A Great Beginner Tank?! Tamiya's Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. F/G in 1/35 Scale - Build & Review

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The Panzer 2 was a light tank that was used by the German army during the second World War. Initially intended to be replaced by more advanced designs after the outbreak of the war, the Panzer 2 would instead see service in many campaigns in the early years of the conflict before eventually being replaced.
Tamiya has had their 1/35 scale Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. F/G tank model kit in their range for many years now, and I’m led to believe that it is possibly, one of the most popular model kits of all time. A right of passage to build, as I have heard some people call it.
Join me on the workbench as I build and review the Tamiya panzer 2 model kit in 1/35 scale and see if I can shed some light on to why this may be one of the most popular model kits of all time!
▶️ Dedicated unboxing video here: • Tamiya Panzer Kampfwag...
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#Tamiya #panzer #Modelkit

[@ModelMinutes]

Get £100 off your own High Definition Serious Light & FREE Shipping by using this link and code SR473: try.seriousreaders.com/pages/SR473

[@KoreaEnjoyer]

This is a really old and classic kit, can find it pretty cheap at so many places and it is easy to find too! I recommend it so much

[@ModelMinutes]

yes, if you want something cheap to build this is one great kit for that!

[@hippugamer6689]

yeah exept you cant find anything other than revell in oulu :(

[@chrispacer4231]

This was one of my first TAMIYA kits I built way back in 1972… I have this in my stash right now, bought it again in 2020… For a kid who was 12 years old it was a REALLY COOL kit TAMIYA was something different, compared to MONOGRAM/ REVELL in 1972 NICE JOB 👍 CHRIS 🇺🇸

[@blastpop]

Tamiya during the '70's was a major improvement in the state of the art at the time. It was such a leap forward, this kit is 50 years old and still passes the test of time.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks for sharing!

[@stephenhunt2806]

You beat me by a year! This was my first Tamiya kit in 1973, aged 15. Sorely tempted to get this one again.

[@MatterusOD]

Nice build of a fun little kit. I have a built one from 30 years ago that is slowly getting a redo with new tracks, stowage and new paint . I have pics of the F in North Africa (German Panzer II, David Doyle) and according to the old Tamiya instructions schemes C & D are North Africa. A is Barbarossa, B is Kursk and E is given as Eastern front. ( I don't really care much about such things as long as it looks good and you're happy!). You can pre-mix your more commonly used paints (Olive Drab, Dunkelgelb) into larger (30ml-ish) bottles or jars ready for airbrushing and pour the left over paint back in to save wastage. I also have some Tamiya paint/10% retarder mixes in dropper bottles for brush painting. Also, I've seen some modellers on the tube who open a new Tamiya jar, top it right up with thinners, recap and shake and it is airbrush ready. (Haven't tried this myself). Why is it so popular a kit? It's easy to build, it looks good, it's fun, it's cheap, it is, and has always been, readily available, you get figures/weapons with it, it's sturdy (kid's playability) and, most of all, it can be built with little or zero modelling skill/experience and encourages you to try another model. Cheers Matt 🦘🦘🦘

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I tend to hand paint the tamiya acrylics as well so thinning them immediately for the airbrush isn't always an option as the ratio would be a little off, but an interesting idea nonetheless

[@blastpop]

Helpful hint, when applying washes, start at top where light would first naturally hit and then work your way down. Use care on flat surfaces as they generally lack ambient occlusion and can look a bit odd if it the wash has no where to run and dries in place. Great job. Now that you've done one tank, I look forward to more. Thanks for the video.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks for the tip! I hope to get the Airfix M3 "Honey" (that i started 2 years ago) completed soon

[@KGmodels]

I’ve been waiting for this one!Looks simple but amazing from the thumbnail.Can’t wait for the premiere!

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks!

[@jaws666]

​@@ModelMinutesanother fantastic build Mat.👍👍👍

[@PanzermansBunker]

Great job on a classic Tamiya kit. A tank with figures is a bonus build. Happy modeling. Bill

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks very much!

