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This is Meng's new tool jeep with the Wasp flame thrower as trialled (but not used) by Popski's private army. The kit's a decent, if unspectacular, rendering of the jeep with some areas of nice detailing, while other areas seem a little basic. The original was a one-off utilising a flame thrower taken from a Canadian Wasp Universal Carrier. For fairly obvious reasons it never went further than a few trials, and was never used in combat. Meng seem to have based the kit off the the modern replica Wasp jeep and, as such, some of the details may be off from the wartime original. It looks convincing enough though and, given the scarcity of decent reference photos of the original, it's probably as accurate as they could have made it. The only things I needed to add were some extra hoses and plumbing to busy up the build. The full build can be found here Thanks for looking Andy

CONVAIR F-102A DELTA DAGGER, USAF, 431 FIS, 1962 Kit: Meng Convair F-102A Delta Dagger (DS-003) Scale: 1/72 Paints: Vallejo Model Color Weathering: Oil paints, Brush painted Delta Dagger I did last summer. Very nice kit by Meng.

My second build in the GB will be this toon style rendition of the USS Lexington (thankfully approved by the GB leaders)... It's a style I'm not familiar with doing (both ships and the cartoon style) and should hopefully provide a fun little build, I'm hoping to put it on a base (I have one it should hopefully fit on) and do some water modelling, again something I'm not used to doing. As I mentioned on the other thread, I've got 3 other GBs I'm trying to finish so the parts photos will arrive once I've got the time to start this!

Russian Air Defense Weapons System 96K6 Pantsir-S1 (SS-016) 1:35 Meng Model via Creative Models The Panstsir S1 is a Russian air defense system combining a medium range surface to air missile system and anti-aircraft artillery gun system on the same platform. The system can be mounted on a truck (KAMAZ 6560) or tracked chassis (GM-352). The system is designed to provide point air defense to priority targets against aircraft, Helos, drones, cruise missiles; and other smart munitions. They can be seen protecting long range missile systems such as the S-300. The missile armament is 12 SA-22 Greyhound missiles which are command guided. They are boost launched, then sustained to the target. The missiles have a range of 20km and a height on 8km. The gun system is a pair 30mm auto cannon. They can fire from a range 200m to 4 km at a rate of fire of 2500 rounds per minute. The gun/missile combination ensuring a continued coverage from 200m to 20km. The firecontrol system combines a target acquisition radar with a dual band tracking radar. These operate in the UHF & EHF wavebands ensuring detection at 32kms, with tracking at 24km for a target with an radar cross section of 2 square metres. The radar can track both the target and missile. In addition to the radar there is electro-optical back up with a thermal image system and infrared detector. The system can track and engage multiple targets at the same time. The Kit This new tooled kit from Meng. On first inspection there are a lot of parts, all upto the quality we now expect from Meng. There is also a 43 page instruction booklet which also gives some indication as to the complexity of the kit. Construction starts with the chassis for the truck, and it pretty much builds up like the real thing. There is a central beam with side plates onto which attach the suspension components. At the front a full engine and radiator go in, behind the engine goes the transmission and gear box with shafts to all axles, and the axles themselves go in as well. Additional suspension components then are added to the axles. For the front two axles the steering parts go in as well, all wheel hubs and brakes are now fitted. The top part of the chassis goes on which will support all the body components. At the front the bumpers are added, and at the side the fuel and air tanks. The mudflaps are also fitted at this time. The four hydraulic stabiliser units are added, and then the wheels are attached; this now completes the vehicle chassis. Now we move onto to the front cab unit. The dash is assembled and added into the main cab unit. The interior is then assembled onto the floor pan and then this slides into the cab. The roof and doors are added. The doors could be modelled open if the modeller wants to. To finish of the cab the roof hatch is added along with the wipers and mirrors. The cab can then be attached to the chassis. Also being added at this stage is the engine air intake, spare wheel and radiator assembly for the cooling of the rear crew area. The rear crew are is then built up. Doors are added to each end, these could be left open but there is no interior to the compartment. The external air filter is built up and added along with the roof and the rear overhanging access panels. Once complete the crew area then goes onto the chassis. Now we move to the rear turret and its base. The base is made up first with 4 sides being made up and the roof added. Various external comments such as handles etc are add and then this can be added to the chassis. The power supply module which is mounted at the very rear of the vehicle is then made and added. This module differs between marking options so make sure you build the right one. Now the turret can be built. The front part which holds the weapons and the rear radar unit are both made up and attached to the turret base. The radar unit can then be made up and attached. This can be in either the raised or lowered position with 2 units being included depending on which one you want to use. The guns are then built up and added with different ones again being included depending on the marking option. Following this the missile tubes are also built up and added. The optical sight can then be made up and added to the turret roof. Side loading platforms for the turret are then made up and added (again these differ between marking options). The vehicle is then finished off by adding the turret. Markings 6 options are provided on a sheet made in house by Meng. There are 2 Russian green vehicles, two Russian Camo Options, a dessert Syrian option, and a dessert camo Iraqi option Conclusion This looks like a comprehensive kit of this weapons system. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

