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Merkava III BAZ W/Mine Roller System 1:35 Meng Models The Merkava has been a work in progress since the late 70s, with incremental improvements denoted by additional letters after the Mark, and major changes resulting in an increment of the Mark. The Mk.III marked the state of play 10 years after the first Merkava saw service, and incorporated many upgrades to improve its performance in urban and so called "low intensity" fighting, including a new home-grown 120mm smoothbore gun, more powerful engine and a modular armour system that speeds up repairs, some of which can be done in the field. It also made for a possible upgrade of the armour alone if new technologies came along, without affecting the internal systems and basic hull. The BAZ upgrade saw further upgrades to the targeting system, allowing a designated target to be tracked by the gun regardless of whether the tank was mobile or not. Nuclear Biological Chemical (NBC) protection was also added, probably due to the attempts by hostile countries to become nuclear powers. The Nochri Dalet is the second generation of Mine Roller System for the IDF, which is based upon Russian technology. This edition is also used on the Puma system, but has a different adapter, so I'm sure some will be "mis-used" in that way! The Kit This is a follow-up kit to their earlier IIID that was a later version of the Merkava III with improved tracks and a new remote controlled gun-station on the turret. There have been some additions and improvements on that kit, including a choice of turret bustle stowage options, continuous or segmented side-skirts, to name but a few. Of course, the addition of the Nochri Dalet has necessitated an increased in the height of the box by an inch to accommodate the new sprues. Inside the tall top-opening box are sixteen sprues in a light grey/green styrene, two hull parts, two turret halves, two idler wheels, a clear sprue, a pair of TPU flexible rubber-band style tracks, a sprue of poly-caps, decal sheet, a length of chain, string and wire, plus a small sheet of lead or pewter sheet. Meng's usual compact instruction booklet completes the package, with painting and decaling pages in full colour on the inside rear cover. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to fit all that back in the box, despite everything having been separately bagged apart from the double sprues, which are bagged together. The sprues are very similar to the original IIID kit, and there are significant similarities to the build, which as seems traditional with AFV kits, starts with the assembly of the running gear. The wheels can be built either as full-steel or with rubber tyres, and parts to achieve either are included, while a poly-cap is buried within the joined pair of wheels to secure the parts to the axles at the end of the swing arms. Some merkavas have been seen with a mixture of steel and rubber shod wheels, so feel free to experiment and mix it up, unless you want to stick with a full complement of one type. The idler wheels are single parts that have been extensively slide-moulded to give a detailed shape, but as a consequence a few short mould lines will need removing. The poly-cap for these parts is hidden behind the hub centre. The drive sprockets are built from two halves with a poly-cap between them, and the return rollers are built up from a pair of small wheels with an axle that slots into the hull. The suspension on the Merkava is external to the main hull, and as such all of the large coiled springs are visible between the road wheels. These are added between the final drive housing and idler wheel axles, with various lumps and bumps and the triangular mounts for the large and small return rollers. At the front and rear of the hull, small serial blocks are added near the bottom of the hull and painted white on a black background. The large springs have been well moulded to minimise clean-up, with a hollow back side to prevent sink-marks during cooling of the moulded parts. A slot in the bottom of each spring mounts to the end of the swing arm, and the upper end of the spring has a moulded in stop that slots into the side of the hull. The rear door is next, and its clamshell design is well represented. Part of the appeal of the Merkava is the easy evacuation of the crew in an emergency, because the crew compartment is at the very back of the hull. It can also carry 10 soldiers, so is able to act as a battlefield taxi or emergency medevac if the need arises. The door provides protection from above during exit, with the lower half of the door making a step. These are hinged top and bottom, and with careful gluing can be left operational, although there is no internal detail within the hull out of the box. The finished assembly slots into a central recess in the lower hull, and a pair of large tubular stowage baskets are added either side. The original kit provided only the bare tubular type, but with this release, the canvas liners are depicted in a very realistic way. The modeller has the option of installing either solution at their whim. The upper hull is an almost complete upper deck, with only the rear fuel tanks and the central section of the long glacis plate as separate parts if you ignore the driver's hatch. The baffled exhaust port is added from the inside, as are the clear vision blocks for the driver, the lenses of which are to be painted clear blue to represent the bullet-resistant glass they are made from. Covers on the top can be posed closed if required, or shown open with the vision blocks propping them up. The hatch itself has a pop-up and swivel mechanism, and can be posed open or closed if left un-glued. Next to the driver's hatch, a tiny block must be removed, presumably because it relates to the later IIID. This is right on an angular edge, so care must be taken not to damage this during removal, as it will show up later. The modular engine deck is angular in shape, and made up from four slabs of styrene, to which the detail parts are added, filling the hole completely. On the front fenders, pop-up driving lights and mudguards are added, with optional side-parts providing extra dust calming. The side-skirt mounting frames are next, with two parts either side, with options for installing a single part for each skirt, or adding individual panels with mounting lugs instead, allowing for the option of leaving off panels to depict those lost in action. The rear fenders and built-in light cluster are added to the rear of the hull, and an extension over the rear door is added to finish the building of the hull. Tracks and their depiction on AFV models is a debate that surfaces from time-to-time, and my own preference is for individual links, as provided with the IIID kit. The BAZ has a different track-set from the IIID however, and this is supplied as the traditional TPE rubber-band type of track that glues together at an overlapping portion to give a continuous run. Comparing the individual links of the IIID to the continuous track gives me the distinct impression that they are identical in shape, and to be fair, the TPE tracks have plenty of detail in the moulding, with no clean-up needed - this is a difficult material to sand or fill due its flexibility. I'm not entirely sure what