Revell 1:35 Leopard 2A4NL

[MarkVerploeg]

hi there
after my initial idea was shot down because the vehicle is too new i had to search for a new kit to build
i found this kit when i was at a modelling shop and thought i could give it a go

and this is the kit i am talking about


i have to say that for the price of the kit it does look nice and i then start to wonder why some poeple are saying that revell doens't have nice kits
i think that for the 20 euro's i paid for this i get a pretty nice looking kit with a fair amount of details
ofcourse you can forget about stuff like pe or indi link tracks but those are all things you see in kits that cost atleast twice as much as this one

but this is what is in the box

the sprues are packed in piles of 3 but they are not damaged although a bag for each srpue would be better to protect them from damaging



i thought this kit was older then this
but i guess the Leopard 2A6 i build a few years ago as my very first afv is a older kit then this











so that are all the parts
they have a lot of epm's but ther look the be on the inside only so that saves me the work of filling them
there is a small decalsheet wich i forgot to add with the pics but it looks okay and it won't need that many

after doing some digging i found that the Dutch army was kind of boring with their armor
becuase unlike all the other countries that use these vehicles we where the only one that painted them in a single color (green)

but here was a idea for this build

the bad thing is that this one is not Dutch but most likely a German vehicle
the Leopard 2A4NL has small changes made to the exterior of the vehicle to make it more suitable for the Dutch army
so my plan is to make it into a regular vehicle
i am not sure if i will make a base for it and i already decided to make it with the hatches shut but i plan on makeing it look like it is on a training exercise with some camo netting on it to break up the rather dull loking green

i don't have a background story of this vehicle yet as i am still reading up on it
i did find a intresting site where they explain more about the Dutch leopards and where they where stationed/used
so i will do that bit of the buildthread next time
as for now i am getting busy building this "little" kit so i will have a update soon

thanks for stopping by and happy modelling
cheers, Mark

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
so for this build i will now do a small history lesson and then i will do the first update about this build in a seperate post right after this one

so here is how the Leopard 2 came to be the tank that we now know
first some technical data
Type
Main battle tank

Place of origin
West Germany

Service history
In service
1979–present
Used by
among the user there is Germany ,the Netherlands ,Greece ,Austria, Denmark, Canada and several others

Wars
Kosovo War, Turkey–PKK conflict, War in Afghanistan

Production history
Designer
Krauss-Maffei

Designed
1970s

Manufacturer
Krauss‐Maffei Wegmann
Maschinenbau Kiel

Unit cost
2A6: US$5.74 million (2007)

Produced1979–present

Number built 3,480

Variants
the main variants are up to present day :
2A1, 2A2 , 2A3 , 2A4, 2A5 , 2A6 and 2A7 wich is the latest version
most operators make small changes to the vehicles by adding different systems for things like comms , airco units and computer hardware for aiming and vehicle operating date
thos are most often called in example the Leopard 2A4 NL (for the Netherlands) but a short version can be used for other countries aswell and that is often the same as the country code you see on a cars license plate

Specifications
Weight 2A6: 62.3 tonnes (61.3 long tons; 68.7 short tons)

Length 2A6: 9.97 m (393 in) (gun forward)

Width 2A6: 3.75 m (148 in)

Height 2A6: 3.0 m (120 in)

Crew 4

Armour 2A6: 3rd generation composite; including high-hardness steel, tungsten and plastic filler with ceramic component.
the A4 has basicly the same armor but lacks the Arrow shaped add ons on the front of the turret

Main armament 1× 120 mm Rheinmetall L44 smoothbore gun (42 rounds) letr the A6 received the larger L55 gun

Secondary armament 2× 7.62 mm MG3A1 (4,750 rounds)
for the Dutch version these are replaced by FN M240 mg's but still in the same calibre

Engine MTU MB 873 Ka-501 liquid-cooled V-12 Twin-turbo diesel engine
1,500 PS (1,479 hp, 1,103 kW) at 2,600 rpm

Power/weight ratio 24.1 PS/t (17.7 kW/t)

Transmission Renk HSWL 354

Suspension Torsion bar suspension

Fuel capacity 1,200 litres (264 imperial gallons; 317 US gallons)

Range 550 km (340 mi)

Speed 72 km/h (45mph)

some extra information
The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and 12 other European countries, as well as several non-European nations. More than 3,480 Leopard 2s have been manufactured.[citation needed] The Leopard 2 first saw combat in Kosovo with the German Army and has also seen action in Afghanistan with the Danish and Canadian contributions to the International Security Assistance Force.

