In box Review of Tamiya 1/35th Scale German Pz.Kpfw. V Panther Tank
Motorized Kit no. MT-123
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
My kit has a copyright date of 1969. The 1975 re-release of the kit is available at 12 places overseas and at Mega Hobby for $19.27 and at Kit Linx for $17.85.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
My kit has a copyright date of 1969. The 1975 re-release of the kit is available at 12 places overseas and at Mega Hobby for $19.27 and at Kit Linx for $17.85.
THE KIT:
Tamiya is an old prolific model company based in Shizuoka City, Japan. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Panther against one of Tamiya's signature all-white backgrounds that they use for the majority of their box arts.
It is in a base of sand-yellow with light-gray spots. It has the helmet logo of Grossdeuschland Panzer Division on the left side of the nose and a German cross on the hull sides just in front of the the tools. The tank commander in a black uniform with a cloth side cap and wearing ear-phones is looking out of the upper turret hatch.
One side panel has a small color repeat of the box art, followed by specifications: weight: 45.5 ton, length 6.88 meters, width: 3.43 meters, height: 3.10 meters, gun: 75 mm, crew: 5.
A small 4-view is shown of a Panther and MADE IN JAPAN.
Tamiya is an old prolific model company based in Shizuoka City, Japan. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Panther against one of Tamiya's signature all-white backgrounds that they use for the majority of their box arts.
It is in a base of sand-yellow with light-gray spots. It has the helmet logo of Grossdeuschland Panzer Division on the left side of the nose and a German cross on the hull sides just in front of the the tools. The tank commander in a black uniform with a cloth side cap and wearing ear-phones is looking out of the upper turret hatch.
One side panel has a small color repeat of the box art, followed by specifications: weight: 45.5 ton, length 6.88 meters, width: 3.43 meters, height: 3.10 meters, gun: 75 mm, crew: 5.
A small 4-view is shown of a Panther and MADE IN JAPAN.
The other side panel has four color box arts of other AFV kits that Tamiya manufactures: A Hunting Tiger German Tank, a King Tiger German 70 ton heavy tank, A Hunting Tiger German tank destroyer, a T-55 Russian medium tank and a Chieftain Great Britain medium tank and MADE IN JAPAN.
No scales or kit numbers are shown. I assume they're all 1/35th scale.
No scales or kit numbers are shown. I assume they're all 1/35th scale.
A Tamiya color catalog is also included in the the box showing photos of their assembled model kits from the Military Miniatures line.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
The kit holds 4 light-tan trees, a dark-green tree, black vinyl treads. light-tan poly caps, light-tan hull tub and roof in 3 sealed clear cello bags, the decal sheet and instructions.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 6 pages in 7 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history of the Panther in English, with 2 black and white photos of actual Panthers.
Page 2 is the parts trees illustrations, with a list of the names of all the parts.
Page 3 through 6 give a total of 21 assembly steps.
Page 6 also has decal application instructions and a 4-view of a Panther with turret number 421 on its sides and rear. No color for it is mentioned. There is a division marking on the the left side of the bow, but we are not told who this is.
Light-tan letter A tree holds: the rear hull wall, tools, tow cables, spare track, jack etc. (71 parts)
The kit holds 4 light-tan trees, a dark-green tree, black vinyl treads. light-tan poly caps, light-tan hull tub and roof in 3 sealed clear cello bags, the decal sheet and instructions.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet that accordion-folds out into 6 pages in 7 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, over the history of the Panther in English, with 2 black and white photos of actual Panthers.
Page 2 is the parts trees illustrations, with a list of the names of all the parts.
Page 3 through 6 give a total of 21 assembly steps.
Page 6 also has decal application instructions and a 4-view of a Panther with turret number 421 on its sides and rear. No color for it is mentioned. There is a division marking on the the left side of the bow, but we are not told who this is.
Light-tan letter A tree holds: the rear hull wall, tools, tow cables, spare track, jack etc. (71 parts)
Light-tan letter B tree holds: turret parts, hatches, main gun barrel, exhaust etc. (32 parts)
Light-tan letter C tree holds: road wheels, drive sprockets, idler wheels (30 parts)
Light-tan letter D tree is the loose upper and lower hull parts.
Next are the light-tan poly caps.
The non-alphabetized dark-green tree holds the crew figures.
The kit supplied vinyl tracks.
There is a motor and motorization hardware in a cello bag in the kit.
The decal sheet and instructions completes the kits contents.
I am adding my company's (Armor Research Co.) resin corrected Panther turret with metal barrel (kit no. 5003).
Also my company's white metal 75 mm German tank ammo, KWK 42, for Panthers A/D & G (kit no. 2018) and my Panther/Jagdpanther resin road wheel set with white metal parts (kit no. 5004) and my brass PE engine air intake screens and barrel rifling and the On the Mark brand brass PE set (kit no. TMP-3529).
I also have a set of Model Kasten Panther Late Production individual track links to replace the kit's vinyl ones.
I added a large color cut-away drawing of the Panther to the kit also, folded several times to fit the box.
The kit has nice external detail. However, no clear parts.
I will probably not motorized the kit when I eventually build it and the hull tub will need putty to fill the motorization holes to make a static model of it.
I will probably not motorized the kit when I eventually build it and the hull tub will need putty to fill the motorization holes to make a static model of it.
Recommended.