Reviews : Tamiya British MBT Challenger I Tank

This kit was a lot of fun to build. It offers a good compromise between great detail, and ease of construction. Two versions of the tank can be built: A NATO version and a desert version. There are some differences in the parts that are used, depending on the version, so pay close attention to the instructions (differences are called out for different parts and decals, but these differences are not always obvious). There is a small fret of clear, flexible plastic to be used for some of the view ports and optics, and these worked out very well. Part fit and quality is pretty good. I did need to use putty on the turret and rear hull to fill gaps, and a handful of parts needed to have ejector pin marks filled or sanded smooth - nothing too major though. The long cannon come in halves, and it was difficult trying to remove the join line, especially around the ridged boot near the turret opening. My only real complaint is against the rubber band style tracks. There is a small amount of flash on almost every track link near the edges, and it is impossible to remove. I tried sanding, but the material is too flexible. I would have preferred to have the link and length or individual link type tracks. Decals went down nicely over a gloss coat, although I did use decal setting solution to help with the large chevrons on the side skirts. As usual, Tamiya gives you tools and extras for the tank (shovel, crow bar, pick, water and fuel cans, extra track links, etc) and a figure - in this case a full figure for the commander, but none other. Overall, very fun to build and a great value for the price. Highly recommended, especially if you like modern or British armor.

This tank was a tough but rewarding. First, I assembled the lower hull, upper, and turret separately. I primed the model using light gray primer from Tamiya. I then painted it with desert yellow(XF-59). I highly recommend airbrushing the inside of the road wheels while they are still on the sprues. Doing this allows for the paint to be evenly distributed and have a more even coat. The turret it's a bit of a doozy to paint because of the rings around the cannon and as well the smoke dischargers. One thing I should is attached the details before I painted instead of attaching them later. Pros: Great details, Good instructions Cons: Too many small parts!

Pretty good model. However lots of tiny peices, be carefull cutting them off the sprues.everything went together pretty good. When doing the mesh I would recommend cutting a patter first. Lay the mesh over the pattern then cut. Overall this was a fun one to put together. A bit of a challenge.

This kit was a joy to put together. The fit was great as usual. Nice to see the figures included. Just another overall nice kit.