Archives: Kit Reviews
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Showcase Models Australia 1/350 Models HMAS Collins submarine
Mark Karolus reviews Showcase Models Australia’s 1/350 scale HMAS Collins plastic model submarine kit: “The kit is quite simple with just 23 parts and a brass nameplate. Five of the styrene parts are clear, comprising the display stand and a single-piece conning tower; the rest are molded in gray plastic. The back of the box…
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Xact Scale Models 1/35 scale T-80U Russian main battle tank
John Plzak reviews the Xact Scale Models 1/35 scale T-80U Russian main battle tank plastic model kit: “Molded in a gray-green plastic, the kit features superb detail. The one-piece vinyl tracks join with standard modeling cement; they even have hollow guide teeth. There are two small sheets of photoetched metal providing parts for the front…
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Meng 1/35 scale AMX-30B
Glad to see a new mold of the AMX-30 and of post-World War II French armor! More than 3,500 of the tanks have been built since they went into production in the mid-1960s, and they remain in service today. The Meng Models 1/35 scale plastic kit contains well-formed parts, including clear parts and posable hatches,…
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Zvezda 1/48 scale Yak-3
Zvezda’a Yak-3 is the first all-new 1/48 scale plastic model kit of this aircraft in more than 15 years. The parts are cleanly molded in neutral gray plastic. The kit provides parts for the cowling to be closed or open with complete engine detail. Along with parts that the kit supplies to pose the plane…
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Trumpeter 1/48 scale MiG-21F Fishbed
To my knowledge, Trumpeter’s new MiG-21F-13 is the first up-to-date early version of this MiG in 1/48 scale. The kit parts are cleanly molded in light gray plastic. Prominent features include vinyl tires, engine details, and a satisfying selection of bombs, rocket pods, missiles, and drop tanks.
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Platz 1/144 scale C-46D Commando
One of the prime postwar users of the C-46D Commando was Japan, which explains the motivation for the newest 1/144 scale plastic model kit from Platz. The kit is broken down logically into a reasonable number of parts, and the molding is first-class. A simple cockpit is included, along with detailed landing gear and gear…
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Meng Models 1/48 scale Me 410B-2/U4
Meng Models’ first 1/48 scale aircraft kit kicks off the “Longiceps” series, the latest in a curiously dinosaur-named group of kit collections. Your hard-earned dollars will reward you with a sturdy package of crisply molded plastic, photoetched-metal pieces, a 23-page instruction book, and gorgeous decals printed by Cartograf.
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Polar Lights 1/350 scale Star Trek USS Enterprise
Arguably the most recognizable spaceship in the history of television, the USS Enterprise has been around in model kit form since the first season of “Star Trek” in 1966. Since then, modelers have wanted newer, more-accurate, and bigger models. A 1/350 scale Enterprise made it to the fifth spot in FSM’s “most-wanted kit” poll in…
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AFV Club 1/35 s ale M109A2
The M109 series of vehicles has been in American service since the Vietnam War and has soldiered on for the U.S. while being exported worldwide. In the 1970s, a new design was developed as the A2 variant. AFV Club’s multimedia 1/35 scale kit includes photoetched metal, a turned-metal barrel, brass tube, vinyl parts, and a…
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Polar Lights 1/144 scale Forbidden Planet C-57D space cruiser
Aaron Skinner reviews the Polar Lights 1/144 scale C-57D space cruiser plastic model kit: “Polar Lights has done a masterful job of creating a good-looking, easy-to-build, accurate replica of the C57-D. It includes the ship’s three working ramps as seen in the movie. Alternate parts allow you to build the model landed or flying.”