MENG Soviet Heavy tank KV-2 RFI (at last)😍 Hello everyone, I built this a while ago now, the WIP can be found HERE it was a test for weathering and mud techniques. It was a fun build and I have bought a few more of these kits. It was a quick build that went wrong in places but ended up rather pleasing. I also built a little hill out of Oasis to stand it on. Meng kit Tamiya acrylic paints AK heavy muddy weathering set. extreme weathered vehicles (squared) I didn't get around to an RFI so while I was tying up last years loose ends I decided to roll her out for one final hurrah. Hope you like it. Johnny. 😀 So There you go. Hope you like it. Happy new year you lot. Johnny.

North American P-51D/K Mustang "8th Air Force" (LS-010) 1:48 Meng Model via Creative Models Originally developed to fulfil a British requirement for new fighter aircraft, the unmistakable North American P-51 Mustang famously went from drawing board to first flight in just 178 days. It went on to become one of the most famous and successful aircraft of the Second World War. Transformed by the addition of Rolls Royce’s legendary Merlin engine, the Mustang went from strength to strength and was eventually developed into several variants. The P-51D introduced a number of improvements in response to combat experience, including a cut-down rear fuselage and bubble canopy and an increase in the number of 0.5 inch machine guns from four to six. The P-51K designation was used for Dallas built P-51Ds an Aeroproducts Propeller in place of the usual Hamilton Standard one. However the hollow bladed Aeroproducts unit was found to be unreliable and produced dangerous vibrations at full throttle. These units were replaced by Hamiltons standard units. Over 8000 P-51Ds were produced, more than any other Mustang variant. The Kit This new tooled P-51D from Meng is designed as a "snap together" kit and Meng trumpet it can be put together without glue. As such the kit is designed in a different way than your standard kit. There are more tabs and inserts and construction varies from a standard kit. Having spoken to a couple of modellers who have built the kit it certainly does go together without glue, however the modeller it would seem would be wise to glue it as they go. The kit arrives on five sprues of dark grey plastic and a clear sprue. Construction starts its seems in the conventional way with the cockpit. The front fire wall and instrument coaming are assembled with the rudder pedals clipping it. The radio area behind the pilot is installed onto the cockpit floor. The control column is added and the seat made up, then fitted. Moving on to the fuselage sides, side panels are added, then the tail wheel well & wheel are made up and attached. A couple of insert parts are attached and then the fuselage can be closed up. The propeller is then made up fro two sets of two bladed added to hub. The top engine cowl part is added along with the exhausts (2 different types being provided). Construction then moves onto the wings. The landing gear complete with wheels are added into the gear bay, this is then inserted into the rear wing. The flaps (down position only) are then added into the lower wing, and the whole thing is trapped by the addition of the upper wing. Inserts are provided on the leading edge for the guns. The cowling under the main engine is then added to the fuselage. The main ventral radiator assembly is then made up, the wing installed and then the radiator installed. Next the gear doors are installed (either up or down) and the rear scoop for the radiator added. Underwing stores are made up and installed. There is a choice for 100lb bombs, 75 Gal & 108 Gal drop tanks. Lastly the frame is added inside the canopy and its installed, followed by a top fuselage insert, the tailplanes and the rudder. Markings Two options are provided on a sheet made in house by Meng. P-51D 44-14789 "Missouri Armada" (as box art) P-51K 44-11622 "Nooky Booky IV" Conclusion Recommended if you want something a bit different, or you would like a project that snaps together, however I wont be replacing any of my other Mustang kits with this one. Review sample courtesy of

