Cody Kwok reviews and builds the Panther Ausf. G Early/Late Production without interior from Rye Field Models in 1/35th scale.

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Thanks!

Great review and I particularly liked the comparison with the existing Dragon kits. The newcomers have certainly upped the ante!

Yes, the newcomers have certainly done that!

But I'm not about to dump all of my still unbuilt DRAGON Panthers, Tigers I & IIs with ALL of the pertinent upgrades, (that means resin, PE, turned aluminum/brass Gun Tubes, ATAK Zimmerit sets, etc), that I spent good money on, just to rush out to buy the latest RYE FIELD and/or TAKOM Panthers and Tigers. A Bergepanther, probably. Ditto for a Sturmtiger. But buying yet ANOTHER 1/35 Panther or Tiger is just not in the cards for me, ESPECIALLY after reading this very comprehensive build-review. Neither am I going to rush out and buy the new FAUN L900/Sd.Ah.115 kit, either. I'd NEVER get around to building it, anyway...

And no, (to the guys who are familiar with my model-building habits), I DON'T just build US/Allied stuff; I just don't go "ape-s**t" with the WWII German stuff, that's all...

My stock of unbuilt kits is now bordering on the ridiculous, so I have to be VERY selective of what I indulge myself in, plastic model-wise...

Thanks for the compliments on the review. Myself included, often people got hung up on the best kits to get for a particular vehicle, but often it's a zero-sum decision that has more to do with the person rather than some objective criteria. I even forgot mention there is no schurzen for this kit while some Dragon Panthers have them, and it may or may not be a deal breaker depending on whether you are willing to go for AMs etc.

I very appreciate having the opportunity to doing this review for Armorama.

Good review. There are only 3 Panthers in my horde, no G's, so I will have to get one of the RFM interior kits for my might be built BOB idea.

I can't fault you, or anyone else for that matter, for buying TANK kits with interiors. Now I'm just going to blow my horn regarding TANK kits, with interiors- I don't buy them. They're more expensive, and obviously more labor-intensive. I WILL however, spend a small fortune on detailing the EXTERIORS of my 1/35 Armor and certain "Soft-skins", especially when there isn't much to be seen of their interiors...

(Please Note: My use of "caps" are for EMPHASIS ONLY)

Unless one is going to enter contests or shows, (which I haven't done since the late 1980s), in my case I really can't see the need. Interiors are fine if you're going to "crack the things open" for the critics to ponder over with a magnifying glass. Many of the "experts" will then dismiss one's work because a bolt or a wire was missing. Some of those "experts" never actually build anything because they're too d****d busy criticizing everyone else' work!

When I build a TANK model with one or more hatches in the open position, I will only detail what can be seen through the aperture of said hatch(es). Usually, I will have Crew-members posed in these positions. I spend a lot of time on my figurines; painting and detailing them with, for example, their appropriate Wire Leads for their Mikes and Headphones, separate Side Arms, smoking cigarettes, etc. Many of them will get after-market Heads, Hands, corrected Helmets and the like. These figures will naturally draw the eye away from my "minimalist" Interior-detailing.

Now this may sound like I'm off my nut, but I WILL spend a lot of time on my 1/48 aircraft models in detailing their Cockpits, Wheel Wells and Engines IF they have the "open faces" of Radial-Engined types. I like to pose my aircraft as if they were ready for the Pilot(s) and/or Crew-members, to climb aboard and "take-off". Lots of times, I will also have these little guys posed outside their aircraft, to give an impression of "scale". Sometimes I'll even have Crew Chiefs and Mechanics performing some maintenance chore, or helping to strap the Pilot in. I like to use the same techniques of painting these relatively small 1/48 figurines, i.e, their faces, uniforms, flight gear etc, as I do on my other figurines, which range from HO scale, (1/87), on up to and including 120mm.

The aircraft that I build will almost always include "open" Cockpits/Gunners' positions, where I will put my work into a LOT of after-market and scratch-built bits and pieces. That's just one of my foibles; my "open" Cockpits will display detailing that is taken nearly to the "Nth degree". If a detail can be seen, it goes in. If the Pilots' Seat(s), or some other component(s) are in the way of a particular detail that really can't be seen, I generally won't bother with it. ALL of my models are displayed behind glass and under lighting, so one can correctly assume that once they are displayed in this fashion, I VERY RARELY "handle" them once they're completed.

Many of my 1/35 "Soft-skins" and armored "open-topped" vehicles, such as the US/Allied TDs and my German "Bisons", "Marders", "Grilles" etc, are also detailed inside their Cabs and any interiors that are visible. Quite a bit over HALF of my 1/35 TANKS are built "buttoned-up", so the question of interiors becomes moot. Since I build about 99% of my TANKS with the idea that I will NEVER "crack them open", I just don't see the need to detail their interiors. Don't get me wrong- I really enjoy reading and feasting my eyes on tanks and other vehicles which show their very detailed interiors. Many modelers on this site post some really beautiful work!

Just my 2-cents worth guys, and thanks for reading! Your comments are very welcome...

HEY, Sprue Bros. has a Takom Panther D w/ interior and transparent turret and such for $38 ! It's one of their "Deal of the Day" specials.
Not shilling for them but to me $38 for a Panther is a good price, with or with out an interior.
Stay warm !

I certainly have a strong preference on non-interior kits as I've picked this one rather than the partially cut kit for review. But having the full interior kit myself, I do get the allure of the incredible amount of details and the density of a full interior kit, and many builder has ingenious ways of displaying their work, such as doing the cut aways or raised levels. So I think the assumption that buying an interior kit just to hide all that work doesn't hold, and I personally buy interior kits with full intention of show casing the interior one way or the other. There is nothing wrong with caring or not caring about the interior of course.


It pains me to not take up the offer on the deals... I really don't want to stash full interior kits as that really has no realistic chance of getting cleared. If you stash Dragon Panzer IVs or Tigers, at least you can start building them blindfolded after a couple.

One of the greatest modeling comments ever made was by Shep Paine, "don't model what you can't see".

I don't.

Most of the models I build are closed up. I respect what others want to build and enjoy doing. I was curious about the RFM kit, and this review pushed me over to start looking for a kit at a reasonable price. I want a G with an interior that is going to be damaged early in the Bulge fighting.

I have the Takom A with interior and zim for my other idea of an A lost somewhere else. I just got a Dragon Stug G for my lost in Market Garden dream. Along with an assortment of minutia to go along with the dreams.