PANTHER Ausf.D Sd.Kfz.171 MENG MODEL 1/35

I’m assembling a MENG MODEL Panther D. Recently, there are more and more kits of MENG MODEL in stock. I used to make Dragon Models kits a lot, and still have them in stock, I may have more opportunities to make MENG. If I notice, the lineup has increased a lot. It’s a little disappointing that VOIIO, which I had been curious about as an emerging manufacturer, is likely to stop working soon like Xact.

The first step is to assemble the rollers. It takes time to file the gates, but there is no parting line on the side of the wheel itself. I wonder if they are thinking about positioning the parts of the mold.

It’s quite a large tank, but it’s box assembling. It looks difficult.

Since the parts fit well, there seems to be no problem in assembling the tank body. I could assemble it without stress.

It’s been a long time since I made a hound’s tooth check pattern rollers.
(2020/11/03)

Finally, I have started to assemble the link tracks.

It takes a lot of time to separate from the runner one by one. Since the gate is stuck into the back of the track, I can cut it off horizontally at once with a nipper, but the edge will be easily damaged. It is really troublesome, but I put a nipper in two parts, one vertically and one horizontally. I think it’s rather difficult to use a design knife alone. It’s a small matter. The rest is how the parts fit and how easy it is to roll to the chassis.

I needed to assemble a considerable length of a track belt even on one side. However, when it comes to Panther class, the size of a single track is quite large, so the length was longer than I thought I had assembled certain links.

It was equipped with a jig to express the slack of the panter’s track. If you are a modeler who is used to make AFV modeling, you can assemble them normally without using jigs.

I didn’t count the number of the links, I was able to wear them well. It’s getting more like a tank and I’m getting excited.

The caterpillars on both sides were successfully attached to the AFV body.
(2020/11/05)

The upper part of the tank body and the exhaust fan of the engine is painted black. The paint will not reach after installing the mesh photo-etched parts, so I will paint it first.

Since there are not so many photo-etched parts, it is not difficult to assemble them. But including plastic parts, the total number is quite large.

I wonder if it can cross a little deep river. I decided to assemble it with the snorkel extended. There are many meshes of engine grills and there seem to be a lot of gaps, so it doesn’t look like it can be submerged. But I like it! The panter with the snorkel is also interesting.

The assembly of the tank body is almost completed. I was impressed that there were toolboxes in a rare place in the back. If it drives roughly, the whole thing will come off.

I suppose the metal side armors are the easiest way to make a realistic part. It comes with a kit as there are 12 plates in total for left and right. I think the Panther has a beautiful loose track, so I decided to remove a part of the side armor and assemble it.

The tank I’m building has a ladder on the left rear of the vehicle. Can I attach it to the side armor? I had some questions about it, but it was interesting so I attached it.
(2020/11/07)

​It’s a turret with a very different assembly method. ​Depending on the Panther model, the position and form of the hatch may be different, or there may or may not be a hole on the side. ​There are many parts to choose from.

​The turret assembly is completed. ​The mold of the smoke discharger is very fine. ​For some reason, the only hatch is a metal part.

​The fire extinguisher couldn’t be installed in the direction of the assembly manual when I glued the towing rope first. ​I turned it in the opposite direction and equipped it just in case. ​When I was looking at the old material in Japanese called the Pictorial Panter, there were a lot of destroyed tanks and a lot of poorly equipped tanks in the picture. ​After all, the pictures of tanks under operation are cool.

​When I was building it, I thought that MENG kits have a lot of parts to choose from. ​Rollers, tool holders at the rear, etc. ​​I think the design concept is similar to Dragon Models.

​It’s quite different from the Panter tanks that I made in the past, such as snorkels, toolboxes, and ladders for going up and down.
(2020/11/09)

​I blew the flat black first.

​After blowing dark yellow first, red-brown and dark green are also airbrushed. ​At first, I always paint while looking at pattern samples, but when it comes to the end, it becomes my own sense.

I use decal softener for marking. ​​It looks like a cat when it is marked. ​Speaking of cats, it’s getting colder these days, so he often comes on my knees and stops my work. ​​Come to think of it, Tamiya’s decal softener is not very effective. I don’t have much chance to use it. ​According to what I heard, it is good to use water-based acrylic paint because it does not damage the paint surface.
(2020/11/11)

Meng Model ​Panther type D is completed. ​I think it’s only shallow water that can cross the river, I built it with a snorkel with some diving function extended. ​The fact that the first D type has this function means that various tanks have been able to cross the river since then.

​By the way, is there a submersible tank IV from Tristar?

​There was a time when I didn’t think Panther’s tilted armor looked so cool from the front or from the side. ​Now I think it’s pretty cool looking.

​There are 2 toolboxes in the back. ​I can’t see some of the photo-etched parts, but it’s OK.

​This time, I decided to make a Panter D that participated in the Battle of Kursk, the assembly manual No.3, so ​it seems that the machine gun attached to the hatch is not attached. ​It is said that the addition of the anti-aircraft machine gun mounting ring to the tank commander’s cupola was after August 1943. I think it would look better if it were attached, so I decided to attach a ring and a machine gun.

The Meng Model Panther kit is considered in many ways. ​Strictly speaking, tanks in this period are said to have no machine guns, so I hesitated to mount it.

​By the way, in the battle of the Kursk tanks, the Panther tanks were deployed in the 10 Armored Brigade, and among them, the 52 Tank Battalion was extracted into the 11th Armored Division.

​This Panther marking is the 11th Armored Division 10th Armored Brigade 39th Tank Regiment 52th Battalion 6th Company 3rd Platoon No. 2 tank. ​Detailed… When it participated in the battle of the Kursk tank in July 1943, it didn’t have a hatch mounted machine-gun, I adopted the setting of autumn and later as machine-gun equipment. ​​The 11th Armored Division attacked from the Southern Area in the battle of Kursk.

​This tank marking is the 11th Armored Division 10th Armored Brigade 39th Tank Regiment 52th Battalion 6th Company 3rd Platoon No. 2 tank. ​Detailed… When it participated in the battle of the Kursk tank in July 1943, it didn’t have a hatch mounted machine-gun, I adopted the setting of autumn and later as machine-gun equipment. ​​The 11th Armored Division attacked from the Southern Area in the battle of Kursk.

​I’m not sure if it’s because of the competition, but the price of Panther is set to be quite low, which is good for a modeler. ​It’s easy to assemble and it’s good mold. For the past several years, various manufacturers have released major German tanks, and it’s like the Age of Civil Wars period.
(2020/11/13)