I have to admit that I've been pretty excited the last few weeks with the release and availability of new 15mm and 1/100 Plastic Kits. I reviewed The Plastic Soldier Company's 15mm T-34's earlier this week and I think they are fantastic. Just to compare, I purchased a couple of Zvezda's new 1/100 WWII Tank kits this week off of Amazon - a German Panzer II and a Soviet T-26. They were $7.99 each with free Prime shipping; this might seem high but was actually cheaper than the $4.99 with $5 shipping that I found on eBay and other online shops - not to mention that they arrived 1 day after ordering.
Overall I have mixed feelings about these Zvezda kits and I'll explain a bit later. On first glance they looked like a match for Plastic Soldier Company. The assembly was a breeze (much quicker than PSC) and the detail on the kits is similar to Plastic Solder Company's T-34. Look at the photos to judge for yourself but I think these two lines will be very compatible with each other.
Now... here's my concern with these Zvezda models: the plastic material used is not on the same quality level as Plastic Soldier Company. While PSC uses a very hard plastic that is similar to styrene (maybe it is styrene?), Zvezda uses a softer material that is glossy. I have not yet painted either of these so to be fair it may hold paint just fine, but I wonder if there will be paint adhesion problems. If I recall, Battlefront's Plastic tracks and details are slight glossy too... so perhaps this is really a non issue.
The one drawback with this plastic that I did experience was the difficulty in cleaning up the mould lines. Zvezda did do a fairly good job in hiding most of the mould lines but the ones that were visible were difficult to neatly clean. I tried using my usual "scraper" and it just scratched and fuzzed up the plastic rather than cleanly removing the mould line. The more I tried, the more hacked up it looked. I tried a small jewelry file (see the T-26 below) and the plastic almost piled up. In the end, I did get it to look ok, but it certainly was not a smooth removal of mould lines. Does anyone have any good suggestions for cleaning Zvezda mould lines?
Overall I think these vehicles from Zvezda are ok, especially if you don't care about mould lines (and should the plastic prove painting friendly). From my standpoint, the PSC are going to be a better option.
this being said, real tanks have mold lines... far worse than anyone cold ever imagine.
ReplyDeleteVery true Braxen... I'll admit that often times I'm a little too crazy in cleaning mould lines that might actually be accurate :)
ReplyDeleteHi Tanner,
ReplyDeleteNice review.
I was looking into buying some Zvezda models to go with the T-34's I received from the PSC.
Tabletop Gaming News is asking for readers to submit reviews have you thought of sharing yours?
The models from PSC and Zvezda are great for Flames of War or similar games. I know I am happy with mine and not just because of the price.
Happy Gaming,
Allan
Allan,
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of submitting to TGN, but I'll probably pass... I got too formal with my original site WWIICentral a couple of years ago and I got burned out with writing articles (and eventually I shut it down :)) This blog has been much less imposing and more informal, so it's been more of what I need to share my random thoughts.
I wouldn't mind a link from TGN though, do you know if that is possible?
Thanks,
Tanner
Hi Tanner,
ReplyDeleteI think you can submit your blog site to their list of blogs.
When you update it does show in their list of hobby blogs.
I hope this helps? They only added this feature last year.
www.tabletopgamingnews.com
Happy Gaming,
Allan
I've painted 5x T26s and a flight of the Zvezda Il-2s. I first sprayed with some GW Chaos Black and I've had no problems with paint adhesion at all.
ReplyDeleteQuick Update: Superglue is a no-go with these! I got curious and tested the holding strength of the superglue I used and the road wheels and tracks popped right off :(
ReplyDeleteBest to use plastic cement.
Couple points about the Zvezda tanks (and the PSC tanks for that matter). I am an experienced model builder, building models for some 25 years.
ReplyDeleteThe plastic used by PSC is indeed a styrene plastic. But the plastic used by Zvezda is actually ABS. Zvezda already produces plenty of kits in styrene, so this was a deliberate choice. Personally I have been waiting for someone to produce wargame kits in ABS for a few years now; it can have similar detail as styrene, but be more flexible.
For gluing use Plastruct's Plastic Weld, for all types of plastic. It will work on ABS just fine.
Also there should be no issues with paint adhesion. I used a rattle can of Flat Panzer Grey from Testors on mine, and worked out perfectly fine...
Great! Thanks for the info Damon,
ReplyDeleteTanner
I am really liking the the PSC and Zvezda models. I have yet to paint the Zvezda ones, so can't comment on adhesion.
ReplyDeleteFor those of us in the US, I use the WarStore.com as a supplier for both of these vendors. Much cheaper than I have found elsewhere. The Zvezda kits are $3.49 each and the 5 pack tanks are ~$23.99, with a flat $5.95 for shipping. They've had issues with having them in stock, but that's my only complaint.
Yep, I use the WarStore.com all the time... in fact, once I read your comment I noticed they had some of the PSC kits in stock that I have been wanting... and I ordered a couple :)
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Tanner
I found that the best way to remove moldlines on soft plastic (probely the only way) is to use an extoblade and carefully cut it off. Filing or grinding with sandpapir wont work on soft plastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteYes, real tanks do have part lines on castings but the mould lines on models are often in different places, as well as being on areas which would be fabricated from plate on the real thing and would therefore be free of any such lines.
I have not yet purchased any Zvezda product but from your review it sounds like they are made from softer plastic used on some toy/model soldiers (Polyethylene?) rather than Polystyrene used on model kits.
If so, I can recommend the following method that I have found gives good results.
Take a paper-clip, larger than average is good, and straighten it out so that you are left with one curve on one end and a heat-proof way of holding the other. Heat the curve and then run it over the mould line. I strongly advise practicing on some sprue first so that you can judge just how much heat to use. Too little and you will achieve nothing, too much and you will damage your model. Just right and you have enough heat to melt the slim mould line and blend it in with the model which itself is too bulky to be effected by the heat. Obviously this cant be done on very thin sections such as weapons but I have found it works well on 1/72 limbs, including slender lower legs on horses.
With a little practice you will get the hang of it very quickly. The results on soft plastic are as good as scraping hard plastic and, once you have the hang of how much heat to use, less risky and frustrating as trying to use even the sharpest scalpel.
Thanks for the suggestion! I will have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteTanner