introduction

A newcomer to the resin market, Panzer Resin Models are off to a fairly decent start. Although not up to the latest standards in resin casting, as Master Productions, Verlinden, etc, they do produce a fairly good kit that will require work, and modelling skills to complete.

box contents

After exchanging several emails about cost, shipping etc, I sent my paypal payment. A few days later I was notified that my kit was cast, and in the mail. It took about 3 weeks via air mail to arrive, even though I did receive a tracking number, it seems to have got hung up in the US customs for a while, and yes the package was opened and inspected. The different shipping tape was easy to spot. Arriving in a sturdy package, that survived, not only the Brazilian postal service, but the US and Customs, without any damage. The parts are all separately bagged, and wrapped in thin foam like material.

the instructions

The Instructions are surprisingly well drawn, and a few of the larger resin caster could learn a lesson here, although they are written in Brazilian, following the diagrams should be no problem for anyone with even a little experience with resin kits. There are no painting instructions, but a nice colour photo on the box should guide you if you are doing a Brazilian truck.

the castings

On to the castings. These are a rather mixed bag. The chassis is nice and although some of the detail is soft, a little time cleaning up, and a little work with a knife and file should give a decent result. There was no warpage with this part!.

The cargo box is a one piece casting, and rather thick. The sides appeared a little bowed, but this might have just been the excess resin along the top giving that impression. On a flat surface there was no bottom wobble, so I assume it is not warped along the bottom. It has a nice wood grain effect moulded on.

The Cab.... A rather good casting, although there is plenty of flash to clear out of the window openings. There are several small pinholes that will need filling, and some spots that will need again, a little work with a knife and file. Sanding is probably going to be an important part of the clean up also. The cab has a basic interior, and is blank forward of the dashboard, so no foot wells, or pedals here. The inside of the doors have fair details, and with careful work with the back of a #11 blade or scribe, you should be able to open them with no problems. A small clear sheet is included for the windows. You will need to add a few details from scratch, but the diagrams are easy to follow, and nothing too hard for the average modeller.
Insert photos: Cab.1 Cab.2 Cab.3 Cab.4 Cab.5

The smaller parts have very soft details. I would recommend very careful clean up, and again a little work with a knife and file to enhance the details, and possibly replacing the details with scratch built details. I would also recommend replacing the axle stubs on the rear end, by cutting them off, drilling a hole, and inserting a brass rod. An added bonus is they include a few crates for a cargo load.

The wheels..... a little on the let down side. The front ones came from a two part mould, and have soft detail, the rear ones come from a one piece mould, and have no rear/backside detail, and the front detail is also soft. The instructions tell you to use a Dremel to grind the backsides of the rear wheels to remove the excess resin, and that probably will work out fine, but there still will not be any details on the rear of the outside wheel, or the front of the inside wheel, and you will have to make up, or come up with a spacer to properly space them. There is no spare wheel included, and I am sure one was carried.

the material

Now for the resin used.... It is a very brittle resin, so extra care will be needed during clean up. It also was not only extremely slippery, and shiny, (probably from the mould release agent), but several parts were sticky or tacky, which can be a sign of an improper resin mixture. Hopefully both will clear up after a good scrubbing in Super-Clean, and good old fashion Scouring powder.

in conclusion

In conclusion, the kit is not bad! I would not recommend it to a newcomer to resins, it is not a shake and bake, and certainly does require modelling skills to work around, and through some of the casting problems. For their third kit, Panzer Resin Models are off to a good start, and I'm sure they will improve their castings as they go along.

This kit cost a mere $32.00, which is really a good deal for a resin kit, with the air shipping the total came to $46.00, which is still a good deal.
eal.