bk1009Uhh,a bit of warning to kit builders - this kit's full of errors thanks to it mixing up details specific to Factory 183 and 112. For example, front and upper rear hull plates and weld joints are 183-pattern, while the flush bottom plate is 112. Same goes with the turret - the distinct turret shape with the flattened sides (and one long seam on the circumference of the whole turret) place it as a 183, whereas the seam towards the turret nose is the shape of a 112 "Composite" turret (1945 pattern, since the turret has a one-piece turret hatch and split fans).
Unfortunately, the anachronisms make the original kit (6545 WW2 Factory 183) unrealistic as well, since (again) - the hull uses a mix of 183 and 112-features AND worse - at least some of the 183 details date the production date of the kit after the end of the (European) war, as the final drive housing's of the latter (May '45 and onwards) shape, with a distinct step (as opposed to the original rounded one).
Tl;dr version: While this kit's shaping up to be a decent enough build (especially at its price point), Italeri sure dun goofed on the details, so if one wants to have an "accurate" tank, going with the Zvezda, DML or MiniArt (among others) will be needed.
1 18 January 2023, 06:32