echen Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 (edited) I suspect that this is my first and last Strelets kit. It is a bit disappointing. Words like "breakfast" and "dog" come to mind. Having built a few of the finely detailed Zvezda kits from our friends in Russia I had high hopes for this artillery piece. I'd planned to display it with an IBG R100 Scammel Artillery Tractor but I think the contrast in quality might let the IBG kit down considerably. (Unless I can REALLY raise my game and turn out a silk purse here.) The box art displays quite a detailed piece of weaponry. Unfortunately the detail is not reflected in the plastic. The destructions are on the back of the box and just show where the parts go but no order of construction. One side of the sprues. The other side of the sprues. Some of the parts are attached by really hefty chunks of plastic and will need care in removal from the sprue and re-shaping. Other parts are poorly moulded and appear to have been stressed. The outside of the wheels looks reasonable, if a little wobbly. The inside faces have no locating points and appear to be a little distorted. The tread marks are only depicted on the shoulder of the tires, unlike the box art. The face of the tires are slicks - perhaps this is a racing gun? The gun barrel is going to need a lot of work, methinks. The stress marks will be covered by the paint but the flared muzzle is going to be a different story.................. Might even have to make a new one! There are only a couple of locating guides at the bottom of the barrel but nothing at the top. The gun crews all appear to be related to Mr Blobby except that they're not wearing the same multicoloured suits. When I think I could have got a different gun from another manufacturer (Even a Ha**g*wa 155 Long Tom which I rejected in favour of the Strelets) )for less than I paid for this my disappointment grows by the minute. 😭 Edited December 18, 2021 by echen 1 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Do you have a good bin?😀 It doesn't look great but you could use it as a paint mule and try out a few different techniques. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vytautas Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Don't be angry, but I haven't seen anything worse. You are a really brave person if you start doing such a model. Although from an engineering point of view, this is a very special and interesting set - nothing straight and nothing round. Vytautas 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 4, 2021 Author Share Posted December 4, 2021 8 minutes ago, Stef N. said: Do you have a good bin? My first reaction, but I could, perhaps, jazz the wheels up a bit and cover the rest with a tarp, then it might do, just. 1 minute ago, vytautas said: Don't be angry, but I haven't seen anything worse. I don't think I have either. 😠 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vytautas Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 I thought that everything was not very good here, but it turned out that I was wrong. Only now I am convinced that it has one excellent feature - no trace of pin marks. Vytautas 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 4, 2021 Author Share Posted December 4, 2021 23 minutes ago, vytautas said: no trace of pin marks. If there had been some I could have stuck pins in them! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy Modeller Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Jezz! You people are not helping! See things this way... for a start like this, you cant go worse! Cheers LM 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bradley Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Strelets makers of wargames figures and accessories? Therefore, their kits need to be able to stand up to more handling and are, therefore, are less detailed. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 4, 2021 Author Share Posted December 4, 2021 (edited) 52 minutes ago, Paul Bradley said: Therefore, their kits need to be able to stand up to more handling and are, therefore, are less detailed. I would have thought that, at least, what parts there are would fit together..................... Plastic Soldier Company wargaming kits are much sharper and better detailed. Edited December 4, 2021 by echen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 6, 2021 Author Share Posted December 6, 2021 (edited) As a comparison here is a pic of two wargaming Gun Commander figures, one from the Strelets cannon and one from the Plastic Soldier Company 25pdr gun crew (no prizes for identifying which is which!). Both need some tidying but, as well as being a tad over-scale the Strelets offering seems to be polythene rather than the hard plastic of the PSC figure. I think this will make tidying a bit tricky if my memory of the old Airfix figures serves me well. My photo doesn't really do justice to the PSC item. The detail is much finer and sharper than appears from the pic. And the PSC guns. I'm really beginning to ask myself if building this is going to be worth it, particularly as I'd intended building the R100 tractor as a Normandy campaign version. I have since found that, historically, the 19 Mk XIX Cannon sent to France at the start of the conflict (and all lost) was only used at that time although weapons like the similar 7.2 inch gun continued in use throughout the war. Looks like my search for a1/72 artillery piece to accompany the R100 is over until someone brings out a decent (affordable) kit of something used by the Royal Artillery in WWII. I've thought about the possibility of it towing a captured German gun but that's not the ideal. I've got the Revell 21cm Morser but that will go with the Trumpeter Famo I got for the purpose. I normally read reviews of kits before I part with the hard earned. Unfortunately I didn't find the "Plastic Soldier Review" write up on this one before I ordered it, (only found it today😭) one lives and one learns. At least I didn't shell out the £16.49 I saw it priced on one site! Edited January 3, 2022 by echen Update 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy Modeller Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 So its not a top kit...not even close. So what? Make it look top than! 