AFV Modeller - Issue 71 (2013 07-08)

THE VERY BEST IN SCALE ARMOUR MODELLING

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July / August 2013 £6.50 UK $14.95 www.afvmodeller.com

BLITZKRIEG

ROUTE MARCH

STUNNING GROUP BUILT DIORAMA

CONTENTS 2

Blitzkrieg Route March Roberto Aguilera directs a team of leading modellers in this fall of France diorama project.

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T-62 Mineroller Andy Gulden teams up a Mig Productions mine roller with the Trumpeter T-62.

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Singapore Armed Forces Leopard 2A4SG Chris Meddings tackles an ambitious project to build a Singaporean Leopard based loosely on a Hobbyboss kit.

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Drilling SdKfz 251/21 ‘The Last Snows of Winter - Hungary 1945 A superb winter weathered halftrack by Lester Plaskit.

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Keeping Track More new releases

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Stalinets ChTZ-65 ‘Heavy Russian Tractor’ Rick Lawler add his own touches to Trumpeter’s tractor.

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BLITZKRIEG

ROUTE MARCH

4TH PANZER DIVISION FRANCE 1940

Roberto Aguilera brings together the combined talents of Sang Eon Lee, Michael Rinaldi, Daryl Dancik and himself to portray this stunning 1:35th scale scene of the 4th Panzer division’s rapid advance into France in 1940.

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Perhaps everything began with a scene in my head, a classic scene. After returning from my first visit to Euromilitaire, I was so inspired by all that I had seen, that I wanted to build a landscape somewhere. I had acquired a beautiful Dragon Panzer I Bison from my friend Michael Rinaldi, plus another good friend and great builder, Daryl Dancik who was finishing a Panzer IB that Michael would paint for me. These early war tanks may not be very fashionable right now with the trends to the ‘paper panzers’ and late war kits. I wanted a dirt road to match the Bison’s finish as Michael had painted the Bison with a dusty and dirty look, so I could see it in a column of tanks on a road, now I needed the troops. I found great range of German infantrymen, early war period, from the outstanding Russian figure maker TANK MODEL. Five sets T-35075 - T -35080, perfect for that I had in mind, so the shipment went all the way to Korea for Sang Eon to bring them to

life. He is a fantastic painter, no doubt among the best in the world, so the rest of the project had to be top quality. I needed something in the diorama that would focus attention besides dust and grass, and I was looking for a bridge or a building. I had also acquired a wide selection of grass tufts, flowers, and summer bushes from MININATUR from Germany, I wanted contrast between the military colours and a beautiful coloured environment surrounded by flowers. And then I found the piece I was looking for, a European windmill MDP043 from MONROE PERDU, in my opinion one of the best if not the best scenic model manufacturers. So the scene was set, France 1940, 4th Panzer Division. I started sketching layout drawings that I sent to my buddy Torlap Intarangason in Malaysia, to get some help with the basic layout in Styrofoam, while I was finishing another project and started the windmill construction and painting.

SETTING THE SCENE The base was cut into shape from Styrofoam, although the road was corrected twice to fit the infantry, the bridge was made out of balsa wood. The stream was made mixing Vallejo still water 26230 and Vallejo acrylic colours interior green and sand yellow. Pouring several layers, making sure every layer was fully cured before adding the next. Torlap did a Great Job on the initial grass layer, using a Noch Grass-master 60131 and Noch static grass. I got the base and started by adding depth to the summer

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foliage of France, 15 different sets of Mininatur, summer bushes, turf, turf with leaves, late summer turf, and yellow and purple flowers, all scattered on bits and pieces carefully glued one by one, it took about 5 weeks, 4 hours a day to do the job, then hundreds of leaves and branches where glued on. WOODLAND SCENICS rock debris, Talus rock debris where added to the road, all of which was airbrushed with Tamiya Buff, and the base was heavily covered with MIG pigments.

THE WINDMILL What a beautiful piece this is, cast in fine light grey resin, it comes with a sheet of laser-cut high impact cardboard, coloured in wood brown. I started with the top section and the tiles, After the initial coat of Tamiya primer, a coat of Tamiya flat black was airbrushed, each tile was painted in a different colour using a wide range of Polly S acrylics that I had in a drawer for a long time so I decided to use them, I was very happy with the results of my old paints, smooth, great colours and nice finish. Then layers of MIG pigments where applied very subtly on top of each tile. A thin coat of Humbrol satin varnish was airbrushed to obtain some fresh mud look. A second round of pigments was applied. The wheel, blades and wood rail where painted with different shades of brown using Polly S acrylics, the effect is great on this amazing cardboard, and the result is a very realistic. MIG pigments again, on top the acrylic paints, using earth tones, after a couple of days, Winsor & Newton oils Raw Umber thinned with Humbrol thinners where applied using a fine brush on the panel lines, scratches and wood grain.

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The base of the windmill was primed using Tamiya grey primer, then a mix of Tamiya Buff acrylics and desert yellow was airbrushed recreating stucco finish. Moisture spots were heavily accentuated around the base, then three different hair spray coats each one airbrushing the Tamiya mix over again. Chipping on this was different than tanks, these are damp spots in old paint over the stucco, using the references that I had, I tried to match the peeling paint by rubbing the paint in a very subtle way, shaping the stains and peeled paint. The painted advertising graphic on the back is a huge decal provide in the kit, and several coats of Solvaset where applied, to achieve the hand painted look. After the decal was set, two coats of satin varnish where airbrushed over it. The door was painted light wood colour using Vallejo acrylics, then a coat of hair spray and Vallejo Park Green, chipped off and then finely accentuated using Winsor & Newton oils. The base was finished by adding several coats of MIG pigments on earth tones and stains and rain streaks with oils. Overall this windmill was a very nice piece that I really enjoyed modelling.

THE FIGURES

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Award winner and Master Painter Sang Eon Lee From Korea did the job, the figures where primed and the airbrushed flat black. The details are beautifully painted using Sonja’s acrylics. This is one of the finest paint jobs I have ever seen.

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PZI AND BISON Michael Rinaldi built the Bison, from the Dragon kit. He added some PE and Fruil tracks, I always speak highly of my collaborators but Mike deserves a special respect and admiration when appreciating his art, without doubt Mike did a great job with this one as usual. After a coat of primer the model was base coated with a mix of Medium Blue XF 18, Nato Black XF 69, German grey XF 63, to create the panzer grey, extensive washes and pigments were added. The Pz I was delivered to me half finished, as Mike could not finish it, so I had to copy his style and add final touches to this one. Not an easy task when you have to match Mike’s style! The only basic difference was that the Pz 1 had a red primer base coat and I leave it to you to judge my success!

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CONSOLIDATION

The different components were now all complete and could be brought together on the base and final adjustments made to the composition. The Alpine motorcyclist was added to the scene as part of the traffic jam and he contrasts nicely with the marching infantry.

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T-62 mineroller

Modelled by Andy Gulden

Modern Russian vehicles have always been a subject that I have found very captivating. I always pick up the newest kits and the new photo-etch and resin conversions find a way into my work shop. Since painting and weathering a vehicle in combat conditions is my favorite part of modelling, most modern Russian subjects get pushed to the back of the work bench as I build and paint the newest WW II project. A shinny T-72 on parade in Moscow just won’t do it for me. As I was researching current Russian uniforms for some figures I was painting, images of the Russian Army in Chechnya keep showing up. A particular picture of a combat weary T-62 with a KMT-7 mine roller peaked my interest. After quick check of my stash, I was confident I had all the necessary parts to re-create the T-62.

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Construction The base for this project is the Trumpeter T-62, model 1972. I planned on using the many aftermarket sets I had collected over the last few years. The following sets where used on this model: MIG Productions KMT-7 Mine Roller MIG Productions T-55, T-62 Fuel Tank Fittings SP Designs Corrected Turret and Fuel Tanks RB Productions Gun Barrel Voyager Model Fenders, Photo-Etch Detail and Slat Armor sets Miniarm Resin Wheels Furil Track The issues with the Trumpeter kit have been hashed out on the internet and in magazines so I will not go into them here. I intended to spend my time enhancing the details instead of correcting these problems.

Hull and Fenders I started construction with the lower hull as usual. I really did not follow the kit directions much; I used them just as a reference as I went along. I set out assembling the major hull components first. After gluing the hull top and bottom together I progressed to the rear deck and completed the major parts of the hull construction. Once dry, I filled all the locating holes I would not need with plastic stock and super glue. A swipe of Mr Surfacer 500 and a little sanding finished up the hull “box”. Thankfully the fenders are separate parts so no cutting was necessary. I moved on to the suspension and built that per the directions. While the suspension was drying, I concentrated my attention on the fenders. The Voyager set is very well detailed and assemble just like the real thing. I soldered the first and last vertical support to add some strength once they are placed on the hull. The strengthening spars on the underside of the fender were secured with thin super glue applied with a disposable brush. The Voyager fenders lined up perfectly with the locating slots on the hull and where then secured with thin cyano glue. It was time for some detailing. Both fenders received there remaining support braces and various other photoetched parts that replaced the plastic bits. A rather detailed look at some references set me on the correct path of adding all the weld beads to the hull and fender assembly. Most of them where created using thinly rolled out “Green Stuff” and a wet cocktail stick was used to add the texture. I replaced the kit fuel tanks with ones from SP Design and detailed them using various Voyager parts. The MIG Productions fuel line set supplied the proper plumbing for the tanks. They were finished off with some plastic rod and lead wire for the lifting handles. The kit storage boxes were brought up to standard using details from Voyager and the ten or so mounting assemblies were fabricated from plastic rod and brass bits to finish them off. The rear mud flaps have been fabricated from lead foil and bent into shape using the kit parts as a template. My reference vehicle was missing the front fenders so 14

only the remaining hinge sections were built.

Rear Deck The rear deck of the Trumpeter kit is full of inaccuracies and soft details. I decided to shave off the small intake screen on the left side and recreate using plastic strip and brass rod. A section of Voyager mesh finished off the rebuild. Reference pictures show a very complex system of hinges and locking mechanisms for the large intake covers. I recreated them using brass rod, plastic stock and a few etch parts from the scrap box. Various missing details were added to the back wall such as bolts, conduit and wire to the lights finished up the rear end. The fuel drum mounting arms were modified so one could remain empty. Another check of my references led to an additional round of weld beads.

Front Glacis Plate – Mine Roller The Glacis plate needed no modifications but various parts from the Voyager set helped to add some fine detail. All of the moulded on conduit and wiring was removed and replaced with brass rod and copper wire. Special attention was paid to adding the missing details around the drivers hatch. Before finishing up the front, I assembled the MIG mine roller. It went together pretty well but the instructions left a little to be desired. A good set of reference pictures will be needed here. Once completed, the 15

mine roller and hull where secured to a piece of thick cardboard with Blue Tack to help line everything up before gluing the retaining bolts to the top and bottom of the glacis. A bit of patience is required at this step but once completed I had quite an impressive mass of plastic, brass and resin!

Turret I decide to use the SP Design turret as it already had the canvas tarp molded on around the gun mantlet. Most of the kit parts were used on the turret and additional details from the Voyager set finished things up. The RB Productions barrel mated up perfectly with the turret opening. It was now on to the slat armour. The Voyager Slat armour set provides turret and hull sections, thankfully my reference vehicle only sports the turret sections. Constructing the slat armour sections proved to be fairly straight forward. I soldered the outermost vertical and horizontal rails to create a strong frame and filled in the rest, securing with thin cyano glue. Mounting the panels to the turret was another story. To keep everything straight and plum, I mounted the turret to a thin piece of wood with blue tack and scribed a reference line for the top mounting points with a drafting compass. This allowed me to secure the top arms level and could now install the slat panels being careful to allow them to

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T-62 rotate on the hinge point. I could then set the panels perpendicular to the wooden base and glue the bottom arm. More weld beads were applied around the mounting points.

