In Box Review of ICM 1/35th Scale
Bergepanther With German Tank Crew
Kit no. 35342
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2006
Available at Squadron for $53.00 or at 1001 Hobbies for $45.99 or at Kit Linx for $46.65 and from one individual in the U.S.A. and 3 locations overseas on the web.
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2006
Available at Squadron for $53.00 or at 1001 Hobbies for $45.99 or at Kit Linx for $46.65 and from one individual in the U.S.A. and 3 locations overseas on the web.
HISTORY:
The Bergepanzerwagen V (Sd.Kfz. 179), often referred to as the "Bergepanther", was an armoured recovery vehicle used by the German Army in WWII. It was a variant of the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (Sd.Kfz. 171).
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Armoured recovery vehicle
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1943–1945
Used by: Wehrmacht
Wars: Second World War
Produced: 1943-1945
No. built: 339
Mass: 43 tonnes (47 short tons; 42 long tons)
Length: 8.86 m (29 ft 1 in)
Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Crew: 5
Main armament: 1 × 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 autocannon
Secondary armament: 1 × 7.92 mm MG 42 machine gun
Engine: Maybach HL 230 12-cylinder gasoline engine of 700 horsepower (520 kW)
Power/weight: 19 hp/tonne
Operational range: 200 mi (320 km)
Maximum speed: 55 km/h
The Bergepanzerwagen V (Sd.Kfz. 179), often referred to as the "Bergepanther", was an armoured recovery vehicle used by the German Army in WWII. It was a variant of the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (Sd.Kfz. 171).
SPECIFICATIONS:
Type: Armoured recovery vehicle
Place of origin: Nazi Germany
In service: 1943–1945
Used by: Wehrmacht
Wars: Second World War
Produced: 1943-1945
No. built: 339
Mass: 43 tonnes (47 short tons; 42 long tons)
Length: 8.86 m (29 ft 1 in)
Width: 3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Height: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Crew: 5
Main armament: 1 × 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 autocannon
Secondary armament: 1 × 7.92 mm MG 42 machine gun
Engine: Maybach HL 230 12-cylinder gasoline engine of 700 horsepower (520 kW)
Power/weight: 19 hp/tonne
Operational range: 200 mi (320 km)
Maximum speed: 55 km/h
THE KIT:
ICM is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in the Ukraine. They make all manner of plastic model kits in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Bergepanther that is parked on snow by trees. There are 4 crewmen around it.
Reading left to right:
The first man is standing. He is obviously an officer, because he wears a grey officer’s hat with a bill. He wears a black uniform and is pointing to his wrist-watch and facing two of the other men.
The second man is kneeling on his left knee and talking to the third man. He is dressed in a khaki uniform, with a black cloth side cap.
The third man is standing and talking to the second man. He wears a black uniform and cloth field cap with a bill. He has a pistol holster on his belt.
The fourth (and last) man is to the side of the tank. He is kneeling and holding a wrench in his left hand against his forehead. He wears khaki trousers and a grey shirt that has the sleeves rolled up.
The tank is overall earth yellow with a black and white German cross at the fore end of the sides of the hull.
One side-panel of the box begins with a one-paragraph history of the Bergepanther. Followed by: The box contains an unassembled plastic model kit. Length 205mm (a hair over 8”), height 125mm (5”). Includes 384 parts for assembly of the Bergepanther and 28 parts for the figures. Instruction sheet with drawings and decal sheet included.
Over ICM’s P.O. address, telephone and FAX numbers and web address.
Suitable for children aged 10 years and older. Not suitable for children under 3 years. My contain small parts and sharp points. In multiple languages, including English.
Distributed by: Italeri S.p.A. Their street and web address are provided.
ICM is an old prolific plastic model kit manufacturer, based in the Ukraine. They make all manner of plastic model kits in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The cover art shows a color illustration of a Bergepanther that is parked on snow by trees. There are 4 crewmen around it.
Reading left to right:
The first man is standing. He is obviously an officer, because he wears a grey officer’s hat with a bill. He wears a black uniform and is pointing to his wrist-watch and facing two of the other men.
The second man is kneeling on his left knee and talking to the third man. He is dressed in a khaki uniform, with a black cloth side cap.
The third man is standing and talking to the second man. He wears a black uniform and cloth field cap with a bill. He has a pistol holster on his belt.