This one has been on the bench for a while. Pretty much out of the box, other than metal barrel and Friul Model tracks (as I couldn't face the ones in the kit!) Happy Holidays everyone. I hope that Santa brings you everything you asked for 🙂 Comments/critique/suggestions gratefully received 👍

This has been a somewhat protracted build for me, having started back in March 2018. I got the trailer finished around a year ago, but the truck's taken much longer, mainly down to other projects taking up time. It is a model that's worth taking some time with though, especially the truck which needs to be built and painted/weathered in sub-assemblies to get the best out of it. Fortunately, Meng have engineered it to make that approach fairly straight forward, and they've also packed in just about every detail you'd find on the real thing. This one's been finished as an ex-service vehicle now in private hands, maybe with a logging company where a lot of these trucks ended up when they were decommissioned, and now in a rather dilapidated and semi-abandoned contition. OOB apart from a few small details and the shattered windscreen. There are a few more photos of the trailer here: (Cameos by Meng's Lep 2 A7+ and VOIIO's Abrams SEP v2) Thanks for looking Andy

This is my latest build, finished yesterday, a Meng Renault FT in 1/35. Airbrushed with H&S Colani 0,4 mm. Acrylics from Vallejo and MiG, weathering with oil colours, mud is pigments in diverse brown tones. Was a fun to build, a very good kit. Hope you like it, thanks for looking!

This is my build of mengs me 410 b2/u2/r2. In the markings of 3U+CK of 2./zg 26. While based at Konigsberg-Neumark in the summer of 1944 The following aftermarket items were used Aires. - resin cockpit. Vector. - corrected oilcoolers. The following Quickboost. - ju 88 c/g 151 20mm gun barrels (under fuselarge gun pack). Ju 88 mg 151 20 mm gunbarrels (internal gun pack). Me 410 spinners & propellers. The following lead wire. 2mm,. 4mm,. 6mm. (engine & cockpit details & brake lines). Streached sprue was used for the radio aireal Extracolor enamels were used for the following rlm colours. - 02, 66, 74, 75, 76, Humbrol were used for the rest. A Badger 200 g was used with a fine tip. For the weathering the following was used. - Mrp. - exhaust soot Pastels Ak. - aircraft engine effects I enjoyed this build but! (I did a wip of this build) and would build another I had a couple of issues 1.the lower port wing joint needed filled with a plastic shim 2. The biggest issues were with the canopie. If you fit the nose glazing to the fuselarge the main canopie is too wide for the fuselarge. So I fitted the main conopie to the fuselarge so it fitted. Then used plastic card to pack out the nose glazing to fit the wider fuselarge. Also the conopie is on the thick side so I also had an issue fitting it round the rear aiming controls This is the detail I added to the gun/bomb bay(which is mostly hidden by the gun pack) Thank you for looking, comments and feed back is welcomed. Nick

Leopard 2 A7+ MENG 1/35 Meng's latest release in their Leopard 2 line, the A7+ is based on the previously released A7 with additional parts for the extra armour and the turret mounted weapons station. The kit goes together as well as the earlier version, and has most of the same features, including the slightly annoying working torsion bar suspension. On this one (unlike the A7 I built a while back) I fixed the suspension in place to avoid the tank constantly sitting at funny angles due to the axles pushing out of alignment. Apart from that, it's a very nice kit. The only down side is that the kit represents the original Krauss-Maffei Wegmann tech demontrator and not the production tanks that are currently entering service with Qatar and Hungary. And finally, a fw shots with Meng's earlier 2A7 Thanks for looking Andy

Hi everyone! I am going to build "Cruel lady" Achzarit early version from Meng. The result of turning the tank into IFV from the Israelis. Will use some adds from Eduard and Masterclub. Now the main thing is not to spoil the magnificent Chinese plastic with my work!)))

