Armortek 1/6th Scale All Metal Kits

1/6th Scale Military Kits

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History Outgunned and out-manoeuvred by the new Russian T34 it was clear the PzKw III and IV could no longer be relied upon as the backbone of the Panzer Division. The T34’s advanced design included a highly effective 76mm gun, thick well sloped armour and excellent speed. The German army quickly learned the lessons of their brutal early encounters with the T34 and contracts were soon placed with the Daimler-Benz and MAN companies to produce what was debatably to become the greatest tank design of the Second World War. However, all did not go well when the early production models were thrown into the maelstrom of the Russian front before they had been fully proven – with over half of the 204 Panthers committed to “Operation Citadel” in 1943 lost to mechanical problems rather than enemy action. Early Panthers were designated Type D, with Types A and G entering service as the war progressed. The D could be recognised by the large bulge on the left of the turret for the cupola and had thinner frontal armour of just 60mm compared to the 80mm of the later types. The Type G had the most significant external changes with the side armour sloped at a lesser angle to allow the hull to be used for the tank hunter variant – the Jagdpanther.		The Jagdpanther needed greater space to accommodate the larger 88mm gun and the angle of the armour on the Type G tank allowed the hull sides simply to be extended upwards to form the fixed gun housing. The Type G was in production from early 1944 with the early models carrying the original rounded mantlet which was considered a shot trap-due to the deflection of shell hits down into the turret ring. Models produced from mid 1944 had a modified mantlet with a reinforced vertical edge at the base. The Panther represented German’s answer to the Russian T34 medium tank and is considered by many to be the best battle tank of WWII. The Panther was fast and manoeuvrable and its well sloped armour and deadly 75mm cannon made it one of the most formidable tanks of the war. So successful was the Panther that it is considered one of the major influences on post war main battle tank design.

The Model Including the gun barrel the model is 58 inches long – some 4 inches longer than our Tiger I. Of course you can count on the model being thoroughly researched and impeccably designed to accurately recreate all the salient features of the original. As per our standard practice the kit will be built primarily of steel and aluminium and features scale armour thickness which replicates the complex angles and interlocking nature that was such a feature of the full size vehicle. The Panther shares the same motor arrangement as our Tiger I, i.e. 2 x 24v, 280w electric motors that deliver 4.7Nm of torque. This provides a top speed of circa 4mph and enables the model to climb 60 per cent gradients, just like the real tank. A micro-processor controlled engine sound unit is available as is a smoke generator. We can also provide a blank firer that discharges 6 rounds per magazine. This provides a legal, safe and inexpensive, method of providing a big bang worthy of such a magnificent model.		The kit comes fully-machined for bolt-together assembly. It is designed for those with limited engineering experience and may be assembled in under 100 hours. With each new subject we manufacture we look to surpass the quality of our previous offerings. Historically our products have set new quality standards for the industry. Now, with the majority of components manufactured in the UK, we have set the bar ever higher making the Armortek Panther a very special model indeed. Our continued aim is to offer the highest quality models at the best possible prices.

Photos courtesy of M de Groene www.toysunlimited.nl