The Royal ScaleAfter the BT-7 from Flyhawk, which gave me a bit of trouble and I wasn’t fully satisfied with it I reached for another product from the China-based manufacturer.
This time I chose the FlyHawk Model FH 3005 and well… I fell in love with this model.
Tank
The Panzer II Ausf. J, also known as VK16.01, was a heavy reconnaissance tank developed by Germany during World War II. Distinct from other Panzer II variants due to its heavy armor and slow speed, it was designed for reconnaissance rather than offensive operations. With a total of 22 units built, its production was limited and eventually canceled in favor of newer models. The tank featured 80mm frontal armor, a 2 cm KwK auto-cannon, and a MG 34 machine gun. Despite its capabilities, no Panzer II Ausf. J tanks have survived to the present day. For more details, you can read the full article on [Tank Encyclopedia].
Model
I approached the model classically, with practically no modifications. Only replaced some of the tools with an additional box (which had been lying in a drawer for a long time). I chose to markings and scheme for the „13 verstärkte Polizei-Panzer-Kp.” because of my favourite dark grey colour.
The 13th Reinforced Police Armoured Company (13. verst. Pol.-Pz.Kp.) refers to a specialised unit from World War II Germany, designed as a stronger, better-equipped version of a standard armoured police unit.
I skipped installing the included nylon thread, meant to mimic a tow rope, because it just looks terrible. I didn’t have any replacement therefore I left it without it.
Toolbox
- primer: Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1000 grey
- base color: Tamiya XF-63
- highlights: XF-63 + XF-19 (Sky Grey), White (XF-2)
- details: as always AK 3rd gen
- weathering: Abteilung 502 paints, MIG City Dust pigment, AK Streaking Grime For Panzer Grey, VMS Pigment Jockey No. 06 Track Rust
Lessons learned
Every model is a learning opportunity, let’s see what I learned this time
The Streaking Grime from AK is a very interesting product, but it is difficult to manipulate in such a small space. I definitely need to master a better technique for the results I want.
VMS Jockey, on the other hand, is something I will return to and test other variants.
And, as usual, dark gray on such a small scale is a challenging color and it is difficult to get the effect as close to the real thing as possible.
Biggest mistakes:
Breaking the barrel on an almost finished model.
Taking pictures I did not notice the “levitating” wheel and tracks. I glued the tracks inaccurately. On my model already corrected, in the photos unfortunately you can see this mistake
Final words
In summary – a great model, a small scale tank. I had a lot of fun putting it together. So much that I want more.
Fortunately for me, Flyhawk has announced a reissue of its Lynxes (Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.L Luchs)! I’m already looking forward when they land on my desk.
Finished model
https://royalscale.blog/2024/03/12/panzerkampfwagen-ii-ausf-j-vk16-01/