There are two main development batches of the tank, the original models up to Leopard 2A4, which have vertically faced turret armour, and the "improved" batch, namely the Leopard 2A5 and newer versions, which have angled arrow-shaped turret appliqué armour together with other improvements. All models feature digital fire control systems with laser rangefinders, a fully stabilized main gun and coaxial machine gun, and advanced night vision and sighting equipment (first vehicles used a low-light level TV system or LLLTV; thermal imaging was introduced later on). The tank has the ability to engage moving targets while moving over rough terrain

and finally some pictures



together with the A5NL during the period the Dutch army upgraded the current supply of A4NL into A5NL
it was in that period we also started to add camouflage pinting to it
the Dutch tanks up to that point where all painted in Nato olive






a walk through the woods is no problem with one of these


playing in the snow
and that is what the army calls "exercise"


here you can see the Dutch while on manouvres
the big lion painted on the side of the turret is part of the unit insignia and resembles the lion from the crest of the Dutch Royal family
the other markings are a Dutch flag , unit and platoon numbers , license/id plate and a big yellow circle with 60
this is for the weight of the vehicle and this was soldiers can easily see if a certain bridge or road is capable of holding this tank without damage

and that is all for the history lesson
i thought i could find more about the actual use of them with in the Dutch army but i didn't manage to find anything worthy of mentionning
so untill next time
cheers Mark

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys and girls
well it is time for a proper update
no more things about the vehicle and who used it but the actual kit

i think that this kit is actually very good
the kit lacks extra detail products like photo etch and a metal barrel but to put it in perspective
it costs half the money of a kit that comes with these things so it leaves you some cash to buy those if you want them
as for me i decided to build this out of the box ,so no metal barrel , pe or after market tracks

so let's go to the build shall we


the build starts with the build up of the right side panel this is build up from 2 parts
in the picture you can see where the meet because i placed the small section on at a slight angle (i missed it at first)
but that was fixed when i saw it while checking the photo's before uploading


because revell doesn't use the same slide molding as brands like dragon , you will need to build the hull tub yourself
but the panels all have a good fit so this is not too hard to do but make sure that everything is on there properly because it will cause problems later if something is glued on wrong or out of place


then the suspension parts where added


the other side was done next
this is just before i dropped it
it wasn't damaged too bad but i did snap one of the suspension arms
to repair it i drilled a hole in both the hull and the swing arm
then i glued in a styrene rod in the swing arm and once that dried i glued them on the hull again
i placed the hull down and using the angle or way that the other swing arms where standing i adjusted the broken one into the right angle so all wheels will be in the same position


to keep the order of the instructions i then made the roadwheels
they have a slight seemline but that is sanded off with ease as the revell styrene is softer then the kind dragon or trumpeter use so sanding is quick and easy with this kit


the idler wheels


and the sprockets
they look a bit weird to me and maybe the teeth are wrong but they fit the tracks
maybe because the German armor from WWII had pretty pointed teeth they look weird


testfit of the wheels
i will paint them seperate but it is best to see if it fits before you glue everything together


some detail parts for the rear
1 of the rubber/vinyl mudflaps was bend out of shape but i managed to get it back in to shape (roughly) by force and then figured the real one probably wouldn't remain perfectly straight either so i just glued it on


some more parts where added


the hull roof was next in line
the large fan/cooling covers are seperate parts but the second one will be connected to the travel lock so it will be added later (as per instructions)


some tools and other things (don't know what) are added


more tools


some detail parts on the front
i think these are the ice cleats wich can be used to replace a rubber block on the tracks


and some more spare parts where added


the last sections of ice cleats where added to make up the front part of the tank and the front side plates where added aswell since the sides where still open up to now


the 2 front side skirts
they don't have a actual pivot point but you can model them open to get a look at the track like the crew is checking them (diorama idea)


i skipped this bit because i want to paint the wheels seperate
but since this tank will be in a single color it doensn't really matter because there is no camo line to follow between the parts

and with that the hull is almost done
at this step it only misses a air intake cover
but i think that was enough for today and i will do the building of the turret next time
so i hope you like it so far
thanks for stopping by and happy modelling
cheers ,Mark

