The base kit is the old Tamiya Pzkw II F/G kit from years gone by (the old motorized one). The basic work done to it has been the gaps and holes under the fenders and in the hull bottom have all been filled in, most of the molded on tools were removed and replaced with separate ones, the gun barrels have been drilled out, and the storage bins and fenders have been bent up a bit. I scratched up the added armor and screens.
The back story.... As some of you (or all of you, whatever applies) know, late in the war there were still over 200 Mk II's on the books in active service. Most of these were used in rear areas, away from the fronts, though a few were still used in the recon role. With the advancement of arms in the field, I imagine that the 15 or 20 mm wall thickness was looking mighty thin to the crew of one of these by late '43. With that in mind, the crew of this tank took advantage of the abandoned metal shop in the village they were passing through to cobble together something that might increase their survivability a little. This was the outcome of their efforts.
First, a look at the fill in work. If you look closely, you can see I also thinned the entire length of both fenders:
Now to skip ahead to where it sits today.... the headlights have been drilled out. One still has it's lens, the other is just an empty case with the wire hanging out. I also did the best I could with those poorly made factory tracks.
I do see a couple areas in this picture where I missed the weathering on the back side of the boxes. That'll have to be fixed, too.
Since this has been taken the front of the turret has been dusted up a bit more.
And finally, 2 closeups of the bins and armor:
As usual with any of my builds, I'm very open to comments, suggestions, and critiques. If for some reason you're hesitant about doing so on the thread, just drop me a message on the side. Thanks!
