Metal Earth Model – British Mark IV Tank

Like the Monitor half of the previous kit, this one was a straightforward build without an excessive number of tricky steps. Were there super tiny pieces? Did I end up looking for some of them on the floor? Yes, of course. But overall this was a fun build.

Added bonus: World War One is one of my special interests, so I found this kit fascinating not just as something to build but also as something I’d read about. Kinda fun to have this historical reference perched on the bookshelf above my desk. 

Metal Earth Models - Monitor and Merrimack

 

I can practically hear the Civil War nerds griping that the ship on the left is actually the CSS Virginia, but I opted to go with the more widely known name because it’s the one Metal Earth used for the name of the two-boat kit.

Of the two, the Monitor was considerably easier to build. The parts in general fit better together, and it required four pages of instructions rather than its partner’s 12. Plus the Monitor was a childhood favorite of mine.

That said, both models had a lot of tiny parts, some of which inevitably hit the floor. So pretty typical Metal Earth experiences.

Metal Earth Model – Orthanc

I started work on this model literally years ago. Inspired by the non-Metal-Earth kit I recently finished, I thought I’d give this one another try. Though I’m a bit out of practice, it came back to me fairly quickly. 

One thing I noted was that with work like this it actually helped to not listen to music while I was putting it together. Back when I first started, I tried playing soundtracks from the Lord of the Rings movies. I swiftly figured out that most of it was the same three or four themes adapted over and over again for hours on end. When I resumed, I tried some classical favorites. But honestly just quiet worked as well if not better.

Barad Dur probably won’t be the next model I build, but I hope to get to it sooner rather than later. I need it to balance out the space on my bookshelf across from where this one now resides. 

Metal Earth Model – Type XXI U-boat

This is the last of the series of Metal Earth models of places I’ve been. As with the last one, this is more of a close-enough than a been-there. I’ve never been on a Type XXI U-boat, though I’ve been on a Type IX.

Most of this build was fairly straightforward. The bend on the sides was a little tricky to get exactly right, but it was easy enough to correct once the pieces started fitting into place. One of the forward dive planes snapped off, and the main periscope was a little fiddly. Beyond that this one was mostly error free.

I had fun putting it together. This is the first time since I was a kid that I did a cut-away model of a sub.

Metal Earth Model – Willys Overland

This one took awhile. It’s from the Premium series, promising “bigger, more details, more fun.” To which they could easily have added “more aggravation.” For the most part the extra level of detail was good, but at several points the model featured elements that bordered on design flaws.

In particular, a lot of the slots were in unnecessarily difficult spots. Some were placed on folds, which made it hard to fit the pins in. And others were placed less than a millimeter from another slot, and putting the pin in the wrong one caused no end of trouble. The entire build required hypervigilance to detail, even more so than an average Metal Earth model. I managed to catch myself before I made quite a few mistakes, and even so I messed up in three or four spots.

Definitely not one for beginners. This was #30 for me.

And it’s a continuation of my streak of building models of places where I’ve been. I admit I’ve never driven an actual Willys, but I’ve seen them in museums several times. And I used to drive a Jeep Wrangler, which is about as close as you can come without investing in a museum piece.

Metal Earth Model – Willis Tower

The trend of Metal Earth models of places I’ve been continues (with the exception of the last one, as obviously I’ve never been on an Imperial Star Destroyer).

Tower on backwards (and didn’t want to risk irreparable damage by unbending and re-bending pins). Time spent groping around on my hands and knees with my phone flashlight in hand, searching for a tiny part I dropped. So yeah, typical Metal Earth experience.

Number 29 for me.

Metal Earth Model – Imperial Star Destroyer

Another relatively simple build. A few more tiny bits and round pieces than the Brooklyn Bridge, but no loose connections or tricky placements. Even the eight-points-at-once step at the end was relatively stress free.

If I was inclined to rush through builds, kits like this would annoy me. It has several flat parts that sit on top of other flat parts, thus not adding much dimension and seeming kinda unnecessary. However, I like the building experience and don’t mind parts that don’t appear to have much of a function. So they’re fine with me.

Metal Earth Model – Brooklyn Bridge

I’m developing some real affection for the architectural parts of the Metal Earth collection. As a group they’re considerably less challenging than some of the other sets.

