Hi friends…
For those of you who wanted me to keep you posted on the Trumpeter K5 (E) build-up, here’s my experience with the kit:
I must say first of all I was quite leary of buying a kit-- especially over $100 worth-- from a company so new to the industry. After all, a $100 dog is still a dog, right? Happily I can report the molding is crisp and virtually flashless, as has been noted in other reviews. There is also a fret of PE Brass screens and detail parts, as well as two gauges of copper wire and some vinyl tubing. There is also a length of chain, but since it appears to be jewelry chain it isn’t of much use. I did notice some rather heavy mold seams, which, while not hiding or cutting through much of the fine detail, are a pain in the butt to clean off the very small parts (and boys and girls, there are a LOT of very small parts!). Also, a fair number of the assemblies involving two halves left a depressed seam, which needed to be filled. I don’t know if this is a defect related to the soft grey plastic used or not enough pressure used to fill the molds at the factory. It’s a minor annoyance involving filling and sanding. While 1140 parts is a daunting prospect, it is actually a fairly easy build. It should be noted most of that 1140 is comprised of the wheel truck parts–something like 750 in all. There is a lot of repetition in these assembly steps: the springs and spring suspenders are all separate parts, and it requires a lot of patience. The folks at trumpeter must be commended for their sense of humor: The instructions tell you, after assembling the first complete truck, to go back and do it all again. Needless to say, don’t make yourself crazy: do all of the repetitious assemblies for both trucks all at the same time. In other words, when it tells you to do it twice, do it four times. Which also means you get to do a couple of those assemblies 24 times. This is where armor-modeler patience pays off.
However, I must tell you after all this the level of detail is nothing short of astounding, and well worth the effort.
The main gun assembly is quite straightforward. Trumpeter even provides wiring details and the wire to accomplish it; Tamiya could take a few notes here. However, the copper wire provided to do the wiring is a little too stiff, so I substituted detailing solder. The main gun barrel went together easily, although the instructions left out a major part of the breech assembly, specifically part B25, which is the backing plate on the breech block.
Overall I have to say this was a fairly pleasant modeling experience. I haven’t spent a month on just assembly in a long time, so I must tell you I am properly humbled. I hope is an example of what we can expect from Trumpeter in the future. Now if they would only do a Dora…
One last thing, which probably goes without saying: The K5(E) is not a kit for kids or anyone with limited experience. Or limited display space!
Thanks for listening.
Thanks for sharing, Link… I for one will not be buying this kit but I like to know that Trumpeter kits are getting better and better…!
oh boy these gems need monster space …what a pity no music for me then…lol
Thanks for the update Link. Certainly a kit that is worth the consideration.
Just a tip … next time you post an update, on it, place it in the Armour Forum … it’ll gt more attention over there.[:D][:D]
Thanks Robert, and you’re right… I had one of those DUH moments right after I posted this!
One of the guys from my club has also started this beast. On Saturday he mentioned a lot of what you have said here. I guess yours is not a one off with a few niggly problems.
You and WIPW should get together…him doing the 300+ parts for the tracks on the Kettenkrad and you this beast! You could form your own support group for when your patience starts to thin out[:p]
Only 300? Heck I can beat that. Try two sets of Fruilmodel metal tracks for two similar vehicles in one diorama (two Panzer IVs). For those of you unfamiliar with Fruilmodel tracks, they’re individual-link tracks assembled with wire pivots. Essentially we are talking 400 individual track pieces for the two tanks.
I was seeing small bits of wire in my sleep for weeks.