Reference number: 03237
Price around £12.00 GBP (February 2014)
Review by Bill Curtis
Our thanks to Revell for supplying our review sample. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit www.revell.eu or email ukbranch@revell.de
A little bit of background
The Pz.Kpfw. 35 (t) was built in 1936 in Czechoslovakia and entered service under the name Skoda LT vz.35. By 1938, a total of 424 units had been produced. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Wehrmacht, 202 of these vehicles were taken over and used under the designation Pz.Kpfw. 35 (t). The (t) stands for Tschechisch (Czech).
Initial assessment
This is a reboxed kit of the CMK model of which I used for the first article for the magazine. The kit comes in a light grey plastic which is robust but not brittle.
Accuracy
The model scales out to the drawings in the nuts and bolts book on this vehicle.
Quality
It has stood the test of time pretty well with its raised detail on the fenders and the rivet detail being well defined. With its age some small pieces of flash are visible but this can easily be cleaned up.
Instructions
The instruction sheet has been changed in format to an eleven page flip over note book format measuring 61/2” x 9” with 23 easy to follow build instructions which follow a logical path and two options for finishing the model.
Decals
There are two decal options, one for the 6th Panzer Division Poland Sept 39 and the other is a vehicle from the Rumanian army during WWII. The decals are well printed with good register and look to be thin. One small point is that the box shows a black / white Balkan cross on the box and instruction is not included in the box so if you want a different vehicle from the instruction sheet then you will need to source these either from the spares box or an after market supplier.
Conclusions
I think for its price (from £12 to £14 approx at time of writing) this is a great little kit with some nice detail suitable for a beginner or the more advanced modeller who can add extras such as stowage and maybe crew figures. There were a couple of items that I found with the original build (you can see Bill’s excellent build in Finished Now – here) but these are not absolutely necessary and a built from the box painted and weathered will produce a great model. I particularly like the link and length track which is well detailed.
I would recommend this kit as compared with some state of the art kits; this will be a quick and easy build of an iconic vehicle.
SMN Quick summary Star rating out of 5
| FEATURE | STAR RATING (out of five) |
|---|---|
| Quality of moulding | **** |
| Accuracy | ***** |
| Instructions | **** |
| Decals | ***** |
| Subject choice | **** |
| Overall | **** |