1/32 Forces of Valor 801007A

German Sd.Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther

3 Kompanie, sPzJgrAbt 654, Normandy, August 1944

The initial designs for the Jagdpanther were created in the fall of 1942. The purpose was to mount an 88mm Pak 43 gun on a self propelled vehicle. The Panther chassis was chosen and the armored plating configuration was changed. Approximately 420 units were produced in 1944.

German Sd.Kfz.173 Jagdpanther

First built in Nazi Germany in 1944, the Jagdpanther was a 46-ton tank destroyer powered by a 12 cylinder gasoline engine and operated by a five-man crew. The driver had a periscope and vision slots and additional periscopes were mounted on the roof of the superstructure for the commander and loader. Its "no turret" design was built on the chassis of the Panther tank. It carried an 88mm gun and was protected by heavy sloped armor. The outcome of this design was a low-silhouette extremely high quality vehicle with tremendous firepower that many historians believe to be the best tank destroyer of the war.

Forces of Valor" vehicles have these characteristics:

• Die-cast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Rotating turret, lifting gun and precise hull.
• Mobile tracks on detailed rotating wheels.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad-printed markings and placards that will not fade or flake like decals.