AFV Club 1/35 scale M88A1GM Bergepanzer

Kit: 35533
Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: AFV Club, from Merit International, 626-912-2212,
www.merit-intl.com
Price: $48
Comments: Injection-molded, 451 parts (21 photoetched, 18 vinyl), decals
Pros: Great surface detail, great fit
Cons: Many parts have ejector-pin
marks and flash

The U.S. Army needed a tank-recovery vehicle to replace the ones based on the M4 tank. The solution was the M88, based on the M48A2. As the weight of the vehicles that it was suppose tow increased, its powerplant and winch capacity increased accordingly. The M88A1G is an upgraded vehicle of the West German inventory. AFV Club's kit is the company's third release of the M88, and it includes two new sprues for the German upgrades, nylon string, and some photoetched-metal parts. You'll have a good number of spare parts from the U.S. version when you're done.

The first thing you'll notice about this kit is its size and the beautiful cast texture of its upper hull. There is some flash and some ejector-pin marks that will need attention. Since this kit is based on the earlier release of the M88, AFV Club's instructions direct you to fill or remove the location holes not required by this version. However, most of the location holes on the sides of the upper hull are not used, and they don't match any of the tools used on this version. It is best to fill all of these holes with styrene rod to help save the cast texture. I realized this too late.

The kit should be built in subassemblies. I left the blade assembly, A-Boom, bogie wheels, and sprockets off until the painting was complete. Leaving off the blade assembly allows access to the interior, which is expecially handy when attaching the A-boom to the hydraulic cylinders and rigging. There is a little play in the assembly of the sprockets, so lining them up with the tracks is a must. The vinyl tracks are very soft and don't hold paint very well.

A small gap between the upper and lower hulls at the rear needed a small amount of filler. The fit of the rest of the kit was good, and only a little bit of filing was required. The brush guards for the lights are extremely fragile and are almost impossible to remove from the sprue. AFV Club has included photoetched replacements as an alternative. The directions show a light assembly on the front hull, but the model on the box doesn't show these items, so check your references carefully. The side doors aren't numbered in the directions, so use the box art for assistance.

The steps on the A-boom are fragile, and I broke off several while cleaning up the mold seams. Eventually I ended up cutting them off and replacing them when the boom was cleaned up and assembly was complete. If you're assembling the boom erected, add a weight to the nylon string to keep it taut. I added chain for this purpose, but it's not quite heavy enough.

I masked the hard-edge camoflage pattern using Silly Putty and applied the scheme using Tamiya paint. MMP powders added a little weathering; I mixed dark earth with water to simulate the mud on the vehicle. It took me 25 hours to complete this kit, mainly due to the large number of parts and the amount of cleanup that was required. The Modeler's Guide to Engineering and Recovery Vehicles by Nick Vanston has some great pictures of the M88A1.

- Mike Scharf