Price around £25.00 (Oct 2012)
Ref: 03097
Review by Geoff Coughlin (Oct 2012)
Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit www.revell.eu
Reference…
A little bit of inspiration here…
A bit of background…
Since its introduction in 1979 the Leopard 2 main battle tank (MBT), which was already considered to be the best in the world, has been continually modernised and adapted. From 2001 the German Army received the Leopard 2A6 version which, by way of improvement on the Leopard 2A5, had a1.3 m longer gun (L55). Three years earlier the first Leopard 2A6M with improved anti-mine protection had been introduced. 70 of the 225 Leopard 2A6s received this additional protection. This gave the German Army a vehicle, based on the successful, reliable and powerful Leopard 2 family, which was outstanding throughout the world in the fields of effectiveness and anti-mine protection. In addition to Germany 15 other nations use the Leopard 2.
- New tool
- Optional A6 or A6M (additional anti-mine armour)
- Finely detailed surface structures with non-slip coating
- Easy-to-fit vinyl tracks
- Current smoke grenade dischargers (6+2)
- Rotating turret
- Elevating gun
- Hatches can be shown open
Initial assessment…
There are many reviews of Revel armour kits in your Here Now area of SMN and it’s a feature of the vast majority that they are well moulded, detailed and cover an impressive range of subjects; enter the new tool Leopard 2A6/A6M in 1:35 scale.
Moulding quality is to a high standard with very fine levels of detail across the board. The attached images should speak for themselves and you can decide what you think, especially as armour is probably your area. So I offer a basic insight into this Revell kit that’s widely available and this will be good news to all of you that are interested in armour modelling in this scale.
The package…
Seven sprues moulded in dark green plastic form the basis of the model, a set of instructions, and small decal sheet with clear acetate strip make up the package.
Sprue trees…
This is a big model, as is the real subject (check out the YouTube videos that accompany this review). You can see that the hull top is very clean and crisp, as is just about everything else. The detail is cleanly and accurately moulded onto the textured surface and will look excellent when spray painted and given a subtle wash and maybe filters (see your Techniques Bank for how to apply these weathering techniques). The moulded detail throughout is good and although I can’t give an opinion on accuracy, what you get certainly looks consistent with some of the images I have seen on YouTube and elsewhere.
The fact that the few vehicle tools are provided separately from the chassis is expected as a given in this scale and welcomed.
Other highlights include…
The detail on the hull top, range of small detail equipment accessories and fittings and simply the subject are all positive features of the kit. You’ll see from the images attached of the completed manufacturer’s kit that it will look impressive when completed. The engine grills are moulded plastic although the real tank seems to have very fine mesh grills. As supplied they may look ok when painted and washed, but you may be able to locate replacements or add more subtle items yourself.
The tracks are supplied as one-piece rubber items and moulded detail is good – at least you won’t have to assemble lots of tiny individual track links but again, I know rubber tyres and accessories are not everyone’s cup of tea. They do still look and feel good though, so I think they are OK. In fact, if you add the side skirts them much of the track section along the upper run will be invisible, so what’s provided looks alright even in 1:72 scale.
There’s no flash or excess plastic on any of the parts, so this will help build time greatly.
Decals…
There’s a small sheet with the respective number plates and unit badges for the four German options only contained in the kit. The quality looks good overall, although there is carrier film visible around most of the items, but applying them to a glossy finish should ensure that doesn’t show. I might be tempted to trip the excess away.
Versions are:
- 2.Zug / 4.Kompanie / PzBtl 203, Augustdorf
- 1.Zug / 3.Kompanie / PzBtl 203, Augustdorf
- 3.Zug / 4.Kompanie / PzLehrBtl 93, Munster
- 1.Zug / 4.Kompanie / PzLehrBtl 93, Munster
Instructions…
These follow the usual Revell format with Revel colour references, parts and sprue layout diagrams followed by a 51-Stage build (no less) and finishing sequence. The sequence looks to be logical to me but of course you will want to leave off all the small, delicate parts like the aerial until near the end of the build to avoid damage.
To sum up…
This is really a very impressive package and I reckon that you’ll be made up if 1:35 modern armour modelling is your area of interest. Most of the mainstream manufacturers are releasing plenty of current AFV models and this can only be good news for us modellers! Levels of detail are excellent for the scale and fit looks to be clean and pretty trouble-free.
Geoff C.
| FEATURE | STAR RATING (out of five) |
|---|---|
| Quality of moulding | **** |
| Accuracy | **** |
| Instructions | *** |
| Decals | *** |
| Subject choice | **** |
| Overall | **** |