RESIN Project - Italian Tank Crew 190620

[Rubicon Models]

Our first 2019 resin project!  What is it?



Enjoy!

[ripley]

I was going to say an Italian M13-40 , but then I noticed the track guard over the rear idler wheel , that makes it a M14-41

[H0ffmn]

I was hoping that Rubicon would release this kit in plastic instead of resin

[ripley]

I was hoping it would be plastic as well . With careful planing , you could get both a 13-40 & 14-41 ( different engine deck grills , fenders , tool stowage ) , as well with a new upper hul and a variety of barrels ( short / long 75mm , 105mm IRC ) , you would have a Semovente SPG . Plus a extra hatch cover or two and a change of the hull mount MG , you've got either  command tank / SPG .

[ultravanillasmurf]

Good luck with this.

It is not something that interests me (if Perry compatible plastic infantry was available there might be a bit more interest).

[Tracks]

I too would have preferred that they release the kit in plastic instead of resin. And as ripley mentioned, maybe with some careful planning they could incorporate options for different types/versions. Something Rubicon Models is known for (as well as quality) when it comes to plastic kits.

[ripley]

IRC , some Warlord dude on their site  has been hinting plastic Italians and a vehicle or two ( Autoblinda AB 41  ,  M14-41 ? ) in the near future . Might be a reason for Rubicon  not to produce one at this time

[Rubicon Models]

Our first Italian tank as most of you had suspected... the Carro Armato M13-40.

The Question: Why resin and not plastic?

Not that we don't want to, but our mould making queue is now so long, it will take over a year to make this happen.  We have already put in extra design efforts so that we can turn this resin kit into a plastic version anytime we wanted.  Once the queue reaches a reasonable waiting period, we will try to put the M13-40 into the queue.  For now, it had to be resin.

Many variants can be made based on the M13-40 lower chassis and we are aware of what we can do for this kit as possible variants.  For now, we are just focusing on each individual tank variant to save production cost and lower the retail price of each tank.  When (and when) we switch to plastic, it will be multi-variant as usual.

These are still preliminary design... still a work in progress!












Enjoy!

[Tracks]

Not that we don't want to, but our mould making queue is now so long, it will take over a year to make this happen.  We have already put in extra design efforts so that we can turn this resin kit into a plastic version anytime we wanted. Once the queue reaches a reasonable waiting period, we will try to put the M13-40 into the queue.  For now, it had to be resin.

To be completely honest with you (Rubicon Models), I am just going to wait until this kit is released in plastic. Power to the Plastic! 

I stopped buying resin kits a long time ago. Those crappy Warlord resin kits gave me an everlasting bad impression. I even think good resin kits are not that great when compared to a good plastic kit. There is so much to be said about the power of plastic.

I should also point out that Warlord has hinted several times that they will be soon releasing some 1:56 (28mm) Italian vehicles in resin. I'm not interested in resin stuff, but I mention this here because maybe its not a good time for you (Rubicon Models) to invest time and funds into making this project in resin. Yes, you did say that the "mould making queue" is very long, and this is the reason for resin, but maybe it would be better to focus on something else instead.

Just my $0.02 worth of advise.

[ripley]

Most resin kits I have seen are hit and miss on crisp detail , probably because companies  are trying to get as many kits out of the mold , so they are well past their renewal date.  You can't attempt to fix it like a poorly molded plastic kit , your  stuck with a piece of resin  crap .   For example , 3 of my friends have the Warlord resin Type 97 tank , 2 are blobs of resin and misshapen metal and one looks fantastic , even the curved metal radio antenna is perfect . .The Rubicon resin kits are very well detailed , of course Rubicon's molds aren't years old .   But my real pet peeve with resin is that it can't be converted / kit bashed as easy as plastic , I haven't built a kit out of the box in years . Hopefully a plastic M13-40 kit does come in the future . As I have about a dozen 1/56 tank kits and  6 or 7 planes / boats of various scales  in my pile of  stuff to build , I'm can keep busy while I'm waiting . That being said , I'm thinking of getting one of Rubicon's French tanks , as you do get a choice of optional parts  ( turret , gun ) for a little personal detailing

[Captain Blood]

I like it.
My experience with the Rubicon resin models is that they bear about as much resemblance to ‘normal’ wargames resin AFVs as a silk purse to a sow’s ear. It’s like an entirely different and infinitely superior material, and a whole different quality of crispness and cleanliness in the casting.
No, they don’t lend themselves to conversion with other plastic kits for the advanced modeller, but one of the things that I’ve often wondered over the last year or two, is what proportion of Rubicon’s customer base are sophisticated modellers and diorama builders, and what proportion just want extremely beautifully made scale models to put on the wargames table?
I appreciate the stated Rubicon strategy is to appeal to both ends of the market, but I certainly don’t think you’ll find many wargamers turning their nose up at this product, which, whilst resin not plastic, will be streets ahead in quality of any other 1/56 scale model of this tank, for rapid deployment to the tabletop... 

[Pinky]

I agree 100% with Tracks.  While I’m sure it will be a high quality resin model, I have as much interest in resin vehicles as I do in metal figures.  Also - Warlord have just released the same vehicle in resin, so it’s not well timed.

[mrdeane]

  i hope this is going to hit this summer, in quarter 2! Smeagle needs this!

[EarlyWarGamer]

When I got into WWII gaming, most of what was out there were resin kits. I got some. Not wild about them, but they work. I much prefer plastic, and will hold off getting anything in resin if there is a plastic version in a pipeline somewhere. Nearly all of my "early war" needs are resin however, so I have been forced to go the resin route.

The Italians were my first army actually. As such, I have just about everything already, and in resin (either Warlord or Blitzkrieg).

I will gladly replace resin with plastic. But I will not replace one resin vehicle for another resin. Therefore, while this kit may be a huge improvement over the resin kit I already have, it will not be gracing my table. If it ever comes out in plastic, I will be one of the first people to place an order for it. I doubt it will ever be released in plastic however. Resin sales will be limited, and thus the implied demand for a plastic kit will likely not justify the cost. Which is too bad, but I understand this is a business.

But it does my heart good to see an Italian tank on the horizon!

[Rubicon Models]

This is the 3D prototype of the M13/40, still some minor things to update but the overall model is done!











Enjoy!