Bronco 1/35 Type 63-2 APC

The Type 63 (industrial designation YW531) is a Chinese armoured personnel carrier that entered service in the late 1960s. It was the first armoured vehicle designed in China without Soviet assistance. The design is simple and is comparable to other APCs of its time such as the M113.

Approximately 3,000 were produced by Norinco, and around 2,300 are still in service. It also equips several armies around the world and has seen action in different conflicts including the Vietnam War, the Sino-Vietnamese War, the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War.

This variant differs from the prototypes by having a 12.7 mm machine gun Type 54, uprated engine and different transmission. It differs from the initial production variants by  incorporating a stronger suspension, additional firing ports and two additional roof hatches.

This is at least the third variation on the theme that Bronco has done, the other two being an ambulance and control vehicle. This one is a proper APC and so has a different and lower upper hull. It also includes the various bits needed to equip this hull such as hatches, gun and various tools. The rest of the kit is the same as the previous versions as there is no difference in the running gear or lower hull.

As with the other kits, This one is molded in a tan plastic. The molding quality is very good, something we have come to expect from Bronco. The kit has individual track links and these are on plastic sprues marked for the right and the left side. Included in the kit is a nicely done photo etch fret. This fret is mostly for screens and various brackets around the vehicle, including those that hold on the side skirts. From what it seems, the kit cannot be fully built without using the photo etch fret. In fact, many of the pieces will be used when building the fenders/sand shields. The usage is logical and not all that complex so those who tend to shy away from the medium should be OK with it. There are quite a few parts that will not be used when building this variant.

The kit has no interior, yet all of the hatches and doors are very detailed on both sides and can be posed in the open position. The machine gun is a nice little construct in and of itself and is designed to be able to be elevated.

Instructions are the standard color booklet we have seen in other Bronco kits. It offers multiple paint company options so you should be able to find something that is available locally. One does need to pay attention during the build and the instructions will ably guide you through it. Some modifications will be required, but nothing strenuous; mostly removing stuff. Markings are provided for whatever vehicle you have a photo of. One can either do it in overall olive green or in a variegated scheme as shown on the box art.