Mixed media kit: injection moulded and vac-form parts
Price around £16.99 GBP
Ref: A05701
Review by Geoff Coughlin (August 2014)
Our thanks to Airfix for supplying our review sample; get this kit here now at: www.airfix.com
Background
It’s always good to have accessories that help modellers to display their completed projects and here we have another one from WWII.
Forts like this, found all along the northern French coast, formed an integral part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall; a ring around what he described as Fortress Europe. However, many were easily dealt with by either naval bombardment or air attack prior to D-Day and only a few remained in action to be dealt with by infantrymen after the 6th of June.
We have already reviewed a number of resin buildings and accessories from the Airfix range so do check them out in the Armour Kits area of Here Now.
Main vac-formed moulding
The one-piece vac-form moulding is ideal and will find many takers for those interested in this scale. The quality of the tooling is perfectly good for the scale with clear definition to the concrete/stone surfaces of the emplacement.
The base should be stuck down to a suitable firm board to prevent damage and you may even consider filling the underside of the mould with foam or other material to give it greater strength. The moulding will need to take a lot of handling and wear during the painting and weathering process as you apply whatever groundwork and scatter you wish to use but what is supplied is pretty sturdy.
Injection parts
These comprise gun with armour plated protective shield, searchlight and bunker. To be honest, the parts aren’t too well moulded and have a lot of excess flash to remove but with care and a little time you should be able to improve them and add to your base.
Instructions
A painting guide is provided on a colour sheet with Humbrol colour references and names are given that will help you to complete your model authentically.
To conclude
This is a reasonable product and could enhance a small-scale vignette or diorama involving many of the Airfix AFV kits. Note that some of the resin accessories from Airfix are in 1:72 scale like the fountain and Polish Bank, while others are in 1:76 scale, but that this addition is 1:72 means you can choose from a growing range of armour-related kits and accessories.
Geoff C.
SMN Quick summary Star rating out of 5
| FEATURE | STAR RATING (out of five) |
|---|---|
| Quality of moulding | *** (vac-form base) ** (injection parts) |
| Accuracy | *** |
| Instructions | **** |
| Decals | N/A |
| Subject choice | *** |
| Overall | *** |