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Wednesday, December 31, 2014 - 09:09 PM UTC
Starting off the New Year, Dragon Models has announced a new variant of the Panther that looks rather interesting.
Dragon Models has announced a Pz.Beob.Wg.V Ausf.D. This is a variant of the German Panther tank that was used as an observation post. The tank mounted a dummy gun to allow for more room in the turret for radio equipment. The kit from Dragon will include newly molded turret roof, star antenna and more.

6813 Pz.Beob.Wg.V Ausf.D Early Production

According to Dragon Models USA this new kit should be available in March 2015. Also announced by Dragon Models USA is a large list of Dragon figure sets that will released in March 2015.
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Dennis; Yeah. But it IS a cool kit! I mean, really! Here you get a then state-of-the-art 50-ton battle-tank, with the improved commander's cupola (Prismakoppel), extra antenna, and enhanced radio suite fit for techno-kings and formal observer-types (I'll presume that they were indeed inside the real thing - they aren't actually present in the kit ), along with a super-duper wooden mock-gun that doesn't even look very real (but IS better, I suppose, than a simple piece of straight pipe stuck out there... ), in a neat one-tank package-deal featuring all the hugeness, great fuel economy, legendary reliability, and superlative sexy styling of your average Panther D... and all topped-off with one whole MG for the actual bang-bang stuff! What's not to like about all that? OK, OK. So 3 may sound excessive (OK. It IS ). It's certainly more than a measly 2! But heck, I paid a whole 12 round men for one, $15 for another (sealed!), and a lordly $27 - shipped - off evilbay, for the 3rd. That last was, well, consequence of feeble-mindedness, I think. But I draw the limit! I ain't about buying any of these "CyberWallet" things new or at any collector's prices! 3 means that I get to build one, and each of my 2 kids can inherit one each: saves on squabbles over the estate dross, dings to child self-image, and potential siblicide, while also ensuring that each child gets SOMETHING when the Old Man finally leaves the building!
JAN 06, 2015 - 01:33 AM
JAN 06, 2015 - 11:05 AM
Dennis; Yeah. But it IS a cool kit! I mean, really! Here you get a then state-of-the-art 50-ton battle-tank, with the improved commander's cupola (Prismakoppel), extra antenna, and enhanced radio suite fit for techno-kings and formal observer-types (I'll presume that they were indeed inside the real thing - they aren't actually present in the kit ), along with a super-duper wooden mock-gun that doesn't even look very real (but IS better, I suppose, than a simple piece of straight pipe stuck out there... ), in a neat one-tank package-deal featuring all the hugeness, great fuel economy, legendary reliability, and superlative sexy styling of your average Panther D... and all topped-off with one whole MG for the actual bang-bang stuff! What's not to like about all that? OK, OK. So 3 may sound excessive (OK. It IS ). It's certainly more than a measly 2! But heck, I paid a whole 12 round men for one, $15 for another (sealed!), and a lordly $27 - shipped - off evilbay, for the 3rd. That last was, well, consequence of feeble-mindedness, I think. But I draw the limit! I ain't about buying any of these "CyberWallet" things new or at any collector's prices! 3 means that I get to build one, and each of my 2 kids can inherit one each: saves on squabbles over the estate dross, dings to child self-image, and potential siblicide, while also ensuring that each child gets SOMETHING when the Old Man finally leaves the building! [/quote] Hi! You want weird? I built a conversion of a T18 75mm HMC- This puppy is basically a turretless M3 Light Tank, built up with a miniaturized M3 Medium (Grant/Lee) upper superstructure with a 75mm Pack Howitzer mounted in a side-sponson very similar the the M3 Medium's 75mm gun. I found this thing in the pictorial book "SEARCHING FOR PERFECTION" An Encyclopedia of U.S. Army T-Series Vehicle Development 1925-1958 by David R. Haugh, and printed by PORTRAYAL PRESS. I've got to say, this book is FULL of all kinds of U.S. Army experimental and trial vehicles, including developmental stuff like the T-series light, medium and heavy tanks, armored cars, heavy armored half-tracks, light combat cars, prime movers, and wheeled anti-tank vehicles, etc. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the development US Army AFVs and softskins...
JAN 09, 2015 - 12:02 AM
I really don't get the exclusivity of Cyber Hobby. It is nice to make a small batch of a rare vehicle that a few modelers want. But the idea of 1 issue only doesn't make sense. As new modelers come along each year they to would like to buy some of these kits. I think it is also strange if the idea is a limited run is to help the collector value. I would like another run of Whitman's tiger. I told my hobby shop to order me one when I read about there upcoming release but they couldn't. I was told that they were all accounted for and they couldn't get any. If that is the case why not have a second run if the market is not saturated?
JAN 10, 2015 - 08:09 AM
Hi, All! I'd venture to say that "Wittman's Tiger" can be re-created with any number of DRAGON's newer Mid-to-Late Tiger I kits, without having to pay two, three, or even four times the price for one of the original kits. You can kit-bash or use after-market parts, plus acquire decals to re-create Wittman's Tiger... Maybe that's why CYBERHOBBY/DRAGON hasn't re-popped that particular kit. Remember also, that DRAGON has "improved" some of their Tiger I kits, so you'd probably be further ahead money-wise if you built a kit-bash, and/or used after-market bits and pieces. There are plenty of those out there, as well as a multitude of Tiger I decal and/or dry-transfer sets... The original CYBERHOBBY "Wittman Tiger" was one of their initially released Tiger I kits, which have been "improved/corrected" over the years.
