Review of Italeri 1/35th Scale
Panther Ausf. D, Pz.Kpfw. V
Kit no. 290
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.00
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.00
HISTORY:
Panther is the common name of a medium tank deployed by Nazi Germany in World War II from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the Soviet T-34, and as a replacement for the Panzer III and Panzer IV. While never replacing the latter, it served alongside it and the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war. The Panther's excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations' late war and post-war tank designs, and it is regarded as one of the best tanks of World War II.[3]
Until 1944, it was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther and had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171. On 27 February 1944, Hitlerordered that the Roman numeral V be deleted from the designation.
The Panther tank was a compromise of various requirements. While having essentially the same engine as the Tiger I tank, it had better frontal armor (including the benefit of a sloped armor, increasing effective armor depth), better gun penetration, was lighter and thus faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tigers. The tradeoff was weaker side armor. The Panther proved to be deadly in open country and long range engagements, but vulnerable in close-quarters combat. Also, the 75 mm gun fired a slightly smaller shell than the Tiger's 88 mm gun, providing less high explosive firepower against infantry.
The Panther was also far cheaper to produce than the Tiger tanks, and only slightly more expensive than the Panzer IV, as its design came to fruition when the Reich Ministry of Armament and War Production was making great efforts to increase war production. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armor, transmission, and final drive, were compromises made specifically to improve production rates and address Germany's war shortages, whereas other over-engineered elements such as its highly compact engine and its complex suspension system remained. The result was that Panther tank production was far higher than what was possible for the Tiger tanks, but not much higher than what had been accomplished with the Panzer IV. At the same time, the simplified final drive became the single major cause of breakdowns of the Panther tank, and was a problem that was never corrected.
The Panther tank arrived in 1943 at a crucial phase in World War II for Germany. Rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk with un-corrected teething problems, which resulted in breakdowns and other equipment failures, the Panther tank would thereafter only be fighting outnumbered in Germany's steady retreat against the Allies for the remainder of World War II. Its success as a battlefield weapon was thus hampered by Germany's generally declining position in the war, with the loss of airpower protection by the Luftwaffe, the loss of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of tank crews. Nevertheless, the Panther tank commanded respect from the Allies, and its combat capabilities led directly to the introduction of heavier Allied tanks such as the Soviet IS-2 and the American M26 Pershinginto the war and the development of the formidable British Centurion Tank, even though it appeared too late to participate in World War II.
Type
Medium tank
Place of origin
Nazi Germany
Service history
In service
1943–1945 (Nazi Germany)
Used by
Nazi Germany
Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Romania (postwar)
Soviet Union (captured)
France (captured, postwar)
United Kingdom (captured)
Wars
World War II
Designer
MAN AG
Designed
1942
Manufacturer
MAN, Daimler-Benz, MNH
Produced
1943–1945 (1946- 9 post-war for British Army)
Number built
about 6,000[1]
Specifications
Weight
44.8 tonnes (44.1 long tons; 49.4short tons) [2]
Length
6.87 m (22 ft 6 in)
8.66 metres (28 ft 5 in) gun forward[2]
Width
3.27 m (10 ft 9 in)[2]
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)
Armor
15–120 mm (0.59–4.72 in)
Main
armament
1 × 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70
79 rounds [2]
Secondary
armament
2 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34
5,100 rounds
Engine
V-12 petrol Maybach HL230 P30[2]
700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight
15.39 PS/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)
Transmission
ZF AK 7-200. 7 forward 1 reverse[2]
Suspension
double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels
Operational
range
250 km (160 mi)
Speed
55 km/h (34 mph) (first models), 46 km/h (29 mph) (later models)
Italeri is a prolific model company based in Italy. They make all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
THE KIT:
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box art shows a Panther Ausf. D moving down a snow covered road past a stone wall. It is in overall light tan with a dark green splotch pattern. It has narrow German black crosses outlined in white on the turret sides. No other markings are shown.
One side panel has one paragraph histories of the Panther in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian, marked with color illustrations of the flags of those countries that speak those languages.
