Border Model BT-012 1/35 British Cruiser Tank MK.VI Crusader MK.III

I was excited for this kit on its debut especially given Border Models own debut as a new kit manufacturer for the market... The good... Beautifully detailed with a respectable part count... Plenty of options for open stowage bins and hatches although no interior detail is included... Metal barrel and Photoetch included too... The bad... Tracks are horrendous... Very small links needing 2 pins to be engaged thru very small holes that, for the most part, require you to redrill with a 0.4mm drill... The pins are tiny, soft and buckle if alignment is just off... There is a length of track for the the main run however but the notion that these are working tracks is innacurate as they are very weak and will requite them to be bonded once on the vehicle... If you want to use the photoetch version of side skirts you are going to have to build the tracks in their entirety... Which is going to seriously test your patience... The included metal barrel can not pass it thru the mantlet cover rendering it useless... Photoetch included but some are missing any bend lines making for a troublesome folding and fit up... Instructions are a little vague in places also... I don't like bagging out a new comer to the modelling scene but this does feel as tho Border Models didn't actually QC things by having external modellers put their product together before shipping it out to the customer... Good effort tho... Lovely kit with nice details... Painful tracks and useless extras that simply increase the cost of the kit... This hasnt deterred me from Border Models however just yet but I'm struggling with how much these kits are given what's out there...