Kagero have a
high output every moth of new publications – this month’s titles are all looking
like great subjects – and especially a book on Panthers – this one called “Pz.Kpfw. V Panther In Attack & Defence”
(with decals included in 3 scales for 16 tanks) - what could go wrong? Well let’s
read the book and test the decals to see if something did…or didn’t…..
MiniTopcolors 31
Marek Jaszczolt , Robert
Wroblewski , Arkadiusz Wrobel
Softcover landscape - 20 pages
Decals in 1/72 + 1/48th & 1/35th
scale of 16 Panthers
Decals printed by Cartograf.
ISBN 978-83-62878-34-5
Available from Kagero Directly at this link
Kagero continue
with their excellent miniTopcolors series of books that really do blur the line
between decals and reference books with this title – all about Panther tanks
from WWII – called simply Pz.Kpfw. V Panther In Attack & Defence.
A softcover landscape book, printed on their usual glossy
stock and shiny hardwearing cover this is the format that I think modellers
like. Image heavy and with just enough facts to get by. Those of you out there
who are after a history of the vehicle look somewhere else, as this book is all
about modelling your tank and replicating these colours.
There are no external references listed for this book, though
there is a very succinct introduction in small print that I skipped past at the
very start of the book at first. I must have just assumed it was text about the
book. It is a really helpful little
passage explaining a bit further the colours of the vehicles in this book and
why they are coloured in these colours to a certain extent.
Each page has the profile of a panther with a small box of
some feature of the artwork or number or symbol on the hull or turret of the
vehicle. Indeed the numbers and signs are varied on all of these vehicles. The
dual Polish and English text explains some of the circumstances of each vehicle
and things to note like equipment and layout differences.
There is as well a small picture of each vehicle on the pages;
this is a great addition that could go into every one of these books. It serves
as a point of reference to the modeller/history “expert” and gives you a decent
understanding of the look of each vehicle from another angle. Indeed it would
not hurt to have one or two more pictures or even a different profile of the
Panthers covered here. As much as they are excellent the text and profiles make
you feel like you want to see more of each vehicle. I do understand however
sometimes there is only one view of a vehicle from records and sometimes a hazy
one at that!
The profiles, pictures and words are only half of the story
though, as Kagero now get Cartograf from Italy to print the decals they supply
with their miniTopcolors books. This – my friends - is a very good thing indeed!
Included in this release is a large but slightly smaller
than A4 sheet of Cartograf printed decals in 1/72, 148th and of
course 1/35th scales .The sheet is logically and neatly printed on
the sheet so you can cut in and out of them this is a large sheet with all of
the vehicles inside captured, along with any national symbols included in the
actual markings.
Having used their decals before I can say that they are
strong, and although a little thick, they settle down very well – whites are
strong and the colours are true and the printing in register – and I can say
with all of these things that I am right yet again – but you cannot know dear
reader how they sit unless someone shows you – that’s what we are here for – so
I applied the 48th scale decals to a nice “olivegrun” board I had painted up.
The decals went on very easily and slid straight off the
paper after only ten or so second of sitting in the water. These here went straight
down onto Tamiya acrylic spray paint, so their natural habitat you would
think..I was impressed by the decals and wasn’t let down by their malleability
and toughness. They applied easily and lost none of their colour when laid down
on a quite dark surface – and although there was some evidence of carrier film this would die down with micro set/sol combination.
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Well what else is there to say – this combination isn’t an
exhaustive reference book for rivet counter, or even al long read at only
twenty pages. It is however an inspiring book of sixteen interesting panther
profiles, pictures and information with an excellent sheet of decals covering
each of the Panthers depicted in the book. More of a thing for modellers than
historians or even modellers who don’t model but really want to (the big stash
guys – “One day I will make it!!”)
Anyway this is a great addition to the series and well executed.
Adam Norenberg
Thanks to Kagero for sending this to review.
