Contents
modeller military illustrated
ISSUE No.032 December 2013
10 34
4 NEWS
Military modelling product news
6 ABANDONED BY THE ROADSIDE; THE TIGER II IN NORMANDY
Diorama ideas based on a set of images from the Normandy campaign
10 HEMMT OVER HET
Balaton Models 1:72 HET M1070 plus M1000 trailer, with a HEMMT on top
COVER FEATURE
16 WHEN THE EAST WIND BLOWS
Angus Creighton builds Dragon’s 1:35 Flakpanzer IV 3.7cm Flak ‘Ostwind’
22 HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT WAR Modelling references for Harley-Davidson military motorcycles
28 DESERT PREACHER
Bronco’s 1:35 British self-propelled ‘Bishop’ howitzer in desert camouflage
34 THE WHITE BUFFALO
Building, painting and weathering Dragon’s 1:35 Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. C
40 PATTON MAKER
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Construction on Dragon’s new 1:35 post-war M48A3 Patton tank begins
44 JUST A LITTLE TEDDY BEAR... Part 2 Construction continues on Meng’s 1:35 D9R IDF bulldozer
54 THE DEADLY 88; FLAK 37 IN DETAIL
Modelling references for the 88mm ‘Fliegerabwehrkanone’ Flak 37
60 ORDNANCE DEPOT
New and recent accessory sets and modelling materials
62 BOOK REVIEWS
Capturing Clerveux, Case Yellow
66 SIGN OFF
Dioramas to build before you die…
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News REVELL
1:35 ATF DINGO 2 New from Revell In 1:35 we have the beefy ATF Dingo 2 GE A2 PatSi, ideal for modern military dioramas and the ideal accompaniment for Leopards etc. www.revell.eu
NEWS JUST IN... MENG • 1:35 Achzarit IDF APC • 1:35 Char 2C • 1:35 Leopard 1A3/ A4 creativemodels.co.uk
IWATA
TRN1 AIRBRUSH Brand new from Iwata is the TRN1 gravity-feed, trigger airbrush. This new instrument features interchangeable paint cups and a chunky handgrip for maximum comfort while working. www.airbrushes.com
MASTERBOX • 1:35 Soviet Marines and German Infantry hand-to-hand combat 1941-1942 • 1:72 Mk.I Female British tank 1916 creativemodels.co.uk BRONCO • 1:35 Panzerkampgwagen I ausf.F VK18.01 hannants.co.uk ANDREA MINIATURES • 1:32 Tank Fight on the Western Front 1916 historexagents.com AK INTERACTIVE • Waterborne Polymer Surface Primer White (AK177) • Waterborne Polymer Surface Primer Black (AK178) creativemodels.co.uk
MINIART
1:35 EUROPEAN TRAM This highly detailed, injection-moulded kit of a typical 1930s/40s European tram, perfect for cityscape dioramas and vignettes. Full internal and external detail, plus number decals and a section of cobbled street with tram-tracks, naturally. www.creativemodels.co.uk
DIOPARK, TAIWAN • 1:35 ‘70s Germanmade civilian car’, (Mercedes-Benz W-123) www.luckymodel.com TAMIYA • 1:35 LRDG Command Car North Africa W/7 Figures www.hobbyco.net
KIT FORM SERVICES
1:24 TQ-FV432 Mk2/1 APC To celebrate its 50th anniversary, KFS are to release a 1:24 kit of the British Army FV430 AFV in resin, white-metal and photo-etch brass. The model is fully detailed inside & out with a lift-out K60 engine. 187 parts in polyurethane resin, 250 in white metal plus 337 in photo-etched brass. Joining the FV432 is the L118 105mm light gun, which served in the Falklands campaign. The model allows any firing angle, both towing options (barrel forward/reversed) and comes complete with a demountable base plate turntable www.kitformservices.com
REVELL • 1:72 Russian T-90 MBT www.revell.eu
VISION MODELS
1:35 BA-64 VARIANTS Two versions of the tiny Soviet BA-64 armoured car are on their way from Vision Models; the railway-modified BA-64-3Zhd and the snowmodified BA-64-3SKh. Original ideas for the little machine! www.hannants.co.uk
NEW FROM MINIMAN FACTORY 1:25 KrAZ-255B RUSSIAN PONTOON BRIDGE-LAYER The Russian KrAZ bridge laying truck is on its way in resin, in the car/truck-modelling scale of 1:25. Expect lots of detail and very fine resin castings. www.fieldsofglorymodels.co.uk
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THIS MONTH IN TAMIYA MODEL MAGAZINE… Tamiya 1:35 M561 Gama Goat This month’s edition of Tamiya Model Magazine (December, No.218) is Tamiya 1:35 M561 Gama Goat. Order now at; www.tamiyamodelmagazine.com
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MODELLING REFERENCES: S.H.PZ.ABT. 503 Tiger II in Normandy
ABANDONED BY THE ROADSIDE; THE 503’s TIGER II IN NORMANDY Some diorama ideas based on a famous set of images taken near Vimoutiers, Normandy
A Canadian Universal Carrier has to veer to the left to pass the massive bulk of the abandoned Tiger II. Note the neat piles of clean-looking stowage on the rear of the ‘Carrier
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MODELLING REFERENCES: S.H.PZ.ABT. 503 Tiger II in Normandy
Presumably positioned by the crew of the Tiger or the Bergepanther, a few saplings propped up against the rear of the hull are barely enough to hide the mighty tank from marauding Allied ‘Jabos’, or fighter-bombers. From this view we can get an impression of the narrowness of the country lane where the vehicles were abandoned
