FOV PANTHER

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graycap
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FOV PANTHER

Post by graycap » Wed Sep 14, 2005 11:54 am

I was in a modelshop (Modelzone) in central London today and they had just had a large delivery of FOV. The only new model was the Panther and very nice it looked too. Green brown camouflage (a 3rd Pz Div vehicle in Germany 1944). One interesting thing, although you get two late war German Infantrymen with the vehicle there is no tank commander. So if you are adding the Panther to your collection you'll have to recruit a tank commander from somewhere else!

They had also got the new 1/72 infantry sets. They had already sold out of the German Pz Grenadiers and the Brit paras! They had a set of WWII US Infantry labelled 7th Inf Div (in the catalogue they were originally listed as rangers) and US 4th Inf Div in Baghdad 2003. I got the latter. Each set contains 5 figures plus accesories - ammo boxes, sign posts, telegrah poles etc. The modern US set includes a very nice figure giving a "fireman's lift" to a wounded comrade. Would look good with the Dragon Humvees.

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Post by tmanthegreat » Wed Sep 14, 2005 4:36 pm

(ModelZone store are nice, aren't they? There was one I frequented in Kingston when I studied there a couple years ago :) )

Those new FOV figures are nice sets. I am also pleased with the figures. They are very much like the little soldiers that used to be included with the old Galoob Micro Machines military vehicles, but are painted much better. The little accessories are cool too! They are just like the 1:32 FOV figures, only they are 1:72.

The 1:72 M3A2 Bradley that I recieved is also a very well detailed tank. It replicates the similar 1:32 version and comes with the cargo stowage. The stowage can be removed for differing display options.

FOV keeps getting better.

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Post by Eazy » Thu Sep 15, 2005 2:37 pm

I bought the Panther today and am really pleased with it. Good camo pattern and weathering and plenty of metal in the turret and body give it a good weighty feel.
The two SS tank riders with it are quite nicely done. they are wearing camo tunics which makes a change from the usual field grey. No tank commander but to be honest i prefer the riders anyway.

I find it strange why Unimax have changed it from a Panther in Normandy 1944 to a Panther in Germany 1944. They've put stickers on the front and back of the box replacing Normandy with Germany.

Anyway here's a couple of pics of it. I've placed it on the King Tiger diorama base and added the Old Northwest falschirmjagers

Image



Image

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Germany

Post by PanzerArm » Sat Sep 17, 2005 11:28 am

My guess would be because it doesn't have any zimmerit, and all panthers in Normandy had zimmerit applied to them.

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Post by krieglok » Sun Sep 18, 2005 11:52 am

This Panther is excellent. The only thig I was compelled to do was to paint the trooper`s helmets a more proper shade of "field grey" which is a dark green/grey. FOV and 21st seem to populate their previous tanks with plenty of crewmen, so I shouldnt have a problem coming up with some "volunteers" to man this beauty...

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Post by Mirage » Thu Sep 22, 2005 3:01 pm

That is the enthusiast version of the FOV panther right? Is it me or does it seem like it is less weathered then most of the other FOV vehicles. I really like the idea of having those infantry instead of another tank commander. Not sure if this will work in my diorama though if it was changed to Germany, oh well I still like it. :D
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Post by hawkonevoodoo » Fri Sep 23, 2005 6:34 pm

Do any of you guys do your own painting of metal soldiers kits in 1/72 or 1/32 or is everyone going for the prepainted plastic guys?
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Post by MG-42 » Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:36 pm

I have waited a long time for this particular version to come out. The fact that somebody finally thought to include "schurzen" as an option is fantastic. 21st.,always advertised their Panther "w/schurzen" but sadly never actually did. This has always baffled me....Anyhow, I like the addition of the "new tank riders" too and I don't really care about not having a commander included 'cause I can just use somebody from Can-Do's "Tiger-Aces".

