Leopard 2A6 - Armed Forces of Ukraine
From ICM’s website,
Since the summer of 2023, Leopard 2A6 tanks have been in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They actively participate in battles in the east and northeast of Ukraine. Some of them undergo specific modifications due to the nature of modern combat. Recent combat engagements have imposed new requirements, particularly improving protection against shaped charge munitions and attack drones. To address this, additional protective elements in the form of grids are added to the combat vehicles. Solid screens of various types are also used to protect the running gear. The Leopard 2A6 tanks of the Ukrainian army undergo such modifications, and several of these combat vehicles were seen in action in the fall of 2023.
This is ICM’s first Leopard 2A6 in 1/72 scale (this appears to be a Revell-Germany re-boxing with the only difference being the addition of slat armor and rubber mats in Step 36) and competes against Hasegawa, Panzerfux, and Revell and Trumpeter’s Leopard 2A6s; what makes this kit unique is that it is modeled on Leopard 2A6s in Ukrainian service. This versatile and rugged main battle tank is in service with over 15 militaries around the world. There are four marking options in this kit, which basically change the location of the Ukrainian national markings over a standard German three tone NATO camouflage.
Upon opening the cover, there is a reinforced white inner box that does a good job of protecting the kit’s six plastic sprues, PE fret, and decal sheet. The 12-page instruction manual covers 38 steps, split into the usual major subassemblies of the running gear (link and length track), chassis, turret and following instructions ensure the tank’s running gear sits flat. The downloadable instructions are also available online.
The model is built in a logical sequence. There are minor notes that are identified here by their instruction step:
Step 1: There are sink marks to fill in on the underside of the hull above the tracks (Parts B2 and B3); they most likely won’t be seen, but it is an easy fix.
Step 3: The idler arms (Parts A11) are finicky and lack positive attachment points. I broke a lot of them during construction and should have drilled holes to pin them with wire as I replaced at least six of them.
Step 9:
- Part D5 (the belly armor) isn’t listed in the instructions, but it is obvious where it should go (it is also one of three parts on the D Sprue).
- The link and length tracks are two straight runs per side. The instructions call for hot water to bend the tracks, but the glue didn’t hold, so I glued the track runs to the drive sprockets and worked around the model, gluing along until there was a solid bond.
Step 13: The tow pintle is labeled A21 (the same as the two towing hooks A21); it should be Part A25.
Step 14: The tow cables are provided as two-piece affairs, and while the concept is sound, the plastic was too brittle to bend around the horizontal and vertical surfaces. After breaking numerous times trying to glue the tow cable ends to their tie-down points, flexible wire was used.
Step 15: The driver’s hatch can be positioned opened or buttoned up. As there is no interior detail, the easy choice was buttoned up.
Steps 29-30: The smoke grenade launchers assembly is straightforward; however, if the slat (bar) armor is to be used, some of the smoke grenade launchers need to be left off for the slat armor supports to fit on the turret sides.
Step 36: This is the step that makes this Leopard unique with its slat armor and rubber mats. This is also one of the most confusing parts of the build as until this point, this is largely what appears to be a Revell re-boxing. There are no locator marks for the slat armor supports and the only image is an oblique shot with vague arrows marking the location. I spent time researching slat armor arrangements on Ukrainian Leopards and only found a few ambiguous images. I decided to mount the slat armor based on Canadian Leopard 2A6s compared to the vague images of Ukrainian Leopards. Regardless, these details are worth the price of the kit.
I followed the instructions, and it was easy, if not a frustrating build with the finicky running gear, tracks and vague slat armor location details. Attention and care must be used as there are a lot of fiddly bits that appear to scale on this smaller model. The tolerances are tight; glue and paint can make a big difference during assembly.Take your time and test fit routinely.The only non-kit parts are the tow cables and reflective glass added to the periscopes and sensors.
The Leopard 2A6 was acquired from Germany and was delivered in its standard NATO tri-tone camouflage. The four marking options are unidentified Ukrainian units over the same paint scheme. I chose Option 1 as I could use the PE placards for the Ukrainian markings on the rear of the bustle rack. ICM has taken the guess work out of the paint colors with their Acrylic Paint Set for Humvee AFU Leopard Tanks (Item No. 3073); it has colors for the NATO three-tone camo scheme, rubber black, oily steel and off white.
I had a lot of fun building this gem from ICM. Being a smaller scale tank has its challenges, but it builds up well and looks the part – especially with the slat armor and rubber mats found on some Leopards. I recommend this kit for Intermediate and Advanced builders due to the finicky road wheels and tracks, and the lack of instruction definition for the slat armor supports locations. Having said that, I am happy to have this Ukrainian Leopard on my shelf. When does the 1/35 kit come out?
Slava Ukraini! (Glory to Ukraine!)
Profuse thanks to ICM and IPMS/USA for providing the review sample.
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