_GOTOBOTTOM
Armor/AFV
For discussions on tanks, artillery, jeeps, etc.
News
SBS Model : Early Panther Ausf. D Fan Covers
varanusk
Staff MemberManaging Editor
ARMORAMA
Visit this Community
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: July 04, 2013
KitMaker: 1,288 posts
Armorama: 942 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 24, 2020 - 08:04 PM UTC


SBS has a new set for Armour Modellers, Sd.Kfz. 171 Panther D early fan cover with grilles for Meng kit.

Read the Full News Story

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
GeraldOwens
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: March 30, 2006
KitMaker: 3,736 posts
Armorama: 3,697 posts
Posted: Thursday, September 24, 2020 - 09:26 PM UTC
Nice to see--hopefully, they are based on the Doyle drawings in Panzer Tracts. The covers offered by another maker were undersized, and included no screens. Presumably, this set would also work on Tamiya, Dragon, ICM, or Zvezda Panther D kits, as well.
Taeuss
Visit this Community
Manitoba, Canada
Joined: January 03, 2016
KitMaker: 3,791 posts
Armorama: 3,778 posts
Posted: Friday, September 25, 2020 - 12:39 PM UTC
Actually the kit parts from Dragon (kits 6428,6830, etc) for the engine fan housings are vastly superior as they are open all the way through; the only good addition here is the addition of the screens.
GeraldOwens
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: March 30, 2006
KitMaker: 3,736 posts
Armorama: 3,697 posts
Posted: Friday, September 25, 2020 - 07:22 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Actually the kit parts from Dragon (kits 6428,6830, etc) for the engine fan housings are vastly superior as they are open all the way through; the only good addition here is the addition of the screens.



The Dragon kits depict a different version of the parts. These are from the preproduction batch. Originally, the filler caps were going to be on the engine deck side panels, and circular guards were cast into the edges of the fan covers. When the filler caps were relocated to the center rear of the engine deck, these rings were machined off, except for a small section. The grills themselves had a different, "complicated" edge shape, the grill opening was smaller, and the housing was slightly taller than the production type (which initially had a similar spiral grill pattern later being changed to a simpler, radial pattern--both types were seen, sometimes in mixed sets, on later Panther D and on early Panther A models).

It's likely that most of the tanks seen at Kursk had these preproduction grills, as they were still being installed at the factories in May and June, 1943.

As to the resin parts here, apparently the bottom of the casting must be sawed free, so it's not clear if the grills are open all the way through or not. Opening the bottoms of the holes would not be difficult, though. The addition of the brass screens for the circular grills is very helpful, as the opening was different from the later tanks, and the original kit screens will not fit.
Panzer3
Joined: February 15, 2007
KitMaker: 16 posts
Armorama: 14 posts
Posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2020 - 03:31 PM UTC
will these grill work o meng panther d
GeraldOwens
Visit this Community
Florida, United States
Joined: March 30, 2006
KitMaker: 3,736 posts
Armorama: 3,697 posts
Posted: Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - 09:54 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Will these grilsl work on Meng Panther D?


That's the kit thy are designed for. They backdate it to a spring, 1943 production batch.
 _GOTOTOP