Tamiya & ICM 1/35 Panther Ausf. D at Anzio, Italy

[Engine95]

Hi’yo gents!

I’m building a pair of Panther Ausf. D from Pz.Rgt. 4 at the Battle of Cisterna, shortly after the Allied landings at Anzio, Italy. There are a couple of photos of possibly the Regimental XO’s or CO’s track with number I02 close to a mobility killed Ferdinand on a side road.

There will be a diorama built around this and my initial thought was just that single Panther on a section of road. But I’m getting ambitious (maybe too much so) and saw an ICM Panther pretty cheap on Amazon so I picked it up as well. As a result the diorama will end up being about 2’ x 10" (61cm x 25cm) to replicate part of the column in that scene. The Tamiya Panther will be the lead Befehlswagen no. I02 and the ICM will be the trailing track with the turret turned to the “threat” of whatever knocked out the Elefant.

Additional parts were ordered for this project with 2 sets of Tamiya’s indy tracks, PE radiator mesh for both tanks, Aber aerials including the Sternantenne D, and MR Models’ upgrade resin kit for the Ausf. D.

Here’s the first shot of the Tamiya mostly done with the Sternantenne D mount and armored cover for the snorkel as well as the track links starting to go together.

Here she is pretty much assembled (Schürzen won’t go on until after the tracks are on). The Sternantenne is not glued in place as it’s way too delicate. Just look at it wrong and it would probably crumple. It will literally be the very last thing glued on once the entire diorama is complete.

Here’s the ICM kit starting to go together. Unfortunately no poly caps for the wheels but other than that I’d say it went together really well. I was expecting some decent problems getting it assembled but that wasn’t the case. If I had any complaints it would be that the engine access hatch and the front hull plate that has the hatches for the driver and radio operator were separate pieces. And they took quite a bit of sanding to get to fit in the upper hull.

Both pretty much done with assembly. I created the field expedient mud recovery logs out of twigs in the yard. Apparently there was quite a lot of rain that particular year and a lot of the Panthers from Pz.Rgt. 4 are carrying similar kit.

Perhaps two complete sets of tracks (each link two pieces) was a recipe for insanity.

Both have been primed and have their Dunkelgelb applied (Tamiya XF60). Decals are on the ICM Panther. But I ran into a problem with the last set of tactical numbers that were going on the rear turret. When they’d been soaking for a good 10 minutes I started to use a brush to transfer them onto the model and they started ripping to shreds. Has anyone seen this problem with Echelon decals?

I wanted to build a jig so they’d have the right sag when I glue the track links because they’re not staying together on their own. I was thinking of this complicated process of using calipers to measure the height of the idler wheel and drive sprocket, creating stands at those heights, then running string from one to the other to act as support for the tracks, space them at the correct distance, and then start laying out the tracks and glue them together.

The more I thought of this the more I realized one wrong move and it’s all going to come down like a house of cards. Unless I went out to the garage and knocked something together with scrap wood . . . and it’s too cold out! I needed to come up with an alternate plan. Below was the simple solution. A photo of a Panther from the side scaled so it matched the distance from idler wheel to drive sprocket on the model. Works like a champ!

I wasn’t happy with the Schürzen mounting bracket I scratch built for the ICM Panther so I got some thinner sheet styrene and fabricated a new one that more closely matches those that came with the Tamiya Panther. Considering some of the cuts are only 1mm and it’s the first thing I’ve scratch built I’m rather happy with it (ICM Panther on the left).

Dot filtering and pin wash is next. Both are new techniques for me. I haven’t built a model since my teens.

[joepanzer]

Nice work!!

The Tamiya tracks are actually pretty easy to put together—no pins.

[Recon22]

Very nice build so far mate, not doing any Zimmerit on them?

[Engine95]

Well, track I02 appears from the photo to have Zimmerit on the rear starboard storage box. So I did put it on there. Otherwise, these were completely new Panther Ausf. D’s the Regiment had just received in December and were still training with in Germany. When Operation Shingle happened the Regiment was immediately transported by train to Ficulle, Italy, offloaded, then road marched south through Rome for their initial staging point in Aprilia, Italy just north of Anzio. Which is why their tracks were still just the factory Dunkelgelb.

Sooner or later I’m going to build a late war Panther with full Zimmerit and three tone camo. But I’ve got to get better with this Iwata airbrush first. LOL

Edited to add: Next build is Dragon’s DML6600 Tiger I Initial for a buddy. His great uncle was in s.Pz.Abt. 502 at Mga (SE of Leningrad) at the Tiger I’s first combat action.

[Engine95]

The general idea for the diorama is something like this. I’m still trying to decide if it’s going to be wet or dry muddy road chewed up by tracks. It’s going to be about 22 inches (around 56cm) long.

