Panther/Jagdpanther Swappable Hulls

After picking up the Panther/Jagdpanther boxset (GBX84) from Battlefront, I wanted the option to make 10 tanks instead of 5. As there are only 5 lower hull assemblies in the set, I needed to come up with a solution to make the upper hulls swappable. After seeing other people do this, I came up with a relatively simple solution to accomplish this.

Here are the parts you'll need for this project:

• 10 pieces of metal that are 50mm long x 5mm wide and 2mm thick (my neighbor works with metal so I was able to give him the dimensions and he made mine in 2 minutes) - it is important that the metal you use is MAGNETIC!
• 20 Disc magnets, D5x1mm, NdFeb, N42, Full Sintered/Pressed (I purchased mine from here)
• Superglue

Why am I using metal slugs instead of magnets? Well, after seeing someone else use magnets on Facebook, I was worried about the possibility of having a magnet (or magnets) positioned with the wrong polarity causing the pieces to push apart. Another advantage is that the metal slugs are cheap -- in my case free -- and allow some play in their positioning when getting the 2 pieces to stick together.

Step 1:
Apply superglue to the 2 sets of "steps" under the hull and to the far right -- closest to the front of the tank -- of the Panther hull (shown below).

Panther Top

Since the Jagdpanther lacks a flat surface to glue the slugs to near the front of the hull, I ran a bead of superglue along the length of the metal slugs to help secure them to the hulls. If you are worried about the slugs not being secure enough, you can  put a drop of epoxy under the slug to help secure it. I've yet to have them separate from the plastic after playing with it 50 times.

Jagdpanther Top

Step 2:
Apply 4 small dots of superglue to the lower hull assembly as shown below (I already have my magnets in place in the pictures below)...

 

I found that the measurements I used kept the hulls in place really well, and allows me to pick up the model without the magnets disengaging from the metal slugs. Now you don't need to use the exact measurements I show above, but try to use them as a guide.

Step 3:
Allow everything to dry for an hour before testing anything. I know you think superglue dries fast, but don't do it. Don't do it, I know you want to.... Just be patient. Go watch a TV show or read 2 chapters of your favorite book.

Step 4:
Enjoy the ability to swap them out at your convenience!

Now that I can swap these out at will, I'm going to paint these up. Come back soon to see them finished!

UPDATE: Panther/Jagdpanther Swappable Hulls Part 2