Wanting to build a Leopard 2A6, is Borders the best out there? Thank you very much for your wisdom….
Sorry nope, the Rye Field Model’s 1:35 Leopard 2A6 kit, and the other 2A6 kits are the best on the market right now.
Rye Field seems to have hit another home run - their Abrams are really nice too. I’m loving their kits with the interiors and power packs, even if I’ll never do them justice.
Yeah, my vote goes to Ryefield.
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Well guess i need to look at Rye Field since my choices where Border, Meng and Rye Field…….
The Meng kits are very good also. They make the best 2A4 on the market.
Back in 2020 I built the Border Leopard and enjoyed it as far as fit and ease of construction. I do know there was some accuracy issues if you wanted to build the Polish version but can’t remember what it was.
I have the RFM Canadian Leopard II A6M in the “on deck circle” (Baseball Spring Training starts SOON) as soon as I finish my Das Werk/Amusing T-72.
Anyhow, I’ll be able to compare the 2 kits and know who’s best.
Good luck Sean in what ever kit you decide upon and keep us posted !
Thanks a ton for the information. Would love to hear your thoughts for sure.
So would this be accurate for best Leopard 2A6
1st place RFM
2nd place Border
3rd Meng
4th Revell A6 NL
Since you didn’t specify any scale, Border makes the best A6 in 1/72. Kit also contains PE for engine grills and other fine details.
No. Tamiya makes the third best 2A6. Meng does not make an 2A6. It makes a 2A7 and a 2A7 plus. The 2A7 is quite noticeably different from the 2A6. Converting the 2A7 back to the 2A6 will take a little work. The 2A7+ is a sales promotion gimmick based on the 2A7. It looks cool as hell but no one uses it. Meng’s 2A7 is the best there is because it is the only one there is. But it depicts an intermediate configuration of the A7, not the service configuration the German army eventually settled on.
I think all of Meng’s leopard 2 kits are set up for you don;t need to change anything to put in an aftermarket engine bay. Also IMHO they are better engineered than Border. So purely from kit engineering perspective I prefer Meng Leopard 2 kits to Borders. Also from kit engineering perspective I think Tamiya’ a leopard 2 kits remain better engineered than Meng’s, But Meng offer clear periscopes, up to date smoke grenade launchers. So overall I think Meng has the edge in Tamiya. I never built the RFM leopard 2, so I can’t say anything about it.
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One of the best kits for ease has been my Tamiya A5. Couldnt imagine the A6 being any different.
My 50c (having just finished one) if Tiger Models offers a version you want they are worth considering. Exquisite fit, refined surface texture etc. I’m no expert in the field, just my recent build experience here.
Hmmm. Here’s my opinion:
1st place tie between Border and RFM - certain things are done better by either brand.
3rd Tamiya - can’t beat its buildability
4th Meng
5th Revell - the new tooled ones
Also, there is hobbyboss. If you put hobby boss next to Meng, Tamiya, Border, and RFM, strangely everyone agrees on all the major dimensions and locating points of the Leopard 2 down to a fraction of a mm. But not hobbyboss, whose hull is noticeably narrower. The shape of all the components from the other makers look identical at least to the eye, but not hobby boss, whose A4 driver hatch is also shaped differentl from everyone else in a way that actually would prevent it from opening properly.
1/35scale and thanks you all have a ton of excellent information on this site