Introduction

Modelling as a hobby as grown in leaps and bounds over the years, no matter what your interest there are many accessories that can be added. FC Modeltips have forwarded a further selection of their excellent 1/35 boxes.

Review

This selection of boxes are from different time periods but are all ration packs of some sort, they are all 1/35 scale. They are all priced at a very reasonable €3.63 (current as of May 2015) plus shipping.
35336 – Meal, Combat, Individual Vietnam war
35337 – Red Cross & Order of St. John Prisoner Ration WWII
35347 – American Red Cross Prisoner Ration WWII

All three sets arrive in re-sealable plastic bags and are printed on thick white paper the quality of printing is very high. Each one of the boxes is printed in a slightly different colour this replicates a variation in the finish and adds to the realism. The modeller will require a sharp knife and a metal straightedge to ensure that the boxes are accurately removed from the sheet. A minor disadvantage is that the interior of the boxes will always be white unless they are painted to match the exterior.

Meal, Combat, Individual Vietnam war
This set gives the modeller 8 boxes and the outer surround typical of these ration boxes. The boxes are marked as Meal Combat Individual ‘C’, these boxes would contain 12 individual boxes (not included). Example of the ration box here on Olive Drab Website Live links
Red Cross & Order of St. John Prisoner Ration WWII
Red Cross parcels were originally distributed during the First World War during the Second World War they were once again distributed to Allied prisoners. This set contains 32 individual boxes, the marking match existing records of this type of box.
American Red Cross Prisoner Ration WWII
The American Red Cross Parcels were usually distributed to American prisoners, the boxes were similar to the Red Cross & Order of St John. The food was normally given to the camp cook to supplement other food, with the prisoners retaining the chocolate and cigarettes. This set also includes 32 individual boxes.

There is a good article on Wikipedia that describes the contents of the Prisoner Rations it can be found here Live links

Conclusion

These sets are exceptionally good value and offer very realistic looking boxes. For many modellers the Vietnam war style boxes will have a wider appeal as there are great deal of models they can adorn. The Prisoner Rations may have a slightly smaller appeal but as there are a number of Axis transport vehicles they will always find a home. FC Modeltips must be congratulated for producing a realistic set of boxes. They should be easy to assemble and the modeller needs to take a bit of time cutting them out and taking time to fold them accurately.