u/K_Kraz

This was another kit purchased through Amazon reseller Honchoes, which repackages kits from other manufacturers. This is 12GO kit number 97007.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable build consisting of 1,263 pieces and is fairly close to 1:28 scale in overall size—although the turret profile is a bit too large. Regardless, it still very much resembles the T-34. It comes with three mini-figures, but they are kind of a hodgepodge and lack consistency in their uniforms.

Overall Score: 4.3/5

I would definitely recommend this kit for a relaxed build or for something other than another Tiger. The kit is sturdy and displays well. There is enough detail to be recognizable without being over-embellished. Overall, I am pleased with this kit.

Kit Completeness: 5/5

The kit was 100% complete.

Kit Manufacturing Quality: 4/5

The quality is consistent with what I have seen from 12GO, with pieces fitting together reliably. The bricks may not be as good in quality as Cobi or Lego, but they still have good fit and clutch. This kit uses large, specially molded pieces for the turret, and they fit quite well, which is an area where some other 12GO kits have come up short.

Design Quality/Robustness: 4.5/5

This one has some challenging steps, such as the fenders, where there is a string of tiles held together by a single stud. It is like trying to build with a wet spaghetti noodle. However, when these seemingly flimsy subassemblies come together on the main assembly, the result is actually surprisingly robust.

The only fragile areas are the forward cantilevered fenders, but even those aren’t bad.

The rear of the hull is attached with a hinge piece and only 2 studs. The studs happened to have good fit and it wasn’t an issue, but I could see this attachment being a potential fragile point. The finished model is sturdy and can be handled without worrying about it self-disassembling.

Instructions Quality: 4/5

Pretty consistent with other off-brand kits, with good illustrations. The build follows a logical order, but careful attention still needs to be paid to the instructions, or you will end up rebuilding a step or two.

Model Detail: 4/5

Overall, the detail is good for a model at this scale. It would be nice if the turret allowed for posing a loader mini-figure, and the driver’s station is a bit awkward. Ammo is provided, but the shells just sit loose in the storage rack. I appreciate that the designer didn’t over-embellish the exterior with clutter and kept the profile clean and recognizable.

Historical Accuracy/Realism: 4/5

Overall, they did a good job capturing the profile of the T-34, and the blending of the angled glacis with the angled upper hull sides actually works quite well.

I did knock it down a point for the turret profile, which is comically tall and bulbous. It seems like this is an area the designer could have easily made more realistic, but the custom-molded pieces make any modifications or MOC adjustments difficult.

Subjective “Wow” Factor: 4.5/5

I will admit I tend to be drawn to the less common subjects, and this fits the bill. It goes well with my IS-2, and I hope to add more Soviet iron to my collection.

This is a great kit from 12GO and an excellent representation of a very interesting large German self-propelled siege mortar. It is a challenging build at times, and close attention to the instructions is paramount.

Unfortunately, there were a few missing pieces that added to the challenge—one of which required some modification to a large tile piece and glue.

This kit is a total of 4,706 pieces and includes both the Karl Gerät and munitions tender. The model scale is approximately 1:28, but deviates significantly in some dimensions (see below). The kit includes 5 mini-figures 3 of which are officers). I added several additional figures, though still short of the 20+ person crew required to operate the Karl.

Building Tips

The mechanism for raising and lowering the track height is complex, requiring all 22 road wheels to be aligned correctly with the rack and pinion. This is best done with the hull flat on the work table (wheels raised) and built up from there. It avoids putting pressure on the wheel mechanism while snapping pieces into place.

It is also recommended to leave the tracks off until the hull is complete and work begins on assembling the gun, or you will be constantly fighting the tracks falling off.

On the gun mechanism, the gearing for raising and lowering the gun has two friction elements (combo post/axle pieces) that make the gun very stiff to move. I recommend replacing one of those with a straight axle to allow smoother motion while still providing enough retention for the gun to stay in place.

When installing the gun onto the hull, the tiles along the sliding surface of the hull must be firmly and consistently seated or the gun won’t slide into place.

