1:56 Panther Sd.Kfz.171 Ausf. A

The real subject

The Panther was a German medium tank of the Second World War, listed under the designation Sd.Kfz. 171. It became famous for the combination of heavily sloped frontal armor and a long 7.5 cm gun with a barrel 70 calibers long, whose penetrating power was exceptional for its time. The Ausf. A version, despite its letter, was built only after the Ausf. D version, and you will recognize it by the ball mount for the machine gun in the front of the hull and by the cast commander's cupola.

Scale and use

The 1:56 scale is at home above all in tabletop war games, where it goes together with figures 28 mm tall. The finished tank comes out at just under sixteen centimeters, so it is easy to handle on a gaming table and at the same time carries a decent measure of detail. Beside a display case, therefore, the gaming board is its second natural place.

Building and painting tips

Wash the parts in lukewarm water with detergent before gluing so that the paint holds. On a vehicle intended for gaming it pays off to finish it more robustly: a good primer, thin coats of covering paint and, at the end, a protective clear coat that will take being picked up often. Try the running gear assembly dry first so that the wheels and the track sit level; a tilted running gear is visible on a finished model at first glance.

Who it is for

For players of tabletop war games as well as for modelers who find a smaller format suits their display case. The extent of the accessories varies with sets of this type, so have glue, paints and tools ready separately, unless stated otherwise.