Introduction

AIM Fan Models is a new company name to me and this sample of a Soviet Motorcycle PMZ-A-750 with Machine gun from AIM Fan Models and sent in by HobbyTerra for review is the first time I and any of the people I have spoken to have heard anything of them or their products. The company is I believe a Ukrainian company as that is where the box states it was made printed on the side.
The PMZ-A-750 is a Soviet copy of the Harley-Davidson's Model D which is a design dating back to 1929. The Soviets started producing the bike in 1933 and a number of them were used by the Soviet armed forces.

Contents

The contents of this model consist of;

• 3 grey sprues
• 2 rubber tyres
• 1 clear sprue
• 1 photo etched fret
• 1 decal sheet
• 2 A4 sheets of paper folded in half to make a booklet of instructions.

Review

The packaging for this PMZ A 750 from AIM Fan Model kind of takes me back to my childhood as it is an end opening box made from thin card with a matt print of the model and various information, the style and feel of the packaging reminds me of the first AirFix kits I got as a young child. However that is where the similarity ends as the contents share nothing with the models of the early 1970’s. The parts have been packaged in 4 self sealing polythene bags with the exception of the clear sprue; these packages have then been placed in another self sealing polythene bag along with the instructions.

The plastic parts are of a good to high quality with no serious issues to overcome except for a small sign of flash creeping in, this very minor flash is on the sprue carrier on my sample but could be present elsewhere on other examples. The gates between the srues and the parts are small, well placed, and minimal in number. There are what may be some cooling shrink marks on some parts but they are on mating surfaces and could be by design in fairness.

The instructions are laid out using black and white line drawings on a matt paper. Construction is complete in 12 stages with the last stage providing the option of an armed or unarmed bike, the armed version has a different front light configuration. My only concern at this time about the instructions is that the lines showing placement of parts may be a little hit and miss when it comes to accurate placement of parts. An interesting touch in the instructions is that the part numbers are listed down the side of the page allowing you to tick them off as you remove them from the sprue and this should mean no parts are missed during construction; this is something I would like to see other manufacturers adopt as it is a nice touch and helps out those of us whose eyes are not what they were. One other aspect of the instructions I should mention is that none of the parts are numbered on the sprue, this means you need to use the parts map on the second page of the instruction booklet.

The clear sprue containing the headlight lenses are good but care will need to be taken when it comes to removal to prevent damage to the lens. The rubber tyres are something that I know does not appeal to all due to the difficulty of preventing damage or deteration after having been painted and the application of weathering and finishing products. The photo etched fret containing the spokes for the model appears to be of copper which is an unusual choice. Around the circumference of the spokes are 3 or 5 slots depending on if it is for the front or rear which I believe will make it easy for the finished assemblies to take on the domed appearance of motorcycle wheels. The decals supplied with model are minimal with only two being required, one on each side of the frame. AIM Fan Model has supplied 7 of these decals allowing for trial an error or use on other projects.

Information on this vehicle is limited in English and finding pictures is not overly easy as lots of them are of the Harley Davidson design, which while copied I believe there are subtle differences. The detail incorporated is of a very high standard overall for what is I believe a new company to the party. The small engine in this bike consists of 17 parts, this I believe gives an indication into the level of detail as 4 of those pieces are I believe the sparkplugs. The only obvious omissions to me is the brake and throttle cables and so there is something for the scratch builders to do. The only moulding I am not impressed with is the DT machine gun which appears to me to be bowed along its length, it also has not been hollowed out at the muzzle but is instead slightly domed. These faults are not the end of the world and I am sure an alternate gun could be found if you don’t want to tackle the clean-up of the kit supplied option.

Conclusion

This model from AIM Fan Model of the PMZ A 750 being their first foray into the main arena I believe, is very good. There is a considerable amount of detail included that should meet with approval from most modellers, and still allows the addition of some finer details such as the cables. The machine gun supplied looks a little disappointing but is not an over surmountable problem. Price in some locations around the world may be a deterrent to some potential customers, however the $23.oo price tag from HobbyTerra may tempt you. Well worth a look.

Reference

PMZ-A-750 Live links
Bonhams Auctions Live links