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  1. 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
  2. This is the kit of a new scene I am just about to start. These are very nicely detailed, will only be using one of the robots and will see if I can build up a nice base for it. Rio
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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.
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. Russian 9K37M1 BUK Air Defence Missile System (SS-014) 1:35 Meng via Creative Models Designed as a successor in the Air Defence role to the venerable SA-6 system, development of the type began in the early 70s, resulting in the original Buk-1 Gadfly system, which was soon upgraded to the M1 in the early 80s. The upgrades made the system more capable, with an improved reliability and resistance to jamming, which led to a greater kill-rate than the original. It was soon superseded again by the Buk-M1-2, which had a new, more agile missile that could intercept cruise missiles and other fast-moving targets, with a new NATO name of Grizzly. There have since been other improvements on the system, with the latest M3 variant reaching service a few years ago. The system carries four missiles with a maximum range of 22 miles each and the ability to climb up to 72,000ft, and can transport, erect and launch with its own integrated radar (TELAR), or act as part of a battalion or battery, the latter having a radar-less vehicle that is slaved to the more capable vehicles. The tracked chassis is designated GM-569, developed by the Minsk tractor works, who have factories in Belarus as well as the expected Minsk. It is capable of working extremes of temperature, and has a multifuel engine that usually runs on diesel, producing 7-800hp. The Kit Another new tool from Meng, who appear to be releasing new products as fast as ever of late. It arrives in their standard box, but the artwork is printed in the portrait format, which makes not a jot of difference to anything other than taking the photo for the review! Inside are eleven sprues and three hull parts in sand coloured styrene, a sprue of clear parts, a sprue of flexible black styrene parts, a ladder of poly-caps, a sheet of Photo-Etched (PE) brass, decal sheet, the instruction booklet and separate colour and markings guide. Quite the comprehensive package, as we've come to expect from Meng. First impressions are usually good from Meng, and this one's no different. Crisp moulding, lots of detail, sensible use of slide-moulding, and their usual first-rate instructions. Construction begins with the tracked hull, and the wheels are first up, built up in pairs with a poly-cap between halves to ease on/off during the build and painting phases. The idlers and drive sprockets are built the same way, and everything is mounted on the lower hull with the return rollers, torsion bar suspension with swing-arms at the ends. The road wheels slip onto the axles, and the lower hull is finished off with small details, after which the upper hull is prepared for joining by adding some panel inserts around the engine deck. With the hull joined, many of the remaining apertures are filled by adding doors for the side-mounted stowage bins, and the engine deck access panels, with PE grilles over the top of some. Crew hatches are also added along with the usual light clusters at the front, plus a navigational turret over the front starboard fender. Wing mirror and pioneer tools are installed, as are the downward facing air intakes, plus even more stowage bins at the rear with the light clusters either end. Short side-skirts, travel lock and styrene towing cable are affixed, finishing off the lower hull apart from the tracks. Tracks can be a pain to build, or not. These ones are actually quite good, and I built up a run of seven links in a few minutes. Each track link is attached by two sprue gates, and sliding moulds have been used to produce pin pathways where they are on the real thing. You fit the links into the clear jig seven at a time, close the separate lid, and then insert a spruelet of pins without glue into the holes on one side. The other side is held together by a small pip that locks into a corresponding depression in the next link along. After withdrawing the assembly from the jig, you cut off the pins flush with the side of the track, and you're left with a very flexible, realistic-looking run of tracks for minimal effort, which you can see in one of the pictures below. The sprue gates are placed in the hinge area, so won't be seen much, and as there is a lip either side, a downward stroke from a sharp #11 blade should sever the connection without collateral damage. A brief buff with a narrow sander, and that's it. There are 113 links on either run however, so you're still going to be working on them for a while, but with minimal clean-up and no ejector pin marks, that's a lot less time that will be consumed. Top marks! With the tracks out of the way, the "turret" is next in line, being supplied as a large part to which many doors and access panels are added after you have inserted the turret floor. At the shallow end a hydraulic ram is assembled before the missile platform is added, with a few other parts needed such as a rest for the missiles in travel mode. The large radome is built up and affixed to the front of the turret, the optics are assembled and fitted to the roof, then the large launch rack is built up with the flexible hoses permitting movement of the assembly after completion. Each launcher holds two missiles, so the process is carried out twice, after which they're linked with a box-section