It does seem to be genuine, a spinoff of a mystifying Japanese anime thing called Girls und Panzer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_und_Panzer
Very Japanese.
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-- Edited by James H on Tuesday 27th of March 2018 06:24:39 PM
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James, yes it is sold under the Girls und Panzer banner. I guess it keeps the cost down for the historical hobbyists when the Japanese producers can add a few cartoon characters and make it a bigger seller in Japan.
In the (brightly coloured) box I got the 'Platz' "Girls Und Panzers" Mk.IV kit with the radio mast included, but thankfully not any girls!Â
It's moulded in an odd salmon pink plastic, but otherwise a standard Takom Mk.IV kit. The 'radio mast' parts are brass rod, etched brass and some fine thread.Â
I'm happy to be corrected, but I'm not sure that there were 'Mk.IV' radio tanks, I think they were old Mk.Is retrofitted with the radio gear. However, if we ignore that the kit, built as per instructions, retains the 6pdr guns in the sponsons, I'm fairly sure that 'radio tanks' had the guns removed because the sponsons were full of the radio gear.Â
Still it's decent start to an unusual version as the radio mast parts are nicely done in brass, and you still have a Mk.IV left after you fit the radio mast to a Mk.I kit.
The box and box-art might mean some buyers would prefer it to arrive in a 'plain wrapper'.
To see the tank 'in context' there is a short clip here,
jh
PS Before you ask, I think the soundtrack to the video was not from the original film.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Subsequent research suggests that the Mk.IV radio tanks had a separate mast, which was erected next to the tank, rather than the aerial mast mounted on top of the tank, like the kit. Pictures seem rare of either sort of tank.
-- Edited by James H on Thursday 26th of April 2018 11:45:33 AM
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
