To be honest I sort of forgot I had them so when I uncovered the two boxes yesterday I decided I had found something to keep me amused during my lunch break. I've only assembled the T34/76 so far but I have to say I'm impressed both with the detailing on the model and its easy of assembly. I used clippers to remove the model from its sprue but that wasn't really necessary and a quick scrape of a fingernail removed the small amount of tailing where the sprue met the model.
The range is focused on Operation Barbarossa so is firmly an early war collection of vehicles for the game Art of Tactic. Other models in the 1/100 range include:
German
Sd.Kfz. 251/1 AUSF.B
Pz.Kpfw. 38 (T) Light tank
Pz.Kpfw. II light tank
Pz.Kpfw. III G medium tank
Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.D medium Tank
Soviet
ZIS-5 Truck
BM-13 "Katyusha"
KV-1 mod. 1941
BT-5 light tank
T-26 M light tank
T-34/76 (mod. 1940)medium tank
I haven't considered whether to paint this model yet, but as a quick diversion it fitted the bill. And at just £2.50 each I can see how they could easily be used to build a cheep force to start off a Tank Company or two. I may buy several of the German Opal Blitz trucks next for use as scenery or objective markers.
I hear the plastic is quite soft?
ReplyDeleteI found the plastic quite hard, similar in density to Airfix plastic. They will look different when placed next to a metal or resin model but considering their price they really are quite good. As already mentioned the range is primarily early war / Barbarossa themed but if that's your thing then they are definitely worth checking out.
DeleteNah, the plastic isn't soft in my experience. I painted up 10 Panzer IIIs (link here: http://www.wwpd.net/2011/11/zvezda-panzer-iii-g-review.html ) and was quite impressed with them!
ReplyDeleteI've also painted 3 of their Shturmoviks, and they were a treat. Got a review coming up soon.
Nice review... the price is a major factor, especially if you're starting off and want to build the core of an Army quick and cheap. They can always be replaced by 'better' models later but for the price of one platoon of battlefront tanks you could field a whole company of these models.
DeleteAs I said in my post I bought these just to check them out but I'll definitely be looking at this range for future options.
Im loving the Zvezda kits that i bought recently, and have had absolutely no problems painting them
ReplyDeleteNoticed they're giving us a Matilda and Hurricane later this year... :-)
ReplyDeleteI also have painted a ton of these models. I have 5 Panzer IIIs, 4 Panzer IVs and 12 of the Panzer IIs and I love them. They are so easy to put together and to paint, the detail is sharp, but for $3 who cares, you can make them look detailed in your painting. I plan on getting more Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs and I am seriously considering buying 30 of the T-26s and running a T-26 horde for a midwar Russian list. It would be less than $100 to get all of them. My Dad also bought 8 Katyusha Kits and they are also great, but they take about 20 minutes to assemble each because there are a lot of little pieces. I just wish they made Panthers.
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