I am thinking of ordering one in 1/35th scale from EMHAR. Can anyone tell me about these kits? I have never seen any of that companies kits compleated. How is the detail, accuracy, fit and finish? Thanks ahead of time, Greg
Hi Greg,
Perth MM site has a review of this kit
http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/emhar/em4005.htm
In the 1/35 scale, there’s scarcely offerings of WWI AFVs. I’ve seen a completed EMHAR Tadpole at the LHS that looked decent. I helped my 9 year old son with the EMHAR 1/72 kit.
I also just purchased the EMHAR Whippet WWI tank…just for something different.
I think the kits will look OK. If you’re a good scratch builder, you may be able to get a really nice build out of it.
Not a lot of help I know…but just wanted to offer you what I know.
Larry
Emhar being the only game in town is rather sad, since there are a lot of interesting designs in WW1 tanks that could be done justice by big kit makers of today. I especially would love to see the FT-17 given that treatment, since it was the forerunner of tank design in many respects.
I agree with you Agamemnon - It woud be great to have a decent FT-17 kit. I also think this vehicle broke ground by establishing a basis for future tank designs.
If no-one comes out with a decent kit in the next 10 years…I guess my building skills at that time might be good enough to try to build one from scratch. But let’s not hope it takes that long.
Larry
I have built a number of EMHAR kits.IF you are looking for Tamiya quality you will get a shock on first examing the kit and wonder what you’ve wasted your money on. Don’t panic , they are quite buildable ,and as the kit goes together you end up with a reasonable model.The kit tracks are a sort of glueable flexy rubber.Where they go round the sprockets,score between the track plates with a sharp blade so they fit easier and look better.There are accuracy issues regarding the shape of the sponsons ,and the hull at the rear.However,remember these are low volume kits costing a third of the price of the only alternative resin kits. If you are prepared to do some modelling as well as just assembling you should end up with a satisfactory model. The Mk V Hermaphrodite will actually build a Male ,Female ,or Hermaphrodite. I have built 8 of these kits now,Mk IVs,Tadpole,MkVs,and MkV*,and Whippet.They are quite acceptable models.
Further to my previous post,the Polish Firm MIRAGE do a very nice 1/35 FT-17 kit. They actually issue a whole series of what look like different variants.The plastic bits are identical in each kit and will build a machine gun or cannon armed variant.The decals vary. If you can ,buy the additional styrene track kit.It’s a bit fiddly but a whole lot better than the rubber band tracks in the kits. These kits are readily available in the UK and are not expensive.
Hmm. I wonder if that’s the same kit that’s being listed at my local hobby vendor under the brand “RPM”. There’s even a separate inventory item for individual link track. Not a bad price, either
It’s the same kit.RPM and Mirage either lend each other moulds or are the same company. Whatever,it’s worth getting .Further on the WW1 front ,EMHAR have announced their next kit as the Schneider in 1/35.
Thanks, I’ll put the kit on my “buy later” list, as I’ve already got an order being processed from that store (containing my first-ever purchase of aftermarket parts, wheeeee).
The Schneider is another interesting design, an evolutionary cul-de-sac on the road to the armored behemoths of today.
one question… why is it named “Hermaphrodite”?
Hermapherdite - possesing reproductive organs of both sexes… think snails.
“It” is armed with both the 6pdr. cannon and the .303 Machine Guns.Unlike the Mk. IVs, which were built as either “Males” (armed w/cannon only) or “Females” (armed with MG’s only). Unless I miss my guess I believe that the Mk.Vs were built as Hermapherdites only.
oooh ok!
I knew what a Herm was but was curious how a tank could have those traits…[:D]
Having built Emhar’s 1/35th Mk.IV Female a couple of years ago,I’ll agree with Stevebagley that the kit quality leaves something to be desired, but is quite buildable and with a little paint and weathering turns out to be a nice model.
I built the 1/35 “male” a few years ago, opened a sponson and “scratched” in some engine detail (not much, just enough to fill the hole in the center of the hull), the cannon comes with a breech block (kind of) so using wire, sprue chunks and tubeing made the breech area. Used a 1/32 white metal lewis gun for the sponson m.g. - the plastic ones are kind of “blob” like, but you could sand and carve on them a bit and get something useable. It’s not bad at all and as stated the only WWI game around. Weathering was fun, let the mud, rust and grease flow…[:)]
G.L.