Panther Ausf. G Developed by MAN in 1941-2 to counter the Soviet KV-1 heavy tank and the T-34/76. The first delivery was in November 1942. Delivery of the Ausf. G version started in early 1944. It was originally intended to carry the 75 mm. L/48 gun, this was changed to the 75 mm. L/70 gun which had been originally designed for the Tiger I tank, but replaced by the 88 mm. KwK 36 gun. The 75 mm. L/70 gun proved to have a greater range and penetration power than the 88 mm. KwK 36 gun of the Tiger I. Weight: 45 tons Armament: 75 mm. L/70 KwK 42 gun. Ammunition storage: 82 rounds. Two 7.92 mm. machine guns, one in hull front, one for anti-aircraft use. Engine: Maybach HL 230 P30 V-12 generating 700 horse power. Speed: 45.7 km./hour on road, 30 km./hour cross country. Range: 200 km. road, 100 km. cross country. Crew: driver, radio operator, loader, gunner, commander. A total of 4,814 Panther tanks were built. A rule of thumb was it took 5 Sherman tanks to knock out one Panther tank, which is why ground attack aircraft were so important for the allies. The well known and long-lived English Centurion tank was developed to meet the Panther on equal or better terms, but entered the war too late to do so. Large numbers of Panther tanks were captured after WWII. Many were used by the French army well into the 1950s. They were also extensively tested by the allies and formed the basis for modern tank design in France and Germany, and influenced design in other countries as well. The Panther is considered by many experts to be the finest tank design to be developed during WWII. This is my all time favorite tank. The Panther was my first model of an armoured vehicle (1961). 1:72 scale model by Hasegawa. Assembly and painting by me. Enjoy! Camera: Fuji A303 digital