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  1. Sd.Kfz.173 Ausf.G2 Jagdpanther (TS-047) 1:35 Meng via Creative Models Ltd After the Nazis encountered the formidable Russian T-34, their medium tank project took a new turn to become the Panther, which proved to be one of their more successful designs and is still admired today for its technical prowess and abilities. The need for tank killer “ambush predators” took the chassis of the Panther, removed the turret and superstructure, replacing it with a casemate and powerful high-velocity gun in a new mount with elevation and limited side to side movement that was used for fine-tuning targeting. The heavily sloped glacis extended to the roofline, giving the vehicle a sleek look that was echoed at the sides, with a step down from the roof at the rear onto the engine deck. The G1 variant used the Panther A as a base, while the later models designated G2 were based up on the Panther G chassis. The same Pak 43 88mm gun was mounted, in an internally fixed mantlet initially, and later externally bolted in the G2. As with all WWII German tanks, the design was complex by comparison with the enemy's, so production was slower, which was probably just as well as it was a capable tank, just like is turreted progenitor. The gun was almost unstoppable by armour at the time, the engine had enough power for the task in hand, and it wasn't overweight, so the transmission could handle the power easily. If there had been more of them, they could well have had an impact, certainly slowing down the Allied advances (providing they could have fuelled them), and making gains more costly in men and materiel. Its “misuse” as infantry support and as a standard tank also helped the Allies with attrition, as tanks were destroyed or abandoned due to relatively minor breakdowns, then scuttled if the crews were able to do so. The Kit Meng have tooled a couple of Panthers in 1:35, and it made sense for them to add a Jagdpanther to their line due to the overlap in parts and research. We reviewed their Ausf.A and the later Ausf.D, with the Jagdpanther G1 here and after a couple of years (has it really been that long?) we now have the Jagdpanther G2. Meng have a well-earned reputation for producing good, well-detailed models, mainly because that's what they keep on doing. I'm a fan of Meng, and I also love the Jagdpanther for no reason that I can divine, so I apologise in advance (again) if I come across a bit giddy at times. The kit arrives in a standard Meng box with attractive artwork and that satin finish I like so much. Inside are ten sprues in sand coloured styrene, a small clear sprue, two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE) in varying thicknesses, a run of polycaps, two lengths of braided metal wire, a tiny decal sheet, turned aluminium barrel, length of brass chain, instruction booklet with colour painting guide on the rear pages, all printed on glossy paper in a narrow sub-A4 portrait format. In addition to the booklet there are four pages of information about the type on thick stock in several languages, which has a row of three ring-binder holes along the top edge. First impressions are excellent as usual, and there are common sprues between both their Panther G and the Jagdpanther G1, with a few new parts on two additional sprues, plus a redesigned PE brass sheet, and that short length of chain. Detail is excellent throughout, and the inclusion of things such as a turned barrel and realistic braided wire for the towing cables is good news, as it's just one less thing to have to add to your model, and keeps costs down, which will doubtless be appreciated by many. New Parts Construction begins in the same manner as the Panther with the paired road wheels with a polycap between each one, plus the idler and drive sprockets. The lower hull is built from floor and two side panels, with two t-shaped braces holding them to the correct angles, so that when you fit the rear bulkhead it should slide perfectly in place. Various bits of suspension and drive train are added to the sides, as are the stub axles through the holes in the hull sides. These have a small additional peg at the end of the swing arm to allow the modeller to set them at the correct (neutral) ride height, and before installation the small holes in the back of the arms that are there to prevent sink marks are filled with small inserts, even though they probably won't be seen. The upper hull with the engine deck and radiator bath sections are then made up and glued on the lower hull, with the overhang above the tracks closed in by additional panels. The road wheels are interleaved in a similar manner as the Tiger to reduce ground pressure, so must be put in place in the correct order to prevent complications, so take care here to put types A and B in the appropriate places, after which the tracks are needed. The links are individual, with twin guide-horns that are supplied as separate parts that must be added into the small square holes in the links before you can glue them together. The position of the sprue gates on the links are on curved surfaces, which makes removing that last fraction of a millimetre that much harder, requiring a circular diamond file or similar to do a good job. This slows the task down quite a bit initially, although as with all things you'll probably speed up near the end, which is exactly what I did on my short test run, electing to add the horns dry to the links, and glue them in place. The links fit together snuggly, and hide all the seamlines as well as any less-than-perfect sprue gate removal, so it's not the end of the world, but the task will be a fairly long one, and as the guide-horns are small and tapered, they love to ping out of your tweezers at the slightest variance in pressure. Once all the links have their horns in place, a relatively swift gluing of links should leave them flexible enough to drape around the wheels, and taping or chocking them in place will give you the realistic sag behind the drive wheels that you need on the top run. The upper hull that was installed earlier is merely the liner, but the front panel is exterior armoured surface, and this needs a hole drilled in the side of the plate, and a port removed from the glacis with a sharp blade. The side armour panels are in need of holes for the tools, and after they are fixed in place you have a vehicle that looks more like a tank. Small PE parts are added to the exterior along with other fixtures such as the lights, towing shackles and pioneer tools that are a must for any AFV. The rear bulkhead is fitted with armoured access panels and two tubular exhausts, which have welded armoured lowers and are surrounded by the angular stowage boxes that usually fare badly in reversing incidents. The later tubular Notek convoy light is hidden away on the left lower exhaust, with a scrap diagram showing the correct colours and its location on a bracket attached to the left exhaust, which is another new one on me. The engine deck has three louvers, two of which are rectangular and have PE mesh covers, the other a raised circular cast unit that has its own PE insert, while on the sides a run of narrow PE fenders are fitted with styrene brackets, which later also act as hangers for the schurtzen side skirts. The crew heater unit fits over the left circular aperture, and has a fan, PE mesh grille and wedge-shaped PE adjustment covers that fit inside the top lip. A rack of spare track links and tools are added above on the right, with more tools on the left, plus a tube containing barrel cleaning rods on the left side of the hull attacxhed by a bracket. The central lift-off cover to the engine deck was a source for some variance, so flashed over holes are drilled out as needed for this version. The jack block was omitted on this version, but the jack is stowed between the exhausts, then the rear is finished off with the crew hatch, spent shell-ejection port, and aerial base, with an antenna base on the right of the crew door, and one towing cable on each side of the hull, made up from the supplied braided cable and styrene eye parts. The roof of the fighting compartment has a simple flat mushroom vent, as well as crew hatches that