Classy Hobby
Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf L "Luchs" (Sd.Kfz123)
Light Reconnaissance Tank [9th Panzer Division]
Classy Hobby 1:16 Scale Kit No. MC16001
Review by Terry Ashley
Part 3 of 3
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Turret: Steps 46 to 53:
The upper turret shell has the roof and curved sides as one moulding with openings for the top crew hatches, signal port cover and side vision port with alternate rear plates giving a choice between the small rear hatch and larger rear hatch arrangement. The lower turret ring (part A25) includes the front and rear armour fillets that mate with the upper turret shell with weld beads included along the upper turret panel edges. There are also alternate Commander’s hatches and signal port covers to use depending on the finishing option selected, so you will need to make this choice before starting the turret assembly.

The interior is quite busy with electrical boxes, storage boxes, water bottle and other items added to the side walls, there is also some large cabling on the sidewalls and under the roof and these will need careful removal from the sprues to avoid breakage with part G40 having a couple of breaks evident while still on the sprue. It is best to glue these back together while the part is still on the sprue and then cut the part away after the glue has dried.
Added under the roof is the gun locking supports and other fittings and again most are quite fragile and care is needed in handling. The most prominent item is the full inner visor mounting on the right side with the mounting the same as for the visors in the casement assembled earlier and are quite detailed assemblies. The outer visor cover with the fine vision slit can also be positioned open or closed as you wish.
While the interior is quite busy and gives a good impression when viewed through the open hatches if you wish to fully detail the inside there are other items such as wiring and adding details to what is already there as with any super detailing project.

Added to the lower turret ring is the traverse gear and on the rear of the turret ring hangs the two crew seats and radio sub-assembly with the two support posts (part H24, H25) these have pronounced mould lines that need careful removal and added the posts are the Gunner’s and Commander’s seat cushions and back rests as indicated in the instructions. Between the two supports is the Fu.Spr.Ger.f radio set, you get the radio but no headsets are provided and if were to detail the interior further these would needed to be added. For reference there was also a Fu.12 radio set in a rack next to the Radio operator’s position in the hull (not included in the kit though)
The radio itself is a very good representation of the Fu.Spr.Ger.f radio set although the front grab handle (part G31) is best replaced with thin wire as there is not a lot left after removing the mould lines. Fitted above the radio between the support posts is the Commander’s platform with tread plate texturing for when he is standing in the top hatch. 

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The Gunner’s periscope isn’t an actual hatch just the revolving circular panel with the periscope and guard on the outside and the inside panel with the periscope mount and padded head guard as well as handle to revolve the periscope panel. The periscope is two clear parts sandwiched together but note there is a raised pin ejector mark on the inside of one half and being clear plastic is not easy to see but you must cut off the ejector mark for the two halves to fit snugly together, there is also a normal plastic padded panel added to the inner periscope. After removing some fine flash the assembled periscope fits snugly into the mounting with the assembled periscope panel able to rotate in the roof opening after fitted.

As mentioned you get alternate Commander’s hatches, the early configuration and the later type which has the same circular revolving periscope panel as the Gunner’s periscope panel. The actual early type hatch also has a revolving pericope but the kit hatch has this fixed so you can only have the periscope facing forward, it also has a larger outer periscope guard than the later hatch correctly depicted in the kit part. On the inside is the padded head guard and large handle for revolving the periscope (part Ea2) and the same two part clear periscope assembly as for the Gunner’s periscope. The outer circular hatch has the rear hinges and two support stops (parts D23) that rest on the rear turret sill when the tach is opened.

The later outer hatch also has the two rear hinges and two support stops (parts D23) with the central periscope panel having the same detail and assembling the same as for the Gunner’s panel with the periscope rotatable after assembly. Along with the alternate hatches you also get alternate early and late signal port covers (parts Ea1 early and Ec2 late) with your choice held in place on the roof by the cast hinge (part G3). Depending on which Commander’s hatch and rear hatch you choose, you also choose the corresponding signal port cover.

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The alternate rear turret plates with either the narrow access hatch (part Ea4) or the wider access hatch (part Ec3); both are well done with very nice details inside and out. On the inside both have the large hatch padded panel and separate locking latches, there is also a couple of junction boxes and top cross bar for both panels. On the outside is the separate small opening grab handle although after cleaning up the mould line replacing these with thin wire would be a good option, the larger lower hatch hinges have nice bolt head details with the outer hinges securing the hatch opening bar allowing the hatch to open and close which is a nice option to give a good look into the turret interior. Also added above each hatch is the top rain guard, these are L shaped parts and as you glue these ensure they sit at the correct right angle for the rear plate, there is also the top corner two part lifting hooks the be added, overall the fit of the hatch parts was very good with just the usual mould lines to be removed from the parts before assembly.

