• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Scale Modelling Now

Scale Modelling Techniques

  • HOME
  • CONTENTS
    • What’s New
    • MODELLING WORKSHOPS
    • Techniques Bank
    • Aircraft
    • Classic Kit Builds
    • Armour
    • Podcasts
    • Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Space
    • Vehicles
    • Maritime
    • Figures
    • Dioramas
    • Gift Certificate
    • Book Reviews
  • WHAT WE OFFER
  • AREAS
    • Techniques Bank
    • Aircraft
    • Armour
    • Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Space
    • Vehicles
    • Maritime
    • Dioramas
    • Figures
  • FREE SAMPLES
  • EVENTS
  • ABOUT
  • TRADERS
  • CONTACT
  • LOGIN
Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

Kit Form Services (KFS) FV1801 Austin Champ 1:24

July 11, 2012 By

Review by Graham Thompson

This review is going to be slightly different to my usual style.  There are a few good reasons for this:

  1. This is a special kit as it is not a plastic injection kit. This is multimedia kit consisting of superbly cast, very high quality polyurethane resin, very cleanly cast white metal parts, high quality surface etched brass photo etch, Vac form plastic for the hood, pre-coloured transparent tail lights and indicators, a collection of brass rod and plastic strip topped off with very nicely printed decals.  Add to that a sheet of clear acetate for glazing the windscreen and rear hood window and a small sheet of fine metal mesh for the radiator.
  2. The scale.  This is 1:24 scale which fits in with a large range of trucks and car kits.  KFS do a lot of truck builders goodies as well as their superb range of Military kits.

This and the other kits in the KFS stable are premium kits.  They are not the run of the mill subjects either. The subject of this review, the Austin Champ, is a classic post WWII British ‘Jeep’ that was quite successful until overshadowed by the Land Rover.  Other subjects in their range include such vehicles as :-

  • Stalwart Mk2,
  • Stalwart conversion
  • Saracen Mk5/6,
  • Saladin Mk2,
  • Daimler Ferret Mk2/3,
  • Humber Pig Mk2

Add to this a Bedford 4 ton truck, a Matador truck and a 5.5″ Howitzer that will pair up with the Matador very nicely. In the pipeline are other projects that cover subjects that you are unlikely to find in other kit manufacturers ranges.

As you can see, these are not the run of the mill subjects and when you add to this that they are all complete kits, engines, interiors the lot they add up to superb models for the experienced modeller.

Premium kits come at a premium price, this not a negative thing as the prices of these kits reflect the quality which is amazing for relatively short run models.  I remember when Vac form models cost a fortune but were snapped up because they covered subjects that could not be bought as injection moulded kits.  However, vac form kits were very tricky to make and relied on the builder using their skill to make support pieces, undercarriage parts etc.  With a KFS kit, all you want is time, epoxy resin, superglue, normal modelling tools and some care and attention.

OK, enough chat, let’s have a look at the kit…

I have never built a resin kit before so I sought some advice on what would make a good first choice.  I know which kit I wanted to buy, and I will after I have finished this one, but I was gently steered to the Austin Champ by my good modelling mate Nick Allen and am I pleased I took his advice.

There is an amazing amount of information on the Austin Champ on the internet including the Austin Champ Owners Club who were consulted in the researching of the masters for this kit so I will not go into its history too much here.  Suffice it to say that this is a historically important British vehicle.

Open up the box and you see all the resin parts are separate, no huge plug blocks to saw off here. (N.B.  There was additional packaging in the box to help prevent the bagged up parts moving around which I have removed for the picture)

The part count is impressive.  There are 90 resin parts packed in three bags including the one piece superbly cast body and 64 cast white metal parts in another bag which includes 4 .303 Lee Enfield rifles and a .30 cal machine gun.

First up, the body and the wheels…

Note that apart from washing these parts to remove any trace of mould release agent as suggested in the instructions, I have not done any further cleaning up of the parts so that you can see just how nicely these are presented.

