Lots of folks are super-excited to see the latest addition to Early War
Flames of War -
Rising Sun. One of the best things for lovers of painting and modeling is that we get to focus on some more tanks for the Soviets to build even more monstrous hordes! We got our hands on the new
BT-5 box set and could not wait to get these guys done!
[Editor - Seems my camera lens has gotten buggered -- sorry for the 'afterglow' pics!]
The box set comes with 5 tanks for $52USD - over $10/tank for pretty small models. While that isn't too bad, the box set is absent some of the more common things in Battlefront box sets these days -- decals and magnets. With a quick interwebs search, I did not see a lot of decals on BT-5s, so I decided to go without. I purchase bulk magnets, so this did not matter to me, but included magnets are something I have come to expect.
One of the great things about this model is the low parts count -- 6 pieces per tank! I found the flashing on the metal pieces very manageable.
During assembly, I discovered that I didn't have to drill out anything for my magnets! Yay! I use magnets that are about twice as thick as the Battlefront ones, so this was a pleasant surprise.
I was very pleased with the way the models painted up. I did a black primer coat, then a coat of Krylon Olive Drab. Next, I did a "wet-brush" with Russian Green, then a highlight of Russian Uniform, then a very light drybrush of Khaki. I used a little Flat Earth to mud these up slightly.
I took this overhead picture to note one slight problem with the tank. There seems to be quite a bit of gap between the hatch and the top of the turret. This was consistent on all of the models I had.
I was quite impressed with the level of detail on this tank. The rivets are there, the lights up front look nice, the details of the turret are preserved -- overall, very nice indeed. The "chunky" Battlefront style is still maintained, which I am quite fond of -- but this is a matter of individual taste.
These things do look cool - must resist the urge to build EW Soviets! I think I can pawn these off on Hecht!
These models are nice and there isn't a ton more to say about them. I had no major problems, so not a lot of controversy.
I really like the ease of assembly and the low part count. I also found that everything went together easily. There was very little flash on the resin or metal parts, so cleanup was a breeze - I actually went from unboxed to fully painted models in about 3 hours.
I would have liked to see magnets included in this set, especially since most folks using these will need a TON of them - adding 10 magnets to each box will increase the cost beyond the $52USD per box. Over $150USD to run a company of these (17 models)...a little steep.
Overall, a nice box set for folks wanting to run EW Soviet Fast Tankovy.
Models provided by Battlefront Miniatures
