WIP - the legacy Italeri Leopard 1A2 kit (even though it’s more like 1A1). Almost out of the box build with very little scratch building. Almost ready for some paint job.
I usually stay the hell away from Italeri kits but this one was a pleasant surprise for its age. Parts relatively go together well, details are decent, too.
Also, tried the UV curing clear resin (the pen kind) for the headlights, and very pleased with the ease and convenience - highly recommend it.
Constructive feedback welcomed before more work is done. Thank you fellow modelers.
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Looking good. Looking forward to seeing some paint on it.
That is looking good indeed!
James, I tackled the very same kit earlier this year; if I may:
Add an armoured cover (so it conforms to the other ones) to the rather weedy looking episcope just to the rear of the sight in front of the Commander’s hatch. Simple enough fix with plastic card.
Add some fine chain to the smoke dischargers.
Add some small plugs suspended on fine chain to the apertures in the mantlet. There should also be some on the glacis but I’m not sure if the grousers will obscure those ones.
I’m assuming antennae and tow cables in due course?
Good looking built all round I’d say.
FWIW I would recommend Tamiya XF-51 for a decent Gelboliv match, but fully realise you may have your own plans.
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Good looking build. Great job.
I like it! How do you compare it to the Tamiya version?
BTW, did the spouse allow you to invade her territory? Brave man, I am still in high level talks with the warrior queen to allow me to display my models in the living room. No luck so far.
Thanks Luisy. Tamiya versions are old and completely lack details. Italeri Leopard 1 kits are surprisingly not bad.
In terms of the space, her sewing workstation is next to my hobby space, and I briefly used it to take photos and that’s it. 
My desk was too messy at the time. I know better not to mess with her space.
Thank you all for your nice comments.
Thanks a lot BootsDMS for your very helpful comment!
So I’ve added an armored cover on the episcope using Evergreen plastic card.
Fine chains, small plugs, antennas, tow cables, and tracks will be added later.
Woo, XF-51 advice is helpful, too! I’ll be sure to use it.
Kind regards,
James
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nice job
i continue to follow you with this project
I love the Italeri range of Leopard kits, with the 1a1being my favorite. I have built several, and have found several detail refinements at the Leopard Club website.
Your Leopard is great!
Bill
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One more little detail that all Leo kits have wrong and you might want to correct on your very nice model:
The “tracks” on the MG rings around the hatches are NOT raised, but just polished steel from the skids’ wheels wearing off the paint.
Peter
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Peter, very helpfully made this point when my Leo was under construction (the same kit I think) - see my efforts way-back-when but God knows where within this Cold War bit.
If it’s not too late I would recommend you take heed - as you’ve portrayed your hatches closed it might be possible to sand these off if you’re minded to; that said, they’re not, in my opinion, that noticeable.
Anyway, keep going!
It is a great job so far! I have grown a love for this tank. Yours is a magnificent model. One question . . . where did you get the resin for the headlights? They’re fantastic!
Bill
Thanks Bill. Just realized that I have not had a chance to touch that kit for 3 years after becoming hooked on 3D printing.
As to the clear resin, I just bought a small, inexpensive UV resin bottle from Amazon. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Resin-250g-Upgraded-Premixed-Beginner-Activated/dp/B0CFDX2J87/ref=sr_1_52?crid=2SKXYZEFF1LEF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2ht1zq9yT8v473EZQSBXhzETHtpd58cP1x2IkZW9_UXBoCYyBeJyu91Q48e1dVYR8ALMCN3DVPZXatag683TxJ4UYTPyVQuWb3l3np12mvBBauowB7gr7CwJbGG5K4BUO6VYjBuGYVKwLtFSRrjgaPIcnmdfYDZxlOBcGWaKrVBqBcyBLPWfvwwX-dcLgLtF_uja40xlal87USlRODVZISNZAuV4KWgK1F7qi1JgcCNBCFR_Kkc5BGLKdkBPwPgZjyDkxCXhpsTNE5Ti6deJa6IHN9_uuX0JRheBuztTX3M.yScu-DmHF8jkStmWI2U7763u4-bEpJhj6Uv7y4ElfKI&dib_tag=se&keywords=clear%2Buv%2Bresin&qid=1723647685&sprefix=clear%2Buv%2Bresin%2Caps%2C345&sr=8-52&th=1
I think this is a case of confusing 1970-80s Italeri for 1990–2000s Italeri 
Eh. I don’t know about that. Some 40+ year old Italeri kits still seem OK by the today’s standards - often lacking some details and having less accuracy issues than others from Italeri. Almost all of their “recent” releases just happen to be reissues of their lines from 1990s and 2000s. In my view, they still suffer a lot of accuracy and lack of detail issues. Plus, Italeri has the bad reputation of being lazy and just making reissues. They seem to remain in the 20+ year technology, instead of adopting the 21st century technology. That’s my take - obviously, not an Italeri fan.
I prefer kits coming out of the newer players from Hong Kong - Meng, RFM, Takom - just to name a few.
Didn’t Italeri recently redo their Semovente? Perhaps the 75/34 version too. I know Tamiya did a rebox with the longer gun, but not sure if those were just Tamiya parts…
Damon.
You realise that you say you disagree, but then basically agree with the point I was making, right? 
1970s/80s Italeri kits are generally a good deal better, both in accuracy and detail, than their 1990s/2000s efforts. Yes, they’re not up to modern standards, but that’s because they’re not modern kits. But if you’re going to build a kit of that age, buy Italeri rather than Tamiya, is my advice — yet oddly, hardly anybody bats an eye or makes comments about accuracy when someone builds a Tamiya Leopard but that does happen for its Italeri counterpart of almost the same vintage when that’s actually a far better model …
As for the modern Chinese brands … let’s just say they might have better fit and finer detail, but their accuracy or completeness is not something you should just take for granted, either.
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Hi Damon,
Don’t know about the Tamiya kit but Italeri just added new interior parts to their legacy Semovente kit. See: The Modelling News: Build review Pt I: 1/35th scale Self Propelled M42 75/18 from Italeri.
and Build review of the Italeri Semovente M42 da 75/18 scale model self-propelled gun kit | FineScale Modeler Magazine.
The timeline from Scalemates Semovente M42 da 75/18, Italeri 6569 (2020).
It’s a mix of old and new sprues: https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/7/3/3/1264733-48-instructions.pdf.
OK, looks like Italeri retooled both T-34/85 and T-34/76. T-34/85, Italeri 6545 (2018) and
T-34/76 mod. 1943, Italeri 6570 (2022)
These do seem a bit better than their 20+ year old kits.
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