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Feature Article: Balaton Modell 1:72 M1070 HET • Kit No.BM7220 Balaton Modell 1:72 M1000 Heavy Trailer • Kit No.BM7226 Academy 1:72 M977 HEMMT • Kit No.13412
HEMMT OVER HET
The US Army has used several tank transporters over recent years, but the most outstanding in terms of versatility and functionality is the HET M1070 plus the M1000 trailer, made by Oshkosh. Domingo Hernández builds three 1:72 kits to create this impressive combination CONSTRUCTION; HET M1070
I admit that at first I had mixed feelings, having dismissed the HET model of Hobbyboss for being too big and complex, but on seeing the tractor unit of Balaton Models in 1:72 I thought “resin model, a brand I do not know too much, a model at 1:72”, still too many doubts! Still, I chose to buy it to see if it met my expectations. I'm glad to say they were not only met, but greatly exceeded, the kit coming in a perfectly packaged box, two photo-etched sheets of different thickness, very clear instructions and clean resin castings without deformation; everything a modeller wants when he opens a kit box. Only it took me an afternoon to clean up the resin parts and prepare my modelling table for this jewel. One of the most exciting times for a modeller when building a wheeled vehicle is to check that all the wheels touch the ground once you've finished
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building the lower chassis with the wheels fitted. It sounds silly, but those who build these types of models know what I mean! The only modification that I decided to give the tractor unit was to reinforce the cabin doors with additional armour as seen in many photos.
PAINTING
My way of painting models is fairly strange. I have no defined method, I just use my techniques depending on the model in question and I change the processes as I am painting, based on the results I get. So I guess I will not create a modelling school! The important thing is that I do not decide on any painting process when I start, I have only a vague idea of how I want to finish the model when I begin to paint. What I do have are several ways to deal with the painting of a small-scale model, the processes for which must be simplified as they
are less visible to the human eye and also would invest a lot of effort in getting more or less the same results as with a model in 1:35. I was clear from the beginning that I wanted to paint the nose of the truck in the sand colour, the body green and the field-modified armour on the doors in rusted tones. With that idea in mind, I used Tamiya XF-67 NATO Green, liberally applying two coats. Before gluing on the nose of the truck, I painted it with a mixture of XF-57 Buff with a drop of XF-60 Desert Yellow, followed by two further layers with X-22 Clear added to prepare the paint for weathering. The armour on the doors was painted entirely with Vallejo acrylics with various sponges, oxides colours plus semi-transparent blues and greys to recreate the effect of raw, rusted armour plating. From my experience there are moments when the modeller has to stop a moment and ask themselves what to do next. This is where I had come now,
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with the model in its the base paint; push ahead or repaint it? My intuition told me to repaint, but I held back, putting the model in a closed box to let dry and to see it with more perspective a few days later. Those days became weeks. I had no intention of continuing with the model until I felt I really wanted to but when it happened, I finished it in one go. Weeks later I got the truck out of its box and I knew exactly how I wanted to finish it. I applied the first superficial dust layers with thinned Tamiya XF-57 and XF-55, applying it to horizontal areas where dust had accumulated and vertical zones creating streaking effects. In a second pass, almost immediately, I applied darker, earth-toned colours, outlining previous colours using XF-10, XF-78 and XF-52, making Over the base coats of green and sand, a dusty layer was airbrushed on using Tamiya acrylic paints
previously-applied colours stronger whilst not covering them completely. The next step was to further enhance the airbrush work with thinned Tamiya enamels, applied by brush. I also applied some dark, enamel-paint colour-washes; the advantage of this method is that you can do it almost immediately after applying the airbrushed acrylic paints, because the acrylic paint will not suffer any damage. I applied splashes, extreme dirt, stains, etc... The last step was to apply oil-stain effects without going over the top; we must always bear in mind the scale and look at the model overall to make sure the effects look appropriate. I left off some details until final assembly, such as the windshield, cables and headlight lenses (Greif). Another job that I left until last was the painting
of indicators and reflectors. I painted their bases with Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminium by brush, then applied Tamiya clear colours.
