Tom B. This seems like an intriguing concept 👍 Really looking forward to see more! Although part of me always wants to see some Merkava-based SPAA for some reson...
2 April, 17:22
Jakko I had had that thought too, but for years I've wanted an M247 🙂 I might eventually build one like that, but probably only after I buy an other M247 for its hull, to put a PRTL turret onto — though even that won't be in the foreseeable future.
Desert Marlin Watch the Cab to Chassis interface on this kit. My GMGC had some difficulty with that!
1 April, 03:46
Jakko Thanks for the heads-up. I've been dry-fitting the floor and the rear body (main parts already built) and they seem to fit well enough to the chassis, but I won't know for sure until I get the cab built, of course.
1 April, 08:42
Desert Marlin I was the same for mine! I still think I messed something up. But they look great when finished!
1 April, 18:20
Jakko I have seen somebody build a Dragon M3 halftrack, and he had some trouble lining up the cab and the back half, so I think it will pay to keep a close eye on fit straight from the start.
John Nice build log. I was thinking of this kit since I actually live near one of the decommissioned batteries but it's not a must have and the poor fit is kind of a deal breaker for me. Hey, if you build five more and connect them, you can have your own battery!
7 March, 21:54
NLAWScametovisit definitely a rough looking kit, but your fixes are really impressive.
8 March, 03:38
Jakko Thanks 🙂 It's not a kit I would recommend unless you like ones that need a good deal of work. The missile is much better than the launcher, though — except for the gaps around the main fins. On the whole it seems pretty accurate, just not that well-designed or -moulded. It is also lacking all of the hydraulic and electrical lines, as well as other minor detail, but I didn't feel like adding any of that. Those who want to, I will refer to ed-thelen.org/#NumDoc which has a whole bunch of technical manuals on the Nike Hercules (and Ajax); TM9-1400-250-10/2 has good drawings of all kinds of stuff. Also, the kit gives you a non-nuclear missile. To make it nuclear, you need to scratchbuild a probe with four vanes on the nose (or the protective cap for it).
As for the battery, the kit's instructions actually mention you can put four launchers together. After having built just the one, I don't want to make a second, let alone any more than that … Though I would have been lucky with this one if I did, because Dutch batteries (which this missile will be marked as) had only three launchers each 🙂
Jakko The ISBN on the back cover actually reads 0-B9747-227-6, with a B instead of an 8. I guess whoever did the layout of the back cover didn’t know much about ISBNs and misinterpreted a handwritten (?) one 🙂
Jakko I wouldn’t recommend this kit unless you like filling seams. Fit is mediocre — not actually bad, though — and differs even between parts that are mirror images of each other, while many of the major parts have big seams that will be very visible if you don’t fill them or file them flat (depending on the part). Moulding quality and overall design reminds me of Italeri kits of the 1980s, which wouldn’t be so bad if this kit was that old. I did not expect it in a kit first released in 2019, though.
Jakko Removable, that might have been a good idea, yes … I glued the track to the wheels instead 🙂 My idea is that like this, I can still reach most of the track reasonably well to paint it, and that any unpainted bits will be largely limited to around the inside wheels where they won't be easy to spot. With both rows of wheels on, I have no idea how to paint most of the track at all. (These days, I much prefer workable tracks, because you can paint the model and the tracks separately and only then install the tracks, easily and without having to glue painted track links to painted wheels.)
Jakko 
5+
Tom B.
Desert Marlin
John
MiniArt 1:35
