Completed ***** Ron's (and Grandson's) Disc Camouflaged Tamiya Panther Ausf. A.*****

[spanner570]

Last week my youngest Grandson knocked on my door. He had in his hands a model of the old Tamiya Panther A he'd completed a while back and was about to bin it. "Because it was rubbish"
Not so sez I.
"No model should be binned, giz it here, and we'll try and do summat with it!"

Here's my (our) summat......

Chunk of track snapped off and missing, but overall he'd done a good job of constructing and brush painting the model. - That's my boy!



Track missing and gone forever!





First job was to carefully lever as much as we could off the tank. Only a couple of minor breakages.


Next we brushed on the dk. yellow.


When we discussed the missing track dilemma, we came up with a cunning plan. More later......

Cheers.
Ron

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Do tell.

 

[spanner570]

No.....!

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Spoilsport.

 

[Steve Jones]

Is your plan so cunning you can stick a tail on it and call it a weasel?

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Is it as cunning as a fox who’s just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?

 

[spanner570]

Enough, I say!
I know when I'm beateded...

As the tracks on one side are no more, picture this.
The tank is going flat out down a lane when the tracks on one side give up the ghost, everything locks up and sends the Panther into an uncontrollable slide. It crashes through a stone wall and slides down a small river embankment coming to rest sort of half in half out of the water. Missing track issue solved.

One week or so's build and how the finished model turned out you'll just have to be patient......Suffice to say, hopefully he will now think twice before binning models! The cheeky young twerp even took it back home!!.......

 

[Jim R]

As the tracks on one side are no more, picture this.
The tank is going flat out down a lane when the tracks on one side give up the ghost, everything locks up and sends the Panther into an uncontrollable slide. It crashes through a stone wall and slides down a small river embankment coming to rest sort of half in half out of the water. Missing track issue solved.

That's cunning!!
Jim

 

[stillp]

The cheeky young twerp even took it back home!!.......

That's even more cunning!

Pete

 

[JR]

I like a cunning plan !
John.

 

[spanner570]

Cheers boys. We're off and running.
The little (Average height) cherub and I were discussing camouflage when he spotted this on the shelf in my den.....


"Grandad, what's that pattern and can you do my tank the same?"
"Of course I can, it's called disc cammo. now't to it!" said me breaking into a cold sweat.
The dear sweet child had me over a barrel for sure! How could I say no?

So spotty it had to be.

Here's the first tentative group of spots. No set pattern, I just started at the front and worked my way along!.... I use old paint brushes cut right down to almost the ferrule. Dipped in the paint and freehand kind'a twirled to produce the 'Disc'
A bit pale looking but hey ho. The finished job will be all dusty anyway.



Cheers.
Ron

 

[Jim R]

when he spotted this on the shelf.....

Well spotted little cherub. Make grandad earn some respect!
Jim

 

[papa 695]

You Love it Ron.
Nice idea and a nice start. ( even though it's completed already )

 

[Gern]

Isn't this exactly what grandads were designed for? Good on yer Ron, and congrats to the lucky little b****r who's got you to teach him!

 

[Steve O]

Isn't this exactly what grandads were designed for? Good on yer Ron, and congrats to the lucky little b****r who's got you to teach him!

I totally agree Dave if Ron was'nt so far away i'd book in for some lessons, lol.

Steve.

 

[JR]

Ron.
Is there no end to your talents ?
John

 

[spanner570]

Thanks chaps.
G.C. J. R. Dead Horse and Donkey Buyer (Ret) - Scale Models is stuffed full of talent - I'm now't special, just one of the happy throng watching and learning. But thanks none the less.

Now then young 'un we do the brown. Nice and steady and not too much paint - Dab and swirl, dab and swirl. We'Il let a couple of the dabs overlap the green.



We might add some more later, but at least we now have a basic pattern painted on.

Giz the turret, then go and ask Granny to make us a brew. Grab a couple of Tunnocks while you're at it!

 

[JR]

Pabblo.
Helping your grandson is about as good as it gets mate. One of mine removed some parts from the sprue and glued them , he's 8 .
343

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Ooh, the dreaded disk camo. Good job Ron.

 

[spanner570]

Sorry for the delay in replying but I've been away at a reunion with my rapid river slalom canoeing buddies from the '60's and '70's....A rather sedate affair! ......

Thanks 343 and Bob.
Apparently, you can get disc masking, but where's the challenge in that? I prefer to suffer and sweat.

Right, we have now completed the initial spotifyingness. I'll see how it looks later. I think we'll add some more.




It was at this point when I was feeling a bit of a smart a**e, my Grandson asked....."Why did they take all the stuff off the tank before they painted the circles?"
The answer was they probably didn't, they worked around such items and I was so carried away with the painting, I simply forgot!

He took great satisfaction in watching me scrape off the discs where they were not required. He then repainted to offending areas and stuck the various bits onto the tank. - Grandad 0 / Grandson 1


Anyway, I decided the tank needed dulling down a bit, so I let his nibs loose with a big flat brush and showed him how to cake the whole thing with a good coat of watered down dk. yellow wash.
"Leave it alone, don't fiddle once it's applied!"
"Granny, he's shouting at me!"

Here's the finished tank de-spotted and toned down a bit.




I went on to explain how its nice to get the camo. to flow up the hull onto the turret. He approved but still had to tell of my blunder. The little snitch!

Deffo. a few more discs needed, but for now and if I allow him, I'll let G.S. help with the base.....Coming up next.

Cheers all.
Ron