Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Keeping busy
Yes it’s been a while since the last blog update but I’ve been bunkered down arse up and have almost finished with the latest comparison review. This will be a detailed look at the AFV Club and Miniart Valentine kits. This is based on the recent AFV Club Valentine Mk.II (kit #AF35185) and the Miniart Valentine Mk.I (kit #35116) which is actually an early production Mk.II and will include a full build of each kit with heaps of photos to illustrate the pros and cons. Should be posted shortly, stay tuned.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Trumpeter Stalinetz S-65
I have just received the Trumpeter Stalinetz S-65.
I appears to be dimensionally accurate to the plans in Tankograd Tyagatshi book but the most glaring omission is it has no engine at all.
A very nicely done radiator with the correct name lettering in the front and sides but no engine is simply a crime. The vast majority of wartime photos show the tractor with the engine compartment side panels removed exposing the engine. There are some with the panels in place but no engine is a real letdown for the kit.
It has individual link working track and the suspension bogies are nicely done and the driver's compartment is nicely done, but NO ENGINE FFS.
Thankfully LZ Models have already indicated they will be releasing a resin engine and other updates for the kit, so get the pennies ready.
Cheers
Monday, January 23, 2012
M-ATV MRAP
The Kinetic M-ATV kit has just arrived.
I'll post a preview of the kit contents followed by a brief comparison with the Panda M-ATV kit.
The reason this will be brief is I have very little if any reference on the M-ATV apart from images lifted off the Web. So if anyone has more detailed data it would be appreciated. Also the many detail changes that happen with a currently serving vehicle also poses other problems nailing down the detail.
Stay tuned in any case and hopfully we can come up with something?
Cheers
I'll post a preview of the kit contents followed by a brief comparison with the Panda M-ATV kit.
The reason this will be brief is I have very little if any reference on the M-ATV apart from images lifted off the Web. So if anyone has more detailed data it would be appreciated. Also the many detail changes that happen with a currently serving vehicle also poses other problems nailing down the detail.
Stay tuned in any case and hopfully we can come up with something?
Cheers
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Review or not a review
Hi Guys.
As you know I have been off air for a while and during that time I’ve contemplated “what is a review” as we see all sorts of things posted claiming to be reviews when in fact some are little more than product adverts disguised as reviews.
So I’ve decided to change the definition (title) of reviews posted on PMMS to hopefully let people know what to expect from the link text on the What’s New page. One of the reasons for this is there are just so many new kits coming out it is really impossible to do a build review for each one, much as I’d like too.
So from now on there will basically be four types of “review” posted on PMMS:
1. Kit Preview: These will be basically what is commonly referred to about the place as an “in box review” where the kit contents is shown in sprues and close-up details shots with a brief rundown of the kit and the main points, this will mention anything that jumps out during the brief analysis phase but won’t include any kit assembly other than the odd minor bit now and again.
Also please note the Previews from now will not be rated, this is because you really need to assembly at least some major sub-assemblies to truly determine the status of the kit. For example if a preview was rated 9/10 because the parts were well moulded and looked "good" in the box but had some serious assembly problems that would make the rating totally misleading.
2. Kit Build Review: These will be a full in-depth review including build shots up to the full kit or just major sub-assemblies with an in-depth analysis of the kit accuracy, dimensions, details and any fit issues. Note these will not include the painting process as it’s a review of the kit not of painting techniques, these can be found elsewhere on numerous sites. These reviews will be rated e.g. 8/10 to give an indication of the overall quality.
3. Comparison Review: These as before will be ultra-in-depth reviews of two or more kits/update sets where the emphasis is on accuracy, dimensions and the comparative kit details and merits more than a build type review.
4. Accessory/Update Set/Book Review: This could include assembly or just the set parts depending on set being reviewed.
Well I hope that clarifies things a bit so people know what to expect in the review from the What’s New listings.
And I would also like to thank all those who have kindly made donations towards the site upkeep over the last few weeks, this is very much appreciated and I’ll get to replying to each in time, it’s just time is a little short as I’ve mentioned on quite a few occasions.
Cheers
Terry A
As you know I have been off air for a while and during that time I’ve contemplated “what is a review” as we see all sorts of things posted claiming to be reviews when in fact some are little more than product adverts disguised as reviews.
So I’ve decided to change the definition (title) of reviews posted on PMMS to hopefully let people know what to expect from the link text on the What’s New page. One of the reasons for this is there are just so many new kits coming out it is really impossible to do a build review for each one, much as I’d like too.
