introduction

Value Gear's founder, Steve Munsell, is a restless creator. He could be happy just churning out his successful line of generic stowage sets. But instead, he keeps experimenting with new ideas. He started with tents & tarps, then moved on to crates. Now, he's combined the two with a set of crates with tarps folded up on top of them.

what you get

Inside Value Gear's usual Ziploc baggie with a stapled-on header card are 12 pieces of dark gray resin.

the review

The beauty of the Value Gear product is its name: gear at a good value. As with VG's other items, these crates, tarps and combos will work on just about any vehicle or diorama from the Romans to the present day.

The casting is the usual VG crisp, with clear, precise details. Surprisingly, some have criticized VG's details for being TOO sharp for the scale. Perhaps we've just gotten used to sloppy casting or worn-out molds that result in "soft" contours?

This set gives users both tarps (7 pieces in various sizes), plus tarps draped over crates, including some ammo boxes. Given the slapdash way soldiers often pile up their gear when moving about, this is an inspired touch. The set can be mixed and matched with other VG offerings, since the price of a few sets is often equal to or even less than a single set from other manufacturers.

There are no painting guides, so you'll have to do a little research unless you just want generic buff tents and tarps. But that flexibility means you can use these sets for any army or time period where there was canvas.

conclusion

There's not much else to say about the set, other than it's another step in the right direction for a young company that is making the hobby better.

Thanks to Value Gear for providing this review sample. Be sure to let them know you saw it reviewed here on Armorama when ordering.