Stark contrast between Dirty White hull and Dark Green roadwheels provided good balance camouflage highlights. Track was molded in single rubber piece, painted Flat Black drybrushed with Chrome. German veterans often touted that they painted everything in place on the tank to prevent reflections, hence painted toolset same color as the tank. For added effect, Black Pastel chalk powder was tabbed onto cotton sock, then gently rubbed across model surfaces to create a hazy weathering effect.

Scratches on large storage box made by scrapping XACTO knife across its surface to mimic wear-n-tear. Tote bag hung off turret hook from 1.35 TAMIYA SdKfz 232 8-rad armor car kit. Since this TAMIYA Panther model was produced in 1980s, kit included rubberized tracks instead of individual track links, hence track sagging effect had to modeled as well. SdKfz 232 jpeg profile - www.panzer.punkt.pl/galerie_2/radpanzer/sdkfz_232_8x8.jpg

Large interleaving wheels accentuates both cross-country mobility and defacto armor protection. Bogie layout enable suspension to handle 45-ton tank through roughed terrain. Interleaving wheel aspect protected hull from direct enemy rounds (since spare ammunition was stored in hull sides). Concept for fast cross-country tank with using large roadwheel and suspension came from 1920s-era American tank design Walter Christie. But post-WW1 massive US defense cut-backs resulted cancellation of Christie project, thus he sold his design to Soviet Union which in turn produced their 1930s-era BT-series fast tanks. Christie suspension - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christie_suspension

• Brief Overview of J. Walter Christie's Tank Designs - www.geocities.com/firefly1002000/chrisindex.html

• Soviet BT Tanks - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BT_tank

Inset 1 : Panther tank crossing marshy bog in eastern Germany. Terrain like these are exceptional hazards, once traction is lost the heavy tank can literally burrow down to its entire hull. Only armor wrecker (ex. Bergepanther, or multiple heavy towing halftracks) could even attempt to pull out the Panther. Bergerät "Bergepanther" - SdKfz 179 - wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/bergepanther.htm

Rollover : Rear engine deck, muffler set (left muffler has 3 tubes for extra ventilation), large storage containers, water canisters from 1.35 TAMIYA SdKfz 232 model kit, wrapped wire made from copper, 20t Winde (armor jack) bolted in between mufflers, bottom face plates for accessing water-cooled Maybach HL210P30 engine compartment, bucket hung over muffler tube. Ship model chain painted TESTORS Military Brown slung off storage tube containing barrel cleaning rods (this tube was usually stored on tank left hull, but got shot up regularly from small caliber enemy fire, so by late-1944 crews began moving it to rear deck). Surface highlights created via rubbing cotton cloth tabbed with black powder pastel. For added effect, muffler tubes were drilled out with XACTO knife, tabbed with baking soda + elmers glue for annealed metal, painted TESTOR Military Brown, drybrushed with TESTOR Tan. WW2 Panther Footage - youtube.com/watch?v=rSCk8dHMXUc

Concerning the rubberized model tracks, they snug just fine, but to give it that heavy sagging-look, took black fabric thread and tied down multiple track sections to roadwheel axles. When completed, threads doused with Superglue to harden its structure. Panther model has regular track teeth instead of winterized "Mittelstollen" (middle chevron or ice sprangs) tracks for traction on ice, snow, sleet road surfaces. WW2 Panther vs Anti-Tank Tactics - youtube.com/watch?v=-4JQbgccR4Y&feature=related

Inset 2 : German Tiger and Panther tanks are etched into postwar American psyche as powerful armor adversaries, even though Germans produced even more powerful tanks and tank destroyers during WW2 (ex. Tiger II, Jadgtiger, Jadgpanther). This propensity is probably due to more frequent encounters with these tanks compared to others. Below is improvised Dummy Panther made from lumber and telephone pole encountered by British forces in France 1944. NEW HEAVY TANK: THE Pz. Kw. 5 (PANTHER) - www.lonesentry.com/articles/panther/index.html

Via tactics, fake tank was nestle among real anti-tank guns, hence when Allied armor maneuver to assault the tank, it would be ambushed by these guns. In addition, these tanks can also fool Allied aerial recon (hence misreport tank disposition) and keep infantry at bay until armor is brought up. DUMMY TANKS - www.lonesentry.com/features/f4_german_dummy_panther_tanks.html