can be left open or closed, and clear periscope parts around the surface. The rotating sighting periscope is made up and dropped into the roof, then secured by a ring to allow it to rotate if you wish, and a choice of flat or curved central vents to finish off. The roof is then glued in place. The bow mounted machine gun was surrounded by a domed armour panel called a Kugelblende, which came in two flavours with a stepped aperture and a smooth one. The machine gun barrel is fitted to the ball mount and trapped in place by the installation of this part, or it can be left off and covered by a plug with styrene lanyard that was fitted during deep wading for example. The gun breech is surprisingly detailed considering this is a "no interior" kit, and this is built up over a number of steps before being pushed through the riveted mantlet. The Saukopf (literally "pig head" due to how it looks) that protects the vulnerable gap between mantlet and breech is slid on next, then the completed assembly slides into the glacis and can be glued in place to accept the turned barrel once it has been topped & tailed with the three-piece flash hider, and four part gun sleeve. The barrel is keyed, so there's little change of it going in upside down unless you are very determined and prone to violence. With the barrel glued in and the nickel-plated Schurzen put in place, that's main construction over with. This boxing includes a crane arm that could be fitted above the rear deck to accomplish heavy lifting tasks during maintenance. It is made up of a vertical pole with two bracing struts that attach half way along the roof, then a jib that is supported by a length of cable and a chain that sets the angle of the jib. A pair of lifting pulleys are made up and laced with PE chain according to a scrap diagram, then the completed assembly is fitted to the roof as shown in the final step. Markings There are three markings options in the box, and a tiny decal sheet covers them all, with six crosses being the only content. Each option is heavily camouflaged, as the Germans were at this point in the war running scared of the Allied fighters such as the Typhoon, Tempest and Thunderbolt who could roam at will due to the almost total lack of Luftwaffe by then. Unit Unknown, German Military, Germany, Spring 1945 Unit Unknown, German Military, France, Late 1944 sPzJgAbt 654, Alsace France, late 1944 Decals are printed in China in black and white plus a red Meng logo, and have adequate registration, sharpness and colour density for the task, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion I said the same thing about the G1 kit, and again will put up with the slightly fiddly tracks for the sake of the rest of it. Superb detail and moulding, relatively simple construction (ignoring the track), and it's another Meng Jagdpanther. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  2. Continuing my Cold War theme, I have done the Meng Leopard 1A5. I was surprised these didn't go our of service until '93. I thought they were shelved as soon as Leopard 2 come out. I really enjoyed this kit, even the infamous workable tracks (5 parts per link!) which I found therapeutic after the year I've had. This was my first time going the NATO three colour scheme and (on finding out they are all sprayed exactly the same in the factory) my first time using blue-tack as a mask. I thought it came out really well so I decided to leave it as a factory finish with only a bit of weathering on the tracks. I saw a review where the tracks didn't hold up to using oil and terps as a wash so I watered down so ammo acrylic with water. I picked the decals that matched a unit closest to where I was stationed in Germany.
  3. MB Military Vehicle (VS-011) 1:35 Meng via Creative Models Ltd The Willy’s Jeep is a WWII legend that shows no sign of diminishing, beginning in the 30s with a need for a four-wheeled drive light vehicle to transport small numbers of troops and officers in a rugged chassis that became more urgent when hostilities began. The Bantam was a competitor, and some of the design cues leaked from one competitor to another, but the ultimate winner was from Willys-Overland and was manufactured in huge quantities by various factories in the US and elsewhere. As well as being almost ubiquitous in the European Theatre, they were sent almost everywhere else too, and continued in service to the end of the war and beyond. Many fans of the type still collect and renovate them, with a huge market for second-hand parts, and some serious in-depth knowledge out there that makes us modellers look like amateurs. As well as their Officer transport role, they were used for reconnaissance where speed of exit was sometimes more important than infiltration if the Nazis caught you snooping about. It had leaf-spring suspension with four-wheel drive capable of ploughing over the roughest territory thanks to its 60hp engine and three-speed gearbox with high and low ratio drive modes. Over half a million were made during the war with more made after, and the design evolved into a civilian vehicle, whilst the brand Jeep became a household name that continues today. The Kit This is a rebox of a brand new 2019 tool from Meng that was originally released as a Wasp Flamethrower Jeep under the code (VS-012), which seems to have passed me by at the very least, and has a higher product code, which possibly means a change in release dates? Ok, I’m confused now. Anyway, this kit is a vanilla Jeep with a .50cal Browning M2 on a post in the rear, so it’s just what the doctor ordered. It arrives in a small top-opening box with Meng’s usual high-grade box art, and inside are three sprues of sand-coloured styrene, plus the Jeep bodyshell and the Browning breech separately, plus a small clear sprue, a decal sheet, and of course a glossy-covered instruction booklet with colour front and painting guide inside the rear. Detail is everything you would ask of a Meng kit, with a complex moulding of the majority of the bodyshell, and lots of lovely detail added along the way. This is a full interior kit, so construction begins with the little 4-cylinder L134 "Go Devil" engine with a two-part block, sump, ancillaries and fan at the front, plus transmission at the rear and the front section of the exhaust on the left side of the engine. This is then mated with the ladder chassis, with an engine support fitted underneath. The front and rear axles are then built up with their leaf-springs on each side, plus the drive-shafts leading into the differential housings that are offset from the centre. The front axle has the steering equipment added, then the exhaust/muffler are strapped to the chassis moulded into a protective shield for the transmission box. Before the bodyshell is fitted out, the steering column is slid into place through the engine bay, and a number of small holes are drilled from underneath the transmission tunnel and the left front mudguard for later use. With the shell flipped back over, the firewall with ancillary equipment is put in, and the tailgate section is glued into place, with the various lights picked out in red or amber paint as you go. There are also some holes that need filling in the outer skin of the tailgate, so have a little filler at the ready, preferably before you get too far down the line with integrating it into the shell. Inside the centre section of the crew area the 15-gallon fuel tank is positioned along with a fire extinguisher, gear stick and 4WD levers. In the front of the engine compartment the radiator assembly with the hidden headlamp housings within are assembled and slid into place, then the body is dropped onto the chassis in much the same way as the real thing. The wheel wells are empty, but that’s about to change by the making up of the four wheels from two halves each with moulded hubs in each one, and a simple chunky tread that lends itself well to injection moulding imprinted on the rolling surface. Each one attaches to the axle and should be glued in place for security, and if you feel the urge, you can add a small flat-spot to all four to imply weight. The battery and radiator header are installed within the engine bay, then the bumper-bar and coaming with instrument panel (with decals) are glued in between the two bays, with the air box and bonnet/hood added in the down position, or flipped open by the use of a hinge bracket that fits to the bulkhead. The windshield consists of frame and clear glazing panel with a groove in the centre to accommodate the frame, and a rifle stowed across the lower panel in a rain cover for easy access, and the two window-control grooves are fixed to recesses in the side frames. A little first aid kit is added to the transmission hump along with a decal, then it’s time to make up the seats. The seats in a Jeep are framework with pads on the back and seat, and here the back pad is moulded into the frame along with some pretty realistic-looking creasing that also extend to the separate cushions. A pack is fitted to the underside of the passenger seat, but bear in mind that on the back of the uprights of both these seats are ejector pins between two lateral supports, so deal with those before you do anything else. In the rear is a two-part bench seat, and around the passenger compartment the framework for the tilt is stowed away in three sections. The various accessories are yet to do, so the front light and its protective hoop are added to the left front wing with a couple of pioneer tools on the body behind it, the wing mirror on a long stalk attaches to nub on the left side of the shell, then the “accessory” steering wheel (ok, it’s fairly important) is glued to the top of its column, two corner grab-handles are attached at the rear, another larger fire extinguisher is put on the holes you drilled through the right fender, two ammo boxes are made for the rear and the back of the vehicle is dressed with a spare jerry can and a spare wheel on a bracket. The big machine gun is optional, but why not include it? The column has three additional props to support it, and with the height of the mount added, it’s high enough to fire over the heads of the crew although it might make them a teensy-bit deaf. The breech is a single slide-moulded part that is separate in one of the bags, and it takes one of the hollow-muzzled barrels from the sprue, a breech-top, cocking handle and the twin grips at the rear, which is fed by the ammo box with moulded-in link on a bracket to the side. Alternately, you can mount a .30 cal with a slight change in the mount and a smaller ammo can. The gun is glued into the floor of the jeep and a wire-cutter is attached to the front bumper-bar, finishing off the model. Markings There are three decal options included on the sheet and they’re all olive green – aren’t they all? Almost at least. From the box you can build one of the following: Company A, 70th Amour Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, US Army, Normandy, France, 1944 36th Cavalry Reconnaissance Regiment, 9th Army, US Army, Northern France, 1944 21st Army Group, British Army, Normandy, France, 1944 <ul style="list-style-type:upper-alpha"> The decals are printed in China, with good register and colour density, but the small stencils are just blocks of colour rather than text, which might upset the purists a little, but at less than a few millimetres across, they won’t really be seen. Conclusion Everyone loves a jeep, and this one has a lot of detail packed into its tiny frame. They’re great in the background as well as the foreground of any diorama, or just as a new addition to your shelves. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  4. Russian Terminator Fire Support Combat Vehicle BMPT 1:35 Meng The Terminator had a long and faltering gestation, which involved many changes to its design, including a complete change of the base hull on which the offensive equipment is mounted. Initially started under the auspices of the Soviet Union, it was shelved and resurrected on more than one occasion. It even became a private venture during an official fallow period in its development, after significant losses in street fighting in the Chechen war triggered the manufacturers into action. Officialdom soon put a stop to that, but it began again in earnest in the late 1990s, by which time the original T-72 chassis replaced by the more modern and better protected T-90 hull. Although based on the T-90, there are significant differences on the upper surfaces, with a built up deck, and a low-rise turret. On top of this are two 30mm cannons that each have 850 rounds at their disposal, with four 130mm Ataka-T anti-tank missiles, two slung on each side of the cannons. On the front sponsons are grenade launchers, which have an amazing 600 30mm rounds able to be fed to them, and are remotely operated. If that isn't enough, there is also a single 7.62mm machine gun coaxially mounted with the main cannons for close support with 2,000 rounds on a single belt to keep it going. The Terminator is used in pairs as support for, and as advanced suppression for main battle tanks in urban areas, and uses its anti-tank missiles to defeat enemy tanks, and the 30mm cannons to soften up the opposing troops and soft-skinned vehicles, ably assisted by the grenade launchers. In open ground, one terminator backs up two tanks using the same techniques. Protection is both active in the shape of explosive reactive armour (ERA), and the composite armour of the T-90 on which it is based. Slat armour is also added around the rear, which improves protection against Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) over and above its progenitor. All modern Russian tanks can be outfitted with the KMT-8 mine clearance system, which the Terminator retains, and can make good use of to clear the passage for the accompanying tanks. It is able to be raised and lowered from inside the vehicle, so doesn't expose the crew unnecessarily, and as well as clearing mines manually, it can also pre-detonate magnetic mines using equipment to mimic the electro-magnetic signature of a tank projected forward of the hull. The Kit Having recently tooled a T-90A there was hope that the Terminator would be the logical next step, and sure enough here it is a year later. It's another classy box full of styrene, with seventeen sprues of dark green styrene, plus two hull parts, turret and a clear jig for use with the suspension. The tracks are on another 8 sprues in black styrene, 8 more in a slightly flexible styrene, with more jigs on a separate sprue to assist with the construction of the tracks. A fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass parts and a brass wheel painting template are included, plus poly-caps, a flexible sprue of small parts, a length of string for the tow-rope, a clear sprue, and a sheet containing two self-adhesive mirrored stickers to simulate the prominent wing-mirrors. The instruction booklet is standard Meng fare, with a glossy outer cover, four language introduction, and painting instructions on the rear glossy pages. A well-rounded packages indeed! First impression. Do you really need to ask? Superb. Fine moulding, attention to detail, multiple media used to accomplish the job of building a very well detailed model out of the box that other manufacturers don't seem able to follow consistently. With the exception of a couple of turned barrels for the cannons, there's not much your average modeller would want in addition. Meng's use of other companies' expertise is also a wise investment, as it puts years of research at their fingertips from people with a real interest in the subject. In this instance, it is Gur Khan Books who are bloggers as well as publishers that specialise in Soviet and Russian hardware. Are you ready? Let's build some wheels! Yes – it's time to unleash the poly-caps, as you build up two two-piece idler wheels, two three-part drive sprockets, and twelve pairs of roadwheels, all of which have a poly-cap sandwiched between them to help keep you sane during general painting and construction of the tracks. The underside of the hull is busy, as with many modern Russian tanks, and is worth a look just for the amount of detail that is moulded into it in the shape of suspension bumps, escape hatches and so forth, as well as the holes for the axles of the torsion bar suspension. The lower glacis plate is detailed with a separate panel, and the self-entrenching blade is added to