Platz 1/12 Realistic Rifles 2
| KIT #: | Gun-2 |
| PRICE: | 2200 yen |
| DECALS: | None required |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: | 3 different guns; 2 of each |
| HISTORY |
The Howa Type 89 Assault Rifle(89式アサルトライフルhachi-kyū-shiki-asaruto-raifuru), referred to as the "type89 5.56mm rifle" (89式5.56mm小銃hachi-kyūshiki-go-ten-go-roku-miri-syōjū?), is a Japanese assault rifle used by the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Japan Coast Guard's Special Security Team units, and the Special Assault Team. It was never exported outside Japan due to its strict anti-hardware export policy. It is known in JGSDF service as Buddy.
The Dragunov sniper rifle (formal Russian: Снайперская Винтовка системы Драгунова образца 1963 годаSnayperskaya Vintovka sistem'y Dragunova obraz'tsa 1963 goda (SVD-63), officially "Sniper Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963") is a semi-automatic sniper/designated marksman rifle chambered in 7.62×54mmR and developed in the Soviet Union.
The M4 carbine is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is a 5.56×45mm NATO, air-cooled, direct impingement gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine. It has a 14.5 in (370 mm) barrel and a telescoping stock. The M4 carbine is heavily used by the United States Armed Forces and is replacing the M16 rifle in most United States Army and United States Marine Corps combat units as the primary infantry weapon.
| THE KIT |
I am not an assault rifle enthusiast,so hope that I picked the right Wiki references for these. This particular kit is focused on those who like gun models and prefer the smaller scales that are available. I think these are also the same scale as some of the larger figures that have been done over the years, so it may well be that this market segment is also being targeted by this kit.
What you get are three different rifles, the Howa Type 89, the Russian Dragunov SVD with the PSO-1 scope, and the US M4A1 carbine. All of the kits are molded in black and you get two of each rifle. Most of these are very simple and consist of a minimal number of parts. The Type 89 comes with a couple of options, one being an extended or retracted bipod and the other a solid or light-weight stock.
The instructions provide pictures for assembly and that is what I used to show the parts. There is also a complete painting guide for each of the rifles. No decals are included or needed. Despite everything being in Japanese (including the images......), assembly should not be an issue. Both Gunze and Model Master paint references are provided, though I'm sure you could use many other brands for these. I am sure that many will be disappointed, but the anime babe is not included.
| CONCLUSIONS |
If model guns is something in which you are interested, this would be a neat kit. There are a number of ways these could be displayed. What's more, this is #2 so there is a previous set out there and probably more to come.
| REFERENCES |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howa_Type_89
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_carbine
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