Japanese firm Tamiya has released just the second styrene depiction of the British Comet cruiser tank in 1/35 scale – read our full review of the new kit here.
Developed from the Cromwell, the Comet was a cruiser tank introduced late in World War Two with the intention of improving upon the former type’s weaknesses, including firepower. As such, the suspension was modified (including the addition of return rollers), the new 77mm High Velocity (HV) gun added and housed in an all-new welded turret. Despite these improvements, its wartime service was limited – the type would be used by British forces until 1958; perhaps this explains the lack of attention given to the Comet by kit manufacturers. Until now, that is, and the release of Tamiya’s new-tool 1/35 offering.
This is arguably the first truly mainstream Comet kit in the scale – previously, Bronco released a kit in 2005 and re-issued it in 2015, but this contained resin and photo-etched parts for various elements. Even that was an improvement over Accurate Armour’s fully resin Comet, which would only be suitable for an experienced modeller. With Tamiya known for the ease-of-assembly of its products, this new Comet could easily fulfil the needs of those newer to the hobby.
