M-8 and M-20 Armored Cars

Manufacturer: ExtraTECH

Is a 1/72nd scale armored car worth US $25? How can it be? Will they be better than ExtraTECH's previous kits? Will they be better than any other resin kit which costs half as much? These were the questions going through my head after I ordered these two kits, and I am happy to say, were answered to my complete satisfaction upon opening the boxes of these two fabulous kits.

Of course not everyone will agree. These are very high-priced models. But consider this: how would we compare the quality of ExtraTECH resin with other companies'? How many resin kits come with photoetched brass details (and a lot of them)? How many times have we asked for good decals to come with the kit? And how many times have we wished for decent instructions while trying to build a complicated kit? I maintain that the old adage "you get what you pay for" is alive and well in the small scale armor modeling community, because these kits include all that we could ask for (well, except maybe for some crew figures). The resin is some of the highest quality resin castings I have ever seen, and all the other things I mentioned are the icing on the cake.

The kits are very similar, which should be expected, I guess. The scan below shows all of the parts which come with both kits. I've included both of the hulls in the scan, so you can see the top and bottom. Obviously, each kit only comes with one.

As one can see, they have full undercarriage, interior detail (which is mostly visible only on the M-20), and a gorgeous .50cal MG.

From this point on, I've split the review into two pages, so that the page isn't overburdened with graphics.