Overall Score: 4.3/5

This is an impressive and complex model. The overall detail is excellent and does a good job of capturing the mechanical complexity and massive engineering feat of the Karl Gerät.

The main deductions in the score are due to missing pieces in the kit, some ambiguity in the instructions, and notable deviation in the scale accuracy of the Karl’s width.

Overall, this is a fantastic kit and one of my favorite builds so far.

Kit Completeness: 3.5/5

Overall, there were 4 or 5 pieces missing, and all but one I was able to replace with spares or work around.

There was one missing piece, however, that presented a challenge. The custom-molded mantlet for the gun that attaches between the circular tile and the custom gun barrel pieces was incorrect. What was included in the kit was a track drive-wheel piece and clearly did not work.

I ended up trimming the posts on the tile with a razor knife so that it would fit inside the gun barrel and glued the pieces together. This was disappointing, but not insurmountable.

Kit Manufacturing Quality: 4/5

Overall, the parts fit as one would expect. There was one subassembly on the bottom of the gun that lacked sufficient clutch, and I opted to help the retention with a drop of glue. However, that was in part design-related as well as brick quality.

I did have two bricks out of the 4,700+ pieces that were malformed—which actually isn’t too bad of a quality statistic. One was unusable and replaced with a spare and the other was able to be positioned such that the flaw doesn’t show.

Design Quality/Robustness: 4/5

Overall, this is a well-designed and structurally sound model given its size and complexity. The main fragility is the railing system which is prone to being bumped loose but also easy to reattach.

The height-adjustable track system is a bit complicated and takes some trial and error—and a bit of cussing too—but once the model is built up, it is sturdy and all moving parts function as intended.

The designer could have easily skipped the complexity of the adjustable height, but I found it interesting and it had me off learning more about the systems-engineering aspects of the real Karl Gerät. Learning about the subject matter is a major part of the process and enjoyment for me.

Another aspect I didn’t care for is that the engine and transaxle on the munitions carrier are not held in place and are loose in their respective bays. I opted to replace some of the tiles on the floor to allow for positive clutch/hold on the engine and transaxle to keep them from rattling around loosely.

Instructions Quality: 4/5

The instructions were fairly clear and followed a logical sequence. There is some ambiguity in the pictures, making it difficult to differentiate between similar pieces.

For example, many of the printed detail tiles are shown without the printed detail in the illustration, making it a bit of a guessing game as to where they go and which orientation is intended.

In particular, the instructions do not clearly distinguish between the 1x1 tile with a side post and the 1x1 tile with a slightly higher side post. This distinction is pivotal when building the gun barrel mount, as both are used, and it required a bit of disassembly to get the parts in the right position to fit the gun mantlet.

Model Detail: 4.5/5

I think the designer did a good job with the detail without going overboard with embellishment.

There are some areas where the detail is a bit sparse, but the model represents the subject matter very well and there is still a ton of detail to take in.

Historical Accuracy/Realism: 4/5

The profile of the Karl is immediately recognizable, and the mechanical aspects of the kit—such as the ability to raise and lower the hull to simulate both travel and firing modes, as well as the translation of the gun that was part of the recoil-dampening system—do a good job of recreating some of the mechanical complexity of the Gerät.

I did deduct a point here, though, because the model is disproportionately wide. For the scale, its width is about 1.2” wider than it should be, or about 27% wider. This is more than just a brick-stud-width limitation and appears to be an intentional design deviation.

There is also no historical record that I could find of the Karl having a rear crew compartment that the model includes, but it makes a great place to store the raising/lowering knobs.

Subjective “Wow” Factor: 6/5

Yes! I find it that impressive!

This model of the Karl Gerät is big, and its presence demands attention. The munitions carrier adds another level of detail and helps illustrate the complexity of this technological marvel of its time.

The Karl was a unique weapon, and this kit definitely captures that.

This is yet another kit I purchased through Amazon via reseller Honchoes. While Amazon is notably higher priced than sources like YWOBB or AliExpress, it is still less than half the price of Brixkrieg, so I see it as a reasonable compromise without waiting weeks for an order to arrive from China.

