1/72 Zvezda Panther D

[Mikey]

It's been a while. I slapped this kit together over the weekend and it was a nice build. But the weekend ended all too soon. All I have is a base paint job on it. No zim, no weathering.









The kit has some curious engineering, but once assembled the details are quite good. Better than I expected by far.

I drilled out the smoke generators and the gun tube. Both were molded solid and that's the only things I modified. Without a proper bench to work on I seriously lack the motivation these days to do much more than that.

I'm sure those of you who have or had 50+ hour work weeks like I do can understand.

I'm saving some seriously nice kits for when I have the proper space setup. I've collected quite a bit more lol.

Anywho, I'm happy with the base paint. It's fairly authentic and looks as neat as one would expect a nice slab of German armor to appear in that period.

I'm unsure if the early Kursk Panthers had a zim application or if that came after that battle. Either way I left it off because I don't have the confidence to try it with putty or anything else in this scale. So it is sans zimmerit.

Good little kit. Pleasure to build. I'm looking forward to finishing it.

[BlackSheep214]

Looks pretty good!!

[mostrich]

Ha, on a weekend I'd be able to open the box and clip some parts off the sprues. Well done!
I really dig the camo, and since those tanks were thrown into battle and a few days later blown up, weathering is not a big deal in this case. Maybe a few pigments on the tracks, but that can be done anytime later. Also the small modifications are well placed and add to the outcome of the model. Hope there will be a proper workspace for you, soon!

And Zim? Who cares for Zim?

(Invader Zim is a Nickelodeon cartoon series from 2001)

[Stikpusher]

Nice weekend build! It sure looks the part of a Kursk Panther. Those had a very short service life as most were lost to mechanical breakdown in the first few days of battle. And then having just come off the production line and being shipped East.
As far as the Zimmerit goes, I believe that started showing up in the late summer of ‘43 on the battle field. And how does one do 1/72 zimmerit anyways?

[BorgR3mc0]

Nice Panther!

[Modelcrazy]

I've been eyeballing this kit for a while. I really like 1/72 armor. They usually have good detail and are soooo cute!!.
You did a great job on it,especially if you don't have a proper bench.

[Mikey]

Thanks guys! I added the decals and misted.it with a 50/50 mix of clear and buff. That toned it down enough to my liking. I also did a.bit of a pin wash with Vallejo's European dust wash. Since it was a flat finish it did stain a little. Looks good, but could look better with some more strategic applications. No pictures yet. Sorry.

[dmminiatures]

Great week-end kit. always good to finish something over the weekend. helps the good-spirit up for Monday Manic

[Duke Maddog]

That looks fantastic Mikey! The camo pattern is most impressive. I agree with Carlos, the zimm didn't start appearing until after the battle.

Carlos, in answer to your question about applying Zimm to a 1/72 scale model: very carefully! Some techniques have you using a flat-bladed jeweler's screwdriver that is typically used for fixing eyeglasses. Heat the tip a bit and then press it into the plastic. Or you can spread liquid glue over the plastic and press the unheated blade in it when the plastic softens. There are some aftermarket P/E sets of Zimm sheets that can be applied as well. One company recently came out with very fine resin sheets of Zimm in various patterns for 1/72 scale armor.

Looking forward to seeing more and here's hoping you get a proper workstation soon.