Kit Review

Review of 1/72 scale kit

Armourfast Panzer IV

~ Colonel Mustard ~ Leave a comment

Armourfast make a big range of awesome kits for the wargamer. They come two tanks in the box for not much more than five dollars per tank. You really cannot get any better value than that anywhere in the 1/72 scale world of plastic models. I bought these Panzer IV’s to join my Italeri Panzer IV and make up a three tank troop. I have also previously blogged about the Armourfast Cromwell tanks, i think my first post back in October.

You know what you will get with Armourfast, two sprues (one per tank), and minimal parts. These panzers can be put together in minutes with their one piece track and running gear, two part hull and maybe four or five piece gun and turret. If you are looking for super detailed, accurate models, then these are not for you. But if you want good looking tanks, affordable, quick to build and ready to roll onto the table, then these are a great product.

Best thing is you can dress them up a bit and add some bells and whistles. Adding some stowage items, a commander in the open hatch, and some decals really makes up for the basic detail of the kits. I added my own stowage from SHQ and Value Gear, commanders from AB figures and Battlefield miniatures, plus decals from my growing bag of spares. I tried out a different camo scheme, which is more of a blotchy three colour as opposed to my usual stripey ideas. Aerials also added from stretched sprue glued into the thoughtfully provided holes.

Overall another great offering from Armourfast and makes me want to run out and try more of their kits. Photos below as my brace of tanks enters the edge of town looking for a scrap……

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Laser Cut MDF Buildings by In The Greenwood

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I had been scratch building all my own Normandy village constructions, but felt i needed to try out something professionally made to balance things out. Oh and i have also got kind of tired of foam board, balsa and modelling clay. On my internet travels i stumbled across the In The Greenwood Ebay shop and then their own web site at http://www.inthegreenwoodlaser.co.uk

They do a range of laser cut MDF buildings in HO scale which are excellent value compared to other companies i had a look at. At around $20 Australian per house i thought this was a pretty good deal, so i ordered three of them. Although I think they are aimed more at Railway people, and are not actually French but rather Victorian, i reckoned i could make them fit into my Normandy landscape without too much problem!

As with other HO Scale manufacturers i have investigated i was worried these buildings would come in too small compared to my own creations and also my range of 1/72 scale models and figures. What a happy chappy i was when they came in around 120mm tall including my extra MDF base and fit perfectly with everything else i had made. The kit comes Ikea style in a flat pack box, amazingly packed in. So i got to work building my first one which was the Victorian Pub. I decided to make it as a restaurant instead.

All the pieces are very cleanly cut and i only had trouble with the bay windows at the front, as the holes in the bottom section did not match up with the holes in the top, so i had to do some carving to get it all to fit together. The instructions follow a step by step process which are a little hard to follow as there are no diagrams, but as long as you are not Stevie Wonder wearing boxing gloves you should be OK. The whole kit goes together with a bit of PVA glue. I added an MDF base to keep it all together, and to create a garden area at the back. One great thing is that the roof can be left removable which is perfect for all you wargamers! I did add some supports inside the roof to give it some extra strength.

My Brasserie painted up nicely and i added a sign on the front and a Martini ad on the side wall, both ideas i borrowed from other designs i have seen out there on the internet. Overall these are great little kits and fit nicely into my village, i am looking forward to making the other two kits i purchased. Check out my village photos below and you can see the MDF constructions fitting nicely into my assortment of home made houses

Airfix Willys Jeep and S-Model Willys Jeep in 1/72 scale

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 3 Comments

The Willys Jeep is an absolute essential to any Allied army group, and let’s face it they are one of the coolest vehicles of World War Two. I just want to keep on buying and building more and more jeeps! You can never have enough jeeps in my opinion, great for loading up mortars, MG Teams and officers who don’t want to get their boots dirty!

The two models i first got my grubby mitts on were from S-Models. Two kits in a box and good value for what you get. You can build your jeeps with a canvas roof or without and a 50 calibre MG instead. The detail is pretty amazing but that does mean the model is quite a fiddly prospect. On both kits i managed to destroy the shovel before even getting it off the sprue. I also managed to snap at least one axle just during removal. The kit also comes with some photo etched parts which get really tiny. It’s worth the effort but you need to bring your tweezers and patience to get it done. The S-Model jeep is excellent and i would highly recommend getting a few. In picture two the S-Model is on the far right.

I also picked up two Willys Jeeps from Airfix and was just as impressed. Less detailed and simpler to put together, compared to the S-Model kits, the end result was just as good. If you prefer an easier kit with less fragile parts then the Airfix kit is for you. The box includes some extras with a pack howitzer and a trailer, which are an added bonus! The Airfix kit comes with a transparent front windscreen and frame, one of which i managed to destroy in an attempt to mask it off while spray painting. I just left it off the completed jeep and i think it just adds to the battle torn look.

