Old MSgt

I'm almost done with the FOA 1/6 Sherman so I've been checking out ebay and other sites for another tank to work on. A couple of days ago, out of boredom, I checked the Armortek 'For Sale' forum. I glance there maybe once a week because the majority of sale posts are in England but sometimes there's a tank in the US for sale.

Saw a post that was less than a day old, opened it, and saw a Panther G in Florida for sale. There were no 'respond' posts so, excitedly, I answered it. All the while thinking 'I'll have to get it shipped (UShip) up from Florida'.

The seller (Mark) bought it new five years ago, built it, detailed it with practically all 6th Scale Icons parts, painted it, DROVE IT FOR 20 MINUTES, then parked it in the back of HIS companys' warehouse on a pallet. Said he's too busy running his business to enjoy it now and wanted it to go to someone who'd use it.

He said he wasn't in Florida anymore, he'd move up to Pennsylvania and was located 270 miles from me!

So, yesterday morning (starting at 3:34am!), I hopped in my truck and drove to PA (like a MANIAC!). Got back yesterday afternoon, tired, hungry, thirsty, but VERY HAPPY!

It has BOXES of spare parts, more 6SI stuff he didn't put on, a BUNCH of spare track links, 6 channel radio, big charger, Panther books, etc. Some small parts, like the headlight, came off over the years but were included.

It has sound and smoke but he never hooked them up.

I got up this morning, sore from the drive, and have just now went out to take these pics. I haven't messed with the tank or even went thru the boxes/plastic bins to inventory all the parts yet.

When I get room on the bench I'll get it up there, get new batteries and open up the insides. It's pretty dusty sitting on a pallet all these years.

I'll let you know how it runs later. Mike

Panther F

Christmas in May!!!

Congrats you lucky dawg!




Jeff

sevoblast

Looks to me like you done pretty good, Mike! Now you got to open him up and show us the inside.

sollie

Oh boy. Worth the haul for sure .

Pleez make a video soon , and if you are on Facebook, share it in my Group pleez

https://www.facebook.com/groups/rctanks/

MAUS45

Wow Mike, nice find!!! Armortek makes a good Panther. 6th Scale Icons parts are the bomb as well. I have some of there stuff for my 1/8 Tiger II.

Old MSgt

I decided to bring it up on my work bench (motorcycle lift actually) so I got a three small tie down straps out of my truck. Hooked a couple on the pallet and HAD A HECK of a time yanking it over to the lift! It would slide 2-4 inches at a time! About threw my back out!

I'd lowered the bench down but when the pallet got over, the pallet was still about two inches below the lip of the bench edge. I got a piece of wood about half the thickness to be a 'step' so it would roll up.

Hooked the two strap hooks on the two rear U lugs and started tugging again! It'd move one or two inches at a time. I STRAINED my MASSIVE MUSCLES and 12-PACK ABS!... and dang near busted a gut. Finally, after a LOT of huffing, puffing and 'naughty words', I got it up and back on the bench. Had to drank a 'couple' of refreshments just to cool off!

THEN it dawned on me... I'M AN IDIOT! After I got the pallet over to the bench, I SHOULD HAVE pulled a track pin on each track on the front, pulled the tracks back out from the rear out over on the bench, THEN pulled! That way it would have rolled free without the drag of the sprocket drive motors fighting me! It would have been a free rolling tank up and over on the tracks! Thought: 'Well DUHHH!'

Heck, I was going to have to take the tracks off anyway because if trying to get it running WITH the tracks ON, a man could get KILLED! (I already KNOW that from personal experience with the Tiger! It can get exciting pretty quick and it ain't good.)

I got the turret and the deck off. Vacuumed out the dust and dead bugs. And there's a LOT of WIRING in this thang! I couldn't even find the radio receiver or on/off switch....

I was 'thirsty' and had to start figuring this out... I'll look at the manuals this evening... I'm pretty good at mechanical stuff, NOT electric stuff. I'd be like an ape trying to wire the space shuttle.

I'll take pics tomorrow of the inside.

Airbrushler

that's Awesome looks great Congratulations

Panther F

Ah... you needed a REAL GOOD excuse to toss a few down anyway, huh.

Still, you're a lucky dawg.




Jeff

Old MSgt

Here's the inside of this tank. Wires and boxes. And that's the smoke unit in the rear that's never been hooked up. A picture of the inside of the commanders' hatch, a long antenna, rear grills, and even a set of the 6SI zimmerit appliers. 6SI makes different scale size teeth so they must be the size for this tank. The headlight is made of heavy brass and has a bulb and wires but I don't know what voltage it is.

