This is a neat set! You get enough resin ammo cans, laser-cut wood, brass wire, and decals to make three crates. You can also build the crates empty and use the ammo cans separately to fill an even wider scene or vehicle load. The laser-cut wood is well defined and even has engraved sections describing what is contained inside.

Construction began with removing the resin ammunition cans from the pour lugs; a small swipe of a sanding stick and they were ready. Like all resin, it is best to give the parts a good soap and brush cleansing to ensure all mold release agents are removed. Remember that resin particles are hazardous and you should always complete these tasks using water to keep the dust down and wear a cheap doctor’s mask to keep the particulates out of your lungs.

The laser-cut wood pieces were easy to remove and assemble using Elmer’s glue. Care must be taken if sanding the edges! This is basswood and does not stand up well to sanding sticks. The ammo cans were painted OD and then given a gloss coat of Future to make decal application easier. I knew there was an error but was not sure what. After the laser-cut crates were assembled, the issue was proven. Plusmodel sent me .30 caliber cans. I was pretty sure this was the issue when I received the kit but needed to assemble the crates to verify. A quick email to Petr Vesely of Plusmodels and the proper .50 cal cans were on their way. The correct .50 cans arrived about a week after contacting Petr. Actually, he sent me a whole new kit. The cans were painted and decaled. A final flat coat was given and a light drybrushing added to finish them.

Like all modelers, I have a huge stash of stuff. I even dabble in my own resin casting occasionally. I have many badly poured items and used two .50 cal cans to fill the crate for the next step. Plusmodel gives you a very short piece of brass wire. According to the assembly sheet, you are supposed to wrap three pieces around the box for security. There are some issues with this. I was not involved in the Vietnam conflict, so I do not know if the ammunition cans of the period used brass retaining wires or not. However, from 1982-2002, the army issued crated ammunition with three steel/lead alloy wires. They were not hooked, but double-looped. The provided piece of wire made only one and a half bands. I would advise using something like 24 gauge silver solder or wire for making these security straps.

Other than the brass wire issue, this is really an incredible set. There are many options that these cans and crates can be used for. I would like to thank Plusmodel for making and providing this set for review. They also need to be commended for some GREAT customer service. And thanks also to IPMS-USA for allowing me to review this set. I hope this review comes in handy to other armor modelers.