This was a challenging build at times, but the final product is immensely rewarding, with good detail and high historical accuracy after a few tweaks to omit some of the embellishments included in the kit design.

The subject is a highly evolved late-production version of the Sherman medium tank: the M4A3(76)W HVSS, commonly known as the M4A3E8 or “Easy Eight.” The “Easy Eight” nickname was derived from the E8 suspension designation and incorporated the improved HVSS, or Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension.

The kit consists of 1,682 pieces and includes five figures. The scale of the finished model measures out to approximately 1:27, so it fits well within the common 1:28-scale class for display purposes .

Overall Score: 4.4/5

The only negative driving the score is the quality of the instructions.

Kit Completeness: 5/5

The kit was complete except for one small piece that was readily substituted with an extra part and could have been omitted entirely without impacting the form, fit, or function of the model.

Kit Manufacturing Quality: 4.5/5

Overall grip/clutch of the parts is good, though a few of the thin baseplate-style pieces had marginal grip. 12GO has been consistently good with the quality of their bricks.

Design Quality/Robustness: 4.5/5

This is a tough one and could arguably be a 4/5. Several aspects of the design are awkward, often frustrating, and extremely fragile during assembly—most notably the fenders—but once completed, the model is surprisingly stout.

The numerous angles and compound surfaces are incorporated quite well, with an impressive amount of detail packed into the hull. This complexity does leave some hull surfaces minimally supported. Most pieces are adequately secured and reinforced, although a few areas rely on cantilevered or single-stud attachments. The front glacis in particular has a couple of pieces that could have benefited from additional attachment points.

Notably, the rear gas-can configuration did not fit properly on the carrier as designed. It was configured to take two cans on each shelf separated by a spacer, but they would not fit with the spacer assembled per the instructions. I happened to have a couple of matching gas-can pieces left over from another kit that allowed me to fill the racks, although the cans ultimately had to be glued in place.

Instructions Quality: 3/5

The only real negative I have with the kit is the instructions. At times I wondered—and became relatively convinced—that whoever drew up the instructions had never actually built the kit.

There were several places, most notably the front glacis, where the completed subassembly could not be attached as shown in the instructions and instead had to be partially deconstructed and rebuilt in place. Several steps also required some trial and error to determine exactly what the instructions were attempting to portray.

Model Detail: 5/5

I wouldn’t have imagined giving a mid-sized model a top score for detail, thinking it would take a large 1:16-scale model to really impress me in that category. However, this is the first of the eight kits I have built in the roughly 1:28-scale range to do a genuinely good job with turret interior detail.

The Cobi Tiger I did include some loader/gunner-station detail in the turret, but the execution was somewhat awkward. This model does a much better job of capturing turret detail, wet-ammunition storage bays, engine detail, and the overall exterior shape.

I ended up adding a small shelf inside the turret using spare parts to allow one of the included figures to stand properly in the hatch, along with another piece to secure the loader inside the turret. The top of the turret and hull remove easily to reveal the interior detail and hatches reveal the engine detail.

Historical Accuracy/Realism: 4.5/5

The details on this model capture the HVSS suspension, rear turret bustle, and overall form of the E8 configuration quite well. The Sherman is a difficult subject to reproduce with bricks because of its many compound curves and angles, but given the inherent limitations of brick construction, the model is surprisingly close to the real vehicle.

The one caveat is that, per the kit design and instructions , there are a couple of features that appeared to be embellishments for which I could not find supporting historical photos or references. The kit included two awkward posts rising vertically from the glacis, which I opted to omit. Likewise, there were additional features protruding from the rear of the turret whose purpose was unclear. I omitted those as well to better preserve the proper shape of the late-production turret.

As a bonus, some of the omitted pieces could be repurposed to hide the exposed brick studs on the upper rear of the turret.

