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Italeri 1/35 Staghound Mk.I
Late Version
(6459)
Staghound Mk.I
Late Version
Italeri 1/35 Scale
Reviewed by Brett Green
Summary
Stock Number and Description
Italeri No 6459 - Staghound Mk.I Late
Version
Scale:
1/35
Media and Contents:
198 parts in olive coloured plastic on four
sprues; one sheet of photo-etched metal; one turned metal gun barrel;
length of string; die-cut clear acetate sheet;
markings for five vehicles, instructions plus 48 page reference booklet
and cardboard artwork.
Price:
around £24.99 available from good hobby
shops worldwide
Review Type:
First Look
Advantages:
Interesting subject; well detailed;
separate (positionable) hatches; interior turret detail; useful options
including stowage and alternate casting marks; excellent quality moulding;
should be a fairly straightforward build; good decals; 48 page reference
booklet makes this a one-stop shop; plastic tyres
Disadvantages:
Recommendation:
Highly Recommended
FirstLook
It never rains but it pours.
The Staghound was an American built
four wheel drive vehicle based on a British specification. The
result was a big, tough looking armoured car that eventually saw
service with the British Army and most Commonwealth forces during
WWII and post-war. Around 3,000 Staghounds were built.
Until now, there have been only a
few examples of expensive limited run resin kits in 1/35 scale. A
few months ago, Bronco released their excellent injection-moulded
styrene Staghound.
Considering Italeri's recent
penchant for co-operative ventures, you would be forgiven for
thinking that this was the Bronco kit in a new box.
In fact, it is a wholly unique and
brand new Staghound.
Italeri's 1/35 scale Staghound Mk.I
Late Version comprises around 198 parts in olive green-coloured plastic,
one sheet of photo-etched metal, one turned metal gun barrel, a
length of string, a die-cut clear acetate sheet, markings for five
vehicles, instructions plus a 48 page reference booklet and
cardboard artwork.
Click the
thumbnails below to view larger images:
Surface detail is crisp and plentiful, and moulding quality is very good.
I particularly like the rough cast texture of the turret. A very
nice touch here is the inclusion of three alternate sets of casting
numbers moulded on separate squares of styrene for the top of the
turret. If you want a different vehicle, just cut out the moulded-in
default and glue your casting number square in place.
In this age of 1,000 part uber
kits, the overall parts count is relatively modest, but detail
is hardly compromised.
It is pleasing to note that all
crew and engine hatches are moulded separately.
Partial detail is supplied for the turret, including a radio,
decently detailed breech, turret basket and seats. All periscope
hatches on the turret and hull are moulded shut.
The lower hull is provided in a
single piece with some external detail moulded in place. This will
help speed construction by avoiding the need to align multi-piece
hull sections and locate tiny fiddly parts. Some nice delicate weld
beads are also moulded in place.
This kit sees Italeri steer away
from their traditional vinyl tyres. Nicely detailed styrene wheels/tyres
are included on the sprues.
The photo-etched fret provides some
very useful smaller parts in scale thickness, including straps for
the fuel drums and tools, perforated rear stowage box, wing nuts and
brush guards for the headlights. The sprues are moulded with a
plastic template over which the brushguards may be formed. Another
nice inclusion on the photo-etched fret are frames and wipers for
the driver's large vision blocks. The clear vision ports are
provided by Italeri on a die-cut acetate sheet. A lens for the
searchlight is also included on this handy clear sheet.
A lovely turned metal gun barrel is
included for the main armament.
Five marking options are offered,
covering five different Staghound operators - Britain, Belgium,
Italy, Australia and Poland. All schemes are overall Olive Drab
except the disruptive finish of Medium Green and Sand for the Polish
vehicle (although this one may in fact be an early version which
differs in some details).
The decals appear to be well
printed and in register. An errata sheet is included.
The instructions are well laid out,
and it is nice to see full colour painting guides on the back of the
box.
In addition to the kit itself,
Italeri has supplied a 48 page reference booklet packed with photos
of the Staghound in wartime and post-war service, extracts and
drawings from the Staghound technical manual, detailed walkaround
photos of the exterior and interior, plus colour profiles of the
aforementioned marking options. A large version of the box art
printed on stiff cardboard is also included as a mini display
poster.
Comparisons with Bronco's kit will
be inevitable. As it turns out, I bought a Bronco Staghound which
turned up just one day before the Italeri kit arrived.
The two kits take a noticeably
different approach. In short, Bronco has favoured separate (and
often tiny) detail parts, while Italeri appears to have focused on
relative ease of construction. When both models are built and
painted, it will most likely be difficult to pick one from the other
on the basis of detail alone.
There are some differences worth
mentioning though.
For example, I prefer the rough
cast texture of the Italeri turret. I also like the perforated
toolbox, the open grilles of the engine deck, the driver's visor
arrangement and the extra stowage of the Italeri kit. The one-piece
lower hull will make construction of the Italeri kit easier
(compared to the separate floor and walls of the Bronco kit), and a
lot of detail is already moulded in place. Italeri offers more
interior detail, including the turret basket and seats. The little
reference booklet is great too, especially as titles on the
Staghound are not exactly common.
For the Bronco kit, the clear
plastic periscopes and positionable ports are very nice, and the
photo-etched parts do seem finer. Also, if you like many delicately
rendered separate parts, you will like this kit a lot.
In the end though, the decision is
yours. Either kit will deliver a nicely detailed replica of this
chunky trans-Atlantic armoured car.
Conclusion
With their growing Italian / AS-40
/ AS-41 / AS-42 / AS-43 family and now this Staghound, Italeri seems
determined to corner the armoured car market. In fact, this new
release is similar in approach to the Italian armoured cars released
over the last year, and matches their high quality and level of
detail. Considering Italeri's recent hectic release schedule and the
parts breakdown of this kit, I would not be surprised to see more
versions of the Staghound available in the next year or so.
Italeri's 1/35 scale Staghound Mk.I
Late Version is an attractive and well detailed package that should
be quite straightforward to build. The inclusion of multi-media
parts and the reference booklet is a real bonus.