Merit M19 Tank Transporter - In Box Review
Box:
The box measures 30cm x 48.5 cm x 9cm which ties it for the biggest kit box this reviewer has seen, together with Trumpeter’s MAZ 537 Intermediate. The box is solidly constructed of corrugated cardboard, not just thick cardboard like many other boxes. The box top depicts a late war situation with a Commonwealth driver. The big Diamond T is shown with a canvas cover on its cargo bay. Oddly enough the kit does not include the cover or the struts to hold it up. Luckily they’ve replaced the EU-license plate they had on the bumper on the earlier Box Art, with an American star. The box sides show front, side and top views of the same vehicle depicted on the box top. They also tell a little of the development of the vehicle (taken straight from Wikipedia), show the 2 PE frets, the decals and the usual safety warnings. The two ends show the left side of the second vehicle that there are decals for.
Now I know this is nitpicking, but the cover states; “Age 14+”, while on the side it states “..intended for consumers 15 years of age or older, and it is not suitable for person (sic) 15 or younger.” So what is it; 14, 15 or 16?
Instructions:
The instructions are set up as a little booklet with 24 pages. They are the typical exploded view drawings with 24 steps. Many of the steps are very busy, being broken down into many subassemblies.
Page 1 has general instructions and explanations of the symbols used in the construction of the model. Everything is in English and an east Asian language (Chinese is my guess).
Pages 2 & 3 have the sprue layouts and a little list of unused parts (not many)
Pages 3 to 17 cover the build of the M20 Diamond T 981, which starts with the engine and drive train.
Pages 18 to 24 cover the M9 Rogers 45 ton trailer.
There is a large colour painting guide about 29cm x 40cm showing both of the decal options that the kit provides for. There are colour references for 5 makes of paint; Mr. Hobby, Vallejo, Model Master, Tamiya and Humbrol.
Sprues:
There are 16 light tan sprues in 13 clear plastic bags. The bags are in 2 piles, separated by another cardboard box. Inside this box are 6 more plastic bags containing the wheels, slide moulded cab, trailer bed, clear parts, nylon string and PE frets.
The quality of moulding is good, details are crisp, and there are very few ejection pin marks. There are quite a few “ejection nibs” which need to be cut off, but these are preferable to pin marks. There don’t seem to be any visible mould seams. There are many small parts, and a number of the sprues have extra foam protecting them.
Decals:
The decals provide options for 2 vehicles. I don’t know enough about bumper codes to be able to decipher what units are depicted.
Conclusion:
If you like big trucks, this kit fits the bill. With its over 46 cm in length and 8cm in width the finished model is giant. The sheer number of parts (over 750) and the intricacy of some of them makes this a kit for experienced modellers. One little thing that detracts from the overall appeal is the lack of a native speaker to proofread the text on the box and the instructions.
Definitely recommended!
Hobby Search Japan (http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10240305) has sprue shots and scans of the instructions. (no affiliation) Funnily enough, they still have one of the old pics with the modern French license plate on it.
Thanks to my wife for the set!
John
