We at IPMS USA are truly blessed to have the passionate detail experts at Eduard providing us their latest releases. We appreciate your support, and thanks also to the IPMS reviewer corps leadership, (Steve, Dick, and Dave) for having confidence in my abilities to deliver the goods on this most daunting task!

Over the next few weeks, I will be reviewing some of the primary Eduard sets for HK (Hong Kong) Models’ 1/32 B-17G. I refer to this effort as a “metal storm” because there are at least a thousand little bits and pieces in these sets that I will attempt to do justice to without making a “dog’s breakfast” of the parts. I think I’m up to it, so let’s move on.

I must begin this review by giving a big thank-you to one of my fellow IPMS Wright Field Scale Modelers, Robert Cobb, who at our January 2013 modeling retreat got me hooked on Japanese Anime. “Thanks, Bob!” Specifically, Bob introduced me to the “Girls und Panzer” series. (And yes, it has snowballed from there.) “Girls und Panzer” follows several characters from the Ōarai Girls High School in Japan. The Ōarai girls participate in the sport of sensha-dō (tankery) along with several other all-girls high school teams located worldwide. The schools participate in non-lethal tank battles fought in World War 2-era tanks. The Ōarai Girls team runs a very eclectic mix of tanks, including the “Chi-Nu” tank operated by the school’s computer nerd team (The Anteater Team).

Revell has brought back to us the revered Chevy Chevelle Z-16 with its awesome 396 cubic inch big block. First minted in 1998 and then again in 2007 as the 2 in 1 “California Wheels,” this kit is a must for muscle car collectors.

The model itself consists of a total of 121 styrene parts on 8 trees, plus the body. Four sprue and the body are molded in white, two sets in chrome, one in clear, one in clear red, and there are two sets of generic vinyl tires (stock and 22” customs).