[@wadejustanamerican1201]

Thanks for the video. Nice build. I hope all is going well for you.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks! Yes, just trying to get my life in order so I know what i'm doing come the new year

[@johnhood9567]

I built this kit in about 1978. Great fun and was thrilled with how great it turned out! (Historical note: it didn't have the poly hubs in '78 BTW) Inspired me to just a little later get the equally iconic 1/35 Tamiya 88mm gun with all those crew figures! A much more challenging build but great fun! This one is a proper classic 😁

[@daniel-m]

This kit is always attractive. I remember building it in the 70's and maybe I'll build it again! The whole thing, but especially the figurines, demonstrate the advance that Tamiya had at its time.

[@user-oi4xx1jp6k]

Loved your take on tamiya old school panzer 2 kit.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks 👍

[@robbielloyd5767]

Fantastic little kit great finish. I remember getting this kit along with the kv2 from Tamiya for a Christmas present. As a kid I was amazed by the size difference.

[@ModelMinutes]

Very cool! I can imagine the KV2 being bigger :)

[@robbielloyd5767]

@@ModelMinutes Very, but just as easy to build

[@StevenPotts-ij9ue]

Great stuff, I am building this kit right now and despite it's age it is a great kit. you should really be recommending this kit to all the newcomers and returnees to the hobby. The kit has it's faults due to it's age but it still can be built into a convincing model.

[@ModelMinutes]

Well said!

[@ozzieladykats9938]

Been thinking about getting a tamiya panzer 2 for a while now, glad to see my favourite modelling channel showcase their build on it!

[@ModelMinutes]

Go for it!

[@ozzieladykats9938]

@@ModelMinutes I definitely will especially since you approve!!!!!😃😃😃😃😁

[@sweetcorn1968]

Looks great Matt and not usual subject matter.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks!

[@psychodermix]

Fantastic build. One of your best 👌

[@ModelMinutes]

Glad you think so!

[@mikebrindos3612]

Very good use of techniques with very good explanations. Keep it up!

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks a lot!

[@epicforger12345]

Great video I’ve never made this kit before because it seemed quite an old kit but it’s in my list now

[@ModelMinutes]

Yeah, it does have a few issues but you can overcome them

[@joker120007]

i loved this kit

[@ModelMinutes]

Awesome!

[@andygorman858]

I have bought this kit so many times over the years and have never built it! I usually swapped it for other kits with friends. It’s a great kit and I plan to actually buy one and build it! Thanks for the great vid and building this classic.

[@ModelMinutes]

I hope you manage to build one soon :)

[@andygorman858]

@@ModelMinutesI’ve just started following your Instagram profile and have the kit on back order so once done will tag you so you can see it. I might replace the figures with something a little more modern (tooling wise that is…), though 😉

[@ModelMinutes]

sounds good! @@andygorman858

[@Simon_Nonymous]

A lovely build. Your first Tamiya 1:35 is always a threshold moment. Mine was the SdKfz 222 back in 1981 as it was all I could afford, and I guess the Pz II is popular due to its relatively cheap pricing.

[@ModelMinutes]

yes, i think the low price makes it popular :)

[@davidparry5479]

Im building one now and I'm putting an upgrade kit as in PE set on it so I think it looks better.

[@johnhood9567]

I built that one too, around 1979 and it was great fun! Memories 😁

[@jesserivas1387]

You did a great job 👍🏻👍🏻 I’ve always liked this kit. Hopefully they will remake it with more details and better figures!

[@ModelMinutes]

You and me both!

[@nickpoole3979]

Nice build Matt , looks great for an older kit 👌 Love the cracked sand base , very realistic all be it done accidentally in the first place . As Bob Ross says on The Joy of Painting programme " we don't make mistakes, just have happy little accidents " 😊 keep the videos coming , very enjoyable.

[@ModelMinutes]

haha very true! thanks :)

[@julianmhall]

Lovely model as always Matt. I love the diorama! The figures look superb and I like the idea of the cracked surface. May I suggest if anyone bends the surface on purpose that the order is changed a bit? Paint the ground /first/ and then glue the cardboard on the back to stiffen it. My thoughts are that it would be easier to bend without the cardboard, and gluing the cardboard after guarantees a smooth surface. Point of interest regarding desert figures in general. My maternal grandfather served in North Africa post war, and a few photos of him there show his skin was redder when he was newly arrived and got darker as he was exposed to the desert sun more each day.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks for the info! The base was quite an accident so I imagine your method could work well if you planned on doing it from the start :)

[@gamingihardlyknowher1062]

Thanks for this video I just built my panzer 2 and I’m ready to paint it

[@ModelMinutes]

Good luck!

