RAS-96 ANKSHA

Anksha - a heavy machine with a bulky rear

The designation RAS-96 belongs to a machine built around powerful rear units, which give it a characteristic domed tail and an unusually low-set torso. The head is small against the shoulders, which lends the whole build a squat impression you will not find on slimmer machines.

How the parts are done

The moldings come on sprues of hard polystyrene, with the individual subassemblies already in different colors from the factory. The surface carries fine engraved panel lines, which can be accentuated after assembly with a fine marker or a flowing paint. The joints hold their position by friction in the pin.

A procedure that has proved itself

It pays to build by subassemblies and to keep checking whether the shoulder and hip joints move without resistance. Anyone who wants to draw out the detail can try the rear assembly dry before the final build, because that is where the most interlocking parts are and where it is easiest to miss that one piece sits the wrong way round. Subassemblies built separately are also far easier to spray.

Where it sits in the range

In its scope the item sits in the middle of the brand's range, that is in the band of mid-sized machines with an honest inner frame but without above-standard internal mechanics. For a collector who already has one or two simpler builds behind them, it is the logical next step. The bulky shapes of the rear also offer a large continuous surface on which techniques such as edge highlighting, blended shades or light weathering with pigment are easy to try. On a shelf the machine then takes up more room in depth than in height.