Building the Proxie Models Trencher Mk II, Part 1

I received an order from Proxie Models in the mail earlier this week.  I was extremely happy with the turnaround time: I placed the order on Thursday, and it was in my mailbox on Monday. Included in the order was a pack of 15mm scale Trencher Mk II tanks.
Proxie is a one-man company, operating out of a garage.  You can follow new developments on Ken Krout's blog, here: Proxie Models blog.

So, what you are getting when you order the Trencher is literally a garage kit. You get a pack of 2 tanks for $7.00 USD.

The parts will absolutely need trimming and cleanup to get rid of the flash, and to improve the fits. The kits I got were molded in hard red plastic, although some are apparently yellow, too.  I don't know the technical details, but the plastic is different from the usual model kit styrene,  It has a slightly waxy feel, and looks swirly, with a slight texture.  I believe this is to do with additives in the plastic, to make the parts form out completely.

From the the work I've done so far, I can tell you the plastic bonds just fine with Plastruct Plastic Weld liquid glue, and superglue. I've had no problem trimming or using sandpaper and files.

The grid in the pictures is 1 inch square. The hull is a bit over 2" long.

The other side of the sprues.  A little out of focus. Sorry!
Detail on the hull and tracks is pretty good.  The hatches in particular look good.

The detail on the weapons looks soft.  You do get several options for the main turret and sponsons, though.  I will be leaving the sponsons off, since they look too small to contain the firing  mechanisms for such large weapons.  Those looking for 15mm proxies for Warhammer 40K may prefer to use them.

I did encounter one problem, one of the track parts in my pack was "short shot."  The mold did not fill out completely:

(In that picture you can also see the swirly appearance of the plastic and the surface texture.)

I e-mailed Ken about the problem, and he responded later the same day with an apology and mailed out a replacement the next morning. Excellent customer service again.

I began construction on one of the tanks. Trimming and test fitting allowed me to get good joins without serious gaps for the most part. The only problem area was the back of the hull where the top and bottom sections join:

There I will have to use a two part epoxy putty to clean up the gap.  More on that in my next post.

Here what it looks like with the main assembly done.  The hatch parts have not been attached to the sides yet.

Although there is definitely a 40K influence, the design also looks like a sort of alternate T-34 to me (with some KV-1 thrown into the mix). I intend to use these in a sci-fi Neo-Soviet force. They will look the part painted in a Soviet green scheme.

More to come in Part II.