Pz Spähwagen P 204(f) with 5 cm KwK L/42
Kit No. 72303 Review by Doug Chaltry

This is my second Panhard armored car from RPM, and I am still highly impressed while looking at the parts right out of the box. I think that these kits are molded using limited-run technology, which makes their quality even more impressive. That's not to say that there isn't room for improvement, as I have seen several people build these armored cars with many scratchbuilt details, but for an average modeler, I think they build up very well out of the box.

These first two scans are from the Panhard I previously reviewed, because these parts are the same as those included in all Panhard kits. About the only glaring flaw is the well-known missing viewport hatches on the main doors.

This next sprue is unique to this kit, and provides the parts to build the gun mount for the 50mm KwK gun, which was a German modification to some captured French vehicles. Note that this isn't a turret, but rather a fixed gun shield. This sprue of parts doesn't seem to be molded with the same quality as the rest of the kit, as the gun shields are very thick, and there is a lot of flash needing to be cleaned away from the parts. Very few internal details are included, which should probably be added by the modeler since we'll be able to see down into the vehicle through the fighting compartment.

Decals are sparse, but I believe accurate. They are printed out of register, and will need replacing.

I would very much like to thank Rafal Niedzielski for providing this review kit, as he also sent along the etched brass detail set from PART, as well as the replacement gun barrel from ARMO (below). Thanks Rafal, this will be an awesome project.

(This gun barrel is from ARMO and is not included with the kit.)

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Article Last Updated: 31 May 2005