Miscellaneous I finished the assembly by installing the road wheels from Miniarm, track from Furil and replacing the kit DSK-M with one from the Tamiya T-55. One of the kit fuel drums was built and secured using one strap from Voyager and replaced the other with a heavy chain from AK Interactive.

Painting Painting started with a good coat of primer from Vallejo. The base coat started with a deep pre-shading of Tamiya Nato Black in all the corners and recesses. My green was made from a mixture of Tamiya Nato Green, Sky Green and white. I applied a few thin coats to let the pre-shading show through. A few drops of white were progressively added to the base colour and applied to the center of large areas as a type of modulation. A splash of Tamiya Dark Earth was sprayed along the running gear to begin the weathering process. A good coat of Tamiya clear sealed the paint job for decals and weathering. A MIG Productions set of dry transfers for Chechnya was used to add unit numbers and symbols.

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Weathering I started the weathering at the mine roller and worked my way around the whole tank by adding chips and scratches using Vallejo SS Camo Black Brown. I applied them randomly with a sponge on all the exposed edges and areas of high crew traffic. Although this achieves good results I always go over the areas with a 000 brush and add some refinements. I purposely went heavy on the rollers themselves to create a good base for the metallic effects to come. With that step complete I applied a few green and brown filters from MIG Productions with a wide flat brush making sure they dried completely between coats. To create some depth on a boring green base I added many little dabs of blue, green and yellow oil paint and blended them in using a wide brush dampened with mineral spirits. Once everything was dry a round of pin washes was applied using MIG Productions Dark wash. I used it right out of the bottle for the running gear the lower part of the hull but thinned it quite a bit for the top surfaces. Some random rust washes on the bar armour finished up process. With my air bush filled with heavily thinned Tamiya Buff, I began adding dusty areas and rain streaks around the entire tank, especially the running gear and lower hull. Before moving to mud splatter and general dirtiness, I covered the face of the mine rollers with Humbrol Metal Cote and polished it to a nice shine.

Mud and more mud… I had a pretty good looking model at this point and I could have easily assembled all the components and called this one finished but not yet. I had recently purchased the AK Interactive “Heavy Mud” set and was eager to use it. Combining the ingredients with water and adding some gloss from the Vallejo range, I mixed up a thick mud paste. I laid down a think foundation of wet mud by splattering the mix from the tip of an old brush with blasts of air from my airbrush. Two or three more applications of mud were applied but adding some lighter colors to the mix to get a good contrast between wet and dried material. The mixture was scrubbed from areas of ware such as the face of the rollers and road wheels with a short stiff brush.

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Final weathering was completed with a few applications of “Streaking Grime” and “Light Rust” from AK. A quick pass of graphite power applied with a cotton bud added some metallic sheen. The track got the same mud treatment as the tank after a quick dip in “Blacken it” and the contact points were scrubbed off with 800 grit sand paper. Once everything dried up, the road wheels, tracks, spare fuel drum, MV lenses and machine gun was mounted to the hull. One final application of scratches was applied using a light green colour to create some depth. The ever-present skull on the DSKM was added as the finishing touch to the project.

Conclusion This was a very enjoyable project that allowed me to try some new techniques and became a good platform for the many aftermarket bits I had collected. I think a war wary veteran T-72 may be in the frame soon!

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H O B B Y B O S S

The Leopard 2 MBT, in its various forms, is one of the most widely sold and successful modern MBT series currently in service around the world. It is in service with a large number of countries in the world including; Greece, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands and Singapore and of course; Germany, and if reports are correct then soon apparently; Indonesia.

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In many cases these tanks have been upgraded and changed with local systems and additions, usually in co-operation between the German manufacturers Kraus Maffei and local defence engineering companies. The Leopard 2A4SG is no different. At heart it is an upgraded and standardised 2A4, much like the original 2A4s bought be Singapore a few years ago.

The latest upgraded version has a number

Singaporean armoured vehicles and I

of key differences that make it unique

believe integrated to all air and other land

among 2A4s in service around the world.

units to allow complete tactical information

The differences are partly German

sharing in real time across all units, and a

designed, and partly Singaporean in origin

number of other more prosaic additions in

and the work of ST Kinetics, the indigenous

terms of preferred machine guns (the

defence engineering firm and designers of

GPMG/ L2A1/MAG), unique light clusters

the Bionix IFV and Terrex LAVs. Changes to

etc.

the 2A4 to make the latest 2A4SG include an auxiliary power unit, comprehensive

Due to the sheer number of changes to the

‘AMAP’ armour block upgrades to the hull

tank from a standard Leopard 2A4, the

and turret front and sides and the addition

number of unique features it possesses,

of slat armour to the rear sides and rear

and the number of corrections to kit parts

itself.

required; an out of the box build, or even a kit-bash, was always going to be out of the

It also has the new integrated Battlefield

question. The only thing for it would be a

Management System in use on all

significant scratch-build.

CHRIS MEDDINGS TACKLES AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT TO CREATE THE LATEST LEOPARD USED BY THE SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES.

SCALE

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REFERENCE

KITS AND ACCESSORIES USED:

As far as I am aware, the latest incarnation

In preparing for the build, I got what I could already made from kits and aftermarket. These were:

of the 2A4SG is so new it does not feature in any publications. Information on it is very limited from other sources such as the internet and if I hadn’t been lucky enough to see one it is doubtful I could have got enough photos to complete this project. Luck was on my side though as I was in Singapore in May 2012 when the Singapore Armed Forces held their biennial ‘Army Open House in the City’ event where they take over the Formula 1 site in the heart of the city and bring out their equipment for the public to see with various demonstrations on attractions for families. At this year’s show they had two 2A4SGs on display, one on its own and one which they had brought steps up to, allowing the public to get on top to take a look. Needless to say my camera and I made full use of the opportunity.

1. The Hobbyboss Leopard 2A4SG. This is a very cheap kit when I bought it in Singapore and given the amount of it that would not end up on the finished model, its basic soundness for the price was the best choice. 2. Leopard 2 tracks by Armour Track Models. I wanted the Bronco track but they were not available at the time. 3. RB Models Barrel. I got this direct from RB Models. It’s a beautiful item, service was excellent, but it did need a little bit of correction as we will see later. 4. Karaya tow cable 5. Legends IDF Machine gun set for the MAG MG and parts of the pintle mount. 6. Various resin nuts from Miniarm. I would also need an awful lot of white styrene, brass rod, fillers of various types, metal sheets and foil and to design a large fret of photoetch. 21

THE HULL I started with preparing the upper hull for the conversions. This meant measuring out the APU and cutting a section from the right rear and scoring new panel lines around it where access panels had change. As I would be putting so much new anti-slip on the model I removed the anti-slip also to avoid issues with matching mine with the moulded version on the kit. on the kit.

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I started work on the front upper armour, working from my reference the armour is made from 1mm styrene sheet and 0.5mm styrene sheet. The armour panels have a number of circular locking nuts in them. To duplicate these I used a hole punch and punched out 4mm diameter discs and some more 3.5mm discs. In these I drilled a 0.3mm central hole and added two more holes either side of the centre with a pin. Next I added the top sheets to the base layer 1mm sheet creating an overhang on the areas where the thicker sheet was short to duplicate the overhang seen on the real thing. Lastly I added the 3.5mm discs in the 4mm holes for the locking nuts.

This armour then had to be further detailed with anti-slip and small nuts that stand proud of the armour. I used the punch again to punch out 2.5mm discs of masking tape to protect the detail and I cut thin strips of Tamiya masking tape and laid these along the edges of the panels and masked any other areas that would not require anti-slip. Working one panel at a time I added a thin coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 and left it a couple of minutes to start to set. Then when it was still tacky I rolled a cotton bud over it to get it to pull up in the desired fashion. One application was not fully effective, so I sanded it back a little with a fine sanding stick and applied a second coat over the first. When that was set I sanded it minimally to take off any remaining high spots.

THE TURRET All this while I was also working on the turret. The turret on the 2A4SG is significantly different in detail to the standard 2A4 with upgraded additional armour to the front and forward sides of the turret, and slat armour for the rear sides and back. There is a new ammunition locker on the rear left and

an air conditioning unit on the rear right side plus stowage boxes attached to the outside of each of these. The smoke dischargers are also different to the German 2A4 and in fact are laid out more like the Austrian 2A6 with 6 dischargers above and 2 below rather than two rows of 4. Externally the sights appear to be the same as the original 2A4 but a forward facing camera has been added between the two turret hatches. The flag holder bracket on the right side of the turret by the commander’s cupola was relocated to the right edge of the turret to allow the AMAP armour to be fitted. The lifting eye on the mantlet was poorly moulded so I replaced it with 1mm brass wire. The wet weather mantlet flap was also replaced with textured foil from a coffee tin. The kit turret is missing many welds. I replaced them, and added the missing welds, with stretched sprue that was softened with cement and shaped into a

bead with wax sculpting tools. I next tackled the gunner’s sight by adding the missing plates and bolts on the ‘shelf’ in front of the sight. I then scratchbuilt some basic optics for the sights and armoured doors. The Rheinmetall/Zeiss PERI-R 17 A2 panoramic commander’s sight supplied in the kit is poorly detailed and with a terrible joint to try to rectify so it was easier just to make my own. The kit cupolas are not great. The commander’s cupola has poorly detailed supports on the ring and the ring itself is a bit thick. I decided to design a set of PE to correct these, and other issues so I took some time out at this point to work on the PE drawings. I continued the turret by scratching the AMAP Armour packs for the front and sides. These were constructed as boxes, each part of the armour pack being individual as they are on the real thing. The actual AMAP packs do not look completely solid. The top seems to have an undercut on the inside face and this

needed to be duplicated so I drilled some suitable holes to a shallow depth and then used the tip of a new scalpel blade to carve out the recesses for the attaching bolts. I then masked off the anti-slip panels on the tops, including masking the areas for the bolts and other uncoated details, and added the anti-slip with Mr Surfacer as before. The seven completed AMAP blocks were then assembled onto the turret and I started on the finer details such as the hinges on the front corners and brackets on the left side. No two blocks of the armour feature the same shape or details, so the pictures I managed to get at the Open House event were essential here. The final part of the AMAP blocks on the turret to finish was the block that covers the mantlet. I can’t say I figured out the best way of doing this because my way certainly seemed to be a lot of work and not easy at all. In my case I more or less made a box then carved the right shape out of the block drilling the holes for the MG, 120mm L44 etc. Needless to say a lot of sanding sweat and filler were involved!

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I started with the air conditioning box. I began by building the basic shape, leaving off the lid. Towards the rear of the unit on the top there is an air intake with mesh and internal louvres. I filled the box leaving a void for the louvres which were added from styrene sheet. I added the top to the box after cutting out a section over the louvres making the mesh and screen surrounds in photoetch. The unit has an armoured lid, the basic shape of which was easy, but the hinges took a little more work. To make the upright ‘triangles’ uniform I tacked several

pieces of styrene sheet together with CA and cut them all in one go. Once they were cut a gentle slice with a new blade separated them. The rear of the 2A4SG turret is very different from the standard 2A4. Instead of the tapered rear stowage it has four new units; two large in the form of an ammunition stowage box and an essential air conditioning unit along with two small stowage boxes (with attached baskets).