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Post by krieglok » Sat Oct 01, 2005 9:16 am

I paint tons of 54mm/1/32 scale men. I have representative pieces from the American Revolution right up to modern military figures. I have done many of the Armies In Plastic sets including the Spanish American rough riders that are pretty cool. Lots of WW1 sets and Civil War sets. I try to do just one sculpture from each set I buy, so end up with half of an unpainted set. I just painted some Viet Nam era guys to go with my 21st M113s. There are the cheapie army guys I had from when I was a kid. You may recall them from the "Toy Story" movie. They are dressed up in Viet Nam era fatigues with M16s, so they were resurected and painted up. They are not perfect, as they seem to be patterned after a military that used American equipment for the most part, but the light machine gunner has a top clip feed gun that is not American. But they will do. I do the 1/72 figures, but only in American Civil War. I occasionally do some figure models that you have to glue together like from Tamiya.

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Re: FOV Panther

Post by Jagdplastic » Tue Oct 11, 2005 9:55 am

The mantlet on mine was upsidedown and it appears to be the same situation for the one pictured in this thread. You'll know that yours is wrong if the rainshield normally over the sight opening in the mantlet is beneath the opening and on the right side of the cannon barrel. It should be above the opening which puts it to the left of the cannon barrel. To correct you'll need to remove at least 13, possibly 15 screws.

Great model though.

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Post by MG-42 » Tue Oct 11, 2005 11:43 am

No problem. I sometimes tear-down these to inspect them. I fixed a Mk.IV w/schurzen this way. The armored turret girdle was "cock-eyed" and I tore it completely down. Looks good as it should now.
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Post by ltcbj » Tue Oct 11, 2005 2:13 pm

This is the one thing I hate about F0V; that you, the buyer, has to do custom work just to fix what they did wrong. I had to fix all my Stugs so the gun would depress properly. I don't want to spend $40+ just to have to remove over a dozen screws to fix something on the Panther too.
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Post by MG-42 » Tue Oct 11, 2005 3:40 pm

I don't really mind the stuff that I can fix, It's the stuff you buy that you have to re-paint as well. Like the planes 21st.,is putting out in my AO, there is mis-painted markings,....finger prints in the paint.......missing pilots.......curled up wings......canopy problems, and the list goes on. Matching aircraft paint is also a hassle !
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Is that supposed to be a G model?

Post by daverose1 » Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:55 am

I've seen a few pictures of the FOV Panther and there appeares to be a gross error on the gun mantlet! The G's mantlet is not really cylindrical, the lower third is flat vertical. It forms a very distinctive "chin" under the gun. I'm sitting here looking at this feature on my 21st Panther with it's pie wedge paint scheme. The Panther models D&A lacked the chin but both had detail differences on the glacias. The D & A have a vision port for the driver, the D has a cover slot for the bow machinegun. Is FOV representing a G hull with an A turret? I need to see one of these close up. How do gross errors get retailed?

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Post by MG-42 » Sat Oct 22, 2005 12:20 pm

I've got this Panther too, and most were produced this way. The gun mantlet seems to be correct as far as vision,gun ports for the G-type. Unfortunately most of us have to reinstall the mantlet correctly considering it was installed "backwards", duh. All in all though, it is a "superb replica" "minus zimmerit". :wink:
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Post by MG-42 » Sat Oct 22, 2005 12:46 pm

Also, come to think of it, this Panther should've came with the option of removable schurtzen like their Jagd., did. :wink:
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Re: FOV Panther

Post by Jagdplastic » Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:07 pm

Panther G's produced early to mid-1944 had a similar mantlet as the Panther A. Mid-1944 G's had the "chin" mantlet so FOV's Panther is correct for Normandy. Even Panther D's were deployed in Normandy and served in opposing the invasion.

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Learned Something

Post by daverose1 » Sun Oct 23, 2005 2:57 pm

I didn't know early Gs lacked chins.
Thanks

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