Border released a first 1/35 scale kit in their new CHROMA series.
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/new-chroma-series-from-border
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://armorama.com/news/new-chroma-series-from-border
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Pre-painted? Where is the modelling fun then? And there is no NATO Green color. We use RAL 6031 Bronzegrün. How expensive will it be?
Is like a Snap-Tite kit. No paint or glue needed. Where’s the challenge?
it might interest some. I won’t knock it.
I agree. I don’t see the point. Also, if everything is pre-painted, what about glue adhesion? Do you have to scrape the paint at glue points, then touchup, hope it matches, etc, etc…? Not for me either. The sad part is some people will enter these at shows as well.
Let’s face it. The “fun” went out of this hobby for some folks a long time ago,.
Exactly. Bringing kids into the hobby.
Side note: We sell the pre-painted airplane kits at the museum where I volunteer. They have them at the Intrepid as well. Kids love them. Imagine putting some pre-painted tanks in an armor museum. Allowing old folks who have lost manual dexterity to still build their favorite tank? At least it’ll help the folks who can’t apply decals properly, or paint without it looking like it was done with a mop. There’s something for everybody.
And? Increases your chances of winning. 
Just use CA, as per your advice.
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I’m talking about small parts such as tools and gear, not the whole model.
I will wait for the first review. No need to scare the horses. (die Pferde scheu machen)
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If it’s like most kits of this type you don’t even need to cement major assemblies. It’s only the little parts that need it, and even then with longer pins that’s not even necessary. Some regular kits these days are so well engineered (Zvezda) the larger assemblies literally snap into place - assuming you’re cleaned the sprue gates properly.
The Foreart HIMARS kits I build - the upper and lower cab are so well engineered they hardly need to be cemented.
Kits like this have been around for ages. ```
Die Pferde können sich entspannen.
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Exactly. Bringing kids into the hobby.
Side note: We sell the pre-painted airplane kits at the museum where I volunteer. They have them at the Intrepid as well. Kids love them. Imagine putting some pre-painted tanks in an armor museum. Allowing old folks who have lost manual dexterity to still build their favorite tank? At least it’ll help the folks who can’t apply decals properly, or paint without it looking like it was done with a mop. There’s something for everybody.
This is the proper answer, right here… Bring younger modelers into the hobby. Most kinds nowadays build a lot of the Gunpla, Bandai Gundam kits because they’re easy and doesn;t require a room full of paints, glues, tools, etc… (I’m looking at all of you - myself included - LOL).
They get to see the tanks on display in the museum, then they want to replicate the same tank in miniature for their own collecting. I know the Tank Museum at Bovington has a solid collection of scale models and brick models of many of their popular displays. The Tucson Military Vehicle Museum has a good collection (albeit slightly pricy) selection of Tamiya scale models of tanks that are on display as well.
That kit can be thew “gateway drug” to bring younger modelers into the world of armor modeling.
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Here’s the problem. This kit really only has a small marketable demographic. It’s going to be too expensive for children and too “fiddly” for beginners with pre-painting, photo etch, and workable tracks and suspension, but no challenge and added complications for experienced modellers. It’s really just for lazy people or the small minority who would pay for PE and a metal barrel, but not an airbrush.
Also, I think these types should be excluded from competition, since this is “Border”-ing on glorified Lego. At this point maybe just buy a die-cast and be done with it.
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I don’t think exclusion is ever the answer. We’re trying to attract new people into the hobby, right?
There could be a new category - Pre-painted Models -there are so many it wouldn’t really make much difference to add one more. It’s a good way to teach basic modeling skills - cleaning sprue attachment points, proper decaling, assembly without glue showing, weathering. A lot of things posters to this very site have not mastered in toto.
And what about pre-painted seatbelts? Aircraft cockpits? Vehicle dashboards? Door mechanisms? Kelik products come to mind. I’ve seen people even goof those up, so apparently a modicum of skill is needed even there. What if nobody saw the point to those either?
