Reference number: 6431
Reviewed by Bill Curtis
See the completed build in our Armour Finished Now section
Initial assessment…
The original Italeri Chaffee was a post war vehicle whereas this is of the earlier model used in WWII and exported to various countries in Europe, Middle East, Far East and Norway.
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The kit consists of 253 parts of which 250 are in plastic, two metallic coloured ribbon tracks and a clear sheet of clear acetate. The moulds appear to be new and some extra bits have been included on a small extra sprue which includes new drivers for the track, new stowage bits and a couple of spare track links. The clear sheet is for the driver’s windscreen and is a nice touch.
The only internal detail is the gun breach as opposed to a busy exterior which has lots of items.
No figures are included.
Accuracy…
The wheels are too small but can be replaced if accuracy is an issue with a set from AFV Club M41 which will give the running gear with lightening holes in the drive sprockets. The tracks have been changed to the earlier version with new sprockets to fit the change but no lightening holes. Overall the kit is quite good but has several detail faults including pads on the rear plate for fixing the flotation gear which was never used.
Quality…
The kit is moulded in light grey plastic with some nice detail moulding. The mould release marks are on the rear of the parts and should be unseen when completed. As for flash, there are some very small amounts on some parts but nothing that will not clean up quickly.
Instructions…
The instruction sheet is a single piece folded into four giving eight pages which takes you through a logical build sequence. These start with the usual vehicle potted history, followed by the sprue layout, pages 3 – 5 are of the build which is then followed by three pages of paint schemes of fiver vehicles. The schemes are for US Army Italy April 1945, US Army Germany 1945, US Army 3rd Infantry Korea 1951, British 1st RTR Germany 1945 and lastly a French Army tank in Indo China 1953.
Decals…
A small sheet of decals is supplied for the above vehicles which are printed by Zanchette of Italy and they look to have good register as well as looking thin. All tanks are in Olive Drab and the most colourful is the French one with a red heart and coloured sword and shield.
Conclusions…
Although this kit has some accuracy issues I feel it looks the part and should be a great kit for all levels of modellers, especially the beginner. One point I wish Italeri would add some crew figures to their kits as this adds that final bit of the “Life” to the finished subject.
Highly recommended
Bill C.