Review of Alan 1/35 Scale Flammpanzer II Ausf. D
Kit no. 010
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.98
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.98
HISTORY:
After the French defeat in 1940, the Wehrmacht's Pz.Kpw. II tanks were
considered to be obsolete due to insufficient firepower and thin armor,
and most of them were removed from front line service. At about this time,
numbers of the Ausf. D tanks were converted into flame-throwing tanks
and re-designated as the Flammpanzer II. This tank represented quite a
change from the original light tank.
Crewed by two men, flame-guns were mounted on the fenders, being able
to traverse through an arc of 180 degrees to each outboard side. Fuel for the
flame-guns consisted of thickened gasoline, which was expelled by
nitrogen under pressure. Most of the tank's internal space was taken up by
gasoline containers.
Enough fuel was carried for 80 short bursts. Because the nitrogen was at
fairly low pressure, the flame range was limited to 35 meters. Fuel was ignited
as it left the flame-gun tubes. The short range of the flame-guns necessitated
the fitting of grenade launchers to cover the advance on targets.
Although the Flammpanzer suffered from short flame-gun range and thin
armor, it was used in this capacity until the end of the war.
TECHNICAL DATA:
LENGTH: 4.46 m
WIDTH: 2.24 m
WEIGHT: 10 tons
ARMOR: 30 mm
SPEED: 55 KM/H
ARMAMENT: 1 x 7.92 mm machine gun, 2 x flame projectors, 6 grenade
launchers
CREW: 2
Alan was a model company based in St. Petersburg, Russia. They are
long out of business and their molds mostly went to ARK brand (also in Russia).
THE KIT:
The copyright of this kit is 1996.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Flammpanzer II Ausf. D moving across a snow-covered
clearing in a woods. There is a knocked-out German truck in the distance
behind it. It is in overall dark Panzer gray with a white outline type hull no.
213 with a white German cross left of it on the sides and a white circle around
the back corners of the turret.
One side panel of the box has a small side view illustration of the box art
subject, followed by a one paragraph history of the tank in 5 languages,
including English.
The other side panel has color illustrations of the box arts of 3 other AFV kits
that Alan marketed: Kit no. 003 of a Soviet ZIS-5 truck, kit no. 009 of a regular Panzer II Ausf. D and kit no. 011 of a Marder II D. The kit is said here to be not suitable for children under 36 months of age due to small parts. The box also states it was MADE IN RUSSIA.
After the French defeat in 1940, the Wehrmacht's Pz.Kpw. II tanks were
considered to be obsolete due to insufficient firepower and thin armor,
and most of them were removed from front line service. At about this time,
numbers of the Ausf. D tanks were converted into flame-throwing tanks
and re-designated as the Flammpanzer II. This tank represented quite a
change from the original light tank.
Crewed by two men, flame-guns were mounted on the fenders, being able
to traverse through an arc of 180 degrees to each outboard side. Fuel for the
flame-guns consisted of thickened gasoline, which was expelled by
nitrogen under pressure. Most of the tank's internal space was taken up by
gasoline containers.
Enough fuel was carried for 80 short bursts. Because the nitrogen was at
fairly low pressure, the flame range was limited to 35 meters. Fuel was ignited
as it left the flame-gun tubes. The short range of the flame-guns necessitated
the fitting of grenade launchers to cover the advance on targets.
Although the Flammpanzer suffered from short flame-gun range and thin
armor, it was used in this capacity until the end of the war.
TECHNICAL DATA:
LENGTH: 4.46 m
WIDTH: 2.24 m
WEIGHT: 10 tons
ARMOR: 30 mm
SPEED: 55 KM/H
ARMAMENT: 1 x 7.92 mm machine gun, 2 x flame projectors, 6 grenade
launchers
CREW: 2
Alan was a model company based in St. Petersburg, Russia. They are
long out of business and their molds mostly went to ARK brand (also in Russia).
THE KIT:
The copyright of this kit is 1996.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a Flammpanzer II Ausf. D moving across a snow-covered
clearing in a woods. There is a knocked-out German truck in the distance
behind it. It is in overall dark Panzer gray with a white outline type hull no.
213 with a white German cross left of it on the sides and a white circle around
the back corners of the turret.
One side panel of the box has a small side view illustration of the box art
subject, followed by a one paragraph history of the tank in 5 languages,
including English.
The other side panel has color illustrations of the box arts of 3 other AFV kits
that Alan marketed: Kit no. 003 of a Soviet ZIS-5 truck, kit no. 009 of a regular Panzer II Ausf. D and kit no. 011 of a Marder II D. The kit is said here to be not suitable for children under 36 months of age due to small parts. The box also states it was MADE IN RUSSIA.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
There are four light gray trees of parts are contained in one cello bag for the
main body of the tank.
The first of these trees contains the parts for the turret, front fenders, storage
bins etc. (17 parts).
The second tree holds the parts for upper and lower hull, hatches, MG, jack, muffler etc. (27 parts).
The third and fourth trees are identical and give us the road wheels, drive sprockets, flame-projectors, tools, grenade launchers etc. (52 parts on each tree).
Another cello bag contains four identical trees of individual track links. There are 56 links on each tree.
A tiny zip lock bag holds the decal sheet, a P.E. brass exhaust shield screen, and a small tree of lift hooks. There are 10 hooks on this tree.
No figures are in the kit, nor are there any clear parts.
No figures are in the kit, nor are there any clear parts.
Decal option is just for one tank marking, all in white. You get the white outline type German cross, and white turret numbers for a vehicle with the 100th Battalion, Russia, 1942.
The instructions consist of a single sheet folded in the center to create 4 pages
in 8 ¼” x 11 ½” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, followed by
MADE IN RUSSIA and the history of the tank in Russian, English,
German and Japanese.
Page 2 to the top of page 4 give a grand total of 7 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 4 has a 2-view of the single marking option in overall
Panzer gray with the white turret number 214 above a small white German
cross. There are two white circles on the back of the turret. Below this is
international assembly symbol explanations and Alan’s P.O. Box
address in St. Petersburg when they still existed.
This is a neat model of a variant of the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. D that I don’t think
anybody else markets a kit of. Highly recommended.
I got my kit in trade with the owner of Alan models years ago.
in 8 ¼” x 11 ½” page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white repeat of the box art, followed by
MADE IN RUSSIA and the history of the tank in Russian, English,
German and Japanese.
Page 2 to the top of page 4 give a grand total of 7 assembly steps.
The bottom of page 4 has a 2-view of the single marking option in overall
Panzer gray with the white turret number 214 above a small white German
cross. There are two white circles on the back of the turret. Below this is
international assembly symbol explanations and Alan’s P.O. Box
address in St. Petersburg when they still existed.
This is a neat model of a variant of the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. D that I don’t think
anybody else markets a kit of. Highly recommended.
I got my kit in trade with the owner of Alan models years ago.