ESCI – 8312 – 8009 – JagdPanther

Description:

JagdPanther

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a German tank destroyer JagdPanther (Sd.Kfz. 173), fitted with a 8.8 cm Pak 43 anti-tank gun in a fixed closed superstructure mount over a Panther tank chassis. JagdPanther were produced mainly in two variants, G1 and G2, with gun , mantlet and some chassis differences, as early production (G1) was based on Panther A, while the later (G2) where based on Panther G. Some late production G1 had some of the later features too.

This is an interesting ESCI kit tooled in 1975, featuring all openable hatches, separated pioneer tools and very good detail level across the hull. Also includes one figure. Is hard to tell which exact variant the kit depicts as it has a mix of all the production stages, early Panther A chassis with late gun and mantlet, and other details, an hard to tell also if such production mix ever happened too.

The main odd of the kit are the tracks, of course the early vinyl type, but also the latter link-and-length issued by ESCI-Ertl and keep in the Italeri (Italeri – 7048 – Sd.Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther) reissue lack of lot of inner detail or teeth guide.

It took many years replace this old model, but nowadays there are better depictions of the JagdPanther in 1/72 scale such those by Dragon, Trumpeter or Revell and the latest by Vespid Models. Also this later releases are more accurate about which variant they are intended to depict. If ESCI just had been bit more careful about research and depict an early or late variant, and more interest and care in the tracks, the kit still would be competing with many of the newer releases.