The first bag…

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

Primary Sidebar

LOGIN/LOGOUT

Lost your Password?


armour-herenow-title
KITS | DECALS| RESIN and 3-D PRINTED | OTHER

BACK TO ARMOUR MAIN PAGE


Here Now Armour Kits In-Box Reviews

HN Armour

Academy
Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer Late Version 1:35
AFV Club
British CVR (T) FV107 Scimitar 1:35
Pak 43/41 “Scheuntor” 1:35
Tiger 1 – Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf.E Sd.Kfz. 181 "Final Version" 1:48
Airfix
Austin K.2/Y Ambulance 1:35
BAe Warrior (British Forces) 1:48
Bamboo House 1:32
British Forces Infantry Patrol 1:48
British Forces Vehicle Crew 1:48
British M3 Stuart ‘Honey’ 1:35 - VIDEO REVIEW
Cromwell Mk.IV 1:35
Cromwell Mk.VI 1:35
Czech Restaurant 1:72
D-Day Air Assault 1:72
D-Day Coastal Defence Fort 1:72
D-Day Gun Emplacement 1:72
D-Day Sea Assault 1:72
European City Fountain 1:72
European Four Storey Shop 1:76
European Town House 1:76
Frontier Checkpoint (German) 1:32
Italian Town House 1:76
King Tiger 1:35
LCM3 and Sherman 1:76
M3 Grant 1:35
M7 Priest 1:35
M12 GMC 1:35
M18 Hellcat GMC Tank Destroyer 1:35
Pzkw VI Ausf.b King Tiger 1:76
Polish Bank 1:72
Quad Bikes and Crew (British Forces) 1:48
Sherman Firefly Vc 1:72
Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär Mid Version 1.35
Supacat Jackal 1:48
Supacat Coyote 1:48
Type 97 Medium Tank Chi Ha 1:76
WMIK and Snatch Land Rovers 1:48
Blue Cat Models
Blue Cat Models Sd.Kfz.10 Demag Type D7 1:48
Border Model
Bronco
Versuchsflakwagen 8.8cm Flak 41 auf Sonderfahrgestell (Pz.Sfl.IVc) 1:3
Das Werk
Borgward IV Pz.Jg. Wanze 1:35
Faun L900 D567 & Tiefladeanhänger für Panzerkampfwagen Sonderanhänger 115 (Ds. Ah. 115)
Dragon
German Infantry Barbarossa 1941 1:35
Last Battle Austria 1945 1:35
M1A1 Abrams, USMC (Heavy Armour) 1:35
Smart Kit M3 75mm Gun Motor Carriage
Sherman 105 1:72
StuG IIIG 1:72
ZSU-23-4V1 Shilka 1:35
Great Wall Hobby
12.8cm K44 L/55 Anti tank Gun 1:35
German Infrared Night-Vision Devices – 2in1
German 3.7mm Flak 43 with SD.AH trailer 1:35
Krupp 12.8cm PAK44 High Velocity Anti-tank Gun 1:35
German WWII 20L Jerrycans (L3514)
German WWII 200L Oil Drums (L3513)
German WWII Maybach HL42 TRKMS Engine 1:35
German sWS with 2cm Flakvierling 1:35
German sWS Gepanzerte Ausfuerung 1:35
SWS 3.7cm flak43 (kit: L3516) plus PE detail set
Zundapp KS750 Motorcycle with sidecar 1:35
Hansa Systems
Ruined French Farmhouse 1:35
HobbyBoss
AAVP-7A1 w/EAKK 1:35
German VK1602 Leopard 1:35
KV-1 Ehkranami Russian Tank 1:48
Landrover Defender XD ‘Wolf’ W.M.I.K 1:35
M1070 Truck Tractor and M1000 Semi-Trailer
M26A1 Pershing Heavy Tank 1:35
Pz.Kpfw.VI Tiger I 1:16
Russian KV1 Model 1942 Lightweight Cast Tank 1:48th
Sd.Kfz 222 1:35
T34/85 Tank 1:48
Italeri
Autoblinda AB 43 1:48
Kfz 305 Opel Blitz 3ton truck 1:48
M24 Chaffee 1:35
Pz. Kpfw. V Panther Ausf. G 1:35
Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper mitt Flak 43 1:35
Kingfisher Miniatures
Landrover Defender Wolf XD-110 Soft Top 1:76
Sankey .75 tonne Wide Track Trailer 1:76
Kit Form Services
FV1801 Austin Champ 1:24
Magic Factory
Air Defence System Iron Dome 1:35
Master Box
German Military Car Tourenwagen 1:35
German Panzer Grenadiers (1939-1942) 1:35
Rommel & German Tank Crew 1:35
Meng
