Well the kit is not bad at all, so far. The way the layout of the parts is done is way different, and square sprues, are a first for me. My first thoughts was that in my opinion way too many parts, But on the plus side all of them appear to be crisp and new, as a new kit this is the way it should be.
I should that a bunch of seam lines do need to be removed, in this kit and I do mean a bunch, but any modeller should be able to handle that easily. The attachments points are far too large in my opinion as I have seen thinner ones on 1/6 scale stuff. The tracks need to be changed as I see it, as these are not what i expect in this day and age and so I would not call High Tech. If they had done a set like Dragon they would be way ahead. I still think this kit is one link short, but I have seen some built where they look to be okay. My results may be due to the fact that I did not use the included jig proper; however I still think a set of DS type of tracks would save time, well just be better.
The fit of some of the parts is not as good as it should be; angles on what should be straight parts and others do not close up properly. I fixed a bunch of these issues and left some alone as getting this kit built and finished looked like I was going to miss my deadline. Going back to the track issue I did order a set of AFV Club tracks, even though a pain they went on with just slight sag. As we should all know the really small and delicate pins on AFV Club tracks means that they should not be put them under tension.
More on the attachment problem of some parts. Some are made with heavy points of attachment, which in turn means that no matter what you do to release the part it breaks. To articulate my point the little handles, the ones that go on the rear top deck, the instructions ask for two to be used and Takom supply 10, 5 on each A sprue. After a good look at how best to remove these parts I made a start, as soon as any pressure applied all five broke straight thru the middle. Due to this issue on the other sprue a different approach was called for, this also lead to breaking them all one at time. With no parts left I finally made the parts using copper wire and thin lead sheet, which looks better then the model ones anyway.
Conclusion
So for me as far as I am concerned I am finished with it now. My final assessment of the model is that it is not to bad a model, for what it is. On the downside there are a lot of seams that need to be taken care of. As a newer model the seams should not be a problem one would have to deal with. I must admit that even though most parts are heavy on attachment points, the railings for the turret came off easy if one thought about it looked like the best way to do it. My final Opinion is that this is a nice kit ,as to subject it lacks a few things, like tracks, and smaller attachment points on the sprues.
SUMMARY
Highs: I would say the High would be the Model, as far as I know nobody does one of these M47's, the kit is heavy on some parts, that are not used.Lows: I did not like the tracks, they did not fit the part and look way too thick; nicely caste though.Verdict: Overall not to bad a kit, quite a few seams have to be removed. In this day and age that should not happen; also two piece barrels should be a thing of the past. The tracks I did not like, as explained above.
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Actually, I thought you too 'kind' in describing the kit. I'm working the E version myself at the moment (along with 3 other Testor's M47's), but I still find the Testor's kit more enjoyable. Great review however...and thanks for exposing the numerous flaws with the Takom M47 (most of which I'm familiar with already).
Sorry guys for the double pics ,and what appears to be one from the M-110. LOL
I did think as the subject good, the part fit not so good on some parts, Turret is another I should of pointed out. Some parts do not key well, at all.
No Tamiya here,suspension a tad on the flaky side also.
Enjoy the build though. Not bad I guess, and one more thing, a two piece barrel,which I find rough in this day and age.Looks like I forgot to remove the blue tape on the headlight also, and no weathering , as a new one on the battlefield. Next time I will move to a blue area while in the construction phase.So no pics of tools and paint all around.
Cheers
Jeff
Yea...big time. I just get that kinda 'ick' feeling in thinking they (Takom) didn't quite work through the engineering expected on some of their kits...especially when other manufacturers are already there in producing stunning/accurate kits. While I get a somewhat good feeling on most of what the AML's provide, I feel unsatisfied with their M47's. But...no matter the kit I have of Takom's, every single one of them to some degree, possess sink marks, ancient 2 piece barrels, too thick detail on some pieces, sprue gates that are 3 to 5 times bigger than the part they hold (breaking most of those parts), questions to accurate turrets/fenders, and especially lots of just general poor fitting of parts. But because at the moment they are the only game in town for some of the subject matter, I buy their kits knowing I have to go to the aftermarket for corrections that should have been avoided in the first place. My 2 cents...
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