Tanks & Trolls

Panther

Athough it had a disastrous combat debut, the Panther matured to become one of the best all-round German tanks of the war.

Conceived as a response to the Russian T-34, the Panther featured sloped frontal armour, wide tracks, a powerful engine and a good gun. As a result, it had good mobility, especially on rough terrain, and was available in large enough numbers to make a difference in many battles'

The model below is based on the Hen Long RC kit, ripped all the internals out, replaced them with the Tamiya King Tiger parts. A bit of modding here a dash of paint there and you have yourself a reasonable 1/16 Panther, close enough to pass my low standards anyhow ;O)

features - turret rotation, gun traverse and recoil, muzzle flash, battle system and working, throttle linked exhausts!

For a more accurate model check out the new Tamiya Panther here!

The turret was moved forward slightly to try and gain a little more proportion to the real thing, originally waaaaaay too far back!	Ready to ambush those unsuspecting allied convoys!	My usual trademark stowage, nice 'n busy, just how I like 'em :O)
The track links were spare from my Tiger 1, notice the Panzerfausts above the tube	'Meet my new friend, Mr MG'	The rear deck cluttered with stowage. The engine grill covers are made from aluminium mesh, available from local auto shops, nice n cheap :)
Back of the tank, Hodge Podge Heaven!	Turret detail	Note the Panzerfausts, a little insurance..
Right hand side, tow cables are simply twisted electrical wire	Was in two minds about adding the Swastika ID flag as some people can be a little touchy but I felt it needed a blaze of colour to offset the camo, Hey, its made from toilet roll, a fitting tribute to Hitler and his SS cronies don't you think ;O)	Showing the armour plates and you can juts work out the modified domed inner wheels
The obligatory 'bearing down on you' view..	Nice top down view, in general the model is a little out of proportion, a little wide around the middle, eating too many Shermans!	The barrel is actually from the available easy Eight kit, the original one on the model is way too thick and just looks silly!
This shows most of the mods to the Panther before painting, main ones being sloping that awful front and making the domes and bolt heads for the wheels. Also changed the barrel and added the appropriate muzzle break, all in all a fun project!	Everything fits in there as snug as a bug in a rug