Early on in the Eclipse project someone said he wasn’t sure you could aero-tow a delta wing. Mark Stucky spoke up. “I know you can because I’ve done it.” He explained that he had aero-towed in hang gliders many times. See Forger’s F-106 in 1/72nd scale.

Here is my 1/35 Meng Gaz Tigr-M kit (with the marker lights I'd forgotten to add when I took the photo ><) I have it in a diorama here: Thanks for looking Gaz

Having a soft spot for jets of the Cold War I decided to build a (slightly) more modern fighter to accompany my recently built Hawker Sea Hawk. This particular Fiat G-91 is manufactured by Meng to 1/72 scale and whilst it isn’t the worlds best quality kit, it nevertheless builds into a fair representation of the Luftwaffe’s version of this ground attack jet and is nicely decorated with Cartograph decals.The only additions to the basic kit are a resin ejector seat, pilot and a photo etch access ladder. All paints are Tamiya acrylics and the lacquers are Humbol gloss and Humbrol Satin. Shoddy phots by ancient smart(?) phone. Comments, harsh, Micky taking or otherwise well received.

A few shots of my Meng 1/35 F-350 that I put into another Division themed diorama, this time based on the original game's NY setting. Expanded diorama shots here Gaz

My latest effort, a Meng 1/48 P-51 built as Mustang IVA KH774, 112 Squadron in early 1945. First off I will be the first to admit it is not my finest work! I wanted a quick, easy build after a couple of tough ones and off court problems and distractions. I built an Airfix Tomahawk a while back and this was a later war companion for it in my collection. The kit was generally excellent - good fit in the main and nice details. I filled the wing rivets, added a few wires in the cockpit and replaced the gunsight and IP decals. The only problem I had during construction was due to the push fit nature of the kit - when you test fit, particularly smaller parts such as U/C parts, it is a devil of a job to get them apart again! As is typical with my modelling, I made a few assumptions - and errors! The only reliable picture of this aircraft which I could find showed a light coloured spinner - possibly sky? I assumed that this was a replacement/temporary and I used the theatre red spinner colour. I also left off an antenna wire since I could find no evidence one way or another whether they were used in Italy. I used decals donated from an Italeri kit and this is where it all started to go wrong. I blindly followed the Italeri instructions for the camouflage pattern only to find - far too late - that this is probably wrong for the so called "Firewall" scheme which it was trying to depict. The colours are, I think, correct but the pattern is not. Ho hum! Also, the shark mouth markings were way too long when compared to the picture so they were modified and touched up as best I could to make them look a little better. The final problem was noticed only when I was taking pictures - I don't know how but I hadn't noticed the small light just behind the arial mast - not sure if they were even carried on wartime machines but on my version, it was painted over (Ho hum again!). Anyway some pictures Cheers Malcolm

