Airfix A02338 Cromwell Cruiser Model Building Kit, 1:76 Scale Small

Great set. Everything included shipping was FAST! We'll buy again.

great kit, better than expected

Although this tank kit is diminutive in stature, it's VALUE is massive (Approximately $25.00 door-to-door). The exterior details are more or less "Tamiya level" AND the interior compartment detailing was far better than expected given the kit price point. I've completed countless WW-2 German armor kits, so I've made a concerted effort to build non-German kits over the past two years and I've thoroughly enjoyed the change in focus. I airbrushed a dark grey primer coat, followed by a desert tan base color coat and then used hobby masking tape to mask off the desert tan and then applied a blue/grey split pattern scheme with a final olive green layer on the turret top. Unfortunately, I lost more of the blue tone than I intended after applying filters, pin washed, artist oils and streaking enamels. Although I really liked the end result, I nonetheless regret losing too much of the blue tone as this was such a unique scheme by the Brits. This kit is roughly 95% complete. I'll add some Pigments to the tracks and some of the surface panels at a later date, but overall, this kit is an absolute HOME RUN. Update: 01.24.2022 - I decided to redo my little Honey and I'm happier with the results.

Once assembled this looks pretty good. Instructions are also good. Some parts so very small that they are nearly impossible to remove from molding and if dropped, impossible to find - and so very difficult to mount as well, then too very easily broken in handling. Main gun mount design is clever, but not adequate. I used a small section of sprue glued to the inside of the turret to brace the pivot cylinder. Take care when removing the mount bracket for that cylinder from the molding, too - it easily can crack. Note that if a rubber cement is carefully used to mount the main gun, barrels can be switched. Track treads are molded and are fitted much more easily than the vinyl strip types on other models. Apart from the number of tiny tack-on pieces, and instructions that perhaps a more experienced builder would not be left questioning what to do, this model is better than the German Panzer IV, with so many small wheels with glue joints taxed by the stretched vinyl tread band in terms of ease of assembly and durability.

Great

I had just finished a Tamiya model of the same tank. I found that the airfix model surpassed the Tamiya. I was surprised in all aspects of the fit and finish. If you are an occasional modeler or a die hard experienced competition modeler. This is a great experience. Detail is tremendous and no scale modeler worth their salt will have any complaints. Worth every penny which is well priced.

Let me start off by saying this is a big box! The kit has very many pieces as it has a full interior, molded in tan. Many of the interior pieces are a very tight fit but using small files or a nail file works wonders in fixing this. There are some historical inaccuracies, however I'm a hobby builder and not a competitor so it doesn't matter as much to me. One example of this being the actual Tiger I has ammunition 4 wide not 3. Overall a decent model. I purchased this for around $40-45 if I remember correctly which is the same as the Tamiya kit without an interior. I figured more plasitc for same price in this Airfix/Academy rebox kit. Great deal! This was an extremely fun build, just be careful not to loose any of the very small pieces. If you're on the fence about this kit, JUST BUY IT! You won't regret it! Please take a look at my pictures and video! Also if you're interested you can see more pictures on my Instagram: johns_model_kits I have many interior pictures and I discuss my build a bit on there. If you have questions about this model message me on there. I'd be happy to answer them!

Some small parts

Cracking little kit, good value and quite detailed.

After enjoying the children's airfix kit I recieved one christmas a good while ago (one that was already painted and just snapped together), I've been meaning to get more. Now I'm 21 with nothing better to do, I thought I'd give it a shot. This was a great little model. Plenty of attention to detail and it looks great. There were a few bits and pieces that needed sanding down, but it was largely without hassle! Unfortunately, I had the idea that I could paint it afterwards successfully. Once it's fully glue together, you can only reach about 80% of the visible model. I especially recommend painting the wheels and tracks before gluing them on, and run a paint through the suspension before attaching the wheels themselves! Paint and glue aren't included, but I assume you all already knew that ;)

New tool. Molded tracks very good. Easy build.

High quality molding, intricate detail, a lot of fun to build.