[@pauljohnson4833]

I built the version without the infantry but with the motor back long ago. I wish they still did these old ones with the drive units, they were great fun.

[@ModelMinutes]

I wonder if the motor sets are still around somewhere

[@pauljohnson4833]

@@ModelMinutes haven’t found them yet but you never know. The twin motor Tiger ran really well. That would be SO easy to convert to RC these days.

[@HangardelModelista]

Nice job and great video!

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks 😊

[@bravodelta3083]

Nice...liking that a lot!

[@ModelMinutes]

Glad you like it!

[@ninjawithfishontheback]

that lamp looks useful, might consider getting one

[@ModelMinutes]

It really is!

[@marccxxshammer6643]

Great work 👍🏼

[@ModelMinutes]

Thank you so much 😀

[@goforitpainting]

Cool review

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks!

[@timbo12021]

I got a tip from Andy's hobby headquarters. Inside the tamiya paint jars, there's a lip. If you fill the rest of the new jar with x20a, it becomes ready for airbrush. I've never looked back

[@ModelMinutes]

Yeah, I do know of that tip but because I like to hand paint as well, it's not quite the right ratio for that

[@glencwilson]

Old kit but what a good result especially the figures. Lot of these vehicles were produced in one colour at the factory and then painted by the crew with what they could get their hands on. 👍

[@ModelMinutes]

thanks for sharing!

[@ShuttleFactoryScaleModels]

Fantastic looking model, diorama, and figures Model Minutes. You have done a great job on all three of them. Dose this mean you will be making a few more 1/35 scale armour kits? Anyway keep up the great work.

[@ModelMinutes]

I'll look into building some more in the future :)

[@jacobdeadman8507]

i actually started this kit a day before the box opening video came out and have been really enjoying the kit. I'm even doing the same decal scheme. not sure what I'm going to do with the camouflage colours yet

[@ModelMinutes]

Nice! Yes, although i followed the instructions apparently there should also be some green blobs on there . . . but I don't know for a fact

[@johntreloar8203]

Not too shabby Matt, I think everyone has built this kit, I've built it a few times.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks! I could be tempted by it again in the future, once I've cleared my stash a bit lol

[@Andy.Gledhill.Models.]

Hi Matt. Nice looking result on an old Tamiya kit. I am not sure why they would include markings for tanks on the Eastern Front in the box. The reason being that the 5 crew figures are clearly North Africa Afrika Corps figures. EG some of them are wearing shorts. I would have done one from the North African Desert. I also have a couple of tips for you. First, Ammo Mig do a nice proper chipping colour so, you don't need to mix your own. Ammo Mig also do a nice set of rust colours. Speaking of rust. A way to make a good looking rusty exhaust is as follows. Paint the whole exhaust with a coat of Mr Surfacer 500 Grey. Let it dry for about 15 minutes. Then stipple this with a stiff brush. This will give you pits and scores over the Mr Surfacer. You then over paint the exhaust with your chosen rust colours. The dried desert surface to the diorama looks great too. Well done.

[@ModelMinutes]

thanks! Those are some interesting tips!

[@Aardvarkdk1]

This is such a brilliant beginners kit. In my country, the price is ultra lov, around £8 !

[@ModelMinutes]

that is cheap!

[@argentinianspotter]

It never ocurred to me you could melt the union sections on the rubber tracks to fix them in place, nice one Matt!

[@ModelMinutes]

thanks! Glad i could help :)

[@Andy.Gledhill.Models.]

The old Tamiya instructions used to tell you to do that. It would show a picture of a heated screwdriver melting the track connecting pins.

[@ModelMinutes]

they still do @@Andy.Gledhill.Models.

[@franktozier3184]

Pipettes would help to decant Tamiya paints.

[@ModelMinutes]

Yeah, might look at getting some in bulk

[@JuergenGDB]

Just put this thing together and the lower hull and upper hull are misaligned, spent about a good hour trying to figure out how to even it out... I just ended up filling the gap at the rear but looks straight enough. Other than some micro small pieces it was a great build.

[@ModelMinutes]

that's interesting - i dont recall having the same issue. May not have noticed it if it was present on mine

[@Adam.builds.models]

What a great kit and a fantastic video. I’ve ordered one for myself for Christmas. I haven’t built a tank in about 35 years!

