review3

It seems that everyone who is anyone is building the new Tamiya Marder, but how many will build the Alan offering
of the Marder constructed on the chassis of the Panzer II D? I have put together the kit of this rather esoteric
vehicle (only 201 were made), and found it to be a mixed bag — excellent in some areas and lacking or just plain
incorrect in others.

Starting from the ground up, the tracks and suspension are the best features of the kit. The tracks alone are
worth the price of the kit. These tracks are absolutely correct, right down to the open guide teeth. I'm not a big
fan of individual hard links, but when they allow such features as these delicate, open teeth, I can see their value.
The instructions don't indicate it, but 96 links are needed for each side. Unfortunately, these links have a bit of
flash, making it necessary to go through the tedium of cleaning up all 192 pieces. I had trouble with some of the
links fitting too tightly when assembly time came around, so extra care with the file is advisable here.
Fortunately, Alan supplies quite a few extra track links; this is good, as some of those delicate guide teeth are
going to get broken. The only problem with the running gear, aside from tight links, was the idler halves-they did
not fit well, but with a little fussing they're all right.

Photos of this vehicle are relatively scarce, and many of the combat pics are not much use to the modeler.
Fortunately, though, the Germans made quite a few propaganda photos of some new Marder II s and their crews,
enough to see that there was some difference in detail among individual machines. The only view of the fighting
compartment I had gave a fair shot of the back side of the gun shield, and would have been even better if the
crew had not been in the way.

On the hull front I corrected the bolt detail on the spare track bracket and scratchbuilt the little rods and
plates that held the tracks down. I also added bolts to the hull front on either side of the track bracket. I made a
tow cable from Tamiya cable ends and solder wire, and wrapped it around the front tow hooks. The kit
instructions show no tools on the left front fender, but an axe and bolt cutters are included in the kit, and they
should go in that area. For some reason, decent looking jacks are rare in any kit, and this one is no exception. A
combination of the kit jack's base with a Tamiya part and some styrene strip helped there. I replaced the kit's
horn with a better-detailed Tamiya part. The biggest problems at the hull front are fender supports and visor
openings beside the driver and radio operator's positions that should not be there.

This is one of those all-too-common cases where the box art is more accurate than the actual kit or its
instructions. I should mention at this point that when building this vehicle, one should not take the part numbers,
part locations, or other details in the instructions too much to heart. This is a Russian kit, and it seems that the
fellow who did the instructions was into the Vodka pretty heavily. The location of the Bosch headlamps, for
instance, is only vaguely indicated, and to be accurate, the lamps (or the lamp bases only on my vehicle) should be
mounted on brackets mounted on the forward most fender supports (the ones that should be there). These must
be built from scratch.

At the hull rear, do not install the brackets for the towing pin before gluing the muffler in place, to insure that
you have a happier experience in this area than I did. An actual pin and retaining chain need to be added unless your
Marder has lost these items. The instructions don't show it, but a long pry bar should be mounted at the bottom
of the upper hull armor in the vehicle's rear. I added some extra brass details to the tool clamps in this area. The
last things I added to the upper hull armor in this rear area were two styrene strips to bridge the cutouts above
the back fenders. For some odd reason, the small tie-down cleats along the upper edge of the upper hull armor are
represented on the front of the vehicle, but not on the sides or rear. Small sections of plastic rod corrected this
deficiency. The best thing about the armor plate for the upper hull is that it fits relatively well to the lower hull
and fighting compartment platform.

Now, on to the gun. Compared to the weapon in Tamiya's Marder kit, the Alan gun is rather simplified. In addition,
there are a couple of minor details shown in the instructions but not included on the actual parts. There is a
general lack of positive alignment aids in this kit, and modelers who have not built Eastern Bloc kits before may be
taken aback by having to just slap the halves of the gun barrel and recoil rail together without locating pins or
holes. The greatest (and weirdest, since the box art, once again, shows things correctly) problem with the gun is
that the shield is right for the Tamiya version of the Marder, but not for a Marder II. See photos of the real
thing for the corrections that need to be made. I added some extra detail to the shield's periscopes. I also added
a couple of tubular supports that join the gun cradle to the shield but which are not included in the kit, and an MG
34 on the right side of the shield which was apparently a field modification.

I added grab handles to the driver and radio operator's hatches, but did not make any other changes to the
fighting compartment since I did not have any clear photos of this area. Written sources indicate that 30 rounds
for the main gun were carried, but the kit gives you 38. If the locations indicated in the kit instructions are right,
these rounds must have been very inconvenient to get to-no doubt the crew kept some rounds ready to hand if
action was imminent. Since my Marder is not going to be depicted in the heat of battle, I mounted the detachable
seats and the rail for supporting a canvas cover.

This is not a kit for a beginner, but any builder who can do some basic scratchbuilding can make it into a decent
representation of a very unique weapon.

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Marder II Specifications
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GENERAL DATA
Formal Designation 7.5cm PaK40/2 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf) (SdKfz 131)
Manufacturer(s) FAMO, MAN, Daimler-Benz
Production Quantity 576+75 converted from PzKpfw II Production Period July 1943-Mar. 1944
Type Tank Destroyer Crew 3
Length (m) 6.36 Barrel Overhang (m) n.a.
Width (m) 2.28 Height (m) 2.20
Combat Weight (kg) 10800 Radio FuG Spr d

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FIREPOWER
Primary Armament 75mm PaK40/2 L/48 Ammunition Carried 37
Traverse (degrees) Manual (32° L, 25° R) Elevation (degrees) -8° to +10°
Traverse speed (360°) - Sight n.a.
Secondary Armament 1 x 7.92 MG34 (loose) Ammunition Carried 600

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MOBILITY CHARACTERISTICS
Engine Make & Model Maybach HL62TRM No. of Links/Track 106
Type & Displacement L6, 6.2 liters Track Width 30cm
Horsepower (Gross) 140hp@2600rpm Track Ground Contact 240cm
Power/Weight Ratio 12.9 hp/t Ground Pressure 10.6 psi
Gearbox 6 forward, 1 reverse Ground Clearance (m) 0.34
Fuel Gasoline (Petrol) Turning Radius (m) n.a.
Range on/off road (km) 190/126 Gradient (degrees) 30°
Mileage (liters/100km) 109 on/188 off road Vertical Obstacle (m) 0.42
Fuel Capacity (liters) 205 Fording (m) 0.91
Speed on/off road 40/19 km/h Trench Crossing (m) n.a.

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ARMOR PROTECTION
Armor Detail Front Side Rear Top/Bottom
Hull 35mm@77° 15mm@90° 15mm@83° 5mm@0°
Superstructure 30mm@80° 10mm@82° 10mm@90° 10mm@0° & open
Mantlet 4+4mm@60°