A pic of the sound unit. I'll try to read more on it in the manuals.

I turned the radio on and it came on. I'd found the tank power button so I set two newer batteries in and hooked'em up, turned on the radio, turned on the tank, and everything worked (except the turret T&E because the turret isn't on.) BUT, each track only moves with each individual side lever. I'll unplug/plug the radio wires in the receiver to see if I can make it one f/r and the other steering.

Then the radio started BEEPING. I guess the batteries were low so I turned everything off and plugged the radio in to charge. A charger wasn't in the box so I just plugged in one of my other Futaba 9.6 chargers. I'll have to look the manual up because the radio didn't come with one.

Here's a pic of the radio and that BIG 12v charger that came with it. That charger must weigh 12 pounds! No manual for it either...

Another closer pic of that smoke charger but it's not been plumbed and there's two tiny wires that go out the back to that rear tail light. The bow gunners' MG have wires too.

LUCKILY things WORKED, just have to get the receiver wiring figured out.

I'll make the kind of plate I like for the batteries (so I can get to them easier) and try to get it going in a few days. Right now it's shower, bite, drank, and TV time. Mike

MAUS45

Nice find Mike. Very cool that there is minimal work to be done with the electronics. Are you thinking about a repaint or will you leave as is?
Rudy

Old MSgt

Rudy, when the seller (Mark) sent me pics I really thought about repainting it. I spent the evening before I hit the road to PA looking thru all my Panther books so I could figure out 'where and what unit' that color scheme was for. I found some of those paint schemes in France and BOTB so I may order those paint masks for then. I just used a paint mask on my Tiger 1 and it was easy to use.

As I said, I thought about repainting it but since I picked it up it's kind of 'grown' on me. And repainting would be a JOB, what with all the tool, track, weld lines to have to sand around. And the flat area DO LOOK like rough cast steel. Look at the side by the cleaning rod bin. I like the look of that.

And sollie, my wife is on facebook but I don't know how to use it. I got her to record that short video of the FOA/Dragon Sherman I've been working on and it didn't turn out too bad. Of course that Sherman is SCREECHING FAST compared to my Tiger (the Sherman could run circles around the Tiger) and I think the Panther would be about the same... when I get the Panther running I'll try to get my sweetie to record it and put it on facebook.

This Futaba radio has a LOT of switches! I'm used to my OLD 4 channel ones. Heck, I don't even know what frequencies it uses. When I turn it on I may be switching TV channels a mile away! Opening garage doors! Making washers attack! Hope I don't end up in JAIL!

It was sunny so I lightly painted the tracks that cheap Walmart camo tan. I did that with the Tiger tracks and when that paint wears off it looks pretty good. Especially when I run it in sand/loose dirt.

Since I've about 'BLOWN' MY money (there's the HOUSE money and my personal FUN money) I'm going to sell some more stuff. I LOVE my RC Armory KT but... and the FOA Sherman is 'sweating it' too.

I'll post a few more pics (don't want to bore you all) of the outside details tomorrow. Then it's getting busy getting it RUNNING fully (I'm SCARED of that sound system and smoker!) and fixing details and welds that have came off.

Mike

Tanker 10

Looking forward to your progress and photo's.

Crius

So is this your third 1/6 scale tank, Mike, or are there more? If I recall correctly, you have a Sherman and a Tiger One in 1/6 and a King Tiger in 1/8, right? And now the Panther, so whoever said you're a lucky dawg sure had it right. I must admit that I'm just a little bit green, but in a good way. I'm still surprised how much enjoyment I get from seeing my fellow tankers get cool stuff. I really do get a little happy when a buddy makes a good score.

yoshigt2

This is so cool, I'd love to see picks of this with the KT. Been watching large scale rc tank videos on YouTube since I started. I don't have the space or the means for something that large, but dammit if I did, the wife would leave me.. lol

Congrats on the find, can't wait to see more

Panther G

The true " Mother Load"

Old MSgt

I spend most of the day out in the garage. I toted the turret and upper deck outside and used a soft brush and the water hose to wash'em off. Got the dust off. I'll wash the lower when I can drive it out.

I don't know about this radio setup. To run the sprockets you have to push up both radio levers, one for each side sprocket. The is a 7 channel radio but it's the wiring inside (I think) that I need to figure out. IF I can't get it going like my 1/16 tanks, right radio lever for f/r and right for steering... I might have to take everything out and put in a couple of Sabertooth ESCs, and because THIS setup is working I don't want to do that. Other than this drive aggravation there's only a few little 'welds' to do and some parts to put back on.

