A Czech-ered Turtle!
Mark Bannerman
Builds Takom’s 1:35 scale kit for
the unusual looking
Skoda PA-II Armoured Car.
TOP: Skoda PA-IIs on manoeuvres. The figure is a Hornet offering and is painted in oils. (Image courtesy of Photoshop)
ABOVE: A Czech PA-II of the Assault Vehicles Regiment, 1931.
(Photo source unknown)
Developed by the Skoda Company of Czechoslovakia in the 1930s, the PA-II Armoured Car was the offspring of an earlier experimental PA-I model which was developed in 1923. The PA-II variant shared the same chassis as its predecessor but the armoured body was entirely new. The curved armour was cast and was 5.5mm at the thickest point. All the parts were riveted on a steel frame built above the chassis. The PA-II was designed with two centrally located driver seats – one facing the front the other facing the rear. The armament consisted of four machine guns which were liquid-cooled Schwarzlose MG.08 type. The machine guns were mounted in ball-mounts, having some limited elevation/depression and traverse and were operated by two gunners. Small cupolas, which were opened by sliding flat, were used by the commander to direct fire from the roof. The Skoda 4-cylinder 9,730cc 70hp engine was located in the centre, right below the fighting compartment, and the vehicle’s top speed was 70kph (44mph). The Skoda PA-II was produced initially in small numbers and the first evidence of operational service was in Austria when three were sold to Vienna’s police forces in 1927. It was only in 1937 when the PA-II was adopted and entered service with the Czech police and designated the OA vz.23 (nicknamed the “Turtle”). It was not until 1939 that the Wehrmacht confiscated the PA-II for its own purposes, modified these with radio capacity and used them operationally until 1945 in France and Russia. The PA-II was crewed by five (two drivers, two gunners and a commander), with a weight of 7.36-tons and a range of 250km.
ABOVE: Box art for the newly released Takom Skoda PA-II in 1:35 scale.
The model
This is a recent release by Takom of a truly unusual and futuristic looking vehicle. The offering is quite basic and includes a fully moulded one-piece hull, five sprues, vinyl tyres, a set of very nicely printed markings and a booklet containing the instructions in very clear photos. There is also a foldout colour profile sheet showing the various camouflage patterns and markings. The moulding is superbly rendered and the detail is as good as any model out there by other popular manufacturers. I was quite impressed at the level of detail.
Above:
A superb photo of a PA-II belonging to the Assault Vehicles through the small slit under the machine gun does not appear to be very favourable! (Photo source unknown)
Above:
A superb example of a PA-II. Note the interior of the side door has also been painted in the camouflage scheme. (Photo source unknown)
Assemby
The construction took two evenings and consists of 11 fairly straightforward steps. The only issue I had was attaching the four-part turret to the hull. It was not a perfect fit and some sanding and filler was necessary. The best approach is to build the turret and then glue down one of the quadrants of the turret to the upper hull, ensure a good fit, then allow drying before working on the opposite quadrant and repeating the steps. If one quadrant does not fit perfectly, use liquid glue on the joint to loosen it up and then refit. Fortunately, the turret is not sturdy so it is possible to slightly bend and manipulate it so that it can be placed in and glued with a good fit. It took a bit of fiddling and pure patience but it all worked out in the end. While I really did enjoy the model’s assembly, my only disappointment was the lack of an interior. In fact, it would have been really beneficial if the side exit doors had not been moulded to the model so that the modeller could have decked out the interior. While the interior of the real PA-II was relatively rudimentary, it would have been a nice feature. The other small disappointment was the lack of plastic tyres. Although the vinyl tyres are remarkably well moulded with nice tread detail and pattern, plastic wheels would have been far more consistent with the quality offering provided in the box. On the other hand, I suspect the after-market resin industry will be releasing a set for this kit shortly. Overall, an easy build, excellent detail, and a very unusual futuristic looking ‘Jules Verne’ subject that happens to fall right into my area of interest.
Above:
The chassis is a simple affair and the model is designed so that the
modeller can articulate the wheels.
Above:
A PA-II on manoeuvres in 1930. (Photo source unknown)
Above:
The chassis itself is two parts and connects at the mid-point. It is important to glue the two halves together while the wheels are temporarily affixed and on a flat surface.
