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Built Review
148
German Equipment
German Equipment Accessories
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by: Scott Lodder [ SLODDER ]

introduction

This is a 'built' review as much as you can 'build' with this type of product. I won't use every piece in the kit. I have tried to use a number of different pieces to get a good idea of how these pieces 'work'.

I used the open box for the panzerfausts, some panzerfausts, the loose coat, and two of the 'piles of gear'. I have placed these in a diorama centered around a Tamiya Krupp Protz and Tiger I early. The back drop is a Custom Dioramics ruined building. So, check out the various visual references and size and scale references with respect to other manufacturers and kits.

Resin

The resin is very nice, it's firm and workable. You don't have to apply a lot of pressure to cut it. The resin blocks are generally in good locations and are almost all easily removed. The hardest one to remove was the bottom of the panzerfaust box which I tried to remove this big block with a razor saw. My saw angle got a bit steep and it ended up affecting the inside bottom of the box since the saw cut through the bottom from the underside. I would recommend using a rotary tool and a cut off wheel to take off most of the block, then finish the job with sandpaper.

The piles of personal gear show a drawback in this smaller scale - delicate parts. The handles of the spades broke off, luckily they were easily replaced with some stretched sprue. I added a drop of CA to the end to make a knob handle. The bayonette that was lost was replaced by a piece of shaped piece styrene.
The panzerfaust are quite delicate as well, the launching tube can easily break away from the warhead. Be careful not to loose the parts if they do break off.
You do have to be careful with the parts themselves. They are smaller and more delicate compared to their 1/35th counterparts.
Overall the cleanup was pretty easy and nice to do.

Finishing

Paint:
I used two different paint types and styles on this resin. The first was an airbrush application of Tamiya acrylics. This was sprayed on the 'piles' of gear. The paint went on easily and smoothly. The second application was to hand brush hobby acrylics on the panzerfaust box. This too worked very well.
I used some brush work on the detail of the gear.

Washes:
I used oil washes to detail the pieces and add shadows - no problems.

Paint/Detail:
There is plenty of detail in all the pieces that can really 'pop' with drybrushing and washes. You won't be dissapointed by the detail that shines through.

Be careful if you use a heat gun to speed the drying process. Resin pieces of this scale are affected quickly by the heat. I was very slow with my heat gun, and still ran into the launch tubes of one panzerfaust bending on its own from the heat.

Fit

The fit is decent. You can see from the 'pile' that it fits well on the bench of the Krupp. The panzerfaust and box look good. If you look close and really compare all the items to the figures you'll see that the spades are a bit big. The meal kits and gas masks suffer a bit too. I need to say that the comparison is between only two manufacturers - Tamiya and Black Dog. The scale/size issue may be different with different manufacturers. Regardless of the rivet counting specifics of the 'right' dimensions of a shovel, you will be limited to the kits you can buy to combine. Tamiya and Black Dog are two of them and it will be a situation you run into.

conclusion

Overall these accessories look good and fit well enough. They are supporting characters in a diorama and shouldn't distract from the overall scene.

SUMMARY
Highs: Ease of use, detail and wow factor.
Lows: Box resin block was hard to remove. Slight scale issues.
Verdict: Must have for dioramas in 1/48th scale.
Percentage Rating
86%
  Scale: 1:48
  Mfg. ID: Cat NT48025
  Suggested Retail: about 10 Euros
  PUBLISHED: Jun 04, 2009
  NATIONALITY: Germany
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 82.50%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 88.33%

Our Thanks to Black Dog!
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 Scott Lodder (slodder)
FROM: NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

I modeled when I was a teenager. College, family and work stopped me for a while. Then I picked it back up after about 12 years off. My main focus is dioramas. I like the complete artistic method of story telling. Dioramas involve so many aspects of modeling and I enjoy getting involved in the ...

Copyright ©2021 text by Scott Lodder [ SLODDER ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

Good review, Scott. Thanks. Heads up about the panzerfaust box casting block removal also appreciated... -A-
JUN 04, 2009 - 04:43 AM
   
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