In-boxed: JAGDPANTHER G1 EARLY PRODUCTION W/ZIMMERIT & SCHWERER PLATTFORMWAGEN TYPE SSYS
From Takom
Kit no. #2125X
1/35th scale
First thoughts.
I have to admit I was pretty excited when a box originating from China landed on my desk earlier this week. After cracking the seal, I was greeted with a surprisingly large, predominantly white box housing the limited-edition release of the Takom Jagdpanther paired with the Sabre offering of the SSYS Plattformwagen.
I will be doing a full build and paint review on this kit in the coming weeks, but given the fact that this is a limited edition release I thought it may be beneficial to give all of you TMN subscribers a sneak peek at the kit, and an opportunity to secure yourselves one (assuming of course you like what you see), before it is no longer available. Just how ‘limited’ the release is I couldn’t tell you, but from what I understand, we here at The Modelling News were quite lucky to have secured one for review. So, thank you to Takom for giving us the scoop!
Before we get too far down the track, I will start by noting that this kit is sold with no interior. Just like the ‘good old days’, you get the outside bits, and not the inside bits. Whilst the interior kits are absolutely amazing these days, the fact that I didn’t have to worry about all of the interior detail was a quite appealing proposition.
The tank destroyer is paired with the Schwerer Plattformwagen Type SSys produced by the model manufacturer Sabre. Sabre is a Chinese company founded in 2015 and has a string of releases, all based around rail subjects.
Rather than a sprue by sprue and page by page synopsis, I thought I’d take the opportunity to highlight some of the elements that caught my eye. Most of the parts will be seen in detail during the build, so I don’t think there is any need to double up there.
So, without further ado, I give you the first look at the Jagdpanther G1 Early Production w/Zimmerit & Schwerer Plattformwagen Type SSys from Takom
The box is big. 380mm x 255mm x 135mm. Not 1/32 scale aircraft big, but big enough to make an impression…and big enough to not fit on my photo-table (so forgive me for the quality of some of the pictures. I am also between lighting systems.)
The instruction booklet is in the typical Takom style. 285mm x 205mm per page. A simple, no-frills, black and white line drawn style presents a clean and easy to follow set of instructions.
When I first looked at the pieces, I was a little taken back when I saw that each track link required the guide horns to be individually applied. ‘What a waste of time’ I thought! My frustrations were soon relieved when I looked at the instruction booklet. Takom have thoughtfully made applying these pieces very easy through pre-spacing them on the sprues. This step, (assuming the spacings are all accurate), should really be a breeze.
Whilst the kit is sold as having no interior, it still does come with a highly detailed gun breech. This will come in handy if you wanted to pose some of the hatches open. It will give some sense of detail to the interior of the kit.
The engine deck of the model is made in three sections rather than one large piece. I suspect that is due to the kit being offered with the full engine in other boxings and the pieces are just being re-purposed. Hopefully, the fit will be snug in these sections. Time will tell.
After construction for the main model is complete, the instructions then move on to the railcar. All appears to be reasonably straight forward.
Then on to the painting and marking guides. Interesting that the paint call-outs for the rail platform are offered in Mr Hobby / Vallejo and Tamiya colours but the Jagdpanther are all offered up using Ammo colours. I also see that suggested weathering steps are now included as part of the painting guide. Again, the suggested paints are from the Ammo range.
The kit comes with 6 different marking options – all from 1944. Four of them from vehicles based in France and 2 from Holland.
At the risk of harping on about how awesome these parts look…here are a few more detail shots of the moulded Zimmerit.
Although not actually used in this model, the detail in the radio set gives you some indication of just where Takom is at in terms of the quality of these mouldings.
The tow cable loops that fit on to the brass cable that is included as well as some of the tools for the kit are on this sprue...
Escape and maintenance hatched for the underside of the hull are of course included even though they will probably never be a feature of the finished kit.
The horns for the tracks come pre-spaced as noted earlier and really do make this step very simple. Once they have been applied the track section the carrier sprue can be clipped away leaving them all in place. Well, at least that is the theory.
The parts that have been supplied by Sabre for the railcar look to be a very similar colour tone, but the plastic seems to be a little different. The texture in the sleepers and the timber bed section is quite pronounced however it may present differently once painted.
Conclusion
I am really looking forward to getting a start on this one. The quality of the kit looks to be absolutely stunning, and if it goes together half as good as it looks then I think we are in for a real treat.
