Yeah, I remember. Also remember Speedy Seltzer, the Marlboro Man, Howdy Doody and lots of others. TV sure ain’t what it used to be.
5 Likes
That’s a fact… but at least we have Wade’s World.
6 Likes
I am fascinated by these types of rumors. How do they start?
In this case, someone was either very confused or deliberately made up this rumor.
Equally fascinating is how it gains this kind of traction and longevity.
Some rumors are of course, malicious in their intent, but that’s not really the case here.
Maybe “Mikey” had an actual funny mishap with Pop Rocks and soda, which got told and retold until the story was that it killed him.
Then there was a crazy rumor that went around the neighborhood about my father or the rumor spread about me by “some fat girl named Michelle,” (Me: “Who the XXXX is this Michelle?!”) 
that were clearly malicious.
Tacitus was correct that rumor wasn’t always wrong, but it’s not always right either.
Anyway… 
3 Likes
He actually died from Smoking Pop Rocks, not taking them with Coke.
3 Likes
WWR: Tamiya Porsche (aka Initial) King Tiger #35169
Tamiya has an error in the name as Porsche didn’t have anything to do with the turret used initially on the King Tiger. It’s similar misconception to the Lil’ Mikey pop rock legend mentioned above.
3 Price $54 MRSP, $45 Online Vendor, ~$5 Paid (a friend desperately wanted rid of the kit)
5 Instructions are the normal Tamiya excellent. They kindly show or hint at the aftermarket that’s nearly mandatory for the kit.
5 Molding Quality This kit was an initial pressing from 1993 and outstanding for its time. No sink marks or short shots.
5 Plastic Quality Top notch quality
5 Parts Clean Up low parts count, however there’s a fair amout of mold seams that really need removed.
3 Ease of Build the need for aftermarket and adding zimmerit make this a little more complex to build than really necessary.
2 Accuracy wrong name on box, no zimmerit, new vinyl kit tracks really aren’t all that, subtle details sometimes a little soft for today (great in 1993), none of it is critical but all add combines for a low score in WW.
4 Fit very good, the main gun barrel design is old school, good parts clean up is critical, kit tracks look ridiculous unless hidden under skirts or tacked down with super glue.
0 Doesn’t Require Aftermarket for a decent build in 1993, aftermarket tracks, photo etch screens and zimmerit were highly desirable, to that list in the 2020’s one might add, tow cables, more PE fiddly bits, Aber brass MG barrels, Aber antenna, Aber metal tow shackles, metal main gun barrel, aftermarket muzzle brake, 3D headlight and 3D antenna mount for turret etc…
0 Details built Out of the Box if build out of box the model doesn’t look right without zimmerit. Given the time period this version of King Tiger was produced zimmerit is almost certainly required unless building the prototype.
32 pts out of 50
32/50 => 64%
Not Recommended as the kit was surpassed years ago. If one’s has the kit in the stash it’s a fun build…if one has time & aftermarket parts to indulge on the kit.
Added Cavalier, Fruilmodel tracks & Tamiya PE screens plus minor details.
9 Likes
Wade’s World Review: Dragon T-34-85 1944 #6066
Back in 1997, this was one of the new releases, I couldn’t wait to acquire. Purchased three kits when it arrived at the hobby shop for serious contest building etc.
1 Price MSRP ~$85 (WTF!), Online Vendor ~$68, in 1997, paid $100 for 3 kits at a friendly local hobby shop or ~$33.
5 Instructions Model is simple & Instructions are pretty clear…yes 
for Dragon 
1 Molding Quality 
Even love doesn’t necessarily last forever!
Every wheel had a nasty sink mark between every spoke for every wheel in all three model kits. ~120 sink marks on a curved surface needed filling and sanding to get a set of acceptable road wheels. My friends that purchased #6066 kits noted the same molding issue on the wheels.
My kits weren’t suitable as out of the box builds in my opinion due to sinkmarks and difficulty fixing them. Thankfully Chesapeake Model Design soon offered a replacement set of spider wheels.
This in my opinion was an engineering design failure as the rest of the kit was well molded. It wasn’t likely a quality issue due to a lazy injection molding machine operator. Dragon later tweaked the wheels.
4 Plastic Quality good quality
3 Parts Clean Up low parts count, however there’s a fair amout of mold seams that needed removed. The kit tracks also had punch marks. The road wheels were previously mentioned.
5 Ease of Build Builds easy and satisfactory after the wheels and tracks are replaced with quality aftermarket.
4 Accuracy T-34 wheels don’t have nasty sink marks like the kit parts did. However, overall a very nice kit.
5 Fit Excellent and no issues other than a little fiddling with the turret halves.
1 Doesn’t Require Aftermarket wheels were trash, tracks were unappealing
CMD wheels, Fruilmodel tracks were bare minimum for my kit.
