Introduction

The following introduction is taken from the ICM website:

Before the start of World War II, the tank forces of the Third Reich (Panzerwaffe) were mainly equipped with light and medium tanks. The results of battles on the Eastern Front in 1941 showed that to successfully counter Soviet tanks, new types of armored vehicles with powerful guns and thick armor were needed. At the beginning of 1943, production of the Pz.Kpfw V Panther tank with a 75-mm long-barrelled 7.5 cm KwK42 L/70 gun began. The weight of this tank, depending on the modification, ranged from 43 to 45.5 tons. This tank was classified as both medium and heavy based on various criteria. Many military historians consider it one of the best tanks of World War II. The Pz.Kpfw V also served as the basis for the Jagdpanther tank destroyer and the Bergepanther recovery vehicle. In the winter of 1944, production of another tank, the Pz.Kpfw VI Ausf B Konigstiger, developed by Henschel under the leadership of E. Aders, began. This tank had heavy armor and a long-barreled 88-mm gun. Its armor-piercing shell was capable of hitting any Allied tank at a distance of 2000 meters or more. The Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B tanks served in heavy tank battalions until the end of the war, with a total of 479 Königstiger produced between 1944 and 1945.

Review

This release arrives in a flip top cardboard tray with a separate card lid. Inside the sprues are packages in 2 plastic bags. An examination of the contents reveals no major issues with the mouldings, and as they have now been released individually several times most of you will be aware of what the contents provide.

The Panzer V Ausf D is kit number 35361, the model has its accuracy issues but it is not way out there. Individual track links are provided for this release, and with the minimal parts count makes it an ideal model for someone to cut their teeth on. The features that indicate this as a Panther Ausf D such as the single slot machine gun point on the front hull, rather than a Kugleblend is present but is fixed in a closed position. I believe that the engine deck is accurately set out for one of these Panthers. If I remember correctly the Panther Ausf D suffered a lot with mechanical problems and engine fires and so it was not the most successful of its breed. The Panther D was superseded by the Ausf A and Ausf G.

The second offering in this release is kit number 3563 and its full title is Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B Konigstiger with Henschel turret late production. This model is a much more recent release from ICM. The original release of this model dates back to 2016 and has since been released by Revel and Hasegawa. This model provides a reasonable gun breach, so if you have the hatches open in the turret there is at least something in there to see. The rear door is also provided and could be shown open, it is my belief that this hatch was only used in an emergency or for loading shells. A little complaint for a newish model, is that the gun barrel is made from 2 halves. The hull itself is made up of all individual panels and inside includes the torsion bars, the floor around the turret floor and so again something is there to be seen if you have the hatch open. Another minor gripe, is that the periscopes are provided as separate mouldings but are not in clear plastic. Give some thought when building the model to add the wheels and the tracks before adding the upper hull, as the track guards could be a minor nuisance. Something that both of these releases share is the need for photo etched grilles to go on the engine deck. This offering is provided with vinyl rubber tracks which you may or may not wish to use. 

ICM has provided 4 finishing options for this release:

Pz.KPFW.VI Ausf.B, s.Pz.Abt Feldherrnhalle, Hungary, March 1945

Pz.KPFW.VI Ausf.B, s.Pz.Abt. 503, Danzig, March 1945

Pz.KPFW.VI Ausf.B, s.Pz.Abt. 501, Ardennes, December 1944

Pz.KPFW.VI Ausf.B, S tab/s.Pz. Abt, 501, Ardennes, December 1944

Conclusion

This offering from ICM results in 2 tank models, an OK Panther Ausf D and a reasonable KonigsTiger. It’s cost for 2 tank models is reasonable, and with addition of some extra parts in the form of photo etch will improve the models appearance greatly. Built from the box my personal opinion is that this is a great introduction to the hobby for youngsters as they both build into reasonable sized kits that are identifiable as to what they are.