Academy's 1/25 Panther

Academy's Panther is a copy of the old Tamiya Panther from the 1970s. I bought their (Academy's) Jagdpanther in the late 80s. It used the same lower hull and running gear (which experts say make the JP hull too short).

Mine was motorized and also had fittings for a wired remote. Nice big carpet crawler.

I haven't built it, but a friend of mine (who's skills are much greater than my own) has built one and it looks great. My two cents.

The new Academy Panther G is quite a bit more than just a Tamiya copy. The entire upper hull, many turret details, mantlet, tracks, wheel hub covers, and other stuff are all-new parts. Academy also added their own vinyl belt tracks (I prefer the ol' Tamiya links, clunky as they were).

The Academy Panther A is a straight-up copy of the old Tamiya kit.

i've always found it strange that there isn't more 1/25 armour around...for me 1/16 might just be too big...
look at the wingy thingies: they have loads of stuff in 1/32 (trumpeter is going on a production burn there it seems), which would seem to equate to our 1/25...
i've basically been put off by the lack of choice and quality in 1/25...i don't really want to buy an old academy kit in 1/25 when they can't even get a tiger turret right in 1/35!! (should mention here that i have that academy tiger waiting to be built, so who's the stupid one here?? err....one nicholas mayhew perhaps?)
but if you guys say their new stuff in 1/25 is cool, then i might give it a go.
oh well...
regards,
nick

I'm with ya, Nick...I think 1/25 is the PERFECT scale for armor! Maybe a bit pricey, but hey.
Then there's the quality issue...most of the stuff is just way wrong. The Tamiya 1/25 Centurion is the most accurate 1/25 kit, I reckon. Tamiya just put out a fresh batch of 'em, too. 6,000 yen ($57 US) a pop, with interior.

Well it all sounds intresting everyone. A 1/25 Tiger would be outstanding! I wonder why it is all 1/35 or 1/72 or 1/144 and so on. A 1/16 Tiger would be even better. I don't think there is such a thing as too big.

QUOTE: Originally posted by ArmorMaster Well it all sounds intresting everyone. A 1/25 Tiger would be outstanding! I wonder why it is all 1/35 or 1/72 or 1/144 and so on. A 1/16 Tiger would be even better. I don't think there is such a thing as too big.

so all the guys on the 1/16 tiger group build were making it all up, just to boost their posts?!

QUOTE: Originally posted by ArmorMaster Well it all sounds intresting everyone. A 1/25 Tiger would be outstanding! I wonder why it is all 1/35 or 1/72 or 1/144 and so on. A 1/16 Tiger would be even better. I don't think there is such a thing as too big.

Tamiya makes a 1/25 Tiger I with full interior. It gets released every so often. Purists point out all the faults in the shape, turret, etc., but it is a cool tank kit. I bought one around 1991. Tamiya also makes a whole line of 1/16 scale tanks including the Tiger I and King Tiger. I have the full R/C Tiger I and the motorized Tiger II with Henschel production turret. Both look good, but I have not come close to starting them.

One of my favorite "large scale" tank kits is the ITC T-92 Airborne Light Tank. It is 1/24 scale and was made by the Ideal Toy Company. The actual tank was cancelled in favor of the M551 Sheridan and only two tanks were made. One of them sits next to the Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen. Nice kit that did not stay on the market for too long.

I have the 1/25 Jagd Panther, which I also bought back in the '80's... let me think... 1st wife. Yup, '80's. Anyhoo, being a reissue of the old Tamiya kit, I found that the tracks didn't go together as well (the pins and / or loops kept breaking)... argh.

I agree, I want to see MORE large scale armor. 1/25 is just perfect... plenty of autos / trucks, model railroad figures etc. to go with the scale also.

Wish List: M4 series 75mm dry Sherman, Stuarts, WWI tanks... maybe a German tank or one...

Ron.

I haven't started on mine yet but it looks good to me. Nicely molded with no flash, could use a figure or two though. Anyone know where I might find any ????

QUOTE: Originally posted by J-Hulk The new Academy Panther G is quite a bit more than just a Tamiya copy. The entire upper hull, many turret details, mantlet, tracks, wheel hub covers, and other stuff are all-new parts. Academy also added their own vinyl belt tracks (I prefer the ol' Tamiya links, clunky as they were). The Academy Panther A is a straight-up copy of the old Tamiya kit.

I agree.. I have built the new Panther G and it is a good build.. My ONLY complaint is the vinyl tracks, they make the suspension not sit right..