0 Details built Out of the Box with the defective wheels in the kit, this kit was an automatic fail by any judge looking at basic construction. Sure tons of mud could be dumped on the wheels and suspension to attempt to hide sinkmarks but that’s always suspicious 
Perth Military Modelling: Premium Dragon T-34-85 1944 #6319
Dragon later tweaked the wheels in some manner. I’ve seen newer kits like #6319 with good quality road wheels as my copy of that kit was blemish free.
29 pts out of 50
29/50 => 58%
Not Recommended with a #6066 one might get lucky and get a good one or get burned. I wouldn’t allow a copy of #6066 in my stash if it was free.
If one wants this subject from Dragon, #6319 is a far superior offering. The Premium #6319 kit is also available at a lower price!
Yes, it’s got the good stuff too!
#6319 - Highly Recommended this kit addresses my gripes with #6066. I suspect it would get a Wade’s World Review score of about ~45 of 50 or 90%.
7 Likes
To complicate things even more Dragon re-released this kit a year or so ago with ‘goodies’. See T-34/85 Mod.1944 , Dragon 6066MT (2023) probably replacing 6319, or at least having the same parts with some figures and weapons.
As for the wheels Miniart has the better detailed in plastic so that might also be an alternative.
3 Likes
Wade’s World Review: Tamiya T-34/76 1942 #35149 & Tamiya T-34/85 #35138
I built four of Tamiya T-34’s in the late 1980’s to early 1990’s. A pair of T-34/85’s & a pair of T-34-76’s 1942’s, SU-85, SU-122 plus an MB models SU-100 using a Tamiya kit. Since I bought a copies of the 1942 & 85 last summer and have previously built decided to review them together. I think the 1943 would be similar etc.
5 Price - Varies wildly. I found the 42, 43 & 85 for $10 each at a show this summer plus Amazon had the 1943 for ~$28. Ebay might have deals but don’t be surprised if someone wants $80+ plus shipping for one of these old soup chickens.
Random internet pricing below.
5 Instructions - Clear, concise easy to follow.
2 Molding Quality - It’s dated, not bad but less than ICM’s
4 Plastic Quality - Hard, slightly brittle not Tamiya’s best but good enough.
2 Parts Clean Up - Mold seams are heavier and harder to remove due to harder plastic. Seams in fuel drums, motorization holes to dress or fill. Kit shows it’s age as it wasn’t optimized for easy clean up like some modern kits seem to be.
5 Ease of Build - Simple as it gets.
2 Accuracy - Looks like a T-34, same tracks provided for various versions which seems suspicious etc. The tracks detract greatly from the kit in my opinion.
4 Fit Overall much better than I expected even back in the 1980’s & 1990’s.
0 Doesn’t Require Aftermarket I can’t imagine building a 1st Gen Tamiya T-34 without replacing the tracks. The transmission hatch would benefit from PE screen. Many areas to tweak with AM if desired.
1 Details built Out of the Box those tracks really hurt, like wise the tow cables.
30/50 for 30 points not bad for ancient kit (1975-1987) from back in the day.
30/50 => 60%
Comments based on pulling these Tamiya T-34 relics off the shelf from ~1988 & ~1992 looking then over again and inspection of my recent purchases.
Recommended at the $10 buy in price or for beginners. These are very basic honest old school model builds that can be done quickly to gain experience building, painting and weathering.
Besides the old Tamiya T-34-85 is just about perfect for a graffiti tank build…
…so I think these are still slightly relevant.
7 Likes
The Tamiya T-34 are too toy-like to receive any points for accuracy. The box is full of random bits having features of tanks from various factories from various years. Hence you have the 1940 small cast turret with the post war fuel drums.
It is clear that they are from a time where accuracy was not that important, but you could still play a game of scratch building the correct version with appropriate research. I wish they would revisit the early T-34s someday as the only game in Town, Dragon is not that great either and their kits are becoming more and more expensive.
2 Likes
2010 - I understand some model builders starting in the modern golden era may feel as you do regarding the accuracy rating.
However, the Wade’s World Review prespective factors in my overall model building experiences that started in 1969. I’ll happily kick an old kit in the nuts and leave it face down in the sand without hesitation if it sucks. However, curb stompings aren’t on the menu generally speaking.
