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Review Author
Keith Gervasi
Published on
Company
Zvezda
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$37.00

History

First made public to the West in 1980, the BTR-70 retained the same lines as the -60. Capable of carrying 8 troops, this eight-wheeled APC can motor along at 80km, or 50miles per hour. This vehicle is also amphibious and can enter the water on its own and move at 9km per hour. The MA-7 universal turret is being used for re-equipping APCs. The turret is fitted with the 12.7mm MG, 7.62mm MG, and smoke dischargers. This turret can also employ an AGS-17 30mm grenade launcher.

Review Author
Andy Renshaw
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$22.99

It wasn’t too long ago that there were basically three manufactures of plastic figures available through common sources. Through them, you could usually cobble together a crew for a German tank, but if you wanted some figures for a US armored vehicle, you were stuck with some very static poses that came with the kit. Dragon broke new ground with the release of their US tank crew several years ago, and they were leaps ahead of anything on the market, but still some pretty basic poses.

Now we have MiniArt among a host of new producers that is not only providing some great new figures, but in poses that we couldn’t even dream about! This release of a US Tank crew in “close combat” is no exception, and provides five figures, all in various poses.

In The Box

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Aero Line
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$11.00

This is the second pilot figure I’ve had the pleasure to review from Aero Line. If you are like me, you like to add a figure outside your model for scale and visual interest. Well, probably also like me, you aren’t a figure modeler, so you don’t want a big hassle doing it. Happily, Aero Line produces scale resin figures.

My example was perfectly molded in light grey resin with no blemishes or bubbles anywhere. The figure is a one-piece affair on a small pour block with some minor pour wedges that will need to be removed. The single piece ensures that the figure is easy to remove. The detail is quite impressive. The proportions look perfect to me. The pose is natural and will look great next to an F-16. The face is exquisitely detailed, as are the speed jeans and equipment. This really is a perfect first figure and is detailed enough for the figure painter.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

Hobbycraft’s Morane Saulnier 406 is not a new kit, but that doesn’t mean that Quickboost has ignored it. The M.S.406 has a large pitot tube. This would be hard to keep round when removing the mold lines. Well, hard for me, anyhow. The gun barrels are again something hard to keep round, let alone hollow out the end. Quickboost does this perfectly in every example that I’ve had the pleasure to look at.

The three pieces are perfectly molded in light grey resin. The gun barrels are hollowed out perfectly, as I said before. The cross section on all the parts is perfectly round. These parts will add to the look of your French fighter. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$6.50

Quickboost has always offered up quick and easy upgrades at a good price. The latest is designed for the Trumpeter F9F-2 Panther but could easily be used on the Monogram -5/-5P. There are three beautifully rendered antennas which do not have mold lines and are perfectly formed and round. The antennas are molded in light grey resin with very small pour blocks that will prove no problem even for a novice modeler dealing with his/her first resin pieces.

Because you don’t have to ensure the roundness of these parts, I find these antenna worth the price of admission. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review copy.