Starting this weekend, small stuff on the bench.

Panzer_M · Post by **Panzer_M** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 6:57 pm

got a box of 1/72 kits(ground and armour) I've been collecting while culling out some of the 1/35 stuff.

Tomorrow/Tonight I think I am going to start with a ACE 7.62 F-22/FK 296(r)(also has the option of 7.62mm PaK 36(r)..which addes a muzzle brake, and smaller shield(also rebored to take 7.5cm PaK rounds later in the war, but that's redundent in the scale)

Overall for a Russian company, the detail is clean, no flash and no sinkmarks from what I've seen at a quick glace, lot of small detail parts esp compared to the soft-detail HaT 7.62cm PaK(But you get 4 HaT guns for the price of one ACE, and HaT stuff is made for tabletop wargaming)

Other project I am wanting to start is Italeri's 90/53 AA gun, done as a German 9cm FlaK M41(i)..that is a banger of a kit(I need to pick up the 9cm mounted on the 6ton truck also sometime) FiY the 9cm actually outperformed the 8.8cm FlaK 37, with a larger shell, higher alt. than the 8.8cm, and easier to maintain and use in combat. Just the Italians didn't have enough of them. The Germans used them in Italy's defense as a dual-purpose and inside the Reich itself..not sure on the total number within Germany though.

Also for my eventual Finland Dio. I got in two of the three german figures set from Preiser, which are just great small scale figures, each has options to the pose, seperate kit, and extras like weapons and kit. And each figure is made of several parts like Dragon's 1/35 figures..just much smaller. Don't know when I am going to start those guys.

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 8:06 pm

Got any experience with or opinions on Airfix 1/72 kits...?? I'm looking at an Airfix/MPC 1/72 British 40 mm Bofors AA gun and Morris truck kit to use in one of my planned WWII themed airfield dio's. Kit building really is not my gig, but it's going to be the only way to get some of the items I want for the dio's.

Panzer_M · Post by **Panzer_M** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 12:44 am

older kit are easy but not always correct in details(try to find reviews on the kit, as they really are hit or miss), the new toolings, the 109 and Spitfire are very good from what I hear.

ostketten · Post by **ostketten** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 4:47 am

older kit are easy but not always correct in details(try to find reviews on the kit, as they really are hit or miss),

The Bofors kit is long OOP as you probably know, and kind of hard to find now, and there is basically not much else available like this in styrene, though there are a couple of pricey resin kits, which I don't like working with anyways. The Bofors 40mm is kind of a must have for "defense" in an RAF airfield dio, so I'll just have to make do even if the detail is not the best. They also offer "Airfield Sets" for Luftwaffe, USAAF, & RAF which include stuff like fuel bowsers, personnel, Nissen huts, etc. and these seem to be more readily available so I may be able to hunt down reviews on these, but again, there's not much else out there besides resin, which is a pain in the neck to clean up & work with in this scale. Thanks for the suggestion on the reviews though, at least it will give me an idea of what to expect.

grockwood · Post by **grockwood** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 12:48 pm

The older Airfix kits had a lot of flash, I think that's what they calll it, on the parts that had to trimmed off.

Panzer_M · Post by **Panzer_M** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 4:42 am

grockwood wrote:The older Airfix kits had a lot of flash, I think that's what they calll it, on the parts that had to trimmed off.

yea flash and sinkmarks are the common issues. Flash just requires more sanding and trimming and sinks, need to be filled with a putty, sanded and leveled.

Not huge tasks, nor uncommon in modelling, just something to keep an eye out for when building.