The Vehicle

The American response to the German Tiger tank was the M-26 Pershing. It had good armor and its 90mm gun finally gave the Allies a weapon that could handle the Tiger. However, its engine was too weak and the vehicle suffered in mobility, so after the war a start was made on a replacement, designated the M-42 (not to be confused with the M-42 light tank design). But that vehicle would not be available for years, so the engine problem in the M-36 was addressed by fitting a new engine, which resulted in the M-46. It was better, but not really "new". Work continued on the M-42, which would have a similar hull and engine, but a new turret with a better ballistic shape and heavier armor in the front.

PlusModel, out of the Czech Republic, has released a 1/48^th version of their German Heavy Generator, previously released in 1/35^th. The all-resin kit contains some extra goodies to detail this unique and welcome addition to their product line.

Opening the Box

The first thing apparent when opening the box is the high quality of the resin parts. The parts are clearly labeled with part numbers and contain very little flash. What’s more, the connections to the pour stubs and resin blocks are kept to an absolute minimum, simplifying removal and making clean-up a breeze. Most of the parts can be (carefully) snapped off using just your fingers. A couple of swipes with a sanding stick and you’re ready to go.

The contents of this box include:

Sincere appreciation goes to Kittyhawk for providing IPMS USA another of their kits for review… although the company is relatively new, the kits so far have been great efforts and I look forward to what is next...

This kit is a re-release of Kittyhawk’s F-1 kit released a couple of years ago. I remember reading of “fit issues” noted by a reviewer (from another site).... I experienced no major fit issues on this build. The kit did require a bit of filler to be used, where the forward fuselage mated with the aft section, and the intakes. That is pretty well a given on most jets, so I consider them non-issues.