Kit Review

Review of 1/72 scale kit

HaT Industrie British Mortars in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 3 Comments

I finally got around to painting up some mortar teams for my British Army units for Normandy. These plastic figures are great value as you get 4 complete mortars and a whole bunch of crew, radio operators and officers with binoculars. I think for under $10 a box (i picked mine up from Hannants on line) they will make an excellent mortar battery for your infantry company.

Image result for hat british mortars

It means that you can vary your set up with each mortar and make each base a little different. The detail is not that great, but, in plastic, and for that price you cant do much better. I think other metal manufacturers will do a sharper job but you will pay lots more. The facial detail is particularly lacking and you end up almost painting features on some of them which isn’t ideal. I based my guys on MDF as usual and mixed up the poses to create four different scenes. Another blogger had given me a good tip for using gauze or crepe bandage as camo netting, so i applied some to the helmets of some of my mortar crew. A few highlights and they look pretty good. Also with my new magnifying glass i was able to paint some maps as the spotter checks his coordinates. I also added some boxes and bits and pieces. Happy the way they came out and i always prefer to have my mortars on the board. I used an officer and a radio man as the forward observer. The only thing i may change is the plastic radio aerial which is way too thick.

Below are some photos of my finished teams. Also i based my Revell Tiger tank and did some more weathering and dirt. He is in there somewhere with his buddy the Zvezda Tiger.

 

 

Esci Kubelwagens and Airfix SdKfz.222

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A while back i bought two of these Airfix German Reconnaissance sets from Hannants, mainly because they were on sale and a bargain too good to be missed. Even though they were listed as 1/76 scale i thought i could fit them in somehow. On opening up and building these little models i realised that the Kubelwagen included was just so tiny and a really bad looking model that i could not use it after it. The SdKfz.222 is a very average kit but once he is painted up he is passable. Luckily i have a couple of Dragon small armoured cars i will be building soon which will probably replace this guy.

Airfix A02312 1/76 Scale Model Kit - WW2 GERMAN RECONNAISSANCE SET

So i still needed Kubelwagens for my officers and forward observers. I soon found some Esci Kubelwagens on sale at Lucky Model in Hong Kong and picked up three boxes of them for bugger all, and you get two vehicles per box which is a bonus. Super easy to build and so much better than the Airfix version. They are only a few parts, which is not a surprise being a little car really, and can be modelled with their canvas roof fully up or totally retracted. I wanted to see my occupants so kept the roofs down in both my builds. You get a few decals too which is nice, but i ended up using my Airfix ones instead. I gave them a two colour stripey camo scheme over the usual dunkelb base coat.

One Kubelwagen is transporting a couple of very important generals while the other has a forward observer unit. The dude in the front has his radio headphones on (Bose wireless i think) and the guy in the back is at the ready with his MP40 and his feet on the seats. Figures are all from the great AB Figures and fit beautifully. Although i did have to glue the front seats back a bit in one so the long legs of the front occupants would fit. You could cut their feet off i guess but how will they drive without any feet….

 

 

 

 

 

Revell PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf E in 1/72 scale

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My second Tiger tank build this time from Revell, after having a mixed experience with the snap together Zvezda kit a few months ago. Revell make really nice kits and this Tiger is no exception.

It’s a really easy kit to build with most of the parts being in the tracks. I managed to make a mess and misread the instructions and get the tracks on the wrong side. After completing nearly one whole side i had to take them all off again and in the process had to sling a few track links. This meant that i didn’t have enough links for the turret tracks which had to be replaced by some spare metal Panther tracks i had…. So that was the only tricky bit and mainly to do with my own lack of focus!

The whole kit goes together really nicely and easily with great detail. I think you can model the commander’s hatch open if you like. Kit comes with a few decals, only a couple of turret number options, but that will do. This Tiger is super solid, only the turret MG is delicate, so i did not see the need for a base. I just went with a plain dunkelb paint job, mainly as i was tired of painting camo schemes and needed a break! I need a couple more Tigers to make up my troop so next will try a Trumpeter version and might spend a bit more money on a Dragon kit too…….

Here is my Tiger wandering the lanes and fields of Normandy.

The Plastic Soldier Company Churchill Tanks in 1/72 Scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 2 Comments

One of the most distinctive and original tanks of World War Two and one of my personal favourites please meet Mr Churchill. Choices to build Churchills in 1/72 scale are quite limited. You can have a go at the old Airfix in 1/76 scale, but that kit is really out of date and probably worth avoiding. Your only other choices are the Italeri model which seems to be very hard to find or a Dragon version or two, which usually end up being overpriced.

