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SpPz 2 Luchs

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Introduction
The SpŠhpanzer SpPz 2 Luchs (Lynx) is a German 8x8 wheeled amphibious reconnaissance armoured fighting vehicle. In service since 1975 with the German Army, a total of 408 were built and were used in their armoured reconnaissance battalions. It was developed by Daimler-Benz between 1968 and 1975, replacing the M41 and the SchŸtzenpanzer SPz 11-2 Kurz.

The all-wheel drive Luchs was made by Thyssen-Henschel (now: Rheinmetall) was well armoured, has an NBC protection system and is characterized by its extremely low-noise running signature. The eight large low-pressure tires have run-flat properties. At speeds up to about 50 km/h all four axles are used in steering. A special feature of the vehicle is that it is equipped with a special rear-facing driver with his own driving controls. Up to the first combat effectiveness upgrade in 1986 the Luchs was fully amphibious and could surmount water obstacles quickly and independently using propellers at the rear and the fold back trim vane at the front. Main armament was the 20 mm Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202 gun in the turret and is similar to the one in the Marder IFV. The Luchs is currently to be replaced by the Fennek in Bundeswehr service.

The model used in the feature is the Revell 1/72 scale kit #03118.

The Kit
Moulded in a dark green plastic there are four sprues with 92 referenced parts. Without actually counting, the entire parts count will easily exceed 150 as in many cases one number will reference up to eight individual pieces. The mouldings appear quite sharp with minimal flash and not excessively large seam lines. Sprue gates vary in size and in a number of cases were a tad too thick. This would later require more than average care when removing parts from the sprue.

About the Author

About Jan Etal (tread_geek)
FROM: ONTARIO, CANADA

I've been building models since about age 10 with the occasional hiatus due to real life events. First armour model was a 1/76 Airfix Tiger I and was followed by a 1/72 Revell F4U Corsair. I've built primarily 1/76 and 1/72 armour and aircraft but occasionally have tinkered in other larger scales....


Comments

Jan, I hadn't noticed until just today that you had this well written build story! As I read through it I remembered your build log. I was glad to see the vehicle on your make-shift diorama setting again. I usually don't build modern stuff but I do have quite a few of them in the stash this being one of them. I really like your camouflage paint job . . . not easy to pull off in this tiny scale. Happy you took the time to write this detailed build article, now I have it stored for future reference. Lots of excellent photos too! Keep'em coming! -Eddy
OCT 08, 2010 - 09:01 AM
Jan, me neither - I hadn't noticed this until today (have been hard at work, you see.) This reminded me of the Puma I built for the Matchbox Campaign, and your comment to me about the difficulty of keeping all eight wheels in contact with the ground; I didn't quite manage it and I have to say that despite the Puma suspension being far simpler than on this Luchs kit, I still managed to snap one of the suspension arms. I have to agree with Eddy that the paint job is super, in that it is distinct enough to be very visible, yet subtle enough not to look like it would be ridiculous if you pumped it up to full size - in other words it has a very scale look about it. Oh yeah, and I noticed how it had been on a little holiday out into the rockery. Nice for them to get a bit of sun and sand!
OCT 19, 2010 - 10:26 AM
@Braille - Eddy, I am happy that the article may be of use to you and others. I've had it in my stash for over ten years and was truly intimidated by the idea of building the suspension. I've seen a picture of one of these on the 'Net that had an accident and was tipped on its side. Great view of the suspension and a possible interesting vignette but you wouldn't see much of the rest of it. The camo was the last paint job done with my old single action airbrush. I used brush painted lightened and thinned versions of the colours to outline the camo areas. When that was done I tried as best as possible to spray "between the lines." @firstcircle - It was because of the Luchs and a previous build of the eight wheeled Stryker that I felt that I should caution those building eight wheeled vehicles during the Matchbox Campaign. Since then I have build another one (the BTR-80) so I must be somewhat masochistic with my choosing all these multi wheeled machines. Most frighteningly, I have another Luchs and an SdKfz 234/3 in the stash and waiting to torture me. The painting was my first attempt to create the "scale effect" that I had just read about. All the base colours were initially lightened with white for their base application. With the base applied, I further lightened the colours to give more depth, variation or contrast. Thanks for looking and especially commenting. Cheers, Jan
OCT 20, 2010 - 04:06 AM
Talk about strange, I obviously am another one who missed this article. I picked one of these up and have wondered about ever attempting to build it. I've saved the article for future reference for when I might get the courage to build mine. It's concise articles like this that are fantastic for a newer builder. And it's great when they are FREE! Regards, AJ
OCT 31, 2010 - 01:54 AM
Thanks for the comments, AJ. Late or not it keeps me inspired when people take the time to say that a review or article is helpful. If you try to build this beast, just take your time. Might be an interesting subject to build for the Braille Battlefield Campaign. (shameless plug) Cheers, Jan
NOV 01, 2010 - 03:28 AM