Over the past few years, multiple manufactures have produced to varying degrees moulded lenses to replace the kit parts. These have been available in various sizes, but little-cars.com have taken them a step further by producing them in various colours as well. I have included a 1p coin in the pictures to hopefully show the true size of each lens, as well as an example of them in use on my M915a1 truck and trailer.
review
The lenses come packaged in a small zip lock bag, with the actual lenses attached to a small card which indicates the size. They are available in nine different sizes ranging from 1mm to 5mm in 0.5mm steps. Each pack contains 8 lenses in the chosen size, and the price is the same for each individual pack at £2.50 each or five packs for £10. When compared to similar products by other manufactures, I feel that this is a real good price.
The lenses are currently available in all sizes in the following colours:Clear, Red, Dark Yellow, Dark Green, Light Green, Dark Orange and Blue. I picked up some sets of Clear, Red and Dark Orange which I feel are possibly going to be the more popular ones.
All the lenses have a silver backing to them, which is more apparent in the clear sets, as it acts like a reflective backing bringing the lens to life. It is a lot harder to see this backing in the coloured lenses, certainly in the Reds and Oranges I have even in the large sizes. I don't feel this takes anything away from the coloured ones, but it does add something to the clear sets.
The lenses are stuck to the backing card with what looks like double sided tape, the lenses are easily peeled off the backing with a good blade in the craft knife. I should point out that the lenses do not have a sticky back to them, but do seem to pick up some of the adhesive from the tape, so I would recommend that you use a small amount of PVA glue to secure them to the model.
conclusion
Having used other makes of lenses previously, I found the quality of these to be as good, with a varied range of sizes that will suit most scales. I certainly cannot argue at the price, along with a range of colours (with more colours to be added in the future according to their web site) to suit most applications. They are available through mail order from little-cars.com, or can be picked up in person from the shows in the UK that they attend.
Highly Recommended.
SUMMARY
Highs: Varied colours and sizes at a great price, easy to attach and look the part. Lows: Would like to see a pack containing a selection of all sizes to try in the various colours. Verdict: Highly recommended for anybody looking to add a little extra to their model.
About Keith Forsyth (docdios) FROM: ENGLAND - WEST MIDLANDS, UNITED KINGDOM
Keith Forsyth (docdios) comes from the small town of Stafford in the United Kingdom. He began his interest in modeling at an early age with armor being the main focus. It was not until finding himself between jobs in 1995 that he really got hooked. It was during a shopping visit to another town when...
Great review Keith. Can tell in an instant from the pics what size and colour... Clearly a boon for truck models etc.
I wonder what the clear 3mm lenses would be like for a Sherman~
Does anyone know what the dimensions are for MV lenses as such are supplied by Formations models?
Brad
Hi,
Keith, many thanks for posting the review of the lenses
Thought I'd add a litte bit more detail.
The lenses are backed with a silver disc, which can be removed if required.
Some lenses that are on a waxed paper carrier are sticky backed, those on a sticky carrier are not. Pacer Canopy Glue or Gator grip glue are the best to use when appying them.
The colours available at the moment are:
Clear
Red
Yellow
Orange
Blue
Light Green
Dark Green
Each is available in sizes 1mm up to 5mm, in 0.5mm increments.
In answer to the 'lows' noted on the review.
I had thought about mixing sizes on the cards, but worked out that there would have to be a number of different combinations to suit everyone and with over 500 different options I decided against it.
The admin involved and time taken to do this would have been horendous and would have put the price of the lenses up which I wanted to avoid.
So they are priced to be affordable to all ( and people outside the EU don't pay the 15% VAT).
The pricing also fits in with the rest of my detailing range (about 140 different items) at £2.50 each, five or more items for £2 each.
Thanks,
Paul
little-cars
Hi Paul
Thanks for the reply, I completely understand about the various different possibilities for the various sizes but could it be practical for say just the clear ones, that way then some body who has no real idea of which size they actually need could then buy that multi sized pack try the various sizes against there model then be able to purchase the correct sized pack next time around.
I only ask as I ended up doing similar with a set from Resicast, but now I have a better idea of the actual size I need for most applications.
I will next time I come across your stand at a show make myself know
cheers
Keith
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