(Unless Italeri manufacturered it…joking…maybe)
Kali-Katt says I have bias being X-Panzer Police 
and take WW2 Panzer III’s,
Panzer IV’s, Panther’s & Tiger’s etc quite serious on accuracy despite attempting not to do so…
Ahh the Glory Days of…
4 Likes
Hey, just to clarify my grade would be just 54-56, just slightly lower than yours. it could still be a decent newbie kit or for nostalgia quenching.
I would consider something like ICM T-34/76 with cuppola or Border T-34/85 as way more offensive with regards to accuracy, as they are modern kits.
Still, I would like they would make a new mold of a early war T-34, as they did with the KVs, panzer 2, etc.
5 Likes
Thanks for the clarity, it’s appreciated 
I definitely agree an all new tool Tamiya T-34/76 & friends would be most welcomed.
Speaking of points and percentage, I tend to think in roughly these terms
92+% - Outstanding to Superior
90% to 84% - Excellent to Very Good
82% to 70% - Good to Fair
68% to 60% - The Champions of Mediocrity
58% to 52% - Lame & the Suck Is Strong 
50% and lower - bad kits or unfun builds (DEI - Dragon, Errors Instructions)
5 Likes
This Scale Art Lab proved quite amusing given many of the oh so familiar criticisms of certain manufacturers.
BTW - Moral of the video, buy Tamiya if one is a beginner.
3 Likes
Great video Wade and he’s right on the mark. If you’re just starting out build Tamiya OOB!
2 Likes
Wade’s World Review - Ryefield Model’s M4A4 Sherman #5119
With Sherman’s it’s the rage to compare Asuka/Tasca vs Ryefield these days. Here’s a couple of threads to help with that. YMMV
missinglynx: firefly-vc-asuka-vs-rfm
The Ryefield Model’s kit…
5 Price MSRP $70, Online Vendor $56, Ebay China Direct ~$51 plus 3 to 6 week wait for arrival, I paid $56 received in 3 days from Spruebrothers.com
Factoring what’s possible with what’s included, this kit is a fantastic value!
Metal barrel with rifling, spare plastic one piece barrel with rifling, clear periscopes, photo-etch fret & working individual link tracks & six decal options that cover five nations.
4 Instructions Overall very good, build sequence could be improved.
5 Molding Quality Outstandingly good for 1,000+ parts. No short shots, no sink marks, minor depressions in a few parts to sand flush, a little plastic fuzz on parts occasionally. Sharp crisp detail. Very faint mold seams, exquisite!
5 Plastic Quality Nearly perfect! Easy to clean parts, soft but holds up to Tamiya Extra Thin Quick well. Perfect for Testor’s Liquid Cement too
5 Parts Clean Up I got tired of cleaning ~1,000+ parts but the parts are well designed for easy clean up. Tracks assemble without visible punch marks. Very faint mold seams to remove. Light treatment of Liquid cement can remove faint mold seams in difficult spots.
3 Ease of Build Good, there’s a few tips like making the suspension fixed that will help or carefully planning your approach to assembly. However, 1,000+ parts is a formidable assembly. Building in a timely manner requires some focus and grinding forward with the suspension & tracks.
I didn’t mind the 660+ parts of the tracks but I didn’t like the suspension bogie assembly 
. Fixed assembly, non-workable will help but the the suspension is full of (imo) gimmick BS that adds little to the model.
If one doesn’t lock the bogies down and pulls the track tightly the rear and front wheels may cant slightly due to the moveable slop in the bogies.
While I haven’t build a Tasca/Asuka Sherman, I think based on instructions they have a more hassle free & gimmick free design.
Approximate construction time for this RFM kit was 45 to 50 hours, about double what I expect my Asuka Firefly to take.
5 Accuracy Shermans (all) = Not my monkey and not my circus.
Looks enough like a Sherman, those guys wearing the black Hugo boss designed uniforms would shoot first and probably not ask questions.
Information provided by those well versed in the nuance of Sherman:
-
Sits too high on working suspension with springs, probably by ~1.5 to 2 mm my estimate. Use spacer as Jacko suggested to address. Easy fix.
-
Main gun ~6 mm too long. (I refuse to shorten a short gun on a M4A4 Sherman per religious values as written in the Book of Armaments)
-
Wheels? per Face-palm er face book
Real Aficionados can find something etc.
#1 is visible and worth addressing in my (limited Sherman) experience. It can be addressed with parts in the box so Ryefield still earned a FIVE etc.
4 Fit Very good, almost perfect, but it needed a more Molak Stucco Putty, Q-tips w/Mr Color Leveling Thinner than any prior Ryefield Model’s kit I’ve built. However, I’m generous with paint thin Molak Stucco Putty on just about everything. The rear turret filet needed attention on my build beyond paint thin putty.
