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Armor/AFV: Modern Armor
Modern armor in general.
Hosted by Darren Baker
WWII modeller converts to Modern armor!
Bodeen
#026
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: June 08, 2002
KitMaker: 1,744 posts
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Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 12:25 AM UTC
Welllllll......not really! But I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night (USA members will get that one). I recently got a gift certificate for a rather small hobby shop in nearby mall and my choice was limited as to what to buy.....one of the only things that caught my eye was a Tamiya Humvee with TOW missle launcher. I am primarily a WWII armor person but I thought what the heck! When I got home I opened the box and was very pleasantly surprised. The detail (not uncommon for Tamiya) was excellent and I found myself strangely drawn to buy an Abrams, Bradley or Challenger or even a T-72, etc.
This might just change my life!!!! I might actually....make it...into...the 21st century. Something my wife's been asking me to do for 7 years...especially in regards to my wardrobe (Yeah...as soon as you get rid of those leg warmers honey)!
Well I might not be a total convert yet...but now my horizons have expanded
and my wife and wallet will now again scream in agony!
By the way...have any of you built the Hobbycraft kits? They are cheap but how's the quality. You get what you pay for probably!?
Thanks for letting me rant!
Any other converts out there?

Jeff
slynch1701
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Illinois, United States
Joined: March 08, 2005
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Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 12:42 AM UTC
don't bother with the hobby craft kits.

sean
Tony_Frey
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Missouri, United States
Joined: May 03, 2003
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Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 01:08 AM UTC
IMHO, the Hobbycraft Challenger 2 & Fedayeen Technical (basically the reboxed Trumpeter releases) are not bad at all, can't speak for the others though.
HeavyArty
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Florida, United States
Joined: May 16, 2002
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Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 01:23 AM UTC
It depends on which HobbyCraft kits you are looking to get. As state above, most are reboxed Trumpeter kits; such as the Abrams, Challengers, AS-90, Iraqi Technical (Chinese BJ-212), and a few others. The Trumpeter reboxes are quite good. Some of their other kits are junk though. For example, their M2A2 Bradley is a rebox of a horrible Lee Model copy of Tamiya's model. Their HMMWVs are origin unknown and even worse than the M2A2. The HMMWV wheels look like oversized donuts. Ask here before buying and we should be able to let you know the low-down on each kit.
redneck
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: June 06, 2005
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Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 01:36 AM UTC
Hey Jeff.

I’ve got 2 Hobbycraft kits in the stash. An Abrams and an Iraqi T-72.

The Abrams is a nice kit. It’s a reboxed trumpeter kit and while its made to be able to be motorized all the holes ether need to be punched out or have plates to close them unlike the tamiya kits. I’ld recommend it if your interested in trying some cheep modern armor.

The T-72 I’m not sure about. It’s made to be motorized and this one doesn’t try to hide the holes or the on/off under the hull.
Didn’t check things out too well on it because one I got it I was planing on blowing it up.

If your interested let me know and I can snap some pictures of the kits and email them out to you.
MonkeyGun
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England - North East, United Kingdom
Joined: August 07, 2005
KitMaker: 943 posts
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Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 02:11 AM UTC

There must be something in the air Bodeen my usual modeling subjects are WW2 Allied but I was bought the new DML M1a1 as a gift and since then im hooked on modern stuff

At this present im putting the finishing touches to the Abrams and an AS90.
And a good way on with a HEMMT and getting some AM stuff together to build two Chally 2's plus there is a Warrior is sitting under the bench waiting to be started :-)

Ian
marathon
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Texas, United States
Joined: September 26, 2006
KitMaker: 75 posts
Armorama: 63 posts
Posted: Thursday, January 04, 2007 - 11:01 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hey Jeff.

I’ve got 2 Hobbycraft kits in the stash. An Abrams and an Iraqi T-72.

The Abrams is a nice kit. It’s a reboxed trumpeter kit and while its made to be able to be motorized all the holes ether need to be punched out or have plates to close them unlike the tamiya kits. I’ld recommend it if your interested in trying some cheep modern armor.

The T-72 I’m not sure about. It’s made to be motorized and this one doesn’t try to hide the holes or the on/off under the hull.
Didn’t check things out too well on it because one I got it I was planing on blowing it up.

If your interested let me know and I can snap some pictures of the kits and email them out to you.



IIRC, that Hobbycraft Iraqi T-72 is a reboxed Trumpeter kit - which itself is a poor-quality ripoff of the Tamiya T-72M1 kit.
Bodeen
#026
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: June 08, 2002
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Posted: Friday, January 05, 2007 - 03:45 AM UTC
Thanks for your responses guys. I've already purchased the Trumpeter M1A1 and Iraqi Chinese (I don't know the nomenclature) tanks from E-bay. I am going to send them to my granddaughter in Ga.
She came to live with us while her mother was in Iraq. When she saw her room, my modelling area, she said "I really like your models." Ever since I gave her the first kit.. she's been hooked. I sent her some cars for Christmas and when we called her Christmas morning she was building a model!
She's 10 years old and is the next Generation of modelling.
I'm not too worried about accuracy for her but I do worry about it for my stuff.
Thanks again guys!

Jeff
blaster76
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Texas, United States
Joined: September 15, 2002
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Posted: Friday, January 05, 2007 - 04:48 AM UTC
You are not converting, just expanding your horizons. I had been building 48th scale aircraft for 20 years and when I could find them 48th armor. I bought a book on modeling armor and fell in love with what Tony Greenland was doing, so I thought I'll build JUST a couple of Tiger tanks. 10 years later I have all sorts of stuff from early war US to modern day Leopards, Challengers and M-1s and of course 7 or 8 different Tigers and a flock of Panthers and Panzer IV's etc etc and Shermans etc. I also build 350 scale ships

I am just a modeler, I build what fascinates me at the moment (even have some cars, spaceships, and a dinosaur !!)
Jacques
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Minnesota, United States
Joined: March 04, 2003
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Posted: Friday, January 05, 2007 - 08:46 AM UTC
Hobbycraft T-72 is ok with help. Deck screens are stickers, so you need the Eduard Zoom set. Turret and crewmember are horrible, the crewman looking like he was made from melted butter. Turret is poor at best. With a new turret the lower hull is quite nice.

Trumpeter is better to buy than Hobbycraft.
Bodeen
#026
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: June 08, 2002
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Armorama: 1,359 posts
Posted: Friday, January 05, 2007 - 04:56 PM UTC

Quoted Text

You are not converting, just expanding your horizons. I had been building 48th scale aircraft for 20 years and when I could find them 48th armor. I bought a book on modeling armor and fell in love with what Tony Greenland was doing, so I thought I'll build JUST a couple of Tiger tanks. 10 years later I have all sorts of stuff from early war US to modern day Leopards, Challengers and M-1s and of course 7 or 8 different Tigers and a flock of Panthers and Panzer IV's etc etc and Shermans etc. I also build 350 scale ships

I am just a modeler, I build what fascinates me at the moment (even have some cars, spaceships, and a dinosaur !!)


I've built some spaceships and cars also. I guess you're right...whatever fascinates you at the moment!

Jeff
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