Pretty self explanatory. Building the Takom Tiger I Mid. Very nice kit builds Tamiya like but with a bit better detail. Didn’t care for the tracks so replaced them with 3D Indy links.
For those who have built the above Panthers which did you prefer and why. Thanks for your input.
I’ve built the Meng Panther A Late and the Takom Jagdpanther G1 Early. In terms of build I felt both had their pluses and minuses; they are not as straight-forward as a Tamiya kit but I build mostly Dragon kits so that is something I just deal with.
Both look good; I would assume Takom’s Panther would look as good as the Jagdpanther. Given a choice between either and the equivalent Tamiya kit I would choose either because I want the additional detail even if it makes it more difficult.
That said, my nine remaining Panthers are Dragon kits except my Bergepanther (TAKOM) and Panzerbefehlswagen Ausf G (RFM - I also have their Ausf F). I bought all the Dragon before the other companies released theirs.
I’m currently building Meng’s Panther Ausf.A and a Takom Bergepanther Ausf.A.
Very different kits of course, since the Bergepanther have a complete detailed interior .
The Meng’s is almost finished.
I didn’t like Meng’s Tracks, I replace them with T-Rex studios tracks.
Plastic is easy to work with, some PE along the way ( nothing crazy like Aber or Voyager ) , instructions are clean and easy to follow, metal gun barrel, a lot of options for markings and good decals.
The boxart shows a Zimmerit Ausf.A but there’s no mention about any Zimm inside the box or instructions.
Takom kit, this one has quite complicated interior and suspension, but with some patience everything fits.
There’s a jig to get the suspension arms aligned and to get the tracks in shape too, that is a great tool and helps you out a lot.
But sometimes Takom has the habit of putting the sprue attachments in some difficult locations that makes cutting and cleaning a little difficult.
But I’m not that far ahead on the build to help out.
Meng’s link:Meng Panther
To pick one… well Meng’s kit is very , very good but I don’t like the tracks at all.
If you’re willing to get some AM tracks , Meng’s is a great choice.
I would check inbox reviews and which variants and also the instructions for both kits.
I value the tracks & suspension , this is where I spent most of the time with the build.
Also a good metal gun barrel saves time.
I hope this helps !
I’ve not built Meng’s, but I built Takom’s Ausf. G with zimmerit (at least I think it was an Ausf G). The kit was pretty straightforward; the detail was nice, the parts fit together pretty well, wasn’t too complicated. The instructions were not hard to follow either. I would build one again if I happen to get a good deal on one.
HTH!
Colin 