Subjective Wow Factor: 4.5/5

This is a great model. It is a bit finicky and occasionally frustrating (borderline infuriating) during assembly, but the finished result is very satisfying, displays extremely well and is instantly recognizable. The level of detail is excellent for the scale, and the included figures help finish it off nicely.

This is easily one of my favorite models so far.

This is an approximately 1:22-scale model of the U.S. M24 Chaffee light tank, consisting of 932 pieces and incorporating RC control purchased through the BrickWar2 website.

Overall Kit Rating: 3.6/5

Kit Completeness: 5/5
All required parts were included in the kit, along with several extra pieces.

Kit Manufacturing Quality: 3/5
The standard brick parts have moderate grip/clutch, but some of the specialty parts are prone to falling off. The most notable example is the gun-to-turret mount, which comes loose easily if bumped or when attempting to raise or lower the gun. A small dab of glue is essential to keep it securely attached.

Design Quality/Robustness: 2/5
There are two major issues driving this rating.

First, the RC control is utter crap. The controls are not proportional—they are essentially all-or-nothing. More significantly, while the tank pivots in the correct direction when stopped, applying a combined forward-and-turn command causes the tank to turn in the opposite direction from the control input.

Second, the model is incredibly fragile. The tracks are particularly prone to coming apart, making the model difficult to pick up and even limiting use of the RC function on carpet. The side panels on the turret are also especially prone to falling off because of inadequate attachment points.

Instructions Quality: 4/5
The instructions are thorough and complete, with good illustrations. Assembly is generally straightforward and easy to follow.

Model Detail: 3.5/5
The overall level of detail is good, although some of the specialized parts appear mismatched in size, scale, or orientation.

The biggest deduction is for the number of exposed brick studs and edges, which make its brick-model construction readily apparent. The lower hull areas behind the wheels and tracks make little effort to disguise the underlying brick structure and omit any detail of the Chaffee’s torsion-bar suspension.

Historical Accuracy/Realism: 4/5
Overall, this is a believable rendition of the M24 Chaffee, with good basic hull shape, turret placement, and overall proportions.

It clearly resembles the actual vehicle rather than merely being a generic tank built around the limitations of the brick system.

Subjective “Wow” Factor: 3.5/5
This is a nice display model, particularly since the RC function does not work especially well.

Unfortunately, incorporating the RC mechanism eliminates all opportunity for interior detail. The turret also lacks interior features and does not even provide a movable hatch cover.

It displays well, but next to more complete and detailed kits it falls somewhat short of having that real “wow” factor.

Overall

Overall, this is an okay kit with two significant drawbacks: the RC control is absolutely terrible, and the completed model is extremely fragile.

On the plus side, the kit was complete, the instructions were good, the assembly was straightforward, and the finished model is readily recognizable as an M24 Chaffee.

One thing worth noting concerns BrickWar2.com, which advertises heavily on Facebook. Orders ship from China, so mine took nearly two weeks to arrive in the U.S.

More importantly, be aware that the website/order process automatically enrolls you in a subscription service if you aren’t paying attention. This was not immediately obvious, and I only became aware of it after receiving a recurring $24.99 monthly charge. I consider that a fairly shady business practice and personally will avoid purchasing through them again for that reason.

Historical Background

The M24 Chaffee was a U.S. light tank introduced late in World War II, with production beginning in 1944. It was developed to replace the M3/M5 Stuart series and represented a substantial improvement in firepower through its lightweight 75 mm M6 main gun.

The M24 also used torsion-bar suspension, giving it a more sophisticated running gear than the earlier Stuart series, and was powered by a pair of Cadillac 44T24 V8 engines. Its maximum road speed was approximately 35 mph.

Correction: This is the 1:24 scale version, not the 1:28 version.

First off, let me preface this that I am relatively new to building brick models after a 40+ year hiatus; having recently rediscovered the joy during retirement as a means of distraction from doom scrolling. This is about the sixth kit that i have built from various brands, so I figured would provide a review based on my experience.

