Darren baker delves into the box of one of Bronco Models latest releases the Panzerkampwagen I Ausf .F (VK18.01).

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Thanks!

looks a nice kit =- not sure if my ham-fisted approach could cope with pins in tracks tho...

Not a bad model then, the words Panzer 1 and full interior are usually enough for me to buy.

I dont know why the Germans called this tank a Panzer 1 though, it has nothing in common with the Panzer 1a and 1b, and has always reminded me of a tiny version of the Tiger Tank

Hey Darren, lovely review of what seems to be a cool model!


Kind regards.

Nice review! Thanks for doing and posting!

While not perhaps the "Holy Grail", this is most welcome, IMHO, and specially so for those of us who are fans of small tanks. As it is a Bronco kit, I'd say "bring it on!", albeit it will come on rather slowly!

I am expecting the Post to leave this tiny Tiger on my stoop today or tomorrow, so this is quite timely. I plan to do this kit for the "Bronco" build campaign just stirring up for 2014 in the "campaigns" pages of this site. (But I dunno... might be really hard to wait until April for to get cracking into this gem!)

From the build shots of this kit posted on other sites and locations, this will be quite replete in the crew compartment interior - reminds me a lot of the Tristar Pz 1 and Pz 38(t) interiors, with lots of finely-detailed bits and delicate and careful molding. GREAT, for me! I suspect maybe many will see all that stuff as daunting and actually build this thing pretty much the way most of us do most panzers... without using it.

To me, the idea of a nice, new, crisp, complete and well-done exterior model of a Pz 1-F is attractive enough to justify the kit - seemingly nice tracks a big plus. The old Alan effort is, well, old and tired, at best. There are the new HobbyBoss 1-F "exterior" kits - and my experiences with HB kits (including most recently their Pz II-J) is that they build quite nicely and look mostly great - and perhaps as an exterior kit this will be best compared directly to those HB items.

In that Bronco appears to have very thoughtfully provided what sounds like a removable turret-top for making interiors viewable... pretty much begs for those OCD enough to get inside and do it up!

Regards interior painting instructions: Yep. Lacking. But really seems much like "par for the course" among the companies. Few seem to provide anything beyond simplistic interior guide - at typical "best", it is pretty generalized. (There are exceptions, of course, and much appreciated when one finds them!)

For those thinking of this interior; my tentative plan hinges on my expectation that this early - mid-war beastie received a pretty standard interior treatment for German armor of the time: "elfinbein" walls and ceilings, dark gray or dark green floors (probably no unfinished, "rot oxide" crew floors or interior in this earlier production period when stuff was still being done complete and standardized "right"), vision-port hardware done in elfinbein or satin black "enamel", drive-train machinery and instrument panel done in dark gray, or satin black (the industrial OEM standard finishes) or perhaps over-painted in elfinbein, perm racks and personal equipment interior fittings in elfinbein, radios and related devices in any of several standard OEM colors (see web pics and sites for German vehicle radios for this neat detailing), radio-racks in dunkelgrau or dunkelgelb (OEM items added into the crew spaces). MG34 would be the standard enamel black / worn metal colors, the ammo cannisters and boxes ... hmmm. there are some good pics around of these items to match some colors to. Personal gear would be whatever they are anywhere else. All pretty much the same, I would expect, as for any Pz 1, Pz II, or Pz 38(t) interior job.

The key interior "decor" part about no model company successfully addresses in German WWII kits, IMHO, is that prolific labeling they did inside AFV - everything had a stencil. Your bread bag goes HERE. The mess kit, THERE. THIS you'll have to tackle on your lonesome if you do decide that alllll that inside stuff wants to be seen in its fullest glory!

No. I don't think I can wait until 2014 for this. Guess I'll need another Bronco kit for that campaign!

Cheers!

Bob

This thread just may be relevant to my interests.

Kimmo

Bob; considering there is an interior I thought and felt Bronco Models have gone some way to keep the parts count down, OK the tracks are going to be a high part of the parts count but the rest should be possible for most.

Darren;

"strange that you should mention this (included interior versus attempted limiting of total parts-count)"!

To me, these are two almost completely separate "issues" or aspects! I WELCOME the inclusion of replete interiors - hey, if you can position those hatches to be open, let's have something to see inside! And, yes, interiors add to the parts-count.

So do link tracks. I certainly don't mind "high parts count" - proviso more parts generally add to both detail and pleasure. (I found those little styrene bolt-heads Dragon supplied for the outer drive unit covers in some Pz. IV kits a bit "over the top" - a dozen tiny parts which challenged about anyone's dexterity and patience and truly cannot have added any detectable difference to the build - specially once paint was applied over them!) So, I LOVE "full-box, hi-count" kits.

