Sunday, October 24

Preview: Updated details in CAD of Border Models new 35th scale Pz.Kpfw II Ausf.L Luchs

We have new images in CAD of Border Models new 1/35th scale Pz.Kpfw II Ausf.L Luchs (Late Production) kit. Finally something to add to the art & images of the real thing in our preview...

Pz.Kpfw II Ausf.L Luchs (Late Production) 
From Border Model
Kit No #BT-018
1/35th scale
Three schemes included in the box
Workable suspension
Photo-etch parts included
Most importantly, the kit includes a bucket!
Due for release before the end of December!
The Subject:Pz.Kpfw II Ausf.L Luchs (Late Production) 
The original Pz. Kpfw II dates back to the early 1930s and was intended as a small reconnaissance tank for the new Panzer Divisions. The Pz.Kpfw II Ausf L was the last of the series and was a complete redesign from earlier models. It featured a new suspension with interleaved road wheels, an improved engine and 6-speed transmission. It was the largest and fastest tank in the series with a road speed of 58 km/h. It was called the Luchs (Lynx) and was built from September 1943 to January 1944 by MAN and Henschel.
In The snow in the east (above) - and in the dirt and dust on the western fronts (below)...
Of the 800 tanks ordered, only 100 were built, with another 4 converted from Ausf M hulls. Armament remained the same as on earlier models, though the 20mm cannon was now obsolete. Most Luchs saw action on the Eastern Front until the end of the war.
The Luchs was to have been replaced by the larger VK1602 Leopard armed with a 50mm gun, but excessive weight caused that vehicle’s cancellation. The ''Luchs'' was commissioned into the armoured reconnaissance units 4th & 9th Tank Divisions. The ''Luchs'' first went into action in October 1943 in the Ukraine.
In May 1945 the 4th Tank Division possessed seven ''Luchs'' in combat condition. The ''Luchs'' was deployed on the Eastern front, in Italy, Normandy and Germany, gaining positive feedback from their crews.
The picture below shows the addition of a rectangular 12mm thick armoured plate at the hulls front and spare track links on the glacis plate and a light rounded steel guard just above the visors of the driver and the radio operator. The photo was taken in Kurland, December 1944."
We know that the 4th Panzers' Luchs was operational until at least March 1945, so you could have these in many liveries due to their long service in the war. The additional front armour was a field modification that was only made to the latter Panzer Luchs. 

The kit from Border Model
The new 1/35th scale kit o the Pz.Kpfw II Ausf.L Luchs (Late Production) from Border Model (Kit No #BT-018) depicts the latter variants with the extra jerry can racks on the rear and turret sides.
There are three schemes included in the box, and the suspension is the workable type that helps with dioramas. The kit is designed by T-Rex Studio, and includes photo-etch parts for the thinner part replication and most importantly, the kit includes a bucket!

New CAD images 25/10/2021
Just released are a series of new CAD images of the tank showing both plastic and photo-etch included to make the finished product. 

We can clearly see the additional armour in the form of track placed on the front of the Luchs that the 4th Panzer Division was seen to use. Photo-etch parts for the RT aerial and the front guards. 
Stowage bins on either side can be posed opened or closed, and stowage bundles are provided (Plastic? We are not sure), and you will notice the grates on the rear of the engine deck are also provided in photo-etch. 
Internally, at least in the turret, the interior is shown to have a replica of the 2 cm KwK 38 L/55 autocannon (with a metal barrel) and one 7.92mm MG.34 machine gun, a radio and ammo bins, a pistol in a holster and a flask.
The complex system of the rear engine fans and the pulleys that operate them are shown in the very rear of the hull.
This kit is due to ship before Christmas, you can find out more about their kits on the Border Models Website