The boxes feature a number of brackets and other fittings on the outside. Many of these are complex and as I was making PE anyway I decided to draw them for etching as they would be thinner, stronger and would look a lot more precise in brass. The exceptions to this on the ammunition box were the locking latches. I attached these to the turret and scratched the mounting blocks for the aerial mounts. I was hoping just to cut the

kit ones out of the parts for the 2A4 stowage bustle, but they were a different shape. However, making new ones was no real chore as they are quite simple. The bases themselves are standard wound spring mounts. I took a piece of 1mm styrene rod and formed a small ball of putty around it. When this was nearly set I wound some 0.4mm wire around it tightly, with a little CA on each end to hold it. Once all that was in place I could make final measurements for the two outside stowage boxes. These fit around the aerial mounts and larger boxes with the outside edges following the tapering lines of the turret. Other than that they are pretty straightforward and didn’t take a lot of construction. The only things that were a little more complex were the hinges, so I added these to my PE fret. Once all the boxes were in place, I had a look at the rear and sides of the boxes themselves. The aircon box has a frame of downward pointing louvres for exhausting the hot gasses which was made from strip plastic.

THE RUNNING GEAR I decided to correct a couple of the kit’s outer wheels and get them cast. I started by drilling a hole in the centre of the hub. There should be a square hole here, but on the Hobbyboss kit it is represented with a raised ring! After this the main issue is the tire. On the real one there is a raised rim on the inside edge. Also there are a number of discs on the face of the tyre which look like the stubs of the feed rods where the rubber was injected into the mould. I replicated these with Tamiya masking tape. After dealing with the road wheels I looked at the idlers

where the following issues had to be corrected. Missing bolts on the hub, incorrect shaping on the ribs on the hub, missing holes on the rim and incorrectly shaped teeth. I fixed the ribs first, this was just a case of shaving a little material off. After that I reshaped the teeth with a sanding stick then drilled the two holes; on at 0.6mm and one at 0.4mm. Finally I used Masterclub hex bolts to add the missing bolts. This was pretty easy as Hobbyboss had left the shaped spaces for them, just somehow forgotten the bolts themselves!

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THE HULL REAR

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Like everything else on this kit, the hull rear wall needs work! All the welds are missing and there are quite a number of them. Next I added the brackets to the engine inspection ports. The biggest and well-known issue though is the number of slats on the air/exhaust outlet. There should be eleven slats, but on the Hobbyboss kit there are only 10. This is not an easy thing to fix and although a new resin outlet is available as part of an upgrade set by Perfect Scale Modellbau, but I made my own with strips of spare brass cut from used PE frets.

The towing hooks have a plate latch to retain the cable and I made these from thick foil. Once the rear hull was in place I took off the rear light clusters and mud flaps. The light clusters are different on the 2A4SG from the 2A4 and the mud flaps are rather over-scale. I made new boxes for the light clusters from copper sheet which is more malleable and more easily cut than brass sheet. I left the bottom slightly longer than necessary and bent the end over to give something to attach the mud flaps to. The mudflaps themselves were drawn for PE etching later. I finished the clusters by

removing the lights from the Hobbyboss parts and putting them into their new ‘boxes’. Now all that had been tackled I added the rear facing camera, built by KMW the camera is a standard item on the 2A5 and 2A6 but has been fitted to the 2A4SG as part of the kit used to enable the Singaporean Battlefield Management System. This was scratch built from plastic working from my photos from the Army Open House event.

THE REAR DECK & AMAP ARMOUR The first thing we notice is the air intakes for the engine cooling fans. On the Tamiya and Revell Leopard 2 kits these are moulded solid with relief mesh detail. Hobbyboss score points for supplying the mesh separately, but unfortunately they lose them again for the poor and incorrect mesh pattern! Consequently I drew new ones to have them etched later. I decided to re-scribe the major panel lines on the rear deck for better definition. In addition I had three new hatches to scribe on, for the addition of the APU, and various other details on the APU itself. I cut a template from brass sheet, drilling out the corners to get the required curves then cutting the straight lines to join them up. I then placed the template on the model and used the wax tools again to engrave my lines. I then (carefully!) used a steel rule to get the other lines need on the APU and to deepen and sharpen the lines of the engine access decks.

I returned then to one of the larger jobs, the six modules of AMAP armour that make up the two armoured skirts on the hull sides. These are quite large and I decided to strengthen the form with a frame which would also give me something to attach the other ‘facets’ to. I used 3mm x 2.5mm styrene section from Plastruct. Before adding the outside sections I thickened them with some extra 1.5mm styrene sheet to make them sturdier and also to give me something to drill through to in order to site the large countersunk bolts visible on the real blocks. Once the two blocks were built I marked out the locations for the countersunk bolts carefully and drilled shallow holes piloted with a fine drill then completed with a large diameter drill and cut thin slices from 3mm hex rod and placed them in the holes. I then added the anti-slip and bolt details to the tops in the same way I did on the turret armour. I moved on then to the front two pieces on each side. Given the angled joint

between the two parts I decided to make them in one piece and score the joint after the basic shape was made. There was quite a bit of work required to work out the optimum shapes for the slopes on the sides, especially the way they meet at the front end. After a little trial and error, and far too much maths for my liking, I got one side done then used it as a pattern for the other side. Next I had to add various small details to the top. The first were to driver’s side mirrors. The mirrors themselves aren’t that bad, but the rest (clips, arms, mounts) were awful so I scratched replacements from brass wire, styrene and foil. I decided to do the clips that hold the two foremost units of the side armour together in PE, as were the lifting handles as both parts needed to be very exact and were very small. It’s much easier to draw it accurately than make it accurately in plastic for objects like this.

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After scratchbuilding indicator lights I had a look at the headlamps - one of the many challenges that made this build attractive in the first place was its unique parts. I started with the plates they sit on. These were formed from stock brass sheet, with suitable bolt details added. The hinges were made by folding foil around a piece of 0.3mm styrene rod then pressing the lines into it to represent the flat hinge part joints. I unsuccessfully tried to scratchbuild the light guards from styrene, copper and then brass sheet. So again I drew them up for etching In the end each one had 8 parts! The driver’s hatch was next and required conversion. Like everything on the front

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half of the 2A4SG it has received an armour upgrade. This was pretty easy to do with a smaller blank of sheet styrene underneath (one of 0.5mm and one of 1mm) and a thin sheet on top and slightly larger to create a lip. To finish the driver’s hatch I added a windscreen wiper for his periscope. I took the time while I was there to re-work the slightly simplified and inaccurate splash guards around the hatch too. Surprisingly the tool clamps have been replaced on the 2A4SG. I say surprisingly because surely a tool clamp is a tool clamp? New ones were therefore designed in etch. They are quite a complex design so I broke each clamp down into four parts.

I was now ready to start the slat armour when my friend Lawrence Goh of Echelon Fine Details sent me a picture he had taken of the nose of the 2A4SG from a different angle and we realised I had the nose angles wrong. I wasn’t pleased and part of me did think ‘just leave it and carry on’. After thinking about it briefly I knew I had to fix it properly or I would have wasted all the other work done on the kit. I took the drastic and most direct route of adding a little more styrene to the front of the nose (where it was deficient) then marking out the correct, more aggressive angles and lines on the work already done and attacking it with a large razor saw and Dremel. It was messy but a bit like ripping off a plaster; painful but best done quickly! It was tidied up re-detailed and I was very happy with the result, even with the extra few hours spent correcting it.

THE SLAT ARMOUR Due to the slat armour’s complexity I needed to work out the measurements and dimensions as I had done with the AMAP packs. I created a blank template from thin sheet styrene which was then test fitted and adjusted multiple times until correct. I could then use this as a template for the precise measurements I needed to make the slat itself. I worked out the sizes for the supporting arms. On the turret these are made from steel box section welded together with simple plate mounted bolts to take the slat panels which were easy to make from square section Plastruct. I used Evergreen strip, 0.4mm x 2mm to make the frames for the slat and the slats themselves. I built the external frame then measured and cut the required slats. To make sure they were all exactly the same length I cut them slightly longer then tacked them stacked together with a dot of CA and

trimmed them and drilled the holes for the vertical rods. I then marked one end of the strips to make sure I knew which end was which before separating them again. All of the turret slat is placed the same distance apart: 2.2mm, and I used Tamiya Extra Thin cement to get a good bond before setting that frame aside and working on the next. I then inserted 0.3mm brass rods for secured them with just a touch of very thin CA. Finally I added a small section of brass on the inside faces of the slat panels where they are mounted to the arms. When they were all finished I mounted them onto the arms and added bolt detail and short lengths of 1mm rod were then used to attach them to the AMAP packs. The hulls slat panels were constructed in the same way as the turret. They were a bit trickier in that they have more sloping tops and bottoms which meant a few more

measurements were required. My photoetch was ready so I could construct the cupolas and scratchbuild the loader’s MG mount on his cupola ring from white styrene. This is basically the same as the standard German fit on the locking rotating mechanism on the ring itself, but the mounting arm is different. Singapore does not use the modern German MG3, they use the FN MAG. This means a new mount complete with ammo can holder. After seeking advice from modellers more used to modelling modern subjects I ordered the Legend IDF MG set and used the MG, and very nice PE can holder and MG cradle from the set and scratched the rest. Finally on the build I added Karaya’s tow cable (I think about 1.5mm diameter) tow cables filling the slots in the ends of the cable eyes once the cable had been secured in them.

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THE PAINTING Approximately five months after starting, the build phase was now finished. But I wanted to enter the model in the Singapore Model Show M Con, run by Bernard Cher at M Workshop. I was lucky to be there in 2012 as the competition is only held once every four years and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to enter Singapore’s most competitive and prestigious show. The race was on to get it painted in only two weeks! Singapore’s Leopards don’t get out much. Large tracts of land away from the city state on other parts of the island are reserved for military use, but hardly any live firing takes place on the island itself. Instead they travel for joint exercises in countries such as Australia. A combination of lack of operational use and a strict maintenance regime to combat the effects of the humidity and ocean air in Singapore means that the countries big cats are very well looked after and kept in great shape. So chipping, streaking, dents and dings and all the other methods of adding visual interest are out. I would have to rely on dynamic light effects, and drawing attention to the many details visible on the tank to add the interest to the finished model.

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Over white primer I applied a basecoat of Lifecolour dark green mixed with Vallejo US Olive Drab. When this was dry I painted all the details such as the tires (with Vallejo Black Grey), the periscopes and so on. The colour was very light and not quite green enough, so I added a filter of dark green oils.

I did this by diluting some Emerald Green, Burnt Umber and Black oil in thinners. I use Windsor and Newton thinners for Oils as I feel it’s better than turpentine. I diluted it until it was about 1 part oil to 20 parts thinner. When it’s that thin is prevents the oil from streaking and dries very quickly, but most importantly it builds up very slowly over many applications allowing me to control the level of tint perfectly. Once I had got the colour closer to where I wanted it I added the decals. Of course, there is no kit and so no decal set for the 2A4SG available. Luckily though the tank doesn’t have many markings. Two license plates (front and rear) and a bridging plate is more or less it. Allowing a coat of matt varnish to fully cure then started on the ‘modulation’ bit. I mixed a little white oil straight from the tube with some emerald green and touched it to edges and parts I wanted to highlight. Generally speaking this meant panel edges. Here I added a little oil at a time with a small brush, then took a larger soft , short-bristled, clean and dry brush and gently swept the oil away from the edge. Over time I was making the oils used lighter and lighter in tone and applying less and applying it more selectively to build up the tonal graduation and make it more dramatic. I spent about one week just doing this stage. Finally I gave it another 24 hours to dry and then started on the pin washes.

For pin washes I use a mix of Black and Raw Umber oils heavily diluted again, but not so diluted as the filters. I usually dampen the surface first with clean thinners, working one panel at a time, and touch the details with a 0000 brush loaded with the wash and allow the capilliary effect to draw the wash along panel lines and around raised details etc. I finally added a few small chips on bolt edges and so on where parts had been removed for cleaning and maintenance prior to the Army Open House event. I went around the model and added a few tiny chips here and there using silver acrylic mixed with a little black to dull it and reduce the toy like metallic look. With that the project, and 9 month’s work and fun was done!

CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS Like most modellers I do my best to research fully and get things right, but I did make a few mistakes on this model. The turret bin’s underside shape is not quite correct, and this throws out the slat armour. The nose, although now very close, is not quite right. Since making this model I have decided to kit the subject in 1/35 and 1/72 through my company. To do this I have been drawing scale plans. If I had this project to do over again I would have drawn the plans before beginning as it’s a lot easier to change plans until it’s right than it is to correct a model. I am also not entirely happy with the colour. This was partly the result of the time scale and an unfamiliar colour palette used for lightening which had a dramatic effect in altering the colours, something I will test more thoroughly next time.

I would like to thank Lawrence Goh, Olaf Kievit, Rob Harvey and Adam Mook Chee Leong, and also Bernard Cher for their help and encouragement on this project and I very much look forward to producing the tank as a kit in 2013.

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LESTER PLASKIT’S 1:35TH SCALE

SdKfz 251/21

“the second snows of winter”

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Over the last few years I have found myself more and more finding my inspiration for modelling projects coming from photographs of wartime vehicles which have something about them which sparks my interest, this can be a particular camouflage pattern or something unusual about the vehicle, such was the case when I started researching this particular model. Having always liked the look of the 251D halftracks I had started out with the intention of building a 251/22 pak wagon but as with all good intentions things can easily become side tracked, this started when I was talking to Swedish modeller Mirko Bayerl about my ideas and he sent me a picture which showed a Drilling in Hungary 1945 with the crew warming a jerry can of water in the engine bay and a very worn winter white wash, almost as if the crew had tried to remove as much as the white wash as possible after the snow had thawed.. This picture fired my imagination and I decided to build a Drilling based on this picture to try and recreate the partially removed white wash finish.

There are two kits of the Drilling available on the market today the Dragon models offering which can be built up into an early 1.5cm gun mount version or the AFV club model which can be built into either an 1.5 cm or a latter 2cm gun mount version. Both kits are not without their problems as have been well documented on the internet and as I had chosen to build the 2cm gun mount I decided to base my model on the AFV club kit, whilst using some better detailed parts from the Dragon kit. The main source of reference for this build came from the Panzer Tracts No 15-3 publication and further armed with the Aber 251/D etch brass detail set I began. Much of the construction centred around replacing moulded kit details with

etch brass replacements such as the rear door locking mechanism, the dash board and other various items of interior equipment. One of the major exclusions from the AFV kit is a number of recessed screws missing from around the engine bay hatches, these were subsequently added using a beading tool and a blade to form the screw head slots. As I was going to show the vehicle with the engine hatch open (so I could later add the jerry can ) I scratchbuilt the engine bay area and added details to the rear of the dash area using plastic card and copper wire to reproduce the details required, for the engine I used the excellent Great Wall Hobbies engine which only required a little trimming to get a good fit.

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The forward bulk head with extra detail added from the Aber etch brass set.

The missing screw heads added to the upper hull using a beading tool.

The scratchbuilt additions to the engine bay.

Details added to the underside of the upper hull.

More specific to the Drilling the pedestal for the gun mount was too high for a late pattern 2cm Drilling, this was lowered to the correct height by removing material from the base of the mount using the Panzer Tracts book as reference, also both the etch brass and plastic gun shields provided in the AFV club kit are incorrect, being too small and with the incorrect number of holes. To solve this I scratchbuilt a new shield from plastic card again using the Panzer Tracts as reference, further

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additions to the gun mount came with replacing the barrels with metal rods and using the ammo links from the Dragon kit as they could be more naturally positioned coming from the ammo cans to gun breaches.

Interior Paint Painting any open-topped vehicle presents a challenge as both the interior and exterior must be painted in sympathetic tones to one another but be weathered in different ways with the interior showing more traces of wear from the activities of the crew such as paint chipping and dirt from the crews boots. With this in mind I began the painting process, I prefer to paint as much of the model in sub-assemblies. In this case the gun mount was painted as a sub-assembly minus the gun shield and the only items left out of the interior were the crew seats and the spare ammo cans, the engine had been previously assembled and painted to be fitted once the engine bay had been painted and weathered. I had also decided that on this project I would try and achieve the base colours using Vallejo acrylic colours instead of using enamels (as I have done previously), to give the acrylic colours a good base coat to bond to. I under coated the interior components with a 50/50 mix of Humbrol 110 and 93 enamel, which also had the effect of giving a pre-shading effect. Once this had dried fully (24 hours) I mixed up the acrylic base coat for the dark yellow, I always like to

keep my base colours very light as subsequent weathering will have the effect of toning the colours down considerably and it is far easier to tone down a light colour than it is to lighten a dark colour. The colour I chose for the yellow base coat was Vallejo air radome tan which was further lightened with a small amount of off white, this gave an excellent tan yellow base colour seen on late war German vehicles, once the mix had been applied in 3 light airbrushed coats it was then sealed with an airbrushed coat of Vallejo satin varnish to protect it from the following weathering steps. The first stage was to add a little depth to the colour by adding a slight yellow tone to the paintwork. To achieve this without losing too much of the Tan base coat I decided to add a glaze of Tamiya X24 clear yellow which was heavily thinned with water and applied using a large brush over the tan base colour taking care not to let the clear yellow pool (any excess yellow was carefully blended away using a damp brush). This glaze gave the base coat a slightly darker and more richer tone without

darkening the paintwork too much, once dry, I added a filter of Humbrol Matt 62 and again left to dry before a further filter of Humbrol Matt 98. The combination of the two enamel filters again added more tonal depth to the dark yellow colour giving it a better scale appearance. A more localised Matt 98 filter was also applied to the floor area and along the lower edge of the interior walls to create a shadow effect to make a colour separation between the floor and the walls. To define details and panel lines, controlled pin washes of Burnt Umber and Sepia oil paints thinned with white spirit were applied around details with any excess paint being blended away using a brush moistened with white spirit. Through the process of filters and pin washes some of the base colour dark yellow was inevitably lost, areas of highlights were reinstated by lining in highlights on the top of panels and any edges using a heavily thinned mix of Vallejo Beige, Off White and Pale Sand making sure any highlights are very subtle and not too prominent.

The interior under coated using a Humbrol enamel mix.

The dark yellow base mix made up from Vallejo Radom Tan and Off White applied via airbrush.

Chips and scratches are added to the interior using Vallejo Burnt Umber paint applied with a sponge and a fine brush.

Tamiya clear yellow X24 is then glazed over the base colour to add some depth of tone to the yellow.

35 Any highlights lost in the glazing process are now reinstated using Vallejo paints and a fine brush.

Further effects such as wet mud areas are added to the floor plates.

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The weathering stage begins with the addition of various paint chips and scratches (as stated above this weathering will not be as harsh as would be seen on the outside of the vehicle as any damage would be caused by general wear and tear from the crew members). I find using a torn piece of dense sponge to add the bulk of the chips/paint scuffs before further refining with a thin paint brush the most effective method. Vallejo Burnt Umber was used for this technique on all of the interior fittings including the gun mount and the spare ammo cans being careful only to add damage where it would be appropriate and logical such as the wall sections behind the seats where the actions of the crew would wear the paint away and on the edges of the internal stowage bins. The floor plates received more extensive weathering as

The completed lower hull and engine bay before the upper hull is added.

they would be subject to more abuse and to further enhance this I added some Vallejo Dark Blue Grey and Hull Red to the pallette which gave the impression of the floor panels being worn down to the Red primer and bare metal in the areas that would see the most traffic. To further enhance the floor and give the impression of an accumulation of dirt and wet mud in keeping with the Hungarian winter theme areas of the floor were treated to a mix of Vallejo satin and gloss varnish with the mud deposits being made up from MIG pigments mixed into the varnish. To fill the rear stowage bins and add some colour variation to offset the amount of yellow in the interior I took various items from my scrap box, painting them in green and grey tones which were then weathered down to match in with the rest of the model. At this

stage I felt it was time to mate the upper and lower hulls together but then a thought occurred to me as to the colour of the engine bay, after checking, my modelling friends confirmed that the bay would have been left in its Red primer state, so out came the airbrush and once I had masked the hull I repainted the engine bay in Vallejo Cavalry Brown which is a good match for German red primer and once the bay had been weathered accordingly the Great Wall Hobbies engine was installed. Finally I added a slight metallic sheen to any exposed metal edges using a 6B pencil which was also used to add a metallic finish to the gun barrels and breaches on the gun mount once they had been painted in using various shades of blacks and blues.

Exterior Paint

I started by masking off the engine bay hatch opening and the vision slots on the upper deck. Next the upper and lower deck were mated together using super glue to attach a section at a time to make sure no gaps occurred, this procedure went surprisingly well with only a slight miss match on the upper hulls rear panels which required the addition of some plastic card extensions to ensure a good fit. As opposed to replacing the kits front mudguards I decided to thin down the parts supplied in the kit and detail them using parts from the Aber etch brass set. Since the beginning of the project I had wondered what the crew would do if after removing the majority of the white wash as the snow had thawed it then snowed again how would they try to supplement the winter camouflage and it was whilst reading through the Endkampf book by Axel Urbanke I came upon a picture of some 251/Ds in a winter setting with what looked like white sheets tied to the hull sides being used as improvised snow camouflage. This I thought was the answer I was looking for and would fit in very well with the overall look and feel I wanted for the model, I therefore decided to add some sheets to the model using magic sculpt epoxy putty which was rolled out as thin as possible then transferred to the hull sides of the model with final shaping of the putty being carried out with the putty sheets on the model. Once the putty had cured the process of masking off the interior was completed. The putty sheets were left on the hull and would be painted in place as (due to thinness) trying to remove and refit them later could cause problems. The camouflage pattern would be a factory applied three tone hard edge scheme which I replicated using masks. The base coat of dark yellow was applied as the interior using Vallejo radome tan lightened with some white, this again gave me a good light base colour which would darken down as the weathering progresses and it would match the interior

colour scheme. To add a yellow tone to this colour it was glazed with Tamiya X24 in the same manner as the interior and once completely dry I could begin masking the camouflage pattern. To achieve a very tight factory sprayed finish I chose to use the reusable roll out adhesive putty method of masking and as to the light nature of the base yellow I opted to use a white coloured putty as the blue version can sometimes mark or stain the underlying paint work. The putty was applied in thin rolled sections following the prescribed factory pattern using a wax shaping tool to ensure the putty had good contact with the side of the model to prevent any paint leaking underneath. This can be a long and frustrating operation but being methodical will pay dividends latter on. With the dark yellow areas masked off I started by airbrushing on my green tone, this was kept a deliberately light tone, using Vallejo German Cam Green heavily lightened with basic skin tone until a slightly minty green tone was achieved (once weathered this would tone down to a more realistic colour). The green had been applied in 3-4 light airbrush coats so I removed the putty masking to check for any paint bleed. I re-masked the model in preparation for the red brown phase of the camouflage pattern. The red brown shade is a very difficult shade to get correct at this stage as it has to work in harmony with the other colours on the model but not be too light or dark as it will not tone down to the required shade during the weathering to follow, with this in mind I mixed the red brown from a number of colours using a combination of Vallejo Hull Red, Medium Brown, Flat Red and Medium Flesh Tone. These colours were mixed by eye to a shade I felt would look correct after they had been weathered down and with the Red Brown airbrushed on the mask was removed and after the new paintwork was sealed with an airbrushed coat of satin varnish.

