Tamiya 1.35 Panther.

[outrunner]

Been doing a bit with the panther over the last day or so.
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Easy enough to put together but I am not happy with the paintwork, I reckon I need an intensive course to get my head around this airbrush stuff. The paint on the Scania I built came out fine, but it was just one main colour on flat surfaces. I can see this thing getting a few more coats of paint before I am done with it.

Andy.

[Guest]

I can’t say that model screams “badly painted” at me. What do you think is wrong with it?

[outrunner]

I can’t say that model screams “badly painted” at me. What do you think is wrong with it?

I just think it could be better but perhaps I am being too critical of what I am doing. There is obviously a lot more in the way of painting stuff, chipping and weathering to do so it might be OK at the end of the job. Not looking forward to doing the tracks, I cope better with wheels, next bit of armour will have lots of wheels.


Andy.

[Guest]

What, even more than a Panther?

[Guest]

Andy,
You have to remember these things were repainted in the field, and by crews that were not entirely experts.
As for your airbrush work, leave it as it is, and once the weathering has been applied you will notice the difference - the worst critic of a model is the person that has built it...
Mike.

[Bortig the Viking]

I would agree with the above, it looks good to me, I felt the same way with two tanks I did, then with weathering, washes etc it started to change, in the end it really came together. You're doing well, keep at it.

[outrunner]

Thanks for the encouragement guys, perhaps I am being too critical, after all, it is my first venture into the world of armour.

Andy.

[Steve Jones]

I agree with everthing the guys have said. I can understand why you are not perfectly happy with the look as there are a couple of paint splurts and a little bit of uneveness but thats nothing - trust me :smiling5: . Airbrushing camo does take practice but if this is your first attempt then you are nearly there. Its all about being confident where you want the camo to go and keep the airbrush going until you get to an end piece and then stop. You have done well to match the pattern of the hull with the pattern on the turret. Did you use reference photos for the pattern or is it your own design? After the weathering process a lot of the pattern will be hidden and you can always add a little more dust pigments to the areas you dont like. Personally I would not be unhappy with this attempt and you should now look forward to pushing on and trying out some of those new weathering techniques. Great stuff Andy

[scottie3158]

I agree with Steve and the others so don't be to critical of yourself.

[outrunner]

Again, thanks all for the opinions and advice, I am sure it will all turn out OK.

You have done well to match the pattern of the hull with the pattern on the turret. Did you use reference photos for the pattern or is it your own design?

I did look at the box art and decided I would just randomly paint it which I believe was the way it was done in the field.

Andy.

[Guest]

Well, they probably didn’t do it randomly, but essentially, with ca. 1943–44 German vehicles, you can paint them any way you like as long as they’re dark yellow underneath with olive green and/or red brown over it, and it looks like it would reasonably camouflage the vehicle. This is because at the time, vehicles were painted by their crews, and if there was any standardisation, it probably didn’t come from any higher than the commander of the platoon (five vehicles) or company (three platoons) in question.

[outrunner]

Been busy out on the bike this last few days but now I reckon this is done, well, as much as I am going to do to it right now until I develop a bit more painting skills. I did try a bit of chipping but that did not turn out well so more practise needed. Nowhere near the quality usually seen on this forum, but you have to start somewhere I suppose.
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I need to buy more pigments and paints to do this type of armour justice and put in a fair bit of time trying to improve my methods.

Andy.

[Steve Jones]

Nicely done Andy. Glad you learned a few things to take forward to your next project. Any thoughts on what you are going to build next?

[outrunner]

Nicely done Andy. Glad you learned a few things to take forward to your next project. Any thoughts on what you are going to build next?

Thanks for the kind comments and likes on this build, perhaps I am too critical of my progress but I think I could have done better. I know it would have looked a bit better with a coat of matt varnish to dull things down a bit but I keep forgetting to order the stuff.
Steve, to answer your question, probably something with tyres, I do like models with tyres, I have a Zvezda Bumerang under the bench but I may just get one of those rocket launchers that are truck mounted, we shall seehow things go as a couple of my bike meets have been cancelled so far I will need something to do in the next few months.


Andy.

[spanner570]

That looks just fine Andy.
I'm a real fan of these cheapo Tamiya Panthers. I have three.

I'm not for a minute suggesting you should with yours, 'cos its a great job, but I use one for experimenting on. I try something new and then paint over it all and try something else!

As you have discovered, they also make up into an excellent model and left in peace!