German VK3001(H) PzKpfw VI Ausf A Panzer Medium Tank

I purchased this kit on sale because I wanted to quickly build a unique vehicle. For those who aren't farmiliar with the vehicle, I'll provide a brief history: six VK3001 chassis and turrets were produced as prototypes for the Pz. VI design. Trials of the vehicle were underwhelming, and the Tiger I design was adopted instead. The VK3001 protoypes were not used in combat, but two chassis were modified, lengthened, and transformed into the teo Sturer Emil protoypes. Despite never being used, this vehicle definitely has some interesting history. --CONTENTS: Upon opening the (regularly-sized) box, I was initially impressed by the sturdy packaging and high-quality moulding. I was a bit surprised by the limited part count, however: the running gear requires 120 pieces, and the entire remainder of the vehicle's exterior requires only 78 parts. I also took note of the black single-piece rubber band style tracks, which unfortunately had a significant amount of flash. Otherwise, the tracks look accurate and feature hollow guide horns. I chose to replace them with Trumpeter's workable track link set (which works extremely well with this kit). The kit features a very partial turret interior (which is composed of 30 pieces) which I didn't choose to show due to its simplicity. No photo-etch is included in the kit, and the decals are generic numbering which is only useful for a what-if vehicle as this experimental tank never had markings. --THE BUILD: I started with the running gear. These steps went very smoothly, although all the road wheels had some notable flash (due to poor mould allignment) which I shaved off with a #11 blade. The remainder of the build required only 78 pieces, and took me about an hour to assemble. The two-piece barrel required careful allignment and clean-up, and the large top and bottom turret parts fit together poorly, requiring filling with putty. I managed to keep the moulded-on welds intact during this, but some modelers may find it necessary to sand the weld seams off and re-add them after filling the adjacent gaps. The vehicle ends up looking quite plain, due a lack of markings and a complete lack of tools and accessories (such as tow cables and fender-mounted track links). Its a bit frustrating that no accessories were included in this kit, especially considering the fact that some accessories were already moulded for Trumpeter's earlier Sturer Emil kit. You'll want to visit your spares box to really flesh out this kit, as tow cables and spare track links are visible on this vehicle in historical photographs. --OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: This kit makes for a very nice, fast build of a unique vehicle. I felt, though, that the lack of accessories, simplicity of the kit's exterior, and inclusion of only 1-piece tracks greatly detracted from its value. It is a fun kit, and the final product is very unusual in appearance. The vehicle has a nice aesthetic: the tracks and running gear are dense and imposing, and the upper hull is clearly inspired by the Pz. IV, while the size of the vehicle is closer to that of the Tiger I. It will make for a very nice companion model to the Sturer Emil. Recommended with some reservations.