Sitrep - progress report or a tale of two model kits

Normally, I don't review products on my blog, but I will make an exception for a couple of 1:72 kits I have been working on. 

The whole operational project for the Western Desert is part nostalgia, part recent inspiration. The recent part was the sadly lamented Dancing Cake Tin blog: James seems to have had problems with his blog, started a replacement then abandoned blogging. Anyway, he embarked on WW2 Megablitz forces, including Western Desert:

https://thedancingcaketin.blogspot.com/search/label/Megablitz

The nostalgia part relates to my very earliest wargaming; I started as a modeller with 1:35 and 1:32 kits, progressing to the 1:76 and 1:72 kits by Airfix, Matchbox, Hasegawa et al. Then I discovered you could play games with them.......

I saw an advert for a paperback and persuaded my mother to buy me a copy.....

https://toomuchlead.blogspot.com/2016/12/retro-corner-operation-warboard.html

The advert had a picture of the Airfix 20mm DAK machine gunner running with ammo, as here:

https://vintagewargaming.blogspot.com/2011/03/operation-warboard.html

The rules were generic but more geared towards late WW2 and indeed most of my models were of that ilk. IIRC there was vague mention of "desert rules". It was also probably my first encounter with reference to Roco Minitanks. There was some seed planted with that advert.....

Then there was John Sandars and his fabulous scratch builds:

https://wargamingmiscellanybackup.wordpress.com/category/john-sandars/

https://vintagewargaming.blogspot.com/2009/04/john-sandars.html

And perhaps more importantly, the Airfix Guides:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Airfix-Magazine-Guide-20-magazine/dp/0850592356

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AIRFIX-MAGAZINE-No-12-AFRIKA-KORPS/dp/B005EFXKRG

(I'm shocked at the prices charged!)

I remember wanting to do something desert war related, but as can be seen from the DAK guide and John Sanders, that would have meant scratch building a lot of the models; no doubt had I discovered Roco Minitanks it may have been different, but the Axis were thin on the ground apart from tanks - Panzer 2 and 3 (Matchbox) and Panzer 4 (Airfix).

Other temptations came with the wonderfully eccentric Atlantic 20mm plastic soldiers. I remember vividly seeing a box of their Indian Brigade in Toytub in Edinburgh with the wonderful box art:

https://plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=463

Instead, I came away with their French - the US figures in blue plastic as I had rationalized I had no comparable desert figures......

Now, as an adult, I have been able to indulge this long neglected theatre and have some of those very Indian figures.....

So, to the reviews. A few years ago there was a rush of quick build 1:72 kits appear on the market. I bought lots of them. The alternatives were normal models with numerous parts, rubber tracks or even individual track links.....

Among them were various kits for the desert. The first is the Plastic Soldier Company Stuart I "Honey". I was aware there are problems with this kit, just not how bad it is....

The fit of parts is poor, especially the track units to the hull. Even with much cutting and filing, I found there was still a significant gap. I've read it was due to the 1:72 kit being a "blown up" version of the 1:100 version. Certainly, the thickness and poor details on some parts would support this. In addition, the plastic was "odd" with a softness to it. Add to this the poor instructions. Two or three variants are possible, indeed there are enough parts to make three models each of two versions, as long as you are prepared to scratch build some components. The normal exploded instructions are supposedly colour coded. I cut out the suggested hull only to find it didn't match the tracks with sand shields! In the end I simply worked out what parts were needed, but resorted to the Bradford plans for guidance. Simply put, it was a pig of a build. I also scratched the MG brackets as the supplied part is poor. The replacement MGs are not yet affixed.

Next was the S-Models Crusader I or II, two models per box. What a contrast! The parts fit was excellent, sand shields were thin and in scale. I even masochistically added the etched brass PE  and small detail parts! If I have a criticism, the exploded diagrams are not always clear where things go or which way up they should be. The hatch is fixed; I opened this on the first model cutting carefully and then adding shims from the plastic sprue number plate. This added considerably to the build time. The others flew together, even with the detail parts (superglue but no swearing - that was reserved for the clutter and clumsiness on my part...).

I have also washed and PVA primed some Revell 8th Army as a test for Contrast paints. I'm worried they will show up the flash I couldn't remove.......

Before any of the above, I also cleaned up what I hope is the last of the Swiss flats. They have been waiting for decent weather to get primed and added to the rest......