JAN 10, 2015 - 07:33 PM
Hi, Jeff! I've seen a number of photos of this vehicle, one of which comes to mind- Check out this book, if you can find it: "Peter Chamberlain & Chris Ellis PICTORIAL HISTORY OF TANKS OF THE WORLD 1915-1945, distributed by Gallahad Books. This book is a WONDERFUL REFERENCE, filled with some of the most obscure AFVs you'll ever see, including such odd-balls as a Pz.Kpfw III with a FAMO suspension!!! I dare any model company to produce one of those in 1/35!!! PS- I seem to remember the RYTON Pz.Kpfw V "Panther" book also showed pictures of the Beobachtungspanzer Panther, I believe in the Panther Ausf.D section...
JAN 10, 2015 - 07:55 PM
Hi, you can try ebay for the CYBERHOBBY "Wittman" Tiger I kit, but be prepared to pay thru the nose. I saw one a while back, with a starting bid of $295.00 + shipping!!!!! Some of these bozos are really unscrupulous in their ideas of "fair pricing". DRAGON ARMOR at one time also marketed a die-cast metal 1/35 "Whittman Tiger I" fully assembled model, which was actually pretty darn close to the CYBERHOBBY kit. Because of the "EXCLUSIVITY" of the CYBERHOBBY kit, the die-cast metal model's pricing has also gone up exponentially in relation to the plastic kit. Both are virtually in the same exorbitant price-range. Some years ago, I bought a DRAGON ARMOR die-cast 1/35 "AFRIKA" Initial-Production" Tiger I, and I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality, fidelity and sharpness to detail and crispness in the casting of this particular model. If I had the desire (which I don't) to own a 1/35 Wittman Tiger I, I would have no qualms about buying the DRAGON ARMOR die-cast model, in lieu of the CYBERWALLET kit... I rather prefer US TANKER ACE Lafayette Poole's M4A1 76mm VVSS (Wet)...
JAN 10, 2015 - 08:21 PM
Hi, Darren! Didn't ITALERI team up with CMK to do a Bergepanther, which I believe is the same kit as the newer REVELL kit? I remember that CMK makes a Bergepanther conversion kit, available separately that could easily be matched-up with either a DRAGON Panther A or G. The left-over turrets could be used elsewhere... (On top of an M3A1 Light "Stuart, maybe? ) CMK also makes a very nice Bergepanzer III conversion, for those who would like something like that. Of course, you'd need some kind of an interior and a driver's compartment to supplement that conversion- There are several Pz.Kpfw.III interior kits out there, so this is really a quite easily done conversion for experienced modellers. Some years ago, I kit-bashed a DRAGON Tiger I w/Zimmerit, with a DRAGON Mid-Production chassis, suspension and rubber-tired wheels. I used the crane/winch, which I gleaned from an ITALERI Bergetiger kit, with great success. I dolled-up the winch/crane set-up with wound wire to simulate a better winch cable, and I also cleaned-up the crude casting of the ITALERI crane parts. I'll have to agree with you that DRAGON does German WWII really GREAT, but the likes of TRUMPETER, HOBBY BOSS, and BRONCO, just to name a few, are catching up, and even surpassing DRAGON/BLACK LABEL in a few cases. I just wish that if DRAGON/BLACK LABEL are going to go to the effort of doing US/Allied kits, why can't they give us the same QUALITY in their US/Allied kits as they do in their German ones? "In for a pound", as they say...
JAN 11, 2015 - 11:05 PM
[quote Hi, Darren! Didn't ITALERI team up with CMK to do a Bergepanther, which I believe is the same kit as the newer REVELL kit? I remember that CMK makes a Bergepanther conversion kit, available separately that could easily be matched-up with either a DRAGON Panther A or G. The left-over turrets could be used elsewhere... (On top of an M3A1 Light "Stuart, maybe? ) CMK also makes a very nice Bergepanzer III conversion, for those who would like something like that. Of course, you'd need some kind of an interior and a driver's compartment to supplement that conversion- There are several Pz.Kpfw.III interior kits out there, so this is really a quite easily done conversion for experienced modellers. Some years ago, I kit-bashed a DRAGON Tiger I w/Zimmerit, with a DRAGON Mid-Production chassis, suspension and rubber-tired wheels. I used the crane/winch, which I gleaned from an ITALERI Bergetiger kit, with great success. I dolled-up the winch/crane set-up with wound wire to simulate a better winch cable, and I also cleaned-up the crude casting of the ITALERI crane parts. I'll have to agree with you that DRAGON does German WWII really GREAT, but the likes of TRUMPETER, HOBBY BOSS, and BRONCO, just to name a few, are catching up, and even surpassing DRAGON/BLACK LABEL in a few cases. I just wish that if DRAGON/BLACK LABEL are going to go to the effort of doing US/Allied kits, why can't they give us the same QUALITY in their US/Allied kits as they do in their German ones? "In for a pound", as they say... ***The Revell kit is a re box of the ICM kit. The Italeri kit is totally different , as well as being a different ausf. and it also comes with an MG. The detail is not great.
JAN 12, 2015 - 02:05 AM
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