New from Takom is the Skoda PA-II Turtle in 1/35th scale.
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The Škoda PA-II (Panzerwagen II) was developed by Škoda, based on the feedback on their PA-I. The design featured rounded armor plate - a rare sight at the time, which earned it the nickname Tortoise with the troops.
An up-armed prototype, the PA-II dělový (cannon) was made, armed with a 75 mm gun.
Production started in 1923, with 12 units ordered. It was never accepted into official service, in stead, Vienna's police force purchased three vehicles in 1927, and the remaining nine vehicles were purchased by the Czech police force in 1937. The Germans took over the PA-IIs when they annexed Czechoslovakia in 1939, and used them as armored radio vehicles.
Sourceis "Tanks in WWII"
Another good reference is here.
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This is a quite basic kit and I am sure it could be finished in a weekend, perfect for a quick change of pace. Consisting of a hull, 5 sprues and a set of markings there is not much to it. One small booklet contains the instructions in a nice 3d format and a foldout colour info and profile sheet is provided by Ammo of Mig. Four colourful schemes are provided as well as a German grey scheme for five total. All of the cam schemes are basically the same, but if you did all four, they are sufficiently different as to make a nice group display. Lastly 4 rubber/vinyl tires are provided and everything is in a sturdy box with a very nice box top.
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/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05546.JPG
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Having said all that though, don't expect this to be just a toy. The moldings are crisp and the detail is quite fine. The rivets are very well done and not over-sized at all. Over all this is quite a nice kit of a strange vehicle.
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Construction spans 11 steps, all of them quite simple. Choices for subject are denoted by multiple iterations of a step, so for example steps 9 through 11 are doubled. For the life of me I cant see a difference in step 10. I really like these 3d instructions.
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05551.JPG
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And a couple of the paint schemes available.
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The markings are for Police HQ Moravka Ostrava 1937, Training Squadron of Armoured Cars Milovice 1932, Assault Vehicles Regiment Milovice 1925-32, two schemes, and Panzerspahwagon Skoda PA II(FU) 4 Rad French campaign 1940.
Now for the bad. There is absolutely no interior. This is a big disappointment in my opinion. The side doors are molded closed while the hatches could probably be posed open. The machine guns seem to be lacking very much detail, although this could be because there isnt much detail. Some of the text in the colour profiles is miniscule and hard to read.
MBI makes a book on this vehicle, but I have not been able to find a copy anywhere and my google searches for it have been for naught. There is also a magazine HiPM that again I have not been able to find. There are a lot of pictures online though so you can still get the info you need to assist painting and weathering this kit.
I would recommend the Takom Skoda PA-II as a very easy and relaxing kit to build of a very unique vehicle. The colourful paint schemes will really stand out. Of course you can also do the German Grey version with the radio antenna which is also quite interesting. Seeing as these served until the end of the war I am curious to know if they might also be in the later war yellow and camouflage which would also be very interesting.
This kit is cutesy of my wallet and I got it on EBay for about $39.00 with shipping. I'm looking forward to building it as a break from my WWI a/c and modern Russian stuff. Just to keep it easy I'll do the German radio relay car.
James
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05535.JPG
The Škoda PA-II (Panzerwagen II) was developed by Škoda, based on the feedback on their PA-I. The design featured rounded armor plate - a rare sight at the time, which earned it the nickname Tortoise with the troops.
An up-armed prototype, the PA-II dělový (cannon) was made, armed with a 75 mm gun.
Production started in 1923, with 12 units ordered. It was never accepted into official service, in stead, Vienna's police force purchased three vehicles in 1927, and the remaining nine vehicles were purchased by the Czech police force in 1937. The Germans took over the PA-IIs when they annexed Czechoslovakia in 1939, and used them as armored radio vehicles.
Sourceis "Tanks in WWII"
Another good reference is here.
------------------------------------
This is a quite basic kit and I am sure it could be finished in a weekend, perfect for a quick change of pace. Consisting of a hull, 5 sprues and a set of markings there is not much to it. One small booklet contains the instructions in a nice 3d format and a foldout colour info and profile sheet is provided by Ammo of Mig. Four colourful schemes are provided as well as a German grey scheme for five total. All of the cam schemes are basically the same, but if you did all four, they are sufficiently different as to make a nice group display. Lastly 4 rubber/vinyl tires are provided and everything is in a sturdy box with a very nice box top.
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05545.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05546.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05546.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05547.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05548.JPG
Having said all that though, don't expect this to be just a toy. The moldings are crisp and the detail is quite fine. The rivets are very well done and not over-sized at all. Over all this is quite a nice kit of a strange vehicle.
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05549.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05550.JPG
Construction spans 11 steps, all of them quite simple. Choices for subject are denoted by multiple iterations of a step, so for example steps 9 through 11 are doubled. For the life of me I cant see a difference in step 10. I really like these 3d instructions.
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05551.JPG
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05552.JPG
And a couple of the paint schemes available.
/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05553.JPG/gallery/albums/userpics/10118/DSC05554.JPG
The markings are for Police HQ Moravka Ostrava 1937, Training Squadron of Armoured Cars Milovice 1932, Assault Vehicles Regiment Milovice 1925-32, two schemes, and Panzerspahwagon Skoda PA II(FU) 4 Rad French campaign 1940.
Now for the bad. There is absolutely no interior. This is a big disappointment in my opinion. The side doors are molded closed while the hatches could probably be posed open. The machine guns seem to be lacking very much detail, although this could be because there isnt much detail. Some of the text in the colour profiles is miniscule and hard to read.
MBI makes a book on this vehicle, but I have not been able to find a copy anywhere and my google searches for it have been for naught. There is also a magazine HiPM that again I have not been able to find. There are a lot of pictures online though so you can still get the info you need to assist painting and weathering this kit.
I would recommend the Takom Skoda PA-II as a very easy and relaxing kit to build of a very unique vehicle. The colourful paint schemes will really stand out. Of course you can also do the German Grey version with the radio antenna which is also quite interesting. Seeing as these served until the end of the war I am curious to know if they might also be in the later war yellow and camouflage which would also be very interesting.
This kit is cutesy of my wallet and I got it on EBay for about $39.00 with shipping. I'm looking forward to building it as a break from my WWI a/c and modern Russian stuff. Just to keep it easy I'll do the German radio relay car.
James