Introduction
Anyone who's followed me on Kitmaker through the years will know that I seldom build armour kits (basically, aircraft modelling has been my focus since the '70s, so a Panther is something of a step into unfamiliar territory for me. Secondly, Suyata is a new brand to me - so I guess that's two steps for the price of one.
I actually came across Suyata when looking at their no-scale caricature kits of the Sopwith Camel and Fokker Dr.1 for a bit of light relief from my usual fare. Alongside them I spotted this much more sensible model - a 1:48 Panther, complete with Zimmerit decals and a full interior. My interest thoroughly piqued, I couldn't resist it and reached for my wallet.
Obviously, as an aircraft modeller, I'm not going to stick my neck out and try to review this kit in terms of accuracy - I'll let you decide that based on what you see in the photos. I'm mostly going to rate it as a kit and what it promises as a modelling experience.
The Kit
Suyata's Panther arrives in quite a deep top-opening box with the runners bagged individually, and the instructions and accessories sealed together in a bag at the bottom.
The kit comprises:
416 x sand-coloured styrene parts (4 not used)
12 x etched brass parts
An aluminium gun barrel and brass muzzle brake
3D decals for the Zimmerit coating
Decals for 4 x colour schemes
The immediate impression is hugely positive, with the kit boasting some of the crispest moulding I've seen. I noted a few shallow sink marks, but I think they'll be hidden on the finished model. There's no flash in my kit, but you'll want to clean up the light mould-lines on the detail parts for close inspection. What's possibly more of an issue is the number of ejection pin marks (totally understandable, considering the level of the detail) - although they are quite shallow, they'll definitely show up and spoil the effect if you're going to display the interior. So, be ready to spend some time prepping the parts before assembly.
A Few Details
Following the instructions roughly in sequence, construction begins with a one-piece moulding of the torsion bars that fit into the base of the hull. These are followed by a very neatly detailed gearbox and running gear. The tracks are designed as a combination of individual links and extended lengths - 18 parts per side.
The interior proper begins with the engine compartment and a crisply moulded Machbach and its associated systems. Suyata pack a lot of detail into single mouldings and items such as the cooling fans are impressively crisply detailed.
The focus for many people will be the fighting compartment and turret, and the kit certainly doesn't disappoint there. A brief scan through the instructions indicates around 130 parts devoted to the interior - there are 36 shell noses alone to fit into the vertical stowage bins. This is a kit where you'll really want to take your time and enjoy the pretty phenomenal level of detail for a model in this scale.
The kit includes a very nice metal gun barrel. This is clearly a later addition to an existing model, because you'll need to do a bit of minor surgery to install it, slicing off the stryrene barrel and drilling a mounting hole.
I was intrigued by Suyata's use of 3D decals to depict the Zimmerit coating. It's a very neat idea, especially if you want to represent areas where the coating's been damaged and revealed the metal underneath. I've seen mention on YouTube that the decals respond well to standard setting solutions, so I don't foresee any problems using them. My one reservation is that they are perhaps a bit too shallow? Nevertheless, I think they should look fine in this scale, but I'd have my doubts in 1:35 or larger.
Wrapping things up are few useful accessories for dioramas - fuel cans and oil drums, plus a ladder. At some point a standing figure was included, but his body has been deleted from the runner, leaving just his arms, face and cap behind. A bit odd...
Instructions & Decals
Suyata provide a very classy colour-printed instruction booklet. Construction is broken down into 39 stages, and the diagrams are large and clear. No colour call-outs are included in the individual stages - instead, there are rendered 3D views of the interior. Mig paints are recommended.
Decals are provided for four vehicles, three painted in mottle camouflage and the fourth in angular disruptive stripes:
1. "328", 3./SS-Panzer Regiment 1, France, 1944
2. "321", 3 Kompanie, Pz. Reg. Grossdeutschland, France, June 1944
3. "99", Stab 1 Abteilung SS Pz Reg 2, France, 1944
4. "421", 4 Zompanie SS Pz Reg 2, Mount Ormel, Italy, 1944
The decals look to be very good quality - printed in precise register with no excess carrier film, except where it's used to group items.
Conclusion
I'm very impressed by Suyata's Panther and it looks set to be a very enjoyable build. It reminds me of the Bandai 1:48 armour kits that appeared in the 1970s, but taking things to an entirely new level of detail and sophistication. It'll be a perfect "busman's holiday" for me, offering a fresh challenge from my usual aircraft builds. I can see it being the same for many armour modellers - i.e. even if your standard scale is 1:35, this could be a great build to enjoy for its own sake, knowing just how much detail is packed inside.
I bought my kit from Jadlam Racing and I think it represents very good value for money at just over £40 - there's definitely enough here to keep anyone out of mischief for a good long while.
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