Another big German tank finished. This time a Panther. So far my Panther brigades are made up of Plastic Soldier Company vehicles and one from Zvezda. Dragon kits are always a special treat, they are great to put together. I always keep one eye on the Dragon USA web site as they often have special deals with kits going as cheap as USD 8-10. That is a great saving over anywhere else. It is very rare that Dragon kits come up on eBay for resale, and if they do they are quite often priced higher than buying from the source. So where is the value in that?
The moulding and detail on this kit is of the usual high standard I would expect from Dragon kits. The running gear is very clever as it is moulded in rows making sure each level of wheels is straight. It also saves on time but does not reduce the realism. The tracks are the nice soft type that fit very easily and can be glued to produce sag on the top of the wheels. Oh what a relief after fighting for days with a face full of superglue wrestling with those old Esci tracks! The detail is very delicate and a different level to the Plastic Soldier Company models. The only addition I made was the plastic aerial on the back. The side skirts are optional and are nice and thin. In hindsight I wish I had made some damage to one of them like on the box art. Next time.
My paint job started out well. A nice covering of sandy dunkelb, followed by camo green and red brown patches with my brush. Then I over sprayed with my Tamiya dark yellow to fade everything out. Unfortunately I am still experimenting with my weathering. So I think this time I overdid it with the chipping and lost some of the impact. As always its a learning experience, so next time I will take it easy with my sponge. I used decals supplied with the kit from the two options you get.
This is a great kit. Much better than some of Dragon’s other “fast build” type offerings I have built. I think to hide some of my average painting I will add some extra foliage branches and stuff like that. In case you are wondering I had to take photos on a bit of white paper as my table is all packed away for renovations. I think I need a stronger light source for my photos! Next I have a vintage Esci Panther, oh no back to the horrible tracks of death……….
Great paint job ,I’m with you on the weathering stuff ,I’m still learning after all this time !!
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yes that’s why its so much fun – you just don’t stop learning! I need to learn less is more Pat!
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Very nice! I really do like the cam, with a lot of small green and brown patches – it does look really good. Hopefully you can put skirts on your ESCI Panther and save yourself a lot of bother with the top run of track!
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Thanks John. I have finished the Esci Panther and had to re drill and fix the front sprockets with wire and managed to superglue the shit out of the vinyl tracks. So no sideskirts – I didn’t want to hide my efforts!!! Photos next week!
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Excellent work again C M. A playful ‘cat’ for the hedgerows of Normandy and those dull colored Allied tanks. Michael
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Thanks Michael. I am going to lineup all my Panthers soon for a comparison shot. meow.
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That looks great- the Panther has mean lines which you have really brought out here.
I agree with you that Dragon models are lovely… shame they cost so much….
Cheers,
Pete.
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Yes – but check out the Dragon USA site and you can sometimes get a bargain Pete.
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Just came across your Blog by accident. Very impressive! Great job on the Panther. I see your in Australia (like me) and wondered what State your in?
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Hey Greg I am down in South Australia. Glad you like the blog. If I didn’t have to work for a living I would be doing much more of this.
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Nicely painted Colonel, great camouflage scheme
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