In Box Review of DML Dragon 1/35th Scale
German Jagdpanther, Sd.Kfz. 173, Command Version
Kit no. 9016
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $79.86 at Mega Hobbies. I paid $25.00 for mine back in 2009.
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $79.86 at Mega Hobbies. I paid $25.00 for mine back in 2009.
HISTORY:
The Jagdpanther (German: "hunting panther") was a tank destroyer built by Nazi Germany during World War II based on the chassis of the Panther tank. It entered service late in the war (1944) and saw service on the Eastern and Western Fronts.
The Jagdpanther combined the very powerful 8.8 cm PaK 43 cannon of the Tiger II and the characteristically excellent armor and suspension of the Panther chassis, although it suffered from the general poor state of German ordnance production, maintenance and training in the later part of the war, which resulted in small production numbers, shortage in spare parts and poor crew readiness.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1944-1945 (Nazi Germany), 1945-1960s (France)
Produced: 1944–1945
Number built: 415
Variants: Ausf. G1, G2
Weight: 45.5 tonnes (100,300 lb)
Length: 9.87 m (32 ft 5 in)
Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height: 2.71 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew: 5
Armor: 80 mm (3.14 in) frontal, 100 mm (3.93 in) mantlet,
45mm side, 40mm rear
Main armament: 1 × 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 or 43/4 L/71, with
57 rounds
Secondary armament: 1 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with 600 rounds
Engine: Maybach HL230 P30 (V-12 petrol), 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight: 15.4 PS/tonne
Suspension: dual torsion bar
Operational range: 160 km (99 miles)
Speed: 46 km/h (28.6 mph
The Jagdpanther (German: "hunting panther") was a tank destroyer built by Nazi Germany during World War II based on the chassis of the Panther tank. It entered service late in the war (1944) and saw service on the Eastern and Western Fronts.
The Jagdpanther combined the very powerful 8.8 cm PaK 43 cannon of the Tiger II and the characteristically excellent armor and suspension of the Panther chassis, although it suffered from the general poor state of German ordnance production, maintenance and training in the later part of the war, which resulted in small production numbers, shortage in spare parts and poor crew readiness.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Tank destroyer
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1944-1945 (Nazi Germany), 1945-1960s (France)
Produced: 1944–1945
Number built: 415
Variants: Ausf. G1, G2
Weight: 45.5 tonnes (100,300 lb)
Length: 9.87 m (32 ft 5 in)
Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height: 2.71 m (8 ft 11 in)
Crew: 5
Armor: 80 mm (3.14 in) frontal, 100 mm (3.93 in) mantlet,
45mm side, 40mm rear
Main armament: 1 × 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 or 43/4 L/71, with
57 rounds
Secondary armament: 1 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with 600 rounds
Engine: Maybach HL230 P30 (V-12 petrol), 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight: 15.4 PS/tonne
Suspension: dual torsion bar
Operational range: 160 km (99 miles)
Speed: 46 km/h (28.6 mph
THE KIT:
DML Dragon is a prolific model manufacturer 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 Jagdpanther crossing a railroad tracks behind a Panther tank and some halftracks. There is a knocked-out engine off the tracks behind the Jagdpanther with steam coming out of bullet holes in it's boiler.
The Jagdpanther is in vertical bands of earth yellow, red-brown and dark green, with small German cross on the side of the hull. The tank commander is looking out of the top hatch. He wears a black uniform and has headphones on his head.
Two infantrymen are beside the Jagdpanther and one is waving the second man on.
One side panel has a color box art of kit no. 9014, a German Stug. III Ausf. G, Sd.Kfz. 141/2. This is followed by the copyright date for the kit of 1995 and Dragon Models Ltd's. street address in Hong Kong, China and MADE IN CHINA.
THE KIT:
DML Dragon is a prolific model manufacturer 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 Jagdpanther crossing a railroad tracks behind a Panther tank and some halftracks. There is a knocked-out engine off the tracks behind the Jagdpanther with steam coming out of bullet holes in it's boiler.
The Jagdpanther is in vertical bands of earth yellow, red-brown and dark green, with small German cross on the side of the hull. The tank commander is looking out of the top hatch. He wears a black uniform and has headphones on his head.
