Box Art / Packaging

The IDF Eitan is presented in a rigid top opening box with glossy finish. The front picture depicts the Eitan in an urban combat environment trailed by several IDF soldiers. This 100% newly tooled kit is a brand-new 2024 release from Hobby Boss. The box contains a typical instruction manual with clear construction steps. The instructions were easy to follow, and no glaring omissions were noted. Also included is a glossy leaflet with painting and marking guidelines as well as some additional information about other Hobby Boss kits in the works.

Vehicle Background

Eitan (Hebrew for "steadfast", "firm" or "strong") is an armored fighting vehicle (AFV) developed by the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate in the IMOD (Israeli Ministry of Defense) to replace the aging M113 armored personnel carrier in use by the Israel Defense Forces. The armored personnel carrier (APC) variant currently lacks the Iron Fist APS (Active Protection System), so those vehicles are not the serial production Eitans yet. The infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) variant is also not in service currently.

The AFV variant has been in service since 2023, has a top speed of around 55mph, and can carry 12 occupants. The Eitan has the capability to use run-flat tires and is designed with NERA (Non-explosive Reactive Armor) composite armor and has a high floor to protect from landmine and IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) blast effects.

The Kit

Inside the box we get seven main sprues in gray-colored styrene, a separate upper and lower hull, a clear sprue, two photoetch frets, 8 vinyl tires, some poly caps, and a small decal sheet. There are two A1 trees and they mostly include parts for the suspension. Two A2 sprues contain some additional suspension pieces as well as some grab handles, smoke discharge tubes etc.

Sprue B1 contains some gun parts as well as rear door and some additional peripheral parts. Good anti-slip texturing has been molded onto many of the upper hull parts, and it is well depicted. Sprue B2 contains some additional upper and lower hull parts, again with some nice detail with the anti-slip texturing. Sprue B3 contains mostly the anti-IED underbelly and an MG.

Upper and lower hull pieces are well cast with no warping and excellent detail. Some small burrs are present which will need to be removed, but overall, the detail is excellent. The provided vinyl tires are soft and pliable but do contain a distinct center seam which I did not even try to remove as this would most certainly remove much of the detail of the tire. Apart from that, the details are nice with the provided Michelin tires.

Remaining are the clear parts, decals, and PE frets. There are plenty of clear parts for this AFV; several windows and the headlights are provided, and all fit nicely into their respective housings. The PE is used for the MG mounts, a mesh screen for the IR panel, and wheel hubs.

The Build

Not much of note here, as this build was very straightforward once the instructions were closely followed. Special attention should be paid to the suspension and wheel assembly. If followed correctly, the fit is phenomenal, and the kit falls together with relative ease. Due to the method in which the wheels are assembled, they are functional as poly caps are present, which provide full wheel mobility.

Most doors and hatches are provided in a manner where they can be displayed open very easily; however, there is no interior detail in this kit, so leaving the doors and hatches open for me was not an option. This kit screams aftermarket for the interior and completing what could be an even better piece. Eduard does have a detail set in the works to provide some interior improvements.

Paint

The callout for the painting was Sinai Grey. Vallejo does a nice model air variant, but in my case, I used a modified Tamiya NATO Green with some Tamiya gray tones and some pigments to give it a used effect. I kept the weathering to a minimum, added some graphite detailing to some edges and more worn areas.

Pros

This is a nice addition to the Hobby Boss line and is the first of its kind in 1/35 scale. The fit was excellent and there was no flash with the brand-new molds. There were excellent details with anti-slip surfaces and a reasonable part count. The packaging is nice with its presentation as well as clear instructions, nice PE parts, clear parts, and good decals.

Cons

More detail would be better for the interior as the option is there for leaving it open for viewing. This could also be packaged with the supporting infantry and crew as an option.

Conclusion

This kit is highly recommended as the first kit version of this newer IDF vehicle. Many thanks to MRC for providing the kit and to IPMS/USA for facilitating the review.