So from now on there will basically be four types of “review” posted on PMMS:
1. Kit Preview: These will be basically what is commonly referred to about the place as an “in box review” where the kit contents is shown in sprues and close-up details shots with a brief rundown of the kit and the main points, this will mention anything that jumps out during the brief analysis phase but won’t include any kit assembly other than the odd minor bit now and again.
Also please note the Previews from now will not be rated, this is because you really need to assembly at least some major sub-assemblies to truly determine the status of the kit. For example if a preview was rated 9/10 because the parts were well moulded and looked "good" in the box but had some serious assembly problems that would make the rating totally misleading.
2. Kit Build Review: These will be a full in-depth review including build shots up to the full kit or just major sub-assemblies with an in-depth analysis of the kit accuracy, dimensions, details and any fit issues. Note these will not include the painting process as it’s a review of the kit not of painting techniques, these can be found elsewhere on numerous sites. These reviews will be rated e.g. 8/10 to give an indication of the overall quality.
3. Comparison Review: These as before will be ultra-in-depth reviews of two or more kits/update sets where the emphasis is on accuracy, dimensions and the comparative kit details and merits more than a build type review.
4. Accessory/Update Set/Book Review: This could include assembly or just the set parts depending on set being reviewed.
Well I hope that clarifies things a bit so people know what to expect in the review from the What’s New listings.
And I would also like to thank all those who have kindly made donations towards the site upkeep over the last few weeks, this is very much appreciated and I’ll get to replying to each in time, it’s just time is a little short as I’ve mentioned on quite a few occasions.
Cheers
Terry A
Monday, January 9, 2012
Neubaufahrzeug update 2
Having received a number of requests I am working to finish the Neubaufahrzeug comparison review with heaps of photos to illustrate the detail differences between the kits. Hopefully this will be done by the end of the week, all going to plan.
Cheers
Cheers
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Happy New Year
I hope everyone had a good New Year and also for the forthcoming Chinese New Year of the Dragon on January 23.
Sorry for the lack of site updates recently but I have had to deal with a rather debilitating illness, still not 100% but one must move on. Thanks to those who sent personal messages and sorry I haven’t been able to reply to each but they were appreciated as were the public comments which were a little embarrassing at times as I am just one person and there are other modelling sites about.
But being indisposed does give one time to ponder on the overall scheme of things and I must confess there are times when I wonder if it’s worth all the effort? I spend large amounts of time and more importantly substantial sums of money buying stuff for the site content, the site sponsors help with this but apart from a few private donations for which I am most grateful the majority of site visitors contribute nothing and seem to just expect it to be there with the resulting comments at times when updates are interrupted due to life getting in the way.
A lot of people visit PMMS each month and if just half those visitor were to make a small contribution towards the site costs it would go a long way to easing the burden on my pocket as well as showing they value the resource. But maybe they don’t that much and I may be being a little presumptuous there? If interested you don’t actually need a Paypal account as CC donations can be done via the Paypal site to my account: pmms@westnet.com.au. I’m not taking large donations, even a few $ a couple of times a year (the cost of tin/bottle of paint for example) all adds up but I’ll leave that out there for people to ponder.
Just to explain the $ outlay a bit more, when doing a full build and even more so with a comparison review is will buy 2 or 3 kits of each subject, this is so I can build one and have another “virgin” kit should I need to take further photos or make comparisons of parts after the bits have been assembled. If doing a build review of an aftermarket detail sets this often involves buying another kit to use with the review. Even if a company supplies a sample kit I will inevitably buy additional kits for the above reasons, the same goes for aftermarket update sets and the big hidden cost of reference books.
Every time a new kit subject is announced I will buy additional reference material which is not cheap so I can hopefully provide a review with sound facts both in relation to the kit parts but also in identifying variants and the subtle detail differences. The cost of the reference material is often twice; three times as much as the kit and all of this come out of my pocket. BTW bandwidth and hosting costs are lot less these days compared to the past with the majority of costs being the kits/reference as mentioned.
Moving on:
Over the year we have seen a steady stream of excellent quality kits from the likes of AFV Club, Bronco, DML, Miniart and Tasca and some where the quality definitely varies between releases such as with Trumpeter/HobbyBoss as well as those with slightly lesser quality but still interesting subjects such as IBG, ICM, Masterbox and Zvezda and the emergence of some promising new players such as Vision Model, Vulcan Model and Meng Model who’s latest Minenräumer kit all bodes well for the future.
While off line there were dozens of new kits released and I had partly done some reviews but these are now quite old in terms of “hot of the press” kit and I was wondering I you guys would want me to try and catch up with some of these kits or just start afresh with the latest releases, please let me know your thoughts.
