This time I will tell you more about Meng 1/72 US M142 HIMARS (72-004). Yes, this is another Rocket System model in small scale. I already reviewed similar vehicle from another brand, so it will be interesting to see what is offered here. I guess real truck doesn't require separate introduction, and there is plenty of reference material available online. Overall packaging is not that big, and you will find frames sealed in bags. Let's open them and check everything together.
By the way, here you can read review with HIMARS from ForeArt.
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Watch this video where I show all parts even closer.
All frames are molded out of light grey plastic. Here on the first sprue you will find separate panels which should be glued together.
There are guiding elements inside which should help with alignment. Note that Meng doesn't offer a possibility to have one of the rockets separately.
On the sprue "A" you will find chassis and suspension parts. There are a lot of thin parts for the lower section, so be careful with those.
Those two large panels will have to be glued on both sides of one-piece central section. Such design should be easier to work with.
Meng still managed to supply a lot of parts as large one-piece elements. Attachment points are also thin and won't be a problem to cut through.
There are some premolded features as well. Be sure to have some references handy for a better painting result.
Front cab parts are rather sparse. Well, this is not surprising because front doors are molded in, and you can't show what is inside. It is visible on the photo below.
Whole cab is molded together with bumper. Surface details look fine, but it is a shame that there are no lenses for headlamps.
Vinyl tires is another thing you will have to live with. They look fine for standard build, but for more serious work I would recommend to find some aftermarket.
Clear frame has all necessary parts for the front cab. There are no masks, so you will have to carefully mask and paint those.
Decals sheet is not that big, but you will find all necessary symbols for one marking. Printing quality looks fine.
Assembly manual is typical for this brand. I show all pages in the video-review.
New HIMARS should be already available for purchase. In my opinion it might be interesting even for beginners, as there not that many tricky sections. Moreover, professionals can add more features if they would like too. It is a shame that Meng decided not to go for a bit wider choice of markings offered as it could be nice to have. Well, maybe we will see aftermarket which will help with this problem. :)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS WHICH MADE THIS REVIEW POSSIBLE!Pros
- Nice molding quality
- Clever parts division
- Good decals
- Two assembly options
Cons
- No masks for clear parts
- Vinyl tires
- No PE
- One-piece cab with molded in doors
- No separate rockets
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