Revell Kit ref:- 03229 PzKpfw II Ausf.F 1:76 scale

[wappynutter]

My first kit review so please forgive any inaccuracies..
This review is for the Revell kit 03229 PzKpfw II Ausf.F Or Panzer 2.

Measuring 6.3cm this kit is fairly small even at 1:76. The T34 by Revell at the same scale is 8.6cm, 2.3cm bigger.











A small diorama base including 2 figures is listed on the side panel but strangely no mention or pictures to confirm this on the box art.

The box is the standard small side opener type. Upon opening we find the Usual Health and Safety leaflet, build instructions, a small decal sheet and a plastic bag containing 2 beige sprues and rubber band tracks.




Instructions including a little history about the tank and its uses.




The usual Revell Paint reference chart identified by letters.



Sprue map and easily read instructions ..



15 steps with 2 additional steps for paint and decal reference..



Decals and instructions..


With little finger for scale ..



All good register with 2 unit markings....



Rubber band tracks..



With a locking piece on the end.. ( note I have never built this before so have no idea how good they are )
I have noted that a true sag effect cannot be achieved without additional techniques...






Sprue 1 contains the upper and lower hull, turret and diorama wall sections..



Upper hull seems nice and crisp with moulded on tools and hatches, again little finger for scale..



Turret and top hatch detail.



Suspension and axles..



Inside of lower hull showing mould date and manufacturer logo.



Lower hull underside detail..



Building with little finger for scale..



Wheels, sprockets, figures and diorama base..



Figures remind me of the flames of war type with the oversized fat legs and arms..






The ONLY MOULD ISSUES I FOUND are the MAIN GUN and MG pieces..






Badly moulded so much so I wouldn't know where to start with this cut as the barrel and sprue have fused into one...



The MG is very fat with no detail also...



Sprockets and wheels seem okay though..



...and the exhaust is detailed...



The lights may also be a little badly moulded..



The kit I have purchased has very little flash and I am fairly pleased with the mould and detail only having issues with the gun pieces from what I have noticed. Various online reviews and other builders list this little kit as a really nice easy build with good detail and a completion time of around 8 hours for a fairly competent modeller.
Hopefully some of you find this useful
This will be my first Armour kit. Wish me luck.


Thanks for taking a look..

[Paul]

Great review andy look forward to seeing what you do with it, I looks a nice little kit

[wappynutter]

Great review andy look forward to seeing what you do with it, I looks a nice little kit

Thanks Paul mate, will give it a good go....Shame the main gun is pants though!

[Coen]

That was a fantastic and well detailed box review Andy.
Thanks for doing it good sir.
You are probably going to have to scratch build the main gun and the MG.
Those figures are 20 times better than a lot of Tamiya's and their giant booted rubber armed super soldiers
Good luck with the kit and dio buddy. It will be really cool to see what you do with it.

[5Craven]

Nice inbox review mate Don't be fooled by the makers mark and date though this is an old Matchbox kit from 1976! Revell got hold of a lot of Matchboxes old moulds and have reboxed them. The giveaways you can find are the diorama bases (which are often really nice), they are in 1/76 scale as opposed to their own armour which is 1/72 and if you check the sprues you will find the kit number begins with a 'PK' and there will be a 'Made in England' tag with the 'England' erased in some way. You can find pictures of the original kit here: http://www.matchboxkits.org/product_inf ... cts_id=392. Personally I think they are a bit cheeky trying to past off an old kit as one that is much more recent . However a lot of the Matchbox kits do build up nicely but as you have seen the fine detail stuff is not so good. Good luck with the build.

[Lee]

You have very nice nails Andy...!!!!

[wappynutter]

Thanks Dave, I was sort of aware that Matchbox produced most of Revell's 1:76 scale kits. My Saetta was also a Matchbox rebox. I just forgot to mention it, thanks for pointing this out and reminding me.

...and Lee, glad you like my nails mate. I don't bite I use clippers and keep them nice...apart from my little nail which I keep slightly longer out of habit. As a decorator sometimes when papering a sharp nail comes in handy when poking paper behind sockets and switches..... Oh and its great for picking or scratching..