to do something I'd regret later. Better to avoid gluing some major parts in the beginning until I get more experience. Much easier to glue than to un-glue something... No ctrl-z in real life.
Here are the parts prepped for a priming and this is where I've got an internal debate whether I should prime them with rotbraun (which I don't have at home) or if I should stick to the original plan to prime everything with black and then add a white highlight layer before the real colours? This is not going to be a banged up model. In fact I want to build it almost factory new, in the correct camo pattern for the period - but some minor weathering from whatever normal dust and scuff-marks a tank would receive on its way to the battlefield.
I will try to do some minor chipping to begin learning the technique, but in this case less is more I think.
Interior will be white and only some selected parts will be detailed with colour.
I think I'm going to sleep on this and decide tomorrow about priming!
A few observations so far on the Jagdpanther is that it lacks an antenna, but the mount is there. (see last picture) Should be easy enough to create an antenna by melting, and drawing out, a piece of the sprue. I read about this somewhere I think?
Two holes were missing, but this could be due to Jagdpanther and Panther sharing parts. I opted to cut the pins rather than drilling the two missing holes.
Side armour plates are not meant to be one piece, but from a manufacturers point of view I understand this. I will cut mine apart before assembly and painting so they can be slightly askew/irregular. I've debated whether to leave them off, but a almost factory new December 1944 Jagdpanther would have the side armour on so I guess they're staying.
The commander has got a belt. None of the pictures of the German tank division uniforms I've got has got a belt, but that doesn't mean someone put a belt on? Minor detail I guess...
Included tracks... Oh dear. I love to not have to assemble link by link and then doing some über complex glueup this early - but the soft polymer tracks this kit came with isn't as nice as the rest of the kit. It's also way too tight and this also made the choice for the side armour easier to make.
Wouldn't most tanks in late 1944 and early 1945 have Zimmerit or had they abandoned this by now? This tank will be without zimmerit for sure in order not to make this a very long project...
Also I'd like to add wires where appropriate since it's missing from the headlight and the commanders headphones, but perhaps I should ignore such things on my first builds in order to learn?
This kit doesn't seem to need any putty or filler - unlike the T34, but some parts required more sanding than others - but all in all it was very little touching up to do! I will buy more Tamiya kits for sure.
I hope I don't make too many mistakes on this my first proper build, but I believe in learning from my mistakes and we'll se how much I've learned when I call this done?!
Anyhow, this is not about a broken T34 - this is about the Jagdpanther!
When I two-ish weeks ago decided to get into tank building I quickly made a long list of tanks and armoured vehicles I wanted to build.
Upon finding a local-ish hobby store with a descent selection of manufacturers and models the list grew even longer and I decided to limit my initial purchase to three models. One to make all the initial errors with and then two proper tanks, and like so many before me I chose a Jagdtiger Sd.Kfz.173 and the Tiger Sd.Kfz.181.
I'd seen some people using photo etched parts but they were out of these parts where I ordered and I wasn't going to wait for parts to arrive. I wanted to build right away!
From what I'd read Tamiya had reasonably well detailed models with not too many parts to assemble. Personally I love the assembly part of the build so in the future I will get one of those really detailed models, complete with interior and hopefully engines etc.
Documentation was pretty ok after I'd read it a couple of times in order to understand how it worked. It wasn't 100% obvious initially and the fact that this kit obviously share sprues with the sibling Panther Sd.Kfz.171 took some time to realise.
I didn't want to assemble the wheels prior to painting so they are unmounted until they are painted. I also didn't glue the main gun to the upper half, nor did I glue the barrel to the rest of the gun assembly to make it easier to paint - and because I was afraid I was going to do something I'd regret later. Better to avoid gluing some major parts in the beginning until I get more experience. Much easier to glue than to un-glue something... No ctrl-z in real life.
Here are the parts prepped for a priming and this is where I've got an internal debate whether I should prime them with rotbraun (which I don't have at home) or if I should stick to the original plan to prime everything with black and then add a white highlight layer before the real colours? This is not going to be a banged up model. In fact I want to build it almost factory new, in the correct camo pattern for the period - but some minor weathering from whatever normal dust and scuff-marks a tank would receive on its way to the battlefield.
I will try to do some minor chipping to begin learning the technique, but in this case less is more I think.
Interior will be white and only some selected parts will be detailed with colour.
I think I'm going to sleep on this and decide tomorrow about priming!
A few observations so far on the Jagdpanther is that it lacks an antenna, but the mount is there. (see last picture) Should be easy enough to create an antenna by melting, and drawing out, a piece of the sprue. I read about this somewhere I think?
Two holes were missing, but this could be due to Jagdpanther and Panther sharing parts. I opted to cut the pins rather than drilling the two missing holes.
Side armour plates are not meant to be one piece, but from a manufacturers point of view I understand this. I will cut mine apart before assembly and painting so they can be slightly askew/irregular. I've debated whether to leave them off, but a almost factory new December 1944 Jagdpanther would have the side armour on so I guess they're staying.
The commander has got a belt. None of the pictures of the German tank division uniforms I've got has got a belt, but that doesn't mean someone put a belt on? Minor detail I guess...
Included tracks... Oh dear. I love to not have to assemble link by link and then doing some über complex glueup this early - but the soft polymer tracks this kit came with isn't as nice as the rest of the kit. It's also way too tight and this also made the choice for the side armour easier to make.
Wouldn't most tanks in late 1944 and early 1945 have Zimmerit or had they abandoned this by now? This tank will be without zimmerit for sure in order not to make this a very long project...
Also I'd like to add wires where appropriate since it's missing from the headlight and the commanders headphones, but perhaps I should ignore such things on my first builds in order to learn?
This kit doesn't seem to need any putty or filler - unlike the T34, but some parts required more sanding than others - but all in all it was very little touching up to do! I will buy more Tamiya kits for sure.
I hope I don't make too many mistakes on this my first proper build, but I believe in learning from my mistakes and we'll se how much I've learned when I call this done?!
Comment