Using a reference picture the first part of the camouflage pattern is masked off using White Tac putty.

37 Once the green has dried the model was re masked and the red brown colour added which again was mixed from Vallejo paints.

To tone down the colours controlled washes of Humbrol 98 were applied over 2-3 days to allow time for the enamel to completely dry. Highlights and damaged paint are added as per the interior.

Using the same method as was used on the interior various chips and scratches were added to the exterior.

At this stage the model looks very stark and toy like, so the next step is to tone down the colours in sympathy with each other to produce a more lifelike and in scale appearance, to start this process each of the camouflage colours were carefully dry brushes with progressive lighter shades of their base tones (done by adding small amounts of Vallejo Flesh to their base mixes) I chose to use the original Vallejo mixes that had been lightened for this dry brushing as opposed to the more traditional method of using enamel paints for dry brushing as I could not get a good enough match with Humbrol colours, the Vallejo acrylic paint is suitable to be dry brush as long as you proceed in small areas and do not let the paint dry out on the brush.

38

With the camouflage colours significantly toned down the next step is to harmonise the colours together to portray a look of aged and worn paintwork, a filter of Humbrol matt 98 well thinned with white spirit and applied with a flat brush in a downward motion is a very effective method of bringing the colours together and recreating a worn paint effect. To start to define the detail on the model a Burnt umber oil paint pin wash was now added, this had the effect of further reducing the tone of the colours and adding depth to the model (any excess paint from the pin wash was carefully blended away in a downward motion using a brush moistened with white spirit which also added to ageing process of the base colours).

Once the filters and washes were fully dry, chips and scratches were added to the exterior paintwork using the same method employed to the interior but this time as well as burnt umber Vallejo Cam black brown and Radome Tan were also used to re-create scratches and chips in the camouflage colours where the base dark yellow had began to show through also any detail painting required was finished off such as the exhaust and the number plate decals from Archer fine prints were added. At this stage I believed the paintwork looked sufficiently worn and with the correct tonal values that I could proceed to add the winter white wash, the method for applying the white wash was the hairspray technique which I will not go into detail about as it has been very well explained in a number of modelling articles but one

note of advice would be to use Tamiya acrylic white thinned with water as this paint seams to leave a more convincing flaked pattern when removed than the more water based Vallejo paint, as shown in the pictures the model was only given a light coat of white which was subsequently nearly all removed only leaving traces of the white wash in small areas such as around nooks and crannies and hard to reach areas which would be consistent with the white wash being removed quickly by the crew and the ravages of the winter weather. In an effort to protect the fragile nature of the Tamiya white paint an airbrushed coat of satin varnish was once again applied over the model, with the varnish dry a second pin wash of burnt umber oil was carefully applied to help redefine some areas of detail that had been covered by the white.

The start of the winter white wash was Tamiya white thinned with water sprayed over a coat of hair spray which had been previously applied to the model.

Now we see the effects of the worn white wash after the Tamiya paint has been scrubbed away using a stiff brush and warm water.

The white sheets are now painted in with Vallejo colours trying to keep the tone muted.

AK interactive enamel earth washes were added to the sheets to unify them with the weathering on the lower hull and to give the appearance of dirt and mud that would have been thrown up from the vehicles tracks.

A dark earth enamel wash from AK interactive began the weathering of the wheels and lower hull area.

With this wash applied I next turned my attention to the white sheets, to add some depth to the sheets I had first under coated them in Vallejo dark sea grey which I proceeded to over paint with thin layers of Vallejo off white which had been slightly toned down with small amounts of dark sea grey and Hemp, as the colour started to build up on the sheets I gradually reduced the grey and hemp in the mix until finally the highlights were painted in with pure off white which gave a nice depth and contrast between the sheets shadows and highlights making the sheets look as if they had acquired layer of ground in dirt and

grime as would be the case whilst attached to the vehicle in the winter conditions. As all of the elements of the gun mount and the upper hull coming together focus now turned to the lower hull and running gear, the rubber tyres n the road wheels were painted in using a dark grey tone (which looks a lot more natural than black) then the lower hull was given a generous wash of AK interactive Matt dark earth enamel wash which nicely stated to darken in this area of the vehicle without loosing a lot of the previously painted in detail and giving a good base tone for the following weathering.

39

Further mud effects are added in the form of mud splatters to the wheel arches and lower hull.

The areas of built up wet mud were blocked in (as were some mud clots that had been added from epoxy putty to the lower hull and wheels during the construction stage) using a mix of Vallejo burnt umber and hemp randomly mixed in varying degrees as to give some variation to the mud colours, this looks a little stark and unrealistic at this stage but further washes of AK interactive mud will bring all of this together to reproduce the look of mud and moisture.

Finally AK interactive fuel stains mixture was selectively applied neat from the jar to areas when wet mud would be prominent. The fuel stain was used over a gloss varnish as the dark brown colour of the fuel stain helps to darken the areas of wet mud and give a nice satin/semi gloss finish where varnish would only give a gloss finish and not darken the areas of wet mud down sufficiently. The front

40

After 3-4 washes to the lower hull and running gear mud splatters (that would have been kicked up off the wheels) were added by flicking some Vallejo Cam German Black Brown paint off a short brush with my thumb onto the areas under the mudguards and at the front and rear of the lower hull allowing some of this to drift up the hull sides onto the white sheets.

wheels and the Friul tracks after being painted and weathered were treated to the same mud and dirt mixtures to ensure everything remained constant on the model and once the tracks had been fitted all that was left was to recreate some of the worn metallic edges on the vehicle and the tracks using a 6B pencil as had been done to the interior of the model.

Once the completed gun mount had been glued into the mount in the lower hull and the aerial attached the model was completed apart that is for a crew which I intend to add at latter date. My thanks must go to my friend Mark Beaumont for his advice at all stages of the model and the numerous reference books he lent me greatly assisting in the models construction and finishing.

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new releases

Tamiya 1:35 Israeli Tiran 5 Hot on the heels of their Enigma release, Tamiya draw on the long term success of their T-55 kit (the original over ten years old now!) with the Israeli Tiran 5. Around four hundred T-54 (Tiran 4) and T55s were captured, modified and pressed into service with the IDF right up into the early '80s. Once you get past studying the beautiful box-art it's immediately apparent that much of this kit is new tooling including the full upper hull and turret which exhibits superb cast textures and weld beads. The Israeli 105mm gun comes with optional covered mantlet and well detailed .30 and .50 Cal MGs and the pair of half-figures are really rather good,

sure to fill the open hatches very nicely. So Tamiya's legendary easy build, great detail and a great subject- what's not to like?..well the soft vinyl / plastic 'band' style tracks won't cut it with some modellers, especially with that exposed upper run, and many of us are still excited by a turned metal gun barrel and photoetch which isn't the case here unfortunately. Tamiya remain true to their brand and customers by producing kits their own way without following trends with a very wise move expanding on the T-55 variants- could there be more to come? we hope so. Thanks to The Hobby Company, Tamiya distributors in the UK.

Tamiya 1:48 Sd.Kfz.232

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The seventy fourth (hard to believe!) release in Tamiya's quarterscale range is the early-war German 8-rad, a completely new kit. Two large dark grey sprues and two smaller duplicate ones containing wheels and suspension parts. Tamiya always try and balance ease of build with levels of detail especially with these smaller scale offerings, this vehicle must be a real challenge to kit designers due to the complex shape and design. The chassis is simplified but with decent levels of detail for what will be visible and the wheels are good though some of you may wait for the inevitable resin upgrades. The hull is a simple affair with a one piece upper and separate side plates, all hatches and vision flaps will have to remain closed unless you want to resort to some

plastic surgery. The body features indicate a later production vehicle with the front spaced armour, splash guards etc. The turret allows an open top hatch and a commander figure is included to sit under the large characteristic frame antenna which is handled in quality Tamiya style. These early war vehicles could really benefit from a few photoetched parts, this more so than others. I think Tamiya could have included at least the muffler guards (as on Tamiya's 1:48 Panzer II) as what's provided is moulded smooth and looks poor. If dunkelgrau doesn't excite you the decals offer a dark yellow with cammo version from Kursk. A nice, typically Tamiya kit which looks like a quick and easy build but simplified detail would benefit from some photoetched finesse.

Bronco 1:35 GPW 1/4Ton Utility Vehicle (Mod.1942) with 37mm Anti Tank Gun M3A1 This is our first look at Bronco's 'Jeep', this latest release comes complete with the diminutive little 37mm A/T gun. As a youngster my first 1:35 kit was Tamiya's Willys 4X4 (the first release with the trailer and figures) I remember it fondly and with a first look inside the lid of this box it's apparent how much kits have changed over the years! This is one hugely impressive and detailed kit, ok- so you won't be able to assemble it in a couple of hours like the old Tamiya release but the trouble Bronco have gone to represent every feature is really commendable. Along with the super-fine detail we're offered plenty of options with superb .50 and .30 Cals included and a covered/ lowered windscreen along with field modifications such as bumper mounted wire cutter and rear mounted jerry can which was seen later in production. This is a Ford produced vehicle and the logo is included on the rear panel

to depict a 1942 or earlier model. A fully detailed engine bay and chassis can be revealed with the open bonnet option although there are a few ejector pin marks to treat with a dab of Mr Surfacer or careful sanding. Photoetched parts are included along with a very detailed decal sheet with five marking options including insignia for the driver figure. The 37mm gun is of equal quality with an excellent set of optional cross-ply tyres. A highlight of the kit is one of the best injection moulded canvass hoods we've seen, moulded so thin it's almost transparent in places with superbly rendered creases. With a choice of Jeep kits available we'll recommend this as the best we've seen - superb! Thanks to UK distributors and retailers Hannants for the sample www.hannants.co.uk

Bronco 1:35 Panzerjaeger II fuer 7.62cm Pak 36, Marder II D A subject that has long been on modeller’s wanted list and Bronco have utilised their excellent Panzer II Ausf.D kit to produce what is a stunning recreation of the Marder II D. Hull and running gear are carried over as you would expect and there are no complaints here with excellent detail as well as individual link tracks. Even the tires are moulded separately from the wheels. The hull is assembled from flat panels and although it all aligns exactly I experienced some twisting of the hull tub which is where a solid tub would be better. Bronco have provided a detailed interior with torsion bars, gearbox, driveshaft, instrument panel, final drives and seats. The sloped armoured sides are well handled with recessed screw head details and there is a large photoetched fret providing a host of details including the large rear basket and its frame. The 7.62cm Russian gun is another little gem with wonderful detail and comes with a selection of

ammunition and boxes to compliment it. This is very typically Bronco in terms of the high number of parts which obviously contribute to the enhanced levels of detail seen, but can make for a frustratingly slow build with so many small parts to clean up. The plus side is that its all in the box and you wont need anything extra apart from your choice of crew. As it says in the instructions “It will require a little more care during assembly, but you feel the end result is well worth the effort”. The instructions deserve a special mention too as Bronco have helpfully included CAD images along with the normal line drawings to assist in any especially complex areas which is excellent. The kit comes with a generous choice of seven different camouflage schemes on the decal sheet. Our thanks to UK distributors and retailers Hannants for the sample www.hannants.co.uk

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new releases

Meng 1:35 Pick-Up w/ZU-23-2 Meng continue to fill the gaps in the market with style, think of the endless options with this 23mm Russian AA gun which has been around since the '60s, and the 1990s (I think?) Toyota Land Cruiser pick-up, you could realistically find this combination anywhere in Africa or the Middle East over the last twenty years. Meng present their kits beautifully with high quality packaging and compact instruction booklets, this one even harks back to the days of Matchbox's tri-colour plastic! Let's look at the gun first which will surely be released as a stand-alone kit being used throughout the World for so long it has huge vehicle conversion potential. Two dark green sprues carry the crisply moulded parts showing superfine detail, multi-part ammo cans and belts, tube and pressed steel seats and finely rendered muzzles with the option to have the gun in a towed configuration, on the ground in firing mode (with folded wheels) or mounted to the pick-up bed on H-beam

sections. The barrels, although not moveable, can be set in three different positions to suit your scenario. A black sprue carries the running gear and chassis parts with the steel rims nicely done being shod in soft vinyl tyres with decent tread pattern (although void of any side-wall lettering) Tan sprues hold the body parts and interior, the doors can be positioned open and the roof complete with A and B posts is supplied separate so it can be left off as often seen with these vehicles. A clear sprue provides glass and lenses which will look good and a small etched fret adds some fine detail. The only thing missing from this kit is the Toyota branding which I'm sure the aftermarket guys won't mind taking the risk to produce from a legal/copyright point of view and while they're at it a gun crew in civilian attire would be welcome. Another very nice looking production from Meng, top marks.

