Upgrade Set for 1/35 WWII British Churchill Mk.III for AFV Club #35153

For years, Tamiya's Churchill was the only option for anyone wishing to build a plastic version of this famous tank. There are a few resin versions around, but while they may be good, price and the necessary working with resin experience puts most people off. With the release of AFV Clubs MKIII and AVRE versions, the above no longer applies and all of a sudden, we have two excellent kits out of the box. I decided upon the MKII version, building one of the Lend Lease versions supplied to Soviet forces in 1942. First thing to note, is that this kit does not come with PE fenders - even though they are shown on the packaging. Rather misleading of Voyager - even if the small writing says they are not included. Other than that, a wealth of detail is provided for the modeller and previous experience with PE is advisable before tackling this. I found the tool brackets to be the most useful as I modelled my version with the tools missing - liberated by a few 'comrades'! The turret bin is well presented and makes up into a great unit and the lid can even be opened and closed. You could always add the supplied padlock to keep kleptomaniacs out though. The AFV Club kit's side intakes are moulded solid, but fortunately Voyager address this with some very nice grilles. I also particularly liked the exhaust system upgrades too - from flanges to replacement heat shields. All perfectly done and add greatly to the overall finish. I've given this a 4 out of 5 only because I feel the packaging is slightly misleading with its portrayal of the PE fenders. Otherwise, highley recommended.