that along with its four actuating rams. The return rollers and idler wheel stations are added first, with six torsion bars with moulded-in swing-arms slid into each side, some of which are damped with additional arms keeping their movement in check. The large T-shaped jig in clear styrene is then draped over the side of the hull and lined up with the axles to arrange all of the swing-arms to the same angle before they are glued into their bearing cuffs. At the rear is a plate to detail up the rear bulkhead, onto which spare track links and the first of the pioneer tools are added. The roadwheels can then be pressed home onto the axles after installing the final drive housing and axle for the drive sprocket at each side of the rear hull. Tracks are the next logical step, and you're in for a treat in terms of detail, as well as for some detailed work, but don't despair just yet, as Meng's designers have supplied two more jigs to help you build them. The tracks have separate guide-horns, track-pads and end-caps, the latter being moulded in semi-flexible styrene, presumably to help the track flex around the ends of its runs and to grab the styrene track pins. The horns are moulded in pairs, and the instructions advise you to leave these paired until you have interleaved them with the track parts, as they are small and may fall foul of gravity (or even defy it as they fly through the air) if handled singly. When you have six links prepared in this way, you cut off the sprues, leaving two sets of 6 track links to place in the jig one after another. A jig-lid is supplied to keep the parts from coming loose, and the end-caps have been moulded at exactly the same distance apart as they will be when added to the tracks. These are then placed in another jig and cut from their sprue gates, leaving them in the jig for now. The jig is offered up to the open sides of the tracks, and the two holes accept the pins from adjoining links, effectively attaching them together. So far there has been no glue used either!!! The only glue used in this part of the build attaches the individual track-pads to the outer surface of the track links, but these are optional and can be left off if you feel the urge. Each run is 81 links in length, and an individual slot for an end-cap has been provided to assist you in joining that tricky last link to both sides of each run. On the upper hull, a block of reactive armour is built up with the front light clusters and added to the glacis plate, along with the access hatch rings for the grenade launcher operators, and with a stowage box in between them behind the driver's hatch, which has its own clear periscope. The front fenders are made up and each has a return spring that keeps them down in action, as well as installing a substantial lifting lug at the rear. On the engine deck the PE grilles are added, as is the exhaust stub with heat-dissipating shroud on the left fender. The fenders on Russian tanks are often used for stowage, and this one is no exception, having some substantial superstructure added, the forward areas of which contain the grenade launchers and their muzzles. These are added once complete, and are further augmented by more sub-assemblies at the rear left, which I think contains the APU that runs the tanks systems when stationary, so that the huge power of the main power unit isn't idling unnecessarily, using up precious fuel. The engine deck is protected from ingress of shot by a series of barriers, and slat armour, all of which complete the circle of the splash guard, whilst being demountable for maintenance of the turret. The side-skirts are single lengths with an additional part added to the inner face in order to get the correct angle with the hull when installed. There is also an additional panel that fits between the top of the sponsons and skirts, plus a large moulded in grille on the left side for the exhaust gases to exit. At the rear the towing cables are made up from two 100mm lengths of string, using the printed rules to cut them properly. They have two-part towing eyes that cement to the end, locking them in and stopping any fraying. These are arranged around the rear of the tank, held in place by shackles and cable guides around the towing eyes. A two-part slat-armour panel is installed on the four mounts, and there is no sign of the slats being oversized due to moulding constraints – it looks right to my eyes. With the lower hull completed for the most part, a pair of drop-in mini-turrets are assembled for the two grenadiers, which sit either side of the driver. Each one has a raised ring onto which the top is glued, with an old-fashioned vision block and a newer high-tech one at the front, which is protected by a shroud that doubles as the hinge-point for the wedge-shaped hatch, with internal liner and closure system depicted nicely. On top of each of these are fitted what looks like a miniature heli-deck, consisting of a circle of tread-plate on stand-off mounts, which hinges up as the hatch is opened. Additional tread-plate is added around the turret ring, which must be used when maintaining the weapons overhead. The turret is more of a blister than a true turret, but has NBC liners moulded in, plus two hatches to which a number of vision blocks are added, with protective shrouds. Stowage boxes and traditional smoke grenade launchers are also present, as are the sort of modern optics found on most tanks these days. These are all well detailed and made up from a number of parts, with clear parts for the front of the turret-shaped unit that sits atop the right hatch. The 30mm cannons are assembled in their blast jackets, which have realistic drape and folds moulded in, with two holes into which the single part slide-moulded barrels are installed with additional collars from PE. This attaches the breech box, with maintenance panels moulded in, which have separate grab handles for additional detail, and the central coaxially mounted 7.62mm machine gun above the barrels in the centre. On each side of the breech assembly is a long pin onto which the mount for the ATAK-T missile launchers are added after construction, and here the poly-caps come in handy again, allowing you to push the assemblies on with friction fit keeping them in whatever pose you select. A central panel links the two mounts together, which is further strengthened by the addition of a bullet splash guard under the cannons, which is encrusted with equipment. At the rear left of the turret, another turret-shaped sight assembly for use by the commander is assembled, then added, again with a clear part for the lens. The ATAK-T missiles are depicted in their launch tubes, with frangible covers front and rear. The tubes are split vertically with the covers moulded as separate parts, so you will need to do a little scraping of the seams to tidy up here. Times four, for all the tubes. Each missile is attached to a rail with shackles for the tube, and are then paired up on a flat panel with wiring before being attached to the sides of their mounts. A long aerial is mounted to the rear of the turret along with other antennae, and a chute is attached to the rear of the breech to direct the spent shell casings away from the turret ring to prevent jams. The turret can then be added to the hull by a twist-to-lock bayonet system. If that's as far as you want to go, you just add a pair of triangular fillets to the edges of the front fenders, and start with the painting. If you're going to build the mine clearance plough, you have a little more work ahead of you. The mine plough is actually two separate blades, split left and right, and clears a path somewhat wider than the tanks tracks in the real world. Each ram is built up from a number of parts, and the blade attached at the business end, with a mirror image done for the other side. Inboard of the ploughs are a pair of arms that hold the Electronic Countermine system, covered by a cylindrical fairing, which is raised and lowered with the ploughs as required. These are attached under the front glacis plate, with some smaller parts added to the rear, the function of which I've not been able to fathom. If you don't fit the plough, there's a simple cover-panel for the mounting