Voyager Model Accessories are available online from Mission Models
 

FirstLook

The Voyager models range of photo etch and turned brass accessories are fast becoming the products of choice for may modellers due to their competitive pricing and excellent quality. In fact I know a few modellers that are using nothing else for their detailing projects.

I have grouped four of their newest releases together under a common theme; that being the 1/35 Hummel and its gun the Sfh18 Howitzer.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

PE35174: Hummel basic early version:

This set is labelled “basic” but it is far from it! Covering 10 photo etch frets together with 5 resin pieces and 1 length of tow wire. The six well laid out pages of easy to follow instructions cover most of the internal fittings in the fighting compartment with a few for the gun. The main parts covered are the stowage and ammunition compartments and smaller fittings like gas mask holders and alike. The brass it self is first class and the bend marks clearly defined. Overall this is a great set and would add certain finesse the Dragon kit as well as adding scale thickness to the various fittings inside the vehicle. 

PE35175: Hummel early version Armor plate:

To be honest, I’m not a great fan of this sort of set, thinking it a little excessive...I think it stems from a fear of large scale soldering and the thought of just mucking it up totally if I tried. This set however looks to be fairly easy as the bend marks look very straight forward and the side armour is formed in just 2 large plates. This set covers 7 frets with 6 pages of easy to follow instructions. The showpiece in this set are the mesh grills for the side engine louvers. They are without a doubt the finest pieces of mesh I have ever seen in any scale. This set covers all the armour plates and as with the previous set would greatly enhance the Dragon kit.  This set may well be a good “starter set” for large scale “urber  detailing” as it looks fairly easy to but together.

PE35173: Nashorn/Hornisse/Hummel Fenders and floor

This set covers just one fret and covers the floor and Fenders with two pages of instructions. The etch it self is very well done, with the grid pattern on the fenders and floor being well defined and very finely done. I would have liked a recess mark on the underside of the front fenders (to produce the characteristic domed leading edg that appear on all Panzer 4 variations) but sadly they have missed this. The standouts on this set are the two retaining springs on the rear of the fenders. This is the first time I have seen scale springs being used this way and they work perfectly for the intended application. Not only are they the right size, they are perfectly formed .

PEA114: Ammunition for Hummel / Sfh18 Howitzer

The last set in this review are eight 3 part (2 turned and 1 etch) brass High explosive  shells intended for either the Hummel or the newly released versions of Sfh18 Howitzer by either Trumpeter or Dragon. All the brass parts are cleanly machined with no burs present and the photo etch firing caps fit snugly to the cartridge part of the machining. 

The shells themselves appear accurate in shape compared to published photos. Overall, this is a worth while set to have, as it lends itself to many application. As with all the sets reviewed in this series the quality is first rate.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Voyager Model for the Review samples