The other side panel continues with the one paragraph histories in Portuguese, Polish, Japanese and Chinese, marked again with flags. “Not suitable for children under 3” is said in multiple languages. The copyright date of the kit is 1996. The kit was made in Italy. Italeri’s street address there is given. A list of Model Master brand paint numbers is said, but not the names of what those paints are The kit is intended for modelers over 10 years of age.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
This kit contains 3 tan parts trees, black vinyl rubber band type tracks, the decal sheet and instructions; The trees are not cello bagged. There is a little sheet in the kit, printed on both sides, that says “Important information concerning the kit”, in 20 languages including English.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion folds out into 8 pages in 8 ½” x 13” page format.
Page 1 of the instructions begins with Italeri’s street address in Italy and “Retain this address for future reference”, followed by the history of the Panther in 11 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with “Attention-useful advice” about the kit in 10 languages, including Engilish, Another listing of Model Master paint numbers appears, this time with the Federal standard numbers of those colors, but again not what those colors are. At the bottom of the age is 2 parts trees illustrations.
Page 3 begins with an illustration of the 3rd parts tree and the vinyl tracks. The decal application instructions are here in 8 languages, including English. There are 2 international assembly symbol explained and the first 2 assembly steps are at the bottom of the page.
Page 4 to the top of page 8 give a grand total of 14 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 8 has a 4-view of the Panther in what Italeri says should be done in overall base of sand with large blotches of flat tan. I totally do not agree with the flat tan and think it should say dark green or red brown. Narrow German black crosses outlined in white are on the sides and the rear of the turret. No other marks appear. The tank is supposed to be one in Russia in 1943.
Tan letter A parts tree holds: the hull tub, road wheels, drive sprockets, idler wheels, tools, axles etc. (117 parts)
Panther is the common name of a medium tank deployed by Nazi Germany in World War II from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the Soviet T-34, and as a replacement for the Panzer III and Panzer IV. While never replacing the latter, it served alongside it and the heavier Tiger tanks until the end of the war. The Panther's excellent combination of firepower, mobility, and protection served as a benchmark for other nations' late war and post-war tank designs, and it is regarded as one of the best tanks of World War II.[3]
Until 1944, it was designated as the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther and had the ordnance inventory designation of Sd.Kfz. 171. On 27 February 1944, Hitlerordered that the Roman numeral V be deleted from the designation.
The Panther tank was a compromise of various requirements. While having essentially the same engine as the Tiger I tank, it had better frontal armor (including the benefit of a sloped armor, increasing effective armor depth), better gun penetration, was lighter and thus faster, and could traverse rough terrain better than the Tigers. The tradeoff was weaker side armor. The Panther proved to be deadly in open country and long range engagements, but vulnerable in close-quarters combat. Also, the 75 mm gun fired a slightly smaller shell than the Tiger's 88 mm gun, providing less high explosive firepower against infantry.
The Panther was also far cheaper to produce than the Tiger tanks, and only slightly more expensive than the Panzer IV, as its design came to fruition when the Reich Ministry of Armament and War Production was making great efforts to increase war production. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armor, transmission, and final drive, were compromises made specifically to improve production rates and address Germany's war shortages, whereas other over-engineered elements such as its highly compact engine and its complex suspension system remained. The result was that Panther tank production was far higher than what was possible for the Tiger tanks, but not much higher than what had been accomplished with the Panzer IV. At the same time, the simplified final drive became the single major cause of breakdowns of the Panther tank, and was a problem that was never corrected.
The Panther tank arrived in 1943 at a crucial phase in World War II for Germany. Rushed into combat at the Battle of Kursk with un-corrected teething problems, which resulted in breakdowns and other equipment failures, the Panther tank would thereafter only be fighting outnumbered in Germany's steady retreat against the Allies for the remainder of World War II. Its success as a battlefield weapon was thus hampered by Germany's generally declining position in the war, with the loss of airpower protection by the Luftwaffe, the loss of fuel and training space, and the declining quality of tank crews. Nevertheless, the Panther tank commanded respect from the Allies, and its combat capabilities led directly to the introduction of heavier Allied tanks such as the Soviet IS-2 and the American M26 Pershinginto the war and the development of the formidable British Centurion Tank, even though it appeared too late to participate in World War II.