The completed tractor unit revealing in its raw resin state, revealing the extent of the photo-etched parts
To create more variety of tone in the dust streaks, Tamiya enamels were then airbrushed over the pale dust effects
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Feature Article: Balaton Modell 1:72 M1070 HET • Kit No.BM7220 Balaton Modell 1:72 M1000 Heavy Trailer • Kit No.BM7226 Academy 1:72 M977 HEMMT • Kit No.13412
Hydraulic lines and an additional armoured windscreen frame
Oil paints, diluted with thinners, were used to enhance and deepen detail
The tractor unit is complete; the many layers of weathering can be seen here, working together to create a convincing overall effect
HET M1000 TRAILER
The construction of the M1000 trailer is no more difficult than having the patience to sand and attach no less than forty-two wheels! Above all, it's essential that the forty roadwheels (two are spares) all touch the ground. It is highly recommended to do the assembly work slowly, patiently and carefully. There will always be one or more wheels that won't completely touch, but, as in other cases, I resorted to a little trick. I placed a weight on the trailer and with a hairdryer, I heated up the bottom of the trailer until the resin of the offending wheel's axle softened very slightly and was able to be pressed down by the weight of the trailer. To paint the trailer I followed pretty much the same steps as for the tractor unit. It started by painting of the bottom of the trailer with Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black, thereby I saved having to paint the tyres one by one.
HEMMT M977
I couldn't decide what to use as a payload for the transporter, considering tanks and even the D9 dozer, also by Balaton Models, but after looking at many pictures of trucks in combat, I found a picture of an M1070 carrying an M977 HEMMT. To accomplish this set-up, the only model available is by Academy, which is somewhat poor in detail. This was provided by my friend Alvaro Rodriguez who gave me the kit together along with a nicely cast set of wheels by D-Toys. The only problem is that this set only comes with eight wheels, which means that if you want to add the spare wheel, you must buy two sets of wheels. To create the spare, I cut out the kit's spare wheel rim and coupled it to one of the resin items which had its wheel drilled out, leaving just the tyre. I encountered no further problems with the rest of the model, it's decent kit of good proportions to which I just added a new front grille, kindly provided by Alex Clark. To paint the truck, I chose different colours from those used on the M1070 to vary the visual effect and make it stand out from the trailer. I decided to paint it in overall sand, mixed from XF-55 Deck Tan and a pinch of XF-60 Tamiya Desert Yellow. I painted the chassis XF-72 JGSDF Brown, forming a layer of earth-toned dirt. For the upper areas of the cabin and cargo of the truck, I lightened the mixture a little, with a small amount of white to make it look cleaner than the lower areas, and play with the scale of the model. I painted the tyres black, adding a drop of Tamiya XF-15 Flat Flesh to break the pure black of Tamiya and provide a rubbery tone. I weathered the tyre with the dusty colours used on the vehicles' chassis.
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The tractor’s headlights were created with clear resin lenses by ‘Greif’
“The construction of the M1000 trailer is no more difficult than having the patience to sand and attach no less than forty-two wheels..!”
