DML Panther A Early & Late

there are some diffrences, no hull machingun bump on the early A and different exausts and the turret has i little pistol port on the early a aswell
ive got both kits i supose the late costs more becouse its the newest release

just looked in the boxes and there the same kit exept the late A has an extra sprue with a new glacius exausts gun sheild and small bits and peices

this is the A late http://www.dragonmodelsltd.com/html/6168-p1.htm
this is the A early http://www.dragonmodelsltd.com/html/6160.htm
and this is the A ltate sprues

the sprue right above Normandy is the only difference
the white things are the hang on armour on the sides very to scale

Thanks for the info and the cool links you set me up with Caveman. It looks like a dynamite kit and a better bargain than my Tamiya G one. Oh well, I needed an A variant anyway. Is there no end to this buying madness?

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."-R.E.Lee

QUOTE: Is there no end to this buying madness?

In short ............... NO

Tamiya, Dragon, and Academy hope there's no end in sight to the maddness. From what I've seen, they don't have to worry.

I have the Early A and the D and they are virtually identical, too. The Eduard PE kits for the two of them seem to bring out more of the differences. Take a look at the instruction sheets for them on Eduards site and tell me why those have such a price disparity! You'd think that if a newer kit is 90% based on an existing kit, the price would be lower, if anything. The R&D and tooling costs have already been figured into the first kit, right? So follow on kits should be cheeper to make.


Oh well...y'all have a great weekend.

Bill

You've got a good point Bill. I suspect the companies price them higher for later versions, because they figure you'd wait for the newest kit and save money by not buying the first version! Most of us can't have only one, right? Lol. The reason I asked this question was to see if I get what I pay for in the Panther Late version. I still guess it is a matter of preference, say as an early G, as oppossed to a late version with steel wheels.

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."-R.E.Lee

QUOTE: Is there no end to this buying madness?

There's no end...indeed!



So, is Dragon's Panther (Early or Late) better than Tamiya's Panther G?

Just asking...

I don't know if the DML kit is better, but it does have the indy tracks, which to me, makes it a better kit. I was hoping DML would produce a newer G version, but I couldn't wait when I found my Tamiya G on sale. I wish Tamiya would have produced their Panthers like their newer Tiger kits, with the single tracks, they're so much nicer than vinyl. Still, I want a Panther A version, so Dragon here I come...

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."-R.E.Lee

Tigerman,

Tamiya has already released individual track links for Panther G and King Tiger as separate items. I was planning to buy the track links for the Panther G (which I already have) but the price is about US$10, just 2 US$ below the Dragon Panther A & D. So I was thinking, why not just throw 2 bucks more and get the Dragon Panther A or G?

Hey Dwight, I see where your coming from. I found a retailer that sells Tamiya's Panther tracks for about $18, another company that sells the Panther Late for $22. So, the Tamiya kit with the extra tracks links will end up costing over 2x as much as the Dragon kit! [:0] I should have been more patient, But Dragon doesn't have a newer G version. Dragon kits are real good bargains. People either love them or hate them.

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."-R.E.Lee

Tigerman,

Sorry, I meant Panther D (not G). Actually I was thinking...that:

1.) Buy Dragon Panther A or D.
2.) Use indy tracks on my Panther G (since I didn't install the side skirts-steel wheel version) to show some sag.
3.) Use the Tamiya rubber tracks on the Panther A or D. The lack of sag will be hidden by the side skirt.

Do you think this will work? Are the tracks identical?

Dwight, I have thought about something like that too. The only problem, and you wouldn't think it would be, is that sometimes compatability is different when interacting one or more kits. True they're both the same scale, but if one model is off just a little, then the other kits pieces may not fit well. You have a good point putting the one-piece treads on the Dragon, since the side armor will cover it up, but I'm a little leary about the indy tracks fitting on the Tamiya. It should work, maybe someone has tried this and will step in and provide an answer. Good luck on trying it if you do. I might condsider that option also if it works. You get to go first!

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."-R.E.Lee

Ok, I'll be the guinea pig on this one, then. I'll tell you if it works. (LOL) Anyway, I still far away from that. Still working on my M1. M4A3 105's next in line. A dio and perhaps that Pather experiment.

I was reading the things to come section in the March issue (I'm slow!) of "Military Miniatures in Review", and they say that the new DML catalog lists a Panther G!!! Yea, yea!! I hope it will be worth the wait! It doesn't say what version.

Also coming from DML, an M4A2 Sherman, Okinawa, SkKfz 252 Ammo transporter with trailer, StuG II G, T-34/76 Model 1940, and a Jagdpanzer IV A-O

It also shows a picture of a pe set from Aber of fenders for the DML Elefant/Ferdinand. They look pretty darn good. Especially after what I've put up with on the Royal set!

Bill

Hi Bill, I was wondering if MMIR has a website? I haven't bought and issue since after they raised the prices. I'm wondering if the DML Panther G is just a reissue of their old Shanghai model, or is it an entirely new kit? If it is a new kit, I'll be bummed.

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."-R.E.Lee

Tiger, I am not sure of a website. I am at work at the moment and I'll take a look when I get home. I don't know about a reissue, but Dragon has been rereleasing a lot of kits that have been retooled lately i.e. the Nashorn. But you never know til it hits the market, I guess. I am hoping for a new kit, myself. I've got the Tamiya Late A (with a bunch of AM parts), the DML early A and D, so I'd like a nice G. But we'll see. Of course future kit announcements are just vaporware, so who knows.

Later

Bill

Dragon are releasing the M10 Panther Ausf G( the one made to look like the American M10 from the Ardennes)

Thanks again Caveman, that might have answered Bill and my question about Dragon's Panther.

"It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."-R.E.Lee