Meng 1 35 leopard 2a4 review năm 2024

The Leopard 2A4�s main gun was selected due to the ability of the weapon to destroy enemy heavy armour with the first hit and for the significant potential for future improvements. The use of a 120 mm main gun on a tank was not something new and had been fielded during the Cold War on the British Conqueror, the British Chieftain, and the U.S. M103/A1/A2. What set the L44 120 mm cannon apart from those guns was the smoothbore barrel. The key with the L44 smoothbore compared to rifled 120 mm counterparts is that more gas pressure is produced and conversely there is less barrel wear in the smoothbore barrel. Less barrel wear means a longer life span and less impact on the ballistic accuracy while firing. The higher gas pressure means an increase in the velocity of the rounds fired down range thus increasing the chance of destroying the enemy target with the first round.

Leopard 2A4 kits have provided a variety of L44 barrels. These have all had the standard two parts barrels with that nasty seam. Even the new Meng Leopard 2A4 with all of its fantastic details still provides an old school two piece barrel. From the aftermarket world several metal L44 barrels have been marketed over the years. Some of them have had basic details and others have been very well detailed. The downside to the all metal aftermarket barrels was the steadily climbing price.

The Leopard Workshop has continued their Leopard lineage with a new L44 barrel designed to be assembled and simply be exchanged with the Meng Leopard 2A4 kit barrel.

Contents

The LW017M Leopard 2A4 Barrel set consists of the following parts: 1. L44 Barrel 2. Early Counterweight 3. Collimator 4. Fume Extractor- smooth finish 5. Fume Extractor- Fine Fibreglass texture 6. Fume Extractor- Rough Fibreglass texture 7. Barrel base for MENG Leopard 2A4

These seven parts provide the ability for the L44 to be built in a variety of configurations based on the production batch and barrel details.

Review

Examination of the parts brought a smile to my face with plenty of large and small details. The barrel has subtle drainage holes, the Collimator has excellent angles and bolt detail, and the barrel base has a very nicely moulded dust jacket.

Selecting to use either the muzzle counterweight or the Collimator will depend on the version of your Leopard 2A4. The counterweight was used from initial production to about 1991. From 1991 onward Batch 8 Leopard 2A4s were fitted with the Collimator. If you do your research you�ll be fine.

To top it off you are provided with a selection of three different fume extractors each exhibiting a different level of finishing on the outside. I can 100% verify that the fume extractors on used on the L44 barrels have variations in the external texture ranging from smooth to very visible criss-cross fiberglass texture. I believe that Leopard Workshop has gone above and beyond with providing the three options as you and I as the modellers get to reap the reward.

Assembly of the barrel is very simple once you clean up the parts. The fume extractor needs some clean up from the inside out of the smaller front hole in order for the barrel to fit snuggly. The barrel base will fit exactly like the kit barrel into the mantlet.

A slight bit of clean up may be required to attach the counterweight or Collimator parts. Note that the Collimator attaches to the barrel with the mirror on the right side of the barrel.

The instructions show the breakdown of the parts and explains part of the clean up, the different fume extractors and provides images of the real tanks showing the counterweight and Collimator set ups.

Conclusion

This is a superb set for the Meng Leopard 2A4. I am very impressed with the multiple fume extractor options. Even the most discerning modeller should be impressed with the quality and the value.

913 parts comprising twelve tan coloured sprue, four black coloured spurs, a clear sprue, two frets of photo etch, the main lower hull halves and the upper turret half. Price: TBAReview Type: First Look Advantages: High level of detail; convincing surface textures; excellent moulding quality. Disadvantages: Recommendation:

Overall, out of the box, one will not be disappointed at all, with a whole heap of kit in one box. I for one am very keen to make a start on this one in the near future.

Development of the Leopard 2 main battle tank began in 1970. In those days a clash between NATO and the Warsaw Pact was possible and the German Army needed a well protected MBT, which was superior to the models introduced in the Eastern Block. The first prototypes of the Leopard 2 were completed in 1972. In 1977 Bundeswehr initially ordered 1 800 of these main battle tanks to replace the Leopard 1. First production batch of 30 tanks was completed in 1979 and the Leopard 2 was adopted by the German Army the same year. At the time of its introduction the Leopard 2 was a very advanced and successful design, by 1993 German Army operated a total of 2 155 of these MBTs. This vehicle was also exported worldwide, Export operators are Netherlands (445 tanks), Poland, Switzerland (380 tanks, known as the Pz.87), Sweden (160), Spain (650), Turkey and some other countries.

