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In-Box Review
135
Ration Boxes Galore
A cross section of Ration Boxes from FC Modeltips
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by: Darren Baker [ CMOT ]

Introduction

Regardless of what type of modelling you are into on the Armour/AFV side of the hobby, or even figures for that matter, there is one addition that fits across the board, the humble ration pack in all of its many forms. They can be used to represent rubbish, stowage on vehicles or even used with a squaddie sitting down for a bite to eat, they are a really generic item for the military modeller and in some cases tell a story or just catch the eye. FC Modeltips has sent Armorama a selection of the 1/35th scale ration packs that they currently have available and at a very affordable price.

Review

I have been sent a selection of four ration packs to review from FC Modeltips, all of these examples are 1/35th scale offerings, but it is also worth checking out their web page for 1/16th and 1/72nd scale offerings as well. The items I have reviewed here are;
35334 – Russian IRP-P Ration Boxes - €3.63
35338 – UK Army Multi Climate Ration Boxes - €3.63
35340 – 5 in 1 Ration Packs - €3.63
35341 – K Ration Boxes - €3.63

These items are all printed on thin white card and packaged in re-sealable plastic bags. The information on the products is either printed on the card above the ration pack boxes or on a piece of card stapled to the top of the bag. I like and approve of FC Modeltips printing these on white paper as it allows for variation in the carton colour to be represented, where as if printed on tan or brown paper you end up with uniformity of colour. In some cases this approach has provided the modeller instantly with boxes that could have been in storage for some time or exposed to the sun in a hot climate resulting in colour bleaching to have occurred and does not require any effort beyond assembly for the modeller. The only possible issue with printing these on white paper is that some colouring would need to be applied to the reverse side should you want the box displayed open.

Providing the printed card inside a re-sealable plastic bag provides the modeller an easy way to store the product after having started to use the boxes and also takes away the guess work on what boxes you need while protecting the printed items. The card used is of a good weight to work with and it takes the needed bends well. The print quality is of a high standard, with what I consider to be excellent detail considering the scale size of the products. The colour printing has not bleed through the paper or seeped anywhere. Removal of the boxes is not difficult, but while scissors could be used I recommend that a scalpel and metal straight edge be used to obtain a clean cut. I used PVA glue to secure the joins in the example shown here and I am happy with the results.

Russian IRP-P Ration Boxes
In this product you get 8 different containers and with the exception of 1 design in which you get 6 boxes the rest provide 5 boxes.
UK Army Multi Climate Ration Boxes
This product provides you with 30 boxes which are all identical.
5 in 1 Ration Packs
These set offers 60 boxes of the same size and shape and has a very nice variation in colour
K Ration Boxes
This product provides you with 18 boxes, oddly half the boxes have different coloured securing tabs.

Conclusion

Coming in at less than 4 Euros a set make these items very affordable to have sitting in your stash for when needed. Removal and assembly is easy enough, with perhaps the only concern being the glue making the card overly wet. The range of boxes available is good, the print quality is very good and the price is low, what more do you need to know. I will add here that if your purchase order is over 15 Euros, FC Modeltips will at this current time also send you a set of Spanish Army Ration Boxes free of charge.
SUMMARY
Highs: A great selection of boxes at a very good price and very good level of printed detail.
Lows: Some colouring will need to be done should you wish to show the boxes open.
Verdict: As many of you stick to certain nations and time periods, I strongly recommend you give the product range a look.
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: 35334
  Suggested Retail: €3.63
  PUBLISHED: Mar 12, 2015
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 87.04%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 91.67%

Our Thanks to FC Model Trend!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Darren Baker (CMOT)
FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH WEST, UNITED KINGDOM

I have been building model kits since the early 70’s starting with Airfix kits of mostly aircraft, then progressing to the point I am at now building predominantly armour kits from all countries and time periods. Living in the middle of Salisbury plain since the 70’s, I have had lots of opportunitie...

Copyright ©2021 text by Darren Baker [ CMOT ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

The only thing I don't like about cardboard boxes printed on white paper is that you can see the white paper at the edges, as you can in the above pic. I drew up and print my own ration boxes on paper grocery bag paper that I cut to 8 1/2" x 11" sheets. These are much better and show no white edges. I don't see why these couldn't be printed on brown paper to avoid the white as well.
MAR 12, 2015 - 05:00 AM
Darren, you asked "what more do you need to know?" Well, how about the accuracy of these products? Are they correctly sized? Do they have the correct information on them? Those would be good things to know. Thanks.
MAR 12, 2015 - 07:43 AM
That is a valid question Tim. The British ones look good in all respects, I packed enough of them in the days of the NAAFI, regarding size I cannot help as I just don't know.
MAR 12, 2015 - 08:49 AM
Darren, check the Articles section on my website. I have a comparison review of US WWII rations with measurements for boxes and crates. You can see how these new offerings size up. LINK
MAR 12, 2015 - 07:32 PM
One trick to avoid excessive white glue is a glue stick. Available at any stationary or crafts store.
MAR 12, 2015 - 09:53 PM
Tim: here are the measurements I came up with on the K ration boxes. 16.1 x 8.84 x 6.15
MAR 12, 2015 - 10:12 PM
These, IMHO, may just be the most accurate WWll ration boxes available - printing, info, font style, and dimensions: I did the painstaking research myself and printed them up. I got my references from pics of real ones.
MAR 14, 2015 - 10:55 PM
@ Tim Streeter; I have used your site for research and reference (especially for my above ration boxes). Do you have any plans for updating articles? A lot has been produced, and facts discovered, since your last entry.
MAR 14, 2015 - 11:21 PM
Hello guys, I´m the designer of these boxes. I´m glad you like them. About why using whitepaper and not brown, simply because white paper reproduces better the printed textures. And about sizes and stencilling, they are made rezising real boxes photographs, the stencils are not only reproduced in dimension and font but also in careful location. And don´t worry about the size, I checked the real ones size at MRE forums and auctions, then made the adjustmend in Photoshop, that was the easiest part. If you ever have any question please feel free to contact me through my store or through my blog.
MAR 15, 2015 - 07:19 PM
   
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