The fourth (and last) man is to the side of the tank. He is kneeling and holding a wrench in his left hand against his forehead. He wears khaki trousers and a grey shirt that has the sleeves rolled up.
The tank is overall earth yellow with a black and white German cross at the fore end of the sides of the hull.
One side-panel of the box begins with a one-paragraph history of the Bergepanther. Followed by: The box contains an unassembled plastic model kit. Length 205mm (a hair over 8”), height 125mm (5”). Includes 384 parts for assembly of the Bergepanther and 28 parts for the figures. Instruction sheet with drawings and decal sheet included.
Over ICM’s P.O. address, telephone and FAX numbers and web address.
Suitable for children aged 10 years and older. Not suitable for children under 3 years. My contain small parts and sharp points. In multiple languages, including English.
Distributed by: Italeri S.p.A. Their street and web address are provided.
The other side panel of the box shows a color illustration of each one of the figures against an all-white background.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains four tan parts trees, a tan hull top and hull tub part. Four black trees of individual track links and a medium-grey tree of figures.
The instructions consist of a staple-bound booklet of 10 pages in 8” x 11” page format and a single sheet.
The 1st page of the instructions is the parts-trees illustrations. Some parts are shaded out here. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the model. International assembly symbol explanations are at the bottom of the page.
Page 2 on through to page 9 give, what I count as 9 assembly steps. They are not numbered.
Page 10 is a painting and marking guide. It shows two 3-views.
The first one is the box art scheme (already described above.
It was with S.pz. Jager Abt. 653, Kursk, summer 1943.
The second one is in a camouflage of a base of sand-yellow with dark-green stripes..It shows no markings.
It was with the Panzer Regiment “Hermann Goring”, East Prussia, Autumn 1944.
Below them is a paint color listing of Model Master brand hobby paints and CAUTIONS in 4 languages, including English and ICM’s P.O. and E-mail addresses repeated.
The loose instruction page has a painting guide on one side. It shows each of the figures in black and white, pointing out their colors.
The other side of the sheet shows an illustration of the parts tree with the figures on it. This tree is not alphabetized. The Model Master brand paint listing is repeated and the CAUTIONS and addresses.
Parts trees are alphabetized.
There are two identical tan letter A trees. They hold: road wheels, idler wheels, drive sprockets etc. (60 parts ea.) 1 part is excess.
This kit contains four tan parts trees, a tan hull top and hull tub part. Four black trees of individual track links and a medium-grey tree of figures.
The instructions consist of a staple-bound booklet of 10 pages in 8” x 11” page format and a single sheet.
The 1st page of the instructions is the parts-trees illustrations. Some parts are shaded out here. Meaning they are excess and not needed to complete the model. International assembly symbol explanations are at the bottom of the page.
Page 2 on through to page 9 give, what I count as 9 assembly steps. They are not numbered.
Page 10 is a painting and marking guide. It shows two 3-views.
The first one is the box art scheme (already described above.
It was with S.pz. Jager Abt. 653, Kursk, summer 1943.
The second one is in a camouflage of a base of sand-yellow with dark-green stripes..It shows no markings.
It was with the Panzer Regiment “Hermann Goring”, East Prussia, Autumn 1944.
Below them is a paint color listing of Model Master brand hobby paints and CAUTIONS in 4 languages, including English and ICM’s P.O. and E-mail addresses repeated.
The loose instruction page has a painting guide on one side. It shows each of the figures in black and white, pointing out their colors.
The other side of the sheet shows an illustration of the parts tree with the figures on it. This tree is not alphabetized. The Model Master brand paint listing is repeated and the CAUTIONS and addresses.
Parts trees are alphabetized.
There are two identical tan letter A trees. They hold: road wheels, idler wheels, drive sprockets etc. (60 parts ea.) 1 part is excess.
Tan letter B tree holds: final transfer covers, hull rear and front walls, fenders, jack, tools etc. (59 parts) 14 parts are excess.
There are 4 identical black letter C parts trees that hold individual track links (54 parts per tree)
Tan letter D tree holds the parts of the hoist (29 parts)
The upper and lower hull parts.
The light-gray tree holding the 4 crew figures are next ( 28 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit’s contents.
There is no string or wire included in the kit to do the ropes on the hoist. This should have been included.
Nice detail.
Recommended.
Nice detail.
Recommended.