TLDR rating summary:

Kit Design Quality: 4/5

Kit Completeness: 4/5

Model Detail: 5/5

Scale/Historical Accuracy: 3/5

Instructions Quality: 4/5

Subjective “Wow!” Factor: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.2–very good and definitely a kit worth considering. If historical accuracy isn’t particularly important to you, then I would bump the overall rating to 4.4/5.

History: The Panzer VIII Maus was an experimental super-heavy tank that made it to the prototype phase in 1943-1944 with only two known examples being built; neither of which entered service or saw combat. There is only one surviving example reconstructed by the Soviets from parts of both the V1 and V2 prototypes which resides in the Kubinka Tank Museum west of Moscow.

The Maus was a massive 188-metric ton behemoth with a 128mm primary gun and a 75mm secondary in the main turret. Propulsion was provided by a diesel-electric power train with V2 powered by a 1,200 hp Daimler-Benz MB 517 diesel, engine powering a generator for the two independent electric track motors.

About the kit: This kit was purchased on Amazon and was listed under the Honchoes brand. Interestingly, while the box says Honchoes the instruction manual says 12GO, so some rebranding is involved. Amazon also shows four different color schemes for the kit with two being more historically accurate in construction and two being a bit of an embellishment with the added accessories and mounts. The kit scale is 1:24.

This kit is 3300+ pieces and includes optional parts for RC drive and turret control (motors and controller would need to be purchased separately) and many of those parts won’t be used for static display.

Kit Design Quality: 4/5. The ‘standard’ bricks fit together quite well with excellent grip. The custom molded kit-specific parts are mixed with some components, like the barrel and turret shrouds, fitting very well but the rear chassis blisters in particular needing a drop of glue to stay in place.

Overall, the large panels and subassemblies fit well and major sections are easily removed to reveal interior detail.

One note is that the track configuration lacks good rolling guides and while that has zero impact on a static display, I would be concerned about the tracks walking or binding up with the RC option—especially on higher traction surfaces like carpet.

Kit Completeness: 4/5. There were a few missing pieces but nothing that prevented the kit from being completed from the parts provided. There were many spare/extra parts so in some instances similar pieces could be substituted. In others cases, a bit of creative workaround was needed. None of the missing parts impacted the aesthetics or completeness of the model at all.

Model Detail: 5/5. Given that there are some notable embellishments and deviations from historical accuracy, the detail is exquisite and the ease of removing large panels to reveal the hidden detail is great.

Scale/Historical Accuracy: 3/5. The Maus was never fielded and this kit is an embellishment on the prototypes that appears to be a brick rendition of World of Tanks’ “Landkreuzer”. The kit included a clunky rendition of the German Sd.Kfz. 302/303 “Goliath” remote-controlled demolition vehicle to be carried on the back. The external fuel tank is mounted to the rear of the turret which more accurately would have been mounted to the rear of the chassis where the kit’s Goliath was configured. I opted to omit the Goliath and carrier and instead moved the winch from impractically placed front fender to the rear of the hull.

There were also two funky articulating arms on the rear that were modeled based on the World of Tanks depiction as flame throwers, although without a bit of research it was not immediately clear as to what they were supposed to portray. Flame throwers were documented as a possible option for the Maus, though never installed on the prototypes and the kit arms were awkward so and I omitted them.

Another embellishment is the 3cm Flakvierling AA gun turret top of the main turret. There were provisions for a machine gun mount on the turret of the Maus but nothing relating to a 4-cannon AA gun. As noted, the kit version without the AA gun also omits the Goliath and flame throwers and are likely more historically accurate.

Instructions: 4/5. The instruction manual is very complete with detailed steps but some of the steps are a bit confusing and occasionally the order of operations was…interesting. In some of the illustrations it difficult is to see which parts are actually specified for that step and pictures of assemblies with dark or black parts are particularly difficult to discern though nothing a bit of trial and error can’t work through. You definitely need to pay attention.

Subjective “Wow” Factor: 5/5. This thing is big. It has real shelf presence and absolutely stands out among my other military brick models. Between the sheer size, interior detail and removable panels, it is one of those models that people notice immediately.