Hobby Boss- Pz. 38(t) Ausf. E/F with Full Interior

History

The Panzerkampfwagen 38(t), which originally was known as the  ČKD LT vz. 38 when created in Czechoslovakia, was a design from the 1930s that was a mainstay in early WWII. It was adopted by the Germans after they annexed Czechoslovakia and saw service in Poland, France, and on the Eastern Front. The armament proved to be outmatched early on and production ended around 1942. Around 1400 were made, and the chassis continued to be a foundation for the Marder III and modified for the Jagdpanzer 38.

The Ausf. E & F were built between late 1940 and late 1941 and saw improvements to armor thickness (to 50mm) with an extra 25mm of bolted-on applique armor to the front glacis and improvements to the mantlet as well. Other improvements to storage and hardpoints were added to the mudguards. 

The Kit

This iteration of the kit owes its origins to the 2013 kit release from Panda Hobby (PH-16001). Where it diverges and becomes a kit unto itself is in offering a full interior which adds five entirely new sprues to the kit as well as another fret of PE and three new schemes in addition to the three that carry over from the Panda Hobby kit. Details are crisp and sink marks can be found pretty much on just the interior surfaces of the kit parts out of sight.

Sprue Map

Sprue A contains the lower hull tub bottom, part of the top plate and turret ring, and the one piece gun barrel...

Sprue B contains the hull tub sides, track guards, front glacis, and more...

Sprue C includes more turret and glacis parts, jack, and other bits...

Sprue D contains tools, jack block with detailed wood grain, and other hull parts-

Sprue E contains more intricate parts- including Notek light, machine gun barrel, grab holds and hooks, and more tools:

Sprue F (x2) has bits for sprocket and idler wheels

Sprue G (x4) contains the road wheels and tires, wheel springs, and hubs...

Sprue H is a small clear sprue for periscope lenses...

From here on out, the sprues are focused on the newly added parts for the interior surfaces...Sprue K (x2) has details for seats, ammo storage, and the like:

Sprue L has floor, batteries, radiator, and other engine parts-

Sprue M has transmission, ammo bin, and other interior bins and bits-

Sprue N was wrapped in bubble wrap and well protected- more intricate engine and interior parts, radio, and such- 

The two PE frets include the original fret (A) containing grills, brackets, and straps; and a new one (B) containing more ammo bin sections and strips for the transmission:

Included in the box bottom is another interior box containing a bag of track links, the turret, the PE frets, and decals. The track links include pins for both sides and have small bits of flash on them, but no sink marks:

The instructions are typical of Hobby Boss kits and include all the extra instructions for the interior construction. In fact, it isn't until step 20 that we get to the start of the instructions for the 2013 kit-- there is a lot of great detail in this kit!

There are decals for six schemes-- three new ones and three from the original kit. They include the following:

• I-- 25 Panzer Regiment, 7 Panzer Division, Russia 1942
• II--204 Panzer Regiment, 22 Panzer Division, Crimea 1941-42
• III-- 204 Panzer Regiment, 22 Panzer Division, Crimea 1942 (new)
• IV-- 204 Panzer Regiment, 22 Panzer Division, Crimea 1942
• V-- 19 Panzer Division, Russia 1942 (new)
• VI-- 10 Panzer Regiment, 8 Panzer Division, Russia 1941 (new)

Another two-sided insert includes painting information for the interior-

Conclusion

This is the long awaited interior for this excellent kit originally from Panda Hobby. The parts detail is crisp and the large size makes it easy to detail out as per one's preference. Hopefully the fit will be fine with all the extras. I am eager to dive into this one so stay tuned...

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders, pending full build.

Thanks goes out to Model Rectifier Corporation for this review kit.

Reviewed by Michael Reeves

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