This entry is a case in point. No loose connections. No round parts. Only two pieces so tiny I had to use tweezers to install them (and even then they didn’t require bending). Overall this was a calm, enjoyable build.

My only hesitation about recommending this one to beginners is that the instructions aren’t always crystal clear. For example, the duplicate parts aren’t color coded the way they are for most Metal Earth kits I’ve built in the past. If you’re used to these models, that shouldn’t throw you too far off. Even though 6 and 16 looked a lot alike, it was still immediately apparent that you couldn't install one where the other was supposed to go.

Plus it’s always fun to build a model of someplace I’ve actually been.

Metal Earth Model – Voyager

My 26th Metal Earth build. Normally I wouldn’t do two spacecraft in a row, but last week a friend and I started binge watching Star Trek movies, and the first one put me in a Voyager mood.

Voyager 1 is farther away from Earth than any other human-made object. It entered interstellar space back in 2012. And NASA is still communicating with it. They don’t expect it to stop transmitting until 2025. Not bad for something launched way back in 1977.

Metal Earth Model – Chandra X-Ray Observatory

My 25th Metal Earth build. Here’s a link to an excellent site about the real thing and the astrophysicist it’s named after.

This model had something I’ve been wanting from an ME kit: the trickiest part of the assembly was at the beginning. Sure, there’s a stage at the end where eight pins have to fit in place at once. But the tough part was getting the B4 and B5 pieces to bend and attach correctly. I also ended up putting on A29 sideways, which I didn’t notice until it was too late to do anything about it.

Otherwise this was a straightforward, relaxing assembly.

Metal Earth Model – Film Projector

This is my 24th Metal Earth model build. I think I’m starting to get the hang of it now.

Of course no amount of practice helps when you need to bend a tab between pieces you’ve already assembled, a gap so small you can’t get any of your tools into it. And as you can probably tell just by looking at it, this is not the model for you if you don’t like bending cylinders.

On the other hand, several folks on the Facebook groups griped about how hard it was to attach the film strip and bend it through its several twists and turns. I didn’t struggle with that part too badly. I also appreciated the decision to not postpone the ever-dreaded join-eight-tabs-at-once step until the end. When the build finishes on a less frustrating note, it’s easier to walk away with a positive impression.

Metal Earth Model – Imperial ATAT Walker

As summer began to slip away, I found myself in need of an easy victory. This model did the trick nicely. The instructions were clear and relatively free of fiddly bits. I managed to go from start to finish during the course of a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Metal Earth Model – LLV Mail Truck

It feels like forever since I finished a Metal Earth model! I actually started this one back in May, but I folded a part the wrong way, snapped it when I tried to correct the problem, threw the kit out, ordered a replacement and then let it sit for quite awhile.

The build itself was mostly enjoyable. The dreaded top-half-to-bottom-half toward the end actually went smoothly. It was the little bits – the mirrors in particular – that twisted in odd angles and proved resistant to easy installation. And joining the front to the middle was one of those moments when I wondered if anyone actually tried assembling the kit they just designed. I also got a little frustrated with the long, thin parts that needed to bend right next to edges that needed to remain straight.

When I first started the build, I considered leaving the driver’s side door open. That way it would look more like an actual mail truck, and the fun details in the cab would be easier to see. Alas, the closed door held the front to the back, so it had to be assembled according to the directions.

This one was fun by its very nature. A mail truck is so normal and everyday, unlike the Lighthouse at Alexandria or the Starship Enterprise.

Metal Earth Model – Lunar Rover

For the most part this was a fun build. One of the final steps was one of ME’s legendary eight-tabs-have-to-connect-all-at-once-and-half-of-them-move-independently-from-the-rest moments. A piece on the back snapped off and had to be E6000’d. And here and there some bits were wobbly because their tabs were so close together that they were difficult to twist in place. But overall this wasn’t too crazy.

I particularly liked the detail in the etching.

Metal Earth Model – Tower Bridge

 

I got this kit for Christmas, and apparently I was still a little addled from the festivities when I started the build on Boxing Day. I put one of the end towers on the wrong side of the main tower. Feeling defeated, I walked away from the project for a week or so.

But when I came back, apparently the Metal Earth gods were with me. I managed to unbend the tabs holding the piece in the wrong spot and then re-bend them in the right place without breaking any of them. And from there the build went fairly smoothly.