Starting on the dot filter on the hull. I already did the dot filter and pin wash on the turret and forgot to take photos.

I’m still not sure I’m doing this dot filter right. I’m going for a subtle effect of crew mud washed off the track during heavy rains. I think I said there was a lot of rain during their road march and when they arrived at staging outside Anzio.

[Recon22]

Yeah, good pick up as I can only see a lot of the Panther A’s Zimmed up. Loving this build and watching mate.

[Recon22]

Which will suit your paint job as heavy rain will wash the higher surfaces anyway!

[Engine95]

Here are photos I’ve found of Pz.Rgt. 4 during their road march from Ficulle to Aprilia. It kind of looks like some of them have Zimmerit, but I can’t be sure it isn’t just a print artifact.

I’m pretty sure these photos are the convoy outside Cisterna stacked up behind the I02 Befehlswagen I’m building.

And one knocked out at some point. Really hard to tell but that one may actually have Zimmerit.

[Recon22]

Yeah, I see what you mean, a lot do look like waffle pattern zimmerit style from trying to zoom in on them. Unless you get away with the ‘early versions unzimmed’ as from what I read (and have attached) the Zimm was standard after September 43. I guess also what is your reference photo dated?
But like in the attached also, a lot of early panthers weren’t zimmed and were sent back to the factory for zimmerit paste.

[Recon22]

Thought I had found your baby but it is callsign ‘101’.
Hull is nicely zimmed but doesn’t look like any on the bins!

[Johnnych01]

Welcome @Engine95 , great idea and good plan , the build is going great and its always good to see some Panthers … I would say that 102 does have Zim, in your first image from the rear it looks super smooth but to my eye, I can just make out a pattern on the turret… And that knocked out Elefant has taken a beating with its Zimm on the left side… most of it looks knocked off … looking forward to more updates

[Engine95]

Interesting. If that’s the case then these factory new Ausf. D should have had Zimmerit. But it’s in my opinion 100% clear there are at least some if not all that don’t.

Either way, I’m not rebuilding them. LOL

[Engine95]

I thought that too. But if you zoom in on the image you can see that what looks like a faint waffle pattern Zimmerit on the rear hull and turret also continues on the exhaust pipes and the paint bucket hanging off the jack handle. So I think it’s some kind of digital artifact. I tried in vain searching through the Bundesarchiv, which may be the original source of the photo. But there are several million photos in there spanning the 20th century, so no luck.

But yea, that Ferdinand definitely has Zimmerit.

Hope to start the pin wash on the hull tonight. Keep y’all updated.

[Johnnych01]

Yeah, it does now you mention that as well. I have had a look through and there looks like an fair few did escape having Zimm applied …

this is a great link for images of German armour from WW2 if you have never used it.

Panther tank Panzerkampfwagen V | World War Photos

[Engine95]

Oh, I have that bookmarked sir!

For a while there I was making historically accurate skins in War Thunder and used that as reference. But I finally realized I needed to rekindle my teenage hobby and start building models again. And here we are!

This is my second build since my teens. The first was a 2nd ID Willys MB in a diorama outside Pilsen, Czechoslovakia in May of '45. My wife and I both drive Jeep Wranglers so we wanted that little great, great grandfather of our daily drivers.

[Johnnych01]

Cool … That site is a great reference for armour from all over …glad you had it already

[Engine95]

I finally found time to work on this project again. Dot filter is done on the trailing Panther so I started the pin wash on the starboard side, engine deck, and rear hull. I’ve done a pin wash once before on a Willys MB, but it was far darker OD than I intended and virtually invisible. I’m fairly happy with the road wheels, idler wheel, drive sprocket, tool brackets, and Schürzen. Yes, far too much rust on the spare track links. I’ll work on them later.

But I found it tough to get the right viscosity to flow around the details with capillary action on the rear deck. If I got good flow it didn’t have enough pigment. Enough pigment and it was like the brush was too full of paint. I’m using Wilder oils and odorless mineral spirits. I managed to spread the excess pigment around as the engine deck is likely to be pretty dirty anyway. Still, any ideas?

[Engine95]

I think the ICM Panther is pretty much done with the exception of the dirt and mud. But I’m going to wait until the Tamiya Panther is complete and I’ve started on the diorama base so I’m using the same dirt / mud mixes on all three.

Constructive criticism is welcome gents!

Oops, just realized I forgot the handles on the bolt cutters.

[Engine95]

I just noticed looking at the photos of Pz.Rgt. 4 in Italy that none of their tracks had smoke dischargers. I guess I’ll just have to live with that mistake on the models.

[Engine95]

The tracks and Schürzen are on the Tamiya Panther, so it’s ready for dot filter, VMS satin varnish, and pin wash.

It’s interesting to see the color contrast between the two, both painted with XF-60.