Bolt Action Panther Ausf. A

Together with the release of the Tank Wars book, Warlord Games starts a new armoured era for Bolt Action with the Panther Ausf. A.

The kit was developed in co-operation with Italeri and costs 20,00 GBP. The model is in the A version (August 1943 to June 1944) and is finished with Zimmerit, the earlier Ausf. D and later Ausf. G are available from Warlord Games as a resin kit. The versions differ externally in the exhaust system, driver's hatches and engine ventilation, among other smaller details.

The box contains two shrink-wrapped plastic moulded frames, a two-page construction manual and a decal sheet.

As with the other Italeri cooperations, the moulded frame is provided with a round frame and even built up plastically with an insert-slide mould, which can be seen, for example, on the gun barrel. The depth of detail is very high and there are hardly any smooth, open areas due to the application of the Zimmerit.

The mould frames are largely well filled, but all shown parts are used. There are no optional bits or accessories of any kind. The moulding quality is good and there are few flashes or mould lines. The parts are not warped and straight despite their size.

The assembly starts with the rear section and the tracks. The exhaust pipes are glued to the rear armour of the hull and the tracks from the upper and lower sides are glued to the rollers. The gluing points here are unfavourably chosen, as the transition on the front and rear are the directly visible areas of the tracks.

The tracks are glued into two recesses under the hull. The rear armour finishes off the lower part of the hull.

Next, the top of the hull is built. This is almost complete. Only add-on parts that could not be moulded differently are glued on here, such as additional track links. One variable is the turret hatch, which can be fitted either open or closed. This is basically the only "option" included in the kit.

Now that the upper and lower parts of the hull have been glued together, the track covers / skirts can be glued on. I modified this on one side to represent a damaged part. To do this, I cut through the segments at the appropriate point. If you also want to do this, make sure that the mountings on the back are present and stable enough.

Now all that's missing is the tower. This can be built with a movable weapon mount. The commander's cupola has a ring with a machine gun. This component is very thin and, like the antenna (which we have omitted), is at risk of breaking off.

The turret is placed on top and anchored. It is movable and can be rotated in both directions. The model is well detailed, although the Zimmerit (a paste usually applied by hand) is far too even and present.

A comparison with another medium tank, the T34-85, shows that the Panzerkampfwagen V "Panther" is already quite large.

Completely built and from different angles, the Panther Ausf. A looks like this.

Conclusion
You can tell the kit is close to or influenced by Italeri. Many areas are a rather detailed and too filigree for a "gaming model". This has advantages and disadvantages. Despite everything, the kit is quick and comparatively easy to build. However, the extras are missing here. A little luggage, a tank commander, or a different solution for the Zimmerit (for example in the form of stick-on structure plates?).

20 GBP is still fair, but already slightly on the high side. Although some of the advantages of plastic are utilised, it is unclear why they don't try to get several variants or a little more out of the plastic moulded frame (as competitors such as Rubicon have already announced). The moulding quality is good, as is the accuracy of fit, and the decals are a nice addition.

The Panther is a striking and probably one of the most popular tanks from this era after the Tiger. Realising it in plastic was the right step. The hull is compatible with the turrets of the resin kits from Warlord Games. It is to be hoped that the range will be extended here and that add-on/conversion sets will be offered for the prototype Schmalturm Ausf. F, for example.

Bolt Action is a brand of Warlord Games.