points at the rear, so don't switch off at step 36 if you're not using the plough. Markings This is a fairly new vehicle that will only reach proper series production in 2015, so it hasn't been blessed with many colour schemes thus far in its career, meaning Meng having to depict it as seen at three different arms expos, as follows: Russian Expo Arms 2009 – sand/green/dark green/black hard-edged camo. Russian Expo Arms 2011 – sand/green/brown hard-edged camo. Russian Expo Arms 2013 – sand/brown/dark brown digital splinter camo. There are no decals, as the Terminators wore no insignia at the exhibitions, but you do get the silver mirror stickers to make up for that. Conclusion Another superb edition from Meng, which should be popular with modellers, regardless of whether they "do" Russian hardware. It is unusual looking, and has plenty of menace, resembling a ground-based Hunter Killer "tank" from the film series Terminator, which is likely where its nickname came from. Even if I'm wrong, it's still a good nickname. Although this isn't a model of a prototype, it is possible that the equipment fit may differ between now and entering service with the Russian army (and others), but the kit does a fine job of depicting this urban assault vehicle as it looks now. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  5. So this has been my big lockdown endeavour, the 1/35 Meng 505th King Tiger with full interior. A real labour of love and a solid project to work on. I would recommend to all, but be careful with the fit of the hull as the 'scale thickness' armour means that it is very tight to secure over all of the innards. As I was working I decided I wanted a little base to display it on, which then morphed into a few figures to denote scale, which then became a lot of figures and what is almost a full diorama! My initial set of photos (apologies for the poor quality/ composition) and happy to take more if anyone is interested:
  6. Russian BMR-3M Armoured Mine Clearing Vehicle 1:35 Meng Model via Creative Models The BMR-3M Vepr is the latest Russian mine clearing vehicle. The BMR-2 was based on thr T-54 chassis, and the BMR-3 the T-72. The New BMR-3M which is a private venture from Uralvagonzavod utilises the T-90 chassis. The turret has been replaced by a welded on deck housing which for additional protection is fitted with Explosive Reactive Armour Blocks. The space inside allows for a crew of three and two engineers to assist with mine clearing, all having blast suppression seats. The vehicle is fully NBC protected and the crew can live inside for 2 days. For its mine clearance role a composite construction belly armour plate has been fitted. Actual mine clearance is provided by KTM-7 mine rollers. These will detonate pressure mines, and chains strung between the rollers will detonate rod type fuses. The BMR-3M is also fitted with mine ploughs to removed panted in mines. Depending on conditions a clearing speed of upto 12kmh can be achieved. In addition to the convention mine clearing attachment the vehicle is also fitted with a full electronic counter measures system. For self protection the BMR-3M is fitted with a remotely operated turret with a 12.7mm machine gun. This can also be used to detonate surface mines. For road travel and when not mine clearing the vehicle is fitted with its own crane and racks in order that the mine rollers are lifted onto the back deck of the vehicle. The Kit This is another left field release from Meng, though it is good to see these types of vehicles being kitted. The first thing that strikes you is that it is a big box, it needs to be as its stuffed with plastic. & sprues of tracks, plus 7 lots of end connectors. The there are 25 sprues of plastic, the two main hulls, a length of chain, some PE, a flexible sprues and a set of jigs for the suspension and the tracks. Construction starts with the running gear. Two idler wheels, tweo drive sprockets and 12 road wheels are built up, all have a poly cap centre. Next up the additional belly armour is added to the lower hull. The track return rollers are added along with mounts for the idler wheels. At the front additional armour which also mounts the mine rollers is added. The torsion bar suspension is added next and if glued in correctly will work like the real thing. The rod go through to the other side where only the ends (as shown on the instructions) are added. There is a Jig supplied to ensure everything stays at the right angle while the glue sets. The rear bulkhead is then added along with the drive sprocket fixings. All of the wheels can now be added. The tracks are a work of art, but you have to follow instructions carefully and not be too free with the glue if you want them to remain workable after completion. The hollow guide horns are supplied as pairs, which clip onto the central area of the track pins, which are moulded into the main track parts. You must assemble short lengths before separating the two from their little sprue-runner to ease handling, then insert the runs into the two-piece jig that is supplied on its own sprue. Then you insert the flexible styrene track-ends into yet another part of the jig, cut them from their runners, and apply them to the ends of the track pins in runs of five on each side using no glue! The track pads are added once the tracks are complete if you wish, though this is not shown on the instructions. Two sets of 81 links are needed, so again, you'll be working for some time with the jig, but the results should be well worth the effort. The tracks are then wrapped around the wheels and closed with two of the flexible end parts. Once the tracks are on then its onto the main upper deck housing. This is built up from 4 sides and the top, it is then added to the upper main hull along with the frontal plate to which the ERA blocks are added. The side upper track fenders are added along with the front mud guards and exhaust covers. Some smaller attachments are added along with the rear PE grills and their covers. Next up is to concentrate on the rear deck. Various handles and brackets are added and then the mine roller stowage rack is added along with a beam and the auxiliary fuel tanks (drums). Flexible pipe is supplied for the tank connectors. A stowage box and an additional ammunition box are added to the rear along with an antenna base. Moving onto the main superstructure a whole host of smaller parts are added including antenna bases which have to be made up, the smoke grenade dischargers and additional ERA blocks. The drivers hatch and vision block is also added. The side crane for lifting the mine rollers is made up and added, with one major part stowed on each side of the vehicle. The crew hatches are made up and added. Following this the track sides skirts are then built up, and all of their ERA blocks are fitted. Once complete they are added to the hull. The remote weapons station is also built up and added at this time. Next up is construction of the mine rollers. These are little kits in their own right. They are handed but each builds up in the same way. 6 mine-roller wheels are added together on a main axle, the axle has different diameters for the different wheels so they should all slot easily into place. The axle then attaches to the side parts and additional bars front an rear are added. Short lengths of the chain need to be added to each mine roller. Next each side has an ECM system built up and attached. The roller arm assemblies are next to be built up and added. I would suggest using wire instead of the string supplied by Meng as it will undoubtedly look better. The KMT-8 mine plough arms are then built up added to the roller/arm assembly. Once complete these can be added to the main body of the vehicle. Markings There are no markings supplied with the kit, but there are three different camouflage schemes included from the 2009, 2014 & 2015 Russian Arms Expos. Conclusion Another great release from Meng of a less than traditional subject. The parts count is high but not unnessasarly given the complex nature of the Mine Clearer. Once completed it will look like an impressive model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  7. 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!
