Sunday, April 2

Foreart - Ex Forehobby - now back with two new kits in 72nd scale...

You've been fore-warned, Fore Hobby has rebranded as "Fore Art", and released two new kits in  72nd scale for modellers. Take a look at their M109A7 Paladin & 1940 Schnellboot S38 in our preview...

Foreart -  Ex Forehobby - now back with two new kits in 72nd scale...

It sees that Fore Hobby, the very good model making company who's models we have featured here on TMN has renamed themselves "Fore Art". What's in a name we suppose, as long as the kits are good, we don't mind. Their first two kits under this new brand are the earlier S38 Schnellboot - the 1940 version, and the M109A7 Paladin SPG. We have a look at what we know about the kits in our preview...

Schnellboot S-38/1940
From Fore art
1/72nd scale
Due in May 2023
Price: $107USD on the Hobbylink Japan Website
We know that ForeHobby had already released two versions of the Schnellboot in 1/72nd scale. 
Now, they come with the earlier version, dating from 1940 of the S38. A derivative of S-26 type with enhanced S-30 anti-aircraft guns and crew. Fifty Eight vessels were built on the ship that is the base of the successful of the S-boat series.
The kit from Foreart is made from eighteen grey sprues and a hull in two halves.  
Photos of the built up kit by Foreart's model makers show the kit looking very much like the one Adam O'Brien built for The Modelling News a while back. So the same quality is expected here in this release.


M109A7 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzer
From Fore art
1/72nd scale
Due in May 2023
Price: $27USD on the Hobbylink Japan Website
The second relaunch (if you could call it that) product is the M109A7 self-propelled howitzer in 1/72nd scale.

The M109A7 Paladin
The M109 Paladin is a post-war second generation self-propelled gun developed in the United States. It was  produced from 1962 as a successor to the M44 155mm self-propelled howitzer, and about 2,000 vehicles were produced for the US Army and Marine Corps. It has a crew of three, and can be fitted with various ammunition types. It uses a 155mm M284 cannon with an M182A1 gun mount and an automated loader. The 155mm artillery system can fire at a sustained rate of one round a minute whereas the maximum rate of fire is four rounds a minute. The system has a range of 22km with standard projectiles and 30km with rocket-assisted projectiles.
The M109A7 is the latest generation of self-propelled howitzers developed for armoured units. The Army's focus on mobility and firepower, as well as its need for greater range and reliability, have created a platform that includes significant advances in range, accuracy and lethality over previous generations of howitzers. 

The kit from Foreart can be seen below in sprue form. Five tan sprues with the hull bottom and turret, a metal or plastic main gun barrel choice, photo etch and 3D printed barrel breech.
Below is the tank made up, unpainted, showing the plastic and metal parts of the kit. There are 3D printed parts included. the tracks are the link and length type.
Both guns in metal or plastic versions are shown below (only 1 kit in the box!)
Here below we have the kit painted & weathered by Foreart's model makers...

We do not have a social media account or a website for Foreart yet, se found their kits on Hobbylink Japan for a decent price...