45.02(H) draft blueprint w 1461

So, what is a "Paper Panzer?"

For those unfamiliar, Paper Panzers refer to German WWII tank (Panzer) projects that were either conceptualized or blueprinted (hence "Paper") and, in some cases, manufactured as prototypes, but never entered mass production.

First Look can be seen here: https://www.amps-armor.org/SiteReviews/ShowReview.aspx?id=15330

This Takom kit represents the second prototype in the series between the VK45.01(H) Tiger I and the VK45.03(H) Tiger II. Officially designated VK45.02(H) in April 1942, it was effectively discontinued by October.

The Build:

The build is organized into three main phases. Phase 1, Steps 1-10, addresses the construction of the lower hull; Phase 2, Steps 11-17, focuses on assembling the upper hull; and Phase 3, Steps 18-23 are dedicated to building the turret.

Phase 1: (1-10)

Step 1 involves assembling the two radiator boxes, each comprising six parts. The two fan blades per radiator are highly detailed. Once assembled, they are glued in the interior of the lower hull. The frontal plate is also glued on in this step.

Step 2 begins with the installation of the suspension rubber bump stop assemblies, attaching the reinforcing strips to the drive housings (part H7), and mounting 8 swing arms on each side, along with the idler supports and sprocket housings. The sprockets are made up of two parts (E3 and either E1 or E3). Takom provides the option to use either E1 or E3 for the outer section of the sprocket. I could not find any noticeable differences between the two parts, as both have the same number of teeth and bolt heads.  Therefore, I chose to go with E1. Unfortunately, the suspension is fixed because the swing arms have indentations that fit into the hull. In this step, the wheels are assembled. I also chose to paint the wheels before installation using A.Mig Red Surface Primer 920 followed by A.Mig RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb 010. The image below displays the outer surfaces of sprockets E1 and E3, with E1 on the right and E3 on the left. After the road wheels, sprockets, and idlers were allowed to dry for 24 hours, they were glued on the suspension arms. While painting the road wheels I painted the lower hull.

                                                             E3                                                                                                                                  E1

Bottom Tub

Step 3 involves the assembly of the tracks, which are of the "link and length" type. Takom has supplied a track-making jig (part E6 x 2) to assist with this process.  See the image below.

The Tiger I tracks' historical width is 725 mm, which scales down to 20.72 mm in 1/35th scale. Upon measuring the model tracks, they were found to be 20.71 mm wide. Very close indeed. Referring to step 5 of the instructions is useful when assembling the tracks. There is an error in the instructions (step 3), where it states that F2 (guide horns) should be paired with A6 and F5 (guide horns) with A5. However, these have been reversed. The correct pairings are F2 with A5 and F5 with A6. To ensure the guide horns bond securely to the tracks, I first applied Tamiya Extra Thin, then followed up with CA glue. I was initially concerned about whether the horns would stay attached to the tracks during the removal of the sprue. A few did come off while removing the sprue.

Steps 4-6 involve adding additional road wheels, sprockets, and idlers to the suspension arms. I found it curious that step 6 wasn't combined with step 4 to complete the attachment of all the road wheels. Step 5 completes the track assembly. First, the tracks were primed with A. Mig 920 Red Primer, followed by a coat of A. Mig 035 Dark Tracks. The rubber rims of the roadwheels were painted using A. Mig Rubber and Tires 033.

Steps 7-9 focus on assembling the rear hull, including components like ammo boxes, wooden blocks, the five-part jack, and exhaust stacks with armored covers. In addition to the previously mentioned parts, the cable is also secured to the side skirt.  Before installation, the tow cable was primed with A Mig Black Primer and then painted with  Vallejo Model  Color German Cam Black-Brown 70-822. Once dry, a Vallejo Model Wash Light Rust  505 was applied, followed by Ammo Mig's Gun Metal Pigment sealed with a a pigment binder. The cable was attached only after the hull was primed and painted. The image below shows the rear hull before any paint was applied to the accessories.

Step 10 involves assembling the front vertical armor plate, including the ball-mounted 7.92mm MG 34 and the vision port. The MG 34 is well-detailed and features a hollow barrel. However, once the hull is sealed, only the external portion of the barrel will be visible. At this stage of the construction process, the track guards and side skirts are also installed. Step 11 involves attaching the front hull plate, along with the shovel and shackles. At this point Phase 1 is complete then we move on to Phase 2.  The images below show the interior with the ball-mounted MG 34 and the front vertical plate showing the driver's vision port.