Inside the Armour Leopard 2A5/A6 Special Edition

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This 'Special Edition' set from Inside the Armour really is rather special! Try 430 photoetched parts, 18 resin parts and a full set of Bronco's workable individual link track not to mention turned brass barrel parts and a CD of instructions…throw this lot at the Revell, Hobbyboss or Tamiya 2A5 or 2A6 and you'll have one serious project with some serious detail. Photoetch and resin parts cover tool clamps,suspension upgrade, primary sights, cuppola rings, Peri sight, turret baskets, hinges and fittings, engine fans housings and grills, mud flaps, chains for the smoke dischargers, engine

deck lifting gear (can be built stowed or deployed) and much more. The barrel assembly includes three different muzzles (very early L44, later L44 and L55 muzzles), collimator, improved bore excavator and resin recoil gusset. Add to all of this Bronco's excellent track set and we have a very comprehensive, quality upgrade bundle offering good value. Many of the elements are also available as separate sets, www.insidethearmour.com is the place to go and find out more and also view the full extensive range of upgrades and kits.

Dragon 1:35 25 Pdr. Field gun Mk.II Following their previous 'Early' 25 Pdr. Dragon are now offering the later War ( and I think post-war?) version of the famous artillery piece with new sprues in the box and still extensive use of slidemoulding technology providing some very delicate and impressive detail. The double-baffle muzzle brake is the main visual difference to my (untrained!) eye but artillery aficionados will no doubt relish the many detail changes with this later version. Some of the main features are superbly handled, the main shield free of ejector marks and beautifully thin and the trail legs showing delicate rivet detail on all sides. Tyres are moulded in DS styrene

with good tread detail with no troublesome joints to clean up and a small fret of photoetch which includes an open ammo tray if you wish to display the doors of the limber open. The problem is there's no ammo at all provided in the kit (no matter what the box illustrates!) the previous release at least included a few rounds for the crew to handle, a crew also are a big miss with this release being such a prominent 'must build' feature previously. Shortfalls aside, this is a nice kit which will provide an easier build than the Bronco version of this gun (from what I remember seeing of their kit) but does lack some finer detail in comparison.

Dragon 1:35 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.H with zimmerit Another very specific Panzer IV release from DML boxed as a HJ Div. in Normandy, and Dragon have spent time getting the look of the zimmerit coating correct. Many hard-core German armour modellers enjoy applying their own paste as no two vehicles are exactly the same, but if you're happy spending your modelling time on other features of a project rather than counting rows and ridges, these ‘ready-zimmed’ kits are certainly for you, it's quite something how fine and delicate the finish is. The Dragon Panzer IVs have become a benchmark for detail and accuracy but don't expect a quick build (especially with the 'skirted' versions) lift the lid and there's close to thirty grey sprues, metal schurtzen, etched brass parts…but fear not, as with many other kits in the series sprues are shared and many of the parts are unused. The moulding quality of these kits is superb with every feature

beautifully replicated with every port, hatch and door openable (except the turret skirt doors for some reason which is a shame) a fully detailed cupola is a kit in itself. Schurtzen rails and brackets rival etched brass for their finesse and will be good and sturdy joined with liquid cement to the hull. Another time-saver along with the zimmerit are the single piece Magic Track, not welcome by some for replicating the typical sag of the upper run but largely hidden behind the armour skirts anyway. The decal options include the roughly applied HJ turret numbers of three different tanks and five other options if they don't take your fancy. So another superb Dragon Panzer IV, it's hard to think of a version they haven't covered but there's sure to be more subtle variations. Highly recommended.

Stalingrad 1:35 figures Continuing the steady pace of new releases, Stalingrad never cease to amaze us with their quality. These two sets are among their latest offerings S-3006 is a German officer in a superbly sculpted great-coat with map board under-arm giving a very deliberate salute and S-30007 is a pair of relaxed German figures, one wounded and his comrade with the option of a camera or bunch of flowers in-hand. If you take a look over at www.stalingrad.diorama.ru you'll see how these sets will work very well with other new releases. These really are among the very best figures on the market, impeccable sculpting and casting which always captures the cut of the uniforms beautifully. Superb!

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new releases

Panda Models 1:16 Panzer 38t Ausf. E/F It is fantastic to see plastic kit companies getting to grips with some large scale armour that is not RC orientated and as such the 38t is a really great choice of subject. The compact size of the vehicle means that its not that much bigger than the average super heavy 1:35 tank kit. First impressions are excellent and this looks just like an enlarged state of the art 1:35 kit with individual link tracks with separate pins, turned aluminium barrel and photoetched fret. The hull is a flat panel assembly and its interesting to see all the internal bracing and rivet/bolt detail which perhaps hints at a future interior detail set? I found slight issues with the length of the floor panel which meant grinding away the rear lip to get the back plate to sit correctly. The running gear offers the possibility of articulating the suspension although the fit of some of the components are very snug meaning that they bind on each other. The tracks are great and well detailed so no need to worry about aftermarket replacements. Internal detail is

Tommy’s War 1:32 Resin Figures

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Tommy’s War are a fairly new name to the resin figure market but already making a big impression with their WW1 themed releases. The two latest additions to the range are really superb and would work as stand alone figures or as a pair and there is a simple trenchwork base available to complement them and this comes with some assorted helmets and bits to dress it. Both figures are superbly sculpted and feature crisp folds and the levels of detail that you would expect from the very best resin figures. The casting is also excellent with only very minimal clean up required and hardly any assembly. My only gripe here would be to ask for a little more length in the neck of the two individually moulded heads. The faces both sport huge period ‘tashes’ meaning they have bags of character. The beautifully presented colour boxes offer front and rear views of painted figures as a guide to colours and the officer figure comes complete with a photoetched fret with weapons slings. Extremely high quality figures that are just begging for a your paintbrush and its great to see the First World War getting some long-overdue attention. wwwtommyswar.com

confined to the bow MG mount, visors and in the turret there is a well detailed breech and co-ax along with crew seats. Hatches, visors and engine covers are all moulded separately and there are clear moulded vision blocks. One error we have spotted are the missing rivets on the curved left hand turret side. The vehicle tools are also good and some are provided with photoetched straps but the clasps are a little heavy and are best replaced with aftermarket photoetched versions. I found several errors in the instructions with part numbers and two stages duplicated and consequently other sequences missing so watch how you go. The kit comes with choice of four different sets of markings. This builds into a great looking model straight from the box and Panda deserve to be applauded for doing such a good job and for deciding to move up to 1:16. Lets hope we might see other injection moulded plastic kits in this scale.

Lioness and Lion of the LineVolume 10, M51s of the Six-Day War By Dr. Robert Manasherob A4 softback format, 80 pages Published by SabIngaMartin Publications ISBN 978-0-9841437-7-1 www.sabingamartin.com www.aviationbookcentre.com The ultimate incarnation of the Sherman is the subject here in perhaps the IDF's ultimate victory, the Six-Day War. This release deals with the 'Dagem Beth' and 'Gimel' M51s and thankfully the familiar format of pure modelling reference is presented again, 175 photographs, 28 scale drawings and 13 top-quality colour profiles will give you a wealth of information to produce a superaccurate Super-Sherman of the period with some great inspirational combat shots (although the eight pages of photographs of the variation of 'mazzle' brakes is a little exhaustive!) An extensive walk-around section provides close-ups of areas modellers will want as reference although the

photography isn't the prettiest being taken with a flash indoors, the colour profile illustrations are absolutely first rate with SabIngaMartin also producing a complementary range of decals to accompany their books with new and exclusive information shared. At the moment I'm working on an M50 using one of the previous volumes as a reference which is very comprehensive and modeller-friendly, these IDF Shermans present a challenging build with their numerous on-going upgrades and modification, another recommendation in this series if you've a project planned. Thanks to the Aviation and Military Book Centre for our sample copy.

Tank Art 2 By Michael Rinaldi softback format, 208 pages Published by Rinaldi Studio Press US ISBN 978-0-9883363-2-2 www.rinaldistudiopress.com Hot on the heels of Volume 1 we looked at in the last issue is the next release featuring Allied vehicles and how to achieve the finishes of the much admired Mr Rinaldi. The introduction is provided by Lester Plaskit (creator of the Drilling featured in this issue) and then we’re straight into the materials and techniques including ‘hairspray’ white wash, oil paint rendering, pigments and specific to this volume, ‘Painting Olive Drab’. The text and photography are very user friendly with plenty of explanation and jargon-busting along the way. Michael manages to mix old-school

methods along with contemporary finishing products to achieve specific effects. A good mix of project vehicles is presented with a lend-lease Chuchill, Pershing, Char B bis, Firefly and KV-1 all with their own particular look and feel. The tallented Radek Pituch (remember the cover star of issue 65?) takes the final chapter with a look into his figures and the methods used to create them. If you’re looking to improve your painting and weathering or just like nicely presented high quality modelling books, this series is very much worth a look with more to follow soon.

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new releases

Panzerwrecks 15 By Lee Archer and William Auerbach Published by Panzerwrecks 96 pages Softback Landscape format ISBN: 978-1-908032-05-8 www.panzerwrecks.com More good stuff from the chaps at Panzerwrecks who continue to dredge up those reference gems from the archives and the latest addition to the series continues to impress. This volume begins with a look at the German armour abandoned or knocked out in the liberation of Paris and alongside some great zimmerited Panthers there are also photos of assorted French vehicles operated by the German forces, Renault R35s Somua S35 and Char Bs. Fascinatingly there are four views of the rare Sd.Kfz.11/1 Selbstfahrlafette mit panzerung. Some short barrelled zimmerited Jagdpanzer IVs and a completely demolished Stug III complete the mix in this section. Two nice shots of the same tiger striped Jagdpanther are next followed by some late production King Tigers with ribbed mudflaps and one vehicle using transport tracks. The Fort Knox Panther G is shown next being transported for shipping and these shots provide excellent reference for the

late war M.A.N. camouflage pattern. A veteran Panzer III D1 command tank first seen in Panzerwrecks X makes another appearance along with a knocked out sPz.jg.Abt.653 Jagdtiger. More revisted subjects from volume X are Panthers, Panzer III, a 38t grille/marder hybrid and the unusual 234/3 with improvised 2cm schwebelafette turret. The gaudily camouflage Marder II that now resides in the Patton Museum is covered as well as late war Stug IIIs and a IV along with nice portaits of a Hummel and late Panzer IV J. The book concludes with a fascinating sequence showing and abandoned 54cm Karl Morser on its rail transporter with many useful close up details including a view of the driver’s compartment. As always there is plenty to inspire your next project and Panzerwrecks have done an excellent job with the quality of their images here. High recommended.