that has the ram fixed to the centre, and they are pivoted around the rear using a poly-cap on each one to allow them to move. The flexible hoses are then connected to the turret using the scrap diagrams to place each hose into its appropriate connector. Two small platforms are attached to the rear of the turret, plus a substantial pivoting antenna on a large base, a set of railings that prevent crew from falling off the turret roof, and cross-braces that strengthen the antenna bracket. The four missiles are identical, and are comprised two body halves, exhaust unit, body insert and additional stabilisers, plus the steering vanes at the rear. A separate diagram shows their position on the launcher in relation to the turret, which is then twisted and locked into place on the hull, with the option to attach the travel lock at the front to the rear of the turret if you are posing your model in transport mode. Markings There are three markings options in the box with different camo options for each one, and from the box you can build one of the following: No.203 unknown unit, 6th Air Forces & Air Defence Army, Russian Air Force, Pushkin City, Russia 2007 No.905 unknown unit, Ukrainian Army, Military Parade on 25th Independence Day, Ukraine 2016 No.Ps443-24, Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, Finnish Army, Southern Suburbs of Helsinki, Finland 2004 Decals are printed in China, with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt/gloss (it really is a bit of both) carrier film cut close to the printed areas. On my sample there is a small amount of black outline missing from the leftmost cross from decal option B, but once applied to the green hull, it probably won't notice. The missiles are shown in four views on a separate page, so that you can place the decals correctly, but they are shown as green with white nose cones, while option B has totally white missiles, so take note of that before you get carried away with the paint. Conclusion This is a big tracked vehicle, and when in transit mode, the rear of the missile launcher projects past the front of the hull. In launch mode it will make for an impressive display. Detail is excellent, the tracks are about as good as they can be, and there are a variety of decal options, including a Finnish one if you're not keen on the Russian options. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  9. 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
  10. Hot on the heels of Trumpy's Scud C, our friends at Meng have announced that they are tooling a 1:35 Russian 9K72 Scud-B Mobile Tactical Missile System kit (SS-007). No more news on dates etc., but it's good news, as we know that Meng will do their best with it I for one can't wait to get my hands on it!
  11. 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!
  12. Didn't see this one coming: https://www.hobbyeasy.com/en/data/8wm201jteuwrebynljq7.html
  13. 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
  14. Finally getting started on my first kit of 2019.Had this Meng Tiger II sitting around for a while and thought it was about time to get it done. Meng did a fantastic job with this kit and I'm really looking forward to seeing it complete. Also this is going to be my first time using Mig Ammo paints so we'll see how that goes... I have decided to go with the following camo scheme That's all for now but I will post a build update tomorrow.
  15. ... because this is useful information... Hyperdy wrote: And the Dragonborn replied bestest, M.
  16. A present from my daughter for Crimbo the Meng Toon so just for a bit of fun around the holidays this is it it says push fit but I glued as some of the joints looked a little to gappy but it gave me a laugh for an hour today So this little bit of fun is now off to the paint shop beefy
  17. Hallo everyone, This is actually my second WWI build. The tank is tiny, I fall in love with this cute little thing in Paris. Kit is excellent and a joy to build!
  18. Sd.Kfz.174 Bergpanther Ausf.A (SS-015) 1:35 Meng Model via Creative Models The Panther was Nazi Germany's answer to the surprise appearance of the Russian T-34 after they finally reacted to the invasion that was Operation Barbarosa. Although the project had been in gestation some time before, they took some design cues from the T-34 in the shape of the sloped armour, resulting in the Panther that was intended to fill the gap between the Panzer.IV and the (then) new Panzer VI Tiger. It was eventually supposed to replace both the Pz.IV and the earlier Pz.III that was really showing its age, but in reality it often fought alongside the Panzer IV. It was planned as a lighter, more manoeuvrable tank than the Tiger, and was fitted with a high velocity gun from the outset. The Germans came to the realisation that they needed a form of armoured recovery vehicle as even the larger halftracks could not recover a Panther or Tiger tank. In fact so many tanks themselves became lost to recovery efforts that order were given not to try recovery with another tank. MAN were tasked to develop the vehicle and used the Panther chassis which was fitted with a central 40 tonne winch in place of the turret and a large rear spade to dig the vehicle in. Over the winch would be placed a wooden work platform and a light crane (1500 kgs capacity). The added benefit of the vehicle was that crew protection was improved and it could work under fire. As well as the standard machine gun a 2cm KwK-30 cannon was mounted on the front, though the use of this fell off in the latter stages of the war, The Kit After the initial release of the Ausf.A by Meng, and then theD, we now get the Bergpanether