6432, Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.C mit Zusatzpanzer Smart Kit. 1/35th-scale styrene/multimedia kit containing 516 styrene parts (including 34 clear), two bags of Magic Track, three photo-etched brass frets, one stamped/etched brass part, three formed metal wire parts, six water-slide decal marking schemes and eight pages of instructions in 22 steps.

Introduction.

Recently, DML issued a Marder II, followed by a Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.F, both of which were well-received by modelers. Certainly, it was only a matter of time before they followed-up with an earlier Pz.Kpfw.II, which in this case is the Ausf.C model with all of the modifications recommended by users after the Polish Campaign of 1939. This particular variation included Zusatzpanzer (applique armor) on the turret and superstructure front plates, Vorpanzer (spaced armor) over the bow, an additional Gepackkasten (baggage bin) on the starboard side track-guard and finally, a commander's cupola with circular hatch lid and seven periscopes arrayed around its circumference. Thus, this latest release is appropriate for the post-1940 era, such as operations in the Balkans and Greece, North Africa and the Ostfront.

These two angled frontal views show the left and right side of this leichte Panzer. They give a good idea of where the Vorpanzer and Zusatzpanzerung were added. Note that many parts gave NOT been glued in place, thus the gaps.

It should be noted that some sprues have the legend, Ausf.B/ C molded on, so it is probable that an earlier type, suitable for Poland, Norway and France is in the works; only time will tell. Since most parts are from the previous Marder II and Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.F kits, much of this review will be lifted directly from those previous posts here on ML's ToT page, with revisions where appropriate.

Tracks.

From the ground, up, these are individual-link Magic Tracks, which press-fit together. They come in two separate bags since they are handed, meaning that each bag is for use on a specific side of the vehicle (they are also in two different shades of grey). So, don't open the bags, pour the links out and begin to assemble them; you'll get yourself into trouble. The fit of the links is relatively positive, but they will not take rough handling and will most certainly need to be fixed with cement after the fit is finalized. They all have a tiny pip at one edge from the mold, which is all-but-invisible and there are no knock-out pin marks at all. The idler wheel axle is separate and can be positioned to adjust the final fit; do not glue it in place until you are satisfied with the track's final appearance.

The alternate drive sprocket and several assembled individual link tracks. Note the small pips on each link from where they were removed from the mold.

Suspension System.

The road-wheels are very nicely-rendered and include weld details around their rims and manufacturer's logo on the rubber tires; the return rollers are similarly detailed. There are four variations in idler wheels, all of which include a separate rim ring for the proper appearance; only one type is marked for use, so be careful. Additionally, there are two variations in drive sprockets each with differing rim bolt pattern details. The final drive housings are laid-out somewhat like those in DML's Pz.Kpfw.IV kits in that there are some tiny bolt heads that must be cut from a sprue and added separately by the modeler. The newly-tooled one–piece spring bundles are all separate parts, each of which has a tiny bracket added to them; the bump-stops are also separate. DML now provides spring bundles with narrower leaf springs, as is proper, instead of using the parts from the Marder II as they did on the Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.F kit. Modelers raised their concerns regarding this issue and, typically, DML has yet again addressed them.

The suspension system features new, narrower spring bundles and, as seen here, the earlier idler wheel.

Hull.

The lower hull pan is a brand-new one-piece affair that incorporates the side plates; the belly is detailed with access panels and bolts. It is finished with separate bow and stern plate assemblies. The stern plate is finished with a new multi-part exhaust muffler that includes a pre-bored pipe and an etched brass perforated heat shield; it is the long, thin, cylindrical style. The trailer hitch is also a multi-part affair complete with etched brass retaining chain. The area is finished off with a brake-lamp and tow rings; the Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung (rack to deploy smoke candles) often seen mounted atop the muffler is not provided. The new bow end is now rounded-off and is finished off with new separate bolted plates for the inner segments of the final drive housings. This is topped with a new glacis plate with a new hatch lid, new lower bow plate and newly-configured tow hooks. All of this represents the overlaid Vorpanzer assembly.

Superstructure.

