Thanks fellows...
A big box of green foam boards has arrived. Desert terrain will soon be underway... (Although I think this may end up as a Spring project - not sure I want to be out in the garage making things in the middle of a freezing January... )
Meanwhile, in other news, two more forthcoming additions... Blitzkrieg Vickers VIb and Panzer II Ausf F.
Tiger tanks are all very well, but there is something very appealing about these natty little tanks.
That said, I am disenchanted with Blitzkrieg. As mentioned earlier in the thread, they always look brilliant online, because they use computer renders - not pics of the actual models. The models themselves are more of a mixed bag.
Having done quite a lot of cleaning up work on these two, plus the earlier SdKfz 231, I see what's going on with these...
Basically, the top half of each model is absolutely superb. Crisply moulded with lots of lovely sharp details. Beautiful.
The bottom half, alas - in particular the area involving the mould line around the tracks / wheels and lower part of the hull, front and back - is a freaking disaster. All manner of resin accretions and mucky lumps of efflorescence that require determined carving away with a scalpel to reshape down to the correct profile, as best one can. Not a job for the inexperienced or or faint-hearted.
I guess they'd say that because these are designed for robust handling on the wargames table, rather than pinpoint accurate scale models, it's more important that they look the business from above, rather than worrying about a bit of miscasting and resin clag around the lower portions of the vehicle (which can be covered up with mud, etc). I can see this point of view, but it's a little bit disappointing.
The separate hatches are also really poorly moulded on both these two models. You wonder why they didn't go to metal castings for these tiny, separate detailed parts. They don't attach properly either, so I've had to reinforce with tiny amounts of Green Stuff as well as superglue. Poor.
I'm sure they'll look wonderful once painted, but I be thinking pretty carefully before getting any more...
I know - moan, grumble, moan... I think my beef is that the flawless shiny thing you see in the online shop is not quite what you get in the box...