The Modelling News: February's kits for 2021 from Trumpeter

Three new kits from the Air + Sea in February's new items from Trumpeter. We have boxart, sprues and colour choices of the kits in our preview...

New from Trumpeter in February 2021

Ukraine T-64BM Bulat Main Battle Tank

Model no#09592

1/35th scale

Product Link on the Trumpeter Website

The T-64BM Bulat is a Ukrainian upgrade of the ageing Soviet T-64B main battle tank. Ukraine operates over 2 200 of the old T-64 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). The Bulat was revealed in 1999. Initially, two upgrade variants were proposed - the T-64BM (also referred to as the T-64U) and the T-64BM2. The T-64BM2 was fitted with new automatic loader, however, it had inferior fire control system. Eventually, the more advanced T-64BM upgrade was selected. First vehicles were upgraded and delivered to Ukrainian Army units in 2005. In 2014 this MBT saw action during the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine. It was widely used during this conflict. However recently all surviving T-64BM tanks were repaired and put to storage. For some reason, the Ukrainian military command decided not to use these tanks in conflict and rely on the ageing T-64BV tanks.

The colours and markings of this kit

Protection was improved by the installation of add-on passive and Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA). Composite armour is used at the front of the hull and turret. The T-64BM Bulat is fitted with Ukrainian Nozh modular ERA, which reportedly recommended itself well. The vehicle is fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems.

The sprues included in the kit

Model Length: 261mm Width:110 mm

copper cable, brass wire

Total of 22 sprues, lower hull and turret

The kit consists of over 740 parts

Multi-slide moulded turret and lower hull

Plastic tracks w/fine detail

Etched Photo parts included

German Scharnhorst Battleship

Model no#03715
1/200th scale
Product Link on the Trumpeter Website

The German Scharnhorst Battleship was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15 June 1935 and launched a year and four months later on 3 October 1936. Completed in January 1939, the ship was armed with a main battery of nine 28 cm (11 in) C/34 guns in three triple turrets, though there were plans to replace these weapons with six 38 cm (15 in) SK C/34 guns in twin turrets. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau operated together for much of the early portion of World War II, including sorties into the Atlantic to raid British merchant shipping. During her first operation, Scharnhorst sank the auxiliary cruiser HMS Rawalpindi in a short engagement. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau participated in Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of Norway.

The colours and markings of this kit

During operations off Norway, the two ships engaged the battlecruiser HMS Renown and sank the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious—in the engagement with Glorious, Scharnhorst achieved one of the longest-range naval gunfire hits in history. In early 1942, after repeated British bombing raids, the two ships made a daylight dash up the English Channel from occupied France to Germany. In early 1943, Scharnhorst joined the Bismarck-class battleship Tirpitz in Norway to interdict Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. Scharnhorst and several destroyers sortied from Norway to attack a convoy; the Germans were instead intercepted by British naval patrols. During the Battle of the North Cape, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Duke of York and her escorts sank Scharnhorst. Only 36 men were pulled from the icy seas, out of a crew of 1,968.

The sprues included in the kit

Model Length: 1175mm Beam: 150mm

Metal anchor chain & shaft

Total of 25 sprues, hull, superstructure and decks

One-piece hull made from two-directional slide moulds

Deck pattern finely rendered.

Accurately detailed guns

- 6 pieces of photo-etched frets for handrais，ladders, radar parts etc.

- includes 2 Ar196 waterplane

VH-34D "Marine One"

Model no#02885
1/48th scale
Product Link on the Trumpeter Website

The US Marine Corps (USMC) continued to use the UH-34 even after the US Army had phased it out. UH-34s continued to be used up to and for a period after the Tet Offensive in 1968, even after the USMC received the newer UH-1E "Huey". The UH-34s higher availability and reliability, due to its simplicity compared to the newer helicopters, led Marines to ask for it by name.

The colours and markings of this kit

The US Army and US Air Force used the designation H-34. In 1962, the Seabat was redesignated SH-34, the Seahorse as the UH-34 (NAVY), and the Choctaw as the CH-34 (ARMY). This military helicopter served many roles including utility transport, anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and VIP transport. "Marine One" is the call sign of any United States Marine Corps aircraft carrying the president of the United States. This aircraft was used to transport the President of the united states on shorter journeys. There is also a marking choice for the US Coast Guard in this boxing.

The sprues included in the kit