Working from front-to-back, the glacis plate features a separate access hatch lid as mentioned above and tow hooks. The front superstructure plate has a two-position driver's visor; his visors on the port and starboard side superstructure plates are also separate, and include internal details with clear parts for the glass blocks. The two front plates are covered with additional Zusatzpanzerung plates, as well as a new visor for the angled starboard side plate; all of these parts feature fine conical bolt details. The various side plates are separate parts that feature weld beads and bolt details; they all get attached to the main superstructure/engine deck part, which also includes the main sections of the fenders in situ. An extremely nice touch is the separate air intake section seen on the starboard side of the engine compartment; it includes pre-shaped metal parts to construct the grill. Separate lift hooks as well as molded-on and separate splash plates finish off the roof plate. The access hatch lids for the engine compartment, as well as the fighting compartment, are separate parts and there is a new grill for one section of the engine deck; it has a choice of internal baffles. The radio antenna can be raised or lowered and it fits into a multi-part etched brass and styrene storage trough; internally, the cranking mechanism is provided as a separate two-part assembly.

Note that the rear-most segment of the starboard side track-guards, aft of the retro-fitted Gepackkasten (baggage bin) is devoid of tread plate detail; this is correct.

The track-guards feature tread-plate details on certain surfaces, but not on others. Saul Garcia has called my attention to this, and the word he got from Tom Jentz is that it's correct. Head-lamps (oddly, without clear lenses) and Notek black-out driving head-lamp (with etched brass base and lens element) are mounted to the track-guards, while there are separate mud-flaps front and rear; the front flaps are new. These can be posed raised or lowered, or left off entirely. Various tool boxes are included as well as the large retro-fitted Gepackkasten (baggage bin) seen on the starboard side track-guard; both it and one of the tool boxes features separate lids and each comes from a slide-mold for enhanced detail. A multi-part jack, a jack block with etched brass details and a fire extinguisher finish off the OVM. All tools are separate and come in two versions. One version has molded-on clamps and brackets, while the other is bare and requires the included etched brass clamps and brackets; the shovel has a stamped, etched brass head protector. Three 20-liter jerry cans with etched brass centers are provided; these are accompanied by etched brass tie-down straps. It should be noted that the etched centers fit much better than on previous offerings.

Two sets of tools are provided; one has molded-on clamps and brackets, while the other set is bare, so that the provided etched brass parts can be added.

Fighting Compartment Interior.

This area begins with a part for the floor to which a nicely-done multi-part transmission/final drive unit is mounted, along with separate mounts and drive shaft. Also up front, there is a station for the driver, complete with seat, his hand (but no foot) controls, instrument panel, internal details for his view-ports, and various racks and stowage containers. Further aft, the main item is the air cleaner and fuel tank; two fuel filler caps sit atop the tank, while a drive shaft and cover, as well as many smaller detail parts finish the area. The whole is backed by excellently-detailed compartment bulkhead sections. The radio operator's seat, as well as his transceiver set is provided. The radio is mounted flush against the hull side wall, and although the usual shock-mounts are provided, they are marked as not for use. This is curious, since I am positive something of the sort is needed; there are no other accessories for the transceiver, such as transformers and junction boxes, etc. No ammunition stowage and none of the crew's personal items are provided.

This image shows the main bits of the fighting compartment already in place. The turret interior has the 2cm KwK30 installed, while next to it is the co-axial MG34 along with the gunner's sight.

Turret and Interior.

The turret is based on that seen in the Ausf.F kit. It is fitted with a commander's cupola with a circular hatch lid and seven periscopes arrayed around the rim. The core of the turret is slide-molded and it has separate view-port covers all ‘round; weld beads and screw head details are also present. Separate and delicately-molded lift hooks are then added to the assembly. The commander's cupola is a multi-part assembly with separate hatch lid and clear parts for the periscope heads. There are new parts for the gun mantle and turret front plate, as well as the Zusatzpanzerung plate that was fitted over the front.

Multi-part internal details to include frames, hinges and clear styrene for the glass blocks are given to detail the inner surfaces of the view-port flaps. The gun mantle is not movable and has separate view-port flaps, while the tiny opening for the gunner's sight is also included. The 2cm Kwk30 is from a slide-mold, so it is pre-bored and includes perforations on the flash suppressor; the two knurled areas (often mistaken for differences in paint finish) on the tube are not represented (see below). Internally, the main gun as well as the Gen2 co-axial MG34 are very well-detailed. There are trunnions, a multi-part gun sight and travel lock. The MG34 has two nicely-detailed “snail-drum” magazines, parts A44, but they are not shown anywhere in the instructions. Ammo magazines for the 2cm KwK are not provided; I added one from the spares bin. There is a commander's seat and mount as well as a turret traverse hand-wheel; the turret race has gear-tooth detail; it simply drops into place and is held there by friction without the non-scale feature of a bayonet mount to hold it in place. Personally, I prefer this method.

