Ordnance QF 2 Pounder British Anti-Tank Gun
Vulcan Scale Models 1:35 Kit #56001
Review by Alistair Morton

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To my knowledge this is the first 2pdr in 1:35th to be released in plastic, I was very surprised to find it being the first release for a new manufacture. Being from an unknown company, there was a touch of trepidation when I received the kit, however new manufactures are always welcome and I believed anything British/Commonwealth should be doubly welcomed.

The kit is of the MkIX on the British Ordnance QF 2 Pounder Anti-Tank Gun on MkII carrage, although from my limited references it appears it may be the MkIXa carriage.

The box art does not create the best first impression, being at best a representation of a 2pdr partly buried in the desert sand and crewed by a gunner and his pet hobbit. So what’s in the box? There are 126 parts moulded in a light grey plastic which is slightly translucent in the thinner parts such as the large gun shield.

There was no flash on my kit with just the usual moulding seams and the quality of the moulding overall was first class. The sprue attachment gates are a little thick and in some instances impinge on the detail, however the plastic is quite soft so removal and clean up is not too difficult. There were a few sink holes on some of the thicker parts, namely the main gun housing and the rear carriage foot, but it is easily fixed with a bit of milliput.

The fit of parts poses no problems with of the minimal amount of filler required. The details are well done, with the hand wheels particularly well done although there is a difficult seam line to deal with. The shield is commendably thin and works well straight from the box although you may wish to add the two stoppers to the top section of the shield that prevents the top half folding completely flat and fouling the gun. The wheels are multipart, using the same sandwich method that we have seen from Dragon and Lion Roar recently and the end result is very good. They represent the later pattern hub common in the North Africa campaign; I have yet to see this pattern hub in BEF service as available photos show the earlier perforated rims.

You are given the option of firing or travel mode, however the sight is moulded to the mount and it will need a bit of work to remove. Spare ammo boxes (open and closed) are included together with used (with hollow ends) and unused rounds, which is a bonus.

I am extremely pleased with the kit, the detail is well executed, the fit poses no problems and the instructions make the whole building process trouble free. Based on pictures of the gun at Firepower Museum in Woolwich and some rescaled Ken Musgrave plans (from an old issue of Military Modelling) the kit appears to be accurate in both scale and detail. The kit builds into a sound representation of the most common variant of the 2pdr as seen in Commonwealth service in North Africa.

No figures are included, although Vulcan Models second release will be a set of crew figures for the gun.

Overall view of assemble gun


The instructions are very well printed and are extremely helpful in building the kit. Although the completed kit is rather small, there is a wealth of parts and I found myself having to refer to the instruction for clarification.

Vulcan Models should be extremely pleased this first release as will most Allied modellers. Hopefully this is just the start of a range of Allied artillery (anti tank or any other type) and I look forward to their next release.

Very highly recommended

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Detail Images

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The 2-pounder Anti-Tank Gun in Canadian Service Canada's Weapons of War Series, No.021 Service Publications

Toadman's Photo Detail CD #10 BRITISH WORLD WAR II ANTI-TANK GUNS IN DETAIL: 2-PDR MK II, 6-PDR MK IV, AND 17-PDR MK I

Thanks to Vulcan Scale Models for the review kit.