Two infantrymen are beside the Jagdpanther and one is waving the second man on.
One side panel has a color box art of kit no. 9014, a German Stug. III Ausf. G, Sd.Kfz. 141/2. This is followed by the copyright date for the kit of 1995 and Dragon Models Ltd's. street address in Hong Kong, China and MADE IN CHINA.
The other side panel has 3 color photos of the kit made up in the box art scheme, followed by the copyright date and the address again.
The other side panel has 3 color photos of the kit made up in the box art scheme, followed by the copyright date and the address again.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 15 light-grey trees in 9 sealed cello bags, the decal sheet and instructions.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8 1/2" x 14 " page format.
Page 1 of the instructions begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the parts trees illustrations.
Some parts are shown blued-out. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the model.
Page 2 begins with CAUTIONS about the kit in 6 languages, including English. Below that is international assembly symbol explanations in the 6 languages and a suggested paint listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri brands of hobby paints.
The bottom of the page has the first assembly step.
Page 3 through 7 give a grand total of 14 assembly steps.
Page 8 has a 4-view of the box art scheme (already described above). It is with an unknown unit in Germany 1945.
At the bottom of the page is decal application instructions in the 6 languages, including English.
I did a review of the DML Jagdpanther early version previously on Indy Amps and it is in the archives.
Some of the trees in this kit are common to this kit and the early one. Some are different and 3 are new.
Light-grey letter A tree is a common one to both kits. It holds drive sprockets, road wheels, idler wheels , fuel tanks, gun cleaning rod holding tube, etc. (51 parts) A whopping 33 of the parts are blued-out as being excess.
This kit contains 15 light-grey trees in 9 sealed cello bags, the decal sheet and instructions.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion-folds out into 8 pages in 8 1/2" x 14 " page format.
Page 1 of the instructions begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the parts trees illustrations.
Some parts are shown blued-out. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the model.
Page 2 begins with CAUTIONS about the kit in 6 languages, including English. Below that is international assembly symbol explanations in the 6 languages and a suggested paint listing of Gunze Sangyo and Italeri brands of hobby paints.
The bottom of the page has the first assembly step.
Page 3 through 7 give a grand total of 14 assembly steps.
Page 8 has a 4-view of the box art scheme (already described above). It is with an unknown unit in Germany 1945.
At the bottom of the page is decal application instructions in the 6 languages, including English.
I did a review of the DML Jagdpanther early version previously on Indy Amps and it is in the archives.
Some of the trees in this kit are common to this kit and the early one. Some are different and 3 are new.
Light-grey letter A tree is a common one to both kits. It holds drive sprockets, road wheels, idler wheels , fuel tanks, gun cleaning rod holding tube, etc. (51 parts) A whopping 33 of the parts are blued-out as being excess.
Light-grey letter B tree is a common one to both kits. It holds the hull rear wall, gun mantle parts etc. (12 parts)
There are 4 identical light-grey letter C trees that are common. They hold the individual track links (48 links per tree)
There is a second light-grey letter C tree that is new. It holds some wheels, a long bar and a long flat panel etc. (10 parts) Again a large number of parts on this kit, 7 of them, are blued-out as being excess.
There are 2 identical light-tan letter D trees. They each hold road wheels (16 parts per tree) These trees are common to both kits.
There are 2 identical light-grey letter E trees, common to both kits. They each hold: main gun halves, air intake grills, hatch halves, drive sprockets etc. (28 parts each)
Light-grey letter F tree is different. It holds: engine air intakes, final transfer covers, jack, engine crank, axe etc. (40 parts) Two parts are blued-out as being excess.
Small light-grey letter G tree holds parts for a crow's foot radio antenna (4 parts)
Light-grey loose hull bottom part is common to both kits.
The decal sheet is next. There is just the small decal sheet that is common to both kits, but the larger decal sheet in the early version kit is not included this time.
There are no crew figures in the kit or clear parts. There are no interior details, but the external parts are great.
Highly recommended
I bought my kit at my local hobby shop 22 years ago.
Highly recommended
I bought my kit at my local hobby shop 22 years ago.