AO and SK brand 1/35th scale
accessory and conversion kits

By Ray Mehlberger

I recently was approached by a company in Russia by the name of TANKMASTER. This company markets that Eastern European brands of resin and white metal accessory, conversion, and full armor kits.

The manager of Tankmaster has generously sent me samples of two of the brands that he markets. The first brand is OA and I have received samples of different set ups of the Soviet Maxim machine-gun in white metal and a set of additional armor plates in resin that are to be used with the ICM brand kit of the Soviet modern URAL-4320 truck. These are all to 1/35th scale.

The second sample is from SK brand , also in 1/35th scale, of a conversion set to turn either the Maquette, DML or Italeri/Zvezda kits of the T-34-85 into an Egyptian T-34-100. You get a resin turret and white metal parts in this set to do this.

These sets were sent to me, from Russia, in very sturdy packaging and arrived in good shape. The instructions are all in Russian, but this is not problem as there are very good assembly drawings that are easy to follow. Of course CA super-glue will be needed for all assembly.

The white metal parts will need a little cleanup of mold seams, but nothing that files or a sharp X-Acto blade won’t eliminate.

On a couple of them the ring and cross hair sights have to be shaved off a block of metal with a razor blade. I think replacement with some of Waldron's PE ones would be a better way to go for these sights.

The molding on all these kits looks very good and these subjects will be welcomed by modelers who specialize in Soviet subjects.

Highly recommended.

I want to thank Vyacheslav Ryzhenkov, manager of TankMaster for these samples.

The site can be viewed in both the Russian and English language and the firm ships world wide. Purchases of over $150.00 get free postage.