Formations
F010

Stretched sprue. A guitar string. A bristle from a house painting brush. A cat's whisker. These are typical items employed as antenna masts on AFVs. Formations offers a convenient alternative that falls just a bit short of the mark.

This kit attempts to solve a common problem with the base mounts that come with AFV kits: the receiving hole for the scratchbuilt antenna is usually too small or set off center.

The set provides a pair of antenna masts made of wire and cast into their resin mounts. (The pair of antennas are cleverly protected with lengths of plastic soda straws.) The masts measure 7.5 feet from tip to top of the base. However, most tanks used an antenna made up of three 3-foot lengths, while company commanders had five 3-foot lengths. The actual segments tapered toward the free end and were color-coded at the ends for quick assembly.

Personally, I use a long bristle from a paint brush. I can get both the correct length and the taper, plus it flexes if I brush (no pun intended) against it, rather than breaking off from the base.

But if you want a quick fix for that Italeri M4A1 Sherman with the British antenna base, this is a good solution.

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