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Two scales, and the tracks are the real difference

The best tank and armor kits for 2026

Armor splits cleanly into two scales, and the price gap between them is smaller than the work gap. At 1:72 the Revell Leopard 2 A6/A6M sits beside the Tiger and its 180 parts — a tank that fits a postcard and builds in two sittings. At 1:35, the standard of the subject, the Revell Leopard 2 A6M+ carries 250 parts, the Leopard 1,260 parts, the GTK Boxer 223 parts, the Italeri Tiger I Ausf. E, and TAMIYA's long catalog sits underneath — the Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf. F/G, the Panther A, the Panzer IV Ausf. D, the M41 Walker Bulldog. TAMIYA also sells the 7.5 cm (3 in) PAK 40 gun on its own, which is the cheapest thing on this site that is unmistakably a 1:35 model. The figure that decides the last third of the build is the tracks: Revell prints « Vinylkette » on the Leopard 1 — a flexible one-piece band that goes on in a minute — while a link-and-length or individual-link set is hundreds of parts the box count already includes. The turret is the other printed detail, « drehbarer Turm » on the same kit, and it is either on a pin or glued. Decal versions matter more here than on any other shelf: the Leopard 1 arrives with markings for German, Belgian and Dutch vehicles, which is three finished models in one box. And one warning the corpus makes unavoidable: Nifeliz, Reobrix and YILETKC sell Tiger and Leopard brick sets, counted in 1,009 or 1,267 pieces. They are not plastic kits, they take no paint, and this site does not serve them. We compare scale, parts count, track type, turret movement, decal versions and age mark.

By

Every figure this shelf publishes, in one table

  1. Italeri 6754

    1:35, 24.1 cm (9.5 in) finished, step-by-step illustrated instructions, no tools or paint included

    A published 24.1 cm (9.5 in) finished length, and a listing that states plainly what is not in the box.

    Best for: A 1:35 Tiger I bought on a known finished length, by somebody who already owns the glue

    ≈ $44

    Check price on Amazon Read the review: Italeri 6754

Who each type suits

First tank
A box with a modest part count and link-and-length tracks already supplied as two bendable runs. Track assembly is where armor builds are abandoned, and this avoids it entirely.
Wants a diorama piece
Two listings include crew figures, stated in the title. A tank with nobody near it reads as a museum exhibit, and the figures set the scale for the viewer.
After the markings
Three boxes publish how many national versions the sheet covers. For a modeller chasing a specific battalion, that count is the whole reason to pick one box over another.

The trade-offs to weigh

1:35 against everything else
Eleven of twelve state a scale, and 1:35 dominates the shelf. It gives the most aftermarket support and the most detail, and it also gives the largest object to find a home for.
Bendable track against individual links
Five listings describe a two-part bendable run. It fits in an afternoon and will never sag over the return rollers the way individual links can be made to.
Finished length is nearly never printed
Only two boxes give one. For a shelf of fixed depth that is the figure you actually need, and the scale plus the real vehicle’s length is the only way to get at it.

The questions that come up

Why is 1:35 the standard for tanks?

Eleven of the twelve listings here state a scale, and the shelf is built on it. It is large enough for separate hatches and tools, and it is the scale the figure ranges are made in.

How long does a tank kit take?

Part counts here span a wide range and no box prints a time. A kit with bendable tracks and a few hundred parts is several evenings; individual links add several more on their own.

Do the turrets move on a finished model?

Four listings say the turret turns and the gun elevates. It is a feature of the mold, not of the assembly, so it survives painting if the glue stays off the mount.

Are the tracks the hard part?

They are the part most often left unfinished. A two-part bendable run is the gentle version; individual links give a better sag and ask for a jig and an evening.

Is paint included?

Six listings state outright that paint and glue are not. Armor wants a primer, a base coat and something for a wash, which is three purchases rather than one.

What does the skill level on the box mean?

Three boxes publish one on the maker’s own scale. It ranks that maker’s own range and says nothing about another brand’s numbering.

The essentials, in short

Six of the twelve print a part count, and they are the most usefully spread figures on this shelf: no two are the same, so the range runs from a few evenings to a long winter. Eleven publish a scale, nearly all 1:35, and only two print a finished length — so measure the shelf from the real vehicle and the scale before the box arrives.

Two numbers can turn up on this page and only one of them is live: anything written into a sentence was read on the day that sentence was typed, while the amount shown against the product itself was fetched from the shop while the page was loading.