Mick's Panther A

[Marco Peter]

It's really coming together.

Now find a way to keep it in the living room haha!

[michael hilton]

Hello Marco, thank you, it helps to have an understanding wife, flowers and chocolates are advisable.
This is my tank workshop, presently used for the Panther tools repaint. Most of the Panther winter effect is now complete, most satisfying,
We are, as requested, self isolating, the thought had crossed my mind....maybe just one more model... Whisper it quietly...someone has large ears.….Mick.

[Marco Peter]

Wow... so neat haha!

[Bob Carr]

Hello Mick,

First and most importantly of all, I have to express my deepest admiration and gratitude for your postings over the build of your Panther A.

Having been a great fan of truly low-level WWII modelling (Airfix from a boy, moving to a few Tamiya as a bored middle aged man), I retired a couple of years ago and thought, as a present to myself, 'Why not; go for the real thing and buy one of those beasts I fell in love with at a Bovvie day - Armortek!" I've always thought the Panther was the best looking of all WWII armour and went overboard and duly got the kit with all the goodies.

The number of boxes that arrived and a quick glance at the manuals left me catatonic. I'm not an engineer, have NO experience of RC stuff and, while I've always liked painting for realisation at the 35:1 level, was dumbstruck by the quality and professionalism of the real Armortek aficionados.

Suffice to say, I froze and shamefully the boxes stayed unpacked for 18 months out of sheer fear. I felt sick every time I looked at the garage where I'd put them thinking '...what have I done?'

Finally, I thought 'don't be a coward - make a start'. I needed to find something like your blog as a pathfinder. So, for the last 10 weeks I've been following your postings (making the same mistakes as you (e.g. what would it have cost Armortek to have printed 'only put the dummy nuts on the OUTSIDE of the wheels before you run out', or to have printed slightly higher resolution diagrams to make parts and and numbering more easily identifiable?).

With your postings help (and Adrian!) I've cracked the mechanicals (I'm hoping the moly spray will work on the slightly stictiony recoil barrel bit!) and am now awaiting the batteries to allow me to power up all the electricals. I'll be following the instructions (albeit slightly 'distributed') to the letter but have no idea what to do with the fancy transmitter Spektrum GS8 that Adrian recommended. I don't have the vocabulary to be able to make sense of the manual. Hey-Ho!

So, I've learnt to handle a file, fine wire wool, a Dremel, tell the difference between caps and buttons, decipher exploded diagrams BEFORE assembly, use a spray gun (remembering to masks ALL threads and sliding joints first), think at least three times before using loctite, etc... and am now on the last push.

I bought this kit as a 'toy' but have realised, from you professionals, that I can upgrade it to a true 'model' later having got the thing built. I suspect I'd enjoy that. I fancy your winter wash, Mick. Looks great.

So, just a heartfelt word of thanks to you and your colleagues on the Users Forum. I suspect I'll be asking for a few last bits of advice, but hope I don't need to.

Last task is to find a way of broaching the subject of kit #2 with the wife. I tried this a few weeks ago when I'd made some real progress and received what can only be described as a 'very old fashioned look'. Laugh.

You're right however, this is a heavy bit of kit and I must soon think about moving the bloody thing off the bench without wrecking myself. Assuming, of course, I don't totally screw up the electrics.

[michael hilton]

Good morning everyone, while I await and look forward to the deluge of Tankfest photo's, and reports. Dear me, it was cold last night, completely forgot to bring her in doors. Have a nice day....Mick