Happy New Year

With the new year dawning it's probably time to look back over 2010 with its seemingly endless array of new kit releases and come up with what might be considered the Military vehicle kit of the year, but before that a few other musings.

The plastic kit manufacturing landscape has changed rapidly over the last few years with the once top dog in the pound, Tamiya looking decidedly shabby these days and being replaced at the head of the pack by the prolific DML for a couple of years. But IMHO 2010 saw a young pup mature to take the title of top dog, that being Bronco Models with some superb high quality, diverse and imaginative releases.

We also saw other younger players refining their art such as Great Wall Hobbies, Vision and Vulcan Models that promises much for the future. The "established" players all gave us something new this with the most notable being AFV Club finally releasing arguably the most sort after Churchill variant, the Mk.IV and Tasca with the iconic Sherman M4A3E2 "Jumbo". DML released only two really new kits for the year with the 7.5cm PaK RSO (although the 7.5cm PaK wasn't entirely new) and the Opel Blitz, opps sorry German 3t 4x2 Truck.

Others to give us new kits this year were Academy, Finemolds, ICM, Italeri, Masterbox, Miniart, SKP, and Tristar. I'll mention Trumpeter/Hobby Boss separately for while they have continued to release a steady stream of new kits they really do need to understand that just ripping off other people's hard work is not the way to win friends and influence people.

I have only mentioned plastic kit manufacturers and not full resin kit or aftermarket companies as that would take a full year to cover on its own but they do play an important part in our hobby as do reference book publishers, yes even in this digital age.

And so to that title of "Kit of the Year", something that is not an easy task given the superb and diverse list of releases this year, not to mention individual modeller's preferences which helps to keep the modelling world going round. "Kit of the Year" refers to kits released during 2010 only, it may be that due to distribution delays some modellers do not get a particular kit until the following year, examples this year being the Bronco "Archer" and Tasca "Jumbo. But if the kit is available anywhere in the World through retail Hobby Shops that quailfies for inclusion in that years releases.

My shortlist (well not that short really) goes something like this and the fact there are so many worth considering goes to show the relative healthy state of our hobby on 2010. Note: these are only kits I have actually seen and touched the plastic and there may well be others worth considering that I have not. I have tried to limit these to actual new kits, not rehashes unless it's a significant variation from previous releases. Listed in company alphabetical order:

AFV Club: 2cm Flakvierling 38, Churchill Mk.IV, Nashorn, s.IG 33 15cm Heavy Infantry Gun.
Bronco:  Sd.Kfz.6 5t 'Diana', 17pdr Anti-tank Gun, M1114 HUMVEE (opps again "Up armoured tactical vehicle"), 17pdr Self Propelled Gun "Archer".
DML:  German 3t 4x2 Truck.
Great Wall Hobbies: Rheinmetall 12.8cm K44 L155 High Velocity Anti-Tank Gun, Krupp 12.8cm PaK44 High Velocity Anti-Tank Gun.
Miniart: Valentine Mk.III/IV
Tamiya: Austin "Tilly" (another opps British Light Utility Car 10hp), BT7 Model 1935.
Tasca: M4A3E8 Sherman "East Eight", M4A3E2 "Jumbo".
Trumpeter: 8.8cm PaK 43, Russian Voroshilovets Tractor.
Vision Models: BA-64B Armoured Car.
Vulcan Models: Zündapp K800 Motorcycle with STEIB Side Car Nr28.

I had initially selected the AFV Club s.IG 33 15cm Heavy Infantry Gun as my pick but a late entry pipped this at the post. So after careful consideration etc. etc. my vote for 2010 Kit of the Year goes to the Bronco Models 17pdr Self Propelled Gun "Archer".

The full build review will be posted shortly and I realise that this kit has only just been released and a lot of modellers are yet to get their hands on it. But the quality of mouldings, level of detail and relative ease of assembly given the kit has 607 plastic parts plus a further 432 individual track links, 208 etched brass parts and notwithstanding the annoying wheel size issue this really is a standout release.

We can only wonder what the short list will be at the end of 2011?

Cheers
Terry A