1:35 Panther A (italeri)

Panther Ausf. A in 1:35 scale – a detail set

A more extensive accessory from the brand Royal Model for a model of the German Panther Ausf. A medium tank in 1:35 scale. It concentrates on the areas where injection-molded plastic necessarily simplifies: thin edges of covers, mesh, small grab handles and hardware on the hull and the turret. It follows the dimensions of the Italeri kit.

Version A and how to recognize it

Although the letter A suggests otherwise, this version came only after the Ausf. D and was built from 1943. You can recognize it by the ball mount of the machine gun in the front plate, which replaced the earlier closable flap, by the cast commander's cupola with a mount for an anti-aircraft machine gun, and by the redesigned monocular gunsight. Power came from a Maybach twelve-cylinder and the main armament was the long 75 mm gun, which was among the most effective anti-tank weapons of its day. The Panther was a contradictory machine, though: superbly armored and armed, but demanding on its transmission and on its crew.

Building recommendation

Work from the hull upward and leave the fine elements until last, otherwise you will tear them off during further handling. Play a gray or three-color camouflage finish with a lighter shade on the horizontal surfaces and dark accenting of the welds. Do not forget that the difference between a weather-beaten combat machine and a new one from the factory is made mainly by the amount of dust on the running gear.

Who the set suits

• Builders of German vehicles from the Eastern and the Western Front
• Modelers with experience of more demanding accessories
• Makers of display-case models with an emphasis on fineness
• Collectors of the Panther family in 1:35 scale

Without a finish and without a kit of the tank, which you should prepare in advance.