IBG Models 1/72 Crusader Mk. III (72068) Build Review

I’m beginning this build with the track-guards and the PE side skirts. These look very tricky and will require careful bending into shape and I want to see how they look before I go any further. If they turn out badly, I’ll use the alternate track guards to build this without side-skirts, which means I’ll have to paint it as a tank of a Polish unit in the UK in 1942.

The PE assembly on each side comprises six parts: the main side skirt, on which the top edge and ends must be bent at 90˚, the top section, which is tiny and which the instructions claim has to be bent so that the middle part is at 35˚ while the top and bottom are vertical and four strakes, each around the size of an eyelash and all of which must also be bent to fit. Bending these parts to get any sort of congruence isn’t impossible, but I found it fiendishly difficult. Here’s the left side done as best I can.

Then I try the right side, and it’s much, much worse. I just can’t seem to get the upper and lower parts of the side skirts to line up and to look even vaguely similar to what I achieved on the left side. After several attempts to improve it, I decide that I’ll adopt the simplest solution and build this as Crusader in the UK without side skirts. That’s a little disappointing – I would like to have painted this as a tank in North Africa, but I suppose it’s good that IBG do provide alternate track guards that allow you to build this without side skirts. I don’t even really see why these side skirts could not have been provided as moulded plastic parts. On some tanks, the thinness of the side skirts is readily evident, and I can see why you’d want to use PE for those. Here, the thickness of the side skirts can only really be seen from below, so I can’t understand why plastic versions wouldn’t have done the job. But with that decided, it’s finally time to begin main construction.

I start as per the instructions, with the track/running gear assemblies. One thing that’s immediately obvious here is that the plastic used is fairly soft, so you do need to take care when cutting parts off the sprue or sanding off sprue attachment points. No problems with assembly, and everything goes together without any issues. I paint the tracks and other parts as I go and I really do like this method of building tracks, especially when the tracks are as well detailed as they are here. 

Next, the lower hull, which comprises just three parts that fit together very nicely.

I then add the track assemblies to the hull. There is no actual connection between the roadwheels and hull, but you really can’t tell when they’re in position.

Then I add the upper hull and the non-side-skirt track guards. Fit is great and no filler is required, and I suppose one of the benefits of not including side-skirts is that you can see more of the rather nicely detailed tracks.

Next, I complete construction of the upper hull. There are some very tiny parts involved, but I manage to avoid losing any to the carpet monster and I even get the PE light guards in place, and they’re so maddingly small that static causes them to cling to your fingers and clothes, and that’s before you introduce superglue!

Next, the turret, which doesn’t involve any PE at all – Hurrah! Though you will probably want to drill out the barrel of the main gun…

And that’s construction done. Overall, it is fairly straightforward and fit is very good (no filler was required here at all), though there are some very small parts. For me, the only issue was trying (and failing) to build the PE side-skirts, and that may be more a reflection on my lack of ability with PE than a shortcoming of this kit. Now it’s time to begin painting and given how delicate the surface detail is, I use several thinned coats of AK British Olive Green as a base.

Then I add some dry-brushed highlights to bring out the detail.

Then I add the handful of decals and give it a coat of varnish.

And finally I add a dark oil wash to bring out the shadows, and that’s this IBG Crusader Mk III done.

After Action Report

Other than the PE side-skirts, this is a straightforward and enjoyable build with excellent fit. And as noted, the problems I had with the side-skirts may well be down to my own aversion to PE rather than any intrinsic failings in the parts provided. There are some very small plastic parts here, but with care, all can be assembled without any problem. Overall, this is highly recommended. It isn’t perfect, of course…

I would like to have seen alternate plastic versions of the side-skirts and some tow cables and stowage items would also have been very welcome. A turret hatch that could be shown open and one or more crew figures would also have been nice options. However, what you get here is a very nicely detailed, sharply moulded 1/72 Crusader. As far as I can tell, it looks pretty accurate and builds into a very reasonable representation of the distinctive original.

The tracks here are particularly good. This type of single-piece moulded track often features a trade-off in terms of a lack of detail and many feature a prominent moulding seam down the centre of the track. That’s not the case here where the tracks look accurate and detailed, particularly impressive considering how small they are. This kit is available for notably less than you will pay for some other 1/72 armour kits and it’s good enough to make this seem to be something of a bargain. If you want to build a small-scale Crusader Mk III, I just don’t think you’ll do much better than this IBG offering.   

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