Panzerhaubitze 2000

Manufacturer: Revell AG.(Kit #03121)

By Till Huber -

This kit is one of themost important additions to the Revell line this year. It wasannounced earlier for 2000 but it was cancelled and removed fromtheir website, rumours say that problems with their mouldsdelayed this project. Also earlier announcements noted that thebarrel should be made of aluminium like its big 1:35 brother butthis idea was probably dropped due to the high costs.

First impressions

After opening the box youget the following:

• 4 Sprues molded in dark green
• 1 Instruction sheet
• 1 sheet with decals including 2 versions

Box contents at a glance.

Sprue 1.

Sprue 2.

Sprue 3.

Sprue 4.

Revell downscale?

The kit seems to share allthe rich detailed characteristics of it's 1:35 scale brother ontop of the hull and turret. It differs from it by not havingvinyl tracks and a functional gear. The PzH 2000 does not seem tobe a downscaled kit like the Luchs so the parts are not fullyidentical to the 1:35 parts. As mentioned before it does not havethe aluminium barrel as promised in the preproduction phase ayear ago. I think maintaining the price would have beenimpossible so they dropped this feature. Maybe they've got morespace when selling bigger models, that's why they can provide itfor the 1:35 one but not for a 1:72 scale model.

Weaknesses

As I said the kit alsoshares weaknesses with its big 1:35 brother, for instance thetravel lock is one solid piece. When moving to its firingposition the SPG elevates the gun, the travel lock is beingcarried in. So it requires some work to realise this by cuttingit into two pieces. It should be also mentioned that all hatchesexcept the driver's hatch are molded closed. Opening the hatcheson the turret is a real challenge, the plastic seems to be quitesolid.

Most people don't knowthat the PzH 2000 can also carry adaptive reactive armour modulesprotecting the gun from being destroyed by HE bomblets. I've seena ROCO HO model carrying these blocks on turret and hull butagain Revell was too "covetous" to implement thisoption.

Most of the PzH 2000 youwill see on the net and in reality here in Germany, won't havethem installed anyway as they are explosives and only added incase of an "incident" (V-Fall, Vorfall). In other wordsWAR. Maybe some Resin company will consent to make reactivearmour, plus some crewmembers and extra rounds, which would benice also.

-The best and only PzH2000 model you will get for 1:72

I think no other companywill dare to try and top this kit, which would be rather stupid.Not only because of the quality, Revell kits are so commonworldwide. No other major company considers producing new modernvehicles in 1:72, except eastern European companies with limitedrun technology which cannot compete with distribution andquality.

Did I mention the runninggear yet? The tracks and the bogie wheels are far superior to anyreleased kit before. I highly recommend using the bogie wheelsfrom this kit for the Revell Leopard kits, as the Pzh 2000 has amodified Leo 1 gear but shares the wheels with the Leopard 2. I'mnot sure if the Diehl tracks are also identical but it featuresrubber blocks that are being used by all Bundeswehr vehicles tospare the tracks and grounds from damage.

Compared to earlierreleases the molds are even more sharp, especially all the boltson top of the vehicle and the mentioned tracks and chassis.

Pros

• Great bogie wheels, they can be used for Leopard 2 kits
• Very detailed surface with numerous bolts even feature anti skid stickers of the Bundeswehr
• Great Diehl tracks with hardrubber elements (not in the kit, its plastic!)

Cons

• No adaptive reactive armor modules included
• No accessories or figures included
• All hatches except the drivers hatch molded shut
• Travel lock is one piece
• Pioneer tools are molded onto the hull

Recommendation

This kit is a gift to allsmall scale modellers; considering the low price Revell providesand its value, it's a must buy. Today Revell paradoxically offersthe best kits for the lowest price (here in Europe).Unfortunately they seem to not be interested in the most commonlyused weapon systems of the Bundeswehr, like the M113 or M109which are the backbone of the German artillery. (Only 187 PzH2000 were produced and delivered to the Bundeswehr).