So great news that the Plastic Soldier Company have a two tank box of Churchills. You get the option to build four different versions, basically by giving you four different gun barrels. I went with the 75mm and the 105mm support gun. Value wise they are definitely better than buying two Dragon kits. They are just great little models, awesome chunky detail, they really capture the essence of these super cool tanks. As always with Plastic Soldier Kits they are easy to put together, so it doesn’t take long before you can get them into the action. You get some extra track to add on to the sides and the turret plus a commander figure if you want to leave the hatches open. Would be nice to have two different commanders to mix things up.

Painting was easy. A black undercoat, followed by an olive drab top coat. Then a black/brown wash and an olive drab highlight. I used some Plastic Soldier Company decals plus some Airfix numbers i found that looked good down the side of the vehicles. Some dark brown and light brown muddy bits finished him off. Check out my photos below. You can also see the comparison to my other Dragon Churchill in one of the pictures. I think if you need Churchills get a couple of boxes of these, they are better than anything else out there!

Pegasus Waffen SS Set 1 Part 2

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 8 Comments

 

Well it’s nice to get back to my dining room table and finish some stuff off. These figures by Pegasus have been hanging around for weeks as i struggle with painting German camouflage schemes on tiny dudes! I painted around ten of them a few months back but needed to finish off the rest of the platoon. They really are nice figures and i think probably the best Germans you will find in plastic. Lots of great detail, and numerous different, useful and realistic poses. Quality wise they are on a par with the better metal figures out there. These are great value for money when you compare to their metal brothers. I also have Set 2 in my treasure trove out the back, so will crack on with that when i get the chance.

Mounting plastic onto 10 cent pieces gives them some weight that i like on the table. Less chance of them taking an impromptu nap while on the job. I used an olive green base with camo brown and dark green splotches, then followed up with further contrasting dots of all three colours. It’s a real pain in the ass, and takes me hours to do, but i kind of like how these guys turned out in the end. Probably worth the effort, although my eyeballs may disagree. Its not oak leaf, its not pea dot, i am not really sure what it is, but it looks good enough for me.

The lads below have just jumped out of the Opel Blitz trucks (Pegasus again) at a dodgy looking bridge, which could be primed for an ambush…. Better be safe than sorry and lob a few grenades in there first. If nothing else you may catch a few fish.

Unimodel M36 Tank Destroyer in 1/72 scale

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I actually got the next bit all wrong. What i really wanted was an Achilles Tank Destroyer for my British forces in Normandy. What i managed to buy was an M36 Tank Destroyer which i don’t think was even used by the Brits much. Anyway it was too late once i had clicked the order button on my favourite Ukrainian model store’s web site, and soon a couple of M36 kits were on the way across Asia towards Australia. For a wargamer looking for an Achilles or any other M10/M36 variant 1/72 scale in plastic, the options are very few and far between. In fact i am not sure there are any other manufacturers out there who make versions of this tank in plastic.

But who cares i really liked this kit. The more Unimodel kits i build the more i like them. The link and length tracks work well and the bogey wheels all look great. The kit comes with some excellent photo etched details, which although fiddly, really add to the detailed look of the vehicle. I did struggle a bit with getting the headlight protectors looking right, but nothing wrong with a bit of a challenge! The two piece turret needed some extra sanding and work to fit together and also to fit into the hull. Plus the contents of the turret were also a bit tricky and needed some special handling. But it all worked out in the end. There are some excellent pioneer tools to add onto the back, which makes a nice change to the boring moulded on type deal. I also added some rolled up tarps on the roof. The 50 cal Machine Gun looks good on the open turret, and i will be adding some crew men at some point too to finish the whole thing off.

To add to my confusion i kind of mixed up some British insignia on the tank with some US stars that were supplied with the kit. I like the white and yellow stars on Allied tanks, and i didn’t think anyone would object to my decal mixtures. Hey he can fight for the US or the British forces. Win win i say. Check out the photos below!

Zvezda Pak 36 Anti Tank Gun in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 3 Comments

Zvezda make some cool kits aimed at wargamers under the “Art Of Tactic” banner. Their Pak 36 Anti Tank Gun is great value and easily the cheapest option in plastic. It is such a tiny little gun there is not much point in spending big on any metal versions when you can pick one up with a couple of crew for less than $5. This kit from Zvezda comes in their usual grey plastic and takes literally seconds to put together. Detail is good, and at this scale i am not sure you could get any more detail onto the model anyway. The two man crew does the job, but i added a third crew man with binoculars. I think he came from another Zvezda kit so he fitted in nicely to make up the trio. It would be good to have a limbered version of this gun so when moving around behind his transport so i don’t have the crew all sitting there on the same base. It looks a bit weird. I might have to buy another kit for this purpose. So here is my “door knocker”, as the Pak 36 was called, covering a wheat field from among the bocage, with his Horch car ready to get him out of there in a rush if things get too hot…….

