Kit: No. 00308
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Trumpeter, distributed by Stevens International, P.O. Box 126, 706 N. White Horse Pike, Magnolia, NJ 08049, 856-435-1555
Price: $24.98
Comments: Injection-molded, 396 parts (22 vinyl), decals
Pros: Good representation of Britain's latest main battle tank, optional machine gun mounts and exhausts, separate engine cover
Cons: Small parts brittle and difficult to remove from sprues, vinyl tracks too short, latest equipment absent
Around 1997 or so, I threw down a good hunk of change on the Accurate Armour Challenger II, a mixed-media kit of resin, photoetched, and white metal parts. The finished model weighed as much as a brick but had fabulous texture on the turret and hull. I was satisfied with paying the big bucks for the kit.
Fast-forward to 2003: We now have a 1/35 scale injection-molded plastic kit of this beast. Trumpeter's six sprues are molded in olive green, with separate upper and lower hull halves. A sprue of poly caps for mounting the wheels, a pair of vinyl tracks, one large decal sheet, and a 12-page instruction guide with exploded drawings fill the box.
The parts molding is above average, with no sinkholes visible. There are nice detail items to mount to the hull: a winch, extra track links, jerry cans, and tow cables.
Assembly was typical of armor kits, and I like the way Trumpeter created the individual suspension parts for the lower hull. Any mold-separation seams were easy to scrape off with a sharp blade.
Make certain the suspension arms are properly positioned when you glue them in place, otherwise you will end up with the hull failing to sit evenly. I don't understand why poly caps are provided for the road wheels and idlers, but not for the drive sprockets. It would have been easier to slip the sprockets on the axles when installing the tracks.
Adding the other parts to the lower hull goes smoothly, but have patience and dry-fit the supports for the external fuel drum in step 9 before you glue - you could end up shortening the mounts if you trim too much.
Adding details to the upper hull went fine, but the driving mirrors didn't have optional parts for the stowed positions. Step 11 was challenging (couldn't resist). Trumpeter provides separate handles and hinges for the molded-on rear-deck grilles. This results in better detail, but the parts are tiny and brittle and therefore difficult to cut from the sprue. The separate engine cover will make it handy to expose an aftermarket powerplant, should one become available.
The fit of the upper to lower hull was OK, with just a slight gap at the front to fill. I added the side skirts to prepare the model for painting.
The main-gun barrel has six pieces, with the fore and aft sections in halves. The barrel goes into a mantlet that has nine parts. I used slow-setting cement so I could straighten the gun barrel as it dried.
The mantlet should be placed into the notches of the turret to allow gun elevation, but there's a large gap between the mantlet and turret top in all but the fully elevated position. I glued the gun in a lower, more-menacing position and covered the gap with lead foil.
The tool-box mounts (subassemblies I and J in step 17) had to be adjusted to make the boxes fit well in step 18. I had a choice of loader's machine-gun mounts and used the one in step 15; it's like the ones in photos in Concord's Challenger I and II. I also chose the optional TEC exhausts (parts E52 and E53).
The vinyl tracks were too short, and I hid the misfit ends up inside the fenders. I hope some manufacturer will issue alternate tracks for this kit.
I painted my Challenger II in the two-color British scheme with Tamiya acrylics. I went back over the color demarcation lines with a brush to sharpen them a bit.
After washing and dry-brushing with oil paints, I glossed where the decals were to go, and applied markings for the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards of the 7th Armored Brigade.
The finished model looks fine, but if you want an Iraq-war fit with add-on armor, extended side skirts, and mud flaps, you'll have to wait for an aftermarket update set.
I finished my model in 18 hours. If you're an advanced modeler looking for a detailing project, Trumpeter's Challenger II makes a good choice.
- Eric S. Tripke