Today
our man Paul Lee takes on the complicated command version of the new Bronco
Models Pz.35(t) in 35th scale. This kit has a full interior so
expect some in depth coverage here. Let’s see the insides in Part I.
Build Review: Panzerbefehlswagen
35(t)
Manufacturer: Bronco Models
Scale: 1:35
Type: Multimedia kit
Available from Bronco distributors worldwide
Part I – interior construction..
The
Lt vz35 was a tank that the Germans took into service after taking over
Czechoslovakia, and redesignated as the Pz.35(t). While it didn't turn out to
be as successful as its other brother, the Pz 38(t), the Germans still took
about 244 of the Pz35's into service, where they saw action in Poland, France
and Russia.
Ultimately, like all other tanks of the time, the Pz35 was rendered
obsolete overnight once that German shell bounced off the front of that first
T34 they encountered. Of the 244 Pz35's the German took in, about 20 were
converted into Befehlswagen command tanks.
This
is the follow up to the base model Pz35(t) that Bronco first released, and is
the aforementioned command variant with the antenna frames at the back of the
hull and extra radio sets on the inside.
On
opening the box, you will find numerous individually bagged plastic items, two
frets of photo etch, an instruction booklet, and decal sheet.
The
instruction booklet is nicely printed on glossy paper and done in colour,
although the instructions are mostly in line drawings with some colour
highlights.
The
last two pages are devoted to the two marking options provided in the box. You
get four profiles, consisting of the front, back, left and right sides. The
first option also has a section of the rear deck with a white stripe on it,
although both options are completely grey vehicles.
Option 1: Panzer R07 Light Tank
Platoon of HQ II. Bttn, Pz Rg 11. Pz Brigade 6, 1st Light Div,
Poland. September 1939
Option 2: Panzer A03, Signal
Platoon. HQ Abteilung 65, 6th Panzer Div, France May- June 1940
One
bone of contention about these markings is that there is research showing that
early war German vehicles were a combination of grey and brown so you may wish
to do your own research before you decide how you want to paint your completed
panzer.
Sprue A is mostly comprised of the
lower hull sections which are provided as individual plates.
By
providing the sections as individual plates, Bronco has been able to do some
nice details on the both sides of each piece. The outside plates are nicely
adorned with rivets, just like the real vehicle, and fenders feature some nice
ribbing detail as well.
Rivet detail
Fender detail
You
get two copies of sprue B, and predictably, this is most of the running gear
with some interior parts as well.
Sprue B
Once again, there is some very nice
bolt details on the wheels.
Wheel detail.
The
BESA machine gun can be found on this sprue along with its perforated jacket.
The parts look nicely done although it will be interesting to see if etch would
have been a better choice for these fine pieces.
Machine gun
Sprue C is a mixture of parts
including the drive sprockets and some interior and exterior sections.
There is some fine wiring detail
that is moulded on and should be ok once painted up.
The drive sprockets also feature
some nice bolt detail consistent with the rest of the kit.
Sprue D consists mostly of the
turret, although there is some hull interior parts there as well.
The
rear firewall of the tank is on this sprue and has some very nicely moulded on
detail which should come up very nicely with a wash.
Rear firewall
The E sprue is the clears for the
vision ports which can be posed open.
The F sprue is the antenna frame,
and very finely done so care should be taking when removing them from the
sprues.
Sprue G is some radios and the rack
they come on. The radio faces are very well detailed.
The upper hull is provided in front
and rear tubs. The turret is also provided as a tub.
The
main armament is a fairly complex moulding and comes with the end drilled out.
The muzzle is perforated and will be interesting to see how it turns out.
Lastly, you get the small decal sheet
and two photo etch frets.
Construction
starts with the lower hull plates and the interior. General fit of the parts is
very good, although the location of some of the smaller parts is a bit vague in
the instructions, so dry fitting is definitely recommended.
The
hull floor features the two crew stations, and a radio rack. Some of these
pieces are absolutely tiny, including some mouse head screws which go on a
hatch behind the driver station. Three out of six of them shot out from my
tweezers so take extreme care with them.
Unpainted driver station and circle
hatch behind
The
driver station has several sub-assemblies for steering columns and foot pedals.
While the drawings make these pieces seem reasonably sized, they are tiny, and
each sub assembly requires round ten pieces which will definitely test your
patience.
(Australian) 5c piece as a comparison
Some
ammunition boxes are provided and their handles are provided in etch which is a
nice touch but somewhat questionable about how visible they will be. The radios
are also nicely detailed.
Ammunition boxes and radio
There
is a rack provided for the radios and ammunition boxes. They are very fine and
will require care removing from the sprues. Alignment is also tricky because
the ammunition boxes are a tight fit.
Unpainted radio rack on hull
I
chose to skip ahead of the instructions and decided to work on the turret,
which feature some ammunition racks, I think. Some PE details are provided
which again are a nice touch but questionable how visible they will be.
Turret ring with ammunition racks
In
an odd decision, Bronco has chosen to provide the upper turret as a tub rather
than in places like the lower hull, which means that interior bolt detail needs
to be scraped off the sprues and glued around the lower section of the turret
shell. Once again, how visible they will be is questionable. I would say that
the rivets on the rear are definitely invisible due to the ammunition racks.
Unpainted turret
Up
until this point, I can say that this build was a real struggle with all the
tiny pieces and sub-assemblies. However once you get past this point, you will
also find that all this work was really worth it as you start putting it
altogether. I chose to start painting now since it would be very difficult to
do so once the parts come together. Unfortunately Bronco does not provide any
painting instructions for the interior so you will need a mix of research and
guesswork, so if my colour choices are questionable then that is why.
As you can see in this picture, I
had some fit issues with the radio rack.
Putting the rest of the hull was a
dream though with the fit of the hull plates being almost perfect.
This
is the end result. As you can see there is no engine detail provided in this
kit which I think is a strange decision given that Bronco has chosen to go to
town with the detailing in the rest of the kit.
The turret also comes up very
nicely.
As
you can see, this is the start of a beautiful looking kit, although a lot of
work is required to get it to this point. I'll be continuing on with the
exterior of this kit, although if you choose to close everything up and glue
everything on, you can pretty much skip everything I have done so far and save
yourself a lot of work. However, you will be wasting a lot of the wonderful
detail that Bronco has provided you with.
Paul Lee
Thanks to Bronco Models for
sending this kit to review and build
