My samples of the new A9, 10 and 13 arrived today.
They are superb! Thank you Pendraken :D
I have a mixed squadron of the old A9, A10 & A13.
How much better are the new ones? On a scale of 1-£60?
I can directly compare the A9 & A13a, I didn't have an A10 before I bought a new one. The new ones are bigger - much taller, specifically. They're crisply, sharply moulded, but lack detail. There are no rivets, lots of flat smooth plates. The suspension lacks any depth, just a suggestion of what holds the wheels. Having glued them all in place, I can't remember which one (including the new A10) had no location pin/hole for the gun/mantlet piece. It should be centralised, but be careful...
The proportions look better, but I did like the detail on the old ones.
I never had any old ones. Yes, gluing the gun is a little nerve wracking. There are no rivet details. The tracks - I think if they were any deeper they'd be too thick for the scale represented, similarly if they'd been done "open" they'd be very weak I think. Also a real 2cm rivet (large) would be vanishingly small in this scale.
Sand guards might have been nice, but I can scratch them out of plastic card.
I've got an Arrowhead Matilda regt and 2x Arrowhead Grant / Pithead crusader II regiments, but these new Pendraken castings compare well for size and will be perfect for a step back to op Battle axe.
2nd RTR scale on a 1:4 at only 10 models plus HQs.
I'm sold! :D