Type
Medium tank
Place of origin
Nazi Germany
Service history
In service
1943–1945 (Nazi Germany)
Used by
Nazi Germany
Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Romania (postwar)
Soviet Union (captured)
France (captured, postwar)
United Kingdom (captured)
Wars
World War II
Designer
MAN AG
Designed
1942
Manufacturer
MAN, Daimler-Benz, MNH
Produced
1943–1945 (1946- 9 post-war for British Army)
Number built
about 6,000[1]
Specifications
Weight
44.8 tonnes (44.1 long tons; 49.4short tons) [2]
Length
6.87 m (22 ft 6 in)
8.66 metres (28 ft 5 in) gun forward[2]
Width
3.27 m (10 ft 9 in)[2]
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)
Armor
15–120 mm (0.59–4.72 in)
Main
armament
1 × 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70
79 rounds [2]
Secondary
armament
2 × 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34
5,100 rounds
Engine
V-12 petrol Maybach HL230 P30[2]
700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW)
Power/weight
15.39 PS/tonne (13.77 hp/ton)
Transmission
ZF AK 7-200. 7 forward 1 reverse[2]
Suspension
double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels
Operational
range
250 km (160 mi)
Speed
55 km/h (34 mph) (first models), 46 km/h (29 mph) (later models)
Italeri is a prolific model company based in Italy. They make all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
THE KIT:
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box. The box art shows a Panther Ausf. D moving down a snow covered road past a stone wall. It is in overall light tan with a dark green splotch pattern. It has narrow German black crosses outlined in white on the turret sides. No other markings are shown.
One side panel has one paragraph histories of the Panther in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian, marked with color illustrations of the flags of those countries that speak those languages.
The other side panel continues with the one paragraph histories in Portuguese, Polish, Japanese and Chinese, marked again with flags. “Not suitable for children under 3” is said in multiple languages. The copyright date of the kit is 1996. The kit was made in Italy. Italeri’s street address there is given. A list of Model Master brand paint numbers is said, but not the names of what those paints are The kit is intended for modelers over 10 years of age.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
This kit contains 3 tan parts trees, black vinyl rubber band type tracks, the decal sheet and instructions; The trees are not cello bagged. There is a little sheet in the kit, printed on both sides, that says “Important information concerning the kit”, in 20 languages including English.
The instructions consist of a single sheet that accordion folds out into 8 pages in 8 ½” x 13” page format.
Page 1 of the instructions begins with Italeri’s street address in Italy and “Retain this address for future reference”, followed by the history of the Panther in 11 languages, including English.
Page 2 begins with “Attention-useful advice” about the kit in 10 languages, including Engilish, Another listing of Model Master paint numbers appears, this time with the Federal standard numbers of those colors, but again not what those colors are. At the bottom of the age is 2 parts trees illustrations.
Page 3 begins with an illustration of the 3rd parts tree and the vinyl tracks. The decal application instructions are here in 8 languages, including English. There are 2 international assembly symbol explained and the first 2 assembly steps are at the bottom of the page.
Page 4 to the top of page 8 give a grand total of 14 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 8 has a 4-view of the Panther in what Italeri says should be done in overall base of sand with large blotches of flat tan. I totally do not agree with the flat tan and think it should say dark green or red brown. Narrow German black crosses outlined in white are on the sides and the rear of the turret. No other marks appear. The tank is supposed to be one in Russia in 1943.
Tan letter A parts tree holds: the hull tub, road wheels, drive sprockets, idler wheels, tools, axles etc. (117 parts)
Tan letter B parts tree holds: the hull top, side skirts, hull rear wall etc. (32 parts)
Tan letter C parts tree holds: the turret parts. Main gun barrel halves, engine, engine deck roof, mufflers, tow cables, barrel lock etc. (60 parts)
The black vinyl rubber-band type tracks have 2 long runs and 6 individual links. These have to be heat welded together to form a loop and are not the glueable type.
I inherited a set of Model Kasten individual plastic links from a deceased modeler friend that willed them to me. I intend to use these VS the Italeri ones.
have started this kit and added some of my company’s (Armor Research) PE engine air intake screens to it.
I am also going to add the DML Dragon kit of 4 Panzer crewmen (kit no. 6191) to the model. I have them all assembled and ready to paint.
I bought some Archer brand dry transfers of German SS shoulder boards to put on these 4 figures (set no. FG35043F).
I was also willed a set of On the Mark brand PE parts for Panther Ausf. A’s or D’s. I will use just some of these larger parts only as the small parts are microscopic mostly and would be a nightmare to handle.
This is one nice kit. There is no interior detail other than the engine compartment and no figures included or clear parts.
I recommend the kit to modelers of average building skills.
I recommend the kit to modelers of average building skills.
I purchased my kit at my local hobby shop 28 years ago.