‘Sunday 26th November was the third dry, cold day and this offered ideal conditions for running the Panther & Pershing together for the first time. Seeing them side by side gives a good idea of their comparative sizes given that they were matched for firepower & armour protection. The Panther still looks a big beastie!
Side by side for the first time
The Pershing still requires finishing
Out in the garden it was pleasing to see them operating together and it will be even more fun in a larger area such as Almondell where they can be hidden from view giving the opportunity for a surprise ‘kill’ shot.
Panther looks a big beastie
Facing off
The Pershing is still very much a work in progress, there is a lot of detail still to add such as the four rear grills over the engine bay, the bins along each side which sit on top of the sand guards, front & rear mudguards, side skirts and the front & rear lights. Then for both models comes the super detailing such as correct machine guns, aerials and crew.
Loaders hatch open for ammunition
Panther in its lair
To add more fun and to make them more realistic to operate, over the winter I will be adding cameras into the driver & commanders positions with a live feed back to an iphone or ipad so one doesn’t have to be immediately walking behind with the transmitter. Fitting of the InfraRed system to detect & score ‘hits’ will be done too, this is based on the HengLong / Torro / Tamiya system found on the 1/16th scale models.
Waiting for the Pershing
Checking for damage
Sunday’s skirmish & shake down was ably assisted by Dan who underneath the warm coat had the appropriate ‘T’ shirt from the Bovington Tank Museum. Dan is a cool operator under fire!
Still in one piece
After the battle
The Pershing’s Commander
Oh, and no smokebox, tubes or ashes to clear out afterwards. Just park up & switch off!!’
