The Panther is a tank that commands a lot of attention from modelers, perhaps due to its sleek and purposeful appearance, or perhaps due to the fact that it was regarded as one of the best tank designs of WWII. The latest 1/72 model kit from Dragon is a Panther Ausf.G variant fitted with steel road wheels. Steel-rimmed silent bloc wheels of 800mm diameter, which saved on dwindling supplies of rubber, were introduced in a very limited number of vehicles produced by MAN in September 1944, and again in a batch dating from March-April of 1945 (introduced from chassis no. 121052). Such steel wheels had been successfully used on late-model Tiger I tanks and also on the Tiger II. These steel road wheels were also to be standardized on the updated Panther Ausf.F, a tank that never reached fruition.
The new Dragon kit of such a Panther Ausf.G with steel wheels has re-engineered features, the most obvious example of which is the new steel road wheels, which are accurately reproduced in plastic. The inclusion of these wheels gives the Panther a whole new look. The rest of the tank lives up to Dragons uncompromising standards of quality and engineering excellence too, with widespread use of slide-mold technology. Indeed, this 1/72 scale Dragon kit is an absolute pleasure to assemble, and it offers model lovers even more options in building the ever-popular Panther G.
Plus for July '10 the following are slated to ship to stores.
DRA7242 1/72 Brummbar Mid Production
DRA7320 1/72 SU-85 Tank Destroyer
DRA7347 1/72 German Sturmtiger w/Zimmerit
DRA7352 1/72 Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. C + 3.7cm PaK 35/36 ~ Armor Pro Series
Still no Pz III M/N or Pz IV Hs