ESCI – 8301 – 8069 – Leopard 1A2

Description:

Leopard 1A2

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a (West) Germany main battle tank Leopard 1, entered service in 1965. A2 variant were delivered between 1972 and 1974, included a better armoured turret and other improvements. The large box over the gun mantlet depicted in the box art is a PZB 200 image intensification system, not issued to early A2 at the beginning.

ESCI tooled the line of Leopard kits in 1986. The line is a bit confusing because there was three releases using the series 80xx code numbers, but there was four releases using the 83xx code numbers, from those, only three reached the ESCI-Ertl. In essence all the kits, were the same kit, with little differences.

Focusing in this kit, and considering it the base for all the other releases, worth it to mention that it was tooled with link and length tracks, but the wheels were simplified to double-width single piece wheels, with its inconvenients. Pioneer tools are moulded into the hull, as that area is slopped, detail is not great on them. Turret detail is good, the commander’s cupola is the only openable hatch in all the kit.

When newer winds arrived to the 1/72 scale, the Leopard 1 was an obsolete subject, and brands focused in the newer Leopard 2. The only brand who did a release for the Leopard 1, an A5 variant, not released by ESCI, so the ESCI kits remains as the only available for the A1, A2, A3 and A4 variants of the Leopard 1.

This kit was later released by Italeri as Italeri – 7031 – Leopard 1A2.