General questions about Pz.Kpfw.II - Tasca 1/24 - Continued

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

Hi,
I am Jord.
Back to this hobby after 22 years of raising kids and growing bald.
Bought myself new glasses and realized that I can still do this.

So how about the Tasca 1/24 Panzer II?
Is it easy to build?
Does it require after-market additions?

I would appreciate any advice you have on this kit.

Thanks
Jord

2

Here’s a good look at what you get inside, http://www.missing-lynx.com/reviews/german/tasca24001reviewbg_1.html

Tasca has a great reputation. They have redefined the Sherman tank field and their previous Panzer I Luchs was highly regarded.

3

The kit itself is solid. However, here’s a pitfall: how are your painting skills? A kit as big as the 1/24 Pz II requires a sharp eye to paint and weather well, IMHO. Larger subjects naturally are scrutinized more by our brains since they closer approximate the real things. Will you be satisfied? Maybe start off w/ a nice 1/35 subject first? Just a suggestion

4

good point, T26E4

Rob Gronovius, it doesn’t look like a figure is included. A very prominent feature in the box art

5

Rob Gronovius,
Thank you very much for this link.
I read the article and went and bought the kit [:P]

Roy Chow,
I share your concern and maybe I should have waited 20 minutes…
My thinking was the other way around, this is big enough canvas for my eyes [:O]

SprueOne,
You are right, the figurine is not included.
But according to information on the internet Tasca plan to release one.
Which would be good.

The kit itself is a little bit of Janus.
The detail provided looks great - and what’s missing is equally obvious.

Some details:
The ‘missing’ figurine…

The gunbarrel and MG are apparently the only after-market details available

The gun mantlet has molded on detail for the ports and the deflectors have molded weld seems, pretty chunky in my view.

The tracks and pins are finely detailed

Thanks
Jord

6

thanks for posting your sprue shots

the gun muzzles look pre drilled, good right?

those tracks look crispy good with the pins and articulated design [H]

7

Hi again,

I wanted to share my progress on this kit with you.

I am sorry about the quality of the pictures.

Nag;

there are some ejector pin marks that need heavy cleaning up, the idler wheel is one example.

The road wheels are 2 piece assemblies but the inner side takes the advantage, not the outer.

Praise;

But then again - look at the detail - the hexagon bolt heads are excellent in 1:24 J

The mantel is hinged using the same nylon inserts as the road wheels

The gear housing in front of the swing arm assembly

The swing arms

The undercarriage, note how big the empty box is - screaming for detail but…not in my first kit [:|]

And the last one is the fighting compartment, I am not sure if I need to add weld detail to this box.

I would be very happy for your advice in this area, please help me with direction.

I look forward to your comments.

Thanks

Jord

8

the details look good. Are the ejection marks on the idler wheels visible after the build?

9

SprueOne,

Yes but they are easy enough to clean up. Thank you for stopping by [:D]

With regards to the pill-box on top of the superstructure I found this picture on the internet.
It represents a Panzer II held in the Bovington museum.
(Neil Baumgardner, com-central.net).

It looks as if some weld detail needs to be created.

Would anyone know how this is best done?

Thanks
Jord

10

[Y] good post i learned somthing today this forum is the place to be.

Ron

11

Ron, Thank you for your kind comment [:D]

I agree - I learn something on this forum every day.
There is some awesome stuff around here - I take my hat off to you guys [:D[

But the answer to my question was to be found on www.modelarmour.com

Stewart McNair built the DAK version of this kit - his review is to be found her;

http://www.modelarmour.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1380:tascas-big-pzkpfwii&catid=35:build-features&Itemid=59

He says ”I simply used the old glue and toothpick method” so now I only need to figure out how that works [proplr]

Initial Google results show me how to build a bridge out of toothpicks; as I said - you learn something every day [:P]
There are some threads that show you how to make a weld seam from stretched sprue and putty that are very detailed and give excellent result but I think this is an angled L shape filling weld.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by [B]

Jord

12

I will now display my complete ignorance about the conditions of the crew in a WWII tank.
What would the temperature inside a tank be;
Would the engine heat help heeting the compartment in the winter?
Would snow melt on the surface?
How would you cool down 35 tons of steel in the summer?

Your input would be very valuable to me.

Jord

13

Hi,
The question was related to an idea about diorama build.
I hope it was not to silly to be answered and I am sorry if the question stepped on anyone’s toes.

My guess will be that you would find no snow on the main tube or the turret on any machine that had been running for a couple off hours.
Then again any machine that had been shut down for a couple off hours during a cold winter would have to have the ice knocked of in centimetres.

Thanks anyway

Jord

14

Greetings Mjolner,I read your post earlier and did not have time to comment.Have you ever or are you familiar with being around vehicles in the winter? summer ?? The same kind of conditions apply.Photos abound on the web and in refernce books.

15

The only cooling system most tanks had was a fan or ventilator designed to remove main gun smoke from the turret when firing. Tanks get very hot in the summer. Likewise they get very cold in the winter. While most tanks have a crew heater, it is not normally a very efficient item and tanks operate with hatches open unless in combat. Any heat is often lost through the open hatches.

Bottom line, if it is hot out, the tank is even hotter. If it is cold out, the tank is like a giant igloo cooler. If it is raining, the crew is just as wet too.

16

Thank you for your response Detailfreak and Rob Gronovius.
I was not trying to be silly, I am considering building my Pz.Kpfw.II in a winter camouflage and have been looking for pictures on the net.
I can not find any where the main tube is covered with snow, some where wheels and track guards carry snow but not anything on the turret or main tube.

Thank you for your time and your comments!

Jord

17

No crew would let snow accumulate on the gun tube. Would just take a few seconds to wipe off with your arm. Gun tubes heat up and cool down with the sun and firing. Any changes in the temperature of the tube changes the ballistic trajectory of the round. You want each shot fired to hit the spot you aim.

Tube droop of even millimeters can effect trajectory. While this may not seem like a lot, when firing 1000m or more at a target 3m tall, it could mean the difference between hitting short of the target or over the target.

18

You where right Roy [:$]

I was hoping for a big canvas but the truth is I have a magnifying glass to my inexperience.
Right now I am fighting 2 areas;
Some serious warp of parts that has happened after assembly?
I am getting brass beams to deal with this.
Weld seems, prominent in this size but not apparent in the kit.
My first pass at this is unsuccessful so I am reaching out for help in this community.

Jord