A few extras were added to my vehicles including some stowage from various sources like Value Gear and SHQ. I needed some British crew and drivers and as usual AB Figures have the best jeep riders you can get! A great set includes drivers, officers and various poses for passengers.

Photos below, convoy on the move and some parked poses shots!

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Trumpeter Stug IV in 1/72 scale

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Time to look at another cracking little kit from Trumpeter, who are fast becoming one of my favourite manufacturers. This time it is their Stug IV. Previously i had made the Dragon Models version of this cool tank and have included some photos of both of them together below as a comparison. Cost wise Trumpeter kits are approximately half the price of Dragon kits, but definitely not half the quality. This Stug IV is no exception.

The simple nature of the tank design, with no turret, means the kit is also quite simple. The most complicated and time consuming part is putting the wheels and running gear together and attaching them to the lower hull. The upper hull and armament are pretty straight forward but still have plenty of detail. The tracks i gave a good stretch before painting them and attaching them after the tank was completed and painted. Everything fitted together very nicely and the kit was smooth and painless to make. Just how i like it. To add some interest i put on a heap of boxes and other kit on the back of the tank. I have seen various photos of Stugs carrying all sorts of stowage, so i used some extras i had from Value Gear. If you haven’t tried out some of their stowage packs i can highly recommend them!

I finished the whole thing off with a dark green camouflage scheme to match my other Stug IV. Pictures follow, some individual shots of the Trumpeter kit and also some with his Dragon counterpart. They make a good team!

Roden Opel Blitz

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The backbone of the German army’s transport and logistics was the Opel Blitz. For 20mm plastic modellers and wargamers i don’t think we have a lot of choice out there for variations of this super popular truck. I tried the fast build kits from Pegasus, which are good, but lack much detail, and have yet to try the offerings from Italeri or Fujimi. So i turned to my first encounter with a plastic kit from Roden. The box art is great, so i had to include a photo of that to start with! Its also a big box with one big grey sprue and a couple of small ones.

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This kit was really fun to put together. It all starts with a tiny engine you have to build complete with fan and radiator. Unfortunately this part is all covered up by the cab when assembled, but cool to build nonetheless. The chassis, engine, axles and wheels all go together, followed by the cab and the rear. You can build versions with a covered back, as pictured on the front of the box, or a version with an open roof. I opted for the open version as i am planning to fill it up with some SS troops from AB figures hitching a ride. I did paint a couple of drivers, again from AB, who are happily sitting in the cab.

The level of detail on the outside of the truck is just excellent with wing mirrors, headlights, pioneer tools etc. Roden also give you clear plastic for windows if you want to use them. I managed  to balls up my cab placement too far back on the chassis and had to mess around a bit to fix it up. Based on MDF, textured and flocked as usual. This was a really nice kit to build and much better than other Opel Blitz models i have made so far in this scale. Check out my photos (with a new camera phone which is much better than my old one it seems).

 

More Panther Tanks from The Plastic Soldier Company

~ Colonel Mustard ~ 2 Comments

I built and painted the other two Panther tanks i had in my warehouse from The Plastic Soldier Company. Great little models, they go together in around 15 minutes. Nice detail and very solid kits. This time i used one of the commander figures they supply and he came up really well. I did some light pink braiding on his uniform which adds a bit of colour. I tried out some new camouflage schemes, one a straight olive green and the other a three colour scheme. Camouflage schemes for reference are abundant on the net, and i usually find a nice one as a starting point. Once you get painting its pretty easy to continue the pattern across the whole vehicle. I used some decals from my spares plus some Sergeants Mess spare track and spare wheel just to add some variety.

Photos of the two cats below! Only a quick blog as i have written about these guys before.

Hasegawa Sd.Kfz 251/1 Ausf. D Halftrack

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Panzergrenadiers always need more half tracks to get them around the battlefield. In 1/72 scale there are plenty of options to choose from. After trying the Plastic Soldier Company fast build half track kits i wanted something that gave me a bit more of a challenge in the modelling department. The result was the purchase of a couple of these Sd/Kfz 251’s from Hasegawa at around AUD $10 each from my favourite Japanese hobby shop. In my experience Hasegawa kits are nice models, and provide a good mix of decent detail and an interesting build. This one is no exception.