Happy enough with the fit but pay close attention or issues may occur. Get sloppy with on parts clean up…it will likely 
blow up in one’s face.
I didn’t like the absence of a interal brace for the lower hull. My kit was more fiddly to fit together than expected because of a slight bow in the lower side plates. Model sits flat so it obviously wasn’t a deal breaker. Assembled without tape or clamps but can easily see it might be necessary in some cases.
5 Doesn’t Require Aftermarket - I used 3D parts for front & rear light guards and one periscope guard. The kit has PE, while the Sherman may have used flat periscope guards at some point, I have no idea, I think the flat PE periscope guards look…stupid. They could be made round(ish) with lots of TLC & and thinned Molak Stucco Putty but definitely not worth the hassle with a quick fix 3D part available & 4 plastic guards (round) in the kit.
Discovered four plastic periscope guards in kit. They aren’t mentioned in instructions.
I had an aftermarket .50 cal M2 on the workbench but was happy with the kit MG. I’m almost NEVER happy with kit MG’s. The MG cooling jackets holes can be reamed or drilled for improvement. That was my choice over the aftermarket .50 cal.
5 Details Built Out of the Box - Outstandingly good in my opinion but I’m NOT an aficionado for Shermans going wirh first impression. With drilling out MG jacket etc and basic care this should be a good out of the box contest build for IPMS shows…for a ~1,000+ part kit.
46 out of 50
46/50 = 92%
Highly Recommended for the modeler that’s completed several AFV kits. This wouldn’t be a good first or second AFV build kit in my opinion.
I would buy and build this kit again so it scores well for repeatability.
Test fit…every tank should have a lantern & wok…
11 Likes
Wade’s World Review - TriStar Pz IV ausf C #35017
Some tools need added but my opinion and evaluation of the kit is as follows:
5 Price - The Hobby Boss repop is available via Amazon to your door in the USA for $43 and listed for as little as $32 elsewhere plus shipping on the interwebs. I paid $20 to a vendor in 2014 (IPMS Roscoe Turner) for this kit.
I think the TriStar Pz IV’s are an excellent value, see the following review for justification and documentation.
4 Instructions - They are generally good 
but have room for improvement. There’s a suspension part number error on the parts tree. S24 is listed for parts S24 & S25. The difference is noticeable as one part is for the left hand side and the other for the right hand side.
In some steps related to the hull, providing a sequence of assembly could be beneficial. Most know to do the inter supports of the lower hull before the sides plates but mentioning it would benefit less experienced modelers…etc.
4 Molding Quality - This one is painful because there is so much absolutely fantastic molded detail in this kit. However, I can’t rate it a 5 due to slight divits & depressions (sink marks) being present plus some light flash. The depressions sand flush without trouble. The A part suspension dampers were the worst offenders in my kit but not the only ones.
5 Plastic Quality - Very similar to the top Dragon Slayers like Takom, Ryefield or Meng. Sands, scraps or trims nicely - easy to clean.
5 Parts Clean Up - It’s easy & basically painless but takes a while due to the complex suspension. TriStar, in my opinion designed for easy clean up.
3 Ease of Build - Very subjective for this kit. Parts clean up must be absolutely precise 
percent perfect. Taping or clamping required due to part warpage.
If one’s parts clean up is always perfect add 1 point. One tiny burr on a either beveled assembly face will cause issues. Be sure to check for warpage & fix etc.
The fabulous, easy to clean open guide tooth track links help the kit score 3 instead of a 2.
5 Accuracy - I’m not Captain Accuracy but this kit passes with flying colors imo. The Pz IV is my favorite tank to model. I didn’t pull references to check as I found nothing visually offensive about this Pz IV kit. 
5 Fit - that’s the white Elephant in the room for this kit.
I had a couple of issues but I felt it was due to my failure to fix a warped belly plate in step 2 and likewise missing a slight warp in the upper hull.
So Wade why the hell are you giving a kit with two major warped parts a pass on fit other than your blatantly obvious pro TriStar Dragon hating favoritism?
Because my other TriStar Star Pz IV doesn’t have the warp issues. Pulled and checked after this one was on the workbench.
Likewise, there’s an assumption made one can successfully fill hairline seams with Mr Surfacer and remove excess without damage to surrounding details. I personally wouldn’t want to build this model without thinned Molak Stucco Putty, Mr Color Leveling Thinner & a stack of Q-tips to remove excess putty.
5 Doesn’t Require Aftermarket none needed, tracks are sweet the MG’s slide molded, kit has photo etc. One can of course add aftermarket as desired. Photo etch is provided as are tool latches & wing nuts etc.
