1:35 Panther A 'late type' (dragon)

The late production Panther Ausf. A: a set of accessories in 1:35

This offering from the Italian firm Royal Model aims at the later production run of the A version and completes it with photo-etched sheet and resin castings. It deals with the places where the thickness of plastic shows most: the covers, the screens, the catches and the tools hung about. The enclosed instructions show the placement of every piece. The target kit is Dragon.

How the late production run differed

In the course of production of the A version the firing ports for personal weapons disappeared from the sides of the turret and were replaced by a rotating grenade launcher in the roof, operated from inside. The gunsight changed from a binocular to a monocular one. Mounting pads were added on the roof of the turret, onto which a small lifting jib could be fitted for removing the barrel or the breech of the gun. In Normandy it was precisely these machines that made up the majority of the Panthers in action.

A procedure that has proved itself

Roughen and degrease the metal before gluing, otherwise cyanoacrylate glue will not hold. Attach the small catches and loops only after the part has been lacquered, so that they are not lost under a layer of paint. Wash the castings in lukewarm water with detergent before you reach for the primer. Finally unify the finished surface with a matte lacquer, so that the metal and the plastic do not each hold a different degree of gloss.

Who the set is for

• modelers with experience of metal parts
• builders of German tanks of 1944 and 1945
• those interested in telling late and early production apart
• competition builds with an emphasis on detail

The set serves as an add-on over a plastic kit. Glue and paints are not in it.