the difference between the later Caterpillar built tracks and those on the BAZ are, other than that they were strengthened, so perhaps a little more research is needed. The IMI 120mm smoothbore main gun is jacketed, so easy to build up from sections, with the front and rear tubular sections the only parts that are made up from halves. They are both split vertically, and only the sections between the front strapping, and a short seam on the rear section will need any attention, but care when joining the two halves should result in minimal work. The large recuperator is made from a cylindrical body with one-piece end caps, and that attaches in turn to the remainder of the barrel, which has an additional hump attached to the top. The half-cylinder mating surface and the lugs on all the attachment points ensures that the barrel is oriented correctly when it is attached to the small mantlet and poly-cap fitted mounts that glue to the underside half of the turret. The sides of the turret build up in sections, and the top is glued on quite early, with a poly-cap embedded in its roof to retain the panoramic sight later in the build. The two hatch rings for the commander and gunner are added to the bare apertures, and the missing front section of the turret is added, which has some subtle differences between its later sibling, the part for which is unused on the sprues for this kit. The turret basket that is fixed to the rear bustle incorporates a ball-and-chain protection skirt that pre-detonates RPG or similar shaped charge weapons, which covers a shot-trap that was identified early in the Merkava's development, and could potentially result in a jammed the turret if it were absent. Again, two types of basket are supplied this time around, with the bare framework, or a canvas covered alternative provided. The ball-and-chain armour is executed completely in styrene, and is very well done considering the limitations of the medium. There are already generic updates to replace these with real balls and lengths of chain, such as the one that I reviewed recently from http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234931542-merkava-3d-chain-set-for-meng-135-et-model"ET Model, but if you're either short on cash or the will to undertake the extra work, the kit parts should satisfy most modellers. The twin towing cables are assembled from the provided string and four hollow towing eyes, which are wrapped around the rear basket and secured with a length of the wire that is supplied in the box. The metal sheet is cut into three pieces of size 17mm x 13mm and glued to the sides of the basket as tactical marking boards that will be decaled later. Moving to the upper turret, this has been augmented by the addition of crew weapons that are lashed to brackets, and additional ammo, as well as fuel cans, ammo bases and sensor mounts. The commander's periscopes can be modelled open or closed in the same manner as the driver's and again the main parts are clear. The commander's hatch includes a 360o rotating periscope that can be left to rotate with careful gluing, as well as being depicted open or closed, but substituting the clear part with a two-part closed assembly. The gunner's hatch is more simple, but has a complex hinge assembly that can again be left movable. The smoke grenade launchers are mounted in the front corners of the turret, and are contained in a box on a mounting bracket. The front can be left open to show the tips of the smoke grenades, or covered for transport. The range-finder is assembled into an open-fronted box that drops onto the turret over the clear portion, which can be covered by protective doors if you wish. The panoramic sight that is mounted high on the top of the turret has a clear front panel that is painted clear blue and pushes into the poly-cap embedded in the roof part earlier in the build, and surrounded by a small circular bullet splash guard. The remote M2 .50cal machine gun mount is built up and installed on the top of the mantlet along with its sensor package. The gun itself has been slide-moulded to improve the detail on the breech, and the result is very nice indeed. The two GPMGs for the commander and gunner are mounted on brackets that seem to vary in size and complexity in order of rank, and the commander's gun has a searchlight with clear lens, as well as a transverse mounted, deeper ammo box, while the gunner's is a simple pintle-mount with no frills. With completion of construction, a further 10 stages are required to build up the Nochri Dalet mine roller. Initially, the bracket is made up from fourteen parts, including a very finely moulded serial block that has the digits etched right through. This is attached to the central brace to which each half of the roller projects forward. If you decide to show the roller detached, a pair of large mounting hooks are also supplied, so you can display the roller separately. Each roller is made up from four fluted "tyres" that are set in pairs on either side of the central framework. These frames are suspended from the main arms by stabilising chains that stop the rollers from departing company from their mounts in the event of a detonation, while remaining flexible to absorb the shock. The copper coloured chain is cut into lengths measured by the number of links and clamped within its attachment lugs, so it would be best to ensure the parts are well glued before attempting to complete their installation. Two further lengths of string are cut to depict the cables that attach the spacing arms to the main frame, and each half is attached to the main frame by a long spindle to allow the two rollers to conform to rough terrain independently from each other. Markings The decals are provided on a small sheet and are printed by Cartograf, so application should be drama-free if you have prepared a shiny surface for them in advance. Two schemes are supplied on the sheet, allowing you to build one of the following: Command tank, 2nd Platoon, 3rd Gimel Company, 1st Sufa Battalion, 188 Barak Brigade, which is painted Sandy Brown Tank 1, Alef, 1st Platoon, 1st Company, 2rd Izuz Battalion, 460 Brigade, Operation Cast Lead, Gaza, Jan 2009, which is painted a slightly more drab shade, and RLM02 with a touch of green is suggested. The instructions don't show the mine roller, but colour call-outs are made during construction, sharing the same (or similar) colour as the tank, with sections marked out in a dusky red where appropriate. There are plenty of pictures available on the 'net that will show the correct colour, which is duller than plain red. Conclusion Another sparkling release from Meng that seem to go from strength to strength, supplying the market with kits of less well known and unusual designs, both in AFVs and aircraft. The addition of the mine roller to this release adds value, although I would have liked to see individual links available, even if they were an additional cost option. Perhaps Meng will relent and release them as a separate set later on? I'll be sending them a link to this review, so here's hoping. If you're an IDF modeller, or just one that likes something out of the ordinary, this mine roller equipped Merkava ticks those boxes, and result in an impressive model with a little care. Very highly recommended. review sample courtesy of