which as you will guess shares a number of the Battle tank sprues., with a number of new ones. There are eleven sprues in sand styrene, one run of poly-caps, a clear sprue, two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE), braided cabling, a small length of chain, a very small decal sheet, colour painting and markings guide, plus the instruction booklet, which is printed in greyscale on standard paper. Construction starts with the wheels. Two drive sprockets, two idler wheels and 16 road wheels are made up. Each are two part with a poly cap going in between. The torsion bar suspension components are then added into the lower hull plate. The lower hullsides are then added with the two internal bulkheads and the rear one. At the front the driver and radio operators compartment is built up along with the vehicle transmission. In the central area the drive shaft and PTO for the winch is built up, The winch can then be built up, care must be taken when applying the wire to wind it on correctly. We then move to the upper hull. The sides are added along with a few parts such as the drivers hatch which fix from the inside. The rear engine grills are added along with the engine hatch. The upper hull can then be fitted to the lower. The fender lowers are added along with various tool boxes they have. At the rear the large attachment for the spade is added along with the exhausts. The transmission covers are added along with a whole host of brackets. The suspension arms are also added, followed by the wheels. Once they are on the tracks can follow. There are 87 links per side, the links are one part, but with 5 sprue attachment points and two track horns per link this will test the modellers time and patience. Once the hull is done its time for the engineering bits which make this model. At the rear the large spade is made up and attached. On the rear decking tow bars are added and spare track links attached to the sides. Many and various different tools, blocks, connectors, cables etc are all attached. Next up the large working platform on top is made up. This has storage compartment sin which can be open or closed. The front and rear sections can also be open or closed. There is a rain cover for the front compartment which can be open or stowed as well. A wooden beam is also made up for the side of the compartment. If the crane is to be made in the stowed condition it is also added at this time. The completed compartment is then added to the top of the vehicle, We then move back to the hull with mounting brackets being added for the side plate, followed by the PE plates themselves. The front fenders are then added. If the crane is going to be made in the deployed state it needs to be built up and added. The AA machine gun can then be built up and added. If you are adding the 2cm cannon then this needs to be made up and added. A photo etch gun shield is provided. Markings There is a tiny decal sheet with national markings only. Two schemes of Dunklegelb and cammo are offered. Unknown Unit Eastern front - 1944 Unknown Unit France - 1944 Conclusion Another excellent kit from Meng and one this reviewer has been waiting for. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  19. Type VII U-Boat Meng Model Warship Builder Cartoon Ship Normally we review highly detailed models of famous ships and submarines but in this instance, give your pedantry about colours and accuracy a rest and feast your eyes on this cartoon Type VII U-Boat. The Model The model comes in a small but quite deep box with an artists impression of the submarine cruising underwater scaring the local fish. Inside there are four sprues of dark and light grey styrene, a black styrene stand and a small decal sheet. Whilst it is a cartoon model the parts are nicely moulded with no sign of flash, which is a good thing as it appears to be more of a snap together kit rather than a glue it together one, although you might want to glue it together just in case it decides to fall apart. Construction, as you’d be right to guess, is very simple, the two inner hull parts are joined together followed by the two upper hull sections. One of the lower hull sections is then fitted with two pegs, the two sections are then fitted to the previous assembly with the separate keel sandwiched between them. The anchor, forward dive planes, propeller shafts and propellers are next to be attached. Strangely, even though it’s a cartoon, no aft diveplanes are included. The three deck sections are then fitted into position along with the wire cutter at the bow and the two railings, one on either side of the tower, which is the next part to be attached. The two, two piece periscopes are fitted, as are the tower mounted 20mm cannon and the two piece deck gun. The completed model can then be displayed ont eh provided stand. Decals The single sheet of decals provides items for four different emblems. The decals are nicely produced with good register and slightly matt. The nameplate that goes on the stand is of the self adhesive type sticker. Conclusion Well, what can I say about this kit? It will certainly be something different in your display cabinet and will be quite a fun build that should take all of 10 minutes to build and a bit longer to paint. It will be good for a bit of fun after a day on a bigger build and would be great for a child to start modelling with. I think it’s a little pricey, but you should be able to get it cheaper if you look around. Review sample courtesy of
  20. Great news if you're a fan of modern British AFV's, I certainly didn't expect to see these from mainstream manufacturers: and this too: Just take my money now.