Painting
Above:
t took several attempts to get the hull and turret to match. I still needed to use filler to correct a few small blemishes.
Above:
The headlights are superbly rendered and the modeller has the choice of using either clear plastic lenses or pot covers.
Above:
A PA-II in German service. The Wehrmacht confiscated several PA-IIs for its own purposes and they were used right to the end of the war. It appears from this photo that the vehicle has been repainted with only some evidence of the original Czech camouflage showing through.
Although one could paint this model in overall German grey (a German radio antenna is included in the kit), I tend to think that a model like this should be the perfect canvas to test your painting and finishing skills as much as possible. It is the perfect model to do so and will certainly render it as a more visually appealing model in its unusual 5-colour and demarcation camouflage pattern.
I have done a few of these camouflage patterns in the past and while these do take a bit more time to paint, the results are so much more gratifying. The one advantage is that if the camouflage pattern does not quite turn out as planned, a German grey overspray can provide the fix! With the model built and ready for paint, I submerged the model into warm water with a little washing-up liquid to clean off specs of dust, resin and general grime. Once dry, I primed the entire model in Tamiya White Primer in two lights coats ensuring a good coverage. The vinyl tyres and the machine guns were not glued on at this point and would be far easier to work on separately from the model. The next step was deciding on paint and how to approach a seemingly complicated camouflage pattern. The small booklet included in the model provides four different camouflage patterns, using the same five colours, but with just a different placement of the patterns.
I did considerable research and my deduction from analyzing historical photos of the PA-II is that the patterns should not be quite as tight as depicted in the Takom leaflet. In fact, the Takom artwork on the box which shows larger and fewer patterns is much closer and more accurate to the actual patterns as per the period photos I have studied. As a side note, the PA-II is not well documented on the Internet (historical information, development, data. stats etc.) but photos are plentiful.
I contacted my Czech colleagues (thank you Lukas Baka and Patric Franek!) to ask for information related to colours used on vehicle in Czech service. Accordingly, there were three primary colours which were used together on almost all Czech armour: grass green, mid-ochre sand and dark red-brown. On the PA-II, two additional colours were also added (and similar to some other vehicles such as the Vickers). These were mid-grey and dark green. Apparently, the artwork on the Takom box cover is a very good representation of the tones of the colours used.
I wanted to use both an airbrush (larger patterns) and hand brushing (smaller tighter patterns) for this project. My experience with multi-coloured camouflage is that it is far more effective to apply the colours from light to dark. The reason for this is that applying lighter colours (i.e. ochre or light grey) on top of a darker colour (dark green) will typically always make the lighter colour look darker than it really is. Of course, if one applied three or four layers of ochre or grey, then it would obliterate the underlying darker colour.
However, it is not usually advantageous to add three or four layers of any paint to a model otherwise it will hide the subtle details on the surface of the model. One colour that appears to cover 10-15% of the model is mid-grey. This is a great colour to start with because it is relatively neutral and will not change the appearance of any subsequent paint. I airbrushed the entire model in two light coats of Tamiya Medium Grey XF-20 and allowed this to dry for 1-hour. I had ordered a set of airbrush camo-mask from J’s Work for a Czech LT Vz 35 and decided to make use of the set. I peeled off a few patterns and placed these on the model where I would want the grey colour to appear in its final painted state. I only placed eight or nine of these templates ensuring these were well spread out. For the next colour – the yellow ochre – I decided to use Vallejo acrylic paints.
Above:
The fourth colour was Vallejo Hull Red 985. All paints were mixed with 20% water
and airbrushed in two light coats.
Above:
The pre-cut camouflage templates were removed using a toothpick.
Above:
The colours appeared very stark but would be muted later on with some carefully applied filters.
I did not have the airbrush-type of Vallejo paint but had read that the regular brush painting Vallejo paint can be successfully airbrushed if properly thinned. I tested some of the paint and if mixed with 20% tap water, it works like a charm. I proceeded to airbrush the model using Vallejo Japanese Uniform 923 and this I applied in two coats. I was quite impressed at how well the paint flowed and adhered to the surface without any glitches.