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys and girls
time for a new update

this time i finished the turret and thus the construction of this kit up to the point of the painting stages
i will do the painting and weathering in a other update as i'm not that far into this build

so here is what i have done so far


the barrel comes in 3 parts
the 2 sides of the barrel and the muzzle part
with the muzzle you can choose wich style you want : the early wich is a clean ring basicly or the later model that has a part for the laser range finder attached to it
i have picked the later model although the Dutch Leopards where from both type so either kind is good
in the end they all had the later model though
the barrel fit pretty good and had only a small seemline to sand off
but with a soft sanding sponge this is gone in a few minutes


the gunbarrel is then mounted on the lower part of the turret


the turret roof is a pretty basic part and you need to glue on a few small parts at this point


it then goes on the lower part


the Dutch army does not use the MG3 like the Germans and several other countries that are featured in this kit
we have the FN M240 MAG machine gun
the kit part looks a bit basic and isn't very detailed but you can see that is should be a M240 so i thought is was good enough
you can alway try to use a after market gun ofcourse
i have seen the M240 from Live resin and that looks very good but a kit of those costs about half of the kit i am building and took a week to get so i decided to go with this one and try those guns on a other future build


the sides and rear of the turret where then glued on
and a small part on the top aswell
i think this is the storage bin but i could be wrong the antenna mounts will go in there later


some lifting hooks aand small parts where then added
when i wanted to glue on the handles on the front and sides i noticed that this plate had a raised shape to it
after a quick look at some reference i found that it shouldn't be there and it is probably caused by the molds
so a little sanding was needed to make it flat


the hatches where next


this was the largest step of the entire build
it contains the antennas made from metl wire that is in the kit
some doors for the night/all weather vision system , ring around the hatch openings
still not that much but revell makes all the steps rather small and easy to follow


the hatches where glued on in the closed position
i have decided to make a small diorama for this and that would be during some training excercise (as our tanks never went into combat)
but crews would have to behave like they would on the battlefield so they need to stay inside as much as possible
you never know where those snipers are


this is a changed part when you compare a Dutch and German Leopard
this is the Dutch style of smokelaunchers the German design is based on single launchers mounted in rows
we have them in pairs ,each pair is aimed in a different direction to increase the effect they create


the launchers and mg where then mounted on the turret
there is a large storage box on the turret roof aswell
this is a real Dutch feature
they where removed from all the loepards that where sold to other counties like Denmark and Austia who operated former Leopard 2A4NL tanks wich they later coverted to their own standards


the second ventilation cover was then added along with the travel lock for the gun
i do have to say the detail in these covers looks pretty nice


the mirrors where slightly changed
they are molded to be in the raised position but during deployment (combat or training) they are folded down
so i had to cut off a small bit to make them flat on one side and glue them in place
the only time they would use the mirror is while driving on the base that they are stationed on


just to see how it looks
this is about everything i can do before i start painting
the side skirts will be glued on later when the wheels are glued on


and finally the tracks
these are made of 2 parts
it is a rubber like material not like the vinyl you see in older tamiya or trumpeter kits
i tried and they are glued with tamiya extra thin wich worked great on them
painting was no problem either when i did a small test to see if that would be a problem

so that concludes the construction of this kit so far
i really liked building this and it only took me about 5 hours to get it to this point
the overall detail looks good enough and the only thing i think that could be improved are the vision ports/blocks
they lack detail but some silver paint covered in clear red or blue should make them look good enough i think

thanks for watching and happy modelling
cheers,Mark

[Nige201980]

Cracking bit of history and great start Mark.

