By TristanLet me set the tone of this review with one word.... Wow!
My first Rubicon kit arrived in the mail and considering all the things I'd heard about the quality of Rubicon I was excited to get this on my desk. Pulling open the box and examining the sprue, I was delighted to see plenty of different options to customise and personalise my particular model.
The kit itself is a solid 10/10. It fits together with no issues and the instructions and additional pieces allow you to construct 2 different variants. I decided to build the M3A1, as it seemed the more interesting piece. I wasn't disappointed when I finally put the finishing touches on the model. My only gripe (there has to be one doesn't there?) was the crew that came with the half-track. The bodies are perfect for what i needed, they were moulded extremely well so they fit into the half-track cab with amazing ease. The heads however were a little bit of a let down. They have strange looking faces and the helmets look like something a modern day cyclist would wear. However, I can only assume that most modellers like me have a small box of plastic heads and helmets, so I dug out my spare British pieces and away I went. The new heads fitted perfectly with the Rubicon bodies and they fit well inside the allowed space.
Once together I added stowage and little pieces of flair to give this model some character! I enjoy this part of the process immensely, as it allows the builder a degree of creative license that lets us field a piece that is relatively unique. Once I had all my stowage sorted I base coated the piece white and the base colour for the body is Vallejo brown violet. From this point on, I experimented with highlights and shadows until I achieved the desired effect.
The finished product looks incredible, despite my mediocre painting skills, and I put this down to the fact that Rubicon have once again proved why they are industry leaders when it comes to plastic kits.
I would definitely buy another of these kits as it was brilliant to assemble, great fun to paint and it will look great ferrying my Tommys from one side of the table to the other. Cheers Rubicon! Keep up the great work!
((Also recently, Rubicon has said they have been listening to feedback and working on their crew sculpts to raise them to the high bar that the rest of their products achieve. A very bright future beckons. - Anf))
Until next time, roll your 6's and have fun
Tristan is a new kid when it comes to war gaming. Having been playing and painting for a little under 12 months, Tristan has found the whole experience to be both challenging and rewarding. You can find him roaming around most Melbourne based Bolt Action tournaments, mic in hand, ready to record the truth of Bolt Action at a moments notice for the Ghost Army Podcast.