You build the running gear first with all the individual wheels and rubber tracks. I have read plenty of complaints about these tracks but i think they are fine once you paint them. The running gear is then attached to the lower hull. I kept the upper hull unattached until after painting so i could paint the interior easily. No driver is supplied so i cut down a Plastic Soldier Company passenger i had spare and fitted him in. He lost most of his legs to squeeze in, but you can barely see the back of his head anyway. I also had some spare stowage and jerry cans (one of which i realise i put on backwards oops) which went on the armoured sides of the vehicle.

Paint job was the usual Tamiya Dark Yellow Dunkelb and a hand painted dark green camouflage scheme. Good decals are provided with a whole selection of numbers. You can never have enough transport vehicles and this Hasegawa kit is great value and definitely worth building the next time your grenadiers hit the roads and fields of Normandy.

IBG Models 1/72 Chevrolet C15A No.11 Cab Personnel Lorry

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IBG Models are a Polish model company that make a smallish range of 1/72 scale vehicles mainly for the Allies. Some British and American trucks and carriers. You can buy them direct from the company in Poland, which is probably the cheapest option, or if you are like me you can get them at around AUD $20 per kit from good Australian stores like BNA Model World.

What can i say, you pay a bit more for these kits, but they are worth it. This Chevy truck was a pleasure to build. There isn’t much more for me to say! IBG make three or four versions of the same truck, plus some British Bedfords and Universal carriers. They have some good looking American trucks too which i am definitely going to try. For your Allied army transport needs do not look any further than this!

In the back of mine i put some crates and stuff and a few British Tank Riders from HaT. Same with the driver who is a cut down HaT figure. When i get some more of these i will try putting some relaxed Tommies from AB Figures who have just the right poses lounging around in the back….

The paint job was a simple olive drab and some dirt. Good decals are supplied. No arguments here this was a great model to build and i would recommend it to everyone!

 

Trumpeter M4A3 Sherman and M4 Sherman Tank Mid Production

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You can never have enough Sherman Tanks. I had previously bought a pack of three Shermans from the Plastic Soldier Company, but felt they were a little on the big side, so wanted to try a different angle. I purchased these two Sherman kits from Trumpeter at around AUD $10 per kit on line. Somewhere between a fast build and normal kit, i was very pleased with what i found in the boxes.

You have the option to build the bogey wheels from individual wheels and parts or just use the one piece bogeys that are supplied. I didn’t see much difference so opted for the lazy route. I can keep the spare wheels in my spares box. The hull has plenty of moulded on detail, which may not suit everyone, and i guess doesn’t match up to the PE and other detail found on Dragon and Unimodel tanks. But hey, i reckon these are pretty good looking little tanks for your money.

The commanders hatch can be open or closed, i think you need to cut it in half to open it up. You also get a choice of 50 or 30 cal machine guns to go on the turret. There are a couple of wooden crates for stowage, but i added plenty of my own to the tanks, and also some spare track bits i had kicking around. Adding extras to these guys certainly improves their look.

The vinyl tracks can be tricky to put on, and i had read some horror stories about Trumpeter track problems. I made sure i stretched mine very carefully to fit around all the wheels before attempting anything. Then i glued them starting over the top wheels first before letting that dry for a long time. Then putting glue on the sprocket wheels and folding the tracks around and under the tank. Once this was dry i would add glue on the bottom wheels and add some weight on top of the tank (turret off) so the glue would stick. I didn’t worry about connecting the ends of the tracks together until all the glue was dry. As long as you have stretched your tracks enough to touch, connection at the end should not be a problem.

The highlight of these kits are the decals! I wanted to make them British Shermans but could not resist the awesome decals that came with them. “To Hell With It” and “Classy Peg” just look great on the olive drab tanks.

 

Unimodel Sherman Dozer

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Unimodel make a large range of World War 2 plastic kits in 1/72 scale covering many nations and many different vehicles. Getting through Normandy bocage can be tricky and this Sherman Bulldozer is just the right tank for helping cut handy holes through the dense brush.

The kit is more complicated than other Sherman models, coming in over 150 parts including some tiny photo etched guards and lights. The tracks come in individual links around the sprocket wheels which take a little patience too. So its a challenging little tank but I think well worth the effort. Once the tank is built the dozer blade is constructed and just attaches to the bogey wheels. I did have to fiddle around with this bit and clamp it to get it in the right spot.

The hatch can be modelled open, which I did, and put in an AB commander from their British range. Although its an American tank, and all the decals confirm this, I didn’t think it would matter. The Brits may borrow him anyway. The kit comes with a 50 cal machine gun, but I used a 30 cal from a different kit that fitted better with my commander.

It was painted the usual olive drab, the fun bit was adding steel scratches to the front blade. Check him out in action below!