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks Nige
Glad you like it so far
I am detail painting it now and then it is time for some decals and weathering
I am not sure about how that is going to look like yet but i will see how it turns out

[Dunhill2005]

Great start and a cool choice!!!!
I allow you to make a few mistakes so I have a chance...

[MarkVerploeg]

Great start and a cool choice!!!!
I allow you to make a few mistakes so I have a chance...

Trust me , i will make mistakes
I don't build modern vehicles that much so there are most likely things in the wrong color or something like that
The kit has a few small flaws but for it's pruce you can't expect the same quality and detail that a dragon kit offers for atleast twice the price of this
It still is a fun kit to build though and beginners should have bo problems building it
So a nice change from the harder kits and tons of pe i build most of the time

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
well i am back with a new update
this time i have painted the model up to the point that i can put on the decals

so lets go to the pictures

i used Vallejo tank green for the basecolor
the real color should be NATO olive green
this color is an real close match so i think it will do
and and don't forget to knock the gun from the turret (a very important step )


i then mixed pale yellow with the base color to make a lighter shade allthough it came out much lighter
this was sprayed on as the panelfading color


mr metal color (buffable) silver was used to paint the periscopes and lights
this is the basecolor for the transparent or clear colors that will be used later


the toolhandles where painted with a mix of English uniform and white form Vallejo modelcolor
these where mixed in a 4:1 ratio
this is my standard basecolor for wooden parts such as riflestocks and vehicle tools


then i drybrushed the toolhandles with Vallejo modelcolor smoke
this leaves a veryfine woodgrain effect


the periscopes where then painted with Ammo for mig crystal paint red
it looks okay but you may have seen my post on fb that this paint is very fragile as the future floorwax i used later actually damaged the paint



the stock of the FN Mag was painted in the same way as the tools
the color for the metal parts is mr metal color dark iron
this is brush painted on there
ths will loose a lot of the buffing effect this paint has but i like the un buffed color as this looks a lot like the dark metal most firearms have
i did some buffing to it on the raised details wich is hard to see here but i used a short brush for that wich allows you to work on a smaller part without buffing a too large part of the gun


then the ammo box was painted with Vallejo modelcolor olivedrab and the caps of the smokegrenade launchers where painted with modelcolor black


there are 2 places where this tank has a tarp
i don't know what kind of material this actually is but i noticed in pictures it is slightly lighter in color then the metal parts of the tank
so i started out with a base of modelcolor german fieldgrey WWII


this was then drybrushed with Vallejo modelcolor reflective green
this was done in several coats to make it cover the basecolor a little better as this color looks more like the real color of the material


then the cross in the middle was painted
i used the tank green to paint the 4 corners and wanted to use the decals for the white parts wich didn't fit so i used Vallejo white later on in the build
the tail lights and indicators where painted with mr hobby aqueous paints in this case clear red and clear orange
i by now like these a lot better then the ammo crystal paints as these dry faster and are much more durable


that is basicly how it looks after the painting
the panel shading looks very bright in this photo wich is part the color itself and part my camera wich is having trouble to stay with it's settings for the kind of light it is being used in
but the effect of this fading will be reduced with the weathering and it will be toned down and blended a bit


from another angle
the spare track in the middle was painted with Vallejo modelcolor black and drybrushed with a mix of black and german grey in a 2;1 mix
i forgot to paint the metalparts of it wich should be in a rust color at this point


the centres of the hubcaps have a small red dot wich was done with mr hobby aqueous red
the tyres are painted with the same mix as the spare track


all done with painting


the tracks where painted with tamiya black (normal black not flat black)
then the pads where dry brushed with the mix of black and grey to make them look a bit more like rubber
the metal parts where painted with ammo for mig dark rust
i will use this as the basecolor for the rust effect later
that will be done with pigments i think but i am not sure yet

i know there has been several debates as to point of tanktracks and rust
but i have seen several photo's of actual leopards from the Dutch army and they all had rusty tracks
this is caused by the fact that they aren't used that often
the metal then has the time to form surface rust and it never gets worn down so they will lok rusty all the time
but if you lok at the photo of the 2 leopards i posted in a earlier post of this build you can see that both the A4 and the at that time brand new A5 have rust on the centres of the track

so that is all i have for now
thanks for stopping by and untill next time
happy modelling
cheers ,Mark