Bending Pliers for Photo-Etched parts (MTS-029) Meng Model via Creative Models Ltd. Successfully handling Photo-Etch is a task that requires some fairly specific tools, and to get the most out of it you need to obey the mantra "use the right tools for the job". With this in mind, PE bending tools should be on your shopping list (really? ), and while PE bending brakes are essential for some jobs, they're not suitable for every job. PE pliers are useful for smaller parts, and for those where you have to bend parts close to each other, such as tiny boxes etc. You can use standard flat-bladed pliers with some success, but they generally tend to be on the larger side that aren't always useful. Even the Tamiya PE pliers are a bit wide for some jobs, so this new tool from Meng could well fit a gap in the market. Arriving in a well-appointed brown card box, inside is a high-density foam liner with the shape of the pliers cut out and the pliers well stuffed into the hole. They take a little effort to get out, and once free you can see that they have very narrow blades, at only 1mm at the very tip. The overall shape, especially the handles have a Xuron feeling, the jaws are sprung, and the red plastic handles (which look more orange in the pictures) are glued in place with a strong epoxy to prevent them from creeping off during use. The two blades are bent so that they mesh directly over each other, with about 20mm of useable bending length from front to back. The Meng logo and product code are etched into one side of the jaws behind the riveted pivot point, which allows zero play between the jaws for a positive action. The jaws are made from quality tool steel, and the springs should last a lifetime, making relaxing your grip as simple as opening your hand. To try them out I used an old Reheat PE set that includes WWII RAF seats and belts, bending up a seat with raised detail on the inside. The blades are easy to locate on the bending line, and grip is firm. With half-thickness PE next to the fold, it's wise to bend against a flat surface, such as a rule or a desk to prevent the weaker thin part from bending, and the blade's square edge results in a nice clean bend. The seat took a matter of seconds to fold up, and as you can see in the picture I didn't apply any glue to the joins, as this wasn't a test of my modelling prowess. I can see this being very useful for folds that have narrow gaps between them, such as equipment boxes often found in Eduard sets, which makes it a very useful part of your PE handling tool kit. Add a bending brake, some fine tweezers, a sticky wax pencil, some fine files for removing attachment point stubs and a few grades of super glue, and PE should present much less of a challenge. Practice also helps immensely as does magnification, so even if you initially struggle, you'll soon get used to the process, and wonder what the fuss was about. I have slightly chunky mitts, and they fall to hand well, being on the small side of comfortable, with the handles just about reaching the edge of my palm when held ready for action. This should minimise any dropping incidents, even though I've got a bit of an issue with that sort of thing due to my advancing age and a few medical conditions. Each handle has a small hole through it, which would permit the use of a lanyard if your grip is worse than mine, as a fall blade first onto a hard surface could be difficult to recover from. Conclusion A very useful part of any modeller's PE handling tool kit that will pay dividends once you get used to using them. Review sample courtesy of

This is Meng's new Rolls Royce armoured car, which can be built in either the 1914 Pattern WWI version or, as seen here, a 1920 Pattern in WWII desert configuration. It's a decent kit, albeit one with a few iffy areas that you wouldn't expect from a Meng kit. Despite that, it's still lightyears ahead of the old Roden kit and builds into a very nice model. The caunter was painted with a mix of AK's Real Color shades and some Tamiya mixes, mainly for the Silver Grey as the AK version didn't look very convincing. The full build can be found here Thanks for looking Andy

Didn't see this one coming: https://www.hobbyeasy.com/en/data/8wm201jteuwrebynljq7.html

Wow. What a build. The final reveal: The build thread is at: Apologies - it's a bit long, and possibly a bit dull 🙂 I've really enjoyed this one. The kit is excellent. I replaced the barrel, but that was just personal preference... The King Tiger. What a beast. Coming from from the Panzer IV, it is huge. I stuck with the kit tracks. and found them really good. To ensure that I could see the tracks, I left the side skirts off, and cut down the front mudguards. Tools were fiddly, as always, but loads of great definition from Meng. All good 🙂 I'm really pleased with how the rear came out. Overall, a really good kit. Hard work (on my part), but worth it. Always learning... for this build: 3-colour hard edge camo is tricky, but doable. I like Panzer Putty 😀 Never try to do chipping with a sponge on a gloss coat, Duh 🤪 A £2 box of artist pencils is better than expensive pigments 🥳 Never ‘just give it a final coat of Dullcoat’... Just leave it as it is 😀 This model is broadly based on a number of photos/drawings, but does not try to ‘be’ a certain example. Comments happily received 😎 A bit of a rest now before the Jagdpanther!

Hello All, I normally do not venture into the briny side of modelling but made an exception as a 'no pressure try out some more weathering techniques" build. The kit appealed as It is a rapid build snap together kit that has very good fit and engineering. Anyway it was fun to do as something very different for me. Thanks for looking, Happy Modelling, oh by the way, some exceptional stuff here on this thread..... Might have to have a bit of a further go these briny things. Ian

Hello, I have a couple of meng tanks to build, starting with this one. Fairly straight forward build, I like the polycaps. The torsion bar suspension was interesting. I'm really not a fan of the slightly rough finish they put on these models, I suppose it's to help the paint grip. Anyway I'm going to sand it off. I also bought a set of tow cables for it. I'm leaving the side skirts off and painting the underside first, them I'll pop the wheels on, glue on the side skirts, and then paint the rest of it. There isn't much of a glue surface so I want a clean bond so they don't fall off once painted. I'm Starting out with Mr surfacer Black, straight from a can. For a base coat I mix tamiya hull red with flat black about 5050, looks darker than it is in this picture. I bought the Echelon decal sets, I'm quite fond of the Norwegian version, which calls for Olive drab, even though it look more khaki... I'll see how olive drab goes. I start with a base coat of Olive drab, goes on pretty dark. but I plan to apply a few light coats as I go.

