Panthers- Claw to Claw (1 Viewer)

[Currahee Chris]

Hey gang-

We have held countless debates on the pros and cons of KC tanks et al. I decided to take a moment to post up a comparison of WS 23 the First Panther that came to us in the Waffen SS series and WS 72 the new and improved Panther.

To start, I paid $96 for WS 23 when I got it- that included tax. I paid $109 for the new WS 72 (purchased online with no Sales Tax).

Here they are, in the starting block with those diesel's just purring away:

You can see (I hope- my photography leaves much to be desired ) that the WS 23 has a much higher profile all around than the newer Panther. In fact, comparing it with my King Tiger, it sits comparably as high.

I know when I popped WS72 open, I was amazed at the cripness of the paint job and finish- it makes WS23 look pretty generic.

Here is the side profile- take notice at all the additional "Add-ons" that you get with the newer version- helmets, camo netting, etc- WS23 is lacking.

Here they are disassembled:

Many more parts with WS 23. With WS23, a swatch of putty was included (I still have mine), and you the collector had to mess with inserting it into the cupola. I have seen some considerable variation over the years in how straight these barrels were machined or cast.

This picture also does a good job showing how much more crisp the paint job is. One can also see how many more personnel we get with the newer models.

Here is the track detail- seems to be a point of contention with several collectors:

Ah, doesn't do much for me either way but hey, that's me- I am not too big on tracks.

So, you can see the difference the $13 price increase got me- either I got pulled over the coals back when I got WS23 (Which I didn't) or WS 72 is a GREAT DEAL and worthy of the marginal increase. I will lead it to each collector to decide for themselves.

Take Care,
CC

 

[Harrytheheid]

Chris,
I also have WS72. The difference is patently evident. There's no comparison, the newer Panther is superior in every way.

Cheers
H

 

[Wraith]

Chris,

Thanks for the comparison shots. Always interesting to see where K&C have developed.
You're right. The WS23 is just a heap of junk in comparison, and I'm sure you'll be wanting to dispose of it, so I'll pm you my address and if you can send it on over, I'll take this ugly beast off your hands.

Where the WS23 gets the thumbs up (my opinion), is in the size.
These tanks are imposing, and the early version looks to be closer in scale than the later release, something which K&C are now addressing with the AK Tiger, MkIV etc.

Simon

 

[Rob]

Now thats a very kind offer from Simon.However he does live up North,where its cold and inhospitable and wooly mammoths roam in great Herds.These are bad conditions for Polystone storage(see Wikipeadia) so i suggest you send it to me in the much warmer,balmy,Palm tree friendly South.

I like both Panthers actually,with maybe the new version just shading it.Nice pics Chris,thanks for posting.

Rob

 

[Wraith]

Now thats a very kind offer from Simon.However he does live up North,where its cold and inhospitable and wooly mammoths roam in great Herds.These are bad conditions for Polystone storage(see Wikipeadia) so i suggest you send it to me in the much warmer,balmy,Palm tree friendly South.

I like both Panthers actually,with maybe the new version just shading it.Nice pics Chris,thanks for posting.

Rob

Oooop norf? I'll have you know Nottingham lies in the Middle of our fair land, right where it should be, and acts as a national magnet for all stray incoming rounds.
Chris has already familiarised himself with some of Nottinghamshires finest attributes, and so fully understands my need for heavy armour.

 

[Rob]

You make a good case my friend!.

 

[panda1gen]

You make a good case my friend!.

no he doesn't...........

What about the Barkmann's? Look forward to Andy's next edition panther in due course.....................

 

[Currahee Chris]

You guys are a lot of fun-

Simon, looking at it again, yeah, I think you are right WS23 does have that formidable size and that is certainly a selling point for that tank.

 

[Vezzolf]

Chris, Thank you for the photos and the comparisons......I do not own either of these tanks however IMO I am not overly impressed with either of them......I do own a Honour Bound Winter panther and think it is OK a little better then K/C 's Panthers.......I wish I had purchased the Barkman's Panther which was IMO the better of the Honour Bound panther choices.......that being said Honour Bound's costs are becomming prohibitive for me......It is my anticipation that K/C will continue to improve the quality of their tanks with some moderate increases in cost......the " scale size" and realism of the Tunsian Tiger along with the StugIII, Chaffee and the new ak Panzer IV are welcome improvements and a bit overdue...........The attention to more accurate scale and improved detail and "paint tones"with mild weathering will be the deciding factor in my future purchases.....My only criticism of the winter chaffe is too overdone with accessories on the tank which cannot be removed...eg boxes packs etc. creates a little to much clutter.......overall however very good....regards to all Vezzolf

 

[jazzeum]

I must be one of the few who prefers the WS 23 because I didn't think the WS 72 was all that great but that could be because it was issued around the same time the HB Panthers came out.

I would hope that King and Country wouldn't do a Panther for a long time as collectors' interest should be saturated by the HB Panthers of which there were, I believe, five (not counting the Bergepanthers or damaged Panthers).

 

[Gustavflyer]

I must be one of the few who prefers the WS 23 because I didn't think the WS 72 was all that great but that could be because it was issued around the same time the HB Panthers came out.

I would hope that King and Country wouldn't do a Panther for a long time as collectors' interest should be saturated by the HB Panthers of which there were, I believe, five (not counting the Bergepanthers or damaged Panthers).

I agree, the Panther and Tiger 1 have been done over and over, now it is time for a new heavy, a Henschel Turret King Tiger in the ambush scheme.

 

[Combat]

I must be one of the few who prefers the WS 23 because I didn't think the WS 72 was all that great but that could be because it was issued around the same time the HB Panthers came out.

I would hope that King and Country wouldn't do a Panther for a long time as collectors' interest should be saturated by the HB Panthers of which there were, I believe, five (not counting the Bergepanthers or damaged Panthers).

Yes, I thought the WS 72 was one of the bigger disappointments from KC. It looked as though it had been microwaved. Let's have something new - JS2. That even rhymes.

 

[OzDigger]

Honour Bound have made the best Panther to date and frankly I wouldn't buy WS 23 or WS 72.

However the recent larger sized Desert Tiger has proved that K & C is now very close to HB in detail and imo beats HB with presentation as far as paint finish is concerned. K & C may not be entirely accurate with their camo schemes etc but their stuff does look good, which is what the average punter cares most about.

I have to disagree with you guys and suggest that K & C does issue a true 1/30 scale Panther asap because they are able to make a product close to Honour Bound quality but at a more reasonable price.

 

[steel wheels]

Great post! I own the newer Panther, and I think it is only worth the extra $13.00 if you do not own the first version. The extra crewmen alone makes the second Panther a better choice in my eyes, not to mention the better detail and battle damage. The Honour Bound Panther is the best that I have seen, however, the more attractive price and better looking crew members, easily make the K&C the best buy of this lot. All these remaining K&C tanks that have $89.00 to $109.00 price tags are a real bargain, and if you are considering one that remains in stock you should grab it, because these prices will be history in the near future. I would think, another future Panther of this caliber with improvements will be in the $160.00 to $170.00 dollar price range.