And at 'breaks' of working on it, I'd come in, get a 'dip' and/or introduce 'Rocky Mountain Spring Water' to the rural Kentucky water table.

AND to quickly check ebay... a LOT more checks as the day went on!

The morning before I 'found' the Panther for a straight sale on that forum, I ran on to 'something' on ebay... Thought "What the heck. I'll bid a chunk of dollars over the starting price. Then I can say I bid on one." Just figured I wouldn't win it at that price...

Well, over the days NOBODY ELSE has bid on it! I started getting excited! About an hour ago, right at the end there was one other bid a minute before the auction ended but just missed MY little max bid. And I won it!

You're probably going to HATE ME! BUT, for YEARS I've daily checked the ebay Armortek sites, waiting for something to come up at a GOOD price. Sometimes a blind hog can find a truffle! (...twice in one week!) Now I'm ABSOLUTELY out of money.

It'll get it in a few days. Mike

Crius

So what did you get on ebay, Mike? Don't be a tease.

Old MSgt

Well,... I want to make sure it gets here and not jinks my luck. It ain't MINE until it's sitting in the garage. Still somewhat in shock THAT I won it. The seller was GREAT about trying to help me out with shipping but he mostly wanted to sell it 'local pickup.' But I am familiar with UShip...

Same thing happened when I bid on the Armortek Tiger 1 a few years ago. I KNEW THEN that I wasn't going to win it with what I bid. But like this time, nobody bid except for one person right at the end. I sat here watching the ebay auction timer tick down, just WAITING for him to bid again because then it would have been all over for me. Then the timer ran out.

I'll post pics soon as it gets here. Mike (still WIRED! Gonna have a hard time getting to sleep tonight!)

Old MSgt

Well, I tried to figure out that Futaba T7C 7 channel radio programing but that only took about 15 minutes to understand that I DON'T 'understand' it. I looked up the manual but that don't do any good.

Took the radio out in the garage, turned it on. then the Panther (still without tracks).and, yeah, it does what it should but driving it, it'd be like playing a video game, with one thumb on each lever. I obviously don't know how to program it.

Messed around with detail/cleaning a little...

Then, a few minutes ago, while my wife was watching Dr. Oz, I decided to TAKE IT OUT. Put the tracks on. I lowered the motorcy... er, TANK lift, hooked up the batteries, turned on the Futaba, hit the tank 'on' button, and SLOWLY started driving it off the bench ramp. I was going to turn it around anyway so...

Got down off the ramp and everything was going GOOD. THEN, 'old habit, I released the left (steering) lever! That tank twisted around on the left track, RAN OVER POPPYS' (the garage kitty) TOY, and swiveled around facing me! For an instant thought it was POSSESSED! Should have strapped on a .44!! Then I let loose of the right lever and it instantly stopped.

I took it out for a nice drive. Things worked fine but it's WEIRD holding both thumbs on both levers to steer it. And that way you REALLY have to pay attention because any small thumb movement will make it deviate some.

I don't know about this setup. It works fine and I hate to the thought about having to take out all the electrics and getting a couple of Sabertooths (that I'm used to). And if I take things out then the sound and smoke are probably history.

And (DUH!) this Panther looks faster than the Tiger. Not as fast as the FOA Sherman but the Panther does move!

I got it in the garage and slowly drove it up on the bench nose first. Everything went okay with no screaming, bleeding, or severe damage to ME, the tank, or property.

What do you reckon I ought to do about this radio? On 'radio programing' I'm more of a 'Dick & Jane' kindergarden primer type.

Mike

(and Crius: What I won is a little longer than the Tiger 1. Not as wide or tall. It has tracks and wheels. And sits about 9 (+/-) soldiers. I don't want to say until it gets here (JINKS! JINKS! JINKS!) but hope this give ya a clue to figure out.)

(And I can tell Poppy is still PO'ed at me!)

Big N00b

What's on the other pallet over there?

Old MSgt

Big N00b, that's that RC Armory 1/8 King Tiger I got a few years ago. I'm just storing it over on that shelf rack.

Mike

Crius

Looks like a 1/8 scale King Tiger.

Crius

Damn! You beat me to the post by mere seconds, Mike!

Old MSgt

It's between DVR breaks. My wife and I just watched 'Game of Thrones' and now it's 'Fear The Walking Dead' and 'Talking Dead'.

We record our favorite shows and watch'em the NEXT night so we can skip the commercials AND we're 'old folks' and don't stay up too late.

Mike

sollie

This tread needs a V I D E O man. I want to hear that sweet sound of the TBS as you rip up and Down the street