Chinese manufacturer Vespid Models have been around for a while and gained a reputation for some of the best small-scale models on the market. In September 2020 I reviewed and built their A34 Comet (ref. VS720002), their second kit. It is a superb kit and certainly set down a marker for a new level of excellence in this scale. Their first kit, released at the same time as the Comet, was the German super-heavy tank the Maus (ref. VS720001) and this was followed by several other Maus, another Comet, and six Panthers. I haven’t had the chance to examine the Panther kits but have heard very good things about them, so I was delighted when three of their latest releases arrived earlier this month. Centurion Tank Mk. 5/1 Royal Australian Armoured Corps (Vietnam War Version) Deluxe Edition (ref. VX720007S) was released in last year. The kit consists of seven grey plastic sprues, a clear sprue, a small photoetched fret and a turned metal gun barrel. The lower hull and turret come as separate slide-moulded parts, while the ‘Deluxe Edition’ also contains a sublime 3D-printed canvas mantlet cover. The quality of moulding, detailing and fit is second to none and the equal of a 1/35-scale kit. Assembly follows a conventional sequence, beginning with the lower hull and suspension, to which link-and-length tracks are fitted, followed by the upper hull and turret. Some impression of the complexity and detail of this kit can be gained by studying the assembly of the turret: a multi-media affair comprising almost a hundred parts – some of them very tiny – over five steps. Markings are provided for five RAAC tanks in Vietnam.
Leopard 2A7V German Main Battle Tank 2016 Production (ref. VS720016) is another quite magnificent kit, representing the most up-to-date Bundeswehr version of the redoubtable Leopard 2 MBT. Vespid had previously released the Leopard 2A7+ (ref. VS720015) prototype but this release of a productionseries vehicle will be very welcome. The kit is