Dear friends,

Which is the best 1/35 leopard I kit around? Tamiya or italeri or ...

Kiong

I think you need to refine your question to which Leopard type in order to get the answer you seek. For me with the limited information in your question I would go for the Latest Tamiya Leopard offering.

Hi!
The best Leopard 1 kit around is the Italeri A4 (sorry I do not know if it is still on the shelves, but all the other Leopard 1 kits which were released by Revell and Italeri until today are based on this one). Best detailing on the hull, also on the turret to be compared with Tamiya. Ok, it has some little tweaks (for example the road wheels which have some grooves on the running surface). But this could be sanded down or you just buy new road wheels for it. The Tamiya Leopard 1A4 kit lacks a lot of detail on the hull. If you take into account that the origin of the Italeri Leopard 1A4 still goes back to the late 70s, it is and was an excellent kit

Andreas

I've built both and the Tamiya is the the better two but if your after a leo 1 Italeri or Revell will be your choice or if your after a leo 2 HobbyBoss does a whole line of leo's also and there is also after market companies that make conervsions for them also to get specific vehicle

Tamiya makes great Leo 2A5 & I2A6 kits, but their Leo 1 kits are terrible. The original "Kampfpanzer Leopard" kit has hull dimensional problems (it was a rug-runner designed around the batteries and gearbox), a horribly mis-shapen turret, and crude & missing details. The Leo 1A4 kit is slightly better, but still has dimension problems and missing details. The Italeri kits of these first-generation Leopards may have their own issues but they are miles better than the Tamiya offerings.

Trouble is, the Italeri ones can be hard to find.

Tom

For the Leo 1 series, there are few available.

Italeri Leo 1A5 was re-released about a year ago, and is still readily available.

Italeri Leo 1A4 is long out of production ditto with the Revell Germany kit (both are the same kit just reboxed)

Usually the Tamiya ones are always around, but this would be one of the times I would say to not go with the Tamiya kit, as the Italeri/RoG kits are miles better, and the Italeri kit is the only one available with the Leo 1A5.

I believe the Tamiya kits were the base Leo 1A1 and 1A3, Italeri did the 1A4 (which RoG reboxed) as well Italeri does the 1A5.

As far as Leo 2s.....both the 2A5 and 2A6 kit from Tamiya are great. Hobby Boss makes a whole line of Leo 2s. All of which should still be relatively still available. Italeri also made some Leo 2s, 2A3, 2A4, and 2A5 (and maybe a 2A6), but I believe most are OOP now, and you are better off with the Tamiya or Hobby Boss kits anyway.

Hi,

Thanks guys,

How about Italeri LEOPARD 1 A2 kit? is it good?
http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=IT%20374
Kiong

One good "ready reference" to Leopard kits is here at OnePointedStar.

The Italeri kits use the same basic (and very good) hull parts, but the experts say there is a problem with the front of the turret around the mantlet. Personally I still think it is more than good enough.

Italeri tracks are stiff and tight, but I don't know of any replacements currently in production. They benefit from being "trained" into shape around the idler and sprocket to prevent the tension from stressing the mounting pins on any of the wheels. (I work out where the loop at each end will be, bend the track in half at each loop with a rubber band, and leave it in a hot car for a week to "set" the bend into the vinyl, so the resultant tracks won't just form a circle.) With a little care they are useable. Perversely you could steal the much softer tracks from Tamiya's Kampfpanzer for the "early" chevron version, or from Tamiya's 1A4 for the more common version - just be sure to throw away the rest of the Tamiya kit...

Hope this helps,

Tom

Perfect Scale?

Are the Perfect Scale tracks around at the moment? That's good to know, given the Leopards sitting in my stash!

Tom

AFV Club and HKCW make Leo 1 tracks

check out Kenneth's thread on Leopard 1's

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/181993&page=1


cheers

The Italeri Lleopard 1A4 is generally accpeted as being more accurate and detailsed than the Tamiya Leopard 1A4. The Itelri / Revell 105mm barrel can be improved by after market barrels.

Mouse Armoure produce a set of corrected (not cross cuts) Leopard 1 wheels for Italeri as well a damaged roadwheel / idler sets for Tamiya and Italeri/Revell Leopard 1s.

The only problem with the Italeri turret is that the oversimplified transition under the turret overhang between the tuirret ring and rear of basket. Tamiya is correct here but Italeri seems to have gloosed over this - as far as i can tell looking at Australian 1A3 (bearing in mind that the basic shape of 1A3 and 1A4 turrets is supposed to be the same.

JM

I'm waiting for a new-tool Leopard 1.

Know something we don't?



cheers

Kiong, this list would be of interest to you, as well as anyone else here who is interested in building a 1:35 Leopard or variant:

Leopard 2 1:35 kit, conversion and accessory list

http://www.onepointed.com/dan/model/Leopard_Lists/1-kit/




cheers