That matches very roughly the point of view of the kit photo in the Track 48 shop, when you press "more details"?

I would really appreciate it, as I think any truck is an important release... And there's two new plastic truck releases!

Gaston.

When you look at the Tamiya box art it has an illustration of a correct Blitz cab. The actual model (scale-downed Italeri) has incorrect door windows which are too small. Probably other errors as well from a 25-odd yr. old kit. This will be the third sub-standard kit release from Tamiya. They may be thanking us as per the letter in "What's New", but that seems to be all tongue-in-cheek, as they keep slipping us these lemons. Especially as they already had a better Sd. Kfz. 222 and Opel Blitz of their own production in 1/35. Is this the 'New Management' of Tamiya?

I really appreciate your comments, as I now can direct my money towards other kits...

While a photo could have told me if it was salvageable or not, I find uncompromising opinions most useful.


Gaston.

Do you include the recent AB 41 italian armoured car among those 3 "sub-standard" releases?

Note that hauler has resin wheels for it, so the rubber tires are not what I am worried about...

Gaston.

again I say wow we have come a long way..........5 years ago what did we do for an Opel Blitz, how happy some were to score any Bandai kit on eBay, let alone an Italian armored car, I'm gonna build the Blitz out of the box unless someone makes new doors, (back in my previous life I built the Italeri 1/35 kit and never noticed the door windows were too small) and maybe the Hauler wheels on the armored car.........put them on my shelf and grin. Go ahead and start throwing rocks, I'm still very happy to have these kits.

We don't mean to spoil the enjoyment of our current comparative wealth.

It's just that if you look at the rate of finished kits in the "what have you finished" thread, the stern reality of what most of us can actually accomplish is sobering, even in our comparatively user-friendly scale...

It is true that sometimes more time can be spent evaluating those many kits than actually building them, but I think it is precisely our current wealth in kits that makes harsh criticism so valuable; unlike before, there is always something now that saves time by offering a better starting point. IF, that is, you are willing to change subjects...

What I mean is that we are not yet at a point were subject duplication allows us a lot of cross-kitting, but we are also past the point where there is nothing else to build, even in the somewhat rarefied field of softskins... So this is the point were I find simplistic dismissive criticism to be quite useful, because there are already too many kits that start out closer to that ever elusive finish line...

Gaston.

We don't mean to spoil the enjoyment of our current comparative wealth.

It's just that if you look at the rate of finished kits in the "what have you finished" thread, the stern reality of what most of us can actually accomplish is sobering, even in our comparatively user-friendly scale...

It is true that sometimes more time can be spent evaluating those many kits than actually building them, but I think it is precisely our current wealth in kits that makes harsh criticism so valuable; unlike before, there is always something now that saves time by offering a better starting point. IF, that is, you are willing to change subjects...

What I mean is that we are not yet at a point were subject duplication allows us a lot of cross-kitting, but we are also past the point where there is nothing else to build, even in the somewhat rarefied field of softskins... So this is the point were I find simplistic dismissive criticism to be quite useful, because there are already too many kits that start out closer to that ever elusive finish line...

Gaston.

had a much better cab than the new 1/48 Tamiya/Supermodel kit. I have no idea at all where they got that windshield shape; the old Italeri kit didn't have it. That said, you can correct it by filling in the upper edge of the windshield opening with sheet styrene, to match the box cover painting. Why is it they never listen to the artist? Also, it appears from the photos of the model that it sits way too low, allowing the wheels to foul the fenders. All of this is fixable, but from Tamiya, it shouldn't have been a problem.

has almost as many accuracy problems as the ICM/Tamiya 1/48 kit. It's just that the Tamiya 1/35 kit has been out so long we've accepted it as the picture of an accurate '222 a/car. The ICM kit is too narrow, but much of this can be corrected; for the rest, the two kits both have pluses and minuses - let's just say no one's been really well served by either model. It's a shame we have to spend the extra money, but the Hauler PE sets make the ICM/Tamiya '222, lifting it above the 1/35 kit. Of course, no one's seen fit to do the interior. I may have to speak to Bob Batdorf at ID about that. By the way, to show how established 1/48 armor is now, the forthcoming PE set for the Tamiya Marder III is #274. Way to go, Jan.....

Ready to paint...

and it is painted and whatered by now.
tonight I glued the small parts and windows,
Take a look at M-L forum for pics in a few days,
Regards, Hilton.

Nothing in modeling has ever mystified me more than the fact that the modern boxtop artwork is almost always devoid of any of the errors found in the kit itself...

Even the uglier artwork is often perfectly valid. At the most you sometime hear from experts that the markings of an obscure air force are not right...

Softskins appear harder to get right than armor.

Hopefully the Opel Blitz is correctable...

Thanks for your points, Bruce.


Gaston.

to match the box art, blended it to shape, and jacked up the chassis about 1.5mm (1/16"), you'd really have a very nice model of the early-late Opel Blitz..... I hope Hauler or someone will give us resin wheels with the later 8-bolt pattern (later, as in after 1938.... ). It's certainly worth a little extra work, as the only alternatives right now are resin kits (that may be taken out of production now that this plastic kit is available) or reworking the OLD Bandai Opel Blitz Maultier halftrack. Jan, how about a nice Einheits cab for this thing? It would solve most of the really visible problems.....

If Tamiya wants to sell us lemons, let them sell us their own lemons. Reboxed kits (Italeri and ICM) tend to be more expensive lemons than Tamiya's own. They may not be 100% correct, but at least Tamiya gets to keep their integrity.

If Tamiya wants to sell us lemons, let them sell us their own lemons. Reboxed kits (Italeri and ICM) tend to be more expensive lemons than Tamiya's own. They may not be 100% correct, but at least Tamiya gets to keep their integrity.

OOOOPS!! Sorry for the above glitch. After thinking it over, I wouldn't mind a bit if Tamiya 'released' a 1/48 reduction of Italeri's 1/35 S-Boot.

and while they're at it, let's see a 1/48 80' Elco PT boat (and the 78' Higgins PT boat too).

Steve, is this a kit, or a scratchbuilt project? 1/48 is the ideal scale for small naval craft like PTs and S-boote, and this is superb for an early 80' Elco PT. From the amount of custom PE I see on it, I assume it's a kit, but I haven't seen one in my travels. Inquiring minds want to know..... (I must have one.....)