Takom shows us and up-and-coming, on FB:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/TAKOM-354803674728188/posts/?ref=notif

Ontopic: I was kinda expecting this and I'm glad they're actually doing it because now I can complete most of my (imaginary for now) panther with interior collection (still need a Jagdpanther with interior though)

Off topic: in before 'another boring panther/tiger' 'I want obscure vehicle XYZ' 'The bolts on part abc have incorrect spacing'

Of all the Panther D kits, only Dragon has done a true "D" late and "A" . Tamiya, ICM and Zvezda D's are all Kursk early versions.

This is a different version. So effectively this is NEW!

It's pretty much the same difference as like M4A3E8 World War II and Korean war kits and I didn't see people lining up to scream "SAME THING ALL OVER AGAIN!" Like they always do with German subjects.

So get over yourselves. It is different and now that we have a Bergepanther and a new M3 Stuart what is there to ask for that everyone can get behind? (I say Italian World War II tanks, but that's me)

I have a feeling once Takom gets the Panthers out of their system they'll do more oddball stuff like their past M3 Lee, M47 Patton and a new line-up of T-55 variants.

M11/39, M13/40 and Sermovente variants--

Is their Zimmerit a separate resin/decal part? I don't see any trace of Zimmerit texture on the kit shots.

The late D shouldn't have zimmerit. It may be a discrepensing in editing.

As if someone abducted their kids and demands every kit to be released with interior...... I wonder why they're so obsessed with it.

Does anybody know if kits with interior sell in huge numbers?

Or maybe it's a "checklist" item that makes you buy one brand instead of another.

David

Well, Meng decided not to bother with Panther interior and I'd presume this decision was based on the numbers sold of their KT interior add-on?

Personally, such kits with interiors are a dream come true for me so I know I won't be getting the Meng Panther kit, but will aim for the Takom or Rye Field one.

I've mentioned it before on here, but for me a kit with a full interior has no appeal. I would like to see kits that have interiors of what would be visible through open hatches, but not a full interior. Most of my models are built with the intention of going into a dio (I know, in my wildest dreams) so having a kit with a full interior doesn't serve any purpose for my needs.

There are obviously modellers out there that like the idea of having a kit with a full interior but each to his own. Build what makes you happy, I suppose.

An aside on interiors, I grew up building Bandai 1/48 which all had them (as bare as they were, we didn't know better) so I can see the appeal. On tanks with huge hatches like a Stuart or Lee they're great. You really can most of it with the hatches open.

But, I won't do any more until they start doing crew figures that are actually operating or even just capable of sitting in their crew positions.

I think the last kit that came with a crew figure actually made to fit the interior was the first Dragon M1A1 way back when?

Stalingrad Figures make this set specifically for Meng's King Tiger w/ interior:

http://www.themodellingnews.com/2018/01/stalingrads-new-tiger-ii-set-of-crew.html

They also have a set for a Panzer IV #S-3004 with crew hanging out the side (turret) hatches as well as a commander

Something to consider for guys who want to build interiors?

-Felix

Ever build a Zoukei Mura kit? These guys have the full interiors for their planes, including the engine interiors, complete with pistons and their relative positions to each other. That is detail nobody will see, but you know it is there. Building such a model, especially with their high standard of accuracy is a very pleasant and satisfying learning experience. You understand the machine you're building so much better so to speak.

On the other hand fitting a resin interior to anything is an irritating exercise in futility since you depend on warpage, bad accuracy, bad instructions, not enough resources, luck and false statements on packaging (just bought a kit that said for any Panzer I, and it doesn't fit any of the 3 different manufacturers I have in the stash without serious surgery)

So if someone decides to offer a full interior plastic kit I will snap it up, and I have the Takom kits on my radar (the Meng KT and the RFM Panther are already in my stash). And you can always choose just how much of the interior you want to model.

is this kit on the market yet?

I didn't think so, either. But since production continued into early Sept. 1943, I thought maybe one or two of the last ones might have had zimmerit.

Maybe not at the factory, but drum cupola D did get zimmerit in the field. Thar be photos.

I think I remember seeing some Panther D's with a very rough field-applied Zimmerit coating. Either late D's or early A's.