Tuesday, August 28

Modelcollect's new E-50/ Panther II kit in 35th scale is on the way...

So you want more Paper Panzers in 1/35th scale? No? Well OK, we have some more for you! Modelcollect's new E-50/ Panther II kit in 35th scale is on the way...
New 35th scale "Fist of War" series kits from Modelcollect

German E-50 Medium Tank "Panther II"
Fist of War Series #18
From Modelcollect 
1/35th scale
Well, that has just about topped it for us - now Modelcollect is in on the act. They are in development of a new 35th scale series, starting off with a bang with a new kit of the E-50 - or is it the Panther II? We are not sure how they will pull this off in one boxing! They are after all - different vehicles... Well on Paper they were - as they were never really made - but here is a quick rundown before we look at the boxing from Modelcollect...

 E-50 Standardpanzer
The E-50 Standardpanzer was intended as a standard medium tank, replacing the Panther and Tiger I and the conversions based on these tanks. The E-50 hull was to be longer than the Panther, in fact, it was practically identical to the Königstiger (Tiger II) in overall dimensions except for the upper and lower glacis plate layout. 
Compared to these earlier designs, however, the amount of drilling and machining involved in producing these Standardpanzer was reduced drastically, which would have made them quicker, easier and cheaper to produce, as would the proposed conical spring system, replacing their predecessors' torsion bar system which required a special steel alloy.

The place that the E-50 does exist is in World Of Tanks...
Other sources show that a variant of the narrow-mantlet 'Schmalturm' turret designed for the Panther Ausf. F would have been used, coupled with a variant of the 88 mm L/71 gun. As indicated by its name, the weight of the E-50 would fall between 50 and 75 tonnes. The engine was an improved Maybach HL234 which had 900 hp. Maximum speed was supposed to be 60 km/h. 
The Panther II in real life.
The Panther II was a tank that never really came to fruition because of the simple upgrading of the already in service Panther tanks being retrofitted with several features and up-armoured on the sides of the tank especially.

Blueprint drawings of the prototype that was never produced. Notice the smaller 7.5cm gun and small, angular turret that was never applied to the vehicle.
A succession plan to upgrade the Panther tank was already in place before the Panther hit the battlefield. This was re-enforced by the success of especially Soviet anti-tank riflemen and the opposition of heavy Soviet tanks on the battlefield, the opinion formed of the original Panther marques was that it was seen by many to be under armoured. The decision to upgrade the tank into a newer variant, called the Panther II, was officially given in April 1943.

The design called for an upgrade of the frontal glacis plate to 100 mm (3.9 in), the side armour to 60 mm (2.4 in), and the top armour to 30 mm (1.2 in). This, with the addition of the Tiger I's Final Drive, suspension and steering gears along with a whole newly redesigned turret, would increase the total weight to more than 50 metric tons.
There were several proposals for other, heavier and more capable properties being added to the Panther II design. Several Tiger II components were also slated to be used on this vehicle, the suspension and transmission and steering gear and overlapping roadwheel patterns also were mooted. The up-gunning of the tank to 8cm calibre from Krupp was also considered.

The Tiger II's 88mm L/71 cannon was one gun considered in paper plans, (creating the Panther Ausf. F mit 8.8cm) A number of prototype turrets had been produced and tested by different manufacturers in slightly different shapes on and off the existing Panther Ausf. F and G, hulls. These were also tested on the Panther II prototype. None of these projects left the prototype phase, however, the Pz. IV mit Schmalturm, Panther Ausf. G mit 8.8cm & Panther II never progressed further than pencil lines on paper.
Two of the prototype Schmalturm (narrow) turrets were retrieved after the war by the Allies. The Americans took one while the British took the other and used it for ballistic tests. The remains of this turret can be found at the Bovington Tank Museum.

Here is the Schmalturm turret captured in period photos with the smaller 75mm gun mounted


...And the only surviving turret now at the Bovington Museum in the UK.
Because of the factors of increased weight, complex construction and valuable resources that would have been employed in its construction, the further development work on the Panther II ceased by 1944. The designers instead continued to improve the original panther with side skirts and other solutions that worked nearly as well as their perceived successor would have. The move to further standardize German armaments was the nail in the coffin for the Panther II.

 This new kit from Modellcollect / Fist Of War Series:

German E-50 Medium Tank "Panther II"
Fist of War Series #18
From Modelcollect 
1/35th scale
The Panther II and the E-50 were pretty different in design, so the combination of both of these kits in one boxing seems like it is a lot of plastic that will be wasted, if you think about it the E-50 has a modified Tiger II chassis with a Panther F turret while the Panther II has a modified Panther I chassis with a modified G turret... How the makers are going to combine them both in the same package we don't know.

We have just found out that this series "Fist of War" is a "What If?" series. The "Fist of War" series that re-writes the history of Germany's vehicles after 1943. That is why it is both an E-50 and a Panther II can be the same tank in their alternate history!

Here is the kit in CAD form from Modelcollect...
When this kit comes out, and any more details we have none as of yet - we are sure that several other companies will no doubt release their own 1/35th scale E-50's by the end of the week!

More on modelcollect's kits can be found on their website..