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First Look Review
124
PzKpfw II Ausf F
Pz. Kpfw. II Ausf. F
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by: Jim Starkweather [ STAFF_JIM ]

The following is a brief overview and photos of Tasca's new 1/24 scale Panzer II Ausf. F. This new kit will be released in December of 2009. The scale is the obvious talking point for many modelers right now. Certainly there have been kits like this in the past. Tamiya's 1/25 scale tanks and figures released in the 1970's were the obvious comparison. So why this scale? I am guessing it's because the Panzer II is very small in 1/35 and by moving it to 1/24 scale Tasca feels they can now offer details that were lacking in a smaller scale. Of course many would probably argue that 1/16 would be the next logical scale being that many kits have recently been released in that size, but cost might be the reason for keeping the scale somewhere in between. After all we all know how pricey some of those 1/16 scale kits can get.

In the Box

First off the box is not huge. It's what you might expect of a 1/35 scale kit. Inside there are eight sprues in light beige plastic and one turret with a connecting sprue for the front mantle. The kit doesn't specify how many parts are in the box, but I would say that it's likely a lot more than in a similar detailed 1/35 scale Panzer II. The track links are nifty little black plastic pieces on sort of ladder-like sprues. They are interlinked via metal pins which would seem to really accurately simulate there original design. There are two clear plastic sprues with cupola glass and headlight lens. There were two in this kit which seems to provide an extra (unless this inclusion was in error). There are also some soft urethane-looking rings which I assume are for the running gear. There is a small photoetch set included as well as decals of course.

Impressions

Well first off I am in no way an expert on this tank (or any really). I am just good at observations, so let me share some of mine with you. When first looking at the kit parts I didn't immediately see anything special about it. It wasn't until I was looking at the various parts through my macro lens that I was able to see how amazing the detail level actually was. I will let the photos speak for themselves in this regard but I think for fans of this genre of tank, they will definitely be seeing things that in 1/35 scale were simply too small to notice.

Conclusions

It's probably too early to see what impact this release will have on the 1/24 scale for military models, but I think if this kit sells well we could see more offerings of vehicles that might be considered difficult to model in 1/35 scale. The Willys Jeep comes to mind for example, but there are many more to choose from as well. Tasca has made another amazing kit. Now it's up to modelers to decide whether it's one they will want to add to their build lists or collections. For hard-core fans of the Panzer II though this would seem to be a no-brainer.
SUMMARY
Highs: Amazing details, well molded and realistic individual track links.
Lows: Due to the scale, finding a cupola figure for it may be tricky.
Verdict: For the panzer II lover, this will certainly be a kit worth owning.
  Scale: 1:24
  Mfg. ID: 24-001
  Suggested Retail: 79.95
  PUBLISHED: Nov 19, 2009
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 89.91%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 92.94%

Our Thanks to Tasca!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Jim Starkweather (staff_Jim)
FROM: NEW HAMPSHIRE, UNITED STATES

I started building models in 1971 when I was 6. My first model was a 1/32 P-40 Warhawk. Revell I believe. From there I moved onto the standard cars, Apollo spacecraft, and other kid orientated kits. I don't know what got me started on Armor. I must have seen a Monogram tank kit one day and said "Mom...

Copyright ©2021 text by Jim Starkweather [ STAFF_JIM ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Hi Jim, Thanks for the preview It seems like a really neat little (?) kit. The scale is curious, as 1:24 has always been a scale reserved for auto modellers and large scale aircraft guys. Similarly 75mm is a historical figurist size/scale - and WWII subjects are pretty scarce in that size. BTW, isn't there already a 1/24 scale Willy's Jeep out? IIRC Eduard do a PE set for such a kit... I'm going to go ahead and ask a really ignorant question, but how big is the coin you used as a size reference? I'm embarrased to say I have no knowledge of US coin/note sizes (or any other country I haven't visited for that matter ) Thanks again for the preview. Rudi
NOV 18, 2009 - 04:51 PM
Hey Rudi, You're most welcome. And I guess it was a good idea then if somebody has already made one. The diameter of a U.S. penny is 19mm. Cheers, Jim
NOV 18, 2009 - 06:22 PM
Thanks for that! I reckon this should do well - a 'one-off' like this should generate a lot of interest - not really for the scale but the fact it's a well-known subject and with the previous track record (no pun intended) of Tasca, quality should be a 'given'... Now, the 38(t) in the same scale?
NOV 18, 2009 - 08:06 PM
I very rarely stray outside 1/35 and in the interest of fiscal rectitude I haven't bought any Armor kits so far this year but in a moment of madness I ordered this from HLJ as soon as the announcement was made. I'm not even a big fan of German or early war armor but I'm looking forward to this. I did read somewhere that Tasca will release a seperate Commander figure.
NOV 18, 2009 - 10:20 PM
great review Jim, enjoyed reading it. I really think I'll get one for myself, only if I'll just end up fiddling with the tracks which are a great feature (to my opinion) of this kit, and I hope it'll be in more other kits.
NOV 18, 2009 - 11:10 PM
I saw a comparison photo somewhere on the web and this kit came out about the same size as a 1/35 scale Sherman. It looks great and the details are amazing. I am almost finished with the 1/35 scale Panzer II and really wish it could have been bigger. Thanks for the review. Cyberhobby make a 1/24 scale jeep. It is the up armored version. It would be neat to see other items in this scale, like the 38T, M3/5/8 series or the 3/4 ton WC series. Maybe I could see what I was doing. But price will be a big factor. I hope Tasca does well with this.
NOV 19, 2009 - 11:14 AM
hmm, just checked HLJ, and they have it for around 70$.... that's quite a lot of money by the way, here's a comparison next to a sherman:
NOV 19, 2009 - 12:12 PM
Nice review! I think it's a breath of fresh air to get a release in 1/24th. It'll go nice with all those Tamiya, Academy, etc., and I'm sure one of those figures will fit the Tasca model. For me it would have been even nicer to have this in 1/16th.
NOV 19, 2009 - 12:39 PM
I read some last threads about this model,I `ve seen parts and details of pz II and can say 3 word - "I love Tasca " .Thanks for 1-24 scale tanks line,hope to see more and more !
NOV 20, 2009 - 05:20 AM
   
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