5 Details Built Out of the Box - kit is a Top of the Food Chain Natural Born Killer for stock model in my opinion.
However the fiddly basic construction 
will hang many careless builders.
46 out of 50
46/50 => 92%
**Very Highly Recommended for the Pz IV connoisseur…aka Pz IV Geeks 
**
Recommended to others if they enjoy a rewarding yet challenging model kit build.
Not recommended for:
beginners
novices
intermediate
Experienced modelers due to fiddly construction and time consuming parts clean up.
8 Likes
Some very impressive armour Wade, and great feedback on the kits and builds, constructive and useful, .
G, 
2 Likes
Wade’s World Review: Tasca Sherman Firefly w/cheek armor #35011
TL:DR summary
Opening the box in 2009, this caused flashbacks to seeing *Star Trek The Motion Picture * in the theater in 1979. Decent enough but failed to live up to the hype. ST:TMP, spawned several loved sequels. After building the kit I find much to admire in Tasca’s accomplishments from the early 2000’s despite #35011’s atrocious instructions.
4 Price Previously paid $62 retail in 2009, available online now for $45.
2 Instructions Tasca has nice innovation with numbered assembly sequence in a few steps but this kit didn’t get a dedicated instruction sheet. What’s provided is a supplemental sheet to jump back and forth with factored by which of four possible vehicles is selected as the build.
That jumbled mess severely detracted from my build experience with the kit. For someone familiar with Tasca builds and Shermans this would likely be less of a factor.
YMMV
4 Mold Quality Looked very good in the box until I started fixing sink marks and shallow mold depressions, sometimes multiple ones on the same part. Flash isn’t too bad. Majority of molding is crisp, defect free and parts are laid out in an intelligent manner for minimal clean up. The brilliant parts layout helped this rating.
4 Plastic Quality The plastic is excellent. However, the very dark color made seeing and working on the model more difficult. I constantly adjusted light sources due to the dark plastic. Zero issues with several prior builds under same lighting conditions.
The plastic sands and cleans easily enough. Testor’s Liquid Cement & Tamiya Quick Set work well with the plastic.
5 Ease of Build The model is brilliantly designed for easy and quick building. Easily the best overall layout of parts for hassle free construction I’ve seen to date. However, this excellence was severely undermined (cut off at the knees) by the jumbled confusing instructions.
5 Accuracy Sherman Sheriff’s seem to like the kit. Enough said.
Based on photos, for build #2 F50 & F51 might be positioned differently.
4 Fit Very good, not Rolex perfect in my limited experience of building one kit. With basic care any issues can be pushed to hidden areas if issues occur.
5 Doesn’t Require Aftermarket A very nice model can be build with included parts. Clear periscopes & lens, appropriate PE, slide molded MG’s etc. Tracks are usable. The two piece main gun is nice enough but fixing seams in side muzzle brakes can be annoying so I went aftermarket.
The PE periscopes guards are flat and one might desire to replace them. Sadly plastic alternatives are not provided in the kit. Asuka sells aftermarket plastic guards for ~$12
5 Details Built Out of The Box the kit has strong out of the box potential for contests.
43 point raw score out of of 50
Special Assessment, aka Wade’s World manufacturer Stupidity Tariff
-1 point must be applied for $hitty absolutely percent worthless box art. While probably no one else on planet earth these days cares to use box art as inspiration & fast reference, I still do on occasion.
For subject matter, one is unfamiliar with the box art can be a useful fast reference. While far from perfect reference decent artwork can be helpful to modelers not deeply interested in a given subject that have only a passing interest.
YMMV
42 points out of 50
42/50 => 84%
Recommended, probably best to be Sherman literate before under taking this specific kit. I wouldn’t hesitate to build other Tasca/Asuka kits. They’ll have better instructions.
However, I wouldn’t buy this kit these days for $45, based on my preferences the newer Ryefield kits (and probably others) that have surpassed this 2008 Firefly release based on the realitive prices.
In closing, I’m favorably impressed by Tasca/Asuka but less than impressed by this specific kit.
Periscope guards, idler & tracks Order with the water bottle pop headache with filth Kelly.
5 Likes
The IV G you did is one of my favorites.
2 Likes
I have an Asuka M4 Sherman up on cinder blocks right now. I found the kit OK, better in some aspects than Dragon (weld details), but not what I would call “cutting edge” anymore. But it builds well. I did not care for the tracks at all, & seem to be ungluable (I THOUGHT Tasca/Asuka did gluable rubber band tracks? But these ones are not).
The instructions are a real jumble though. That being said, I’d buy others in the line, unless superseded by better kits from elsewhere (& I’m not sure the Border kits are “better,” at least not based on the M4A1).
Damon.
3 Likes