  8. Hi there, Waiting for things to hang under my RSAF Tornado, I started on a bird we're going to see at airshows for a decade or six. It's almost sexy (in the 'not at all' meaning of almost). But I'm sorta kinda getting used to that thing, so... The cockpit is flashy (not). The cockpit goes into the upper fuselage shell The seat does change the look of things. The yellow ejection handle does the trick, I think. The air intake is splendidly designed IMHO (as is the kit, I'd say) The various bays are installed inside the lower fuselage half. The lower fuselage half seen from above with everything in place. Some persuasion may be required once or twice, though. Here it goes. You have to remove every joint line (and it can be a bit tedious). I really should have added the wingtip lights at that moment... The belly of the beast. And now, searching for the blemishes... On the fins too... The fins are glued, which was one of the dumbest things to do at this stage, The tailplanes are just forced in place. And it's time for Mr Paint FS36170 grey. And now for the fun part: masking the panels. The Galaxy Models mask sheet is a must have. Really. Let's go. The masks are completed with tape. And the fins, tailplanes and wings are done with tape as Galaxy just didn't bother with them... The lighter grey is Gunze C317 (their just a bit too dark FS 36231). Some gloss varnish later, a quick check with the bay doors. The fit is excellent . And it's decalling time. Nothing too fancy... With the canopy structure and the gear legs: And now a coat of MRP Have Glass. The canopy is tried. Damn, I still had stuff to mask... The nozzle is MRP steel, the petal tips stay black and a white coat is done inside. Then it's glued in place. It's now time for the weapons: two GBU-31 (more masking fun, yay) and 2 AMRAAM. Cheers, S.
  9. 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
  10. Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II (LS-011) 1:48 Meng Model via Creative Models Probably one of the most (if not the) most contentious and publically berated projects since the beginning of aviation over a hundred years ago, the F-35 in its three guises has been a marathon journey from proposal to production and testing, with the first few going into service in the 2010s. Initially named the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), there were three variants proposed, all of which shared the same overall configuration and look, as well as combining technology from the F-22. Utilising a stealthy surface with internal weapons bays, supersonic performance and an in-depth sensor-fusion that provides the pilot with excellent situational awareness and a broader "sense" of the whole battlesphere, the software alone has been a mammoth task. Coupled with the new technologies integrated into the airframe, and the number of contractors/countries involved, it has been late and over-budget on a number of occasions, with frequent threats and calls to cancel the project in favour of other options. Various customers have also opted in and out of the end-of-project purchase, and numbers of airframes have been chopped and changed by various customers as political wrangling and budget-balancing became involved. The Netherlands have stuck with the programme however, and has a few airframes in service with another thirty-odd yet to be delivered, all of which are scheduled to have the Norwegian-designed drag-chute pod to shorten their roll-out on landing. Irrespective of the political back and forth, the engineering side of things has progressed through the hurdles, and at the end of 2006 the maiden flight of an A variant was made, followed two years later by the STOVL B variant with its controversial lift fan. Fast-forward to 2015 and the US Marines were happy enough to call it suitable for initial operations. The navalised F-35C later joined the fray in 2018 after many issues are resolved around carrier operations. The A variant is the smallest of the three airframes and is aiming to replace the F-16 eventually, although it will have a monster of a job replacing the Falcon in the hearts of aviation enthusiasts, as well as the vast differences in cost. The Kit We've had a new tooling from Meng for a couple of years now, who have an excellent reputation for quality products and this is a reboxing of that original kit with new decals for the Netherlands version. The kit arrives in one of Meng's usual quality boxes with their trademark satin finish, and a handsome painting on the top. On the sides are profiles of the decal choice, as well as an announcement of their collaboration with AK Interactive on new paints specifically to depict the tricky colours of the Radar Absorbent Material (RAM) coatings applied to these and other modern jets. Inside the box are thirteen sprues and two fuselage halves in a dark blue/grey styrene, a clear sprue, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) parts, decal sheet, a diminutive instruction booklet, and a colour painting and decaling guide in the same narrow portrait format. First things first, as this is simply a rebox with new decals it did occur to me to send you back to the original review to look at that, then come back for the decals. In order to save your clicky fingers however, I’ve just laid it all out afresh with a few adjustments so if you read the original, just skip to the paragraph above the markings header. First impressions are that unlike the companies that issued F-22 kits in this scale a few years back, Meng have got the balance of raised detail about right, with not too much or too little, all of which should look good under paint. Parts breakdown seems logical, detail is good, and a set of PE belts are included for the cockpit, which is always nice. Construction begins with this area, with a six-part ejection seat plus the aforementioned belts fitting into the cockpit tub, with only rudder, the two sticks making up the HOTAS control system, plus the instrument panel and coaming added inside. There is an instrument panel decal for the digital panel that takes up most of the front, which should look good once set within the coaming. The gear bays must be built up next, as they will be closed up within the fuselage once complete. The nose gear bay is a single part into which the completed single-wheeled nose gear leg fits, with the scissor-link and retraction jack being separate parts, as well as two more that complete the detail. This can be left off until after painting, happily. The main bays are two-part assemblies, and the main gear legs have separate retraction jacks and scissor-links, totalling 6 parts each. Whilst these bays should suffice for a great many, a little additional detail would have been appreciated, as they seem a bit simplified on close inspection. The weapons bays are both 6-part assemblies that depict the large tubing that runs their entire length, and while they too could be considered a little simplified, once you install the supplied GBU-53 small diameter bombs and their pylons in the bays, you'll probably see very little. The intake trunking is full depth, with the two intakes joining in front of the single fan of the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which is a separate part with the fan face moulded in. The exhaust is relatively short, with a one-piece cylindrical trunk and the rear of the engine at the bottom, into which there are two PE mesh parts added, hiding most of what would otherwise be visible. The exhaust petals have excellent detail and finesse, and should be fine for all but the most detail-conscious, slipping over the end of the trunk and locking within the fuselage bottom on two lips. The port and starboard weapons bays, main bays, nose bay and intake trunking all attach to the lower fuselage half, with only the cockpit tub fitting into the upper half. Two pairs of small holes are drilled through the top in the aft section and then the two halves are brought together, with a few small panels added to recesses in front of the cockpit and on the spine, with the option of open or closed refuelling receptacle. Although the airframe has blended wings, they are separate parts, with a healthy overlap on the topside providing excellent strength of the finished article. Leading edge slats and flaps are added to the two-part wings, with holes drilled out for the pylons if you intend to fit them. Breaking the stealthy configuration allows the carriage of more munitions on the two underwing pylons, with a smaller outer pylon able to take addition air-to-air defensive armament of either AIM-9 or AIM-120 missiles. The elevators can be posed at a 10o droop, or in line with the airframe by using one of two inserts on the booms at either side of the exhaust, into which the completed two-part assemblies fix. The twin fins are also two parts each, with the stealthy lumps hiding all the machinery within. Under the fuselage the built-in laser-designator and various other lumps are added, after which you can choose to close up or leave open any combination of bays by adding or leaving off the hinges on some, or choosing the appropriate closed parts for the nose gear. There are a LOT of doors due to the internal weapons carried, but take your time and it'll all come together. In addition, a pair of AIM-120s can be fitted to the main weapons bays on a small pylon adapter, which deploys the weapon as the doors open. The F-35's canopy is quite heavily tinted with a golden hue, and that is sadly missing from the kit part. It isn't difficult to replicate however, simply by adding some clear acrylic yellow to the Klear/Future that you dip the canopy into. There are numerous tutorials online, so hunt one down if you’re unsure. Don't be tempted to sand off those fine canopy frame lines, as they're supposed to be there, and you'd have a devil of a job doing it, as they're on the inside of the part too! Clarity of the canopy is excellent, and Meng's inclusion of a piece of clear self-cling foil to the sprue certainly helps keep it that