Molding, Fit and Engineering.

Overall, I found the fit of the main components to be very good, if a bit tricky in parts. This is because there are loads of nooks and crannies where detail is present. In essence it is up to the modeler to use his basic skills in order to get the most out of this kit. There were no sink marks of any consequence, and in all cases ejector pin marks were eliminated from any visible surface. Naturally, the tiny nodes used to eliminate the need for detail-marring ejector pins on the parts themselves are present in large quantities. This means extra clean-up, but I'd rather do that then fill pin marks on parts. No flash is present and mold seams are as subtle as current technology will permit.

The modeler must be very careful while fixing the bow Vorpanzer section onto the hull's front end, in order that all properly aligns itself. On my kit, I found that by first mounting the final drive covers to the hull side walls, the process was eased.

Instructions.

As always with DML, the instructions are extremely busy but very well-rendered as traditional line art. Many sub-steps are called out in each of the 22 main steps; the modeler should proceed with caution and not glue anything down until he is sure of its place.

I noted a couple of glitches early in step 1. Part N19 is shown in place along with the un-numbered brake lamp; it is part J36. Sub-assembly D, which is a suspension spring bundle, shows part L7 fitted to the port side of the hull and L6 to starboard; they should be reversed. In step 20, part B20, the mounting pad for the gunner's sight, is not numbered on the instructions. In step 21, use two parts N21 (these are the tow hooks). Other than telling the modeler to paint certain parts of the transmission housing in a metal color, there are no other colors called out for the interior.

Accuracy.

According to drawings in the Panzer Tracts books (references 1 and 2), the kit appears to be accurate as far as can be seen. For the turret, I referred to reference number 1; for the hull length and suspension details, to reference number 2. Scale plans in reference number 4, 6 and 9 do not agree with the Panzer Tracts drawings (or the kit parts!), especially regarding overall hull length and turret size. In any such contest, I usually go by what Mr. Doyle has presented. According to photos, that the driver's instrument panel, part C20, should be mounted on a bracket atop of the transmission housing.

As is often the case, there are some omissions that should have been in the box. First among those is the Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung (rack to deploy smoke candles). It is also certain that a number of internal items are missing such as ammunition stowage and crewmen's personal items.

The decals and various etched and metal bits.

Decals and Markings Information.

Water-slide decals from Italy's Cartograf are provided to mark six vehicles. The designs are very crisply printed on thin carrier film and feature excellent registration and color saturation; this is a hallmark of this printer's products. Markings for the following leichter Panzer are provided:

• Black/white 4, 4./Pz.Rgt.8, 15.Pz.Div., Libya 1941*.
• White 12, 3./Pz.Abt.z.b.V.40, Norway 1940.
• 121, unidentified unit, Ostfront 1941.
• Pz.Rgt.31, 5.Pz.Div., Ostfront 1941.
• Red/white II14, unidentified unit, Libya 1941.
• Pz.Rgt.7, 10.Pz.Div., Tunisia 1943.

I have been able to verify only the markings denoted by an asterisk (*). The markings for the Norwegian Campaign Ausf.C are in-correct; although the Vorpanzer and Zusatzpanzer was fitted by that time, the commander's cupola was not. This is according to a photo in reference 16; some other appropriate schemes can be found by consulting some of the references, below.

A seventh set, depicting markings for the Polish Campaign of 1939 is included, but is not mentioned in the instructions. This is because the manufacturer realized that the vehicle configuration was not seen that early in the war. The Pz.kpfw.II (as well as the Pz.Kpfw.III and Pz.Kpfw.IV) were, in fact, up-armored as a result of experience from this campaign, where Polish anti-tank weapons took a heavy toll on Germany's Panzer. It should be noted that the black stripe decals that are called out to be added to the 2cm KwK30 gun tube are very probably a misinterpretation of photographs; the difference in tones in that area is a result of the metal's surface being textured. On the other hand, this may an easy way to simulate a differences in the metal surface texture on the final-painted part.

Conclusion.

It would seem that DML has done yet another outstanding (but not perfect) job on the latest iteration of this diminutive leichte Panzer. Not withstanding some of the small glitches noted throughout this review, fans of this type ought to be very pleased. Perhaps we'll not have to wait too long to see what DML comes up with next.

Highly recommended.

- Frank V. De Sisto