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From 2003: Bandai United Federation of Planets Constitution-class Starship U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701
I received the model above as a gift when it came out. The painting is perfect. That was 23 years ago.
Border Model is also releasing a pre-painted, 1/35 scale P-51D. That was announced weeks ago.
Based on Reddit group memberships, Gundam modeling is way bigger than military modeling. Most people building Gundam type models do not use glue or paint. Advanced Gundam builders use a panel line marker or two. A small number of them clear coat. A tiny number paint their models. Many Gundam type models come with some pre-painted parts.
Painting models is tough, time intensive, resource intensive, and subject to catastrophic failure. These new Border Model releases are aimed at all those wonderful people who like building stuff but cannot paint. I would have started with a pre-painted Tiger I and announced it wherever the War Thunder and World of Tanks guys hang out.
Edit: My initial reaction to the Border Model pre-painted P-51D was negative. Then I thought about it some more. I intend to purchase a copy for my younger brother as a Christmas present. He still loves models and has a few in storage. Every so often he pulls one out, asks about paint and airbrushes and stuff, then puts it away. He has a few small Lego sets and regularly tells me how impressed he is with the graphics printed on the parts. Well…
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You’ve hit upon a truth I learned about modeling from Mr. Tamiya back in '96 - the world of modeling does not revolve around the US.
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What good is attracting new people to the hobby (your perogative, not everyone’s) if they don’t even paint the models? The whole point is doing the work for yourself. Pre-painting is just another symptom of the no-attention-span, want-it-done-for-them generation. Beginners don’t learn if they don’t try.
As for the “what about pre-painted seatbelts…” argument, surely you understand the difference between a microscopic instrument panel and the entirety of a Leopard MBT hull. The line has to be drawn somewhere, so stop pretending it doesn’t.
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I would never buy something like this, but I do agree it is something that could attract new people to the hobby. Doing something easy is a good way to start, enjoying building it and boosting the newbie confidence. Then, one’s next kit might be more difficult, trying to paint and weather it oneself.
Also, this kit would be a good thing for trying new weathering techniques. No need to paint it, just start with the weathering process. And you can probably strip the effects and try again.
So, although it is not my cup of tea, I can envision people who would be interested in this kit.
Mario
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I don’t mind these odd releases, but I do wonder who the audience is. It seems too complex a kit for the newbies/youngsters/oldies who might be attracted to a ready-painted model instead of a simplified snap-together kit. And us seasoned model builders would probably want to paint our own. I hope they do sell though, as every penny of profit helps support other new kits we want to see!
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A quick search for pre-painted models will reveal there are a fair number of them, especially cars and figures.
A lot of Metal Earth models are pre-painted.
Lego now pre-paints or multi-color molds lots of parts.
Bandai pre-paints lots of faces and multi-color molds tons of models. (Multi-color molding is an alternative to pre-painting, especially for models designed to mix and match with other kits.)
Have you guys ever looked at your workshops? Have you really looked at all the paints and airbrush junk taking up space? Have you ever looked online to see what other model builders are producing? I see whole rooms dedicated to painting and great gobs of paint bombs. Now imagine all the people out there who love to build stuff. Imagine them getting all frowny face at the cost of paints and painting equipment, the space dedicated to it, and knowing the result will be a paint bomb. Now imagine them opening pre-painted models, building them to a high standard, and enjoying their new, not paint bomb creations. Imagine them buying really well done pre-painted figures in 1/35 scale. (Pre-painted figures are already a massive success at larger scales.)
I suspect this will become common over the next 5 to 10 years.
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If they released 1:35 figures with pre-painted faces I’d be a happy teddy! No more bulging eyeballs…
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They already do. Dragon Can-Do 1/35 pre-made and painted figures. They should have named them Can’t -Do as that is why they are marketed. Another item I am not at all interested in.
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Learn something new each day! But a quick Google turns up lots of NAZIs but no Allied tank crew?