Adam Mann reviews one of the newest Panther kits from Dragon Models. This one represents a prototype known as the V2.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Couldn't agree more with your review, Adam. Considering how much I paid for the kit, when I saw how much surgery the instructions called out to make it right I quickly unloaded it on eBay. Dragon can tool a new turret, but not a rear hull plate? For nearly 100 CAD, it's the least they could've done.

Adam, I agree with Your opinion.
Dragon prices are increasing and it is irrelevant to what 's in the box.

ANOTHER DRAGON-1/35 TANK KIT OF THE PANTHER TANK.

I think this kit is a waste of money. After looking at the review by Adam, certain things that terrible include, 2 piece plastic barrel, surgery that has to be performed on front glacis plate, solid rear deck with engine compartment door molded closed, so you cant show it open without a lot of work.And wait for it, rubber DS tracks. This kit is nothing more than a money grab for the unsuspecting modeler. Thank God for kit reviews as this one is a real stinker.

Honestly you should have given it 30% or something else that low. It's probably the purest expression of corporatalism in ever seen on the modelling world.

Thanks for the review. I'm surprised on the low part count, given that this is a DML kit. I still like this, mainly for the subject it represents, buying it though will be very much influenced on how much it retails.

It can be all yours for a mere $69.99 on the Dragon website !!

http://www.dragonusaonline.com/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=DRA6822

Thanks for the review.

I'll pass on that price point. Hobby Easy has it for $46.19, Lucky Model at $46.99.

Their new boxarts are awful

Adam: I have to agree with your assessment of this model as I also have been less than impressed by contents verse price of their recent German WW2 offerings. I can live with the track issue as the after-market has that covered if need be, but in my case I was very disappointed in the lack of clear parts and a complete lack of photo etch on a panther kit that was selling at a premium price. I like yourself was also rattled by old mouldings being included in the mix when newer parts have already been tooled by Dragon Models. I think the days of "I will wait to see what Dragon release" are now well passed us. I hope they lift their eyes again and rethink the quality of their products, or their name will suffer more than it already has.

Discussion from ML

I never know how to rate these score, but I'm glad my point came across. I'm a teacher and something that is failing at my school is a 60. So I suppose a 58 would have been more appropriate.

I am so pleased to have seen this informative review on this latest Dragon offering. Having always been deeply interested in WWII German armour and the development of the Tigers and Panthers this kit of the Panther prototype was on my "To Get" list. Not anymore. Having already easily accumulated far more kits than I can reasonably expect to build in my lifetime (what suckers we are...) I am at that point where I look back and wonder in abject amazement at the FREAKIN' CRAZY prices that companies like Dragon now insist upon, and to see a kit that would easily cost north of a $100 (CDN) for a reissue of 14-year old parts with feeble updates and necessary plastic surgery simply to fix what Dragon was too cheap and lazy to fix IS SIMPLY TOO MUCH! I, for one, won't buy a whole bunch more from any company that insults us by issuing four-plus versions of everything and then sliding a piece of questionable...stuff, past us like this kit, and others like it, for simply unsustainable prices. Who out there has that money to waste and when was the last time you saw a 14-year old modeler who could afford these prices?

The low parts count can be easily explained- DRAGON has dispensed with "Magic Tracks", in lieu of the greatly detested "DS" Tracks- What was so "magical" about "Magic Tracks, anyway? They are "fiddly" to assemble, and great care must be taken with them, during and after assembly. I much prefer resin or metal Tracks for my German WWII vehicles. What would make sense, (to me, anyway), is if there were some way to manufacture "clickable" plastic tracks, or really convincing "link-and-length" Tracks- The technology exists to do so.

If you will kindly notice, obviously the "high parts count" of many tracked-vehicle kits, (other than DRAGON's), is due to the inclusion of individual Track Links, not because of anything special, otherwise. Even certain AFV kits which include the extra parts for "interiors", will have an even greater number of parts because of the inclusion of "indy" Track Links, which is a GOOD thing...

Concur- ANOTHER "NEW!!!" DRAGON PanzerCrapwagen that I WON'T buy!!!

Dragon has followed up with an updated kit:

http://www.dragonmodelsusa.com/dmlusa/prodd.asp?pid=DRA6830

Didn't exoect it to be out that soon.

How does this kit vary from the other Dragon Panther proto-type, DRA-6830? Hopefully Dragon learned from the let-downs on this kit when they issued the latter. Anyone care to share any insights on this?

See discussion here http://www.network54.com/Forum/47207/thread/1466768231