AMX-30B2 Main Battle Tank 1:35
Merkava Mk.4M w.Trophy Active Protection System 1:35
T-90A Russian Main Battle Tank 1:35
MiniArt
German Tank Crew Normandy 1944 1:35
Su-85 Soviet Self Propelled Gun Interior Set 1:35
ModelCollect
Flak 40 120mm Zwillingsflak with E-100 Hull 1:72
Russian T-90MS (Tagile) Main Battle Tank 1:72
Platoon/Pegaso Models
German Tanker 1:35
Panzer Crewman 1:35
ResiCast
A34 Comet tank 1:35
Revell
ANZAC Infantry 1:76
ATF Dingo 2 GE A2 PatSi 1:35
Australian Infantry WWII 1:72
Bergepanther Sd.Kfz 179 1:35 – kit review
BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Kit 1:35
Biber and Dingo 1 1:72
British Infantry WWII 1:32
British 4X4 Off-Road Vehicle (Land Rover) Series III 109 LWB 1:35
Challenger I 1:72
Cromwell Mk.IV 1:72
Dingo 2 GE A3.3 PatSi Kit Ref: 03242 1:35
German Africa Corps WWII 1:76
German Command Armoured Vehicle Sd.Kfz.247 Ausf B 1:35
German Half Track L4500R, Maultier 1:35
German Infantry WWII 1:32
German Staff Car “G4” 1:35
German Truck V3000 S 1:35
GTK Boxer (GTFz) 1:35
Henschel Typ 33 D1 1:35
Japanese Infantry WWII 1:72
Japanese Infantry WWII 1:76
LKW 2t. tmil gl Unimog, 1.35
Leclerc T5 1:72
Leopard I 1:35
Leopard 2A4 / A4NL 1:35
Leopard 2A5/A5NL 1:72
Leopard 2A6 / A6M 1:35
Leopard 2A6/A6M 1:72
M48A2 / A2C 1:35
M48A2 GA2 1:35
PT-76B 1:72
Russian Battle Tank T-90A 1:72
Russian T-90 Battle Tank 1:72
Scud B 1:72
Spähwagen Fennek 1:72
Strv 122A/122B Swedish Leopard 2 1:72
Sturmpanzer 38t, ‘Grille’ Ausf.M 1:72
21cm Mörser 18, 17 Kanone, sd. Kfz. 9 Famo 1:72
StuG 40 Ausf G 1:72
TPz 1 Fuchs A4 1:72
Trabant 601 Universal Car 1:24
Type 82E German Staff Car 1:35
US Infantry WWII 1:32
Warrior MCV 1:72
Wiesel 2 LeFlaSys Ozelot, AFF and BF/UF 1:35
Wiesel 2 LeFlaSys AFF 1:35
Wiesel 2 LeFlaSys Ozelot, AFF and BF/UF 1:35
WWI Infantry (1914) German, British and French 1:35
TAHK
German SS Tank Crew Summer 1940-45 1:35
Takom
Takom Merkava Mk.2B 1:35
Tamiya
British 10hp Light Utility Car
British 25 PDR Field Gun & Quad Gun Tractor 1:35
British Crusader Mk.I & II Tank 1:35
British Sherman VC Firefly with 6 Figures 1:35
British Valentine Mk.II/IV Infantry Tank Mk.III 1:35
Centaur C.S. Mk.IV – British Cruiser tank Mk.VIII, A27L 1:35
Cromwell Mk.IV Cruiser Tank Mk.VIII/A27M
German Tank Destroyer Jagdpanther [late version] 1:48
JS-3 Stalin Heavy Tank 1:35
L6/40 Italian Light Tank 1:35
Marder III 1:48
Panzer II Ausf. C (Polish Campaign) Kit No: 299.
Panzerjager ‘Jagdtiger’ Sd, Kfz.186 (Fruhe) Production 1:48
Panther Ausf D 1:35
Russian 1.5ton Cargo Truck, 1941 1:48
SAS Land Rover ‘Pink Panther’ 1:35
Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. G 'Finnish Army' 1:35
Tiran 5 Medium Tank 1:35
Type 90 Tank – Japanese Ground Defence Force 1:35
US Modern 4×4 Utility Vehicle 'Cargo type' 1:48
WWI British Tank Mk.IV Male 1:35
Thunder Model
US Army Armored Tractor 1:35
Trumpeter
German E-50 Flakpanzer 1:35
M1130 Stryker Command Vehicle 1:35
Russian T-62 Mod 1972 1:35
Russian ASU-85 1:35
Soviet Armoured Aerosan NKL-26 1:35
Su 101 SPA 1:35
UM Models
Refueller BZ-38 1:48
Zvedza
Mercedes-Benz L 4500 A WWII German Heavy Truck
T-90 Russian Main Battle Tank 1:35
Volkssturm Berlin 1945 1:35

Copyright © 2023 · Scale Modelling Now · Online Scale Modelling Magazine · Scale Modelling Techniques and Tips · Privacy Policy