introduction

One of the simplest and yet most striking details one can add to a model is good looking lighting. Be in the front or rear, good-looking lights can really make a good model look fantastic. There are a lot of techniques out there, but here is a little set that makes this task much easier, and with fantastic results.

the set

SKP has been producing some interesting sets that are a combination of photo-etched metal and resin that make for some extremely realistic lenses for AFVs. This set covers the AAVP7 and LVTP7. The set is only marked for the AAVP, however enough lenses are included to do either type. On the set you get four clear headlights, two IR lights, a tail light, and a lens for the searchlight. No instructions are given, so it is up to the modeler to find references and figure out which should be used.

Since the size is similar on the Taymia, Academy, and Hobby Boss offerings, I’m fairly certain that these could be used on any of models available. For the AAVP, you will use all four clear lights, plus the taillight and search light. The LVTP, with its distinctive round hull cutouts for the headlights, will use two clear headlights, two IR lights, taillight, and searchlight if you choose.

Modification of Kit Parts:

On the HB and Taymia kits, the lenses are molded solid with the rest of the headlight assembly. I first center-punched a small hole in the center of each molded lens and then drilled out the molded lenses with progressively larger drill bits. Once drilled out, you can either glue in the SKP lenses and mask them for painting, or paint the model and install them afterwards. Either way the result is quite stunning.

Do be gentile with the SKP lenses, as the clear resin is actually somewhat soft and rubber like, and damage could ensue if scraped or pricked with a metal tool. Replacing the searchlight lens follows a similar technique.

conclusion

Overall, a great set that adds quite a bit of life to the kit parts! Many thanks to SKP and Armorama for the review sample.