I've put this one off for quite a long time. I took one look at the number of parts and the individual track links and chickened out. I enjoy the painting more than the building which is why I'm more of a Tamiya fan. This is just balls-achingly fiddly, where components that could just as easily be one part are split into five.
On this kit it makes very little sense since it isn't a full interior kit, so there is no merit to adding the extra interior detail, and the gun assembly is so fragile it breaks when trying to shoehorn it into the absurd turret pivoting mechanism which plugs into two poly parts that don't fit at all. It's neither fish nor fowl.
Ironically, the thing that put me off the most (the individual track links), ended up being less hassle than I imagined once I managed to undo my initial mistakes, and now I may never go back to the bog standard rubber band style tracks. The reward is worth it and it really makes the final result.
Having elected not to go to town in interior detail that wouldn't be seen, I did more or less the bare minimum on this one, and there must be a hundred parts left over. I'd have gone mad otherwise, particularly since the instructions are not clear and most of the photo-etch parts are either useless or completely pointless.
Painting it wasn't so much fun either. German armour never is. I think it's the one instance where you can't get away with cheapo Chinese splatter guns. After four attempts I ended up going for alternate stripes masked with blu-tac, which is good as far as it goes but I don't feel it does justice to a kit of this price and quality. Another reason I put off doing it. It has to be done well or not at all.
Grumbles aside though, the added exterior fine detail really is good and if it sat aside the older, cheaper Tamiya Panther, the difference in quality would be obvious. The weld lines and the machine-gun ports set this apart from the competition.
Weathering this one was challenging. I again attempted the hairspray technique for chipping but whenever I try it, it just looks like a defect rather than intentional weathering. There are other ways to achieve the same thing, and it's better to not do it than to overdo it. Mind you, I can see why so many modellers over-weather their vehicles being that most of the little features are missed by the camera, and if you really want to show off your skills, you have to go larger than life.
As a project this took at least three times longer than something else of its size. It is a high quality kit but there are some serious faults, not least the bar suspension system which is laborious and brittle, and the wheel holes need drilling out so they fit. For a kit so accurate in terms of detail, the kit engineering isn't very good. When you build a recent Airfix kit you know they've really thought about the user experience. This one is just a string of endless difficult chores.
As for the final result, it really belongs in a diorama. Without added stowage and tools, there's only so much you can do with the base kit. For a large vehicle it doesn't have much free surface area to play with weathering techniques. The King Tiger is probably a better subject.
This kit is hard work, quite expensive, and quite expensive in paints, and if you're going to do a Panther, I'd be tempted to say avoid this one - but the alternatives are inferior. The Academy/Airfix Panther is ok (much easier to build) but it isn't that much cheaper than Ryefield and the detail is nowhere close. The Tamiya is basic and low quality. But then if you are going to this much expense and this much bother, you might as well go all in on the Takom with the full interior. I have that one in the stash for when I'm next feeling masochistic.
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