One of those said reviews was to be the NeubauFahrzeug Comparison and I’ve done all the images but still need to finish the text, I might just post it with only brief comments for the images and not the full blown review. I can tell you my conclusions anyway, that is the Amusing Hobby kit is by far and away the more accurate and better detailed of the three kits by a long way actually. The only concerns with the kit is the softer grey plastic used that needs some care when cleaning up the sprue attachment burs and the turret cupola appears a little too small in diameter, other than that the level of detail is streets ahead not only in there being more detail included but it correctly depicts detail that is just wrong or missing in the other two kits.
Of the other two, the DML has some nice surface detail on the main hull but is over simplified in some areas and the level of detail is not there, it is though the quickest and easiest build of the three kits if that is your main criteria? With the Trumpeter kit it’s just not in the ball park with the overall level of detail rather poor in comparison with many errors and omissions, for example the suspension bogie spring units are fixed at an angle and should be vertical like in the other two kits. Assembly is fairly straightforward but it’s the lack of detail on the parts and detail errors that leaves it at the bottom of the pile.
Others built but the review text still to be done from before are the Trumpeter Sd.Kfz.8 DB10 Gepanzerte 12t, the Tasca 1:24 Zündapp KS750 with Sidecar and a few update and resin sets.
Anyway let me know if you want these finished and posted abate with briefer text than would normally be the case.
And so on with the New Year, oh and the award for the first kit to arrive on the doorstep for 2012 goes to the Pit Road IJA Type98 4t Prime Mover "Shi-Ke". Nice clean mouldings, quite well detailed overall, the front radiator louvers are moulded open and it's just a smidgin bigger than a Jeep.
Cheers.
Sorry for the lack of site updates recently but I have had to deal with a rather debilitating illness, still not 100% but one must move on. Thanks to those who sent personal messages and sorry I haven’t been able to reply to each but they were appreciated as were the public comments which were a little embarrassing at times as I am just one person and there are other modelling sites about.
But being indisposed does give one time to ponder on the overall scheme of things and I must confess there are times when I wonder if it’s worth all the effort? I spend large amounts of time and more importantly substantial sums of money buying stuff for the site content, the site sponsors help with this but apart from a few private donations for which I am most grateful the majority of site visitors contribute nothing and seem to just expect it to be there with the resulting comments at times when updates are interrupted due to life getting in the way.
A lot of people visit PMMS each month and if just half those visitor were to make a small contribution towards the site costs it would go a long way to easing the burden on my pocket as well as showing they value the resource. But maybe they don’t that much and I may be being a little presumptuous there? If interested you don’t actually need a Paypal account as CC donations can be done via the Paypal site to my account: pmms@westnet.com.au. I’m not taking large donations, even a few $ a couple of times a year (the cost of tin/bottle of paint for example) all adds up but I’ll leave that out there for people to ponder.
Just to explain the $ outlay a bit more, when doing a full build and even more so with a comparison review is will buy 2 or 3 kits of each subject, this is so I can build one and have another “virgin” kit should I need to take further photos or make comparisons of parts after the bits have been assembled. If doing a build review of an aftermarket detail sets this often involves buying another kit to use with the review. Even if a company supplies a sample kit I will inevitably buy additional kits for the above reasons, the same goes for aftermarket update sets and the big hidden cost of reference books.
Every time a new kit subject is announced I will buy additional reference material which is not cheap so I can hopefully provide a review with sound facts both in relation to the kit parts but also in identifying variants and the subtle detail differences. The cost of the reference material is often twice; three times as much as the kit and all of this come out of my pocket. BTW bandwidth and hosting costs are lot less these days compared to the past with the majority of costs being the kits/reference as mentioned.
Moving on:
Over the year we have seen a steady stream of excellent quality kits from the likes of AFV Club, Bronco, DML, Miniart and Tasca and some where the quality definitely varies between releases such as with Trumpeter/HobbyBoss as well as those with slightly lesser quality but still interesting subjects such as IBG, ICM, Masterbox and Zvezda and the emergence of some promising new players such as Vision Model, Vulcan Model and Meng Model who’s latest Minenräumer kit all bodes well for the future.
While off line there were dozens of new kits released and I had partly done some reviews but these are now quite old in terms of “hot of the press” kit and I was wondering I you guys would want me to try and catch up with some of these kits or just start afresh with the latest releases, please let me know your thoughts.
One of those said reviews was to be the NeubauFahrzeug Comparison and I’ve done all the images but still need to finish the text, I might just post it with only brief comments for the images and not the full blown review. I can tell you my conclusions anyway, that is the Amusing Hobby kit is by far and away the more accurate and better detailed of the three kits by a long way actually. The only concerns with the kit is the softer grey plastic used that needs some care when cleaning up the sprue attachment burs and the turret cupola appears a little too small in diameter, other than that the level of detail is streets ahead not only in there being more detail included but it correctly depicts detail that is just wrong or missing in the other two kits.
