Merkava Mk.3D Early
Meng Model 1:35 Scale Kit #TS-001
Preview by Terry Ashley
The kit consists of:
- 517 parts in grey/green plastic
- 14 parts in clear plastic
- Individual nonworking track links
- 1 length of thread
- 1 length of thin wire
- 1 small lead sheet
- 18 vinyl poly caps
- 1 decal sheet
- 1 26 page instruction booklet
Moulding is very well done with clean crisp details with very little if any flash or pin marks evident on the parts. the key features of the kit included both steel and rubber tyre road wheels, superbly moulded one piece idler wheels are a standout as is the open holes in the drive sprocket dish. There is a separate engine deck but the hull or turret have no moulded on nonslip texturing nor is there any interior detail in either the hull or turret.
The turret has a lower tub with all the top armour modules and roof as separate parts with the ball and chain armour moulded in the same plastic as the rest of the kit which does make this easy for the average modeller. A small lead sheet is provided for the cloth turret placards to which is added the decals provided.
Markings are provided for two IDF vehicles in overall sandy brown plus a 26 page instruction booklet that includes two pages of vehicle history in both English and Chinese, the two marking options included three view colour illustrations showing the decal placement.
Option 1: Tank Gimel, 2nd Company (Wolves), 2nd Battalion, Barak (Lightning) Brigade, Lebanon 2006
Option 2: Tank 10 Gimel, 2nd Battalion (Sa ̀ar),Barak (Lightning) Brigade, Operation Cast Lead, Gaza, January 2009
Click on thumbnails for larger view
Sprue Detail Images
for the review kit. 