[@ModelMinutes]

I hpoe you enjoy!

[@MHMajid-yi8iu]

Those day I build tank and planes. I like tank, with the name "Panzer" it's really intrigued me a lot😅. After few tank model then I stick to airplane at end.

[@julianmhall]

Matt WRT the ancillary pieces on the hull if they're separate items and/or a different colour... would you paint them /before/ fitting? It seems to me things like the shovel would be easier to paint first, plus they'd get in the way of painting the hull later.

[@ModelMinutes]

sometimes I do, for example with the M3 Stuart i'm working on, those were indeed painted seperately. Sometimes it just depends on my mood and the difficulty of the part

[@blastpop]

It is interesting side note the difference people have for the pronunciation of Tamiya. Locally in here in the USA it has been pronounced Ta - My - Uh.

[@ModelMinutes]

i've noticed that on some podcasts and things that I listen to, seems to have a bit of a US/UK divide. Not that it really matters if we all know what we're talking about

[@tomsenior7405]

By 1978 I had built a few of the Tamiya WW2 Desert Vehicles. My plan was to attempt Wargames in this larger scale instead of my usual 1/72 scale armies. All was going well, but I became highly disillusioned by Tamiya's low quality Figurines (Dummies). Their soldiers did not look, or feel right. Unlike the Airfix Multipose Sets, The Tamiya sculpts were poor. Each soldier looked like a shorter, chubbier, partially melted attempt at a valid representation. I enjoyed building Tamiya Vehicles, but I stuck to my 1/72 scale Table Top Wargames.

[@ModelMinutes]

thanks for sharing!

[@modelmagic9930]

There are 2 desert schemes 2 Eastern Front and a German grey if I’m correct: the 2 desert schemes require desert yellow and desert yellow with green mottled camouflage. The camouflage you did was for an Eastern Front tank which was most likely to be painted with dark yellow, red brown, and green mottles most likely. Hope this helps.

[@ModelMinutes]

thanks for the info! The instructions were somewhat difficult to understand

[@modelmagic9930]

@@ModelMinutes Champion Scale Modelling has his own video that’s way more in-depth which is apart of his beginners guide to armour modelling series playlist.

[@modelmagic9930]

You can also use super glue for gluing rubber band track you’ll just have to clamp them together

[@jaboy__kaz863]

I saw this kit in hobbycraft for 10 quid and not sure if I should get it

[@ModelMinutes]

That's cheaper than I paid for it! Although I did get next day shipping for mine (so was only a couple £ more) so yes, I would recommend having a go if you like the look of it

[@jaboy__kaz863]

@@ModelMinutes I think it looks great for the price

[@stevesmodelbuilds5473]

I received this just last week from Amazon for a price of C$25.16 with free shipping. I was going to review it on my channel, but I'm sure Matt will do a better job -- on the review, and the build 😆. It seems to me to be a great value, especially since figures are included.

[@julianmhall]

With regard to a kit being a right of passage, I think it depends on the individual's interests. For example I think a modeller who likes aircraft but not armour may view for example an Airfix Starter Set Spitfire as a right of passage. Someone who likes cars may first buy a starter set of (I think Airfix do) a Bugatti Veyron. Yet another may like military vehicles. Etc..

[@ModelMinutes]

Good point - this is probably one of those tank one :P

[@user-ms5gs8hb5k]

Tamiya 在這台的說明書中，顏色的指示太難懂沒有色彩編號，導致新手無從塗起，這是必需改善的地方，謝謝！

[@ModelMinutes]

I agree!

[@VFCproductions]

The correct names for the parts you've mislabelled are as follows: The doohickey Whatsamabob Wotsit Thingymajig

[@ModelMinutes]

Ah, i thought there were a couple of gizmos in there too

[@i.setyawan]

The original tooling is older than I am. And I'm one of the older geezers watching this channel. 😂

[@ModelMinutes]

:)

[@1hackmodeller557]

Wish you picked the Stug. You did the Panzer II in 76th scale. Maybe next time...

[@ModelMinutes]

I picked this one due to its supposed popularity, the Revell Panzer 2 i did like 4 years ago . . .

