I honestly don't know what to think of this kit.  As I opened the box (the size of a laptop computer and as thick as two stacked laptops), my first impression was, "How in the heck can these parts make an whole Azcharit?"  

Upon inspection, the kit seems spare with the track links taking up most of the interior space in the box.  There are two halves: the lower hull and the top plate with sides, a bag for the roadwheels, a bag for the PE frets, and another bag for the tiny details on the upper hull.  Essentially, the kit is two halves, tracks, suspension, and details for the upper hull.  In reflection, I suppose that’s how bare an Israeli Defence Force Azcharit really is.  

Yet as the box photo shows, this is no optical illusion.  Even though it doesn't look like it, even on the parts’ layout photo on the instruction sheet, the 74(+) numbered parts contained in this box does make an Azcharit (believe it or not).  In truth, there’s more than 74 parts in the kit since some parts are reproduced two to three times but still have the same part number.

When the initial shock of the kit’s scarcity subsided, I inspected the parts.  The casting looks excellent, free of warpage and air bubbles, and the details and edges are sharp, right down to the rivets.  The resin is very similar in quality to Hong Kong Creations Workshop, a light odorless cream-colored resin.  The hull pieces are pretty thick but the side skirts and accessory bag pieces are thinly cast to adhere more to scale.   There is a little resin overlap on the sides of the upper-plate that needs to be sanded smooth.   The upper hull and parts have some thin flash and do have pour blocks that needs to be sawed off.  Fortunately in most cases, the pour blocks are attached to the bottom of the parts.  What may be tricky is finding out where to cut off the pour blocks since some blocks look like actual parts or bars of armor.  Refer to the instructions carefully before sawing off pour blocks.  There is also a little flaky flash webbing that needs to be cut off with a sharp knife.  A plate near the infantry ramp of the upper hull is cast very thin and may require styrene to thicken and strengthen.  But overall, the hulls’ surface and casting is very smooth and given all the complex and very sharp angles and edges, the overall casting quality is excellent!  The sharp edges are beautifully retained even after the hull is pulled from the mold.  Veteran and expert modelers may wish to add an anti-skid texture to the upper hull.

The detail is very exquisite: crisp, sharp and remarkably straight and precise.  The rivet heads on the additional armor line up in perfect rows and weld lines are visible.  The engine louver slats are aligned and the multitude of molded-on raised hatches on the upper hull is superbly crafted.

The crew hatches have pegs that look like hinges but I’m unsure if the hatches can open or close.  The infantry ramp’s top cover has two hinge slots so it seems possible that the ramp hatch can open and close.  The instruction sheet shows the ramp posed as open but there’s a massive spring on the side.  I’m not sure if Legends meant for the spring to be snapped on and off to show an open or closed ramp hatch.  However, the option to pose the rear ramp open or closed does exist although there is no interior and I’m not sure if one is ever possible since the ramp leads to a wall which forms part of the upper hull.

There are two FN MAG machine guns, one for the Rafael Overhead Weapons Station and another for a side hatch.  Ammo box cradles and linked belts are photo-etched.  

The kit doesn’t come with any ammo boxes or infantry accessories but television news footage doesn’t show any gear stowed on the outside of Azcharits anyway.  Ammo boxes can come from other kits.

The one-page front and back printed by a color inkjet instruction sheet seems pretty adequate although it shows the model in its bare resin state.  Thus, the Internet is definitely needed for photo reference when it comes to painting.  Unfortunately, there aren’t any photos or instructions on how to put on the roadwheels and suspension!  So I’m assuming the modeler can figure it out based on the contents inside the “suspension/ roadwheel” bag.  Just make sure you don’t mix up the parts from different bags.  The photos on the instruction sheet are clear, sometimes a bit grainy, but do vary in brightness and thus it makes some areas hard to see because that area is dark, being in the shade or shadow.  Furthermore, the resin is off-white and so is the hull so this makes it a bit hard to see the outline of the parts (white on white).  It’s not a crippling factor but do pay close attention to the instructions to make sure you glue parts in the proper spot.

Resin construction seems mainly centered on the suspension and adding the tiny resin parts to the hull.  Photo-etched construction is all over the model from the bow to the upper deck to the machine guns to the rear stowage netting and rear side bins.  PE construction will probably take up most of the modeler’s time.

The instructions showed completed tow cables but I didn’t find any cable wire in the kit so I think you need to supply your own (i.e. picture wire).

No decals are included but a nice photo-etched vehicle numbering plate is included.

For reference, I highly recommend Marsh Gelbart’s book, “Military Briefs 2: Israeli Tank-Based Carriers” (the publisher is Mouse House Enterprises, Australia) to complete this kit as the one-page instruction sheet may provide some confusion due to the lack wide-angle shots.

As stated, I find it hard to rate this kit compared to the other resin kits I have.  I guess the final rating and judgment all boils down to after the kit is constructed.  

Due to the amount of photo-etch construction and the difficulty one might have with the instruction sheet, I recommend this kit only for veteran and advanced modelers.