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ACE and IBG kits


Hardcastle

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Hi all

 

Seasons' Greetings!

 

I was wondering if anyone with some experience with ACE or IBG kits could give their opinions about the 1:72 scale kits, more specifically the ACE Austin and Chev cars, the IBG CMP and Bedford kits.

There does not seem to be a supplier importing these into South Africa and before I do an internet order (if they even ship to SA, some places are funny that way!), I want to get intel on the quality of the kits, the builds and the type of plastic etc.

 

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

Tim Hardcastle

warm and sunny Durban, South Africa.

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Hi Tim,

 

I haven't built any of the specific kits you mention but I did build the ACE Citroën 11CV here:

 

It needed a bit of work and a lot of test-fitting but I was happy with the end result and I understand the more recent kits are more like 'mainstream' kits. On the strength of my experience I wouldnt recommend the ACE kits to a beginner but if you have a bit of experience under your belt I don't think you'd have a problem with them.

 

Hopefully Andy @Sgt.Squarehead will see this and chip in as he is quite an aficionado of ACE and IBG and would be a good choice for a recommendation - or not - of the kits you mentioned.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

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Hi,

ACE kits from their BTR-70 series and until now are easier to build than the ones before. Also, the quality of the kit depends upon how early it was produced in the production run. The older the ki the higher the chance of lower quality mold. The usual drawback I do jot like with the ACE kits is the wheels and complete lack of tire grooves on them. The kits with "rubber" tires though address this issue.

I have built only one of the IBG kits, and I found it was easier to put together than an average ACE )though not without issues). The quality of molds is also on average better than the ACE.

 

Edited by BallsBuster
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I've got a variety from both manufacturers (including a couple of the kits you are interested in) in the stash.....ACE's older kits can be a real handful (I have their Type-59 and it scares me half to death every time I look at it), but fortunately their newer stuff is getting much sharper.  I believe the 11cv Stew built was among the last of their older style kits and it's still eminently buildable, but you do need to check everything twice before getting the glue out.  If you've built any of Amodel's earlier efforts this will seem like familiar territory.  I've got the Tilly and can photograph it for you, or you can check out the sprues etc. here:  http://henk.fox3000.com/Ace-ww2.htm

 

IBG are somewhat similar, but their baseline standard is much higher as they are a much newer entrant to the field.....Careful cleanup and test fitting are still required though and do beware of their Carriers, they have link & length tracks that are unimaginably tiny!  :shutup:

 

EFerrerIBGCarrier72023_pic019.jpg

 

The wheels of the Bedfords look slightly wrong to me (too small), I suspect there may be aftermarket replacements but I haven't checked TBH.....I have all of the Bedfords and most of the Chevrolets and I'd be happy to take some pictures of the bits for your perusal, or you can check them out at Henk's site once again :  http://henk.fox3000.com/ibg.htm

 

You'll find links to reviews of the Bedfords at IPMS Germany (How's your German?  :hmmm:) and also to the Chevrolets which are reviewed at On The Way!  (http://www.onthewaymodels.com/kitlists/ibgkits.htm)

 

PS - This just reminded me that Revell's new T-55 is out, so all my ACE Type-59 woes are now sorted, for under £11, to my door.....Internet modelling's a wonderful (if occasionally costly) thing!  ;)

 

 

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I have Bedfords and CMPs, and they are nicely tooled, though their dedicated to small parts and brittle plastic makes them awkward to separate cleanly from the runners.  I have seen criticism of them in terms of accuracy of shape and (in the case of the Bedford) scale.  This has certainly been mentioned on the Braille Scale sub-forum in the MIssing Links site, but I can't say where.

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Just the other week was looking at reviews of the IBG Chevrolet in 1/35 scale (1/72 not my regular scale for vehicles, but read on ...).  There are shape/dimension issues, and somehow, this is worse in the braille scale.  Found at the Canadian forum site MapleLeafUp:  http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/showthread.php?p=232773

 

I've read complaints too, that the 1/72 CMP trucks from IBG are over engineered (too many small parts?), but for those where this  is not a problem, PE aftermarket are available, along with replacement resin tires.

 

regards,

Jack

 

 

 

 

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I haven't any experience of the kits and brands in question, but I notice that the store Hobby.dn.ua in Kiev seems to carry pretty much their complete ranges.  I've used this seller a number of times to source eastern-European origin products and have found them to be very reasonably priced and very reliable.  Can't comment on shipping to the opposite side of the world, but shipping to the UK by Ukrainian Post has always been reliable for me.  Check prices in different currencies: last time I ordered I saved a bit by paying in the local currency Grivna/Hrivna (UAH) - even with the Visa currency charge.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mk72 models in Switzerland do very nice resin wheels for the IBG Chevy and an upgrade set with wheels for the Bedford.

 

Have several sets of the Chevy wheels and they are great!!! Also quite cheap compared to other alternatives.

 

 

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I agree with many of the comments above having built 4 or 5 ACE kits and a couple of IBG.

The latter are like Heller of old, why make one part when 6 will do? They tend to have far too many parts, many of then very tiny and with quite large gates that need very careful separation and clean-up. Frequent dry-fitting and extra care with getting all wheels on the ground are a necessity.

BUT, they are usually the only kid on the block, especially the ACE soft-skin cars, and look the part when done.

Not recommended for beginners or modellers with over-sized digits!

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