Review: SpPz 2 "Luchs" 1:72 Revell AG

[modelglue]

SpPz 2 "LUCHS"

1:72 Revell AG

The SpPz (Spahpanzer) 2 Luchs (Lynx) entered service in 1975, after being conceived and developed in 1968 to replace the M41 and the Schutzenpanzer SPz 11-2 "Kurz". Noted for having a quiet engine, the Luchs features NBC warfare filtration systems and an 8-wheel steering system. With a rear facing auxiliary driver, the Luchs is extremely mobile with large low pressure tires. A 10 cylinder engine creates nearly 400hp, which can generate a road speed of 90km/h. The engine can run either petrol or diesel, which turbocharged performance enhancement. The Luchs is armed with a 20mm Rheinmetall RH202 cannon and a 7.62mm MG3 machine gun.

Typical of Revell, included is the familiar black and white folded instruction sheet (43 steps), with the additional small folded warning pamphlet. A small decal sheet will provide markings for two vehicles - One from 1999 in Kosovo, the other in 1998 Bosnia.

The sprues are dark green in colour, which I think is common for modern vehicle kits by RoG. The 4 sprues are numbered and a small map is located on page 4 of the instruction booklet should you need to reference it.

The hull halves are split between top and bottom, with the rear radiator cover molded separately to capture the screen details.

The wheels and turret make up the remaining 2 sprues, one for each sub-system respectfully.

The wheels are interesting in the sense that they are 3-piece assemblies with a wheel face and back which sandwich a middle tread section. I found this to be a novel way of handling the potential loss of detail and alignment issue that wheeled armour modellers sometimes face with older kits. This may be old news to the current modelling manufacturing process, but it is new to me.

The turret and hull feature pretty nice details, with reasonably thin handles on the pioneer tools and sufficient hatch, panel and hinge details. The real winning attribute this kit features is the detailed suspension, steering and drive train systems. Having worked with real wheeled AFVs, I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of effort Revell have gone through to represent these. The axles are two piece assemblies, with additional differential face covers.

The small scale armament is somewhat lacking, but I think the average modeller will be happy with what Revell have provided. The MG3 is nicely represented, though maybe somewhat exaggerated for scale effect. The 20MM RH202 could use some work though. The box art clearly shows a nice taper with perforations towards the muzzle. The kit cannon is lacking perforations and looks slightly


The turret and hull feature periscopes that the super detailer may want to spruce up some, but with some smart painting they will look great.

A small model, I measured the naked upper hull at 105mm, which is 1/3 again the length of the Tiger 1 in the same scale. Here is a photograph of all sprues with a Vallejo 17ml bottle for scale reference:

Lastly, the instructions deliver a paint scheme for each of the two options mentioned previously. The paint call outs call for "B", "C", and "D" to cover the hull in a camouflage pattern common to European schemes. The problem I found with this, is that the box art, and many photographs of the vehicle I searched show a Nato Brown, Black and Green application. The kit instructions call for the following:
"B" - 70% Rust + 30% Brown
"C" - Tar Black
"D" - Anthracite Grey

Portions of the framework on the appurtenances in the instructions call for "A" which is a mix of 70% Bronze Green + 30% Sea Green. This leaves me to assume that the instructions should indicate a camo pattern of "A", "B", and "C". The "D" selection is used to colour the tires, which bolsters my assumption.

The box end indicates that this kit is skill level 4, which I think is accurate given the many small parts, complex suspension and drive systems. This is a great little kit, and I look forward to displaying it next to my yet unbuilt HEER CH-53 and other Revell AG armour selections in 1/72 Scale.

Edited October 10, 2014 by modelglue