What's good in 1/72?

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

I’ve been building 1/35 stuff exclusively since I got back to the hobby 17-18 years ago and am very familiar with just about all of the kits, brands, aftermarket, etc out there.

I want to take a crack at some small scale stuff just to break things up and pop off a quick build (I average a small number of complete builds a year-five so far in 09 equals my completed output since 2000 or so, although I have 30-40 shelf queens in various stages of completion-modeling ADD!).

So-any suggestions as to who does really nicely detailed kits, aftermarket, etc?

I’m familiar with the old stuff from the 70s when I built a ton of 1/72, but want to look at newer better stuff. Thanks!

2

Here’s a good place to start looking for info on 1/72 scale armour: http://www.onthewaymodels.com/

Generally speaking, the recent Dragon (some containing metal barrels and PE) and Revell (Europe) offerings are well regarded. Italeri’s 1/72 scale kits are mostly reissues of the 80’s vintage ESCI kits.

3

Dragon for sure!

Good detailed kits, lousy destructions er instructions…

4

DML’s great, I’m working on their panther now.

5

DML’s are the best detailed, hands down, but if you want the convenience of indy-link tracks, for get it—all you’ll find are those lousy one-piece DS tracks. You can’t sag them if you’re building a German vehicle that needs that loook.

Revell’s kits are realy nice too, and most have indy-link tracks. Many though are re-releases of old Matchbox 1/76 kits which can be somewhat crude. Also, watch the scale with those–they’re NOT 1/72, but 1/76.

Italeri also has some old ESCI re-releases, so you have to know a lttle about the history of their releases. They are of decent quality, but not especially detailed, and the molding is a bit heavy.

Stay far away from Airfix,

Attack are finely detailed. PST makes some great Russian WWII, and are a little thick, but build up into nice models.

ACE models can be either nightmares or really great finds. Spin the wheel…

6

Hey Karl,

Are you sure? I thought Revell has most of the old Matchbox moulds. The kits have been in and out of production sporadically over the years, sometimes labelled as 1/72, but now most of the range (some 20 or so kits) are available (Revell boxed) and are labelled as 1/76.

7

OOPS! hil, you’re right! I messed up my modelers! [%-)]

I’ll correct my post! Thank you for pointing that out!!! [:D]

8

Several of the newer Airfix kits like the DUKW, Jeep and a cargo truck are new tooled released in conjunction with Heller kits. Pretty good little models.

Academy quietly entered the 1/72 scale arena, at first with vehicles airplane modelers could use for airfield dioramas, but recently have added a Stryker, cargo HEMTT, M35A2 deuce and a half and others to their line.

Be careful which Dragon kits you buy. Try to stick to the Armor Pro line as some of their older kits had terrible diecast metal hulls that fit horribly and included black vinyl tracks that were impervious to any type of paint or cement.

9

Recent Dragon/ DML are very good. don’t dismiss the DS100 tracks out of hand. Remember that many tracked vehicles didn’t have track sag, so ther’s bo advantage in indy links. this Sherman, for example:

Also, you can glue DS100 tracks to the top run of vehicle’s road wheels

but I’ll concede that if you want to represent sag between return rollers, such as you find on Pz.IIIs and Pz,IVs, it is more difficult.

A further thing about Draagon 1/72 kits is that though exquisite, the prices of some of their 1/72 kits now approach what was being charged for 1/35 kits of similar subjects not so long ago.

Revell Europe also produce excellent 1/72 kits. Pretty much anything produced in the last 10 years can be relied on. Also, they have link&length tracks, not rubber bands. The ex-Matchbox kits can be easily identified - they’re labelled, correctly, as 1/76, not 1/72. Even so, some of these 1/76 kits can be built up into pretty decent models:

Finally, don’t dismiss Airfix 1/76 kits out of hand. While most of their tracked vehicles are rubbish (though some, such as the Matilda, the Chi-Ha, the Stug.III and the Pz.IV aren’t too bad), many of their softskins are pretty good:

Academy also produce some rather well-detailed 1/72 military vehicles. I particularly like their Dragon Wagon:

That’s an Emhar 1/72 A7V on the back, BTW. Academy’s Opel Blitz and Deuce-and-a-half are also good.

Italeri 1/72 kits are of variable quality. Their ex-ESCI Sherman and Churchill tanks, for example, are pretty good and well-detailed, but their own-mould DUKW is quite crude, and in many ways not as good as the 40+ year-old Airfix DUKW. They’re now also quite expensive for what you get.

Trumpeter produce some very well-detailed 1/72 military vehicles, sometimes excessively so, such as their Sd.Kfz.9 FAMO (2-part indy links in 1/72, anyone?)

Cheers,

Chris.

10

The Airfix DUKW dates from the mid-1960s, and isn’t one of the kits that Heller released in 2004 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Normandy landings. These were a Jeep and trailer (pretty good), a Deuce-and-a-half (softly detailed, not as good as the Academy kit), and a LCVP (inaccurate, softly-detailed, pretty crude overall and worth avoiding).

Cheers,

Chris.

11

The DUKW I built must have been another manufacturer. It would have to have been Italeri because it wasn’t Revell. Maybe on the of eastern Eurpoean companies like UM or EE?

12

Rob =-

RobThe Italeri 1/72 DUKW came out in, IIRC, 2005 or 2006. It deons’t have a tilt, and comes with optional parts for a wargamer’s ‘easybuild’ model. I have two in the stash, but they’re unlikely ever to get built. It bears little resemblance to their 1/35 it.

I think Italeri and Airfix are the only companies to produce an injection-moulded ‘Braille Scale’ DUKW kit, though back in the 1960s, airfix produced a ready-built polythene DUKW for wargamers and for kids to play with.

Cheers,

Chris.

13

The Eduard 1/72 Sherman I’m building is turning out to be a lot of fun. It’s the profi-pack version, which means it comes with a very complete PE fret.

Regards,

14

I’m going to go with nightmares on this one. I have never cussed so much while modeling before [aside from the occasional finger surgery]

15

Initially they were labelled as 1:72, but the more recent issues (last 3-5 years) they are correctly labelled as 1:76. The Revell Challenger and the T-80BV are 1:72 but are not as good as Revell’s later releases. In fact the Challenger is also of Matchbox origin.

Trumpeter also ake a nice range of 1:72 kits. They do need a bit more work, the tracks are finely detailed vinyl type that can only be stitiched together though.

With you on that one. I have a few kits in the collection from ACE and the first kit (85mm AA gun) I attempted to build (Saturday in fact) resulted in a one hour session trying to get the bottom section of the gun frame assembled correctly. Fun?..not so sure about that one!

16

The Revell Challenger 1 is not the Matchbox Challenger 1. In addition to being different scales (1/72 vs. 1/76), the Matchbox Challenger included a diorama base. The only kits released by Revell that were ex-Matchbox 1/76 scale kits but called 1/72 scale came in combo packs that included an old 1/76 Matchbox kit and a set of Revell vinyl figures.

http://www.onthewaymodels.com/reviews/RevellAG/Challengerprev.htm