"GALAXY and S-MARS", 1/72 manufacturers from China
Galaxy is out of production and s-Mars is hard to find
Information posted by Fujiang Peng and Zhenmin Han from China
Comments by HenkofHolland
About reviews on other web-sites
I'm not too familiar with "Post War" vehicles, but I will try and do my
best to be as correct as possible. A search on internet has shown me
that these kits are the same kits that were released earlier by the
Chinese Manufacturer "Galaxy" - and now are re-released again under
the S-Mars label. The reviews on some web sites are not as positive
about the Galaxy / S-Mars kits. But, it seems to me that this is maybe
relative. The kit parts I have seen have relatively good-to-nice
details and (I agree) are not better than... but also mostly not worse
than the same vehicles from Esci/Italeri - Revell and Hasegawa. I agree
with the fact that the rubber tracks and some small parts are not
acceptable. But, remember that some parts of the same vehicles from the
other manufacturers are also not correct, (such as the wheels -
one-piece and not double-sided).
The kits are packed in a stiff carton box and don't have decals in the
kits. The instruction sheets are basic. In the boxes are rubber tracks
with wrong details.(In this the manufacturer "S-Mars" has as "Galaxy"
did, used the same two different universal type rubber tracks for all
their kits.) The kits have exactly the same dimensions as the same kits
from Revell, Hasegawa and the Esci-Italeri kits. The instructions on
the boxes are in 6 different languages, so it is possible that the kits
are available in countries outside of China.
Click on the pictures
Kit s-115 - Merkava MK - Israeli MBT
For "Greg Kerry's / arcarm.com" review of Kit s-115 - Merkava MK - Israeli MBT visit:
"www.arcarm.com", website
Kit s-125 - Challenger 2 - British MBT
Pictures built model www.imx365.net
For "Greg Kerry's / arcarm.com" review of Kit s-125 - Challenger 2 - British MBT visit:
"www.arcarm.com", website
Kit s-135 - Leopard 2A3
For "Doug Chaltry's / OTW" comperison of Kit s-135 - Leopard 2A3 with Hasegawa & Revell Leopards, visit:
"On The Way", website
Kit s-145 - M60 A1 - US Marine Tank with reactive armour
Pictures built model www.imx365.net
Note: The parts for the reactive armour as showed on the box are not in the box and also not showed on the instruction sheet!!!
For "Greg Kerry's / arcarm.com" review of Kit s-145 - M60 A1 - US Marine Tank with reactive armour visit:
"www.arcarm.com", website
Kit s-155 - LeClerc French MBT
Model built by Zhenmin Han
Review Galaxy Leclerc, by Gaby Lezen on OntheWay
Kit s-165 - T72 - Russian Haevy Tank
Pictures built model www.imx365.net
Kit s-185 - Russian T80UD - (Sprue pictures by www.imx365.net)
Pictures built model www.imx365.net
Kit bashing a 1/72 scale T-80UD by Alex Clark - mix from Galaxy > Revell T80 kit.
For an "Victor Hugo Pena" preview about Kit s-185 - Russian T80UD visit:
"On The Way" website
Kit s-205 - M1A2 Abrams
Kit s-215 - Abrams with Mine-Plough
For "Doug Chaltrey's / OTW" - article "Modeling the M1 Abrams in 1/72nd Scale" visit:
"On the Way" Website
M1 Abrams Comparison - between Galaxy > Hasegawa > Revell, Esci, Matchbox, by Doug Chaltry from OntheWay
Box Lay-out from the Manufacturer Galaxy (release in 1994)
Pictures by Zhenmin Han
Kit YH115 - Merkava-2 - model built by Zhenmin Han
Kit YH125 - Challenger - model built by Zhenmin Han
Kit YH135 - Leopard 2A3 - model built by Zhenmin Han
For an "Marko Mäkinen" review kit YH135 Leopard 2A3 visit:
"On the Way" Website
For an "Doug Chaltry" comparison kit YH135 Leopard 2A3 visit:
"On the Way" Website
Kit YH145 - M60A1 - model built by Zhenmin Han
For an "Till Huber" review kit YH145 M60A1 visit:
"On the Way" Website
Kit YH155 - Leclerc - model built by Zhenmin Han
For an "Gaby Lazen" review kit YH155 - Leclerc visit:
"On the Way" Website
Kit YH165 - Russian T-72 - model built by Zhenmin Han
Kit YH185 - Russian T80U - model built by Zhenmin Han
Kit YH205 - Leopard M1A2 - model built by Zhenmin Han
For an "Doug Chaltry" comparison kit YH205 Leopard M1A2 visit:
"On the Way" Website
History Galaxy contra s-Mars - comments from Zhenmin HAN (Chinese modeller)
The Galaxy set up on 1994 in Fuzhou, Foujian province(which in southeast China). The administrant made a huge plan, included static state models,
dynamic models, military models(tank, avion, galley, pigboat, corsair, figure, even Patriot missile series), civil model(plane, car, racing car,
houseboat, sailboat, bicycle) so much as model paint. The scale included 1:144, 1:72, 1:48, 1;12. The age included from middle ages to WWII and to
now days. But the plan is too huge, to get the market return need long time. Unfortunately Asian financial crisis happened in 1997. There is some
problem to the capital chain of Galaxy. Galaxy had to reduce most of their plans. In 1999 for unknown reason Galaxy quit model industry...
Galaxy produced kinds of 72 scales tanks:
American M60A1, M1 Abrams
British Challenger
France Leclerc
Germany Leopard II
Israel Merkava-2
Russia T-72, T-80u
It still has another 2 plans: China Type90, Japan Type90, but for above reason, they were cancelled.
Then a small factory got the 72 scale tanks moulds, re-release them, and called "S-Mars". I have no more information for S-Mars.
The boxes of S-Mars have some fraudulence. For kit-125 Challenger 2, there is no gun sight. For kit-145 M60 A1 the picture and character on box shows
it has reactive armour, but there has not. For kit-215, same as kit-145 there is no mine plow, it's same one to kit-205. And their tracks all have
wrong details.
Early (old) Releases from S-Mars
S-Mars has also some Tiger I variants released under the label "Income - Toy & Hobby" - This are the same Tiger I kits as released under Fujimi label (kit 76013, 76040, 76045, 76051 and 76055)
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