As with the tractor, the trailer combines resin and photo-etched brass in its construction. Note the brass rod hand-holds
Tamiya Fine Surface Primer was used to create the initial undercoat, sealing in the differing materials
Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tank formed the basic layer of dust underneath the trailer
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Some of the XF-55 Deck Tan was airbrushed onto the upper surfaces
XF-52 Flat Earth was then used to add earth tones to the loading deck
Portions of the deck were masked off and Vallejo sand dabbed on with a torn scouring pad to add a textured pattern
Rust tones were created with a deep brown colour, mixed from acrylics and stippled on with a cut-down paint brush
More dust layers were added to tone down the previously applied effects and create a layered effect
Pigments only came into play as a final touch to give the trailer deck a dry, muddy appearance
The application of dirt to a desert-based vehicle is always a much debated topic and creates several lines of discussion; I am of the opinion that it's another useful way to contrast parts of the model, but a model painted in light colours to which dust is applied has to be done in a manner that wont obscure the model, covering details and underlaying paint finishes. Following the previous proposal I started with the painting of the wheels with the Iraqi Sand colour by dry brush; later I would apply some black pigments to attenuate the sand stains. The rest of the weathering process relied on earth-colour enamels diluted with corresponding lacquer thinner, plus several 'splashes' in logical
Turning to the HEMMT, the chassis was first airbrushed with a home-made desert sand colour
As with the tractor, the layers of paint and dust effects give the model a well-used look
The tyres were painted with a near-black colour; 100% black would be too dark for this scale
The black was treated with Vallejo sand acrylic paint to tone down the rubber colour
The completed HEMMT looks extremely good and it ready to be mounted on the trailer AFV Edition
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Feature Article: Balaton Modell 1:72 M1070 HET • Kit No.BM7220 Balaton Modell 1:72 M1000 Heavy Trailer • Kit No.BM7226 Academy 1:72 M977 HEMMT • Kit No.13412
The M1070 and M1000 make a formidable combination; the vehicle is huge and very imposing, even in 1:72!
MODELSPEC BALATON MODELL 1:72 M1070 HET KIT No.BM7220 BALATON MODELL 1:72 M1000 HEAVY TRAILER KIT No.BM7226 ACADEMY 1:72 M977 HEMMT KIT No.13412
The HEMMT was loaded up with 1:72 resin crates and fuel drums which are actually aircraft accessories
areas, all very simple to give an aspect of credibly to the model. I painted the details with Tamiya transparent colours as per the other models and I defined some panels with black colour-wash by Mig Productions. I masked off the windscreen wiper arcs and applied some matt varnish to the windows to emphasize the dusty feel of the HEMMT. The M977's load was generously provided by another friend, Ricardo Rodriguez, and it comprises several types of cargo box that are actually aircraft accessories. When building military models in this scale, one must take advantage any accessories you can find!
FINAL THOUGHTS
The final touch of the model is put it all together, fixing the HEMMT to the trailer in an authentic manner. I noticed how, in one photo, the loading ramps were held in a vertical position by anchoring them to the back of the truck. I found this curious because normally this does not happen, so I looked for some chain that was in-scale with the model and I aged it with rust colours. The model had been finished for some time when I made this discovery, and it proved to be the perfect finishing touch. With this project, I discovered – thanks to Balaton Modell – that there some great models in this scale and I think I will continue to build more of them, alternating them with my 1:48 projects. I feel very happy with the result and hope that you think the same! •
Materials; Balaton Modell kits; Resin, photo-etched brass Academy M977; Injection-moulded polystyrene, waterslide decals Paints used; Tamiya Acrylics XF-67 NATO Green, XF-57 Buff, XF-60 Desert Yellow, XF-69 NATO Black, XF-16 Flat Aluminium, XF-55 Deck Tan, XF-15 Flat Flesh, XF-72 JGSDF Brown, X-22 Clear, XF-10 Flat Brown, XF-78 Wooden Deck Tan XF-52 Flat Earth Availability; Balaton Modell; Academy;
www.lonewulfmodels.co.uk www.storymodels.com www.pocketbond.co.uk www.creativemodels.co.uk
The HEMMT is the ideal load for the transporter combo
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FEATURE ARTICLE: DRAGON 1:35 3.7 cm Flak 43 Flakpanzer IV Ostwind • Kit No.6550
WHEN THE EAST WIND BLOWS Angus Creighton discusses the PzIV 3.7cm Flak ‘Ostwind’ and builds Dragon’s recently released 1:35 kit
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The spare wheel holders were given weld seams where they mount to the rear plate. Note the rearward angle of the exhaust boxes
Note the textured jacking block with plastic card frame
The engine cooling air intakes are shown in the up position here; they were replaced with plastic card
The jack was given a few extra details and the mud guard spring was added from coiled wire
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he Ostwind or ‘3.7cm Flak 43 Flakpanzer IV’ to give it its full title, must be one of the most elusive vehicles produced by Germany in any numbers. Images of the 1944 prototype have survived plus two production vehicles abandoned in 1945; out of just over 40 produced. Records suggest thirty-six Ostwind were built using reworked hulls, while seven used newly produced Ausf J hulls. The model seen on these pages would be from the latter batch. Debate has raged over recent years regarding the use of a Tiger I turret ring, whether the turret was moved forward to enable better access to the engine hatches, which in turn necessitated moving the radio operators hatch forward. The latest research suggests the seven built on new hulls used un-modified, standard Panzer IV hulls as seen with this kit. Looking at the remaining images in more detail, the exterior of the prototype is well documented, with a simplified turret design and unmodified hull roof. The first production Ostwind abandoned in 1945 features a production-turret mounted on a reworked ‘G or ‘H hull with zimmerit applied. From the angle of the two images of this vehicle, it is not easy to determine if the turret has been moved forward. The front hatches are not visible at all. The second production vehicle features a production turret but mounted this time on an Ausf J hull. Three men stand in front of the abandoned vehicle, thoughtlessly hiding much of the hull,
however one can see the lifting loops welded to the upper and the hull sides are not extended, so presumably traditional towing points were fitted. Comparing the position of the hatch guards in front of the turret would suggest they are (to my eyes) not in line, confirming that an unmodified tank hull was used to mount the Ostwind turret. We will probably never know for sure but we can live in hope that photographs will turn up one day on the weekly eBay auctions that will resolve this debate once and for all.
OSTWIND IN PLASTIC
Moving to the Dragon kit, the lower hull includes three upper return rollers and features extended towing points at the front and rear. This late war feature simplified manufacture by eliminating the need to mount the traditional towing brackets. The rear idler mount is also the simplified final pattern with a reduced quantity of support fillets. The suspension follows the same pattern as their other recent Panzer IV kits with well-detailed bogies that can be made to move by removing small pins during assembly. Although the fit is very positive, make sure you assemble the bogies on the hull, as it is important to ensure the axles all line up before installing the wheels. The wheels take quite a while to clean up as the mould seam round the outside is relatively deep. I added a slight texture to the tyres to suggest wear as this also serves to hide any moulding join. While
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FEATURE ARTICLE: DRAGON 1:35 3.7 cm Flak 43 Flakpanzer IV Ostwind • Kit No.6550
The Bosch headlight was given a cable conduit
One element of the engine air intake baffle has been placed in the lowered position
The idler bases were textured with a dental burr
PE brass inner rings are provided for the idler wheels
The turret walls are realistically thin and free from distortion
I was doing this, I was conscious that I was adding six months wear to a tyre that in reality, only saw a couple of week’s use! In contrast are the spare wheels provided in the kit that feature an accurate mould seam running round the tyre that should not be removed. Both the tubular rear idler and the cast version are supplied in the kit. The latter includes etched brass inner rings that enable the hollow section of the rim to be accurately represented. These cast idlers were used on my finished model. Moving to the upper hull, the flat plates that make up the walls of the fighting compartment are moulded as separate parts to maximise surface detail. Although care needs to be taken to ensure they line up correctly, the fit is very positive and presents no
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The turret is being test fitted to the hull in this view; the fit is excellent
The turret parts come packed carefully to avoid damage
Tie-downs and lifting lugs were added by the author
issues. I added a very slight texture to all panels with a fine dental burr followed by enhancing the many weld beads with a pyrogravure. It must be said that the accuracy and pattern of the welding represented in the Dragon kit is very good, however reworking each weld bead will mask any visible join lines. The fenders are, I believe, unique to this kit and appear reminiscent of those seen on the Möbelwagen. The front inner cheeks lack the fixing bolts seen on all other Panzer VIs although the spring retainers that stop the hinged front section in place are still retained. I replaced the moulded springs with 3-amp fuse wire coiled around an appropriately sized drill bit. The tool stowage is also similar to the layout used on the Möbelwagen
with the jack and wire cutters seen on the right hand fender, mounted on a special angle support. I can only assume that when the original Ostwind was developed, there was a need to keep the side fenders as clear as possible to allow the crew to move round the outside of the vehicle. The large turret prevents the use of the hull roof to walk on. I suspect the spare wheels were moved from their usual fender mounted box to the rear hull for the same reason. Where appropriate, tool clamps were replaced with Aber photo-etched examples, with other clamps made from plastic card. The long rectangular stowage locker seen on the right hand fender presumably carried spare barrels and possibly replacement aerials (there is nowhere else visible on the hull to carry spare
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Close-up view of the turret tie-downs and lifting lugs, plus weld seams
The Flak43 is extremely well detailed and needs very few additions
The turret interior features gunners’ seats and mounting points for various items of equipment
Some springs were added to the gunsight mount, but that’s about it
Above and below; views of the 3.7cm Flak43 anti-aircraft gun during assembly. Rather than use an aftermarket replacement item, the kit’s barrel was used as it’s a well detailed and accurate
The completed turret in its three-tone camouflage and vehicle number
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FEATURE ARTICLE: DRAGON 1:35 3.7 cm Flak 43 Flakpanzer IV Ostwind • Kit No.6550
Modelspec: Dragon 3.7 cm Flak 43 Flakpanzer IV “Ostwind”
Kit no 6550
Items used; Aber Clamps Kit No 35A93, plastic card References
The model has been given its camouflage colours and awaits weathering
Achtung Panzer No 3, Panzer IV ISBN 4-499-22662-X Panzerwrecks No 1 (page 56) ISBN 0-9754183-0-0 Ground Power No65 German Flakpanzer Nuts & Bolts No 25 Flakpanzer IV (2010) Available from; Dragon kits and accessories are imported and distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited and are widely available from good model shops. www.hobbyco.net
Looking into the turret, we can see the Flak43 plus submachine gun magazines in cases
aerials). The prototype Ostwind featured a taller box with vertical reinforcing strips on the outside. The production Ostwind featured a shallower box and lacked the vertical ribs. Curiously Dragon have re-created a mix of both box styles with shallow height, yet vertical strengthening ribs. I simply sanded off the vertical rib detail to match the photos of the two production Ostwind. Aber latches complete the assembly.
