Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Rubicon Models: Panzer III Test Build

 Like any other gamer, I equate new toys with new joys and rushed out to pick up some of the recently released 1/56th plastic tank kits from Rubicon Models - specifically 3 Panzer III's, 3 Shermans and a Tiger.  I purchased mine from the Plastic Soldier Company and record very fast service (UK to US) - order placed on 10/27, models received on 11/4 - very impressive.  So how are the models?  The first picture shows what comes in the box - 3 sets of sprue's, a very detailed instruction sheet and a great set of decals.  The price per model is roughly $28.00 US which compares nicely to the other plastic kits and is much cheaper than the resin alternatives.

As for the instructions - they are very well done - very cleanly illustrated and easy to follow.  The decals were also a very nice surprise and included marking for the Africa Corps which these Panzer III's will be modeled for.  The plastic casting was VERY clean with really no mold lines on any warpage.

 It took me about 40 minutes to build the first tank any I'm really pleased with the detail.  One thoughtful thing about the kit is that the shurtzen (the hull and turret side armor - upper left and still on the sprue) is removable which provides a lot of modeling options.  The gun options included in the tank include a long and short barely which fit tightly - no glue needed again giving yet more optionality.

I went ahead and built the second (of three) panzer III and was surprised it only took me about 15 minutes to complete.  Everything went together without a hitch and all of the hull seam points were gap free!

I have one minor criticism for the Panzer III kit the deck details (tow cables, tools etc) are molded onto the to top section and are a little faint.  To be honest they look to be true scale and appear to be "thin" when compared to other 1/56th scale tanks which tend to have over scaled hand tools and such.

I doubt this will impact the finished model all that much.  Painting will be delayed until the start of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, which commences on December 5th.

All in all, I'd rate this kit a 9.9/10, which is superb - highly recommended!

3 comments:

Blaxkleric said...

"Painting will be delayed until the start of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge" - Know the feeling. Just prepping and basing in preparation for the challenge myself, and scratching around my unfinished mini boxes for models to finish until the big event starts :-)

DeanM said...

Nice looking kit with lots of nice options, the shurtzen being tops. So these are made or gaming as opposed to say something from Tamiya? Nice in any case.

Moiterei_1984 said...

Well, seems like I should give them a try. At least once they come out with some armoured cars.