Small Scale Military Headquarters

Roco Mini-Tanks HO scale (1:87) but close to 1:72 scale.

I found these tanks on the web. They look good but somewhat expensive ($20-$35). How good are Roco tanks compare to Dragon Armors and Hobby Master? Are they 100% diecast? Do you like them, and would you recommend them? Your expertise would be much appreciated.

give and take..alot of them are old toolings. the germans ones esp can be soft on details, but others like the M10 GMC and 155 WWII SPG are good in detail, those two I had for my HO scale RR as Memorials in a park.

The 1/87 aircraft I never seen but they make them IIRC, fighter-sized planes and C-47 and Junkers 52s.

Roco Minitanks are all plastic, mostly "snap together" although the newer ones have quite a few add-on details. The quality varies, some of the toolings go back to the mid-1960s. Their scale varies some, but their target is 1/87th. They are proportionally much smaller than the 1/72nd models out there.

Minitanks can be collected (there's a cult of us out there that regard them as collectible), they can be used with HO RR models, they can be used for wargames, etc, etc. Over the years they have gotten more pricey, they are made in Austria or Germany and imported by only a few sources.

You asked about them compared to Dragon Armor, well the Dragon Armor are built ups of 1/72nd scale models that are produced using the latest tooling. Minitanks are very simplified models, as stated before. On the other hand, over the years the Minitank range has included a LOT of vehicles, not only WW2 but a whole bunch of NATO stuff. There are also HO models by Trident and some resin offerings by Heiser's Models.

So HO scale is kind of its own collecting area, but it can be a lot of fun.

they're neat little vehicles but not at all compatible with 1/72, being about 20% smaller.

I collected them for a while years ago. Then i found out how fun it was to shoot them with my airsoft guns and watch them blow apart. Needless to say they're all gone now..

aferguson wrote:they're neat little vehicles but not at all compatible with 1/72, being about 20% smaller.

I collected them for a while years ago. Then i found out how fun it was to shoot them with my airsoft guns and watch them blow apart. Needless to say they're all gone now..

LOL.

During the seventies, they were probably the most readily available pre-assembled option around. Back then they were unpainted, dark army green.

Back then, they had a VAST/HUGE assortment of vehicles.

Some were disappointingly simplified/inaccurate, the panther, king tiger and hunting tiger come to mind. I wrote it off as that they were probably meant for war games rather than collectibles.

They had a signature build style, typically a four piece hull (bottom, top and two one piece tracks) and three piece turret, turret, gun and maybe a working hatch. Actually the hulls to the tanks had a hidden wheel assembly to roll that I always removed (they didn't roll worth a flip). In a way they were iconic, they were always recognizable as a ROCO mini-tank. And they were a good match for Airfix's original german infantry, which were rather simplistic and with somewhat vague weapons.

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/review.aspx?id=54

Airfix did a better series later.

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=26

I don't recall the nashorn and wonder if it is new, looks a lot better detailed. I suspect the competition is forcing ROCO to upgrade its models.

Thank you for the info.

In the late 70’s, when I was a kid, I remembered playing with already-built plastic tanks. If my memory serves me correctly, I thought they were dark brown, not green. I may be wrong. I too enjoyed destroying them with “bombs” (fire crackers) and “flame throwers” (aerosol can with cigarette lighter).

Fast forward 30 years, I had no idea what those tank were. But, I craved them. I have been collecting 1/72 tanks as a substitute. Now I am thinking that I may have been playing with Roco tanks. I will definitely get them. However, it seems there are newer, more detailed painted Roco AFVs. I was wondering if newer painted Roco models are diecast? If they are plastic models, paying $30-$45 each seems outrageously expensive.


Roco Mini-Tanks Modern German Army BW - Armored Vehicles -- Fuchs (Fox) w/ISAF Markings - HO-Scale

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/hrp/hrp741088.htm

This is the dark green I was referring to.

But it does appear like there might be a brown as well.

I don't recall ever seeing the brown plastic while I was collecting them.

The suspension and tracks on this painted Leopard 2A4 - Camouflage model appear to be one piece. I tend to think the build is about like it has always been.