Although its turret remained the same, the Ausf D PzKpfw II represented an extensive overhaul and upgrade of earlier versions of the German light tank to make it a pursuit and reconnaissance vehicle. However, only 43 were produced before it was decided to convert them to flamethrowers.
Bronco’s kit has crisp molding, positional hatches, and vision blocks. A detailed main gun and coaxial machine gun are included. The build comprises several subassemblies. Markings are included for four different vehicles, one prewar and three for Polish campaigns.
Building the hull from several parts presented no fit issues. The axles and hardware are built up from many small parts. Take extra care in adding the axles to the hull; Part B36’s guide needs to be put on after the axle or it will interfere with axle placement. There is an optional open vision port with glasswork for each side if you choose to use it.
I noticed after building the road wheels that two of them had flash in the hole that had to be removed. The drive sprockets have very thin shafts and a loose fit. Another issue is the great amount of flex in the road-wheel axles; that became a problem while adding the tracks. I added the tracks before installing the fenders, and, much to my dismay, I saw the weight of the tracks was twisting the idlers down. (I would not recommend aftermarket metal tracks with this kit.)
The hull’s top pieces fit very well. The access hatches for the transmission and engine compartments are separate moldings, so you can leave the hatches open if you like. No engine or drivetrain are included — you will have to look to the aftermarket for that.
Working with the fenders was a challenge. The bottoms have ejector-pin marks that need cleanup. The combination of plastic and photoetched-metal parts always makes for an interesting build. In this case, the difficulty was gluing the photoetched-metal fender supports onto the fenders without a gluing surface. Essentially, you are applying glue to a paper-thin line. The skinny tabs that attach the fenders to the hull produce a fragile join.
A nice feature of the turret is that it has an interior; both gun breeches plus ammo magazines and the commander’s seat are included. Building up the turret was no trouble. The commander’s hatches are well detailed for those who want to leave them open. Also, the vision blocks can be set to the open position.
I painted with Floquil weathered black and used Tamiya weathering pastels. I chose markings for a vehicle in Poland. The decals went down well over a gloss coat, even settling over the vision blocks.
It took me 25 hours to build this PzKpfw II. The finished model looks fine, but with the fragile fenders and weak axles I can only recommend this kit to experienced modelers.
A version of this review appeared in the December 2011 issue of FineScale Modeler.