No one can accuse Panzerkampf of not having a love affair with the Leopard tank. To date, they’ve released something on the order of 20 different Leopards, from the early version 2A4 to the venerable 2A7+. Throughout their production run, one common theme seems to be to release them en masse, offering as many choices as is possible to get the biggest bang for the buck right from the start.
Earlier today, Panzerkampf announced a further six models of the early version Leopard 2A4 main battle tank are in the works, all destined for a summer release. The six are shown here, all resplendent in differing camouflage schemes and operated by several user nations.
We applaud the decision to return to their roots by once again tapping the early version Leopard as their latest 1:72 scale release. The problem, as we see it, is that the 2A4 is getting a little long in the tooth, particularly when other more current versions of the tank are being fielded by several NATO nations (see accompanying video). Moreover, I’m not certain how many people are clamoring for either a Turkish or Finnish version of an older AFV, when other tanks, in particular the German Panther and MERTE tanks, are in development. Time will tell if this represents a good move for them as well as the hobby in general.
Takeaway: There seems to be a recurring theme going on over the last few blog posts whereby I have continually showed mixed emotions over the latest hardware coming out from several manufacturers. Don’t get me wrong. Its always refreshing to see new product in the pipeline — its just that certain manufacturers seem to feel as if they know better by releasing product THEY think will sell instead of asking dealers about their experiences with certain product or taking note of historical trends that influence buying decisions. Offering more 1:72 scale Leopard 2 tanks when there are so many other subjects to explore is lazy at best and leads to apathy that is difficult to reverse. If kits are needed to build a diecast product, then it may be preferable to wait for one to surface instead of going back to the well over and over again and re-using that which should be taken out back and shot out of mercy.