Fire control system, armament, ammunition, transmission and tracks of the Leopard 2 are similar to the US M1 Abrams main battle tank, to simplify maintenance. This MBT has a welded hull and turret, composite armour of the Leopard 2 tank is similar to British Chobham. It offers good protection against armour-piercing rounds and ATGWs. Vehicle is fitted with NBC protection system and automatic fire suppression systems. The Leopard 2 main battle tank is armed with a fully-stabilized Rheinmetall RH-M-120 120-mm smooth bore gun. Vehicle carries 42 rounds for the main gun. 15 rounds are stored in the turret bustle, while the rest are carried in front of the hull. The turret bustle is separated from the fighting compartment and has a blow-out panels. The Leopard 2 normally uses two types of ammunition - the APFSDS-T and HEAT-MP-T rounds. The APFSDS-T round penetrates around 450 mm of rolled homogeneous armour equivalency at 2 000 m range. Since its introduction some generations of APFSDS-T rounds were developed and used by the German Army. Germans estimated that their Leopard 2 tank could penetrate frontal armour of the Soviet T-72 tank at a range of 2 000 meters and frontal armour of the T-62 tank at a range of over 4 000 meters. The HEAT-MP-T round is effective against both soft and hard targets.

Secondary armament consists of two 7.62 mm machine guns. One of them is coaxial, while another is mounted on top of the roof. The Leopard-2 has a crew of four, including commander, gunner, loader and driver. One interesting feature about this main battle tank, that it has an escape hatch in the floor behind the driver. This main battle tank has a crew of four, including commander, gunner, loader and driver. Vehicle is powered by MB-837 Ka501 turbocharged diesel engine, developing 1 500 horsepower. The Leopard 2 can be fitted with a deep wading kit. After preparation it can ford water obstacles up to 4 m deep.

Variants

Leopard 2A1, has improved armor protection. A number of components were improved in order to make them more reliable; Leopard 2A2, fitted with improved sights; Leopard 2A3, fitted with improved communications equipment and improved parking brake; Leopard 2A4, fitted with new digital fire control system and improved turret with more armour, it was the most widespread version of this tank.

Its production commenced in 1985 and ceased in 1992. All the previous models were upgraded to this standard. It was produced in Switzerland under license as the Pz 87. It looks like the Leopard 2A4 saw its first combat debut in 2016 during Turkish operation in Syria, a number of these tanks were lost to anti-tank guided missiles, Leopard 2A5 and Leopard 2A6 are radically improved versions, Leopard 2A7 a proposed upgrade package for existing MBTs, which includes additional armour, additional cameras for long-range surveillance, advanced command and control equipment and some other improvements.

Bundeswehr plans to upgrade about 50 - 150 Leopard tanks to the 2A7 standard. Leopard 2 PSO, a version optimised for urban and peacekeeping operations. It was developed as a private venture, this MBT has increased protection against IEDs and RPGs;

Do we need a good Leopard 2A4?

"We need a good, accurate, Leopard 2A4." This is what I wrote when I reviewed Revell's last 2A4 (kit no. 03193). This iconic tank has been poorly treated in 1.35 scale plastic, so has Meng come to the rescue? Let us see what we get.

What's in the German main battle tank Leopard 2 A4 ts

German Main Battle Tank Leopard 2 A4 TS-016 1:35 Full kit 2015 | Initial release - new tool 4897038550715 (EAN) Plastic sprue, Photoetched fret, Rope, Decalsheet (waterslide), Decalsheet (stickers), Vinyl

Are grab handles a problem with a Leopard 2 turret?

Grab handles are solid but are easily replaced with wire. One thing might be a problem. Leopard 2 has a large turret and a common complaint - in all Leopard 2 kits - is that the hull top sags when the turret is mounted, meaning the long turret bustle often touches down on the rear deck.

How many batches did Leopard 2 have?

Leopard 2 was built in eight batches. Batch 6 and 7 introduced the same style heavy front skirts (the first three panels) that were developed for 2A6 and 2A6. The rear sections stayed the same. For Batch 8, the entire skirt matched 2A5/2A6. The Batch 8 skirts do not need the bracketry on the hull of the early skirts.