David Jefferis discusses
Long-term readers will know how enthusiastic we are of science-fiction models, and in particular the Hasegawa kits featuring the Ma.K (Maschinen Krieger) sci-fi universe, first created in the 1980s by Japanese artist Kow Yokoyama. Ma.K is set in the 2800s, with a storyline based on the fighting between various factions as the Earth repopulates after a nuclear war.
Hover-tank ahead
Thanks to Hasegawa, Ma.K models continue to be released, and now we have one with real appeal for armoured fighting vehicle fans. The 1:35 scale PKH 103 Nutcracker hover-tank is a neatly crafted addition to the Ma. K range, and a delight for all sci-fi buffs, with bolts-and-rivets steampunk overtones into the bargain. As envisaged, the Nutcracker (once named ‘Nutrocker’ btw) is a robotic AFV with no humans aboard - but to make up for that lack, Hasegawa supplies a pair of new-tool troopers wearing armoured Battle Suits. These are works of model art in their own right, and will reward extra care with the brushwork - and like the Nutcracker, are an absolute natural for the war-weary scarred and weathered look.
Nutcracker or Slave-1?
Under the hover-tank are a bunch of vents, which presumably represent the downthrusters that allow it to hover above the ground. From this angle the Nutcracker looks remarkably like Boba Fett’s Slave-1 bounty ship from Star Wars, which is available as an EasyKit from Revell. I posted an unboxing of this and I stick by my later conclusion: that the kit has fine potential, but with enough assembly issues to make the EasyKit moniker read more accurately as ‘not-so-EasyKit’. Still, it looks great these days, brooding belligerently on the display shelf in a mean and moody midnight-black stealth colour scheme. More on that kitbash in the near future...
Our friends at HobbyLink Japan have this kit at 20 percent discount at the moment, here.
See more on Maschinen Krieger here.
Nutcracker pix courtesy Hasegawa. Boba Fett’s Slave-1 from the SMN Studio.