In Box Review of DML Dragon 1/35th Scale
German Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf. F (Sd.Kfz.171)
Panther F
Imperial Series
Kit no. 9008
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 1994
Out of production
I paid $34.98 at a local shop back in the 90’s that went out of business.
Kit no. 9008
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright 1994
Out of production
I paid $34.98 at a local shop back in the 90’s that went out of business.
HISTORY:
The Panther is a German medium tank deployed during World War II on the Eastern and Western Fronts in Europe from mid-1943 to the war's end in 1945. It had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171. It was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther until 27 February 1944, when Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral "V" be deleted.
Contemporary English language reports sometimes refer to it as the "Mark V". The Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the Panzer IV and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war.
It is considered one of the best tanks of World War II for its excellent firepower and protection, although its reliability was less impressive.The Panther was a compromise. While having essentially the same Maybach V12 petrol (690 hp) engine as the Tiger I, it had more efficient frontal hull armour, better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger I.
The trade-off was weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire. The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long range engagements, but did not provide enough high explosive firepower against infantry.
The Panther was far cheaper to produce than the Tiger I, and only slightly more expensive than the Panzer IV. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armour, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and address raw material shortages. The overall design remained described by some as "over-engineered".
The Panther was rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk despite numerous unresolved technical problems, leading to high losses due to mechanical failure. Most design flaws were rectified by late 1943 and early 1944, though the bombing of production plants, increasing shortages of high quality alloys for critical components, shortage of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of crews all impacted the tank's effectiveness.
Though officially classified as a medium tank, its weight is more like that of a heavy tank, as its weight of 44.8 tons puts it roughly in the same category as the American M26 Pershing (41.7 tons), British Churchill (40.7 tons) and the Soviet IS-2 (46 tons) heavy tanks. The tank had a very high power-to-weight ratio, making it highly mobile regardless of its tonnage. Its weight still caused logistical problems, such as an inability to cross certain bridges.
The naming of Panther production variants did not, unlike most German tanks, follow alphabetical order: the initial variant, Panther "D" (Ausf. D), was followed by "A", “F” and "G" variants.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Medium tank
Place of origin; Nazi Germany
In service: 1943–1945 (Nazi Germany), 1944–1947 (France)
Used by: Nazi Germany, France, Limited use by other militaries
Wars: World War II
Designer: MAN AG
Designed: 1942
Manufacturer: MAN, Daimler-Benz, MNH
Unit cost: 117,100 Reichmarks (Without weapons, optics, or radio), 176,100 Reichmarks (combat ready)
Produced: 1943–1945 (1946- 9 postwar for the British Army)
No. built: about 6,000
Variants: Ausf. D, Ausf. A, Ausf. G, Befehlspanzer (command tank), Beobachtungspanzer (artillery observer vehicle), Bergepanther (armoured recovery vehicle)
Mass: 44.8 tonnes (44.1 long tons; 49.4 short tons)
Length: 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in), 8.66 metres (28 ft 5 in) gun forward
Width: 3.27 m (10 ft 9 in), 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) with skirts
Height: 2.99 m (9 ft 10 in)
Crew: 5 (driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner,commander,gunner, loader)
Armour: 16-100 mm
Main armament: 1 × 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 with 79 rounds
Secondary armament: 2 × 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns with 5,100 rounds
Engine: V-12 petrol Maybach HL230 P30 of 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight: 15.39 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)
Transmission: ZF AK 7-200. 7 forward 1 reverse
Suspension: double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels
Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)
Operational range: Road: 200 km (120 mi), Cross-country: 100 km (62 mi)
Maximum speed: 55 km/h (34 mph) (first models 46 km/h (29 mph) (later models)
The Panther is a German medium tank deployed during World War II on the Eastern and Western Fronts in Europe from mid-1943 to the war's end in 1945. It had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171. It was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther until 27 February 1944, when Hitler ordered that the Roman numeral "V" be deleted.
Contemporary English language reports sometimes refer to it as the "Mark V". The Panther was intended to counter the Soviet T-34 and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV. Nevertheless, it served alongside the Panzer IV and the heavier Tiger I until the end of the war.
It is considered one of the best tanks of World War II for its excellent firepower and protection, although its reliability was less impressive.The Panther was a compromise. While having essentially the same Maybach V12 petrol (690 hp) engine as the Tiger I, it had more efficient frontal hull armour, better gun penetration, was lighter and faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tiger I.
The trade-off was weaker side armour, which made it vulnerable to flanking fire. The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long range engagements, but did not provide enough high explosive firepower against infantry.
The Panther was far cheaper to produce than the Tiger I, and only slightly more expensive than the Panzer IV. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armour, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and address raw material shortages. The overall design remained described by some as "over-engineered".
The Panther was rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk despite numerous unresolved technical problems, leading to high losses due to mechanical failure. Most design flaws were rectified by late 1943 and early 1944, though the bombing of production plants, increasing shortages of high quality alloys for critical components, shortage of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of crews all impacted the tank's effectiveness.
Though officially classified as a medium tank, its weight is more like that of a heavy tank, as its weight of 44.8 tons puts it roughly in the same category as the American M26 Pershing (41.7 tons), British Churchill (40.7 tons) and the Soviet IS-2 (46 tons) heavy tanks. The tank had a very high power-to-weight ratio, making it highly mobile regardless of its tonnage. Its weight still caused logistical problems, such as an inability to cross certain bridges.
