IPMS/USA Reviews

Thank you to Phil and to Bill for all the work that you do!

First Impression

This ICM offering is a bundle of two of previous releases:  the T-34-85 Soviet Medium Tank kit No. 35367 issued March, 2018  and the Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.B. King Tiger with Henschel Turret kit No. 35363 released July, 2016. The kits are separately packaged. The King Tiger has eight light-gray crisply molded sprues and a set of vinyl tracks. The T-34-85 consists of five dark-green sprues, one clear sprue, a set of vinyl tracks and individually packaged body halves. Two decal sheets are provided. The King Tiger versions are:  PzKpfw.IV Ausf.B s.Pz.Abt. Feldhernhalle, Hungary, March 1945; PzKpfw.IV Ausf.B s.Pz.Abt.

The Panzer III was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Germany and used extensively in World War II. It was intended to fight other armored fighting vehicles. However, as the Germans faced the T-34, more powerful anti-tank guns were needed. Therefore, the Panzer III effectively swapped roles with the Panzer IV and was used primarily for infantry support.

ICM has been pumping out the WWI-era model kits as of late and I have been reveling in it. After learning this kit was available, I jumped at the chance to grab it after recently finishing their FWD Truck kit. For this moderately skilled modeler though, this one proved to be a bit more challenging and frustrating. Details on the parts were crisp and the included engine is nice as well. However there are quite a few sink marks, and not all of them are so easily hidden.

What's Inside the Box

The kit comes as the standard ICM kit does--with a colorful box top that slides off of an enclosed brown cardboard box. Parts were packaged well and details were crisp with no flash to speak of.

• 2 light gray plastic sprues
• 1 small clear sprue
• Decal sheet featuring two schemes
• Instruction booklet

One of Hobby Boss' latest releases is the Russian self-propelled howitzer known as the Msta-S, or officially the 2S19-M1. The design of these vehicle began in the early 80s under the "Ob-yekt 316" program. Mounting a 152mm howitzer, the Msta-S can fire just about every type of munition in the Russian arsenal, including all types of high explosive, smoke, chemical, tactical nuclear, and even some laser-guided munitions. The Msta-S is basically the Russian response to the United States' Paladin program, an armored self-propelled large gun to provide indirect fire support. The 2S19-M1 has seen operational use in the Second Chechen War, and more recently in the conflicts in the Ukraine.

Upon opening the box, you find a rather small number of parts and sprues. In fact, there are only 2 sprues in the kit, with the turret, upper and lower hull, and tracks provided as separate parts. Each part and sprue is individually wrapped in and packaged. A small set of decals is also provided with very basic numbers and insignia. The instructions lay out the build in 7 quick steps.

History

The name 'clouded leopard' is taken from a beautiful medium-sized wild cat that is found throughout much of Southeastern Asia and pictured below to satisfy your animal interest for this beautiful cat.

This kit is a Taiwan Infantry Fighting Vehicle (TIFV) and appears to closely resemble the Stryker vehicles I have seen at Ft. Lewis. That's where the apparent similarity ends, as the basic CM-32 vehicle series is new design built in Taiwan, the Republic of China.

This Taiwanese vehicle is an 8 wheeled armored vehicle with the four front wheels able to articulate together, allowing for approximately a 33-foot turning radius. The CM-32 series is currently at roughly 600 units and is estimated to include almost 1,400 in total operational service. The CM-34 (covered in this review) mounts a long barreled 30 mm chain gun in its dedicated turret. There are approximately 284 CM-34 versions currently in use by the Taiwanese army and another 21 in use by the Republic of China Military Police.