Sturmgeschutz III on the battlefield World War Two Photobook series Volume 2 By Matyas Panczel Published by PeKo Publishing 112 pages hardback landscape format ISBN: 978-693-89623-1-7 available in the UK from Panzerwrecks www.panzerwrecks.com

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Its not often that you find a few unpublished archive images in a new book but to find that virtually the entire book contains fresh material is really quite unusual. After a brief text introduction to the history of the Stug its straight into the pictures with one large image per page, running chronologically with the development of the production run. Pictures cover vehicles in combat and behind the lines and one or two that have been knocked out. There are

certainly several images that had my creative juices going with possible project ideas. Picture quality is generally good although they lack the crisp sparkle of the images in Panzerwrecks for example. If you are looking for an archive reference that gives you good coverage across the whole range of Sturmgeschutz then this will fit the bill. Our thanks to Panzerwrecks for the sample.

S35-014 / S35-015

EA35-174

EA35-168

EA35-042

EA35-170 EA35-160 ET Model Detail Sets ET Model are not slowing their release schedule and have a new large batch of detail sets tailored to a wide selection of new kit releases. We will start with two of their Value Packages S35-014 and S35-015 for the Russian PT-76 and PT-76B amphibious tank with complete new trackguards, bow plane, replacement engine grilles, headlamp cages and all the tool clasps along with a resin antenna mount and brass MG barrel. For Dragon’s M1A1 AIM set E35-174 is a monster set with detail parts for the .50 Cal and associated ammo boxes, turret basket mesh, complete replacement smoke grenades with turned brass tubes, engine deck mesh, exhaust grilles, sprocket rings and a host of tiny details. Also for the Abrams is set EA35-042 which is a turret bustle extension rack with resin jerrycans. Set E35-168 is for Dragon’s Maultier half-track and this set provides new louvred

bonnet panels, replacement hinges for the drop sides, bonnet logo, windscreen wipers, tool boxes and all the usual tool clamps. For Trumpeter’s recent BTR-70 APC (early version) set E35-160 contains a replacement resin gun barrel, brass MG barrel and resin antenna mount as well as photoetched parts for new front window hatches, mesh screens, rifle ports, hatch hinges and new panel for the front of the turret. Also for the new Trumpeter BMP1IFV kit there is set E35-170 which includes replacement trackguards, exhaust mesh screen, missile launch rail, turret stowage straps, bow plane, periscopes and replacement hatches or hatch liners. The set also includes a lovely set of resin tow rope eyes and a braided cable as well as an antenna mount and turned brass MG barrel.

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EA35-167

EA35-169

ER35-052

EA35-178 ER35-047-51 ER35-047

EA35-167

EA35-162

EA35-165

ET Model Detail Sets

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Continuing on and set E35-169 is for the Panda Models 2S6M Tunguska with parts to detail the radar dish, turret stowage bins, engine deck intake grilles with mesh along with all the expected replacement tool stowage and clamps. For the Hobbyboss T-26 Light tank Mod.1931 set E35-167 provides new stowage box, engine grilles, new trackguards, and new Driver’s hatches. The next set E35-178 is for the Hobbyboss WMIK Landrover with Milan Missile and this set has new radiator grilles, headlamp guards, instrument panel, excellent textured seatbelts, tiedown straps, sand channels and antenna mount boxes. Next we have no less than five different sets of resin wheels for BTR-60 and BTR-70 and set ER35-051 for the BRDM-2. Tire tread pattern is the same and it is the hubs which differ. Separate hubs are prone to fit issues

and this is the case here with gaps between the tire and hub that will have to be filled. Set EA35-041 provides the CIP panels for your chosen M1A1/A2. We conclude with two boxed sets and the first EA35-162 is for the Dragon T28 Super Heavy Tank. The set provides a new resin mantlet and replacement .50 Cal. There are replacements for the on board cranes, new .50 Cal mount and ammo box, new stowage bins and the usual tool clamps and headlamp guards. The second set E35-165 is an M1A2 Tusk 1 upgrade set with seventeen frets! There is new belly armour, and a full incredibly detailed set of side skirts on which to mount the individually assembled boxes. The armoured screens for the turret roof come with clear perspex inserts. A stunning set but not for the faint-hearted! www.etmodeller.com

Merkava Siman 3- Baz and Ramaqh By Michael Mass and Adam O’Brien A4 softback format, 80 pages Published by Desert Eagle Publishing ISBN 978-965-91635-2-6 www.deserteagle-publishing.com Renowned IDF armour expert Michael Mass and expert modeller (who we’ve featured in the past), Adam O’Brien bring you the latest in the series from Desert Eagle which is sure to please IDF modellers. The book (as others in their IDF Armor series) is big on visual reference, the majority of the book being large format colour shots with detailed captions. The book opens with descriptions of the Mk3 derivatives and then a chapter each on the Baz and Ramaqh in action followed by a section featuring the crews living and working with the vehicles. The large ‘In Detail’

section will be most useful to anyone modelling the Mk 3 providing good walk-around type photographs of all of the features you’d want. A couple of pages of reference are dedicated to the Nochri Dalet (mine roller) which is great timing with the release of Meng Model’s kit. To finish there’s a page describing the tactical symbols used rounding off another excellent modelling reference from Desert Eagle. Thanks to www.aviationbookcentre.com for our copy

Panzer Wedge Volume 2 By Lt. Fritz Lucke, Robert J. Edwards and Mike Olive B5 softback format, 208 pages (black and white) Published by Stackpole Books ISBN 978-0-811710-82-4 www.casematepublishing.co.uk This second volume tells the story of the 3rd Panzer Division's advance to Moscow where the aura of invincibility surrounding the German forces starts to wain. This is very much a history 'reading' book with very little visual content as modelling reference, if Barbarossa is an area of interest to you this will prove absorbing and informative reading. Most of the text is written by corespondents at the time of

the fighting and is very factual and tactical detailing individual battles and movements of the kampfgruppes. The twenty-or-so photographs throughout the book are poor quality so from a modelling perspective pretty much void of any reference but packed with facts for the historical and tactical buffs of the period.

Outside The Wire By Jim Ross B5 hardback format, 352 pages Published by Stackpole Books ISBN 978-0-811712-22-4 www.casematepublishing.co.uk Although this is another 'readers' book from Stackpole it's very much more engaging as it's a first hand account of a combat tour of Vietnam in 1970 with the 'Tropic Lightning' U.S. Infantry Division where the author served as a rifleman, machine gunner, tunnel rat and demolitions man, so as you'd imagine his memoirs are action-packed! The extracts I've read are easy-going, not a book you need to read intensely, very easy to pick-up and put-down in short bursts should you wish. This is an excellent first-hand insight

into the day-to-day horror experienced by these young men surviving the conditions and the North Vietnamese forces. There's over fifty colour photographs which would have been better (for modellers) in a larger format with all vehicles featured being M113s. Recommended, and at times very moving, reading if you have an interest in Vietnam War combat. Thanks to Casemate for our Stackpole Publishing samples.

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Tamiya U.S. Modern Infantry (Iraq War) Although we're massive fans of Tamiya their figures sometimes lack the edge of the kits in today's modelling marketplace. Tamiya themselves maybe realise this and have released a few of their classic toolings coupled with figures from MB of the Ukraine, who along with Master Box produce some of the best styrene figure sets around in our opinion. I don't remember seeing either of these two groups of figures before (I could be wrong?) so maybe this is a fresh approach altogether where Tamiya are packaging commissioned tooling and moulding from Master Box? Whatever the reason this is a very nice looking set of figures which will

please the modern diorama builder, four U.S. Marines and four U.S. Army figures come with a wealth of weapons and gear. Moulding and detail is really sharp with body armour nicely done, good sculpting of the heads and hands and excellent weapons with nice touches like extra ammo clips duct-taped on. The Army quartet are little more static in their pose than the Marines who look better with crouched action stances which would work well behind a wall or vehicle. Tamiya provide good colour references and a bonus sheet of rations boxes to assemble.

Dragon 1:72 Ersatz M10 I thought this an unusual choice of subject in 1:35 by DML but they made a really nice job of that kit, not so much here I'm afraid; a bit of a disappointment for small scale fans as most of the kit relies on the older Dragon Panther which is moulded with the 'ready made and painted' market in mind with simplified detail for

Archer Fine Transfers

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Excellent news for Allied modellers, namely Commonwealth and British subjects, with five new sets of Archers excellent waterslide decals under their AFT brand. All of the decals are in 1:35 and being printed by Cartograf are first rate quality. There's a large selection of choice and size on each sheet which should allow you to mix and match most scenarios from Summer 1943 Spring 1945. AR77026 are British Armoured Division Unit Symbols, AR77028 are British Infantry, AR77031 covers British and Commonwealth AOS symbols (black and white style) and AR77037 are the coloured style. Finally AR77030 are British Royal Artillery Tactical markings. Each set has well researched and detailed marking descriptions and application guides.

ease of production-line assembly. The new parts also fall short of the superb standards set by Dragon with not a great deal of finesse to report unfortunately. No doubt this will be a very simple build and an easy way to add this odd-ball Panther to your collection but disappointing by Dragon's standards

Mirror Models 1:35 Russian Artillery Tractor T-20 Komsomoletz (early) With a change to their regular Commonwealth vehicles, Mirror models have released this early-war tractor, the 'Special Edition' set containing a bonus Russian fuel trailer. Such a tiny vehicle means this is more like assembling a 1:72 piece of armour, the delicate diminutive feel of the tractor has been captured really well with some superb fine detail. As with the other Mirror kits we've looked at the vehicle builds from flat plates which will mean some care with alignment but ultimately better detail. The kit designers have done well to avoid any knockout pin marks on any outer or inner faces. A full engine and interior (!) allows a fully opened up display and an optional folded seating arrangement offers

diorama potential. Individual track links will be a little tedious at such a small size but surely worth the effort to keep the high standard of detail throughout. The fuel trailer provides a nice touch and is of an equal high standard with the wheels provided as 'sliced' sections to give good tread definition. Along with Russian markings, Finnish and German are also provided on a small decal sheet. Building instructions are an improved diagram type with clear enlarged line drawings and explanatory text. Another high quality release of a quirky subject and more details can be found at: www.mirror-models.com

Nuts & Bolts Volume 30 Nebel-, Panzer-und Vielfachwefer By J Baschin, M.Block, J.Nelson & H.Tippmann Softback format, 208 pages English/German text Published by Nuts & Bolts www.nuts-bolts.de Available in the UK from Historex Agents www.historexagents.com Rocket launchers anyone? The Nuts and Bolts team delve into the world of WWII German ‘Werfer’ with all their usual flair and thoroughness in this substantial 208 page study. The book follows the usual format with an in depth look at the development of the different weapons systems, their deployment with abbreviated individual unit histories and notes on colour schemes and modelling. Then its on to the archive images, beginning with the wheeled Nebelwerfer and images of it in service and being towed. Some superb shots of other experimental designs are included. The frame mounted Wurfkorper is also covered as well as the Nebelwerfer 41 with great images of the weapon in service. Next is the Panzerwerfer which gets extensive coverage in a superb

collection of archive images providing a wealth of modelling inspiration. The ammunition carrier version is also covered along with the rare Vielfachwerfer based on the Katjuscha rocket system. 1:35 scale plans are the next section with coverage of all the different weapons and in some cases the prototype vehicles too. This is followed by the 9 page colour profile section with profiles tied to the archive images that they are based on. The book concludes with a comprehensive walkaround section looking at preserved examples of the weapons and vehicles and the usual modelling section. Without doubt the best modelling reference on this subject.

