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In-Box Review
148
Quad M-4 AA Gun & Crew
  • Rest_Quad_Boxtop

by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]

The answer is a resounding "Yes!". The kit is immaculate - a finely detailed little gem that must be stretching the limits of what it's possible to cast successfully. Rest Models' kits always impress me, but the delicacy of some of these parts almost defies belief.

Brief History
The Quad M-4 was the unofficial name for the winning entry in a 1928 design competition for a new Soviet anti-aircraft gun. The Quad M-4 combined 4 x Maxim 7.62 mm machine guns and proved to have a high rate of fire and was easy to maintain for instant readiness. Consequently, the weapon saw widespread service with the Red Army throughout the 1930s and well into WW2. Despite being declared largely obsolete in 1943, the M-4 continued in use for low-level defence and even in repelling infantry assaults. Captured guns were used by the Germans under the designation MG216(r).

Rest Models' Kit
The Quad M-4 arrives in a neat end-opening box illustrated with photos of a nicely built-up kit. The card used for the box could benefit from being a bit heavier but, nevertheless, all the parts arrived perfectly safe and sound inside the seal zip-lok bag within.

The presentation is excellent - along with the finely cast resin parts, Rest Models provide extensive instructions with diagrams drawn to a standard that major producers would be proud of. This is a surprisingly detailed kit for its size and the professionally produced artwork is a major plus-point. Backing up these instructions are a brief history of the weapon, along with some useful reference photos.

The kit consists of:
33 x resin parts for the Quad M-4
16 x resin parts for the 3-man gun crew
An etched steel fret with 20 x details for the gun.

The casting is simply superb. Every part is supplied separated from it's casting block and ready to use. There is hardly a trace of "flash" and clean-up is going to be really quick. The detail on the guns and their mount is excellent and there are some incredibly delicate parts which I can't for the life of me imagine how they're produced (the work required to cast such parts and then clean them up ready to package hardly bears thinking about!...).

Aeroscale is very lucky to have received one of the first examples of this new kit, and the review sample does include a number of spare parts. I don't know if the guys at Rest Models were afraid of "duds" - if so, they needn't have worried - as far as I can see, every part is perfectly cast.

The Quad M-4 consists of individual machine guns (they're not identical, so be careful to position them correctly) fitted to a cradle which, in turn, sits on a tripod with a cooling tank at its base. The tripod also has a central pillar which is cast with a metal core, giving a solid base for the model. The water hoses aren't provided, but everything else is there - from delicate multiple cocking levers, a choice of etched or resin sights and handles, to etched ammunition belts.

Construction is broken down into 10 stages and looks pretty straightforward, despite the relative complexity of such a small model. The only point where I might break from the suggested sequence is to thread the ammunition belts through the Maxims before mounting the guns on the tripod, but beware - the guns actually elevate and the instructions suggest that you use the gunner figure to judge the correct angle before glueing everything solid.

The crew
None of the Rest Models kits I've seen previously have included figures, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The 3-man crew - gunner, loader and an observer with binoculars - is excellent. Each figure is beautifully sculpted and cast with separate arms and helmet, along with pouches and a PPSh-41submachine gun. The proportions of all the figures looks spot-on and they are well animated with a degree of character.

Completing the package is a full-colour painting guide. Again, very clearly illustrated with colours keyed to each part of the Quad M-4 and one of the figures. The colours are "generic" and not matched to any particular brand, and most major paint ranges should have the colours required.

Conclusion
Rest Models' Quad M-4 and crew is a superb little kit that will look equally good as part of a diorama, or as a vignette in its own right. I haven't rated the kit yet for the simple reason that we've received the sample so early, there doesn't seem to be an R.R.P yet. In terms of casting quality, I won't hesitate to give it 100% - and previous Rest Models kits have represented remarkably good value for money for such high quality models. Highly recommended.

(The kit should be available soon in the UK from NeOmega, and in the US from Dmc Models. A full list of international distributors can be found on Rest Models' website. )

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.
SUMMARY
Rest Models have built up a well-deserved reputation for excellence through their beautiful 1/48 scale aircraft kits. Christmas 2006 marked something of a departure for them, with the release of their first set of figures and ground equipment in this scale. The question was - could it match possibly the standards they'd set with their aircraft?...
  Scale: 1:48
  Mfg. ID: RM4851
  PUBLISHED: Jan 13, 2007
  NATIONALITY: Russia
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 88.37%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 90.29%

Our Thanks to Rest Models!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Rowan Baylis (Merlin)
FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM

I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...

Copyright ©2021 text by Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



Comments

Everything but the cooling hoses...Certainly they could be made from soft solder. Can't wait to see it built up. Any clue on the price?
JAN 13, 2007 - 02:55 PM
Hi Stephen Well, I started tinkering this morning and it just gets better - the guns actually elevate! But that does mean my thought of attaching the ammunition belts early is probably wrong... As regards the price - I've trawled through all the Rest Models distributers and no-one lists the model yet. I'll post an update as soon as I find a price. All the best Rowan
JAN 13, 2007 - 03:32 PM
Hi Stephen Still no sign of a firm price for this beauty, but I started to mess around with some sub-assemblies: I have to say, this is a kit where it really pays to read the instructions... then re-read them... go away for a while, read them again, test fit some parts and then finally begin to understand what's going on! So far, all my "best guesses" for ways to tackle the sub-assemblies with a view to easier painting have proved to be mistakes! :-) The guys at Rest Models have obviously thought this one through before designing the instructions... I thought I could break the model down into three easy sub-assemblies: The guns The ammunition supply The mounting Truth is - if you build the ammunition supply with all four magazines attached, it's impossible to fit the guns - hence the cannister left on one side. By the end of this build I won't have followed the instructions quite to the letter, but whether or not that will have been advisable, only time will tell... All the best Rowan And yes - if you've spotted that one strut on the tripod is paler than the others... I made the classic mistake! I measured the resin original... re-measured it... cut it and... found I'd made it too short! So... bring on the plastic rod...
JAN 22, 2007 - 05:30 AM
Last post on Jan. 22, 2007. Its 2011 and I am in process to get one of these finally. With all the PE out there for Vickers Machine guns I think I have a diorama in mind. . .
MAR 05, 2011 - 04:58 PM
   
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  • Rest_Quad_Detail
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