Images of the alternate rear turret hatches
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Main armament: Steps 54 to 56:
The main armament of the ‘Luchs’ is the 2cm Kw.K.38 cannon with 1.3 meter long anti-aircraft barrel along with the co-axial 7.92mm M.G.34 and the kit provides both of these with the full receiver and associated mountings along with the full sighting telescopic. 

The 2cm has a two part receiver with the lower cradle, this needs some fine flash removed before assembly as does the two part magazine, assembly is straightforward without any problems. The separate barrel tube is the correct length and includes the flash suppressor and you need to take care when removing the mould line, also the details are a little basic as the flash suppressor cone holes are just indentions and not actually holes, the same goes for the larger neck holes and these will need drilling out to improve the appearance. The two textured hand grips at the rear of the barrel tube are slightly raised and should be flush with the barrel tube and a bit of work is need to bring this and the flash suppressor up to par and again maybe ABER will come through with a brass replacement for those who prefer metal gun barrels.

2cm Kw.K.38 cannon, note the flash suppressor and collar holes needing to be drilled out.
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The M.G.34 also has the full receiver with separate ammo fed cover  and the barrel and cooling jacket are included with the receiver in the single moulded, this results in the cooling holes being just indentations but as you see only the solid end of the barrel protruding from the mantlet this isn’t a big issue. The muzzle flash suppressor cone will need to be thinned as it’s a little on the thick side, easily done with a sharp #11 blade for a better appearance.

On the inside there is the full MG cradle and barrel support cylinder and this can be assembled separate from the MG and added after as the barrel will slip though the cylinder after the cradle assembly without any problems, one thing to note is there is no magazine provided for the MG as there is for the 2cm Kw.K.38 but as this in not easy to see once fitted into the turret may not be an issue.

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The sighting telescope is made up of a total of ten parts and apart from the usual mould lines goes together easily for a nice assembly with all three sub-assemblies, the 2cm Kw.K.38, M.G.34 and sighting telescope fit into the back of the mantlet mounting (part G87) but before fitting these you should fit the mounting end brackets {parts G6, G7) and let the glue dry completely.

The three sub-assemblies, 2cm, MG and sighting telescope can then be added to the mounting with the 2cm barrel fitting snugly though the opening and the front of the gun cradle gluing to the mounting providing a solid join. With the MG the end of the support cylinder fits into the recess in the mounting, note the small notch for the correct alignment, the additional mounting support on the MG cradle (part G21) also glues to the mounting for additional support. Finally the sighting telescope is also glued firmly onto the mounting and the assembled gun mounting can be slipped into the turret front plate (part G50) with the two pivot pins slipping into the mounting end brackets allowing for elevation.

Before fitting the outer mantlet shield (part G91) you should attach the MG collar (part G29) and larger 2cm gun collar (part G42) and let the glue dry before fitting to the front of the gun mounting taking care not to get glue on the turret front plate in the process. The mantlet shield collars fit snugly over the respective MG and 2cm barrels without any trimming needed for a good overall fit of the gun assembly with this now ready to be attached to the front turret opening later.

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As a side exercise I fitted the existing ABER brass M.G.34 barrel from set 16 L-02 in place of the kit barrel as this offers an improvement in exposed muzzle detail definition over the kit M.G.34. If you choose this path there is a few minor modification needed as the ABER barrel while having excellent detail definition on the brass barrel/cooling jacket is a little larger in diameter and longer than the kit M.G.34.

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This means fitting the kit receiver could be an issue but as mentioned kit MG is not easily visible inside the turret after assembly and therefore in this instance I just mounted the brass barrel into the MG support cylinder which is large enough to accept the wider brass barrel without modification. You will though need to enlarge the hole in the outer mantlet MG collar (part G29) for the brass barrel and careful trimming with a #11 blade achieved this. But thinning the kit muzzle flash suppressor cone may be the easier option even if the brass barrel does offer better defined details on the barrel muzzle; it’s up to the individual to decide as always.

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Final Turret assembly: Steps 57 to 66:
With all the sub-assemblies complete the final turret assembly can be done, this is basically fitting the upper and lower turret sections together along with the front plate/mantlet and the rear plate.

While most of the major kit parts fit with minimal fuss the two turret sections needed the most work, probably due to the angles of the turret side panels, firstly the locating tab recesses on the base section had to be widened and the tabs on the upper turret thinned slightly to allow a better fit. Some work on the joins will be needed for the best finish but test fitting and trimming if needed beforehand should lessen any resulting work.

The fit of the rear plate on the other hand was very good not requiring any trimming at all, the same applying to the front plate/mantlet assembly. The instructions show to fit the front plate at the same time as you join the turret sections but this fits ok after with the gun assemblies fitting neatly through the front turret opening and it’s easier to deal with any turret side join issues prior to adding the front or rear panels.
With the front plate fitted the welds which are included on the turret panels will need some re-working as they should overlap onto the front plate, see image

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With the main turret parts assembled there is front lifting hooks and the grab rail over the rear hatch and small antenna base on the left rear corner of the roof to be fitted along with various stowage items such as Jerry Can racks, ammo boxes etc. As these vary depending of the vehicle option chosen you should follow the instructions and place the various items accordingly on the rear and side turret panels.