Although there are a number of Panthers and Jagdpanthers in the Takom catalogue, the versions without the interior with the pairing of the railcar is something a little different. Given this is a limited release I would strongly suggest you get your hands on this one if what you have seen here whets the appetite.
The link HERE goes to the build of this kit...
Clayton Ockerby
1/35th scale
Price: £73.67 GBP/ $90.36 USD/ €81.06 EUR/ ¥9,090 JPY from Hobbylink Japan
The feature set of this kit:
-A dual model kit with the Takom G.1 kit plus Sabre Model's Schwerer Plattformwagen Type SSYS included
-Six marking choices included
-Link & Length Tracks
-Track making Jig included
-Photo-etch parts included
I have to admit I was pretty excited when a box originating from China landed on my desk earlier this week. After cracking the seal, I was greeted with a surprisingly large, predominantly white box housing the limited-edition release of the Takom Jagdpanther paired with the Sabre offering of the SSYS Plattformwagen.
I will be doing a full build and paint review on this kit in the coming weeks, but given the fact that this is a limited edition release I thought it may be beneficial to give all of you TMN subscribers a sneak peek at the kit, and an opportunity to secure yourselves one (assuming of course you like what you see), before it is no longer available. Just how ‘limited’ the release is I couldn’t tell you, but from what I understand, we here at The Modelling News were quite lucky to have secured one for review. So, thank you to Takom for giving us the scoop!
Before we get too far down the track, I will start by noting that this kit is sold with no interior. Just like the ‘good old days’, you get the outside bits, and not the inside bits. Whilst the interior kits are absolutely amazing these days, the fact that I didn’t have to worry about all of the interior detail was a quite appealing proposition.
The tank destroyer is paired with the Schwerer Plattformwagen Type SSys produced by the model manufacturer Sabre. Sabre is a Chinese company founded in 2015 and has a string of releases, all based around rail subjects.
Rather than a sprue by sprue and page by page synopsis, I thought I’d take the opportunity to highlight some of the elements that caught my eye. Most of the parts will be seen in detail during the build, so I don’t think there is any need to double up there.
So, without further ado, I give you the first look at the Jagdpanther G1 Early Production w/Zimmerit & Schwerer Plattformwagen Type SSys from Takom
The box is big. 380mm x 255mm x 135mm. Not 1/32 scale aircraft big, but big enough to make an impression…and big enough to not fit on my photo-table (so forgive me for the quality of some of the pictures. I am also between lighting systems.)
Don’t be mistaken that the big box is only about shelf presence. A very full box with both the combination of a Jagdpanther, railway bed & Schwerer Plattformwagen Type SSYS inside.
The breakdown of the contents of the box.
A quick grab of some of the steps gives you an idea of the easy to follow layout.
The kit comes with 6 different marking options – all from 1944. Four of them from vehicles based in France and 2 from Holland.
The kit comes with a small amount of photo-etch, some tow-cable and two decal sheets.
The main roadwheels of the tank with the rubber rims and plainly visible bolt pattern.
The moulding of the pieces is excellent. The detail and character in the Zimmerit is random, varied and sharply detailed.
A little closer and it just keeps getting better.
The Zimmerit continues around the upper sections.
Here you see the gun mantlet and barrel section as well as one of the internal pieces.
A little closer on this sprue and again, you can really see the life in these pieces.
The model comes with two barrels – Both are slide moulded and supplied in essentially one piece. These pieces are really next level and are very impressive.
Some other elements in the kit. The texture on these cast elements is impressive.
This sprue with a lot of the hull frame elements shows the brackets and sockets for the full interior version - these sprues are of course omitted in this kit. A reason that a lot of people might want a simpler and easier to build kit.
The track sections are link and length and again, the moulding is gorgeous.
Here are a couple of detail pictures of some of the pieces of the rail sections.
I am really looking forward to getting a start on this one. The quality of the kit looks to be absolutely stunning, and if it goes together half as good as it looks then I think we are in for a real treat.
Although there are a number of Panthers and Jagdpanthers in the Takom catalogue, the versions without the interior with the pairing of the railcar is something a little different. Given this is a limited release I would strongly suggest you get your hands on this one if what you have seen here whets the appetite.
The link HERE goes to the build of this kit...
Clayton Ockerby
Thanks to Takom for this kit to build and review
See more of Clayton's amazing works on his modelling website "Workbench Hobbies" or his FB page
