Armortek

Hi all!

This, my last custom work before the â€

you're really good!!

cedric meyer wrote:
you're really good!!

I agree with Cedric. Remarkable work Kent.

i enjoy everytime you enter a post on your build progress, i have a panther of my own, unbuilt.

please keep the superb work up with updates.

much apprecieted
simon manning

Hi Kent ,
excellent work.
I can understand what you did to remove what exceeded but what have you done to add what was lacking

Hi All,

Thanks for your kind replies and I am glad you like my posting.

Pierluigi//

To "add" I use a 2-component epoxy stuff named "Plastic padding".
It is a JB weld like thing but I think it is only for sale here in Scandinavia.
But I am sure similar putty is available in your country.

There are a lot of different types of them but here I use one called "ceramic metal".
It is almost fluid at first but after 2 minutes it start harden and can be carved to shape with a knife. After about 5-10 minutes it is hard as metal and heavier tools is needed for further shaping.
Only make sure to keep the surface clean and dry before applying.

Hope this helped
Kent

Thank you, Kent.
Your answer was interesting and helpful for me.
Regards.

Just noticed the post here Kent!
Awesome work as usual! Thanks for the kind comments on my fan shroud. I would advise as Kent did, that this is a huge undertaking wheather modifying the existing ones or making new ones from scratch as I did. Kent, you are a true dremel master. Your modifications look superb. Clearly you have more patience and talent with that tool than I do. Thanks for sharing you work. It inspires us all, and shows what a remarkable model can be made from the stock parts with some time and effort.

I haven't decided if I will offer an aftermarked casting yet. Gotta get my tank rolling first!

Happy building all. - Bob

Hi again all!

To end this here are a photo of the finished shroud with added mesh and painted dunkelgelb (TS-3).
Bolts and washers (with bends to the bolt heads - important! ) will later take this ones to an even higher level...

Forgotten earlier to say that this shrouds was also on the JagdPanther, so this might as well be of interest for you guys having such a kit.



My mesh is a Mike Stannard one customized to fit my shroud.
Mikes one has to large diameter in order to fit the kit shroud, the ring is also made of a far to thick brass bar, 2,5mm instead of the more accurate 1,5mm so I changed it.
The mesh is however spot on and was used again.

The mesh on the real thing was welded in place and the mesh squares was rotated some ~15 degrees compared to the Panther front-rear direction.
I used 6 u-bended thin steel wire to hold the mesh in place.
They was attached close to the brass ring and painted they are almost impossible to see, and will sure do the job to hold the mesh there for ever.
(and no uggly center bolt anymore! )



Please note the mesh is flat on to the shroud and is attached to the brass ring inside/over and round (not under and round) just like the real thing.



Yes this was a time consumer indeed but now afterwards I think it was well worth it.
The end result was quite good don’t you think?



Please note the mesh seen on the screen photo is not ww2 but a post war add on

Thanks for looking and I hope I inspired some to follow my example.

Cheers!
Kent

Kent,

A superb job, the finished painted vent looks as if it is a real one resored. I have experimented with Plastic Padding which is available in the UK as a fairly fast dryng easy sand car body filler. JB Weld is a metalised epoxy which I have found takes about 12 hours to dry, although there may now be a rapid drying form of it. To get a rough finish I thinned down some Plastic padding with cellulose thinners and "painted" over the item then dabbed the item with a sponge to get a stippled effect. This can then either be left for a a rough cast look or lightly sanded back for a rolled armour look.

Just a thought but the mesh may be flattened through people standing on it when in service or over the years. When the tank left the factory the mesh may have been even and above the vent as a flat shet of mesh.

Hi Allen,

Thanks for your kind comments.
So Plastic Padding is available in UK - for all my custom work when bigger filling is needed I use the Chemical Metal one.
Before hardening it is quite fluid and often some simple fashion is needed to keep it in place. 2-3 layers+sanding are needed before the new surface is there and then it is very smooth and are in need for further work to look good.
If cast, rough surface is needed I now use Mr Surfacer and if it shall be the cast welded look I use Dremel+putty+sanding.
I am sure your Plastic padding+thinner also works well. Thanks for the tip, might try it later on.

Yes you are right about the mesh getting stepped down after a while.
Can well be seen in one of my photos of the real thing above.
Has pressed down my mesh a bit but it is not seen so well in my photo.
This is one thing that will be taken care of later when the whole model shall be weathered - but that is years from now...

Cheers
Kent

Kent,

With the level of detailing you are doing I realise it is a lot of work and a few years to get near to completing the model. Unless I am away on business I try and do something every day, even if its only a small thing. I make the model in two ways, detailing and general assembly. It depends how I feel, if I feel really motivated I do some of the bigger general assembly tasks but if I feel a bit tired after work and just want to sit at the bench I do the detailed work. This way the tank comes together relatively quickly from a load of parts, but all the detailing is not left until the end. I think it is necessary to keep the project moving and not to loose interest.