With Bronco Models releasing a new version of the 35th
scale Cruiser Tank A34 Comet tank and Paul being a bit of a fan he thought it
only apt to let you know how this one differed from their previous Comet. See
what’s different (or not) his review...
In-Boxed:
British Cruiser Tank A34 Comet
Kit No: CB 35010SP
Manufacturer: Bronco Models
Scale: 1/35
Type: Mutlimedia Kit with new tracks and cotton used as
cable.
Available from Bronco distributors worldwide
..
The A34 Comet finally gave the British Army the tank that
they had been asking for during WW2 . Armed with the 77mm Mk OQF gun which was
the tank version the famous 17pdr anti-tank gun, the British could engage
German tanks at equal distances and have a reasonable chance of getting through
the thick armour of the German Tigers and Panthers.
Unfortunately, the shape of
the armour betrayed the outdated design of the Comet tank, as well as the fact
that the Comet didn't reach units until December of 1944 so they missed all
major engagements of the war. This didn't mean the tank was unsuccessful
however, as it also saw combat in Korea, and served in a handful of armies.
Finland didn't retire their Comet tanks until the 1980's.
You can still see many Comets in working condition nowdays at tank shows lae at Bovington in the UK.
Bronco was the first manufacturer to release the Comet in
styrene back in 2006, and this boxing is a re-release of the same kit with
different box artwork but sharing the same kit number with an extra “SP” at the
end.
The usual top opening box opens up and reveals its contents
to be a variety of plastic, paper, and some etch metal.
The instruction booklet is usual well set out Bronco fare in
a semi-gloss A4 booklet with the sprue list, line drawings with some coloured
highlights for the instructions.
The original box mentions that this is a 4 in 1 kit so you could build any one of the four version of the Comet tank. This boxing does not mention this, and you do not find out until the construction phase where it gives you options for the idler wheels, rear exhaust arrangement, and minor details in the last step of the instructions. The four version are:
1. Mk IA Early
2. Mk IA Late
3. Mk IB Early
4. Mk IB Late
Markings for six vehicles are provided and each vehicle is
presented in four coloured views, although they are all green vehicles.
Unfortunately, they do not mention which version that they should be built
into, but the profiles do illustrate the differences so make sure you study the
profile of the vehicle you wish to build and then take note in the
instructions.
The markings provided
are:
1. “Iron Duke”
1st RTR, 7th Armoured Division, Germany, April 1945
2. “Cobra” 3rd
RTR, 29th Armoured Brigade, 11th Armoured Division, North Germany, March 1945
3. “Celerity” 3rd
RTR, 29th Armoured Brigade, 11th Armoured Division, Belgium, March 1945
4. “Crusader” 3rd
RTR, 29th Armoured Brigade, 11th Armoured Division, Germany, April 1945
5. 3rd Royal Tank
Regiment, Sek Kong Camp, New Territory, Hong Kong 1957
6. Finnish
Armoured Brigade Training Unit, 1961 – 1980
Moving onto the kit, sprue A consists of the upper hull,
lower hull outer sides and the main armament.
The upper hull looks nicely
moulded and detailed, as well as the outer sides of the lower hull.
The main armament comes in two halves so there will be a long seam to deal with. The
muzzle doesn't quite look right so I think a metal barrel would definitely be
an improvement here, which Bronco has previously released this for sale
separately, but other brands are available as well.
Sprue B is the
hull tub which has some nice rivet and raised hatch details.
Sprue C are the four separate idler wheels that come in the
kit. These wheels are for the Mk IA
Early and Late versions, and there is some conjecture about whether the ones in
the original release were resin because they were supposed to be but looked
like plastic to some. These ones look like plastic to me so they may be the
same as the original.
You get two copies of
sprue D, so predictably these will include the road wheels as well as other
assorted details of the tank. You will find the spoked idlers for the Early and
Late Mk IB version on this sprue.
more suspension and shock absorber, towing cable and other details on Sprue D
Mouldings are typically very nice, although
maybe not quite as crisp as top manufacturers such as Dragon or Tamiya.
Sprue E consists
of the turret, and as you can see come in individual plates except for the top
and rear which comes in one piece which will help with alignment of the plates.
The breech of the main gun can also be seen and very nicely detailed, although
that is all the interior detail you get in the kit. One thing that is missing
in this kit, and from the original as well, is the canvas cover for the
mantlet. Bronco has previously released a vinyl replacement for this fairly
significant piece of detail.
Notice the cast numbers on the mantlet, hatches and bolts are sharply detailed
The rear of the turret and top details...
Sprue F has the
partial side skirts, and other assorted details.Fenders, hatches and tools along with the rear
Hatches are thickly moulded and the rear exhaust shroud is thin in comparison
Fenders are separate to all ow later placement..
The tracks are listed as Sprue G, and this is the biggest
difference between this version and the original release. The tracks came in
vinyl where this one comes with individual links. They instructions say not to
glue them, and they do have the pins characteristic of Bronco individual tracks
so that they just click together. However, my previous experiences with these
tracks is that there are some pins which are not quite strong enough to hold
the tracks together and will need glue to hold them in place.
A small fret of photo etch is listed as Sprue P and this
mostly covers the exhaust grills and shrouds.
The decal sheet and a small length of string for the tow
cables finish off the contents of this kit. The decals look nicely printed,
although the red triangle with white borders appears to be out of register,
however the box art and profile portrays this so it may be intentional.
Overall, the original was considered to be a good release so
this will be the same, but with the vinyl tracks being replaced with individual
links, this release will have that little bit of extra refinement compared to the
original. With no interior provided, this looks like a much simpler build than
some other Bronco kits so there should be happy modellers all round with this
release.
Paul Lee
Thank you to Bronco Models for
providing this kit to review