The naming of Panther production variants did not, unlike most German tanks, follow alphabetical order: the initial variant, Panther "D" (Ausf. D), was followed by "A", “F” and "G" variants.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Medium tank
Place of origin; Nazi Germany
In service: 1943–1945 (Nazi Germany), 1944–1947 (France)
Used by: Nazi Germany, France, Limited use by other militaries
Wars: World War II
Designer: MAN AG
Designed: 1942
Manufacturer: MAN, Daimler-Benz, MNH
Unit cost: 117,100 Reichmarks (Without weapons, optics, or radio), 176,100 Reichmarks (combat ready)
Produced: 1943–1945 (1946- 9 postwar for the British Army)
No. built: about 6,000
Variants: Ausf. D, Ausf. A, Ausf. G, Befehlspanzer (command tank), Beobachtungspanzer (artillery observer vehicle), Bergepanther (armoured recovery vehicle)
Mass: 44.8 tonnes (44.1 long tons; 49.4 short tons)
Length: 6.87 m (22 ft 6 in), 8.66 metres (28 ft 5 in) gun forward
Width: 3.27 m (10 ft 9 in), 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in) with skirts
Height: 2.99 m (9 ft 10 in)
Crew: 5 (driver, radio-operator/hull machine gunner,commander,gunner, loader)
Armour: 16-100 mm
Main armament: 1 × 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 with 79 rounds
Secondary armament: 2 × 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns with 5,100 rounds
Engine: V-12 petrol Maybach HL230 P30 of 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight: 15.39 PS (11.5 kW)/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)
Transmission: ZF AK 7-200. 7 forward 1 reverse
Suspension: double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels
Fuel capacity: 720 litres (160 imp gal; 190 US gal)
Operational range: Road: 200 km (120 mi), Cross-country: 100 km (62 mi)
Maximum speed: 55 km/h (34 mph) (first models 46 km/h (29 mph) (later models)
THE KIT:
DML Dragon is an old prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Panther F moving down a snow covered city street past a Panther G and large damaged municipal building in the background.
The Panther F is in a wide wave pattern of sand, dark-green and red brown, with a black turret number 221 outlined in white.
The Panther G it is passing is coated with winter white-wash and has its turret sides in Panzer grey with a white turret number 441.
One corner of the box art says the kit contains 468 parts and is intended for modelers over the age of 10.
One side panel has a color box art of DML’s kit no. 9004, a 1/35th scale “GRILLE” Ausf. H (Sd.Kfz. 138) with S.P. Gun Crew.
This is followed by the kits copyright of 1994 over Marco Polo Import INC s address in City of Industry, CA. They were the importer and distributor of DML kits back in the 90’s.Their FAX number is also provided. Kit was made in Hong Kong.
DML Dragon is an old prolific model company based in Hong Kong, China. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Panther F moving down a snow covered city street past a Panther G and large damaged municipal building in the background.
The Panther F is in a wide wave pattern of sand, dark-green and red brown, with a black turret number 221 outlined in white.
The Panther G it is passing is coated with winter white-wash and has its turret sides in Panzer grey with a white turret number 441.
One corner of the box art says the kit contains 468 parts and is intended for modelers over the age of 10.
One side panel has a color box art of DML’s kit no. 9004, a 1/35th scale “GRILLE” Ausf. H (Sd.Kfz. 138) with S.P. Gun Crew.
This is followed by the kits copyright of 1994 over Marco Polo Import INC s address in City of Industry, CA. They were the importer and distributor of DML kits back in the 90’s.Their FAX number is also provided. Kit was made in Hong Kong.
The other side panel shows 3 color walk around type photos of the model made up in the box art color scheme, but unmarked. Photo etched parts are said included. The copyright date and addresses from the other side panel are repeated.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 7 light-grey parts trees, PE fret and decal sheet in 4 clear sealed cello bags and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8 ½” x 11 ½” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the cover art, over the parts trees illustrations. Some parts are shaded out on the letter A parts tree as being excess and not needed to complete the model
Page 2 begins with ATTENTION-IMPORTANT INFORMATION about the kit, over international assembly symbol explanations and a suggested paint color listing of Gunze Sangyo or Italeri brands of hobby paints, in 6 languages, including English.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 7 gives a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
Page 8 is the marking and painting guide. It shows the Panther F in the box art scheme (already described above) and decal application instructions in the 6 languages.
Bottom of the page repeats the copyright date of 1994 and printing was done in Hong Kong.
Trees are alphabetized.
Light-grey letter A tree holds: road wheels, drive sprockets, final transfer covers, bogies, tools etc. (118 parts) 51 parts are excess. These are all the road wheels.
This kit contains 7 light-grey parts trees, PE fret and decal sheet in 4 clear sealed cello bags and the instructions.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8 ½” x 11 ½” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the cover art, over the parts trees illustrations. Some parts are shaded out on the letter A parts tree as being excess and not needed to complete the model
Page 2 begins with ATTENTION-IMPORTANT INFORMATION about the kit, over international assembly symbol explanations and a suggested paint color listing of Gunze Sangyo or Italeri brands of hobby paints, in 6 languages, including English.
The bottom of page 2 through to page 7 gives a grand total of 13 assembly steps.
Page 8 is the marking and painting guide. It shows the Panther F in the box art scheme (already described above) and decal application instructions in the 6 languages.
Bottom of the page repeats the copyright date of 1994 and printing was done in Hong Kong.
Trees are alphabetized.
Light-grey letter A tree holds: road wheels, drive sprockets, final transfer covers, bogies, tools etc. (118 parts) 51 parts are excess. These are all the road wheels.
Light-grey letter B tree holds: the hull top and rear wall, jack, hatch doors etc. (22 parts)
There are 4 identical letter C trees. They hold: the road wheels that you do use, individual track links, fenders etc. (85 parts each)
Light-grey letter D tree holds: the turret parts and main gun barrel etc. (23 parts)
The PE fret is next. It holds engine air intake grills and screens (10 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit.
There are no crew figures included or clear parts. Interior detail is nil, but the exterior detail is very good,.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.