4D Quick Build Models

The latest 4D Models from China have entered the market, and they seem to be from the same company that did the 4D Assembly Models from my last post on 4D Models.

In this release, the models are labeled 快拼系列 (Kuaipin Xilie; Quick Build Series), with the M35 Cargo Truck (No. 1), and the BTR-80 APC (No. 2).

A build review in Mandarin Chinese on Jingmo Wusheng's Toy Sharing Channel (静默无声的玩具分享; Jingmo Wusheng de Wanju Fenxiang) at bilibili states the manufacturer is a company called "Lili" (but maybe he said 4D? I couldn't hear what he said clearly because of distortion in the audio).

I put the M35 together in 15 minutes or so. Half of that time was probably spent on scraping green paint from the tires (probably due to some issue with masking during production).

30 pieces

The suspension is very simplified.

There was a lot of play in the front wheels after assembly. Possibly because the axle was too long, but I think it is more an issue with the design since the front and back wheels seem to line up pretty well. Wusheng seemed to have even more of an issue in his build video, so I think that in some cases, it may be necessary to either file down the axle, or drill out the wheels.

On step 3, I placed the parts so that the ejection marks would be hidden from view. The illustration does not show it, but there is a perpendicular bar that should be on the side facing the rear of the cab.

Make ejection marks face direction of arrows

For step 5, the end of the exhaust stack should be rotated to angle away from the cab rather than point straight backward. Unfortunately, the ejection mark on the exhaust stack is on the outward facing side so it is quite visible.

Gas cap up, exhaust stack angles out

Also, when installing the fuel tank, make sure the gas cap is facing up. The illustration does not show any details, so the upward facing side might be mistaken for the underside of the fuel tank.

Compared to the Hobby Master M35, the trucks are identical in size and wheelbase.

I put the BTR together in about 15 minutes as well. I probably could have done it in 5 minutes, except I had to clean off a lot of flash. The 14.5 mm KPVT is thick and poorly shaped, while the handrails are thick and overscale. There is an extra handrail on the sprue in case you break or lose one.

26 pieces

For step 2, when viewing the parts from this inverted position, the coaxial gun should be on the opposite side.

Coaxial gun not visible from this side

The shovel and handrails had a bit of flash on them, and needed some clean up. It was fortunate that the parts are thick and made of ABS because I'm pretty sure I would have ended up with a lot of broken pieces if they were polystyrene.

horizontal bars should curve away from hull

When installing the handrails, make sure the horizontal bars are curved away from the hull of the vehicle. I may apply some ABS glue inside the hull later to make sure some of the looser fitting parts don't fall off.

Compared to the Trumpeter BTR-80, the two vehicles are almost identical in dimension. The wheelbase of the 4D model is a bit longer than the Trumpeter model (I think there is more separation between the front and rear pairs of axles on the 4D model), but it is not really noticeable without putting the wheels right up against each other.

All in all, I'm quite satisfied with the models. They are well suited for wargaming because of how robust they are, but they also have a lot of potential for modification (although the ABS plastic may be an issue).

A 6x6 Cougar MRAP appears to be available as well, but so far I have only seen it on Taobao.


In Wusong's review, he also mentions the manufacturer makes cannons and 1/72 figures. From what I can tell, the cannon is probably a Zvezda copy, while the figures seem to be Caesar copies.