WWII German Rubber Rafts

Published on
Review Author(s)
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$7.99
Product / Stock #
AB3578
Company: Bronco Models - Website: Visit Site
Provided by: Dragon Models USA - Website: Visit Site

The Kit

Bronco has recently released a fun little kit of two German WWII rubber rafts, which come in a small, side-opening box with instructions and painting suggestions on the back. Two identical sprues of soft grey plastic make up the contents.

Expecting a run-of-the-mill modeling experience, I was more than pleasantly surprised by the engineering and design of everything – these were made with the modeler in mind. There are enough parts to assemble two rubber rafts. The top and bottom of each raft fit perfectly around a third, curved, inner bottom part to leave a single, very thin seam line around the exterior.

The nicely detail wooden-slat floors were engineered so they could be painted separately, masked, and then assembled with the rest of the raft, which is what I did, using Vallejo Panzer Aces 311 New Wood. I also used New Wood on the eight paddles included in the kit. Once dry, I then spread a thin layer of Mig Wash Brown Oil paint over the wood floors and paddles and let that dry for a few hours. I then used a dry cotton swab to remove the oil paint that had not set up yet, leaving a pleasing wooden color.

The paddle rings were a little fiddley but managed to be coaxed into place without too much trouble. No extras are provided, so the two I launched into who-knows-where were replaced with something similar from my spare parts box.

I finished the rafts using Model Master Helo Drab, followed by a coat of Vallejo Matt Varnish to knock off any shiny spots.

Conclusion

Building these were a fun way to spend a half-hour in front of the TV. Once the parts are clipped and cleaned, assembly is a snap, and the fit, excellent.

As a military modeler, it seems like I never have enough interesting aftermarket products to detail my AFV models, and I am happy to see such a kit produced. I highly recommend this set for anyone who needs to fill up the back of a truck, AFV or diorama.

I would like to thank Bronco and Squadron Products for providing this kit for review, and to IPMS USA for giving me the opportunity to build it.

Box art

Reviewer Bio

Eric Christianson

Eric Christianson is a father to two boys (Reed and Dean), the President of the Seattle Chapter of IPMS, and a long-time Little League umpire. He is also a devoted husband and companion to a wonderful woman named Jackie who enthusiastically supports his passions. Recently retired as a programmer, his home office has been scratch-built into ‘a perfect model room’. Modeling since he was a boy, Eric mostly builds armor these days, but still dabbles in 1/32nd aircraft and other types of models from time to time. He also enjoys presenting seminars on weathering and technique at local shows. Many of Eric’s kit reviews can be found on the IPMS USA website.