Maybe not but found another use for an existing tool.
3 Likes
Looks to me quite like the Revell kit - but that is just my opinion.
11 Likes
As I’m on a bit of an ERA kick at the moment (see my T-72 topic) I thought I’d better tackle the T-64 similarly accoutred:
This was truly NATO’s nightmare; a highly sophisticated tank, fast and agile, heavily armed, and manufactured with an effective composite amour, including ceramic inserts, and in the Group of Soviet Ground Forces in the 70s and 80s, there were lots of them. With a reactive-armour fit, I suspect they would have been formidable. As it was, we know now that its presence threw NATO into a veritable panic
I recall myself, working in an Intelligence staff branch in 1980, the concern over this tank. And for some perverse reason, it became one of my favourites. I’m not sure why; until the early 90s, unclassified or accessible information on this formidable AFV was hard to come by, or at least to me (though I wasn’t modelling back then), so when Skif brought out their A model, I could hardly believe it. It was I think, about the first model I built when I recommenced the hobby, in roughly 1995.
I no longer have that particular effort, but at last we modellers could see it in all its 3D glory after years of grainy black and white photographs; there were however, some very good scale drawings available, particularly in the German periodical, Soldat u.Technik, which was a pleasant surprise, but there’s nothing like a model; it was so small!
I know that Trumpeter have manufactured several variants, all to a much higher standard, but as with the Dragon T-72s (and even T-80s) these earlier kits have a certain attraction, even charm, or at least to me.
I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do with this one!
18 Likes
Several years ago, I had a neighbor whose son was a tanker station in Germany at the hight of the Cold War. He told me there was a time when they were at the East/West German border with their tank and Russian were on the other side with theirs. He said Russians had 10 to 1 for every US tank on the line and there was no end as far as he saw. He was glad nothing happened.
I picked this up at my LHS today.
I special ordered Takom 2100(https://www.scalemates.com/kits/takom-2100-panther-a--1132637) kit in Jan from my LHS, and after some research, came to find out it has been discontinued. It is frustrating that it took many months to figure out that it was discontinued.
It would be nice if Scalemates could add information about manufacturing status, it would save some grief.
11 Likes
Picked these up on E Bay so I think I’ve got the gun trucks covered. May have to pick up another Nancy or 2. Wayne
10 Likes
You can file a feature request for that. Though, as everything data-related at Scalemates, it would be up to users to edit kit pages to say that a particular kit is discontinued. Also, I foresee minor issues with this when it goes back into production a couple of years later. Quite probably, it would end up with a lot of outdated information concerning production status.
3 Likes
'Been waiting for this one to get to me across the Atlantic; so, lots of reading beckons!
I’ve been splashing out a bit recently on some decent reference material, so this one will tie in nicely with an earlier purchase:
14 Likes
If you find yourself in need of more Hunnicutt books, try to get the same version as you have there: with the white dust cover. The quality is far better than the reprints with the blue stripes on the cover.
2 Likes
Roger that; I’d sort of worked that out and was a bit chary of the re-prints. Mind you, the prices are a bit eye-watering. The copy I have is beautifully produced I must admit.
I might cast my eye around for the volumes of “Sheridan”, “Patton”, and “Firepower” but I think they’d prove luxuries that I don’t really need; the “Abrams” purchase was really driven by my need to fill in the gaps re my knowledge of the MBT-70, ditto the earlier purchase of the book on Leopard 2 - about which I don’t know that much - but do now.
I find it’s all too easy to buy a book per model if one is not careful; now, there might be nothing wrong in that in theory, but it can soon get out of control - says he with around 6 books on the T-64(!)
3 Likes
Do you have his title on the Bradley ? It covers the M113 series and LVTP/ AAV-7 as well. To me it’s the most useful in the series as I’m not particularly interested in experimental and non fielded vehicles .
I’ve got mixed feelings on any of these books; as admitted, I was/am really interested in the MBT-70, so that was almost a no-brainer. The info on other experimental tanks within are also interesting, though the impetus came from the MBT-70. The Abrams development will also be interesting I’m sure. But as for others? As a modeller all I really need to have to hand are pictorial references and something which helps me understand the vehicle in context, with a modicum of technical stuff so I can hold my own when manning a display stand, and an “expert” hoves into view(!). To be honest, either Osprey fill that gap, or Tankograd, the latter always giving me ideas and good pictorial coverage of how the stuff looked in the field, which say, is all I want for my type of modelling.
As I’m fascinated by the introduction of heavy tanks, be they Soviet, Brit or US, then the Firepower volume covering the M103 has piqued my interest, but I don’t really need to know more than I have already (an Osprey and a Visual History one).
The Hunnicutt books are very nicely produced though, and I could be sorely tempted!
1 Like
For the price originals go for these days the purchase of one does need to be carefully considered
Too true; I wonder how my wife is getting on - I had to sell her for the Abrams book.
5 Likes
That volume is the thinnest one in the series, though, and only around 50 pages out of 224 cover the M103.
(The only book I still “need” in the series is Stuart, but good luck finding that for a reasonable price …)
Thanks for the heads-up; perhaps “No” then to the Firepower one(!)
1 Like
Got some stuff in from Australia. HD models Ram gun tower and Rokit Models upgrades for Meng’s 1/72 PZH2000
10 Likes
