Quick build block models

I noticed these 1/72 military blocks models on eBay for a while now, but it wasn't until I saw an M1070 being marked down with free shipping that I decided to buy a couple of these models for examination.

The two kits I bought were the Oshkosh M1070 HET, and a Taian HTF5980 TEL. There are also various aircraft and helicopter models, but the proportions looked a bit off, so I decided not to buy any of those.

The HTF5980 (DF-41) is branded Xuja while the M1070 model is branded Sebunas, but I've seen the exact same model with Xuja branding and catalog number. I assume both companies OEM their models from the same source.

The M1070 box contains five bags of various parts, which I will not bother doing a count or breakdown of. Most of the parts are of plastic, but I think the tires are some sort of vinyl material of mediocre quality.

A sand colored version of this model also exists, but people seem to be selling it for insane prices.

I assume the block model name comes from the particular type of layout in the following image, but the majority of parts use more of a peg and hole assembly configuration that does not seem particularly uniform.

There were also a handful of spare parts left over after assembly.

Assembly is pretty straight forward, but the images in the instructions are tiny, so the orientation for some pieces wasn't always obvious to me. For step 4 and I think step 5, the order of assembly for some of the parts is important, so double check before snapping them into place too tightly.

Step 1 completed.

Steps 2 + 3 completed.

Orientation of parts for step 5.

Step 6 completed.

Step 7 completed.

The completed model looks pretty good, but it is obviously better suited for gamers as opposed to hardcore model builders. The wheels actually don't roll particularly smoothly, but that may likely be due to my not bothering to smooth out the ejector pin marks on the axle parts.

The HTF5980 box is huge, and contains nine bags of various parts. Again, the parts are all plastic, with vinyl tires.

Steps 1 + 2 completed.

If you want to pivot these rods, make sure the pins are set all the way to the top, or the plastic may break when you rotate them.

For the telescoping support in step 8, make sure the edges of the parts are smooth before putting them together. They are tapered cylinders, so make sure the orientation is correct and that they fit loosely and move smoothly in fully collapsed form before extending the support.

Telescoping support without hinged caps.

Only attach the lower cap with hinge to the telescoping support for step 8. Later, during step 11, attach the upper cap with hinge (by itself) to the frame. Attach the telescoping support as shown in step 12, then attach the support to the upper cap.

I'm not sure how accurate the DF-41 ICBM looks, and the fit of the parts are not great compared to the rest of the model. It kind of reminded me of a cannon round, so I took a picture of it with a 20mm Oerlikon cartridge case.

The model goes together even more quickly than the M1070, and it looks decent (outside of the ICBM). Again, the wheels also don't move particularly well for the same reasons as the M1070.

I am unable to verify if these are truly 1/72 scale models, so buyer beware. I'm pretty sure that I have both the Takom HTF5980 and M1070 buried somewhere in my stash, so one of these days I'll need to dig them out and do an actual comparison.