Academy Wirblewind

Rangatron

Hello

So I received the Academy Kit Wirbelwind 1/35 for Christmas.

Why is it boxed and packaged remarkably like a Tamiya Kit? Is it a good Kit?

Also back in October I got a Rubicon 1/56 Rubicon Sdkfz 251 Ausf D. What do you think of that?

Thank you 

 

Becuase if i remember right, it is the Tamiya kit. And also if my memory serves me, it wasn't done with Tamiya approval. I think Academy made a habit of doing this a while back. One build log i have seen called it a bad copy of the Tamiya.

Bish

 

Becuase if i remember right, it is the Tamiya kit.

It isn't actually the Tamiya kit, but a poor copy of the old Tamiya kit.  All of the early Academy kits are copies of Tamiya kits.

Bronto

 

Bish

 

Becuase if i remember right, it is the Tamiya kit.

 

 

 

It isn't actually the Tamiya kit, but a poor copy of the old Tamiya kit.  All of the early Academy kits are copies of Tamiya kits.

 

Thanks Bronto. Yes, i forgot that tamiya relased a new one in the 90's. So this Academy kit is a copy of Tamiya's 70's kit.

Tamiya's research arm wasn't at full tilt in the 1970s.  The Wirbelwind model they issued is of a one-off tank that never entered production -- it looks cool as heck, though.  The hull was funky shaped because it was the same one used to house motors and batteries in some other Pz IV releases.

Later, as nascent Academy wanted to get its footing, they directly copied a ton of Tamiya 1/35 subjects.  The Wirbelwind, StuG IV, Pz IV ausf H, Panther A -- some others.  So what you have is a not great copy of a poorly researched model.  Build it and have fun.  

Approx. 100 of these mojos were built...the Ostwind was an even much rarer vehicle and I believe ALL of them were built in rear-area field workshops...

Shame that an up to date kit of this is not available...

Revenant

 

Shame that an up to date kit of this is not available...

 

Wirbelwind - DML 6540

Ostwind - DML 6550

T26E4

 

Later, as nascent Academy wanted to get its footing, they directly copied a ton of Tamiya 1/35 subjects.  The Wirbelwind, StuG IV, Pz IV ausf H, Panther A -- some others.  So what you have is a not great copy of a poorly researched model.  Build it and have fun.  

 

In the modern arena, Academy copied the Tamiya M48A3, M551 Sheridan (old one), M151A1 Mutt (both wth TOW and without), LVTP7, M2 and M3 Bradley, and the lower half of their M1A1 Abrams kit is an exact copy of the Tamiya original M1 kit. Their HWWMV models are almost exact duplicates of Italeri HMMWVs.

Academy also cloned the Tamiya 1/35 Centurion and Cheiftain. 

Ooops.  Revenant caught a major mistake of mine -- I meant to say that the Flak Vierling Mobelwagen was a one off.  The Wirbelwind did go into series production.

Sorry about that -- too much liquid cement fumes over the years!

T26E4

 

Sorry about that -- too much liquid cement fumes over the years!

 

You say that like it's a bad thing