THE OSTWIND’S UNIQUE TURRET
Time to put the Panzer IV hull to one side and investigate the turret. This is beautifully represented in the kit with wafer-thin walls. As you handle the plastic, it has the feel of a vacuum-forming, but is in fact injection moulded and is testament to Dragon’s skill with this process. Congratulations too to Dragon for including a vacuum-formed support for the turret parts that prevents the delicate moulding from being damaged in the box. You might expect the turret to be split horizontally, however Dragon chose to have the split vertically. This enables the splash panels either side of the gun ‘slot’ to be moulded in place. Weld beads are included where the mould allows and appear very accurate. As with the hull however, I reworked them with the pyrogravure as the vertical join line can be hidden more easily and any missing welds added.
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Outside the turret are what appear to be, four lifting eyes. Infuriatingly the images of the original production Ostwind do not show this feature in profile so the ‘loops’ seen on my model are pure conjecture on my part. The tarpaulin tie downs are made from 3-amp fuse wire formed over a piece of plastic card strip. Moving inside the turret, the ‘floor’ lacks the ring of bolts seen on the Wirbelwind, that would fix the turret to the ball race. I harvested appropriate bolts from the spare suspension parts supplied in the kit. On the Wirbelwind, communication boxes were installed next to each crew seat, into which headphones could be plugged. I guess the Ostwind would have a similar feature so these were made from plastic card and added. Again referring to the Wirbelwind, hooks appear on the rear of the turret that appear reminiscent of MP40 mounts. I added two MP40s plus ammo to the turret walls.
MAIN WEAPON
The Flak 43 is exquisitely rendered with all the features of the original well represented. Coiled fuse wire springs were added to the sight mount, but other than that, I found little to try and improve. To make final painting a little easier, I separated the gun barrel from the
breech assembly and to ensure correct alignment, I added a brass locating pin. Dragon has made an excellent job of moulding the perforated flash suppressor. However it can be improved by thinning the inner walls, then using a small twist drill to open the holes up fully. Painting using Humbrol gunmetal really brings this feature to life.
THREE-COLOUR SCHEME
I chose a three colour scheme, typical of the Wirbelwind/Ostwind assembly plant where green and brown were thinly sprayed over a dark yellow base. The markings are obviously conjecture, however it is possible that at least one of the forty unphotographed Ostwind carried turret numbers. The plain white markings seen on the finished model are taken from an Echelon sheet designed for Panther tanks, fielded by the 5th SS Panzer Division ‘Wiking’. Dragon have produced a fine rendition of the Ostwind with details gleaned from the few remaining photographs of the original vehicles all represented. The fact that the turret is mounted on an unmodified upper hull does not trouble me as this seems to match the one image of the late Ausf J Ostwind discussed at the start of this article. Well done Dragon for producing such a great kit. •
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MODELLING REFERENCES: MILITARISED HARLEY-DAVIDSONS
HARLEY-DAVIDSON AT WAR Modelling references for Harley-Davidson military motorcycles
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he Harley-Davidson WLA was based on an existing civilian model, the WL, with some design changes for military use. A heavyduty radio rack, a holster for a Thompson submachine gun, skid plate, ammo box, windshield and leg protectors could be fitted. An oil-bath air cleaner for the engine was employed to cope with increased levels of dust from off-road use and changes were made to the crankcase to allow the bike to ford a river without flooding the engine. To reduce night-time visibility, WLAs were fitted with a second set of blackout headlights and rear lights. Painted surfaces were finished olive drab and parts that would have been black or chrome were generally blued or parkerized. Some parts were left in unfinished aluminium. Production of the WLA began in small numbers in 1940 as part of the USA’s
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general military expansion. The entry of the United States into the Second World War saw significantly increased production, with over 90,000 being produced during the conflict.