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adds his own touches to Trumpeter’s 1:35 kit. During the Second World War the Soviets relied heavily on the use of tractors for their heavy artillery and mortars to make their way across the battlefield. The most ominous of these was the ChTZ S-65 “Stalinez” tractor which was built in the Chelyabinskiy Traktornyy Zavod (ChTZ ) in the city of Chelyabinsk. Founded in 1933, the ChTZ factory began producing agricultural tractors first with the S-60, which was a copy of the American built Caterpillar 60 which was followed by an improved diesel powered version of the tractor, the S-65. With the outbreak of war in 1941 the majority of the 37,626 Sons of Stalin (Stalinez) were pressed into military service where they were used to pull the larger Soviet artillery guns such as the 152 mm M1937 ML-20 and the B4 M1931 203mm Howitzers.

56

The S-65 tractor, although strong and

either Soviet or German themes would find

with the LZ Models engine and radiator

durable was incredible slow with a

plenty of examples of these tractors in

upgrades on the way and within a couple

maximum speed of only 7 miles per hour.

service. For me, however, the affection is

of weeks my workbench was full of plastic

After the invasion of Russia in 1941 the

simply the fact it was a big, hulking tractor.

and resin. During the course of sharing

German army captured thousands of

Something about these utilitarian

photos, one photo in particular caught my

these hefty vehicles which were then

workhorse vehicles that really catches my

attention. It was of an S-65 pressed into

quickly pressed into use recovering

fancy, and apparently I’m not the only

German service and it appeared as

vehicles stuck in the heavy Russian mud

person who has more than a passing

though they had mounted a field

as a result of the autumn rainy period

interest in these utilitarian beasts. Shortly

constructed boom to the front of the

known as Rasputitsa. More often,

after the kit’s release the folks on the MIG

vehicle which then held a bar onto which a

however, the Germans used the S-65 in

Productions forum began organizing a

number (14) T34 road wheels. The boom

their original role as an artillery tractor

“Stalinez Smack Down” group build. As

and wheels are supported by an unlikely

pulling German guns such as the sFH 18.

the number of participant’s increased, the

configuration of cables that run through a

forum thread became full of reference

tall post and then somehow attached to

Trumpeter really hit a chord with modellers

photos and "Smack Down” talk. My

the rear of the tractor. It was an interesting

when it released the S-65 tractor. Finally,

resistance, which was already low, gave

field modification that I'm still not really

all of those wonderful artillery pieces would

way and it wasn’t long before I decided

sure what it was for, but my guess is for

have something to lug them around with.

joined into the fun as well. A few mouse

some type of road work. This was my

Furthermore, modellers with interests in

clicks later I had the Trumpeter kit along

Smack Down vehicle!

The Trumpeter kit is moulded in light

short coming; it lacks an engine. This

grey plastic with the parts appearing

leaves the modelers’ only option to

with very little flash. The fit of the parts

construct the tractor with the large side

is generally very good and combined

engine panels in place. The oversight is

with the clear instructions and relatively

unfortunate as even a quick glance at

few parts this is the type of project that

period photos show that many of these

can easily be constructed over the

service tractors where in use with the

course of a rainy weekend. The kit,

large side panels removed for

however, does have a few issues that

increased engine ventilation. Luckily,

you should be aware of. First, the front

Trumpeters omission has been

radiator contains a couple of spelling

remedied by Libor of LZ Models who

errors. The first error being the name

quickly brought an excellent resin

CTA
HE (Russian for STALINETZ)

engine to the market. The LZ Models

shows the English style “N” rather than

engine is nothing short of brilliant. If

the reversed looking “”, with the

that wasn’t enough, LZ Models also

same issue replicated on the lower

offers a replacement front radiator with

radiator letters for the word “Diesel”.

the correct spelling and photo etched

In addition to these errors the

parts for the front mesh and tractor

Trumpeter kit does have one basic

logo.

57

This figure gives an idea of the enormous size of the LZ engine.

For a little fun, a bench was constructed to stand the engine on during assembly.

I began my work with the LZ Models engine. I am familiar with the LZ Models brand and once again Libor has produced an excellent product. Once I unpacked the engine I was surprised by the size of this thing...it was huge! Getting into the relaxed nature of the group build I decided to have a little fun by first building a quick bench on which to hold my engine during construction and placed a ‘worker’ in some of the early photos just to add a sense of scale. As with all of the LZ range of products the The LZ parts are poured in light coloured resin with the instructions presented on a small CD disc. The step by step instructions are easy to follow and a link to a walk around reference site is

58

also included. I found the references particularly helpful as I decided to detail the engine a bit by adding some wiring and extra plumbing just to make things looks a little busier. As the engine progressed there becomes a time where certain fittings and brackets of the engine needed to be fit onto the Trumpeter kit. So I cracked open the Trumpeter box to begin construction of the kit chassis. A few test fits confirmed that the LZ Models engine would fit perfectly onto the Trumpeter chassis. The LZ Models radiator and engine were glued to the chassis without incident and it was time to move onto the next steps. The tracks are offered as individual pads

along with two separate inner brackets to form each link; 34 per side. These parts have quite a few attachment points and as such require a little extra time for clean-up. Once completed, however, you are rewarded with a pair of extremely nice, workable tracks. On the boogie sponsons I chose to use only one side of the photo etched mud deflectors as provided by the LZ update set – if only for the sake of personalizing my model. Building of the tractor’s upper areas is a fairly straight forward affair and moves along quickly thanks for larger parts and clear instructions.

The primary focus of this beast, however, is the extended boom to the front of the vehicle. After a bit of head-scratching trying to figure out the exact arrangement of the boom and rigging I finally decided to just "wing it" using my best guesses based from the photo (and a little common sense?). From the reference it appears that the boom was made from found materials, perhaps even bridging joists. I decided to follow this notion and cut two shapes from plastic sheet, punched 4 lightening holes into each (improvised - not found on the photo) and then capped

I’ve been told by some who have viewed my work that they can tell it's my piece even before they see my name attached. Perhaps they are just “blowing smoke”, but if it’s true then it a huge compliment. It got me to wondering. If we start with the premise the most modelers are using basically the same materials and know the same techniques and tricks then what might set my work apart? The accompanying photos will show the basic steps that I take when painting and weathering. My guess is that most modelers will recognize the techniques as most are fairly common practice these days. Here are a few of my thoughts:

Mr Surfacer gives a good key for the top coats of colour.

each edge with thin strip. A friend happened to have a set of T34 wheels from the Tamiya kit which I borrowed a pair and made multiple castings as seen in the reference photo. I debated on whether or not to construct the roof/cab as seen on the photo and in the end I decided to make a simplified version of the roof in keeping with the field modified nature of the project. I also debated whether or not to show the engine totally exposed, or to install the top of the hood.

Finally, I decided to install the hood as I felt that the totally exposed engine would draw to much focus from the viewer and I preferred to have the focus drawn to the front boom.

First, I work very quickly. When I paint and weather I move from one step to the next in rapid succession. Honestly, except for the drying times of the oil paints I could often finish the painting and weathering of my pieces in a matter of hours. I don't labour over the small details. I liken my technique to sketching, rather than drawing. I am more concerned about capturing the mood and atmosphere rather than capturing each and every small bolt and buckle. Maybe it's simple laziness on my part, but I feel that the quickness can translate to a certain vibrancy or energy in the finished presentation.

Model Master Metalizer Laquers provide the raw-steel base colour to the individual track links.

Oil paint and pigment washes provide the look of the ground-in dirt.

59

The primer colours are mixed from Tamiya colours and applied randomly.

A protective coat of Future is airbrushed to protect the primer followed by a coat of hairspray.

A random coverage of the green is built slowly, the tonal differences add depth and highlights in key areas.

First, I realize that Colour Modulation is all the rage these days. I have used it and I can see the validity of the technique for producing eye catching results. However, with so many modelers following suit these days I feel that the technique and results have become somewhat predictable. I see that the same surfaces are highlighted, the same fittings are exaggerated and the same look is found on many models. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to be critical of Colour Modulation or the models presented using the technique. What I am trying to say is that perhaps there is a

60

Warm water and a stiff brush remove the green on it’s base coat of hairspray in a random fashion. This is enhanced further with acrylics and fine brushwork.

way to take the certain aspects of Colour Modulation and incorporate them in a new ways. So what do I do differently? I believe that the majority of my finished appearance begins with my early base colors. You will notice from the accompanying photos that my base colours are varied - or random in application. I do use shadows and highlights (similar to modulation) but my patterns are not necessarily tied to the rules of modulation. For instance, my highlight tones are not always found on the upper, leading edge surfaces. There are times that I will apply the lighter tones

on lower or recessed surfaces just for the sake of breaking the rules. From the accompanying photos you might also notice that the green vehicle base colour is actually a comprised of varying shades of green. It’s all about the multiple layers and subtle shifts of colour over the entire model with the point of view not always consistent with the rules of Modulation or a Zenithal light source. The instances can be subtle, but I feel that the overall accumulation of these small “rule breakers” can bring an added level of visual interest to the finished piece.

As with the tracks, the metalizer gives a polished look to the contact surfaces of the sprocket teeth.

The second point is that I am not overly concerned that the green colour(s) completely covering the oxidized reddish colours underneath, especially on the lower sections. The incomplete nature of this layer is somewhat contributed by the speed at which I work, but the end result is intentional. It's really about the "happy accidents" at the early stages. I have learned from experience that the more interesting that I can make my early base layers then the more interesting (and pleasing?) the final results will be. So, with this in mind at this stage I am really not overly concerned about complete and even coverage. Taking this a step further you can see how the hairspray technique fits perfectly into my style of work as I am able to further manipulate the base layers through the “random” removal of paint.

Finally, it's all about the oils baby! Once I have achieved a random base surface - some might call it a mess! - I need to bring it all together. The Magic really happens during the finish work done with the oils. The subtle colour shifts and blending that the oils can give you is what ties it all together. Keeping in mind that I use the variations of the base finish to key off of - these are my ‘points of interest;. What I mean is this; if I have produced some random little patch of oxidized surface either though an uneven application of paint or chipped off via the hairspray technique, I will use this as an opportunity to enhance, refine and create a visual interest point. With this in mind, you can see how this ties in perfectly with my earlier steps (quick, random base application) as now I have a lot of small ‘points of interest’ which to play with.

Filters can help harmonise the previous colour work and give subtle shifts of tone.

61

62

What I hope is that in the end my result is a piece that is interesting to look at but doesn't seem exaggerated. I strive to keep the viewer’s eye moving from one interest point to the next, one highlight area to the next, one chip to the next scratch. All the while I am trying to balance the result between artistic expression and realistic finish. I'm not sure why I got onto this topic; I guess that it was just on my mind this morning. I am simply sharing some of my random thoughts about the hobby that I enjoy so much. Generally I don't think about this type of thing too much, I just do it. Maybe from time to time it's a good idea to take stock of one’s self as a modeller and dare say even an artist. Happy modelling.

63

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There are many "how-to" books in today's world of scale modeling, but none has covered the "why", as well as, the "how-to" processes… the modeler's artistic approach, until now. In TANKART, a painting and weathering guide book series, the focus is on taking real-life observations of paint and weathering effects and incorporating the best techniques to replicate them. Within this first volume, WWII German Armor, I will go deeper into my thoughts about the why of certain steps as it relates to German camo schemes. Combined with my education in design, my passion for learning & teaching, and some clear informative photography, we have strived to produced a book which focuses on the importance of telling the story of each vehicle. To bring these ideas to life requires a spectrum of processes and techniques which are covered in great detail; including the Hairspray Technique and my new Oil Paint Rendering -- techniques that can be combined in an layered array to tell the story of each model. The book is 8.5w" x 9.5l" format, 208 pages. There are 5 models featured inside, 2 dedicated technique chapters, plus a special bonus figure modeling chapter by world renowned modeler Marijn van Gils

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