Gans Panzer Aufkalarungs SK602 Kit Review
Allegiance: Strahl Demokratische Republik

Kit currently in production from Wave Corporation, available from HobbyLink Japan.

I am pleased to offer a review of the Maschinen Krieger (Land Battle) Gans, as currently produced by Wave Model Corporation and obtainable from HobbyLink Japan (click the link above). The kit is an updated reissue of the Land Gans design, previously offered by Wave. Long time Ma.K. fans will remember that the Gans kit included many sprues from the Nitto Neuspotter and Kröte kits, with a healthy portion of new unique sprues tooled by Wave (and unique to this design). This kit offers the same, but with updated box art, camo card (included again!!), and new decals which I believe were drawn by Sim-san. As expected, the Nitto-based sprues show their age with a good fit that needs a little putty work, and some flash along the mold seams. The Wave sprues are flawless. My only caveat is with the plastic - be sure to carefully remove the parts from sprues, as this plastic has a tendency to "tear" and take a little more than you'd like, even when using sprue nippers. I have found that a distance of 3mm off-side is fine, and then sanding the nub flush to the surface is best.

So let's start with the box art. Kow's painting depicts the Gans in one of the new camo schemes - this one is a pseudo Rudolph the reindeer theme!

It is wonderful to see the tan box with classic layout make a reappearance, and what a treat to see English on the back!

Not only do you get camo suggestions on the box (along with stats), but the camo card is back! So are the multimedia springs, wires, and "hoses". Instructions are straightforward enough, and will be familiar enough to any one that has built a Neuspotter or Kröte.

These are the Kröte and Neuspotter-based sprues:

These are the Wave-made sprues. These consist of the rocket tubes, hip/knee/body/head armor plating, the mid-body transition from Neu head to Kröte waist, and various detailing (smoke launchers and previously-missing leg pieces).

As you can probably see below, the Neuspotter and Kröte parts need some sanding along seams to make the finish smooth, but the fit is still excellent! If you are careful when building, the included polycaps allow the modeler to build pieces in sub-assemblies that leave the legs, head, rocket tube assemblies, and hips free to pose in dynamic ways. A brilliant added detail is the new transition piece between the Kröte hips and leg joints. These nest nicely into the hip socket once you remove a cylindrical mounting post (per instructions) and allow the legs to seat in a splayed position, which really makes the overall stance of the model more aggressive and dynamic.

As you can see, many parts have been left off at this stage, for ease of painting. These sub-assemblies can be added at the very end.

And even now, things can be broken down, thanks to the poly caps.

Parts are primed - the plastic takes primer very easily.

Here are some of the smaller assemblies, still unglued to the main body:

Overall green color applied (Tamiya paints):

Over top of that I hand brushed a camo pattern using the Mr. Color laquer-based paints.

The decals were sandwiched between a coat of Future Floor polish. These decals are fantastic - opaque and thin!

Close up on the camo pattern:

Weathering was done with powdered pigments, and sealed with Dullcote:

I am now ready to add chipping details and streaks!

Coming next - Final weathering!

Maschinen Krieger © Kow Yokoyama