As I’m working on the paint plan for my BA-6 build, I wanted a model I could test out different techniques and colors on. This little guy has been in my stash since I got it as part of a lot a few years back, and the low parts count and low cost convinced me to at least put the hull together to have something to mess around with various paints and weathering products.
Well I can report that this copy, at least, went together shockingly well, with excellent fit, no warpage, very little flash, and seam lines in clever places. Other than some fiddling with the bits designed to be motorized, the whole thing basically “fell together” as they say, and I had it from box to fully assembled in just a few hours. Even the rubberband tracks welded and fit just perfectly.
Certainly the detail is lacking compared to a more modern kit but as a palate-cleansing fun build, well, what a joy. Almost feels like a shame to not paint it up for African service right away. The sprue of Afrika Corps infantry is a nice touch, and though they definitely are a bit more “melty” than modern figures, I’ll be saving them for future projects/practice.
It’s built totally OOB of course, except for drilling out the MG and exhaust pipes, and adding a hollow muzzle to the 2cm gun.
And with some experimentation with preshading and black-basing. It looks pretty good in Russian 4BO green, too…
If one can assume that current runs of this kit are as good as this old one (scalemates suggests mine is from the 80s) I really think this kit would make an excellent “first armor” build, especially since it can be still had for around $15.