AFV Edition PANZER
Dan Moore enjoys the
larger size of Tasca's
1:24 Panzer.II Ausf.F
T
he Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf.F (Sd.Kfz.121)
was the last of the conventional, mass-
production breed of Panzer II, which had
started with the Ausf.A variant, continuing
through the B and C (with other designs produced
for Ausf.D and E) and reached the final stage of
development with the Ausf.F which is represented
in this build. The Ausf.F displayed some
significant modifications compared to the earlier
Ausf.C, notably a new commander’s cupola, the
up-armouring of the hull front, superstructure and
turret and a new superstructure front visor with
a nearby dummy visor fitted to confuse enemy
gunners. The Ausf.F retained the quick-firing 2cm
cannon, as well as the turret-mounted MG34. The
proven chassis and drivetrain of course would go
onto be utilised in the successful SP Wespe and
Marder II designs and were even used as tracked
munition carriers. From its introduction as a light,
reliable (albeit very lightly armed) armoured
vehicle, the Panzer II.F fought in most if not all
the campaigns in which the German Army would
participate and from the 1941 Russian campaign
right up until the end of the war in Europe could be
found utilised in some capacity.TASCA’S BIG(GER) PANZER
In 2009 Tasca released an all-new kit of the Panzer
II.F in the somewhat unusual (for armour) scale
of 1:24. This is the normal scale for civilian car
kits, however in the armour world has long been
superseded by the 'true' scale of 1:35, barring
Hasegawa and Tamiya’s re-release of select 1:
& 1:25 vehicles in their back catalogue. In 2010
Tasca also released a DAK version of the Panzer
II.F, with a Zündapp KS750 and Bantam Jeep also
entering their limited 1:24 offerings. Under the
Asuka company rebrand in 2015, all of Tasca’s
1:24 vehicle range were thankfully re-released.
Unfortunately, new armour subjects in 1:24 scale
have not yet been very forthcoming, which is a
shame, because a slightly larger kit is friendlier on
an ageing modeller’s eyes!WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
It is hard to believe almost ten years have passed
since Tasca released the Ausf.F, with the level of
detail and crispness comparable with any modern
release. With a relatively low parts-count and
beautiful, individual workable tracks included, it
really is a must-build for any panzer modeller. The
small etched-brass fret is sufficient for the build,
with only a few minor modifications required.
There is of course no interior and as there is very
limited aftermarket available in 1:24 for this kit, the
modeller would have some work to do if it were
to be an 'open all hatches' project. The very few
aftermarket goodies available from Aber applicable
for this particular scale were duly purchased and
utilized, namely the 2m aerial and MG34 barrel.