This is another of the Verlinden 120mm (1/16) kits that I built for a friend.  The kit is molded in grey-green resin, with most of the larger parts being cast from one-sided, open topped molds.  This means that there is a large plug on the back of the parts that needs to be sanded away.  Smaller parts are cast on little sprues, and can be cleaned up with a knife.

First of all, the kit is described as "Panzer II".  Not Panzer II C, D, F, etc.  The reason is that the kit is not one particular type, but rather a hybrid of features.  I heard that the model was based on a Museum display that was assembled from odds and ends.  Anyway, the kit is sort of the Panzer II C, although it probably should have the earlier rounded transmission cover, or, an uparmored turret front, superstructure and a cupola for the commander.  

Building the hull is a major effort, as all of the armor plates are seperate, ill-fitting parts.  having to sane each one flat on the back doesn't help, either.  The molded backing on the parts is not of a uniform thickness, so you wind up sanding more or less of the hull parts along with the backing.  Once you get the parts cleaned up, be prepared to use a lot of gap filling instant glue and putty.  Most joints are off by 1 to 3 millimeters.

The wheels are next, and these are a MAJOR headache to build.  Each wheel is molded in two halves with a seam down the middle.  The halves do not line up, are of uneven thickness, etc... more filling and sanding.  Why not mold the wheels in one piece with a plug on one part of the tire like everyone else does?  I guess Verlinden figured out that this method sucked, because the spare wheel for the tank's bow is molded in one piece, with minimal cleanup.  Sigh...  The suspension springs need some care, too.  The instructions are only vaguely helpful for assembly, and many parts are either mis-identified, mis drawn, or ignored.  Good luck on the resin individual link tracks.  There are a ton of these, each molded to a massive block.  Lots of work with a saw and super glue.  At least they fit well, although getting them all on is tough since with super glue you have no room to fudge.

The photo-etched parts are not very refined, considering how large the kit is.  Also, they are very thick and have a funny, stepped seam around the edge of each piece.  Most of the photo-etched parts don't fit either.  The edged of the fenders leave a gap where they attach that looks poor.

The turret is one large block, with seperate hatches and gun barrels.  I glued the hatches closed since the turret is molded solid anyway.  Part of the turret bullet splash guard was broken (as were a lot of small surface details).  Packing was pretty basic considering this is a heavy kit.  All of the small parts are in a couple of plastic bags, and the large parts are wrapped together in a sheet of bubble wrap.

By the time I got the kit assembled, I didn't have too much patience for it.  I spray painted it with a can of Testor's Panzer Grey enamel, followed by some airbrushed coats of Tamiya German Grey and Dark Grey to give a faded look.  After some drybrushing and an oil paint wash, I sprayed a little Tamiya Earth over the suspension for a dusty look.

No decals were provided, but some 1/35 Tiger I decals from Tamiya's OLD kit worked well enough.

The kit is sort of impressive due to its size, but it is certainly not a prize winner out of the box.  I spent several months begrudgingly building this thing.  Just completing the kit stock is an effort.  Correcting the many flaws and lack of detail is another story, too.