Italeri No. 7058 Panzerjager I  4.7cm Pak

Italeri 1/72 Scale

Reviewed by Glen Porter

Summary

A Brief History:

The Panzer I, although built mainly as a training tank, was used operationally at the start of WW II but was taken out of front-line service quite quickly due to its lack of armour and fire power. However, its life was extended by mounting various guns, such as the Sig 33 and 4.7cm Pak 43 anti tank gun, on the lower chassis to form an effective tank killer.

FirstLook

Italeri’s 1/72 scale Panzerjager I is the ex-Esci kit from a few decades in the past, which was itself based on their Panzer I. The “A” sprue is from the original Panzer I kit and contains upper and lower hull, suspension, wheels and all the smaller parts.

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The turret sprue from the original has been removed and replaced with one that comprises the crew compartment upper, 4.7 anti tank gun and shield.

The third  sprue’s link and length tracks are also from the original Esci Panzer I kit.

With a parts count of 116, this is still a very good kit considering its age. However, there are some faults that stem from the original. The tracks are slightly over scale causing the drive sprocket to have 14 instead of 20 teeth; while the engine deck sides should slope towards the centre rather than being vertical. These faults notwithstanding, along with Italeri's excellent moulding, decals and instructions, you would think this a brand new kit.

Four vehicles are covered by the small decals sheet - Panzerjager Abteilung (Sfl) 521, Russia, 1941 and Panzerjager Abteilung 605, Tripoli, Libya, March 1941. Both of these vehicles are in the early war dark grey scheme.

Next is another desert vehicle, but this time in overall desert yellow from Sonderverband z.b.V. 288, Libya, 1941. The last is another dark grey machine from an unknown unit in Russia, 1941.

This is a nice little kit with a few faults, but nothing major.

Thanks to Italeri for the review sample.