Small Scale Military Headquarters

My new 21st items arrived and 21st did very well this time around. The first item, the German 88 is excellent. It rivals my Minichamps 88 for detail. The interesting thing about the 21st gun is that once the two screws that hold the wheels on are removed, they can be left off as the wheel sets snap into place and stay on nice and tight. This allows for rapid deployment in the static position with out having to use a phillips head screw driver. The two figures are weak copies of the Tamiya 88 guys.

The next item, the Jagdpanther, is also well done. The Russian figures are cool, but I could have used a couple Panzermen too. The main gun is rebust and looks good. the only weaknes is the so so casting of the muzzle brake. The gun elevation mechanism seems a bit fragile and springy. The gun stays put where ever you elevate or depress it. Nice piece.

Lastly is the M113. I have seen and ridden in these vehicles in person, but you forget how small they really are. This 21st model is a chunky little guy with better details than their 1:18th version. The only weakspot is the M2 mount. It doesnt funtion well when trying to traverse. It hangs up on the other hatch and ammo boxes on the roof of the vehicle. The ramp drops and the smaller door in the ramp opens. The engine compartment opens too, with nice detail inside. Same goes for the crew compartment. My vehicle had one defect where the engine room bulkhead was not glued in straight resulting in the roof of the vehicle bulging upward. I trimed the wall and reset it with ACC and it fixed the problem. The figures with this tank are excellent. The commander has excellent detail and both have excellent Vietnam era detailed uniforms. The second guy seems to be wearing the "pressed panel Marine cover(hat)" rather than a fatigue hat. Maybe it is supposed to be R.Lee Ermey going for a "Mail Call" ride.

TJ

Glad you like the vehicles! I got the German 88mm cannon and the M113 a couple of weeks ago. They are some of the best 32x vehicles to date, in my opinion. I was truly shocked witht the M113 as that is how the 1:18 version should have looked as far as detail! All the supplies inside and out, the fully detailed engine compartment with motor and radiators, the crew seats, driving controls, all the opening hatches, and the full interior make this a unique piece in the 32x line. Now why 21st couldn't put interiors on most of their other vehicles (halftracks, M-18 and SDK-222 aside) is beyond me!

If you don't have one already, you may want to consider getting a 32x German 8-Ton Troop Carrier vehicle to go with your 88. The two pieces are colored the same, and the Troop carrier can pull, or look like its pulling, the 88mm gun!

Oh yes, I have a few of the prime movers. We just have to turn the pintle hitch 90 degrees so the tow bar will hook on. It took while, but 21st has come up with a decent combination with the 7 ton and 88. The 88 is impressive in that it seems to have quite a bit of metal in it. It seems like the shield and fenders are metal making the gun pretty hefty. It has the markings for the 9th SS panzer division. I will have to get some decals to match up the prime mover. I picked up a few of these guns so I will paint one up in a Afrika Corps scheme.

The M113 is cool. I have a book that decribes them as Armoured Cavalry Assault Vehicles or ACAVs. This term was used when they had the armoured "turret" around the M2.

TJ