Having been frustrated for a number of years in completing a small 28mm BAOR Cold War force for the lack of any available Chieftain Tank models, I was surprised to find these Arii 1/48 scale remote control tank kits on ebay for £8 a kit.
Familiar looking box art.
The kit seems to be similar to Tamiya's Mk5 Chieftain MBT 1/35 superstructure tooled for 1/48. The moulding is surprisingly crisp and detailed although some components looked modified for the rigors of being a remote control vehicle. The hull, tracks and road wheels are generic for all Arii's kits and built for remote control motors. This makes the superstructure look high on the hull in order to fit the motors. Trimming 7mm from the back hull plate reduces this problem and seats the generic road wheels behind the side skirts bringing the tank back into proportion. The running gear is somewhat fiddly to assemble and attach the wheels to the spindles. The tracks are generic tank tracks made in a one part rubber loop.
Completed kit with paint job with dry brush, awaiting decals and weathering.
In conclusion this kit cheaply fills a hole in the current ranges offered for 1980s BAOR forces. It scales well next to comparable armour from HLBSC and at a pinch with Sloppy Jalopy's 1/56 cold war range. At £8 to £10 it offers value for money. I have another two kits to build up, these will be modelled with cam netting and stowage. It also brought about memories of clambering over the hulks of this once mighty MBT dug in on Longmoor Training area.
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