I decided to build a 15mm or 1:100 M60A3 from Plastic Soldier Company, and because I thoroughly enjoyed building it I thought I should write up a little review...
Because it is not connected to any of my current hobby projects, this kit has been sitting on my desk for quite some time now. A shame, really, as it is such a nice model...
The details...
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| The box contains five models... |
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| The building instructions, as easy as it gets... |
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| Both sides of the sprue... All the parts needed for one M60A3... |
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| The tracks consist of two parts which easily snap together... |
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| There is no way to get this wrong... |
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| The headlights are a nice bit of detail... A pair of tweezers proved to be essential here... |
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| Crips detail and a tight fitting model kit... |
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| The 'finished' product... |
The model has two hatches that can either be modelled open or closed. For this first model I opted to keep all the hatches closed.
To put this tank together I used a sharp hobby knife, a pair of tweezers and a small drill. For the main construction I used plastic glue, which I always prefer when working with plastic. The magnets were glued with super glue.
After the main assembly I usually add a brass antenna, but I must somehow have misplaced my container of plastic and brass rods. This final detail will be added as soon as I find them again...
The verdict...
The kit has everything I have come to expect from a company like PSC, crisp detail, tight fitting parts, high quality plastic and not a single defect to be found... Parts like the headlights or the stowage rack at the back of the turret really add to the model.
The parts were completely free of flash, so getting them ready for assembly was as easy as cutting them from the sprue. The model is easy to build and goes together really well, if I hadn't magnetized the hull and turret I would have been able to assemble it in a couple of minutes.
In addition to the complete vehicle, the kit comes with two crew and some additional stowage.
The model is obviously designed for gaming, thus some of the smaller parts are a bit thicker than they should be, scale-wise. Fine by me, as I would end up breaking them if they were any thinner...
Extra work...
I took a minute to drill out the muzzle of the barrel. Nothing fancy, just a small hole to add some detail to the barrel...
Because of my slight magnet fetish I had no other option than to magnetize the turret and hull (not because the system provided doesn't work, because it does). It takes a little bit more time and effort, but this makes my tanks compatible with my smoke plumes, which, you guessed it, are also magnetized... I have a fair number of PSC miniatures in my Flames of War collection, and all have received a similar treatment.
Below you can see the extra steps I have taken to add the magnets...
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| Step 1: drill the holes... |
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| Step 2: cover the holes... |
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| Step 3: put the magnets in the holes... |
As you see, it's not exactly rocket science... I use 5mm magnets and a 5.5mm drill. The white bits are just scraps of plasticard, cut to size. These are glued to the inside of the model to provide a surface to which the magnets can be attached.
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