[MassterOzymandias]

Great building. Really this Leopard looking good

[MarkVerploeg]

Great building. Really this Leopard looking good

Thank you very much
I will try to get the new update up soon
And i will be building the base but i don't know how that will lool like at the moment

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
so i have a new update for this build
although i did post some photo's of this build on the ISM facebook page last week i forgot to post the update
well i thought i did post it already untill some one from work told me i didn't so i guess he was following this as he is new to modelling and somehow thinks i am the right guy to get ideas from (his mistake but do tell him)

so this time i will do the weathering of the Leopard
i kept it simple because the Dutch leopards where well looked after and in mint condition most of the time
but here is what i have done for weathering


after last time i gloss coated the model with a coat of future floor wax
this is to make the surface smooth enough for the decals and to avoid the silvering of the decals
then after it had time to dry i started with aplying the decals
most modellers use both a setting and softening product but for some reason i get nice results with just the microscale micro sol wich softens the decals and helps it to conform to the surface


the front of the Leopard


the right side


and the rear
these 4 photo's show the more visible decals there are some on the engine deck and drivers hatch but these are less visibe as the turret hangs over them


i then noticed a little problem
the future was somehow strong enough to disolve the ammo crystal red i used for the periscopes
the paint was dry for days so i highly doubt it has to do with drying time after 4 days of drying so i blamed the quality of the paint
the future doesn't have any solvents in it so i don't know why it happened but as i was angry that this happened i tossed the paint in the bin and decided i will use other brands of paint that i have more confidence in when it comes to using them
it is a personal opinion ofcourse but i don't like ammo paints and except for the rust set i only had problems with them
so i will avoid them all together
but a little bit of the basecolor fixed it


after the decals had a few hours to dry i sprayed the model with a coat of satin varnish by Vallejo
this gives a medium smooth finish so the wash will have something to hold on to and give more color variation and it is easier to get flat/matte later on
i tried the mig prod. dark green wash as they advice this on green subjects but i thought the result was to subtile
so i used mig prod. dark wash around all the raised details


here the wash is removed for the most part
i use the AK thinner for this as i have got a few bottles as a gift but you can use any artist grade white spirit or thinner to do this


the topview show the effect of the wash a bit better


as the side skirts and hull are now washed and coated with a coat of AK ultra matte varnish i can start with the final assembly of the kit
the wheels where the first thing to add to the hull


i added some Ultimate rust wash to the metal parts of the tracks but only on the inside as the outside will be covered with mud and dirt
i like the effect this wash gives and this was my first attempt at using them but i think i will use them more often


the side skirts where then fitted
this means the kit is now fully assembled and all the needed parts are on


as these tanks are clean most of the time i decided that some mud a just a minor amount of dust will
i started with the mud
although i usually start with dust effects and add mud after that but i thought that this shouldn't be a problem
the mud is made with a mix of plaster of paris , Ultimate dark dirt wash and a little bit of mig prod. dark mud pigments
this was stamped on with a old fanned out brush


to make the mud a bit more intresting i sprinkled on some static grass
the color doesn't matter as i will push it into the mud mix


here the grass is pushed or stamped into the mud mix and as you can see the green is barely visible once i did this


i then sprinkled on some real sand and pushed the brush on it
this gives a bit more texture to it
although i could have added the sand to the basic mix but i didn't think i would need more texture at first


the same mud mix was used to make patches of mud stains or splatter on the side skirts and on other lower hull parts
like around the running gear , mud flaps and the front near the edges
as you can see it has 2 colors the lighter tone is mig prod. dry mud pigment


i added a little bit of satin varnish on the mud
this gives a little bit of shine to make it look like it is still wet
but the effect is very minimal and it still loks rather dry but i will correct this when i make the diorama base and blend the ground and model together later on






i did one last thing but i don't have a picture of it
because the entire model is coated with matte/flat varnish the periscopes and other vision instruments where matte aswell
i brushed on a small amount of future on them to make the shiny again to resemble the glass of these instruments
this was also done to the head and tail lights

so that is all for now
i still want to make a small diorama or vignette for this but i am still not 100 % sure how i want to make it look
i want to use some techniques i found in a modelling book so i need to think over the plan and see what i can use for the base
but once i know what i will do i will start building it and make a update and final reveal for this build

thanks for stopping by and stay safe
and happy modelling ofcourse
cheers, Mark

[OliveDrab]

The Leopard looks awesome The faded paint and weathering turned out very well!!!