Revell PzKpfw III Ausf M in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 1 Comment

I had never made a model from German manufacturer Revell before but had read many good reports on most of their kits. The Panzer 3 Ausf M kit has always got rave reviews around the internet. I needed another to add to my two S-Model quick build kits and make a troop of three tanks. So i picked one up from Lucky Models in Hong Kong. Not the cheapest kits out there, but you really get what you pay for and this Revell model is worth every penny, or dollar.

There is nothing to say about this kit but good things. The wheels and lower hull go together nicely and everything is easy to align. The link and length tracks are the best i have made yet, and make it easy to make great looking tracks. I didn’t follow the instructions at this stage as i felt it would be easier to put the tracks on first before adding the upper hull. This was opposite to the guide. The upper hull has lots of detail to add including extra wheels and tow cables. The tank has a great little rear exhaust system and schurzen plates for the hull and turret. Extra track is supplied for the front of the vehicle plus some good decals with a couple of different options. You could leave the schurzen plates off if you wanted to make a less armoured version.

I gave him a black undercoat, a spray in Tamiya dark yellow, then did a two colour camouflage scheme based on the painting suggestion with the instructions. I painted the side schurzen plates separately before attaching them last so i could get the main tank painted more easily. Based as usual on MDF with some greenery he is ready to go with my other panzers! I have a Revell Tiger somewhere in my stocks so i am very excited to get on with building that now i know how good these kits are.

Hope you like the pictures below! Colonel M

In The Greenwood Laser Buildings Part 2

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 1 Comment

I finished the second building i had bought from In The Greenwood and was very happy how it turned out. This was was the Victorian Terrace with some nice looking bay windows. Flat packed brilliantly into a small cardboard box these kits are really cool. They scale out quite nicely to my 1/72 scale stuff, i think being around 110 – 115mm high. Only costing around $20 on line, probably less now since Brexit, they are really good value compared to other MDF and resin model buildings.

Quite easy to build, i only struggled a bit with the bay windows, and didn’t get them totally square or straight….. next time i will do better. Although the designs are not necessarily for Normandy they fit in really well with all my other buildings, most of which are home made. The addition of some French looking adverts and signs will help the houses blend into the Normandy countryside. I have a corner shop left to build which i will get to next.

The backyards are particularly nice, with some sheds and outbuildings. I added a path and some grass out back to the rear gates. Just ready for some troops to hide out there ready for action…… Its turning into a smart looking MDF street.

 

 

 

Dragon Models Sherman M4A3 (105mm) 1/72 scale

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You can never have enough Sherman tanks. Ever. There is always room for another Sherman in the far corners of your tank units. This one is the up gunned M4A3 with a 105mm howitzer from Dragon Models. This tank was mainly used by US forces and from what i have read sometimes showed up with Canadian tank units. Mine was going to join my British forces, probably on loan or stolen or something like that.

My experience with Dragon Models has always been great. It’s been a love love relationship. However, this little Sherman changed all that. Dragon kits are always more expensive than others but you get a better standard of detail and their kits are usually great to put together. This Sherman kit had a couple of nagging problems that made it hard work. First up the lower hull section is too long for the top half of the hull and the two do not fit together. I had to shave off at least 3mm off its rear lower hull to get the top half of the hull to fit. After sanding off the back the rear vent section did not have enough room to fit over the exhausts and so had to be cut in half. Annoying. My other gripe was that the tracks were too short, even after i stretched them by hand. The Dragon track do not stretch much, and they ended up around 1 track link too short. I added in bits of a Unimodel M10 kit which filled in the track link gaps i was left with. Please Dragon make your tracks a little bit on the long side, then at least you can cut them down.

My whining aside the kit turned out really well, great detail and everything else you would expect from Dragon’s usual offerings. I added a British tank commander from Battlefield miniatures but kept the decals from the kit with US markings. Confusing i know but i really liked the decals and the big yellow “15”. Painted in the usual olive drab with some muddy weathering and MDF base i was pretty happy with the final result. You can never have enough Shermans whoever you are……