Magach 6B Gal Batash Israeli Main Battle Tank (TS-040) 1:35 Meng Model via Creative Models The Magach name has been used for a number of tanks over the years, based upon the numerous Patton tanks from the M48 to the M60, which is probably the cause of some confusion, although calling four tanks Patton confuses me already, so why not continue? The 6B was based upon the newer M60A1 chassis, with modernisation from the base model, the fitment of the Gal fire control system, and passive appliqué armour that gave it a rather Merkava-like profile. These were in response to combat performance issues during the major conflicts such as the Yom Kippur and Lebanon, where their resources were seriously depleted due to some design defects, such as the location of flammable liquids in high risk areas and insufficient armour. Initially the armour issue was remedied by Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA), but as this can be seriously lethal to accompanying troops, the Gal Batash switched to 4th generation composite armour to reduce the potential hazard when standing close by. The ongoing upgrades eventually led to the Magach 7, and these in turn were replaced in the early 2000s by Merkavas. The chassis of the Magach is still in use however as the new Pereh missile carrier, which uses the main hull, and is disguised to look very much like a tank, despite its non-functional barrel and the 12 missiles it carries within. The Kit This is another new tooling from Meng, who have a growing line of Israeli equipment in their catalogue partly due to their links with Desert Eagle Publishing. Inside the standard satin-effect Meng box are fifteen sprues, M2 machine gun breech, hull and turret parts in sand coloured styrene, a flexible sprue in the same colour, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) parts, a tree of black poly-caps, a length of braided wire, decal sheet and the instruction booklet, plus a separate colour and marking guide. It's a Meng tooling, so the detail is excellent, and there is plenty of clever moulding to improve that further without upping the part count unnecessarily, such as the super-finely moulded muzzles for the crew served weapons such as the M2 Browning derivative. The surface of the armour is also textured where appropriate, either as cast, or anti-slip on the horizontal(ish) surfaces, and there are lots of crisp weld-lines depicted too, especially on the big hull part. It's also nice to see a complete package with PE and material for use as towing cables, so that the modeller doesn't have to lay out additional cash or go scrabbling through their spares bin to complete the model. The tracks are individual links with pins in sub-sprues to ease construction and a clear jig to hold them in place during the building process. Do not adjust your set: The sprue above really is that wobbly Construction begins with the road wheels, which are made in pairs with a poly-cap trapped between them and have separate tyres, which will please anyone wanting to avoid cutting paint lines between the parts. The return rollers are in pairs too, but these have their tyres moulded-in due to their size. Finally, the drive sprockets comprise three parts with a poly-cap inside, all of which will aid adding and removing them during painting and track construction. The lower hull has a set of S-shaped blocks fitted to the floor, which later receive the torsion bars for the suspension, while the side-skirt stand-offs and suspension detail are added around the outside, together with the final drive housings. There are even individual casting codes for the hulls supplied as PE plates that attach to the rear of the hull. The torsion bars are made up with their swing-arms and stub axles, then slid in through the hull to rest in their mounts that were previously fixed to the hull floor, and here you will need to be careful to put the right ones in the correct holes. Some additional damping is needed, and these are added along the way, then the wheels can be added for the first time, and the rear bulkhead (lower) decorated with towing hitches etc. Now for the top of the hull, which begins with the glacis plate and turret ring section, which are moulded as a single part with some nice texture. Some holes are drilled in the underside and a couple of bits are removed, then the driver's hatch and some lifting eyes are fitted long with the vision blocks and another casting number from PE. The angled rear deck is then joined with the front and they are both mated to the lower hull, then festooned with all the grilles that are found on the M60's engine deck, and that's quite a few, including the little exhaust insert grille on the right rear. At the front, the lower glacis plate is added with some substantial brackets, presumably for a mine plough or an entrenching tool, then the additional keel armour is placed "over the top" of the underside, and a few more shackles are added. The fender parts are next up, and they are decorated with stowage boxes and the air