introduction

The only way you won't be aware about the nifty resin stowage sets from Value Gear is if you've been living on another planet. Armorama has reviewed most of Steve Munsell's offerings, and the Value Gear items are usually given glowing reviews.

While the company started out offering superb generic tents and tarps, it has since branched out into crates and now specific load sets for named vehicles, including Sherman tanks and German trucks.

what you get

Inside the usual Value Gear stiff card and Ziploc baggie are five pieces of gray resin.

the review

One early drawback that emerged with the original Value Gear tent and tarp sets is you couldn't pile them up easily on most vehicles. The resin is hard, though not brittle, and the only way to shape it further is by heating it in hot water.

Since soldiers like to pile their vehicles high with **** they'd rather not carry themselves, it makes perfect sense to have stowage sets adapted to specific kits. Black Dog, Legend and other companies have carved out a real niche in this regard, though their prices are frequently quite high. And Black Dog especially has been criticized for covering up vents and intakes on some vehicles with stowage.

This set, while modest, has been nicely adapted to most Sherman kits (Value Gear is now offering stowage sets tailored to specific popular Sherman kits like DML, Tasca and others). The largest piece includes tarps and crates intended to rest on a regular Sherman back engine deck, along with some crates atop a board that will ride on the vehicle glacis plate. To top off the items, you get some Musette bags and an extra rolled-up tarp.

While Value Gear's Steve Munsell says you don't need to use any solvents to remove mold release compound, I still recommend soaking all resin parts in Blechwhite overnight. This insures a good adherence by the primer coat.

conclusion

All in all, another satisfying offering from Value Gear.

Thanks to Value Gear for providing this review sample. Be sure to mention you saw this set reviewed here when ordering.