FineScale Modeler 09 1990

The basic kit. The Panther Ausf A is an important vehicle to modelers of German WWII armor. In my opinion, Tamiya's version is its worst tank kit; the turret and mantlet are especially inaccurate. Yet there are few alternatives. Nichimo's Ausf G also suffers from scale inaccuracies, and to buy Gunze Sangyo's kit just to use the turret, road wheels, and tracks is too costly. So a conversion of the Tamiya kit is the path I chose. Zlmmerit Zimmerit was applied by the manufacturers to all German tanks and assault guns between early 1943 and autumn 1944. Most of the Panther Ausf A tanks would have received this treatment. Later in the war, as Germany's tactics changed from offensive to defensive, the antimagnetic coating became unnecessary. Zimmerit in miniature can be a nightmare for modelers. I use two techniques, although I prefer the method described below for most of my armored vehicles. For vehicles with a lot of broad surface area or little cast-on detail, I use Milliput epoxy putty; for smaller tanks (Panzer IV and smaller) I use a hot knife. Often I combine the two techniques.

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