Model Armour

Introduction

When I look over a finished model I often find myself drawn to the small details that help personalise a build. Well constructed and sympathetically introduced stowage, food items and personal miscellanea can really bring a model to life and in the current modelling renaissance we find ourselves in there seems to be no end to the small  boutique producers vying to cater to our every need.

So step up DToys, a relatively new name on the AM scene and based in the modelling hothouse of Korea. They currently offer a limited but expanding range of both modern and WWII era resin extras to help add detail to many different builds. One of their earlier offerings is the “US Modern Accessories” pack, part DT 35-006.

Packaging

The set is packed in a small light-weight cardboard box with generic manufacturer information and a large sticker covering the front (pic 2). The sticker provides a view of the individual items within the set and gives the part number of the set.  The parts themselves were contained in a zip-lock clear plastic bag (pic 14).

None of the pieces were damaged when I received the review sample, however given the light-weight packaging this is a possibility when ordering, especially if the box itself is not suitably packaged.

What I felt to be missing from the pack was a description of what some of the depicted pieces were. While items such as a traffic cone are iconic and recognisable the world over, some modellers may not spot the Vietnam era M1944 Mermite box hidden in the set.

Contents

The zip-lock bag contains 12 resin pieces as follows:

1. Traffic cone

2. Small bin

3. Small bin lid

4. Cool box

5. Cool box lid

6. Crate of soft drinks / beer bottles

7. Empty drinks crate

8. 3x soft drink / beer bottles

9. 6x water bottles

10. M1944 insulated food "Mermite" can

11. Field stove

12. Storage box

Each piece is cleanly rendered with relatively small casting blocks and practically no flash present on any of the parts. There are also minimal mould lines visible so clean up of the pieces should be relatively simple. The surface detail of each part is reasonably sharp and compares well with other AM resin items, however the choice of subject does limit the amount of detail that can be reproduced. Where possible hinges and handles have been nicely detailed, but overall surfaces are quite smooth.

One highlight of the set is the separate lids for both the cool box and the bin. By making these as distinct parts DToys have opened up a number of possibilities when including them on your models.

Scale Sizes

While many of the parts present in this set are recognisable, it is important to check their scale size to ensure they are a match for your scene. Bottles, containers and other items come in all shapes and sizes, so a real world match can be found for almost any of them, so I’ll concentrate on the scale size of a couple of the other items.

The traffic cone comes in at a scale height of 88 cm (approximately 35 ½ inches). This is on the larger size for traffic cones, but is entirely consistent with those available and in use in both the UK and US.

The aging M1944 “Mermite” can saw action in both the Vietnam and first Iraq war and comes in a standard size approximately of 53.5 cm x 25.5 cm x 40.5 cm (21” x 10” x 16”). The DToys rendering of this recognisable item is slightly off coming in at 47 cm x 24.5 cm x 47 cm – a little squat and wide when compared to the real item.

I’m sure you could find examples in RL which match the scale size of the cool box and bin, but it is good to check with those sizes actually are. The cool box is reproduced with a scale size of 35 cm x 40 cm x 26 cm while the bin stands a scale 56 cm high with a scale diameter of 53 cm at the top – both quite usable.

As you can see in the items scale comparison image these items scale well against a 1.8 meter tall figure.

Conclusion

This is an interesting collection of items, with some unusual subjects included in an eclectic mix. Several of these items, especially the ammo containers and cool box, could easily adorn any modern western AFV, though equally some of the parts would equally be at home in a student apartment (traffic cone and beer crate anyone)!

The individual pieces appear mostly appropriately scaled though they are a little light on detail. Having separate lids for a couple of the parts provides for interesting possibilities. Overall I’d say that this is one of those accessory sets you would turn to for 'just the right item' when you can’t find it anywhere else.

My thanks to Duncan at DB Models for the review sample!

DB Models

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