[@AndreBoeder]

Good job!! And i had a quistion can you remove tamiya panel line with water or with thinner?

[@Andy.Gledhill.Models.]

Tamiya Panel Liner is Enamel based mate. Enamel thinners would remove it, but it would likely remove your paint as well. If you want to remove a wash, a good idea is to use the Florymodels Clay Washes. You can remove those with water.

[@ModelMinutes]

Thanks! I've never used tamiya panel liner but I believe it is enamel? If that is the case, water won't do anything and you'll need an enamel thinner (or something like white spirit)

[@AndreBoeder]

@@ModelMinutes thanks!

[@AndreBoeder]

@@Andy.Gledhill.Models. thanks

[@The_wallet_warrior]

I bought the Tamiya M48A3 patton 1/35 to be my first model kit since the last years, is it good ?

[@ModelMinutes]

Can’t say I’ve experienced that one, perhaps scalemates.com will have some more information about it

[@DocReasonable]

I've read that German panzer crews would use mops to paint their vehicles, not sprayguns. Not sure if that's true??

[@ModelMinutes]

That's fascinating if so! I would need to make a 1/35 scale mop to make it accurate :)

[@modelmagic9930]

German tanks where spray painted with large airbrushes they probably used mops for applying winter white wash.

[@Michu32421]

How many hours does IT take yOu to make this model excluding drying time?

[@ModelMinutes]

this kit took 3 days to build, so if I try and remember back that far I would expect that I probably spent a good 15 - 20 hours working on this over that time

[@Evaunit98]

If you want a starter kit buy a Tamiya kit, don't bother with anything else, they simply fall together and have easy-to-follow instructions, their modern kits are some of the best

[@ModelMinutes]

there are some pretty decent starter kits from other companies, i think it depends on what people want to build first

[@Chris-dz3rs]

Quite sufficient as a starter kit. Not the most accurate kit out there ,but you gotta start somewhere.The figures.....meh .....but for beginners......Kool.

[@Cakey4]

Anyone knows any websites or companies that sell models that ship globally or to Asia?

[@ModelMinutes]

hmm, not off the top of my head

[@Cakey4]

@ModelMinutes okay, thanks for bothering to reply, tho :) I'm just wondering where do you get kits from?

[@ModelMinutes]

physical shops here in the UK, online shops including amazon and occasionally at model shows @@Cakey4

[@spritbong5285]

I loved 1:72 Matchbox Tank kits.

[@ryanlewington6]

I used my £5 hobbycraft birthday code to get one of these for £6. Well worth the rrp but £6 was a bargain imo

[@ModelMinutes]

bargain!

[@lewispowell1681]

KZbin want me to stop using an adblock but in the first 12 minutes of this video i have had 5 ad interupts of one unskippable and a second skippable. To be interupted every 3 minutes of a vid just kills it

[@ModelMinutes]

That’s strange, I checked the settings and KZbin supposedly only placed 2 ads in those first 12 minutes. When I get the chance I’ll look at editing it to reduce the overall number (and thus my chance to earn any money to support the creation of future videos) to make the viewing a bit easier

[@glencwilson]

Even un-monetised and live streams are getting ads forced on them since they changed their policy. The idea is to force users to premium and no ads.

[@ModelMinutes]

@@glencwilson good point, even if I wasn’t monetised there would still be ads, but I’d never get my share of the funds

[@warbirdgamer]

Why do model company use rubber tracks for its annoying and old fashion I understand if it's an old kits bit not for newer ones

[@ModelMinutes]

i dont think tamiya see any financial value in upgrading this kit, so they stick with the rubber band tracks this had in the 70's

[@cyberleaderandy1]

Theres probably replacement metal or plastic tracks available for this.

[@RedtailFox1]

@fox2920 it also helps keep the cost per kit down too, both for the company and the end user and with a little bit of skill and paint the older rubber band tracks can be made to look decent enough.

[@user-tn5xq6fe7x]

I have at least 3 Tamiya kits where the rubber/plastic tracks have actually cracked into many pieces. A Churchill, M10 and I think a T-34. For the prices paid, I was pretty miffed. None were in direct sunlight or abused at all, they just fell apart after a dozen years.

[@ChineseSweatShoppe]

Please take your air filter outside and at least knock/scrape the paint off of it

[@ModelMinutes]

Lol I was looking at getting a new one