Just thought I would ask what everyone thought about the kit. I am trying to find one to but but haven't had any luck. Does anyone know where to get one? I have read Terry Ashley's review of it at the Perth Military Modelling Society webpage and was impressed.
Thanks,
Andrew

I would recommend either of my favorite internet hobby shops -

www.greatmodels.com

www.missionmodels.com

This guy has one on e-bay for a fair price

So does this guy

Later,
Tim

Thanks for the help Tankshack.
Does anyone else have any comments/recommendations?
Thanks,
Andrew

I saw one on e-bay just tonight but it wasn't going cheap. I find e-bay a great place to find kits and sometimes at bargain prices. I haven't been buying there long but have not been disappointed yet.

mkctanker

Hi I got my kit from militaryhobbies.com ( Canadian site) I was luck and got a preorder price, the regular pice is a little more expensive but it is still cheaper than what I have seen on EBAY and if you order more than 50.00 Canadian or US you get free shipping.

www.militaryhobbies.com

As for the kit itself, it looks good, I have yet to start it but all reviews i have read on the kit have given it above average ratings...

MSW

Thanks for the response Billy Bishop.
I assume you have to be a member for the free shipping?
Is the free shipping for all methods or just surface?
Thanks,
Andrew

Herr Oberst,

They have one at my local hobby shop (Colpar). If you really can't find one, let me know, I could pick one up for you.

Tread.

BTW, don't know about the build-up, but the mouldings look excellent.

The Tri-Star Pz I, oh dear, I have 3 of them, and just built up one minus the tracks. The basic build is really good, somewhere between Tamiya and DML. The tracks are tricky to build, so you need to be real careful, because if you damage or loss more than 5 to 6 links, you won't have enough left to finish the tracks.

The first batch of the Tri-Star PZ I had already been sold out from the manufactur, the second batch will be released in one month or so, apparently it's a great success for their first Panzer, and we can expect the second new one from them somewhere this Christmas.

Nope not a member but the free shipping is surface though my order was confirmed Friday and I received it the following Tuesday...

MSW

I might add that you can upgrade to Expedited shipping for $2 and to Xpress Post for $4 CDN. The base cost of shipping is free for orders over $50, whether you are a member or not.

Nic

I have seen one at my local IPMS meeting. Un painted but totally built. Looks really cool. The two figures look really nice also. There is a finished one posted on missing links at the moment by Steve Zaloga!

I got mine from my man Dave (SS-74), but you can get from from RZM.

The kit is wonderful. It has great detail and is definately up there with the best (i.e. Tamiya, DML, & Fine Molds).

Oh another thing, I like to point out, there is one part that you definitely don't want to build out of the box is the Kit antenna. It's a nice touch that the factory enclosed an antenna, but it's way too thick, so I end up cut the antenna rod, and use a stretched sprue.

Picked one of these cool little kits up today.

Just based on a few minutes of surveying the kit in the box... WOW.... ModelKasten tracks, figures sculpted by Yoshitaka Hirano!!!! The figures even have optional heads. One set with the Panzer Crew beret... and another set with the "fore and aft" cap.

Man this is an awesome deal....

I can't wait to start this one.
Later,
Tim

Hi Guys, if you wanna me to get the Tri-Star Pz I for you next round it comes out, I be happy to help.

Thanks for the offer but I already purchased on from Military Hobbies.com. I was wondering if anyone has read the article by Terry Ashley at the Perth Military Modelling Societies website. It mentions some changes that have to be made and I was wondering how to do some of them. One is making hubs for the idler wheels and connection bar from styrene card. The other is the insertion of a clear plastic lense for the middle light. How can I get a disc of clear plastic that is about that size?
Thanks,
Andrew

They are called MV Lenses and you can get them from Michigan Discount Models for very little money (i.e. less than $1 USD/lense). If you buy from MDM just look for the "MV Products" link on the right hand column on the main page. To use an MV lense you need to drill out the light from the kit and build the model and paint it completely. After you have finished painting you put a small drop of CA into the hole that you drilled in the light and drop the lense into place. It is as simple as that.

The kit comes with modelkasten tracks, PE and has good reviews. Sounds perfect.
But needs ...............
Do you think there will ever be a kit that has everything that keeps every builder happy with what was in the box?

No because there is always room for improvement. That is what makes the hobby fun. The Tri-Star kit doesn't need much, but an MV lense for the headlight is a nice touch and there are always parts that are a little out of scale due to the limitations of injection molding. These are the little things that are fun to correct and can really make your model look great. I don't think that anyone is saying that the Tri-Star kit is less than a great kit, just that a few small touches really enhance the kit.

Hi Guys,

I dropped by the Tristar hobby shop yesterday, which is based in HK, and saw two sets of Aber PE parts were released for the Tristar Panzer IA.

Steve

PE for the Tristar Panzer 1 A?
How much was it?
I wonder when it will be available in Canada?
I hope soon.

Here I am answering my own question. I just looked on Air Connection and the Tristar update from Aber is available for around $40 CDN. It is very strange though, as I saw from the picture. There are pieces provided to rebuild the entire hull and turret from brass ( two large pieces). I found this exceedingly odd as the kit is supposed to be fabulous. Why would Aber make this strange update kit that costs 2/3's the price of the kit. Has anyone bought this update from Aber or have any comment?

Andrew

Oberst--The set that you are talking about on AirConnection's page is an old Aber set that was made for the HiPM (Historic Plastic Models) Panzer I Ausf. A. It looks like AirConnection just put the name TriStar there as well now that the kit is out. I wouldn't waste my money on the Aber set because you would end up throwing the majority of the pieces away. Personally, I don't think that the TriStar kit needs much PE. The only PE that I will buy for my TriStar kit is Aber set 35A03 - German Tool holders set till 1943 to detail up the clasps that hold the tools to the tank.

I never throw away PE pieces but I know what you mean. There are some other pieces on the Panzer 1 A that need detailing though. I am considering getting the update for the Ausf. B as that is the only one available at my local hobby store. Is there much difference in the two tanks? I have read that the rear is modified, how will this effect the PE?
HELP!


Andrew

I'm not sure exactly what all is different between the A & the, but if I were a betting man I would bet that you would be able to use the B parts without much problem.