yes kiddies it has just been announced by Dragon that they are going to release a late model Panther A. imagine no more messing with the old Tamiya baddy. please go to their website

Chris Pig no.1

Yes! virtue ( and patience) triumphs!
So here's hoping they bite the bullet and do a good Berge as well.
I'm guessing I can clear a spot on the bench sometime in early 05..

Mike

Any news on the Nashorn? All the Panthers are real nice, but if they can get that nashorn out soon, it will really make me happy...

I'm Panther kit ignorant, but what was wrong with the Italeri Panther A?

Rob,
Let's just say that the list of things right in the Italeri kit is shorter than the list of things that are wrong with it. There's a very, very detail review of the kit on Track Link that details all the problems.

I have been building the recent DML Panthers lately and they are simply brilliant. The kits give us all the components for all of the A and D variants. The D model boxed as an "early" has many of the parts required to make a real "late" D model....complete with Machine gun ring. There are some parts missing so I would expect that we'll get a late model D soon also.

Later,
Tim

The only other Panther I have is the DML Night Fighting Panther. I assumed that the DML and Italeri kits were the same/similar since they do rebox one another (their early Shermans used many sprues from the Italeri Sherman as well as the Italeri BMP being a rebox of the DML kit). Thanks for the info.

BTW how is the DML Panther that I mentioned above?

Rob, the night fighting Panther is an excellent kit, except for the fact that the suspension is already attached, other than that it is a great kit

Chris Pig no.1

Hi Chris, Since I can get both the DML night fighting Panther and the Tamiya Panther with night fighting equipment (The all steel wheel one I think), so which one is better? Although I am into German armors, but I am totally ignorant about Panthers. #:-) Thanks in advance.

Hi guys, sorry to butt in, but I'll jump in here, this is one topic I know a bit about.

The plain panthers are pretty much equal, except for DML being half the price and having some more fine details that are not included in the Tamiya kit. Hatch stops for the driver/radio operator, lifting lugs for the mantlet, and a few others.
Tamiya has seperate roadwheel arms, DML molded in place.
DML has link to link tracks, tamiya glueable rubberbands. So you pay your money and take your chances there.

Missing Links has a Panthers Tweeks list (when the server is back up) that details the needs for both kits.


The IR sets are the real difference.

The Tamiya kit includes parts for the only known 'real' German IR useage, the single Fg1250 set in the commanders cupola. It still needs some details added, but overall a nice representation. Plus a set of Steelwheels at the same time. Note that both steel roadwheels and IR sets did not appear on the same vehicle.

The DML 3-IR set is complete fiction. There are no photographs of it's use, and the Trojka book the purports to document it, is also of dubious reliability. There is a famous doctored photo showing the 3-IR set in use , but as far as I know there was no "Solution B" 3-IR set ever fielded. The commanders set was not mounted with an mg, and the panther cupola did not mount the Mg42.

Missing from both kits is the IR storage box in place of the left rear stowage box.

The sets interestingly enough look about right to make a Skdfz251 Falke IR equipped APC though.

Mike

Here is a list of the few things wrong with Italeri's Panther
http://204.50.25.179/features00/panthermw_2.htm

Main thing is turret is wrong also wheels 12 instead of the 24 bolt rims I think

Speaking of Panthers this is next years theme model plus Skyraider anybody going to Tulsa show.

Just built the Pather A (early) If this is anything like that kit, WOW! The early A was one of the nicest kits I've built in a very long time.