Subject: Re: Hi Steve - review of Tamileri Ar 196 follows...
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Nicholas Moore" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:29:03 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Nicholas Moore 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 2:28 AM
  Subject: Hi Steve - review of Tamileri Ar 196 follows...

         Tamiya

        1/48 Arado Ar 196A

        TAM37006 from HobbyLink Japan http://www.hlj.com/

        Product article by Nick Moore

        The Ar 196 was one of the most widely recognised float planes of World War II due in no small way to it benefiting from some great photo opportunities whilst featuring amongst the superstructure of some famous German capital ships. It had a good service record and started as a pre-war design that was subsequently strengthened and given heavier armament as the war progressed. Though never able or intended to fight on an equal footing with Allied fighters it survived late into the war (unlike many of its famous mounts) proving very effective in reconnaissance, submarine hunting and appropriate interception roles. The combination of its interesting history, irregular fuselage lines, bulbous cowlings, dramatic camouflage and colourful theatre and squadron markings make for a very appealing subject. 

        This kit is a Tamiya repackaging of the original Italeri kit which was released only a short time ago. It’s a very attractive product and Tamiya have had some great box art commissioned for this release (based on an actual photograph) showing one of the Bismarck's Ar 196s as it is launched out over a calm sea in this relatively short lived glamour role. With there being so few survivors from Bismarck’s sinking I guess the aircrews of the four Arado’s perished with their shipmates.

        Tamiya have upped the quantity of sprues you receive with this kit from five to six. So that’s two identical crew figures for you. The figures look like they are posing for a school photograph and aren’t much good for anything (can we please have more of those excellent little figures from ICM?). I have included a number of photos comparing a few parts from this model to the older MPM example (moulded in a hard to photograph white plastic) to hopefully give you an idea of relative quality of the models. Unless noted as MPM you can assume it is an Italeri part. Have a good look at the photos - you can draw your own conclusions but I won’t write off my MPM kit completely (I purchased it last year from a much more knowledgeable modeller who had obviously caught wind of the new Italeri tooling). There are some very fine builds of that MPM kit out there too.

        My first impression of this tooling is that in many places the detail is soft – particularly the smaller stand alone parts. There are heavy seam lines in places, poor definition and lost opportunities to put more detail into that big cockpit – and elsewhere. There are sufficient interior parts to get you started on the detailing – but it’s now 2010 so why not go a little further Italeri? The surface detail on the major parts is quite nice but there will be accusations of it being exaggerated and with some justification. Nevertheless, it has been tooled and can be reduced or removed if desired and without much difficulty.. Anyway – look at the photos provided here and check your reference photographs. 

        The decals provide markings for:

        A         2/Sagr.125, Crete, 1941

        B         1/Bordflieger Gr.196, Battleship Bismarck, 1940

        C         1/Bordflieger Gr.196 Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen, 1940

        D         Auxillary Cruiser Thor (HSK-4), Malaya, 1941

        E          Auxillary Cruiser Widder (HSK-3), October 1941

         

        Decals are pretty good and only the French roundels are a little off at their centres.

        Instructions are clear and easy to follow – there is also a supplementary document (and I don’t know if this in the Italeri boxing) that provides a history of the type including a little background on the French and Japanese markings for Ar196s carried by German auxiliary cruisers in the Pacific. It also has a couple of small sketches and a factory photo. The kit should look real nice with some suitable marine environment weathering – if you can bring yourself to do that after laying down all that nice paint and decal work....

        This Italeri/Tamiya Ar 196 is recommended but I think it’ll be up to the good brass and resin people out there put together a package to really elevate this kit up to spec or you can use what’s there as the basis for your own scratch building. The Ar 196 is such a deserving subject of some extra attention … and it kind of needs it.

        This kit can be purchased here:  http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM37006

        My thanks to HobbyLink Japan (http://www..hlj.com/) for providing this review sample.

        Nick Moore 24 August 2010