way until you are ready for it. There is an internal frame part that glues inside the clear part, and this should be painted in anticipation of installation, as should the fine framework mentioned earlier. Masking is the way to go here, and while you are working in the area, you might as well paint the inside of the canopy for further realism. Fitting the canopy in the closed position is simply a case of applying glue to the part and pressing it home, while an open canopy requires the installation of four parts in the coaming, as the whole canopy tilts forward for pilot egress. With that the model is ostensibly completed, apart from adding any exterior stores that you might wish to depict. If you don't use the two AIM-120s in the belly, these can be used on the outer wing pylons, as can the pair of AIM-9Xs that are also included. The main wing pylons are wired for bombs such as the GBU-13, -39, -53 or -54, all of which are detailed in the final diagram that shows their probable location even though these items aren't included in the kit. You may have noticed mention of the drag-chute pod in the preamble, which is being engineered by Norway to shorten landings in slippery winter conditions, with substantial funding coming from the RNAF to spread costs. At time of writing this pod is still in development, although has been failing to deploy too many times for their liking. That certainly explains why there are no new parts to depict it, as the size and shape hasn’t yet been finalised and Meng aren’t clairvoyant. When and if it comes into service you should be able to go back to your model, add a hump of styrene or balsa between the tail fins and bob’s your uncle. Someone will also doubtless create one in the aftermarket zone if needs be. Markings I can almost hear a chorus of "boring grey jet" from some readers, and you wouldn't be wrong, but as grey is thought to be the best colour for disguising your aircraft in the sky it's not likely to go away any time soon. The single decal option is painted “Stealth Camouflage Dark Grey”, with some of the raised panels a lighter grey, both of which weather out a little lighter with use, as can be seen on the F-22 that has now seen some active service. Masking those areas would be a chore, and could drive a modeller insane, so look out for the Galaxy Models mask set if you’re buying one. From the box you can build an airframe of 323 Squadron, Royal Netherlands Air Force, 2019. The colours are called out in Meng/AK Interactive colours, as well as Acrysion Water Based Color, which is a recent new line from the Mr Hobby range that dries faster than their existing colours. Decals are printed in China with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion If you've got this far, you're clearly in the market for a model of an F-35A in RNAF service, and the tail art does give it an edge over a boring grey jet. Casting my eyes over the parts in the box, this is a typical Meng product, so will please many. Of course they have competition in the 1:48 F-35 sphere, but Meng have built up a following by providing excellent kits of sometimes unusual subjects, and I for one am a fan. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  11. I have been away from the hobby for a while for the usual reasons of family etc. Also, in the time I have been away, I have moved to Australia, but I have recently picked up the MENG kit of the Whippet medium tank. Construction has started, and I will try and keep this thread up to date with my progress. You can also follow the build on my website. Ross
  12. 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
  13. British R-R Armoured Car 1914/1920 pattern (VS-010) 1:35 Meng Model via Creative Models Ltd. As a precursor to tanks, the Admiralty were casting around for armoured protection for vulnerable patrolling soldiers, although as tanks originated as “land ships”, perhaps this was an extension of their thinking. They took a small sample of unfinished Silver Ghost chassis and designed the superstructure to cover the engine and crew, adding a circular turret that held a machine gun and could rotate fully – an idea that predates the early tanks, which makes one wonder why these didn’t make an appearance sooner in British tanks. They were used briefly on the Western Front in the Middle East and after WWI ended, they were handed over to the other services and reinvigorated in 1920 to add an extra Lewis gun on the top of the turret to augment the Vickers .303 and a new Boyes anti-tank rifle to give them a fair chance if they encountered any enemy armour. Later on a cupola was added for the commander, and after the replacement of the ageing RR engine with a Fordson unit, it was renamed as the Fordson Armoured Car. Fewer than 100 vehicles were still in service early in WWII and they took part in some operations before being withdrawn in 1941 as they were hopelessly outdated by then. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from Meng, and as a modeller with an interest in the old RR, I’m happy to put my old kit from another manufacturer to the back of the stash. It arrives in a smaller-than-normal both with satin finish and the usual high standard of artwork on the front, with four sprues in sand-coloured styrene plus body and turret shells in the same colour. Six black flexible tyres, four poly-caps on a tree, a small sprue of clear parts and a fair-sized fret of Photo-Etch (PE) parts made from thick brass that will be used to depict spokes if you’re modelling a decal option with wire wheels. The decal sheet is mostly roundels plus a few other stencils and unit markings, and the instructions with separate colour painting guide complete the package. Construction begins with a decision over which decal option you plan on building, as there are some differences between the equipment carried, so knowing where you’re going now will help prevent mistakes later. The chassis is first to be made, and a central sub-frame that depicts the underside of the engine onto which the outer rails are fixed, trapping the fuel tank and front brace between them, then joined by front axle, long exhaust with two mufflers and a flared tip, and three brackets each side on the chassis rails. The clutch is attached to the rear of the engine and that leads to the drive-shaft for the rear axles that is controlled by being slipped into holes in the ends of the rear inverted leaf-springs. That’s most of the Rolls-Royce chassis done, so attention moves to the superstructure, which is already well defined by the single hull part, which has the rear doors and the radiator front at the end of the long bonnet/hood. The floor of the body is joined with the chassis and hull, then a wooden palette is installed in the rear, then built-up with shallow sides and brackets for stowage boxes that are made up and glued in place during the construction. Further armour panels are arranged around the fuel tank for obvious reasons, and small stowage boxes are fitted in the outside corners. A different type of long stowage boxes are also provided with a simplified structure and no grab-handles. At the front, Starter-handle, armoured radiator panels, mudguards and lights with clear lenses are all fixed in place, and the running boards are made up with more storage and small barrel on the port side, plus unditching ramps on both sides. There are two styles of wheels supplied in the box, with the wire wheels being the most notable due to their clever PE spokes that are joined together at the rim and spaced out in the centre with a poly-cap hidden in the middle to achieve the correct dish to the spokes. Each sub-assembly is then sandwiched between two styrene half-tyres at the front and for the spare, but with two rim parts keeping the rear wheel spokes in place within a single outer tyre (again, styrene), using two on each side to give it the weight bearing capability. The more modern flexible tyres are used in conjunction with stamped rims that slip inside them and have the poly-caps held inside the bearing by a small cap. Because of the wider tyres used, there are only four wheels on the ground with just a brake drum differentiating the rears from the front. The road wheels slide onto the axles while the spare fits onto a depression in the port side that mates with the T-shaped hanger. The shallow turret is where the rest of the differences arise, and it begins with the base and the C-shaped turret side that is completed by adding the front with the aperture for the Vickers MG, clipping into a simple mount and gluing into the ring. For the early machines the roof and hatch finish it off, but for the modernised vehicle, a different front section is used with an additional aperture for the Boyes anti-tank rifle carried in decal option C. The rifle is a single well-detailed part that slides into place and is boxed in by a small cheek piece. The top Lewis gun is attached to a two-part mount, which rotates on a three-piece ring that is assembled so that it can traverse by leaving the centre part unglued. A “dinner-plate” magazine fits on top of the gun, and a small mantlet slips over the Vickers gun in the turret. The turret attaches to the hull by the usual bayonet mechanism, which completes the model. Markings There are four markings options on the decal sheet, split between 1914 and 1920 pattern vehicles with a nice variation in schemes that include two monotone vehicles and two with different types of camouflage. From the box you can build one of the following: Pattern 1914, Western Front, WWI, 1916 Pattern 1914, WWI Patern 1920, RAF Egypt, 1942 Pattern 1920, RAF Decals are printed in China and have good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Lovely! I’d have liked a full engine, but in fairness how many people would have posed those cowlings open? Not many I suspect. Excellent detail, good wide spread of decal options, and Meng quality throughout. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  14. 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.
