I saw this in the corner and was wondering if anybody has tried one yet?

I know that Trumpeter announced one also.

But is it better to wait or give it a go.

http://military.scale-model-kits.com/products/B-4-Soviet-203mm-howitzer-ALAN022.html

I've seen that one too.
I might wait for the Trumpeter one, not sure yet.

That'll make THREE. Pit-Road, Trumpeter (when it arrives) and now the Alan one. Curious.

http://vif2ne.ru/smf/forum/14/co/263744.htm - Sprue-Shots...

the caliber of that thing is so massive, the barrel on the sprue almost looks comical in that scale. and I'm pickin up some tricky sink marks as well say around the corners of the gun trail (highly populated by rivets) and in a couple other places too.

alan is still alive??

Jeff,

I'd consider waiting on the Trumpeter version. Quite surprised to see Alan producing one....and as Jim said, there's now (or will be) three.

Pit-Road - nice but very expensive (if you can locate one). The "regular" PR gun kits are going for $80 plus and if I recall correctly, the B4 was going for about twice their regular gun kits.

Alan - their version is pretty inexpensive ($28.00) but you really have to wonder about the quality. Some of the Alan kits are pretty decent and others have been dogs. If this one fits into the former, then at $28.00 it will be a good buy. Edit: Looked at enlarged pictures of the sprue showing the indy-links; appears to be pretty heavy ejector marks on each one and in other places. Lots of flash on some of the parts too. However, I haven't run across a kit yet that didn't need SOME cleanup.

Trumpeter - they've been producing nice kits lately. I don't know what the cost will be, but for the subject, I'm betting it will be worth it. I can say, the Trumpeter version is on my wish-list.

I'd be very interested in information on the Alan version....quality, fit, et al. Hopefully someone will have one and let us know.

Mike

I looked at the Pics put up by Jim and it does bring back bad memories of that Dare I say it Su-76

Detail looks soft .

Mike.

I wonder if Friul will make a set of tracks?

But I guess you are right might be one of those lost $28.00 kits.

I bet Trumpeter would be a lot better then it ,okay I guess a few more years of a wait are in store just like that " Son A Sherman" Book I have been waiting on for years.

Okay I better get off as I can't stop laughing and the wife is wondering if I am talking to some women on the web.

Why Laughing " Son of the Sherman" brings me to tears every time I think about it.

Grandfather is much better I think and wonder if I will see it in my Life time.

Thanks all

Jeff,

"Son of Sherman?" Seems I heard something about that.

Finally got my copy of the "real deal." Well worth it.

Back on topic: I don't know what came over me, but I just ordered the Alan kit from Scale Model Kits - one of the advertisers here. So much for what I put in my previous post!

Anyhow, I would imagine that in a few weeks I'll have it in hand. Once I do, I'll open 'er up and post some close ups of the sprues and offer up a quick opinion. It'll be the first Alan kit that actually made it into my stash in how long? Eh, $29.00 and shipping....nothing that can't be overcome....I hope!!

Mike

Im really interested in hearing/seeing what you have to say regarding the Alan kit. Iv been on a quest for this particular arty piece for some time, and Im thinking at $28USD this might be some real instant gratification....or not?

Jim, it's been shipped. Should have it in a few days (I hope). I'll pop some shots up when it arrives. I too have been on the "hunt" since I first saw the resin version....too pricey for me at the time.

Mike

same story for me. A guy at work lent me an old Kalmbach book and it was in the back cover and I fell in love instantly...Iv been hunting ever since. Ordering a resin kit from japan for $180.00 plush shipping just WASNT gonna happen!..With the economy the way it is every manufacturer is going to have to work harder to get me to part with my cash for their kits, especially since I already have a closet full to begin with!

Kit arrived today. Now, I know we all expect to build our kits, but I've never had to "build" the kits box!!!!

And, first glance, through the plastic bags.........Alan.

More to follow.

Mike

Dear Mike,

My name is Oles and I represent Scale-Model-Kits.com shop.
Nice to hear that you have already received a package. I hope you are satisfied with package condition. Usually we ship boxes disassembled in order to avoid a box damage during shipping and also to optimize shipping expenses. So I hope this doesn't cause inconvenience for you and we will you soon in our shop again.

Best regards,
Scale-model-kits.com staff
Scale-model-kits.com - plastic scale model kits on-line shop

Well Glad that Mike made the plunge into these here uncharted waters of a "Newer " Alan kit.

