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Italeri 1/35th Sd.Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther
 

Italeri 1/35th Sd.Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther

By Vic Mattes

Background

The Jagdpanther combines lethal firepower, excellent well-sloped protection and good mobility to create one of the most effective armored fighting vehicles used in World War II. The well-sloped shape and low profile not only provided the Jagdpanther with excellent protection on the battlefield, it also made it one of the most visually attractive vehicles of the war. Three remain in running condition today.

The Kit

The Italeri version of the Jagdpanther comes in 2 dark grey sprues containing 115 numbered pieces plus a metallic grey vinyl sprue with the 4 track pieces. Of note, the pieces are not attached with thick sprues which should come in handy when detaching smaller, detailed pieces. [The 115 number does not include the replication of each road wheel 8 times.] The pieces are well defined with no visible flash thereby minimizing the build preparation time. Detail is basically limited to the exterior of the tank however, a basic engine with minimal piping is included such that the engine compartment could be detailed and left open if desired. No photo-etch is included but engine screens for the rear deck would be nice. The two large intakes have nothing below them while the four smaller intakes have molded screens. The instructions are well laid out in a large 4-fold format. The instructions include rather basic painting schemes for the Western Front 1945 and the Eastern Front 1944. A search of the internet should produce more detailed options. While the painting schemes may be bland, the red-on-white numerical decals included allow one to model many various options.

Conclusion

While not the most challenging model to build, I like Jagdpanthers because of the fun one can have painting and weathering them. The big, large sides and rather clean appearance provide an excellent canvas to display and experiment with airbrushing and weathering techniques. I look forward to building this latest version of one of my two favorite tanks, the Jagdpanther. Thanks to Matt Bittner and Internet Modeler for the opportunity to review and build this model.

Thanks also to Testors for the review sample.