| Date of Review |
August 2006 |
| Manufacturer |
DML (cyberhobby.com) |
| Subject |
Sd.Kfz.171 Panther G Late Production Upgrade and Conversion Kit |
| Scale |
1/35 |
| Kit Number |
3833 |
| Primary Media |
145 parts (133 etched brass, 10 etched
nickel, 1 turned aluminum, 1 brass tube) |
| Pros |
Provides nice metal parts for the new
Panther G kit from DML |
| Cons |
Based on the "Smart Kit" premise seems
to be self-defeating |
| Skill Level |
Basic |
| MSRP (USD) |
$16.98 or $10.98 with kit purchase via
Dragon sources |
No matter what happens and how things go in this world, there
is always somebody who is not happy with things. It's the guy who
gets a banana split for 25 cents and then gripes because it came
without a cherry on top. The guy who wins a brand new Corvette
in the lottery and gripes because it's not in his favorite color.
The guy who gets a 1599 on his college boards and gripes because
he didn't get 1600.
The same surprisingly happened when Dragon Models Limited released
their first "Smart Kit," an injection-molded plastic
kit designed to provide the highest degree of detail possible in
a kit and keep it as close to all plastic as possible. Right away
the grousers were out on the internet, complaining that it did
not have this bit or that bit, the barrel was not turned aluminum,
there were no skirts (even though photos show most Gs lost theirs
in a matter of days once they went into action) and other things
were "wrong" with the kit.
Now cyber-hobby.com, DML's "boutique" affiliate, has
come out with a new kit for detailing the new Panther with the
details that these people complained about. Here are the etched
brass parts that the grousers wanted – a brass barrel lock
like that which recently came with the Panther Ausf.D "Premium
Edition," track hangers from etched brass, and various brackets
and covers, plus a complete brass cleaning brush case for the left
side of the hull. The skirts are now provided from etched nickel,
and a custom-fitted turned aluminum barrel is provided for the
main gun as a "drop fit."
The directions are the same mediocre effort that has come with
all of the cyber-hobby.com add-on kits, namely "stick here" ones
that do not key to the original directions nor provide information
on some of the replacement bits. There is also another nice new
supplementary decal sheet and two more recommended paint schemes,
but again without a unit or location.
Overall it's a nicely done upgrade and should quiet many of the
carpers, but considering the concept behind the "Smart Kit" it
seems to be self-defeating.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
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