With Memories of SU-76's dancing in his head.

Well is it a Kit where one must have sheets of Plastic stock on hand and a whole lot of these to help

We await your Opinion on it maybe an in box review is in order.

So where is the Trumpeter one at???

Cheers Mike and good luck at it,plus remember any kit can be built with some TLC and well some need more TLC then others.

I wont moan too loudly at sink marks seeing as how I couldnt even FIND the (Furshlugginer) thing until now ...sheetstock and rivets here I come ..

Oles,

Hey, really great to hear from you. The kits arrived fine...the box was pretty banged up (so your packing flat kit boxes makes perfect sense) but the two kits inside are fine. Pretty much guarantee, I'll be back to "visit" with you guys again....there are a lot of 1/72nd armored train kits you carry that I want.

Jeff,

I'll see about getting some pictures up along with close ups of areas that could be an issue. Still, for $28 and only an initial glance, I'm not complaining. Trumpy's will probably be more.....

Jim,

I did notice some sink marks and flash...nothing that can't be handled with basic experience. When I pull the kit out for a closer look-see, I'll pay close attention to riveted areas....been wanting to get a nice mixed variety of 'em anyway.

MIke

Hey all, finally took some relevant photos of some of the parts.

First up: Back side of the gun's base/elevation gear (note HEAVY ejector marks and flash on the gear):



Pretty much outer side of the same (note the areas on part 1, the side support, where the plastic didn't fill the mold....sunken areas):



Shots of the trail (same sunken areas):



Each pad has two marks on the inside surface and one sunken mark on the outside:



Another view:



Outer halves of the track/drive assembly (note the sink hole in the center and flash on the outside. Nice rivet detail though.):



Last one:



Mike

I probably should quantify those pictures somewhat.....

Just about each part has either a sink-mark, ejector-mark, seam lines, and/or above-average amounts of flash....most have a combination of two or more of them.

Quality? Alan. Typical Alan from what I remember of their kits. So, they get no "kudo's" for molding quality....but I'd certainly give them kudo's for topic (the B-4) and price ($28.00).

Okay....the underlying question. Is this kit worth the $28.00? IMHO, yes. (unless of course Trumpeter's is only a few dollars more if and when that one hits the market)

Will I enjoy building it? Yes. Will I grumble and pitch a fit when I get to the tracks? Yep (thank goodness there aren't that many). Will I need to be very careful of the putty use on and around the trail? Absolute. Would it be a good idea to have some AM rivets handy just in case? Uh-huh.

Anyone else thinking about getting one of these??

Mike

Looks like you got your work cut out for yourself Mike.
Thanks for the photos.

we will release it in May
http://www.trumpeter-china.com/war513/products/en_message.asp?id=722

Thanks for the photos. As my present situation is what it is, I'll probably only can get the Alan gun -because, you know, whatever my situation is, I gotta have this gun...
(Trump is getting pricier and pricier, and their quality sometimes fluctuates a bit.)

Gaoyue,

Damn. May? Damn. With trail-wheels too? Damn.

I, as I'm sure we all do, appreciate the input. The Trumpeter version looks quite nice. Looking forward to seeing more of it, and it's retail cost. That'll make the big difference within the modeling community. Pit-Road....$180....Alan....$28....Trumpeter? I'm guessing in the $50-60 range? Still a potential good deal there.

Andras, $28 is nothing to sneeze at. It's a good value. We all know you can fix the issues that I've mentioned/shown. I'm in the same boat....didn't want to drop a couple of C-notes nor wait for the next version (tho we now know that's not far off ). I'm comfortable with what I have....tho I damn sure want to know more about the Trumpeter version.

Mike

Yes ,May,The parts are as same as PIT, just without crew. because the PIT's B-4 design& mould by us. so it will cheeper than PIT. next step we will release the Voroshilovetz tractor .

Hi Mike,
I'm not sneezing. But honestly, my skills are not in par with the masters here... I just finished a Vickers E mk A, and man... I'll need to stick to the DML, Trumpeter, Tamiya kits to be able to produce better results.

At the risk of dredging up an old topic, check out this post on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Soviet-B-4-203mm-Howitzer-Red-Army-Gun-1-35-ALAN-Russia_W0QQitemZ360149752320QQihZ023QQcategoryZ2588QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Apparently someone didn't get the 'new release' and '$28' memo

Sometimes ebay is so unfortunate