RickC5

I realize lots of modelers want the option of adding Zimmerit themselves. I have done so myself, but I have yet to be totally pleased with the results. Either the after-market stuff doesn't quite fit properly, or the result isn't worth the pain. And I also realize that simulating battle damage is more difficult with the molded-on stuff. Of course, this is all just my personal opinion, but what I would like Tamiya to do is simply provide the option of buying a kit with or without the molded-on Zimmerit, like Dragon does. What really frustrates me is that Tamiya's box art shows the vehicle with Zimmerit, but of course, there is none when you open the box--molded-on or glue-on. Maybe they could offer a kit with BOTH sets of parts--those with and those without Zimmerit and let the builder choose what he wishes to use during the build. I realize this would increase the cost of the kit(s), but it would be an interesting option.

I agree about the "damage" as several of my earlier attempts at using thin resin Zimmerit resulted in quite a bit of unintended battle damage. LOL! I currently have a couple of Dragon kits with the molded-on Zimmerit, and I thought I would try using a combo of dremel tool and new xacto blade to simulate some missing Zimmerit. As far as the seemingly odd choices for new kit releases these days, I'm can only assume that the various manufacturers are simply trying to provide some new material to improve their market share. I somehow doubt that spending R & D monies to develop an entirely new release of an older subject (Panzer IV, Tiger, Panther, etc.) would be very cost effective, even though we would sure like to see Tamiya do just that. OTOH, there are so many vehicles out there that have yet to be released in plastic, like soft-skinned trucks, that I also wonder about their thought processes in releasing so many of the "paper Panzers" as mentioned by Mark. Sure, they're interesting--sort of, but heck, they never saw actual service. Personally, I would like to see some new kits of US WWII trucks that are only offered in resin at this time, or not at all. IBG recently released some new kits of early German WWII trucks that are nicely done.

Dragon has been producing some really nice versions of German WWII armor complete with Zimmerit! The molding/casting is exceptionally well done, with sharp edges and in very realistic patterns. So I'm curious why Tamiya hasn't done something similar. Today I saw a kit of Tamiya's King Tiger with the Porsche turret at my LHS. Virtually every King Tiger with a Porsche turret (only about 50 were made) left the factory with a coat of Zimmerit. The Tamiya box art depicts Zimmerit, but my past experiences with Tamiya is that while there may be Zimmerit on the box art, there isn't any on the kit. I wasn't about to spend $50 and be disappointed yet again. Any idea if Tamiya will ever produce any kits with Zimmerit? Seems to me they are missing the boat by not doing so, but that's just my opinion.

I really like Dragon kits. They are a challenge to build, yet go together reasonably well and look good when finished. However, like Mark pointed out, the directions frequently are a real mess. On a recent build of a 1/35 Wirbelwind, I fond MANY unused parts when I was nearing completion, and since some appeared to be critical (like a turret ring) I studied the line drawings carefully. I discovered that later drawings actually showed many of the parts installed, but there was no call-out or step that showed the builder when and where to put them. I have also noticed that Dragon simply copies some build steps from previous/other kits where the parts are the same, but doesn't bother to ensure the copied step(s) are fully integrated with the current kit. Maybe they are in too big of a hurry to release new kits to do a good job of quality control on their instructions. Who knows? Frustrating for sure, but these oversights are unlikely to keep me from buying Dragon kits. I just learned to study the directions VERY carefully.

Thanks for the clarification, cbush. That's what I get for relying on my memory instead of doing some research. BTW- I'm also an AF vet from the Vietnam era, but spent my time in Europe and Kansas instead of Vietnam thank God.

I can't state this definitively, but I don't recall that the V-100s in Vietnam ever had that small, twin-30s turret depicted in the new Hobby Boss model. I thought all had open tops with some M-60 shields, like the posted photos, and that the twin-30s turret was a prototype of some sort. I wonder where Hobby Boss came up with that? Hmmmm....