Amphibious Scout TankPT-76

Manufacturer: ACE (Kit No.72145)

This is my first new ACE kitsince I built the T-55, and I am quite impressed with theirprogress. It seems that the master parts are molded a bit moresharply, and one of my favorite complaints has been dealt with,that being the commander's hatch, which is now molded open (butthe driver's is still closed). ACE is one of the few companiesthat regularly solicits modelers' input, and alters theirproduction standards to reflect the modelers' wants and desires.Well done. One thing I do miss, however, is some photoetcheddetails, which no longer seem to be a standard item in ACE kits(I assume this is meant to drop the cost a small amount). I guesswe have to keep PART and Extratech in business :-)

(By the way, this model may infact represent a PT-76B, since there are no external differencesbetween the late model PT-76 and the PT-76B.)

A reminder: ACE kits arelimited-run. This means that the molding quality is not going tobe to the same standards as with the large plastic modelcompanies. There is plenty of flash, and some of the parts willneed to be carefully sanded to fit with the others. However,unlike some other limited-run kits I have seen, the high qualityof the master parts for the ACE kits is readily apparent. Thedetail on the plastic parts is abundant, and for the most part,fairly sharp. I include this paragraph in every ACE model kitpreview so that reader's will be aware of what to expect whenthey buy these kits. But I must say that I am most impressed withthis model, and greatly look forward to seeing it built (andpreferably build it myself).

I won't be able to measure theoverall dimensions until the model is built, but based onmeasurements of some component parts (such as turret, upper hullwidth, etc.), it scales out perfectly to 1/72nd (according to Bronekollektsiya#3.2000 ).

Markings are included for SIXdifferent vehicles, including some esoteric subjects, such asNorth Vietnam (1969) and Indonesia. This is a very welcome changefrom models that include only a couple, or even only one, markingoption.

Thank you very much to Maurice Metzger for providing the review kit!