Perusing the website of Monroe Purdue Studios (MPS), out of Simi Valley CA, will uncover a variety of unusual modeling products, including a growing set of very affordable laser-cut wood and paper Zimmerit sets, among a lot of other interesting items. Visiting their booth at the 2021 Las Vegas IPMS Nationals, I looked at a dozen or so build-ups in various stages of completion, demonstrating the uniqueness of their products. I came home with two sets; one a complete zimmerit set for the 1/35th scale HobbyBoss King Tiger II (the subject of this review), and a 1/35^th scale laser-cut wood set for cases of wine (the subject of a separate IPMS review).

Description

The set for the King Tiger is purpose-designed for the HobbyBoss (Henschel Turret) kit, but also closely fits the Tamiya kit as well, parts of which I used for this review since I do not own the HobbyBoss offering.

OKB Grigorov specializes in resin, photoetch and turned metal barrel conversions for armor. One of their latest releases is the Turret for Pz.V Panther Panzerbeobachthungswagen/

This aftermarket set includes parts in grey resin, green resin, clear resin and photoetch. The gun barrel is casted in resin for this set. As you can see from the pictures, the casting of the parts is pretty good, without any bubbles in the resin, although with some small flash in some areas.

Overall this set is well done and will require minimum cleaning of the parts for assembly.

Highly recommended, mainly for those modelers looking for unusual subjects or conversion projects.

I would like to thank OKB Grigorov and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

OKB Grigorov specializes in resin, photoetch and turned metal barrel conversions for armor. One of their latest releases is the Turret for Pz.VI Tiger H2.

This aftermarket set includes parts in grey resin, photoetch while gun barrel is made of turned metal. As you can see from the pictures, the casting of the parts is pretty good, without any bubbles in the resin, although with some small flash in some areas.

Overall, this set is well done and will require minimum cleaning of the parts for assembly. This would make for quite an interesting conversion and it is meant to be a “drop-in” replacement, without having to modify parts of the original kit.

I went ahead and assembled this turret - even if I don’t have a donor kit. The overall fit of the parts is fantastic. The only thing you need to be aware of is to properly clean the minimal “flash” around the hatch openings so the hatch covers, or the gun muzzle, would fit.

Armor builders have long used photo etch parts to get realistic thickness of parts. So why wouldn’t they want the same in the smaller scales? With Tamiya revitalizing the 1/48th scale armor market it was just a natural fit. The latest is the Soviet T-55 and Hauler has you covered.

Inside of a resealable package are two light grey resin pour blocks that feature new ammo boxes and some lights. These are way too small to produce accurately in injection plastic. In addition to the resin pieces are THREE frets of brass photo etch. To say that this set is comprehensive is an understatement. There isn’t a part of the basic kit that isn’t touched by the photo etch. You will need a magnifier to use some of these parts. The finesse is exceptional. Besides grills, there are latches and supports for the fuel drums, which are beautifully rendered. The turret and driver’s hatch get the PE touch inside and out.

A variant of the iconic Panzer IV, the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär (SdKfz 166, Sturmgeschütz IV für 15cm StuH 43) was a German self-propelled assault gun. Work on the design began in 1942 with a goal of creating a vehicle well suited for the demands of urban warfare. The gun was based on the PzKpfw IV Ausf. E and F and, later, Ausf. G. Initially, the vehicle carried 15 cm StuH 43 howitzer, which was later replaced by a 15 cm StuH 23/1 L/12 weapon. The Brummbär went into production in 1943 and its first use was in Operation Citadel around the Kursk salient. Eventually, units equipped with this assault gun defended the Anzio and Normandy landings and participated in the Warsaw Uprising.

In total, 300 vehicles were built during the war, with 4 remaining survivors. The drawings in this publication are based on the vehicle at the Kubinka Tank Museum near Moscow.