Of the other two, the DML has some nice surface detail on the main hull but is over simplified in some areas and the level of detail is not there, it is though the quickest and easiest build of the three kits if that is your main criteria? With the Trumpeter kit it’s just not in the ball park with the overall level of detail rather poor in comparison with many errors and omissions, for example the suspension bogie spring units are fixed at an angle and should be vertical like in the other two kits. Assembly is fairly straightforward but it’s the lack of detail on the parts and detail errors that leaves it at the bottom of the pile.
Others built but the review text still to be done from before are the Trumpeter Sd.Kfz.8 DB10 Gepanzerte 12t, the Tasca 1:24 Zündapp KS750 with Sidecar and a few update and resin sets.
Anyway let me know if you want these finished and posted abate with briefer text than would normally be the case.
And so on with the New Year, oh and the award for the first kit to arrive on the doorstep for 2012 goes to the Pit Road IJA Type98 4t Prime Mover "Shi-Ke". Nice clean mouldings, quite well detailed overall, the front radiator louvers are moulded open and it's just a smidgin bigger than a Jeep.
Cheers.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Site problems
I apologise for the problems with the news page over the past few hours. My service provider moved the site to new hardware without telling me and then had FTP problems so I have been unable to make any updates. When I tried to update the news page some hours ago it resulted in a blank page which I was unable to fix till now.
Hopefully things are back to normal but if anyone is having problems accessing the site I would appreciate a heads up, thank you.
Hopefully things are back to normal but if anyone is having problems accessing the site I would appreciate a heads up, thank you.
Monday, October 24, 2011
LVT Tracks
Just recieved the new Voyager Models set PEA266 LVT Track Links.
To say these are complicated is one understatement. Each group of two links, that's the big one with the wavy tread cleat and the smaller joining link are made up of 24 small brass parts and you need to find the link pins yourself from plastic rod or wire.
The set has 20 etched frets with parts for 8 large and 8 smaller links on each fret, thats a total of 320 links.
The AFV Club kit has 146 links per track run on the vinyl track but the Voyager instructions don't indicate the number of links required?
To say this set is for the experienced modeller is another understatement and you may also need to be slightly masochistic to tackle the set. Click images for large view.
To say these are complicated is one understatement. Each group of two links, that's the big one with the wavy tread cleat and the smaller joining link are made up of 24 small brass parts and you need to find the link pins yourself from plastic rod or wire.
The set has 20 etched frets with parts for 8 large and 8 smaller links on each fret, thats a total of 320 links.
The AFV Club kit has 146 links per track run on the vinyl track but the Voyager instructions don't indicate the number of links required?
To say this set is for the experienced modeller is another understatement and you may also need to be slightly masochistic to tackle the set. Click images for large view.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Neubaufahrzeug update
Apologies for the delay with the comparison, there has been a lot to get through but it's almost done.
Hopefully will be posted by the end of the week, it will also include a review of the new Friulmodel Neubaufahrzeug tracks to see how they fit and compare with the kit tracks.
Thanks for you patience.
Terry A
Hopefully will be posted by the end of the week, it will also include a review of the new Friulmodel Neubaufahrzeug tracks to see how they fit and compare with the kit tracks.
Thanks for you patience.
Terry A
Friday, September 9, 2011
copyright frustrations
It seems in this day and age people think its open slather for anything on the net.
If guys ever wondered why I plaster large PMMS logos over the images on site you only have to look here;
http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=tech61&logNo=90122746704
Posting images of news items is one thing but images straight from reviews is quite another, I own the copyright for those images and no had the common courtesy to ask permission to re-post.
If anyone knows who runs this blog I appreciate a contact to "ask" them "respectfully" to remove my copyright review images from that blog.
This just gets so frustrating at times the amount of stuff lifted from my pages to be used elsewhere.
Any assistance would be appreciated, I've tried to find a link on the blog but the only contact link I could find isn't working.
Thanks guys
If guys ever wondered why I plaster large PMMS logos over the images on site you only have to look here;
http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=tech61&logNo=90122746704
Posting images of news items is one thing but images straight from reviews is quite another, I own the copyright for those images and no had the common courtesy to ask permission to re-post.
If anyone knows who runs this blog I appreciate a contact to "ask" them "respectfully" to remove my copyright review images from that blog.
This just gets so frustrating at times the amount of stuff lifted from my pages to be used elsewhere.
Any assistance would be appreciated, I've tried to find a link on the blog but the only contact link I could find isn't working.
Thanks guys
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