kit review

DML's M4A1 Sherman ...... one of the nicest Sherman kits ever made in plastic.

It also falls under the most frustrating category, not for the kit itself but because it had such a short run on the market before it went OOP. Now if you want one you have to pay through the nose for it, if you win the bidding war on E-Bay.

Hey Executive Chief in Charge Grand Pubah of DML .... if you're listening ..... bring back the blasted M4A1 ..... I'll buy a 6-pack to start.

Tamiya's Japanese 97.
It is the prodginy of something unholy and evil. No other kit has vexed me so.

Mike

Somehow I knew that this would turn into another type 97 Hoo-Ha trashing thread ... LOL

The most recent armor kit I worked on (my 7th since I restarted the hobby last November) is the Tamiya M26 Pershing (T26e3?). I found it very easy to assemble as the parts fit quite well without the need for sanding/filling-up. The kit has a lot of nice details. I know however that there are also some missing/inaccurate details in it (casting numbers, short shock absorbers, etc.) but for a beginner like me, this is a very good kit. The moveable suspension is very interesting. The flexible tracks are nicely done/well-detailed and very much welcome. Just imagine the time saved as compared to those individual track types. The kit comes with two tank crew figures (upper body/torso) which adds to the kit's appeal. Decals for T26 (WWII) and Korean War are included. I used those for "fireball". It took me about 10 hours to finish the kit. The finished product now stands beside my 1st kit, an M4A4 (Dragon). I am not sure if these two tanks ever really worked with each other in WWII. I suppose that by the time Pershings were available the US Army has already converted to M4A3 or "Easy Eights".

DML's BTR-80! The most hated kit that I've ever tried assembling. Bad fit, inaccuracies throughout, and simply a major pain in the rear end. It's no wonder my modeling friends say that DML stands for Does not Match or Line-up. But it was also the most cathartic kit I've ever built. I got the hull "completed" (so to speak), and was trying to fill gaps with styrene sheet when I got so frustrated that I took the kit, threw it on the carpet, and jumped up and down on it--repeatedly. We continued to find parts in the carpet for 2 weeks! (Begin insane laughter here). Since then, I have stayed away from ALL DML offerings...
Gip Winecoff

The Tamiya 1/48 A6M2 is great, I don't know why, but it seems to scream "BUILD ME!"

Funny, I'm really happy with it, even though I absolutely hate the A6M! It is detailed, yet simple. It's cheap, but looks and feels expensive. They even throw in a nice glossy sheet with color drawings of two of the five planes you can build out of the box. Very useful for matching paint to the planes.

QUOTE: Originally posted by renarts Tamiya's Japanese 97. It is the prodginy of something unholy and evil. No other kit has vexed me so. Mike

rotflmao....I couldn't have said it better about a couple of DML kits that have tortured me for the past few years, namely the Stug IV and the Panzer IV J.

Tamiya's Late version Tiger I was probably my favorite build. Parts went together smoothly and the tracks were very easy to assemble. On the flipside Esci's Demag is one kit I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot exacto knife.

The kit that gave me most head aches was Dragon's JS-II. The parts do not fit very well and requires a lot of adjustments. I have to sand/cut portions of each track link to make them fit. There are places that should have slots for items to be inserted to but in most cases, I have to make such slots or holes by my self. The kit was not supposed to be difficult in the first place (having very few parts and requiring just one paint color) but the said problems made it (until now) the worst that I have met.

On the brighter side, with all the hard work (I think) I put into it, the finished product turned out "ok".

Dwight

DML BMP-2.

air fixes 1:72 SCALE M4-SHERMAN is an awsome kit it fits together nicely and is easy to follow directions