My point about the interior "perhaps being daunting" was not to down the kit in any way - "au-contraire!" - but to actually acknowledge that many kits which come with interior may well be built very nicely "buttoned-up". This, I think, is one. Should be a big plus to any who look to buy it, IMHO! As YOU remarked in the review, there are no paint guides provided for this interior. The interior does much much more than simply raise parts-count and "add to bench time (= more (or less) modeling pleasure -something each person has an opinion on). It adds big-time to painting and info needs. I'm just remarking that some love this sort of thing (I DO), others may well more enjoy its great external qualities and choose to skip the complexity inside. It will be a good build either way!

To me, the added interior adds dimension and opportunity and choice for the modeler - you CAN have it, if you want, and without any AM! Hurray! by me. I am most pleased to see that the B has gone this replete route.

In a few more hours, I'll find whether or not the Post has indeed graced my stoop with more plastic goodness!

Bob

looking forward to your review Bob - and to see you build it. Having done an interior on a Pz 1a (Tristar flakpanzer) and the Hobby Boss 222 I do like it included (which is why I like the sound of this kit)... need to get one that is more obvious on how to leave things open - the 222 has nice big doors which will stay open but beginning to wish I had left the vision ports open...

anyway I think I will keep an eye out for builds of his kit and consider adding it to the stash (Birthday in Feb for example)

How about a more inexpensive release without the interior parts sprues for those who don't wish to detail their interiors. I can sympathise with modellers who don't want to spend $50+ for a kit and only use half the parts. Tri Star did this with their Pz 35 (t).

I'm surprised manufacturers don't take the approach Eduard has with their weekend kits. Bare bones at substantially reduced prices. I would love to see basic, upgraded and super kits.

Kimmo

The Tiny Tiger hath arrived on my stoop, quite as promised by the vendor and heartily hoped-for by me!

A quick look into the box reveals a nice pile of tan styrene goodness for body and turret and interior bits, a pile of brown link and pin sprues for those beefy-looking tracks, and some PE, clear periscope pieces, and etc. Stuff looks GOOD and molding is clean and crisp. The instruction booklet is pretty nice - I didn't see any obvious errors (but hardly did more than a quick glance - errors often pop up later...) and the artwork looks up to snuff and usefully clear for guidance. There are indeed a few CAD images that will help show stuff assembled.

As mentioned above in the review, there is indeed interior, and indeed no guide for painting it. But that's no news, I'm sure!

There are 3 color-schemes offered - so folks have some choices of tanks in (OstFront) service. What is a bit interesting is that the instructions mention that these things were produced back in 1940 - but all other discussion (and paint-schemes) refer to some being sent to Russia in time for Kursk and lingering on into 1944... with the majority having actually been assigned to various rear-area training and development units. I can imagine that the crowd of 30 or so produced did SOMETHING between when assembled in 1940 and eventually sent east in late 1942...

Anyway, it is indeed a nice-looking kit and I'm pretty keen on getting into it sooner then later.

Initially, I had "planned" on this being my entry into the Bronco campaign, but maybe not... I may shoot for doing a build feature with it, instead.

@Robert: I'd say "jump on it whenever you get the chance" - if you like interior stuff, this looks to rank right up there with those Tristar 38(t) and Pz 1 with interior kits - and may be more accurate than was those Hobby Boss cars - which while having neat interiors, did get some stuff pretty "off". It should be fun and rewarding, albeit not necessarily very easy to see into! (Turns out that this Bronco kit does NOT offer any easily-removed turret-roof - the turret may of course be mounted loose, but that's about it for easing view into the interior.)

@Biggles; I THINK you are referring to Tristar's 38(t) ausf B kits with and without interior - and their AM interior kit for any 38(t)? T has not, best I know, done a 35(t) kit, but I bet it would be pretty nice were they to offer one!

@Big. & Thudius; Yes - I agree whole-heartedly. It would be great if any of these fine kit-makers offered versions of these kits with and without interiors (and priced appropriately) - I squirm around with Dragon StuG III kits which mostly have lots of fighting compartment stuff - which I don't tackle. I like "guts", but not in every kit. Adds both a lot of special dimension and a lot of added effort which isn't always what I want. And the inners cost to tool and mold, and so raise the cost of kits.

Cheers!

Bob

I doubt that there would be much in the way of difference in price either with or without an interior as an option as Bronco have invested in the moulds already which is where the costs are.

Great review! Thank you for submitting this. Do you have any photos of the finished model?

There might be if they market them correctly and plan ahead a little. It might not be attractive for current releases though, depending on how the sprues are layed out. If they sell more of the basic kits than they would have sold premium ones in total, there could be some cash to be made. A tricky balance to find.

Kimmo

There are some pictures of the finished model in one of the two news stories on this model.

Very nice review of very nice kit of very nice tank, thank you Darren. I really like "Small TIger".

@PanzerBob - thanks for the heads up on the kit... look forward to seeing you start it

Great review! After reading I decided to purchase the kit! I am also planning to start it in the next future. Has anyone idea of what aftermerket engine can be used to complete the interior? Or just some more detailed info to modify an existing engine. Thank you very much