Description

The German Panther was one of the best tanks to see service in WWII. Designed from the outset to regain combat superiority over Soviet tanks like the T-34 on the Eastern Front, it represented an ideal balance of firepower, mobility and protection. The next-generation Panther was to be the Ausf.F, whose design was approved in May 1944. The basic concept was a more heavily armored tank with a new Schmalturm turret mounting a 7.5cm cannon. Production of the Ausf.F with the Schmalturm was supposed to begin in 1945, but the deteriorating war situation put paid to that possibility. However, of interest to this particular Dragon kit is an associated Panther Ausf.F version fitted with a 7.5cm KwK L/100 gun. This tank looks most formidable with its enormously long gun barrel capped by a muzzle brake. Certainly, the Panther Ausf.F with 7.5cm KwK.42 L/100 would have been a lethal weapon had production commenced.