These models are not quite as bad to put together as I feared. I've always rated Evan Alan as a model designer (and a thoroughly nice chap to boot) and the detail is excellent. They also fit together fairly well and mostly are idiot proof as far as part fitting goes - even those pesky tail skids went together without too much fuss. They do however show the limitations of the mixed metal & resin components, in that the BF Type 89s have 10 metal parts and 2 resin (plus optional commander). I happened to have an old Quality Castings Type 89 spare that I never finished so I dug it out to compare. QC managed the same model with broadly equivalent detail in metal alone in just 5 parts - mainly because they cast the trench crossing tail as an integral part of the hull and covered it with stowage. What really surprised me was just how close both models actually are. You would have to look very close at them on table to see the difference. Here is a pic of a completed BF one and the QC one from the spares box. I'm not sure which I prefer - I suspect that pesky tail skid may well be a weak point on the BF model, but there are some areas on the QC one that are not as good as the BF - the insides of the front track units are blank for instance.
Hmm, very similar indeed
ReplyDeleteLooking quite neat :)
Yes - Not sure if I prefer the BF\Fow one or the QC one
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