I repeated the process by adding more J’s Work pre-cut camouflage templates and added these to the model where I wanted the yellow ochre to show through. For the next colour, I used a combination of Vallejo Russian Uniform 924 mixed with Vallejo White in a 4:6 ratio to create the light grass green colour and again airbrushed this onto the model in two light coats. I added some more pre-cut templates and this time airbrushed Vallejo Hull Red 985 to the whole model. Again, I added 20% water and airbrushed the model in two light coats.
Above:
The vehicle was not designed for off-road travel but appears to have a relatively high
ground clearance. (Photo source unknown)
Above:
This photo of a German officer next to a PA-II provides an appreciation of the vehicle’s large size. (Photo source unknown)
Above:
The last colour – Vallejo Extra Dark Green 896 – was brushed on using a small mix of water to keep the paint flowing and from drying too quickly.
I allowed this to dry overnight and the next day, I peeled back all of the pre-cut templates to reveal a model that did not look as nice as I initially thought it would. The four colours looked distinctly odd! Admittedly though, anytime I have ever done a multi-coloured camouflage pattern, I am never happy with the immediate outcome when I peel back tape or pre-cut templates. With one more colour remaining to be applied – dark green – I decided to brush paint this colour onto the model. I decided to hand brush for two reasons: the first is that the pre-cut templates will not necessarily fit precisely where I want to cover the hull red colour and hand brushing will give me far more control to paint over any existing colour on the model that needed to be tweaked or modified. My colour of choice was Vallejo Extra Dark Green 896. With a few drops of water to help the paint flow, I started the process of brushing and filling in the gaps, as it were, and placing the dark green colour adjacent to existing colours on the model, always ensuring that no two same colours were bordering each other.
Above:
I recommend putting Vallejo paints in a metal cup to keep them from drying out too quickly.
It is important to keep mixing in a few drops of water to keep the paint smooth and wet.
Above:
Note the large pattern of the camouflage. Also, the machine guns appear to have also received some camouflage paint. (Photo source unknown)
This was actually a very enjoyable process because the model now began to take on some life. The same treatment for putting the colours down was applied to the wheels. With the paint dry, I added the markings. The model offers the following options: Police HQ Moravska Ostrava 1937; Training Squadron of Armoured Cars Milovice 1932; Assault Vehicles Regiment Milovice 1925-32 Panzerspahwagen Skoda PA-II (FU) 4 Rad French Campaign 1940.
Above:
Two coats of paint were brushed on so that any brush marks were eliminated
and underlying paint did not show through.
Above:
One can only tell where the touch-ups are required once the paint has fully cured.
I opted with the Assault Vehicles Regiment Milovice because I had several period photos of this particular vehicle and was able to follow as closely as possible the camouflage pattern. On the markings, I have started the habit of cutting off the carrier film that usually protrudes from a decal. I usually trim using a very sharp hobby knife blade and this goes a long way to eliminating those silver or opaque strips of film around decals markings.
Above:
Touch-ups are an important part of the hand brushing process.
Above:
The model with the five-colour camouflage pattern applied.
Above:
Close-up photo of a PA-II on training exercises. (Photo source unknown)
The last step before moving on to the weathering is the demarcation line around the patterns. I used Faber-Castell pens that can be purchased at any well-stocked hobby store. They come in various thicknesses and the one that I tend to gravitate to is a size ‘b’ pen. Once the ink is down on the surface it dries straight away and is then completely impervious to enamel or acrylic thinners.
Above:
For my filters, I used three colours: Humbrol 29, 160 and 170. Any dark brown or grey colour will suffice on a multi-coloured vehicle. This step is critical to muting the stark nature of the vibrant base colours.
Above:
The wheels received the same painting treatment as the vehicle.
Above:
The interior of the headlight pots were painted using a Tamiya Chrome Silver X-11 Paint Marker pen.
Weathering
For my filters, I used three colours: Humbrol Dark Earth 29, German Camouflage Red Brown 160 and Brown Bess 170. I applied these with a large brush, each paint mixed with 90% Testors’ Thinners and applied once the previous filter was absolutely dry (20-minutes). It is more important to get the consistency of the filter than the actual colours used for the filters. Any brown or greyish brown will do and the consistency is key. Better to apply three light filters of the same colour than to apply one heavy coat. It is quite possible to apply eight or nine filters but it is essential to keep the thinner tinted with paint than the filter being thinned paint.