Phase 2: (11-17)

Steps 11-13 involve attaching the front hull plate, along with the shovel and shackles and drilling the holes in the top plate for the turret ring. While this may seem obvious, I noticed that the top plate lacked a designated sprue location number. Following this, the armored engine grill plate covers and photo-etched components are attached, along with additional pioneer tools. The photo-etched grill displays an impressive level of detail, as is characteristic of all Takom model kits.

Steps 14-15 involve constructing the driver's and radio operator's hatch covers. Takom has molded the hatch interiors and included detailed interior components, allowing the modeler to leave them open if desired. Next, the cables and main gun cleaning rods are attached to the upper hull. The tow cables and thimbles were first primed with A. Mig Black Primer, followed by a coat of Vallejo Model Color  German Black-Brown 70-822. Once dry, two coats of a wash made by diluting Vallejo Model Wash Light Rust 505 and water were applied. After the was had dried, a dry brush was used to apply A. Mig Gun Metal Pigment 3009, and finally, A. Mig's Pigment Binder 26.233 was used to seal the pigments. It was noted that the instructions did not specify optic covers for the periscopes on the driver's and radio operator's hatches. 

Steps 16-17 complete the upper hull assembly by adding the turret ring, antenna mount, additional pioneer tools, and the driver's front vison port. For some reason, Takom placed instructions for the vision port assembly in step 17 instead of step 10. As shown in the image below, the turret ring is missing. This was an oversight on my part, as I neglected to drill the holes before gluing. To correct this, the turret ring was added during step 22. 

Phase 3: (18-23)

Steps 18-19 consist of adding the components on both the interior and exterior of the turret plate, including adding details to the commander's cupola hatch and the ventilator fan.

Steps 20-23 focus on assembling the turret, including building the rear access door, constructing the 8.8 cm main gun (one-piece slide molded barrel), adding the gun trunnions, attaching the 7.92 mm MG34 coaxial machine gun, and fitting the mantlet. Finally, the turret installed onto the hull. With assembly complete, painting is up next. 

Painting:

I opted for a plain Dunkelgelb scheme. First, the entire model, excluding the roadwheels, tracks and cables was primed with A. Mig Dark Red Primer 920, followed by two light applications of A. Mig Dunkelgelb 010. The paints used included A. Mig Red Surface Primer 920, followed by A. Mig RAL 7028 Dunkelgelb 010 for the road wheels, and A. Mig Rubber and Tires 033 for the tires. The tracks  were first primed with A.Mig Red Primer 920, then coated with A. Mig Dark Tracks 035. A. Mig Black Primer was used for the tow cables followed with Vallejo Model Color German Camo Black-Brown 70-822. Once dry, a Vallejo Model Wash Light Rust 505 was applied, followed by A. Mig Gun Metal Pigment with a pigment binder.

For the mufflers, Vallejo Model Color Chocolate Brown 70.872 was applied initially, followed by a wash of Vallejo Model Color Light Rust 505. After drying, rust pigments (A.Mig Standard Rust and Vallejo Old Rust) were added.

After  painting, a light dusting of A. Mig North Africa Pigment Dust 3003 was applied.

Decals:

The decals were applied with Micro Set and Micro Sol. As usual, Takom's decals performed flawlessly, with no visible silvering especially using Micro Sol as a finishing solution.

References Used: 

https://tiger1.info/EN/Tracks.html

https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/vk45-02h-tiger-ii-henschel-improved-tiger/

Conclusion:

It's interesting to see that Takom assembled this kit using sprues from various Tiger I kits, much like the Waffen Prüfungsamt did with their 45-ton tank, repurposing existing parts. True to Takom's standards, the molding is crisp with an impressive level of detail throughout. However, I found that the guide horns were challenging to attach to the track links. For this reason, aftermarket tracks would be a preferable option over the kit's link-and-length tracks. Another useful improvement would be to mold the guide horns directly onto the links to streamline assembly.

The supplied jig, intended to aid with track alignment was also problematic - glue seeped onto the jig, making it difficult to remove the tracks cleanly. As expected with any Takom kit, flash is a non-issue, and the sprue trees are well-organized and easy to identify, making assembly a pleasure overall.  Aside from the challenges with the tracks, the kit was an enjoyable build.

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders.

Thanks goes out to Takom for this review kit.

Reviewed by Phillip Cavender

AMPS # 3060

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