Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72 - finished

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Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72 - finished

Post by vacant »

Dumbo comes to mind with this build. The song says ‘But I've been, done, seen about everything , when I see a elephant fly’, I thought I had seen pretty much everything in model kits i.e. flash that totally covered the parts, warping on an intergalactic scale, occasional missing or broken pieces, foggy canopies, you name it, I’ve been there, bought it and built it. But this kit was something new!

I was kindly given the Matchbox Grumman Panther by a fellow modeller as part of his attic clearance. It was in its original box All the parts were still on the sprues, the instructions were there and so were the decals. It looked as if it would be a fairly straightforward build between more difficult builds.

Following normal convention, I tackled the tub first. Being Matchbox, it was pretty crude, but a few extra bits and some paint improved it considerably. Then I came to fitting it into the fuselage. It was only then that I noticed the gap – talk about ‘Mind the gap’. There was a yawning curving chasm that stretched from the rear of the cockpit to near the tail on the port side of the fuselage. Look at the first photo to see what I mean. (with apologies for not having the camera on the correct setting). The area shown in white is where the gap was. I have backed it off with plastic card. The underside as shown in the top part of the photo also shows the gap, though by that stage, not backed off.

Image

Had someone cut it out for purposes unknown? There were no signs of knife marks so that was not the answer. It looked as if the mould had run out of plastic last thing on a Friday afternoon. So much for it being a straightforward build. Could this be my 'bridge too far 'at Toko Rio?

In the second photo, you can see where I have filed in the gaps. It took a mix of plastic card and filler, all sanded down to blend it in.

Image

I’m on the case. It's just gong to take a bit longer than I thought.
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iggie
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by iggie »

That looks like a short-shot on a stupendous scale! It looks like you've made a good recovery though
Best wishes

Jim
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by dollar19 »

It appears nothing will stand in your way to getting a finished model. You do like a challenge don't you ?
I'll follow along with interest!
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by JamesPerrin »

That's the largest short shot I've ever seen. Must have been the last of the day.
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by ShaunW »

I've never seen a short shot that bad either. Still, it's nothing a bit of placcy card, half a ton of filler and some careful sanding won't sort out :grin:
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by Lone Modeller »

Thank goodness for filler - by the lorry load! This has moved from construction category to conversion-on-a-large-scale category. No wonder your friend did not attempt to build it. Bet it will be a great model when finished though.
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by Gregers »

That is a bridging job of river kwai proportions. Very nice work. Looking forward to seeing the end result.

All the best.

Greg
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by Dazzled »

Definitely a Friday afternoon job, probably after a liquid lunch. :roll:
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by PTB11 »

What brand of filler are you using for this, because I'm off to buy some shares in it!
Great save though.
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72 - finished

Post by vacant »

The yawning gap has been filled. I have gone for a colour scheme that does everything possible to disguise the patchup. I'm no fool!

Image


Image
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59North
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72

Post by 59North »

An amazing comeback. We'll done.
The scheme you chose is very attractive; and the modelling is superb.
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Gregers
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72 - finished

Post by Gregers »

That is the best build of a Matchbox Panther I have ever seen. Superb work and rescue.

All the best.

Greg
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72 - finished

Post by Miggers »

Yikes,that is really one classy save.

Does that scheme make it a "Drone-ther"?
You could see him thinking "Bleedin'pilots,don't know nuffin.All glammer" He's probably right.

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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72 - finished

Post by Lone Modeller »

I wrote that it would be an excellent model when finished….I have been proved right.
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Re: Grumman Panther; Matchbox 1/72 - finished

Post by iggie »

Superb skill to overcome that amount of missing plastic, and the colour scheme is a delight!

I am convinced that if you bought a box of fresh air under a table at a show for 10p, you'd still manage to make something from it!
Best wishes

Jim
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"Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow"
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