"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

This kit is nice and sharp detailled, the turret and hull hatches are open.

Kit s-125 - Challenger 2 - British MBT

The kit is nice and sharp detailled, the hatches on turret and hull are closed. The rubber tracks don't have the correct rubber blocks.

Kit s-135 - Leopard 2A3

logo Leopard Comparison - between Galaxy > Hasegawa > Revell, by Doug Chaltry from OntheWay

Kit s-145 - M60 A1 - US Marine Tank with reactive armour

The kit is nice and sharp detailled, the hatches on the turret are open, but on the hull closed. The rubber tracks don't have the correct blocks.
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!!!

Kit s-155 - LeClerc French MBT

logo Review Galaxy Leclerc, by Gaby Lezen on OntheWay

Kit s-165 - T72 - Russian Haevy Tank

Kit s-185 - Russian T80UD

Kit bashing a 1/72 scale T-80UD by Alex Clark - mix from Galaxy > Revell T80 kit.

Kit s-205 - M1A2 Abrams
Kit s-215 - Abrams with Mine-Plough

logo 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

Kit YH125 - Challenger

Kit YH135 - Leopard2

Kit YH145 - M60A1

Kit YH155 - Leclerc

Kit YH165 - Russian T-72

Kit YH185 - Russian T80U

Kit YH205 - Leopard M1A2

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.