Dragon

Sd.Kfz.171 Panther G Early Production w/Zimmerit

One of the nicest things about this kit is that it does not have nearly as many tiny pieces as the Dragon M4A3 (76 mm) Sherman I just finished. This is not to say that there are not other good things about the model- anything with molded on zimmerit has a special place in my heart- just that I needed a break after the Sherman.

Besides the zimmerit (we'll look at that in a moment) the other really nice thing about this kit is the bounty of extra parts you might get. I say might because some kits have the extra parts stripped out and some do not. Of the ones that do have the extra parts stripped out, they might also have the wrong parts stripped out. I know this because when I first purchased the Panther G and brought it home I found that they had stripped out the wrong barrel! The replacement kit I got had none of the extra parts stripped out so win for me. The parts in blue highlighting in the scan below might or might not be in your kit. Good luck!

I would not recommend buying this kit if you are planning on doing much with the interior (unless kit bashing for the zimmerit pieces). The hull has six large protrusions and nine ejector pin marks on the inside. On a better note, it does have some detail on the bottom of the hull so you could model it upside down.

Unlike some Dragon kits there is not a two piece hub and wheel set up. That said, the wheels appear nicely detailed and have minimal flash. The wheels and side skirts both have ejector pin marks in their reverse sides. The exhaust stacks have openings so that will save a little work in doing these by hand.

There is a nice engine deck insert which enables you to model this tank with the engine hatch open. You also have the option of plastic cables, or using provided cable ends and provided wire to create more realistic cables. The gun barrels each have a faint seam line, but are otherwise quite nice.

The next sprue contains some nicely detailed extra track pieces and yet another gun barrel.

The zimmerit pieces are nicely done, although the upper hull has the hatches molded closed and the handle the rear turret hatch leaves a little something to be desired. On the plus side all tools are molded separately.

There is one little detail on the side of the hull I have been unable to account for (looked at about 25-30 pictures of Panther Gs). It is a sort of two horned protrusion. Unless someone can convince me otherwise it is coming off when I build the tank.

There are some nice brass parts for the engine deck, as well as the previously mentioned wire for the cable. Markings are for four vehicles:

• red I14, Pz.Rgt.27, 19.Pz.Div., Warsaw, 1944.
• white 304, 3/Pz.Rgt.12, 12.SS.Pz.Div. “Hitlerjugend”, Ardennes, 1944.
• Pz.Abt.1, Pz.Rgt.1, 1.SS.Pz.Div. “LAH”, Normandy, 1944.
• black 112, Fallschirm-Pz.Div. “Herman Göring”, East Prussia, 1945. The 112 decal is skewed the same on the markings sheet so I am assuming that is simply how it looked in reality.

The tracks look nicely detailed.

Instructions and markings sheet:

Overall, looks like a nice value, particularly if you get the extra pieces!

Article Last Updated: 28 February 2011