cleaners then added to the sides of the hulls, being held in place by slots and tabs, and some glue of course! The upper glacis gets a pack of appliqué armour blocks and the rear is finished off before the v-shaped styrene front towing cables are attached together and draped over the armour, then joined by the fender guards and the front light clusters. Tracks. They're always there on a tank, and everyone wants to know whether they're easy, hard or somewhere in between. As previously mentioned, the tracks are individual links, and are spread across four identical sprues along with the tiny track pins that are moulded in groups of six and are designed to be mated to the links still attached to their sprue rails. The links have four sprue gates each that are placed upon the curved sections where the links join, so clean-up doesn't have to be 100% perfect, just good enough not to interfere with the next link along. The click loosely together, and you put them on the jig in groups of eight, close the top part over them and then slide the grouped track pins into place, taking care to ensure you have the links in the jig the correct way. The sprue rail is then cut off, which is best done with a brand new #11 blade to ensure a tidy break on each pin. Each track run has 101 links, so you're in for a bit of work, but that's tracks for you! The runs are completed by adding a single pin to the final joint, which will have to be done manually, so prepare the tweezers and rest easy knowing there are spares in case the first few ping off into the ether. The side skirts are there to hide all your hard work on the tracks, and these too have armoured panels, the front two of which protect the fighting compartment, so are of the composite variety and thicker than the others. They attach to a rail that has hangers between it and the panels, and once both are complete, they glue to the sides of the hull, completing the lower half of the model. The turret is a shell (excuse pun) with no interior, and as such has no gun breech, but instead has a short tube that pivots as the gun would, slowed down by a pair of poly-caps to avoid droopy-barrel syndrome. The upper half is glued in place on top of the lower after drilling some 1mm holes to accept some of the additional armour and suchlike, but the inclusion of casting texture and the original turret shape suggests that this may later be seen as an M60 kit, but only time will tell. The mantlet, lifting eyes, mushroom vents plus hatches, radio antenna masts, and a flexible mantlet enclosure that's on the flexible sprue fits around the gaps, and keeps out the abrasive sand on the real thing. Either side of the mantlet are a pair of prominent smoke grenade launcher packs, which have the 10 grenades moulded in place, and have an outer box and mounting brackets added to fit at the correct angle. The armour package changes the look of the turret noticeably, with a more Merkava-like double sloped front that is built up from individual panels before being applied to the turret cheeks, and a modular pack that attaches to the top of the turret in clusters around the important hatches and vents. The commander's cupola has a movable hatch and a collection of vision blocks fitted, plus lifting eyes and a large hinge-pin before it is slotted into its hole in the deck, which remains mobile and secures in place with a bayonet fitting on the cupola ring. The front sighting box with covers and back-up optical sight are added to the turret top along with a large stowage box and spare ammo for the turret machine guns, and down the sides are cleats for more cables, plus a tread-plate steps that make getting on and off the turret easier for those with shorter legs. Additional fuel and stowage are attached to the bustle, with styrene rails and a PE mesh floor, plus a pair of very well moulded ID panels that fix to the rear and sides of the bustle, and have some very believable creases and folds that are different on each one for more realism. The final towing cable drapes round the rear of the turret, and is made up from the included braided wire and styrene eyes, resting in a set of hooks around the bustle, then hooking around the cleats at the sides. The main gun has a complex cooling jacket that doesn't lend itself to a metal barrel, so a two-part styrene barrel is provided that shouldn't take much in the way of clean-up, and has a separate hollow muzzle that has rifling moulded-in. The recoil bag is moulded in flexible styrene and has all the concertina ribs moulded into it, slipping over the rear of the barrel before it is fitted and the remainder of the visible mantlet is covered over by the platform that will receive the M2 machine gun remote station. This is built up next, and appears to have been moulded with an anachronism in the shape of the barrel-changing handle, which is also shown sitting up vertically on the barrel. This shouldn't generally be there as it was phased out after Vietnam, and would hang below the barrel as it rotates freely