Castoff Models Challenger 2 TES Megatron Conversion Review

On to the challenger 2 conversion now and again this is the ex Cromwell models conversion. This is the one I've been most keen on getting and have been drooling over the parts now for a good few days.
The conversion is intended to be used with the Trumpeter Challenger 2 kit with the enhanced armour and although labelled as "Megatron" can be modelled to depict any vehicle with this fit.

The conversion again comes in a nice sturdy box with the smaller parts in plastic bags and the replacement turret and hull castings wrapped in bubble wrap

The conversion is cast in a nice cream resin which shows off the fine detail very well. The biggest parts and most visually impressive are the replacement upper hull and turret parts which have the barracuda type netting cast in situ. The detail here is stunning with a nice variation in the pattern of the netting and the way it sits on the parts as well as the thickness of each panel. The hull has a super rear deck with many fine details and no warping of the hull or pin holes in the resin to worry about. 
The turret is also very well cast and even has a couple of handles cast in situ on the rear. Again this part is free from any flaws and warping. A little clean up is all that's required and they are a straight swap for the trumpeter kit parts. 

The new hull armour parts are very meaty pieces of resin with some nice details cast in, especially the small sections of anti slip on the tops of each armoured panel. References here will help in deciding if the particular vehicle you are building has this newer type of armour during your build. The barrel too looks nice with minimal clean up required.

All the other smaller parts are nicely cast and all the hatches and mantlet have the netting cast on them as well. The IED countermeasures suite for the front of the hull is particularly nice and has some fine details in the way of cabling cast into the parts

Lastly the remote weapons station seen on the turret is made up of lots of very finely cast parts, some careful clean up will be needed here but the results should look superb. Castoff have also just released this as a small conversion set on it's own. 

This is a fine new release from Castoff and I am delighted with it. The parts are well cast and have great detail. I've wanted to model this particular version of the Challenger 2 since I first saw the real thing and now I can finally do so. Top marks to Castoff for finally enabling us poor modellers to realise our dreams! This is again available direct from Castoff models and retails currently at £77.50 excluding P&P. Very good value I think you will agree.  

 Castoff Web Site