I just noticed that Hobby Search has the Merkava and DANA in stock.

Nice. Finally. I thought Academy Merk LIC kit was going to hit the market first. HB one has no anti-slip coating molded...? (Photos from Hobby Search are unclear) And $76? Yikes.

DANA looks great though!! That's one gigantic kit! Thanks for the heads up.

Oh boy oh boy!

Thanks for posting!

I have just been through the instructions of the Merk IV (thanks Hobbysearch) and it seems they have made some very nice decision (seen from our side - the modellers). Among the few I could spot:

a) you have the option of either having the rear baskets and bustle racks open or filled and with the shimsonit (or however that is spelled - my apologies) covers + PE parts for the straps
b) peiscopes are much better modeled than in Academy (plastic+transparent piece rather than only the former)
c) ball and chain looks tackled much like the Legend way (nice looking when done, but a pain to do it - at least that has been my experience) with the bonus that you do not have to second guess length of chains but it is spelled out in the instructions
d) the missile warning receivers on the sides of the turret can now be fitted (Academy's only had the supporting brackets)
e) belly armour and engine exhaust grill (and the exhaust looks like it is making use of some PE as well)
f) idler wheels with holes (they are not the sprues but provided as "separate" parts
g) rubber rimmed wheels...in rubber
h) option to have the rear door open or closed
i) side skirts have realistic looking support (at least if one chooses to remove one or two sections, it does not require scratchbuilding)
j) lots of PE to represent tiny bolt details and straps on fenders and on top of turret.

A few questions/remarks (based on my references):
1) coax MG mount looks ok but no discarded bullet bag and also no plating to protect the the two cilinders on the back of the MG (yeah, gotta learn how to upload pics, really worth a thousand words here) and no wires for the remote control
2) let's hope they molded the tracks better than Academy has...plus here it seems it is no link and length but EACH piece is molded individually for a grand total of 105 per side...pew...
3) no tow cable in metal or fabric provided, only the same as Academy plastic fixed ones
4) early style sideskirts (that is with the "wavy" rubber pattern rather than straight and molded in plastic vs. PE
5) no way to judge on antislip quality
6) no hint at a LIC variant (i.e. they have molded the armour plate where the gunner's hatch would have to integral with the turret - Acadmey here chose to do it in two pieces thus hinting at the LIC version to come in the future). Same holds true for the additional exhaust on the left top part of the rear hull.

6) price tag (at Hobbysearch): 76$ or about 60€

All in all it seems in any case a much more comprehensive set than first Academy release was.

Will get one for sure (from HK though!).

I thought the HB Merk was supposed to have the Anti-Slip molded on!

Interesting price comparison- Hobbyboss 48th F-14A at Hobby Search = $114. At Hobby Easy for $53.

Dana at Hobby Search = $96 Dana at Hobby Easy = ??

Looks like a really nice kit. I thought someone said here that it did have no-slip texture!

Regarding the price at Hobbysearch... Prices of Hobbyboss kits in HK are usually half of what they are in Japan. BUT the HK stores get them maybe 2 months after the Japanese stores. So, if you want the lower price, you have to wait... which is what I'll do

Hisham

Thanks for the update, though i don't buy kits there.
i'll just start to watch my fav. sites

Just looking at the instructions mind you, but the HobbyBoss Merkava 4 idler mount looks a heck of a lot better than the Academy excuse, which they didn't bother to address with their 'LIC' issue. Commander's rotating sight appears to be orientated properly, .50 mount over barrel looks better (still not 100% correct, that disk thingy shouldn't be there). Hull side detail behind exhaust grill looks correct. Overall I like the details on this one.

Jim

Junglejim,

I am totally on your side for what concern the idler wheel and other things I have listed in my above comments (though I still hope Academy has fixed it in their LIC release - hard to tell by the pictures I have seen so far] but I have a question regarding the disky thing of the coax MG mount.

I initially had your impression, but then I went back and check with the pictures I have and found this one:


(I apologize if I am violating any forum rule but I cannot quote it where I got it from...I forgot)

Do you see: the tank in the background has the MG not installed and sure enough the mount looks "disky".

I would be interested if you had any close-up pics to shed some light...