  21. North American P-51D Mustang "Yellow Nose" (LS-009) 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. 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. 308 FS, 31 FG 44-15459 (Capt. John Voll) 356 FS, 354 FG, 9 AF 44-15622 (Capt. Richard Turner) 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
  22. Bismarck Photo Etched Upgrades for Meng Kit 1:700 Eduard Meng Model have taken a somewhat curious approach to their fledgling range of 1:700 scale warships. The kits are well made and nicely detailed, but are moulded in multi-coloured plastic and designed as snap-fit models. While that makes them seem somewhat toy-like, Eduard have clearly taken the view that enough 'serious' modellers will acquire and build the kits to justify the release of upgrade sets for them. These sets cover the recent Bismarck kit. Bismarck Photo Etched Set (53220) As with any small-scale ship, there are an awful lot of fine details that cannot be replicated satisfactorily in injection moulded plastic. That's where Eduard's set will prove to be useful. The first set includes a range of small detail parts including the FuMO 23 radar, details for the optical rangefinders, small platforms, windlasses, the anchor chains and various other deck furniture. Also on this fret are a range of ladders and stairways, details for the aircraft hangar and catapault, the mast and the main and secondary armament. Splinter shields for the smaller guns are also provided, alongside details for the ship's boats. Bismarck Railings Photo Etched Set (53221) This fret includes a full set of railings and stairways. The railings feature a constant lower rail rather than individual stanchions, which will make them easier to fix to the model. Conclusion Nothing finishes a model warship off better than a set of fine photo etched parts. With this pair of frets, Eduard have included almost everything you could want to complete the Meng kit to a high standard. If I were to choose just one of these sets then it would be the railings, but both will make a positive difference to the kit. Review sample courtesy of
  23. German Medium Tank Sd.Kfz171 Panther Ausf.A Late Production Zimmerit 1:35 Meng Model If you're not sure what Zimmerit was, it was an anti-magnetic coating applied to the exterior of German AFVs from the end of 1943 to the 9th September 1944 in the factories and a little later in the field. It took the form of a thick fibrous paste with a greyish hue, and the application was usually ridged to give it a larger effective thickness without adding too much weight. It was water-based and applied to all vertical or near vertical surfaces over primer with a comb-like tool or stamp, and drying was then accelerated by using blow-torches over the application. There were a number of patterns used at certain factories, so it can be a minefield debating whether the vehicle had Zimmerit, which pattern it was, and how you would apply your own rendition to your model. Originally you were left to your own devices to use putty and a screw-driver tip, or later-on Photo-Etch (PE), which was a little regimented and inflexible. Now with the advances in decal technology, Meng and a few others have begun creating 3D decals that when applied give the appearance of this rough coating. The sheets arrive in thick plastic bags with a card header, a sheet of visual instructions and a sheet of Zimmerit decal protected by a thick piece of waxy paper. The instructions are simple diagrams showing where each part fits on the hull and turret, including such niceties as shaped parts for the mantlet, kugelblende and even the area under the side-skirts where a brave (foolhardy) man could slap a magnetic shaped-charge. Where appropriate there are alternative parts, which are indicated by arrows in opposite directions. A small note at the bottom indicates that if any edges begin to peel away from your model, you can re-glue them with super-glue (CA) or modelling glue. Personally, I'd be more happy with the CA! Of course these sets have ben patterned for a particular kit, and that kit is the brand-new late-model Panther from their own stable, which has some of the decal options needing Zimmerit, which is handy. There are four sets, as follows: Decal Type 1 (SPS-050) This is the traditional vertical pattern with blocks of grooves laid out in a matrix. Decal Type 2 (SPS-051) This pattern is reminiscent of a waffle-pattern, consisting of large squares, although it is on a larger scale than seen on the true waffle-texture that is seen on other vehicles. Decal Type 3 (SPS-052) This set consists of vertical lines in rows that extend uninterrupted the full width of the surface it covers. Decal Type 4 (SPS-053) Arranged similarly to Type 3, but with diagonal grooves dragged across the surface in a sometimes irregular manner. Conclusion The decals are just the right thickness to be believable, and would of course look best under an airbrushed coat of paint rather than brush-painted, which would be a tiresome exercise anyway, filling in all those little grooves. The patterns have been designed with just the right amount of conformity and a little individuality to look more realistic, away from that "uncanny valley" of PE that just doesn't look quite right. I hope that this method for Zimmerit coatings takes off, consigning PE and the messy putty methods to history at some point. Review sample courtesy of
  24. Whilst patrolling in the South China Sea the USS Lexington encounters a new Japanese terror weapon - the Kamikaze Duck! This was a fun project and made a change to my normal subjects. Mick
  25. A39 TORTOISE BRITISH HEAVY ASSAULT TANK Meng 1/35 Hi Guys, I built Meng's fantastic Tortoise in June 2014. It was a great kit to work on from beginning to end and Meng have definitely become one of my favorite manufacturers. A few modifications were made to the kit to bring it closer to how a production model may have appeared. The stowage bundle on the back was made from scraps of balsa stuck together and covered with lead foil. I use hairspray for the winter whitewash and the figure came from a MiniArt set. Hope you enjoy the shots (new photos on page 2) And a couple of wip shots to finish Thanks for looking Andy
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