DAK Panzer II Ausf. F

This is the new Academy kit in 1/35th scale. It was built OOB and goes together very well. There is a small PE fret and the tracks are link & length. There are six markings options, including one vehicle that was captured and driven around by US forces. However, Academy missed a few details peculiar to that particular tank. To do a more accurate one, I recommend a quick search on the 'net. There you will find quite a few photos of that tank taken from different angles. I do have one other quibble with this kit. One of the vehicles shown on the markings sheet has two racks on the right fender. Each rack is to hold four ‘Jerry’ cans. The two racks are supplied on the PE fret, but Academy only provides four gas cans, instead of the eight needed to fill them. So you need to source four more cans to do that version. A minor issue and easy to remedy to be sure, but I have to wonder what the designers were thinking. There was no figure included with this kit. For the commander I used one from a Masterbox set. I replaced his head with a resin one from Hornet.

The Tuareg and his camel were from an old Heller two figure set that I’ve had for decades.

I finally decided to dust it off, build it, and use it for this scene. The camel had some seams and mold lines to deal with, but I’m really happy with how he turned out. The detail was a bit soft on the rider and I modified his pose a little. I replaced his right forearm and repositioned his left hand a bit. I discarded the kit supplied rifle and used one from the spares box, to which I added the sling.

The tassel hanging from the camel’s neck was made completely from sewing thread. The kit’s instructions told how to do it. They were in French, but the illustrations were easy to follow. I soaked it in thin CA glue after it was attached to the camel.

Thanks for looking, all comments or questions are welcomed.

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Very nice! :slightly_smiling_face:

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That’s great Work there Al! Great job all around

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Absolutely outstanding work Al! Your weathering and paint are perfect. And that camel is beautiful (as camels go).

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Thanks, Michael.

Thank you, Richard.

Thanks, Matt. Never thought of a camel as beautiful, but I’m very happy with this one.

Bravo! The Panzer looks real good, but the Bedouin and his camel really make this one look sharp! That is some excellent work!

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Thanks for the kind words, Carlos.

Happy New Year !
Thanks for sharing pics of your Pz.II vignette. I too am a big fan of the camel & Bedouin. It really sets the scene.
This will probably be my first purchase of 2022.

Happy New Year, Tom. Thanks. If you’re talking about that old Heller kit, it’s ancient and may be hard to come by.

Al, I figured that the Heller Kit would be hard to find. I ordered the Pz.II and Masterbox’s AK figure kit with the Bedouin on a donkey. Don’t know anything good or bad about MB figs. I guess I’ll find out.
First kits of 2022!

I used that Masterbox set when I did my Tamiya Panzer III. The fit was good and the detail adequate. I did replace the tanker’s heads with resin ones from Hornet.

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Nice lookin PzIII Al. So the Master Box figures look like they’ll do the trick. Did you alter the guy hanging out of the turret? Or is he Pz.III or IV specific?
Thanks for sharing !

Thanks. The folks at Master box designed him for the Panzer II. He is the fellow shown standing on the engine deck in the Masterbox artwork.

mb3559bt1

I had to amputate a leg to get him to fit in the side hatch of the Panzer III turret. I even used the same figure, from a second set, as my Panzer II tank commander, albeit with a different paint job and head. And to fit him into that turret, I did have to perform surgery once again.

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Very good :+1:t2::+1:t2:

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Thank you. :beer: