M22 Locust Airborne Tank (T9E1)

Published: November 4, 2013
Company: Bronco Models

What’s in the box? The kit consists of close to 300 parts in olive-colored plastic (not all parts will be used), eight clear parts for periscopes and headlight lenses, one PE fret with 49 parts (again, not all will be used), one decal sheet for five different vehicles, and a twenty-page instruction book on glossy paper. All parts are very crisp with no flash or knock-out pin marks that will be visible in the end, just the usual mold lines and attachment points to clean up. I suggest that you be careful when removing the parts as many are tiny and may end up in the carpet monster. One standout feature is the one-piece idler wheels, truly a remarkable slide molding that captures all the detail.

Construction starts with the lower hull, steps 1-4, which is a single slide-molded… more

BT-7, Model 1935, Russian Tank

Published: December 5, 2010
Company: Tamiya

They say that there are only two things in life that are certain, death and taxes. I’d like to add a third: the precision fit of a Tamiya kit. Not that this model is perfect, but it sure was a pleasure to build. After building several other brands, I forgot just how nice a Tamiya kit goes together.

When the box is opened, one is greeted by 264 parts, 213 in green styrene, 17 in gray (for the figures), 8 in clear, 10 large and 8 small poly caps, 7 photo etched metal parts, and one length of steel chain. The parts are beautifully molded with no sink marks, excepting for the usual molding seams and punch-out marks. These are mostly unseen once assembled.

In steps 1-3, the lower inner hull is built. Details are crisp with no fit issues whatsoever. I was a little concerned… more