Tamiya 300035068 35068 BR.Chieftain MK.5 Tank

Fifty + and bored of life I decided to get back in to something I enjoyed as a child ! Ok my eye sight is terrible now and had to buy some magnifying goggles ! Great fun , not cut myself (yet), A great kit with plenty of detail, so much so that I developed new skills painting and building a diorama to display it on ( work in progress). As usual amazon price is competitive but there are some specialist model companies about too with all the necessary paints, glues, tools ! oh yes do not sniff the glue and buy environmental water soluble paints ! (rofl).

I'm carrying on with my target to make as many British Army tanks as I can and this is another Tamiya one - but not quite as good as some of their recent stuff.Reading the enclosed blurb on the instruction sheet, it talks about the Chieftain as being an in service tank which, I suspect would place this kit design from around the mid 80's. The instruction sheet has 2001 on the bottom which I guess is when it was actually made.Because of that the model is not quite as refined as some of the later Tamiya kits although, given it's relatively old age is remarkable when compared with similar vintage models from other manufacturers.The kit is also designed to be used with a motor and has the locating point for batteries in the inner body. Not sure if that facility is still possible but this means the model is designed to be taken apart if you want to retain that possibility.The moulding is surprisingly good for the age of the kit with very little flash to be seen and the injection lines very small.Instructions are clear and easy to read. That being said they do seem quite vintage compared to modern kits which have instructions that border on being good enough to make a 1:1 scale version from scratch..The big bugbear I've found with Tamiya is tracks. The rubber ones are just about passable but often a tad tight which these are. The newer models often have hard plastic ones that are pre-formed and even harder to deal with.The plastic is a hard type which takes a very good finish. I've used Vallejo paints throughout as I prefer acrylics, mainly because they are safe to travel with on an aircraft which, is a must for me as I work overseas and this is my hobby.Overall a very competent kit of a very good MBT.

Another quality kit from Tamiya. There is a lot of interesting detail and the parts fit together easily. You have a number of options for which version you want. I chose the all green one. Would suit beginners and experienced model makers alike. I shall certainly be buying more tanks from Tamiya.

So where to start? First off this kit is amazing and will 100% be buying another in a different scheme , the parts fit nicely only gripe being the gun is a tad too loose for my liking and if you want it to be pointed high up you will need some glue as it likes to drop back down to a neutral position , aside from that awesome kit and perfect for a beginner , I used a rubber glove for the mantlet cover

This is a good quality kit. It all goes together well, making a good model. It’s not particularly accurate but it depends what you want from your models. I enjoyed making it and am pleased with the end result, and for me that’s what makes the hobby.It’s a rather old Tamiya kit, but an excellent price.There are additional after market parts available that would improve its accuracy.