Or let's hope that maybe mr. Mass drops by.



[BTW: thanks to the wonderful guys on this site: in a few seconds I am now able to upload pictures thanks to CMOT tutorial!]

The Dana is going for $50 at Hobbyeasy.. not a bad price for it's size.

And the Merk IV is going for about $40.. also not bad!

Hisham

Hi Nicola,
See my photos in this THREAD
It is my belief that the 'disk' is some sort of thread protector/safety cover when the m.g. is not mounted. I've only seen it used when the gun is not mounted.

Jim

Thanks Jim,

Now it is clear. I will have to remember if and when I will get to build the kit.

And looking back at your previuos post, yeah, I do agree HB has really detailed the idler wheel MOUNT a big deal.

Detail on the kit does look good, but Michael Mass pointed out what appears to be a major error over on IDF in scale: if the drawings in the instructions are correct, then the road wheel locations on the kit are staggered from one side to the other (like those on a torsion bar suspension). They should be spaced evenly on both sides.

Mike

I think it is more than just the drawings. When you look at the actual belly armor, the cut-outs for the road wheel arms are also staggered. You can barely see the actual hull, but again it looks staggered. Looks like they did screw it up
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10131389n5/40/5

That's very disappointing. HB looked very promising.. With Academy LIC kit coming out, a major kit bashing may be necessary to build a more accurate model... Hopefully, sprue shots of the Academy kit will surface soon.

Oh dear,
Looks like major kitbash/surgery is needed here. Which side is the correct one, or are BOTH incorrect ?
Razor saw to split the belly armour and move one side forward or the
other backwards depending on which side is correct. Cut out the incorrect side of the lower chassis and move forward or back as needed, fill with plasticard, file and sand to correct surface.
Or use the model in a diorama with the "bad" side close to a building or wall ....
/ Robin

Maybe Legend can make a lower hull correction. Of course, that is more money on top of the already more expensive of the two Merkava IVs. That stinks!

Guys
this issue with the wheel position is likely to be a MAJOR frak up

I posted some pics of the Academy instruction sheet here for comparison.
http://idf-in-scale.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2153

Fortunately I have nearly finished 2 Academy kits and cant justify a third one.

What a bummer. Lots of guys were looking forward to this one

cheers
Kev

I posted the initial 1999.co.jp scans on IDF In Scale.

I guess regarding the wheels I may be able to live with that, I figure that I have never seen both sides of a tank at the same time, so after I build them and they're sitting on the shelf I figure I won't notice the differance.

I was somewhat surprised at the 'completeness' of the detailing with all of the PE, as much as I hate to say it I'll probably stick with the Academy Merk IV LIC when it shows up soon.

Maybe some day I'll figure out what color I need to paint a Merk IV!

Well I just checked my partially assembled Academy Merk 4. While it is lacking in some areas, this one they got right it appears.

Mike

Wow, the suggested retail price from Squadron isn't as high as Hobby Search...close, but not that high.

They should be arriving state side about mid Jan.

But Gaoyue, can you please address the Hobbyboss Merk 4 Wheel issue? I hope it's not too late...

Well guys,

First off, my apologies. In the wave of the excitement of this kit "finally" coming out I concentrated on all the differences (I would have said "improvements") wrt Academy's offer and I grossly overlooked this HUMONGOUS mistake.

Why is it that HB always does 90% of their homework right and then f&!k things up on the remaining 10%??

I hear and read "kitbashing" with Academy etc. I do the math:
Academy (LIC for sure) --> 20 €
Hobbyboss --> 31 €
[Honk Kong prices]
S&H --> 20€ [guesstimate]
Total: 71€

And this to get a quasi-OOB build and granted that academy's lower hull will fit in HB upper and all the rest.

What a disappointment...

Let's see if Gaoyue can update us on this. Who knows maybe it's not too late for them to fix it before the big production. Similar to what Tamiya did with their initial release of M1A1 back in about 20 years ago.
It's hard to believe that HB messed up something so obvious and big...
If I get this kit as is, I probably will not do "kitbashing" and try to fix it with some Evergreen plastic sheets... Some major cutting, sanding, and filling..

Which wheel?

You means half rubber half meatl?