In Box Review of ICM 1/35th Scale
Bergepanther (early version)
WWII German ARV
Kit no. 35341
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $40.00
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $40.00
HISTORY:
Without a doubt, the Panther is the most famous German tank of WWII. The first serial variant was Pz. V Ausf. D. The mass production began in January 1943. Panther Ausf. D tanks received the baptism of fire during the “Citadel” operation in the summer of 1943.
The German Panther tank was employed as the base for some special vehicles. One of them was the armored recovery vehicle Bergepanther (Sd.Kfz. 179). Early machines were made on the base of Panther Ausf. D tanks. They had not yet the winch. Bergepanther ARV’s were widely used for repair and recovery of all types of German tanks since the summer of 1943.
THE KIT:
ICM is a model company based in the Ukraine.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Bergepanther in a base of earth yellow with red brown stripes for camouflage. It carries a small black cross outlined in white on the forward edge of the sides of the hull. No other marks appear. It is posed against a ghost like scene of a turreted Panther in the background with 3 crewmen standing around it and a couple 50 gallon fuel tanks in the foreground.
One side panel begins with the history of the Bergepanther in English, followed by "MADE IN THE UKRAINE” and ICM’s P.O. Box address in Kyiv, Ukraine, their telephone and fax numbers there and their e-mail and web addresses. The kit is said to be suitable for modelers over 10 years of age, but not suitable for children under 3 because of sharp parts. This is in 5 languages including English.
The kit is distributed by Italeri in Italy and their street address there and web site address are provided.
The other side panel has a color 3-view of the box art subject.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 4 tan parts trees, 4 jet black parts trees, the loose parts of the hull top and hull tub, the decal sheet and the instructions.
There are no clear parts in the kit.
The instructions consist of a staple-bound booklet of 8 pages in 8” x 10 ¾” page format.
Page 1 of the instructions has the parts trees illustrations. Some parts are shown shaded out as being excess and not needed to complete the kit. The bottom of the page has international assembly symbol explanations in English and Ukrainian.
Page 2 through 7 have a grand total of 24 assembly steps.
Page 8 has two 3-views for marking and painting schemes.
The first one is in overall flat tan with the small black cross outlined in white on the front edge of the sides of the hull. It is a Bergepanther with the S. Pz. Jager Abt. 653, Kursk, Summer 1943.
The second one is the box art subject. It is a Bergepanther with the “Hermann Goring” Division, East Prussia, Autumn 1944.
Below this is a listing of Model Master brand hobby paints suggested to use to complete the model, each named in Ukranian and English.
The bottom of the page has CAUTIONS about using paint and glue around an open flame and use them in a well ventilated room. Glue and paint are not included.
Cut parts off the trees with a modeling scissors and trim excess plastic with a cutter or files.
The decal application instructions is next. This again is all in Ukranian and English.
Next is ICM’s P.O. Box address again in Kyiv, Ukraine and their telephone and fax number and e-mail address.
There are 2 identical medium sized tan letter A part trees. They hold: drive sprockets, road wheels, idler wheels, mufflers, suspension parts etc. (62 parts each) One part (the tow cable) is shaded out as being excess.
Without a doubt, the Panther is the most famous German tank of WWII. The first serial variant was Pz. V Ausf. D. The mass production began in January 1943. Panther Ausf. D tanks received the baptism of fire during the “Citadel” operation in the summer of 1943.
The German Panther tank was employed as the base for some special vehicles. One of them was the armored recovery vehicle Bergepanther (Sd.Kfz. 179). Early machines were made on the base of Panther Ausf. D tanks. They had not yet the winch. Bergepanther ARV’s were widely used for repair and recovery of all types of German tanks since the summer of 1943.
THE KIT:
ICM is a model company based in the Ukraine.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Bergepanther in a base of earth yellow with red brown stripes for camouflage. It carries a small black cross outlined in white on the forward edge of the sides of the hull. No other marks appear. It is posed against a ghost like scene of a turreted Panther in the background with 3 crewmen standing around it and a couple 50 gallon fuel tanks in the foreground.
One side panel begins with the history of the Bergepanther in English, followed by "MADE IN THE UKRAINE” and ICM’s P.O. Box address in Kyiv, Ukraine, their telephone and fax numbers there and their e-mail and web addresses. The kit is said to be suitable for modelers over 10 years of age, but not suitable for children under 3 because of sharp parts. This is in 5 languages including English.
The kit is distributed by Italeri in Italy and their street address there and web site address are provided.
The other side panel has a color 3-view of the box art subject.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
The kit contains 4 tan parts trees, 4 jet black parts trees, the loose parts of the hull top and hull tub, the decal sheet and the instructions.
There are no clear parts in the kit.
The instructions consist of a staple-bound booklet of 8 pages in 8” x 10 ¾” page format.
Page 1 of the instructions has the parts trees illustrations. Some parts are shown shaded out as being excess and not needed to complete the kit. The bottom of the page has international assembly symbol explanations in English and Ukrainian.
Page 2 through 7 have a grand total of 24 assembly steps.
Page 8 has two 3-views for marking and painting schemes.
The first one is in overall flat tan with the small black cross outlined in white on the front edge of the sides of the hull. It is a Bergepanther with the S. Pz. Jager Abt. 653, Kursk, Summer 1943.
The second one is the box art subject. It is a Bergepanther with the “Hermann Goring” Division, East Prussia, Autumn 1944.
Below this is a listing of Model Master brand hobby paints suggested to use to complete the model, each named in Ukranian and English.
The bottom of the page has CAUTIONS about using paint and glue around an open flame and use them in a well ventilated room. Glue and paint are not included.
Cut parts off the trees with a modeling scissors and trim excess plastic with a cutter or files.
The decal application instructions is next. This again is all in Ukranian and English.
Next is ICM’s P.O. Box address again in Kyiv, Ukraine and their telephone and fax number and e-mail address.
There are 2 identical medium sized tan letter A part trees. They hold: drive sprockets, road wheels, idler wheels, mufflers, suspension parts etc. (62 parts each) One part (the tow cable) is shaded out as being excess.
Large tan letter B parts tree holds: side skirts, final transfer housings, tools, rear hull wall, Jack, hatches etc. (60 parts) 14 parts are shaded out as being excess.
There are 4 identical jet black letter C parts trees. These hold the individual track links. (54 parts per tree)
Small tan letter D part tree holds: the crane parts, machine gun, large circular hull opening and one of its half circle doors etc. (27 parts)
The individual tan hull tub and hull roof parts are next.
Parts are all loose and not in cello bags.
There are no crew figures provided in the kit.
The small decal sheet completes the kit’s contents. It just holds 3 small German black crosses outlined in white.
There are no crew figures provided in the kit.
The small decal sheet completes the kit’s contents. It just holds 3 small German black crosses outlined in white.
The kit has a copyright date of 2006. ICM re-released it that same year as kit no 35342 and included a 4 man crew that time.If I had been aware of this, I would have waited and bought the one with the crew and would have passed on the one without them.
There is a steel PE set in my kit, but it is not part of this kit and I don’t know how it wound up in the box over the years I've had this kit. It is parts for the engine air intake screens for a Panther Ausf. D/A.
I recommend this kit to modelers of average building skills. However, I would say to get the one with the figures in it.
There is a steel PE set in my kit, but it is not part of this kit and I don’t know how it wound up in the box over the years I've had this kit. It is parts for the engine air intake screens for a Panther Ausf. D/A.
I recommend this kit to modelers of average building skills. However, I would say to get the one with the figures in it.
Kit was courtesy of my wallet