WLC. The WLCs differed from WLAs mainly in the use of some heavier components and Canadianpattern blackout lighting.
WHY WLA?
There are several kits of the WLA in 1:35, most notably from Tamiya and much more recently, MiniArt. The latter is a modern production that comes with photo-etched spoke discs and some excellent figures, perfect for vignettes or larger dioramas. •
W: The ‘W’ family of motorcycles. Harley Davidson (except in very early models) gives a letter designation for each model family. The W series at the time was the newest incarnation of the 45 cubic inches (740cc) flathead engine and was developed from the earlier R family 1932–1936. L: ‘High compression’, in the usual HD scheme. The ‘low compression’ W model was only briefly available. A: ‘Army’. The company would also produce a model to the slightly different specifications of the Canadian Army, which would be named the
WLA IN MODEL FORM
Wartime photo courtesy of Regional Council of Lower Normandy/National Archives USA and Regional Council of Lower Normandy/ National Archives of Canada
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Detail view of the engine and its pushrods
AFV Edition
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MODELLING REFERENCES: MILITARISED HARLEY-DAVIDSONS
The leather holster is for a Thompson sub machine gun
The ever-useful entrenching tool mounts over the holster
Note the cabling to the lights and horn
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Detail view of the horn and headlight
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Harley’s famous twin-V engine is technically a radial engine
Detail view of rear frame and saddle bag. Note the kick-starter
Leg shield is made from pressed steel
Close-up view shows how the ignition lead fixes to the top of the spark plug
Rear view of the Plexiglas and canvas screen
Original data placard with authentic wear and tear
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AFV Edition
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MODELLING REFERENCES: MILITARISED HARLEY-DAVIDSONS
Leather saddle bags will be a challenge to paint on a model
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Seat is mounted on a single, height-adjustable pin
Fuel tank data placard
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Classic wartime image of a US Army dispatch rider on his stowed-up WLA
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AFV Edition
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FEATURE ARTICLE: BRITISH 25PDR SP BISHOP KIT NO.CB35077
DESERT PREACHER Özgur Güner builds Bronco’s 1:35 British self-propelled ‘Bishop’ howitzer and finishes it in a well worn desert camouflage scheme
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FEATURE ARTICLE: BRITISH 25PDR SP BISHOP KIT NO.CB35077 The Valentine hull – moulded by MiniArt – takes shape
The engine radiators are provided and these can be observed through the individually moulded access doors on the rear of the engine deck
The kit-supplied plastic tracks are well moulded and detailed
Once cleaned up, the track links simply snap together...
areas are also the starting point for the assembly of the model. In particular, the assembly of the engine involves many complicated sub-assemblies that involve a lot of small parts. If you don’t want to open this area to display the engine section, you may completely skip this part of assembly to save time and energy. I would be displaying the model with all hatches open, so I tried to add every little bit of detail I could. The engine assembly also allows the engine itself to be removable, which will be very useful during painting. The suspension and the running gear also compromise a lot of parts and if they are assembled with great care and patience it’s possible to make them workable. The upper portion of the lower hull is moulded as a single piece, with a lot of sharp and nice details and it fits the lower hull like a dream. As the interior of the model will be painted later, this part should not be cemented at this stage. Next up are various details on the hull; hatches, headlights, exhausts and several other small details that involve many small parts. The PE fret provided with the kit is adequate and helps to improve the detail of some critical parts. I just used some metal wire to create the connection hoses of the spare gas tanks, the remaining parts were all provided with the kit.
TRACKS
The tracks are well designed and well detailed. Bronco also sells these tracks as aftermarket items for Valentine tanks and similar vehicles and they are very, very good. The tracks should be carefully removed from the sprues and the excess plastic carefully removed which takes even more time than actually assembling the tracks themselves. The cleaned up track links are held diagonally and pressed to attach them to each other using their
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small pins. The workable suspension and tracks add a lot to the model. The rear hatches, spare tracks and other small details were then fitted, to complete the assembly of the hull. It was now time to assemble the turret, which also compromises of a lot of parts with very complex sub-assemblies like the feed mechanism of the main gun. Extra care and patience is needed here as like the running gear, many of the assemblies can be made workable. I should also state that the instructions are a little vague in one area. There’s a counterbalance placed on the 25pdr gun and it is also provided in the box. Despite this, the gun on the Bishop did not use this part. There’s a small leaflet in the instructions telling you about this, but it’s not really clear and some of the drawings can confuse you. Lastly, the turret section also involves some parts I only temporarily fitted in place so that they could be removed during painting. With the addition of the side skirts and the attachment of some small detail parts, the assembly was complete. I could now proceed into the painting stage, which was made up of multiple stages.