Views looking into the turret showing some of the interior details.
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Classy Hobby

Also provided in the kit is the roof mounting bracket and the full Orterkompass (orientation compass) fitted to the ‘Luchs’ until July 1943 and only one of the kit marking options, 4114 has period photos showing the roof bracket fitted, it should also be noted that the Orterkompass was stowed away while in action and only designed to be used in non-combat areas. The kit compass has the tall cylinder body with separate compass cap and a decal for the compass dial plus a clear plastic protective cover if you wish to fit this if modelling vehicle 4114?
The instructions show to fit the Orterkompass to vehicle 4134 only but wartime photos clearly show 4114 also has the roof mounting but it’s not clear from available period photos if 4121 had the roof mounting actually fitted?

When fitting the assembled turret to the casemate turret ring note there is no securing notches as with most kits and the turret just sits in the casemate ring, so you need to handle the kit with care or the turret will fall out if you turn the kit over. You can of course add your own securing notches from thin card which wouldn’t be any real problem to avoid any disasters.

Overall views of the main kit assembly, the storage, tools and other smaller items still to be
added to finish off the kit as noted in the review text.

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Instructions:
The instructions are the usual exploded view drawings in 66 Steps with the illustrations clearly laid out and easy to follow but as with any instructions you should study these before assembly as there are some busy sequences, test fit first and there shouldn’t be any problems. As the kit has a number of sub-assemblies you can move on to another while the glue/paint on a previous assemblies dries, this can save a little time in the overall assembly.

There were two miss-numbered parts identified and as Classy Hobby has been advised these will hopefully be rectified in the final kit instructions. Just to check; in Step 10 the idler adjustment cylinder should be part D27 (not G22) and in Step 35 the clear visor should be part Ee5 (not Ee6).

Decals:
The decal sheet is nicely printed with four Balkenkreuz, the three vehicle numbers in red/white, the dial for the Orterkompass plus the three names and stencil data with the full colour painting guide showing the decal location for each of the three marking options provided. Note; only two of the vehicles (4114, 4121) carry the 13 000Kg stencil data on the turret lower left corner as indicated by available wartime period photos of all three vehicles at the time of their capture.

Option 1: Tank No.4121, 1Kp,Pz.Afkl.Abt.9, Normandy, France, 1944
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Option 2: Tank No.4114, 1Kp,Pz.Afkl.Abt.9, Normandy, France, 1944
Has the additional three girls names in different positions around the vehicle as indicated in the guide.
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Option 3: Tank No.4134, 1Kp,Pz.Afkl.Abt.9, Normandy, France, 1944
Note: this vehicle doesn't carry the 13 000Kg stencil data on the turret lower left corner as indicated in the painting guide.
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Classy Hobby

Conclusion:
Overall this kit will build into an impressive kit in the larger 1:16 scale of the Panzer II ‘Luchs’ with the kit being spot on dimensionally and the overall fit of the parts very good with just a few areas needing attention during assembly.
There is though considerable clean-up needed on most parts with prominent mould lines and some fine flash about the place, there is the occasional pin mark but it’s mostly the mould lines needing to be dealt with.

The kit has some nicely done details such as the suspension and running gear/track as well as the interior items such as the visors plus some nice surface details and smaller details. There are some nice options provided with the alternate Commander’s hatches and rear turret access hatches plus the varied equipment storage layouts but as with any kit there is room for improvement with the finer details and adding additional details as you wish.

As a first kit release from Classy Hobby this will build into a nice model and it does look impressive in the larger scale but some basic modelling skills will be needed along the way to get the best result.

Rating: 8/10.

Kit Contents:
Etched parts
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Clear parts
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Metal Track Pins
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Metal Tow Cable
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Individual Track Links
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The Sprues
Click on thumbnails for larger view
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Sprue detail images
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Instructions
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References:
Panzerkampwagen II Ausf.G, H, J, L, and M
development and production from 1938 to 1943

Panzer Tracts No.2-2
by Thomas L. Jentz & Hilary Doyle
book
Museum Ordnance Special Number 22
"LUCHS" Panzerspaehwagen II (2cm) (Sd.Kfz.123)

By Thomas Jentz
Published by; Darlingtion Productions, Inc.
book
PzKpfw II
Sdkfz.121/122/123 Vol.1

Tank Power Vol.XCII No.333
Wydawnictwo Militaria
book
Pz.Kpfw.I/Pz.Kpfw.II and variants
Achtung Panzer No.7

Dainippon Kaiga Co.,Ltd.
book

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Thanks to Classy Hobby for the review kit.

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Page created February 2, 2016



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