😉 Cheers LM 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 7, 2021 Author Share Posted December 7, 2021 (edited) So, you want a silk purse? Easier said than done but I've got the larger parts off the sprue - only broke one and its repairable. Got some ideas about the tires too. Currently in the middle of a lot of other stuff but will get round to this - eventually.🙃 Edited December 7, 2021 by echen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy Modeller Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 12 minutes ago, echen said: So, you want a silk purse? Easier said than done but I've got the larger parts off the sprue - only broke one and its repairable. Got some ideas about the tires too. Currently in the middle of a lot of other stuff but will get round to this - eventually.🙃 One thing i am sure. When there is a desire, something will arise.👍 Chers LM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 7, 2021 Author Share Posted December 7, 2021 Admire your optimism Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy Modeller Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 6 minutes ago, echen said: Admire your optimism Well if you don't have a positive thought... you start already defeated. Cheers LM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted December 8, 2021 Share Posted December 8, 2021 You've certainly got your work cut here. I'd be disheartened too, however what have you to loose? Might as well build it and use it as a experiment to see what you can achieve with it. Can't hurt to try some of the more extreme measure you wouldn't try on a better quality kit. The experience gained alone would be worth the effort I'd suggest. Good luck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 9, 2021 Author Share Posted December 9, 2021 (edited) My brain has had a wave. Looking at pix of British WWII artillery I noticed that the British 7.2" gun looks quite similar to the 6" piece. The gun trail looks the same. The 7.2" barrel doesn't appear to have the flared muzzle although it does seem to have a band round it just aft of the outer diameter change. Methinks removal of the muzzle flare from half the barrel might be easier than adding it to the other half. Adding the band round the outside shouldn't be too onerous. Then it is just a case of a 2.5mm hole instead of a 2.1mm hole in the end. A check on Wikipedia shows barrel length for the 6" at 35 calibres 35 x 152mm - 5320mm that equates to 73.88mm at 1/72. The 7.2" barrel is 22.4 calibres, 4096mm and a 1/72 scale length of 56.88mm. So it looks like I lose the whole of the flared muzzle length. Then there's the matter of those wheels. The real thing has parallel tread lines round the circumference and I'll need to check the diameter. The 7.2" was used throughout the conflict and I could pair it with a Normandy R100 as originally planned.🙂 Edited December 9, 2021 by echen Correction 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 14, 2021 Author Share Posted December 14, 2021 Earlier in this thread vytautas suggested I must be brave to start building this kit. I've started it and removed the larger components from the sprues. The base for the trail unit has 21 large sprue attachment points, 10 of which are along joint faces with the side panels to the floor. Just spent a session in the man-cave clearing some of them up. I've put the barrel and the wheels together. There will be a need for lots of filler and shaping. I had to sand the mating surfaces of the wheels so that they went together after a fashion but the centres are offset and will need a new hole and method of attachment if I get that far. I'm beginning to think the word to describe this attempt is not "brave". I think "barking" is more accurate. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy Modeller Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Well with a little love and patience you gonna do it right! And in the end you will be proud of! Cheers LM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted December 14, 2021 Share Posted December 14, 2021 Just get suck in, you'll be surprised on what can be achieved. Some parts may need to be remade but that's modelling. Crack on . Stuart 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 For a bit of inspiration, here's an experienced brailler 'going to town' on another Strelets 1/72 artillery piece: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/missinglynx/8-inch-mk-ll-howitzer-t329870.html It can be done. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 16, 2021 Author Share Posted December 16, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: It can be done. Thanks Sarge. Certainly an inspiration. We'll see how it develops. I think it would be great if IBG or Zvezda produced a 1/72 6" or 7.2" Howitzer with their customary attention to detail. Edited December 16, 2021 by echen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echen Posted December 22, 2021 Author Share Posted December 22, 2021 Picked this up in the man-cave today - and put it down again. Finding it difficult to understand how anyone could produce such rubbish - and even more difficult to understand why I actually shelled out the hard-earned to buy one. The more I look the more I find wrong with it. To call it a pig of a kit is an insult to piggies. I've got a load of IBG, Revell, Academy and even H*s*g*wa to put together so, why, I ask myself, am I bothering with this garbage? OK, sorry folks. Rant over. Maybe one day................... And a very nice 1/72 Dragon late Pz IV with PE mesh schurzen keeps appearing in my browser 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazy Modeller Posted December 22, 2021 Share Posted December 22, 2021 Hum...maybe I see there some nice Christmas gift coming to replace this... Cheers LM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted December 22, 2021 Share Posted December 22, 2021 I think everyone has had a kit like this. It doesn't matter how much enthusiasm you build up it soon disappears upon picking up/looking at the kit. Get the Pz 4.😀 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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