[MarkVerploeg]

Thanks mate
Glad you like it so far
I still want to add some camonetting to it bit i haven't started them yet
Some older builds are getting in the way wich are finally being finished but i will get back to this once the first diorama i am building is done wich should be this week if all goes well

[patrickroos]

Great build Mark!!
Looks very nice, well done.
Will be an amazing dio also Im sure...

[MarkVerploeg]

Great build Mark!!
Looks very nice, well done.
Will be an amazing dio also Im sure...

Thank you very much Patrick
It will be a small dio though
This way i can enter it in a competion in the beginners class with the vehicles
The diorama class is mixed with beginner , standard and masters all together in 1 class
And jugding from what i have seen last year i would have no chance what so ever
I like to think joining is most of the fun but on days like that i can get really competitive
If i drag my builds with me i would like to take home a prize too
Although there are lots of good modellers at that show and it is regarded as the hardest competition of the Netherlands

[MarkVerploeg]

hi guys
so time for a final update just before the gb ends
i was going to add a diorama base to this build but i think my attempt was a failed one
i was not happy with the result so the base is scrapped
there is a small change that i made to the Leopard so i will focus on that and make a final reveal of just the tank


so this is how the leopard looked after the last update
i wanted to add some camouflage netting to it as this was a common practice during the 1980's and early 1990's
if you want to do this there are 2 options
1 you buy after market products
2 you make them yourself
i picked option 2
here is how i made them and what ordinary products i used to make them


the first thing i needed was some gauze (for wound care)
just the standard thing you find in a first aid box at home
make sure you unfold them completely and don't worry about the edges that may fall apart


to make the strips that cover the netting i used thyme
this was glued on with hairspray


the gauze was coated with a layer of hairspray first
make sure you use paper or something similar to make sure your bench or workspace stays clean
if you use paper make sure to pull the gauze of the paper a few times as the hairspray will make the gauze and paper stick to eachother


once the first coat of hairspray has dried i spayed on a second coat
while this is still wet i sprinkled on the thyme in a random way
you don't need it to fully cover the entire netting as they don't have that with the real ones either


i then sused the airbrush to spray on a coat of olive green as a basecolor


next i sprayed on some patches of nato brown and nato black
so basicly you now have a camouflage net


to make it stick on the model i use Vallejo matt varnish as a glue
the advantage of using varnish is that it will become invisible once it is dry and it is strong enough to keep the netting in shape and place
as you can see however i was a bit too rough with the netting and a lot of the thyme fell off
but as it was still wet from the varnish i added some new thyme and left that to dry


i placed some post it notes around the edges of the camouflage netting to protect the model from overspray
then i simply repainted the netting
this method cost just a few cents , works good and you can simply change the colors you use to make them fit different theatres and diorama's
it takes about 30 minutes including the drying time of the hairspray and paint (Vallejo model air in my case)
placing them on a model takes a bit longer but still goes fast and you get a instant result



as you can see i added 3 camouflage nets
1 on the turret roof ,1 on the front of the hull and 1 around the barrel
this one is held in place with a string
in real life they would have used rope so it was a good option and this looks pretty good in my opinion


and that is all i have for this build
i am a bit bummed that the diorama didn't work out but atleast i have a finished model that i do like and had a lot of fun building it
so thanks for stopping by and untill next time
happy modelling
cheers Mark

[papatika]

It's a really nice way to create camo net. I love when somebody uses everyday things creatively!
Great job!

[MarkVerploeg]

Thank you
It is not my idea though
I got it from a modelling magazine but i think the same method is on the forum somewhere

[Nige201980]

Beautful work Mark.

[MarkVerploeg]

Thank you very much Nige