when in place. The breech isn't attached to any sprues, so take care not to lose it, and choose one of the alternative barrels that you will find on the small weapons sprue. Many Magachs also didn't have the conical flash-hider, but some did, so check your references. The gun has a small mount, twin spade-grips and a large dump bag on the right side to receive the spent brass, and an ammo box on the left. Staying with the crew-served weapons, there are also two FN MAG mounts for the commander and loader hatches, which is a derivation from the American M249 and British GPMG, and has a prominent carry handle that should flop down to the right when not in use. I'm reliably informed by a gent that has fired one, that if the handle is vertical, the barrel is likely to try to follow the first few rounds downrange! It's a simple matter to cut them off and reposition them, and unlike the M2, they have solid muzzles that you might want to try and drill out while you're messing round with them. Good luck, as it's not easy at that size. The commander's gun has a large searchlight and a big box mag attached, while the loader's is on a flexible pintle mount due to its position on the far left of the turret. With these parts in place, the turret and hull are joined with a bayonet fitting on the turret ring holding both parts together. Done! Markings In this box you get two markings options, both of which are Sinai Grey, an elusive shade of grey/sand that you can happily now get bottled, rather than having to mix your own. Meng's collaboration with AK Interactive and the new(ish) Gunze Acrysion codes are given in the instructions, but as everyone seems to have an Israeli paint set these days, it shouldn't be too hard to find the correct shades if you don't have those to hand. From the box you can build one of the following: Tank 10 Gimel, 2nd Battalion, 401st Brigade, IDF near the international border with the Gaza Strip Tank from 9th "Eshet" Battalion, 401st Brigade, IDF in the centre of the Samaria region, August 1998 The decal sheet is small and printed in China in black and white, with red used only for the Meng logo. Registration, sharpness and colour density are all up to scratch, and the carrier film is relatively thin and cut close to the printing, so should go down well with your choice of decal solutions. Conclusion A highly detailed tooling of one of Israel's Main Battle Tanks from not so long ago. There's lots of scope for weathering, and the level of detail out of the box will doubtless be enough for the majority of modellers, due to the quality of the tooling. That said, if you want a covered bustle stowage bin and smoke launchers, read on. Very highly recommended. Israel Main Battle Tank Magach 6B Gal Batash Fully Loaded Rear Basket & Closed Smoke Grenade Launchers 1:35 Meng Model via Creative Models This aftermarket set from Meng gives the modeller the option of depicting a bustle with a full complement of personal equipment, covered in a tarpaulin to keep out the desert sand that gets everywhere. It also provides the covers for the smoke grenade launchers at the front, which are often covered up for the same reasons. The set arrives in a small box, and inside are five resin parts on easily removed casting blocks, plus an instruction sheet. The bustle is shown fully covered up at the top and sides, with the main part a C-shaped back and sides, with the mesh floor depicted as another resin part that is shown upside-down on the instructions. You use some kit parts for the rails along the back and the cleats for the towing cables. The topside is the final part of the bustle, and all the parts apart from the bottom are covered with realistically draped creases and folds that suggest the contents. The smoke dischargers fit onto the kit back plates and stand-offs, with a nicely realised and tailored canvas cover over the top portion of each one. Superb detail throughout and a very realistic texture that will make your Magach look more lived in. It's not cheap, but it's definitely good. Review sample courtesy of

Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Armoured Vehicle Crew (HS-011) 1:35 Meng via Creative Models With more main stream Chinese kit manufactures appearing it was only going to be time until we had some modern PLA vehicles on the scene. Now from Meng comes a set of figures for them. This seems to be less of a combat or general set with the figures looking like those you would see on one of the massive Army parades the PLA stage. From the box you can build four figures, each having separate arms, legs head and torso, plus one driver for which only the shoulders and head are provided. There is one figure standing to attention, one manning an anti-aircraft gun, one sitting, and another standing holding onto a hatch rim. There is nothing else in the form of equipment or weapons in the set. Conclusion Mengs's figures are excellent, and this crew will make a difference to your Chinese vehicle. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of