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REVIEW
Tankograd German Leopard 2 MBT
c5flies
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Posted: Sunday, June 07, 2009 - 03:14 PM UTC
Henk Meerdink reviews the German Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank, written by Major Frank Lobitz and published by Tankograd Publishing.

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
LeoCmdr
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Alberta, Canada
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Posted: Sunday, June 07, 2009 - 03:44 PM UTC
Looks like we have a winner. Well done Frank on your newest book!

GaryKato
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Posted: Sunday, June 07, 2009 - 03:53 PM UTC
I hope this is still available when I have money to buy it. I missed out on their Merkava book.
Henk
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Posted: Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 03:52 AM UTC
I have added a note to the review, as I have managed to double check the 1/35 scale drawings. The drawings appear not to have been reproduced truly to scale, for example these comparisons for the 2A4 (which also hold for the 2A5 drawing)

Overall length (rear to muzzle, turret 12 o'clock) true 1/35 27.62cm
actual drawing 27.75cm error 1.3mm

Overall width (without skirts) true 1/35 10.11cm
actual drawing 9.77cm error 3.4mm

Height over turret roof true 1/35 7.08cm
actual drawing 7.12cm error 0.4mm


Curiously the width with the side skirts is spot on.

Henk



PantherF
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Indiana, United States
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Posted: Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 06:00 AM UTC
Very nice write up and a very nice book! Some pictures I haven't seen before but a pretty high price.
stufer
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England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
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Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 10:57 PM UTC

wow!if this is anything like their merkava book (which it does appear to be) then this is a winner!
one of my favourite modern mbt's and definitely destined for the library,looks like i'll be placing more bits on ebay,keep watching 89dick's for sale sign!

Canjuaan
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Baden-Württemberg, Germany
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Posted: Monday, June 22, 2009 - 10:00 AM UTC
Henk, thank you for the very informative review. The "scale" drawings are a little let down, though
I'll get this book for sure!
Henk
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Posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 06:13 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Henk, thank you for the very informative review. The "scale" drawings are a little let down, though
I'll get this book for sure!


I have discussed the issue of the scale drawings with the author Frank Lobitz and the publisher Jochen Vollert, and the largest discrepancy is due to an interpretation fault, where the width was described as without the skirts in the dimensions list, when it should read with the side skirts folded up (as in travel mode). Overall the dimensions are within acceptable tolerances when you take the printing process into account, I just called them out to inform those who are going to use these drawings to measure kits for accuracy.

Henk
chnoone
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Armed Forces Europe, United States
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Posted: Friday, June 26, 2009 - 11:19 AM UTC
Hi Guys!

Got mine 4 days ago along with some other magzines from Tankograd, and this book is a real milestone on the Leo2.
Great reseach, great pictures and great overall coverage of all aspects important to us modellers.
I like the visual comparison between one of the very early VT's and the 2A5 on page 319, makes U wonder why it took 30 years to get it right in the end. Already ordered part 2, seems to me this whole project follows a similar pattern as the "Leopard 1 Trilogy" by M. Shackleton, which would indicate a volume 3 maybe, hopefully ?
This book is just what I needed, well done!

Cheers
Christopher
mciszewicz
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Warszawa, Poland
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Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2009 - 03:10 AM UTC
At the risk of threadomancy, I'll add my 2 cents. First, it is an outstanding book. Packed with great photos, most unique, some available only when looking really hard. And yes, it has its walkthrough moments, although I'd kill for a WWP photographer doing a photo shoot of, say, a 2A6HEL or a Polish 2A4. Second, there's more technical information on Leos than I've seen in years, well, apart from one Motorbuch Verlag publication. Yes, it's not Hunnicutt, no comparison here, but it has its moments - the bits on gas turbines and 140 mm cannons for instance. Third, the plans are real nice.. shame there's no more of them, and I'd love to see different turret configurations drawn in the next book, but what we have is great.

Overall, well, I bought mine, and both my Hobby Boss Leos and my SF projects got a big kick in the right direction. Waiting for part deux... autumn's soo far away.
Henk
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England - South West, United Kingdom
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Posted: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 - 10:11 AM UTC

Quoted Text

At the risk of threadomancy, I'll add my 2 cents. First, it is an outstanding book. Packed with great photos, most unique, some available only when looking really hard. And yes, it has its walkthrough moments, although I'd kill for a WWP photographer doing a photo shoot of, say, a 2A6HEL or a Polish 2A4. Second, there's more technical information on Leos than I've seen in years, well, apart from one Motorbuch Verlag publication. Yes, it's not Hunnicutt, no comparison here, but it has its moments - the bits on gas turbines and 140 mm cannons for instance. Third, the plans are real nice.. shame there's no more of them, and I'd love to see different turret configurations drawn in the next book, but what we have is great.

Overall, well, I bought mine, and both my Hobby Boss Leos and my SF projects got a big kick in the right direction. Waiting for part deux... autumn's soo far away.


The second volume, which is now out, should save you from having to kill anybody.... lots of close-ups of the 2A6HEL.

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