Gather the children round the kitchen table and build a kit together.

'This' is an Academy kit. It's 1/48th scale so its parts are not too large for small hands, it can be built in an evening, it's a snap tite kit, so it doesn't need glue, it won't matter if it's not painted, it has rubberband tracks that are already joined, stickers that look pretty good, and will go onto the bare plastic well - and into the bargain it is robust enough to be played with afterwards.

The cost..? - under seven pounds a kit. There are four in the range, I've selected the T-72 to build here as it's a Russian tank so it fits into the theme of the website rather nicely. There's also a Challenger, a Merkava and a Leopard in the range for other family evenings…

The kit parts laid out. Yes it does have rubber band tracks, and an annoying two piece gun barrel. Most of the hull details are moulded on too. And no - there aren't many replacement parts available in this scale, and none for this kit that I know of - but hey - modelling is for fun.

If you want more detail and more replacement bits go for a bigger scale, spend more on the kit. I've actually had more fun building this little gem than I've had for a long time - I'm going to treat myself to the others in the range, and keep them for when I want to put the fun back into plastic modelling!

The first task - trim all the wheels off the sprues and make up the wheel sets. The only fiddly bit (and the only cheat too) is the two axle bearers which I glued in place. I found that squeezing the drive wheels onto the metal axle made them pop out of place. The mod is because this is the static version of the motorised kit, and the cut outs are needed for that. I figgered that while playing they might come loose again. So maybe it's a good idea for Mum or Dad to glue them first off...

The lower hull in close-up so you can see the sprue marks on the wheels - this is exactly as they come off the frame, snipped with my side cutters. Then the two halves are pressed together, and held in place on the axles with soft plastic poly caps - just like Daddy's Tamiya kits... Make sure the wheel numbers are kept seperate - they are different and wont fit in anything but the correct pairs, so although its a good idea to trim things off the sprues make sure you keep an eye on where junior is putting them :-)

Upper and lower hull assemblies ready to be joined. The rubberband tracks are in one piece, moulded in one - so no joins to worry about - Yay! They slide in place, and are gripped by the milled drive wheels - they do work too.

There are some poly caps to hold the turret onto the upper hull and the top and bottom halves in place.

Talking of the turret - most of the detailing is lavished here. The end of the gun barrel is open, the hatches are neatly inscised.

Almost fully assembled - just the Id numbers and Guards badges for the turret still to go.

The level of detail on this tank is quite astonishing - bearing in mind it's a 'toy'

Talking of toys - I was given strict instructions about the finish of this particular kit from a young lady I know. Now, where's my Pink Blush acrylic paint - quick coat of pink, paint some flowers on the skirts and a scratch-built mobile phone holder - Yes, this'll help Barbie get to all those Sale bargains with ease... :-)

I think this has to have been my favourite kit this year. It's certainly the quickest I've ever built - since I turned ten at least. This took an hour and a half, not working too hard and stopping to look at the telly every now and then. As I said, I'm going to get the others in the range - and keep one handy for when I get into a rut with my 'real' modelling.