[The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.] [The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.] [The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.] [The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.] [The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.]
[The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.] [The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.] [The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.] [The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.] [The Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.]



Up until the Germans invaded Russia, they were perfectly happy with the performance of their Panzer IV, but when they came across the Soviet T-34, they realized they had a problem, as the Panzer IV had become outdated.   It was obvious a new design was needed, and for a brief moment they even considered coping the T-34, but they thought better of it.   Of the competing designs, MAN's was selected and production started in 1943, however early models suffered from many significant issues.   The engine and transmission were over stressed and often over heated, and engine fires were not uncommon.   In fact, when the Panther was officially introduced during the Kursk campaign, it was considered a failure.   Many broke down leaving the railhead, and few survived their first day.






However, after a period of redevelopment, the Panther emerged to become a formable opponent for the T-34, and one of the best tanks of the war.   It had a crew of five, and its Maybach V12 engine could power it to about 30mph on road.   From the front, the armor protection was excellent, and the suspension using inter-leaved bogies sprung on torsion bars proved to be the best arrangement the Germans had.   Some problems arose in the Russian Winters though, as the snow tended to freeze in the wheels and immobilize the vehicle, and maintenance too was an issue as the outer wheels had to be removed to service the inner ones.

[The Maybach V12 engine could power it to about 30mph on road.]

[The suspension used inter-leaved bogies sprung on torsion bars.]




[The Turret was considered cramped, but sitting behind that long barreled 75mm gun had to make it easier.]

[The Panther was equipped with two MG 34 machine guns.]
The Turret was considered cramped, but sitting behind that long barreled 75mm gun had to make it easier.   It could penetrate almost five inches of sloped armor at over 1000 yards, and carried 79 rounds, which meant it was more than a match for any allied tank.

After 1943, the Germans determined that they needed more, not better tanks, so the Panther was simplified to ease production.   The hull sides were sloped more, and the mantlet was thickened, while the gearbox was improved to deal with the increased weight.





[From the front,the armor protection was excellent, ]



Despite it's over engineered complexity and high manufacturing costs, the Panther was a very successful design and typically considered one of the best tanks of the war.   However, even though over 5000 Panthers were built, these issues hurt, and the Germans could never reach their goal of 600 tanks a month.   The US Army figured that it took five Shermans to knock out a Panther, and in the end, it was sheer numbers and overwhelming air power that defeated the Panther and turned the tide.




[This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.] [This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.] [This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.] [This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.] [This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.]
[This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.] [This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.] [This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.] [This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.] [This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.]



The Kit:  This is the Panther G Late Version from DML.   It has been out for several years and is characteristic of the metal hull and chassis that they used on some of the 1/72-scale offerings at the time.   This was likely a result of trying to use the same hull that they used on the "Ready to Display" versions, and make it feel heavier and unique in design.   This is a great idea that did not work for the most part, and is one of the main reasons you don't see these 1/72 scale DML kits with a metal hull.   The problem was that with most models there is always some slight adjusting necessary, and with a metal hull it made alignment more difficult if they did not fit exactly.   Thankfully this did fit rather well, and only a few strips of Evergreen strips were needed to line everything up correctly.





[These 1/72 DML kits are nice little kits.]



Construction was fairly straight forward, with the usual DML instructions that will combine three steps in one photo, and if you miss one piece you have to go back and scour the photos looking for where the piece was intended to be placed.   These 1/72 DML kits are nice little kits, as far as detail and finish are concerned.   They line up well for the most part and go together without a great deal of issues.





[Vallejo colors were used to give it the distinctive tri-camouflage paint scheme.]



Painting:   Painting on the Panther began with a prime coat of Floquil Milwaukee Box Car Red.   These railroad colors make really nice prime coats for armor pieces.   After the prime coat was applied, it was sprayed with a Vallejo -German Armor Yellow as the overall base coat, and then both the Vallejo- German Armor Green and Panzer Brown colors were used to give it the distinctive tri-camouflage paint scheme that the Germans typically used.   After it set up for a couple days, it was sprayed with Future and then the decals were added.   It was then sprayed with dullcoat as a sealer, and the weathering process began.





Weathering:   I typically like to use oil colors as a wash, and will thin them down very far, and then add more color as necessary.   This normally gives fairly consistent results, and sometimes on the smaller scale it is very easy to go overboard on weathering, so I try and keep it on the lighter side.   I have found to simulate streaking or discolored paint on a vehicle, I will take just a dab of several colors, green, black, rust, yellow, blue, brown etc, and put those dabs in one spot.   Then with a larger brush, you just pull the color down and it looks like a streak.   This is a very convincing way to add some streaks without over doing it.   Several pastel chalk colors were then used to give the slightly dusty look to the hull and wheels without going overboard.   After that, a silver pencil was used on some of the high spots to make it look like bare metal and that was about it.

[I typically like to use oil colors as a wash.]



[a silver pencil was used on some of the high spots to make it look like bare metal.]




[Overall the kit was a nice simple build with no extras added.]



Overall the kit was a nice simple build with no extras added, and a little time spent on the painting and weathering process.   It turned out very well overall, and I would recommend one of these small DML kits to anyone interested in 1/72 scale tanks.




[I would recommend one of these small DML kits to anyone interested in 1/72 scale tanks.]