The Leopard 2 was originally developed by Krauss-Maffei and entered German service in 1979. Over the years it has seen many upgrades and iterations, with the 2A7V being one of the latest. Some of its improvements include a better crew compartment, cooling system, a mobile camouflage system that reduces the tank’s heat signature, a hardened 120mm main-gun barrel increasing range to 5 km, and a reinforced chassis to support the additional armor.
The all-new Tamiya 1/48 scale Leopard 2A7V plastic model kit includes six beautifully molded dark olive sprues with parts showing no sink marks, flash, or noticeable ejector-pin marks. For me, the kit’s main features were its link-and-length tracks and poly caps to elevate the posable gun and align the drive sprockets for the tracks. And when installing the track, the instructions provide a numbered sequence to follow that worked flawlessly. The kit offers two marking options, both with the German 393rd Panzer Battalion.
If you use the commander figure, as I did, you’ll have an open hatch without any interior detail, so I painted the inside of my model black. During the build, you’ll find there are a number of steps that call for decals. However, wait until after you’ve painted to apply decals. Just know you’ll being going back, so make notes on the instructions so you don’t forget any.
Originally, I was disappointed with the molded-on tools, but with careful painting, they look the part and are probably more to scale than they would have been as separate parts. Also, the combination of molded tow cables with separate front and back parts is clever and looks great.
The gun barrel can be posed and poly caps keep it in place. This is a feature that some manufacturers have neglected on larger scale kits of this same tank, and I was happy to see it in this smaller scale.
I used Tamiya paint throughout. The instructions call for NATO Green from TS or LP lines, but failed to mention the equivalent acrylic version, XF-67, which is what I used.
Tamiya often includes figures with its 1/48 scale armor offerings, and I have come to love them. This kit was no exception. The figure was crisply molded, went together with no fuss, and a wash after painting was sufficient to pop facial and hand features. Also, the figure was much easier to paint than the instructions lead you to believe, so I encourage you to give it a try if you’re feeling hesitant. A tiny paintbrush and a sharp toothpick are all you need.
The kit’s only shortcoming was the turret baskets. These were molded in plastic and decals provided the wire mesh. They just aren’t convincing. If I were to build this kit again, I would look for 3D-printed replacements.
The Tamiya 1/48 scale Leopard 2A7V plastic model kit is the company’s 107th entry in its 1/48 scale armor series. It is a welcome addition of an important tank to any German armor collection. In my opinion, the kit is a great value, suitable for beginners, and enjoyable for experienced modelers.
Photos by Kyle Nelson
