Hi Gang,
At my first model convention I picked up, among other things, a Skif t-80UD, full of aftermarket parts in both resin and metal, and I though I'd do a review here of it as I am working on it.
First and foremost, I'm a rank amateur, and by no means a rivet counter. I build models for the sheer enjoyment of it, and wouldn't know if the kit is accurate or not if the real thing ran over me. I am probably more forgiving of inaccuracies than most, so long as the kit goes together well, with a minimum of putty/scratchbuilding because, as I've mentioned, I suck I'm an amateur.
So with that in mind, allow me to start of:
For starters, the tank in question is really badly photoshopped onto the front of the box, onto/partially into, some sand with mountains in the background. I suppose it's meant to be Afghanistan or someplace equally dry, but it's kind of laughable, something that belongs on the pages of "photoshop disasters", but nevermind.
Inside the box there is a metal gun from "Model Point", and in comparison to the plastic two piece of the kit, is longer, but oddly, has less detail on it. It's also in two pieces. Unsure how I'm going to glue those together just yet.
Next up, is a bag of wheels from "MR Modellbau", cast in tan. Doing a quick compare to the Skif wheels, I don't see much difference in detail or thickness, so I may skip using them on this model.
Another bag of mixed resin and metal parts from "MR Models" (I assume the same company as above, their logo looks the same) consisting of some metal track links, which are poorly formed, 2 oil drum barrels, also partially incomplete, a pair of....well I'm not sure, sleeping bags perhaps? rolled up netting? They look okay.Some vision ports attached to a big honking resin cash. Gonna be a trick to cut them off without breaking them. One half of a commander's hatch. This part has some nice detail both inside and out, and I hope I can use it. Two pieces, a flat oval and a round...air port, or something. Unsure where these go right now. A heavy resin block with three unidentified parts on it 4 metal oil drum holders which look very nice and I plan on using them, and finally a metal searchlight perhaps, or part of the machine gun. Dunno.
Two bags full of resin parts, One set of what looks to be radiators and M60-style searchlights and the other bag full of reactive armour and...that long tube that typically you see on the back of the turret on soviet tanks.
Last resin piece is the turret. It's not even remotely the same shape as the Skif supplied one, so I'm not sure it's for this kit. Not to mention it's got everything I associate with resin, air holes, unformed parts, huge attached casting blocks, uneven finish, it's a mess. Will probably dump that.
The model kit itself is moulded of some weird mint-green plastic that doesn't cut off the sprue it's attached to, so much as it breaks off. I have a feeling this is going to bite me in the butt later on in the build, but so far when I try to cut the parts off, the break from the sprue is clean. Haven't encountered any flash yet upon my looking over of the trees, but I have run across the occasional mis-aligned part that needs some sanding down.
Speaking of sanding, the parts sand well so far, and the mould lines scrape off easily. But the weirdest thing about this plastic (if that's what it is) is my Model Master liquid glue (which I use for all my kits, as it's slow drying and allows me to correct mistakes) bonds like superglue with this stuff. You get about 3 seconds before the parts are held fast and won't budge. A fact I've already discovered with a tow hook that got slightly mis-aligned when I put it on. Fortunately it's a lower tow hook in the back, so it shouldn't be real visible once completed, but it does serve as a reminder to be extra careful.
The details of the parts look "thick", not like the fine ones I see on Dragon or Tamiya kits, but they aren't soft like Monogram tanks or Revell stuff, just thick. Given it's a Soviet tank, this may well be on purpose. The instructions are hand drawn, or at least look it, but are clear enough to figure out without difficulty. At the back of the instructions are no less than four different camouflage options, along with a single set of decals for either Russian or Polish service. At the very last set of camo options, are the words "Autodesk Mechanical Desktop" Still looks hand drawn to me.
Anyway, pics of the parts when my camera is charged up. Any questions/comments/etc are always appreciated.
Cheers!