1:72 German Army Leopard 1A5

The Leopard after the modernization of the 1980s

The 1A5 version was the last major transformation the German Leopard 1 went through. From the end of the 1980s the Bundeswehr rebuilt a large part of its fleet: the turret received a new sighting suite with thermal imaging that allowed firing in the dark and in smoke, the stowage of ammunition was changed inside and mounts for add-on armor appeared on the exterior. The 105 millimeter gun remained, because it was still effective enough against the targets of its day.

The vehicle thus received a second life. When the German army shrank after unification, the modernized vehicles went into the inventories of other states in Europe and South America, and in some of them they serve to this day. At the same time the silhouette with its angular welded turret and low front stayed the one that tank crews had known since the 1960s.

The model in 1:72 measures around nine centimeters in length, so it fits into a display case as well as into a smaller setting with infantry. In the package you will find injection-molded plastic parts on frames, decals and instructions; assembling it, filling the seams and painting it is up to the modeler, as it is not a finished toy.

For the finish there is a choice between the single-color olive of earlier years and the three-color NATO camouflage. The second option gains a great deal in the small scale if the edges between the tones are left soft.

A small ratio forgives less than it seems. It pays to thin the fenders down, sharpen the edges of the grilles over the engine and replace the tow cable with twisted thread. Three small things that, on nine centimeters, do more for the impression than complicated shading of a surface.