Rubicon Models A15 Crusader

I have been really excited about the new Rubicon Models line of 1/56th scale WW2 for a long time and now I have finally built my first kit.  I bought this a few weeks ago from my local game store.  This is the armor back-bone for my Perry British 8th army project.  I have had it on the table a couple of times and it makes a perfect addition to my collection.  I might even buy a couple more for Tank War. 

The model comes in a nice glossy box and looks like a proper model kit.

The back of the box give a nice over view of the tank and some example pictures.  You can see how much I paid for it.  You can get these online a few dollars cheaper with free shipping.

A real bonus for a gaming model is the inclusion of this excellent decal set.  This alone adds about $5 of value to the kit.

The instruction sheet is just like you would get in a proper model kit.  It is very nicely produced and accurate!

There are three sprues in the kit.  You cam make one of 5 different versions and not matter which you build you will have a bunch of leftover parts.

Here is the model fully assembled.  I built the Crusader III and it took about an hour an half to complete.

I sprayed the model in a base coat of flat tan. 

Next I painted some dark brown camo patches.

There is lots of different ideas about the camo colors on British tanks in North Africa.  This probably should have been black but I prefer the look of the dark brown.

After the camo I did a drybrush with a light tan color.  I not very good a drybrusing anymore - need more practice.

After the drybrush I added the decals and then did a wash of light tan.

I really love this kit and I can't wait to buy some of their others.  They are easy to put together and designed to be handled.  I don't thing there will be any issues with these as game pieces.