Jagdpanzer V “Jagdpanther”
ESCI 1:72 Scale Vehicle Review
The ESCI 1:72 scale Jagdpanzer V “Jagdpanther”, Sd.Kfz. 173, heavy tank hunter received new polystyrene tracks upon its 1987 re-release, which are easier to assemble and fit much better than those of its predecessor (ESCI 8009) from 1975.
The ESCI model corresponds to the late version of the heavy tank destroyer with 8.8 cm PaK L.71 on Panther chassis, with heavy cast collar for the main gun, and side skirts.
Camouflage Patterns
ESCI provides waterslide decals for different Jagdpanzer V “Jagdpanther” that were reportedly deployed in 1944 and 1945, along with suggested matching camouflage schemes:
- Dark Yellow RAL 7028, Unknown Unit, Late 1944
- Olive Green RAL 6003 and Chocolate Brown RAL 8017 over Dark Yellow, Unknown Unit, Early 1945
- Olive Green and Chocolate Brown over Dark Yellow, sPzJägAbt. 654, Rouen Late August 1944
It is important to remember when buying second-hand ESCI models, that kits from the 1970s were still equipped with polyvinyl tracks. These older model kits were revised between 1984 and 1988 and released in the newly introduced “Red Box” packaging, which contained beautifully detailed polystyrene track segments and individual track links to replace the troublesome polyvinyl tracks.