The difference between a filter and a wash is that the latter is heavier with the paint content in the application. Once the filters had thoroughly dried, I used local washes of Sepia, Raw Umber and Vandyke Brown oil paints to emphasize rivets and panel lines. I can usually get by with just one colour for local washes – Sepia being my favourite as it has a murky dark appearance which works well on any paint colour background from light desert colours to Olive Drab and German Grey. I added a few chips using Vallejo Black Grey and ensured to keep these to a minimum, it is far too easy to go overboard with chips! The machine guns were drilled out with a very fine pin drill and then painted in Vallejo Gloss Black. The vinyl tyres were not primed – instead I started in with pastels directly onto the vinyl which worked very well.
Above:
The machine guns were painted in Vallejo Gloss Black and then dry-brushed with Xtracolor Oily Steel. The black demarcation lines around the camouflage patterns were added with Faber-Castell pens. These pens will not bleed or block up and are completely resistant to any subsequent thinners applied to the model.
Above:
Any blemishes as a result of the filters can be cleaned up with a thinner-moistened brush.
Above:
Faber-Castell pens are perfect to apply the demarcation borders between the camouflage patterns.
Above:
The filters were applied with a large rounded brush and each filter should be thoroughly dry
before applying subsequent filters.
Above:
The local washes are applied in crevices, along panel lines and around rivets.
Above:
The wheels received the same precise treatment as the hull.
My experience with vinyl is that any primer or paint will crack if the vinyl tyres are slightly twisted or bent. I then added copious amounts of powdered pastels of various earth tones and very heavy applications into the suspension system. I have started to use a thin-lipped box cover to do my weathering on so that any loose pastels can be caught and reapplied. The powder was then fixed into place by airbrushing the entire model with Tamiya Thinners. I repeated the steps of adding more pastels onto the model but this time I used a large brush and allowed the Tamiya Thinners to drip from the brush onto the model.
Above:
The headlight would be filled with 5–minute resin epoxy but this step would not be taken until after the model was completely weathered.
Above:
I scrape down various pastel colours – mostly earth coloured pastels – down to a powder and apply to the model with a large brush. I then airbrush Tamiya Thinners to help keep the pastels in place. This will require several applications.
Above:
To emphasize details, I used local washes. For this, I used Sepia,
Raw Umber and Van dyke Brown oil paints.
The thinner will capillary and provide some really neat effects. Just ensure that the thinners do not accumulate in any one place otherwise it could eat right into the base paint or leave a residue of powders that is unrealistically too heavy. A few oil stains were added by flicking diluted Sepia oil paint mixed with Raw Umber oil paints from a dried brush onto the rear part of the model. The last step was applying pastels dry onto more weather-prone areas – particularly the lower half of the model – and then dragging a thinner moistened flat brush in a downward motion to create run-off and rain marks.
Above:
The last step is adding pastels dry without using Tamiya Thinners. One needs to be extra
careful in handling the model after this application.
Above:
I rarely use pre-made pigments as I prefer to use dry pastel chalks. These are not
as strong and can be removed much easier than some of the after-market pigments
I have tried. They are also very inexpensive.
Conclusion
This is a great model and I congratulate Takom for releasing such an odd-looking vehicle! They have really done a magnificent job of it. The thing that does strike me about the model is that the real vehicle was massive – almost the size as a Sherman tank! One just does not get that impression when looking at period photos. I enjoyed the simplicity of the model, the engineering of the parts, the option of allowing the modeller to move the wheels without gluing these in and providing a canvas to test out an unusual camouflage pattern. The price was very reasonable, and it is perfect for any level modeller. While this is my first Takom model build, it certainly won’t be my last! Takom kits are imported into the UK by Pocketbond Ltd, PO Box 80, Welwyn, AL6 0ND. Retail price for the Skoda PA-II (item 2024) is £27.99.
Above:
The completed model Photoshopped into a woodland setting.
Above:
Black and white period photo of the PA-II. (Image courtesy of Photoshop)
Above:
Side view of the “Turtle” in a field somewhere in Czechoslovakia. (Image courtesy of Photoshop)