  15. 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
  16. 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.
  17. 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 👍
  18. Willy

    Cruel Lady

    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!)))
  19. 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.
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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!
  23. Meng's F-102 kits are very nicely moulded, and I thought they should prove quick to build given the Delta Dagger's simple shape. With this in mind, and having both the Case-X and Case-XX kits, it made sense to build both at the same time as many details would have the same finish. A portion of this logic fell away when I decided to finish the Case-XX in SEA camo. Appearances can be deceiving, and despite the clean moulding, I had a mountain of cleaning up to do. This was largely due to the numerous sprue gates that didn't just join at the parts edge, but overlapped one surface of the part where they attached. The result was that each attachment paint (and there were hundreds!) had to be filed and sanded to restore the part's face not just its edge. There were also the usual very fine and barely visible mould seam-lines to scrape off. Having spent a couple of lengthy sessions cleaning up parts I decided one machine would have its missiles extended and the other would have its weapons bay closed. This was both for contrast and to save a considerable amount of work as the missiles and their racks took a lot of cleaning up. It made sense to take a production-line approach and pre-paint as many detail parts, interior areas and pieces that would be added after main airframe completion. I also thought this would help check a negative tendency I suffer from - I find when I build and paint the main airframe early before all the bits and pieces that get added at the end, that if it does not turn out a swell as I hoped I loose interest in the project, and rush finishing all the bits and bobs. After all, the model has already fallen short of my vision for it, so get it finished, hide it at the back of the display cabinet and start something new! So this is a first for me, other than the canopies I have finished all the boring bits before doing anything else. The only problem I struck was with the wheels. These were moulded with only very slight and almost vague defining edges between the rims and tyres. This resulted in three attempts at masking and painting them (two full strips back to bare plastic). The only addition I made to the kits was to make representative, as opposed to replica, seat harnesses from lead foil, and some intake blanks from plastic sheet to prevent any see-through effect. Aside from detail painting, I also painted areas that would be tricky to mask on the assembled airframe. These included behind the air-intakes, around the wheel-well and weapons bay surrounds, and the metal-finished areas on the overall light-grey Case-X like the exhaust surround, intake splitter plates, fin leading edge and lower edge of the air-brake. The following photos show where I'm at just prior to commencing airframe assembly:
  24. 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.
  25. USS Missouri Cartoon Model Meng The USS Missouri is an Iowa Class battleship, and the last of her type to be built for the US Navy. She was commissioned just in time to serve in the closing stages of the Second World War, and famously hosted the signing of the Japanese surrendered by Mamoru Shigemitsu. She went on to serve in the Korean War before spending the next three decades as a tourist attraction. She was reactivated in the 1980s under Reagan's programme of naval expansion and was fitted with Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles, as well as Phalanx defensive weapon systems and a multitude of other upgrades. She served in the first Gulf War prior to being retired for a second time in 1992. She is berthed at Pearl Harbour, overlooking the USS Arizona memorial. Cartoon-style kits seem to be in vogue these days, with an increasing number of manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon started by Hasegawa with their egg planes. Meng have quite a few under their belt now, and this is the fourth ship kit to be produced in this style. The kit has been moulded from styrene in three different colours, each appropriate to the parts represented (save for the rather bright blue decks). The lower hull is moulded from dark red plastic, the aforementioned decks and turret roofs are moulded in blue plastic and the rest of the kit is moulded from grey plastic. The kit is well packed into a sturdy box. All of the plastic parts are nicely moulded, and in line with their other similar kits, the parts snap-fit together and stickers are included instead of decals. Construction of the kit is fairly conventional, notwithstanding the fact that the parts snap together rather than requiring glue. Bearing this in mind, I would advise against test fitting the parts prior to final construction, as snap fit parts rarely snap apart again. Construction begins with the lower hull, to which the propellers and shafts click into place. The upper hull is formed from the joining together of the hull and the deck, with a part sitting below the deck that pushes through and includes parts for the turret bases and other details. some small details such as AA guns and deck cranes can be added at this point. Assembly of the superstructure is pretty straightforward, with blue deck parts sandwiched between grey structural parts in a layered fashion. All of the features you would expect to find, such as funnels and fire control systems are present and correct, except in cartoon form. Both the primary and secondary turrets are made up from three parts each (except No.2 turret, which features additional AA armament on top). The guns do not appear to be designed to be moveable once fixed in place. A colour painting guide is included within the instructions. AK paints are recommended by Meng, in what appears to be a commercial arrangement (their logo is emblazoned on the side of the box). The aforementioned stickers are used to add detail. There are no decal alternatives. Conclusion I shan't comment on the cartoon style of the model - not least because this sort of thing will either appeal to you or it won't - but I will state that this appears to be a well-executed kit, with nice moulding and detail. If you like this style of kit then this will be an excellent addition to your collection. Review sample courtesy of
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