PAINTING
I separated the model into several sub-assemblies, removed the parts I could and then primed the interior with matt black. The driver’s compartment in the rear hull was painted with white, while the engine compartment was painted with a mixture of Tamiya’s red and hull red. The engine was painted with Modelmaster’s gun metal and then put back in place. The interior was weathered using oil colours and several layers of brown colour-washes. I used Black Grey (#71056) from Vallejo Model Air series with a brush and sponge to simulate paint chips and scratches. After that,
...and remain flexible once mounted on the vehicle
the removable hull parts were cemented together entirely after necessary areas received paint. The instruments inside received some old left-over decals from my spares box. I know that these will be invisible when the model is completed, but I know that they are there! The interior of the turret was also painted with white and then the small details were painted by a hand brush using Vallejo Panzer Aces colours. The painted and weathered turret received some minor details to spice things up (like the Rita Hayworth picture, maps, etc) and it was temporarily fitted.
EXTERIOR PAINTWORK
After masking the painted areas on the model, the entire thing was primed with Revell’s Matt 47 Mouse Grey. Bishops were painted green in the factory and then in the desert they were repainted according to the environment they were in. The profile I chose is a Bishop that was repainted with sand over its original green colour. To replicate the effect of the repainting, I first sprayed the entire model with Tamiya’s XF-58 Olive Green and made created highlights using Tamiya Buff on some areas. The areas that would remain green were masked and then the remaining portion of the model received two thin and even coats of hairspray. After the hairspray dried, it was time to paint the sand colour. I mixed my own colour for this using Tamiya’s XF-59 Desert Sand and XF-57 Buff. For areas that would reflect more light and look lighter, I added some white into my paint mixture. The masks over the green were removed and I started to wipe off the sand colour on some areas, using warm water and a proper sized brush. This application was repeated over the entire model, but the result was not yet what I aimed for.
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FEATURE ARTICLE: Dragon 1:35 Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. C • Kit No.6291
THE WHITE BUFFALO Lars Richter describes the building (from the box), painting and weathering of Dragon’s Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. C
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T
he early production ‘Ausführung C’ variant of the Panzer IV was launched by Dragon some years ago. This was one of the newertooled kits and came with a lot of parts and fine details. Every serious modeller knows they can never just build a model from the box; for each project we find a lot of additional aftermarket products such as workable tracks, PE-sets, turned metal barrels and so on. But for me it was interesting to discover how detailed and convincing a modern plastic kit could be, built purely ‘out of the box’. So, let’s have a first look in that kit box. We find a multi-media kit consisting of plastic parts, photo-etch, ‘Magic’ tracks, aluminium components and a nice decal sheet. All parts have an extremely good level of surface detail and all fit together without problems. In total there are about 1,000 parts waiting for assembly! This means we certainly don’t have a weekend project on our workbench. The instructions run to twenty-one steps and I recommend following them carefully.
ASSEMBLY
I started with the lower hull. This has fine detail on the underside and very well rendered, front-drive housings. The final drive housings are separate parts with superb detail on their inner areas. Sadly, you see nothing of that after assembly unless you plan a workshop scene. Another nice detail is the possibility to pose the fuel filler ports in an open or closed position. The roadwheels come with separate, early-style hub caps. As usual, the wheel rims exhibit excellent detail and fine embossing on the sidewalls. After this, I turned my attention to the tracks, which are Dragon’s ‘Magic Track’ with all the advantages that entails. Their assembly is fairly easy and doesn’t take long; I chose to build up the track into two halves each side so it would be easier to fir the running gear after painting. Assembly of the lower hull needs time, but it is problem-free. Next, I started work on the upper hull and here we are offered the choice of ventilation
grills made of single plastic parts or soldering up some PE-parts. Let me tell you, the PE parts look much better! The upper hull consists of separate side panels, front and rear plates, engine deck-doors plus separate driver’s and radio-operator’s hatches. The fit of these parts is again very good and as all the visors are provided with clear mouldings, you can choose between closed or opened positions. The hull fenders carry fine detail on the top and bottom and mate perfectly to the upper hull. You should note that there are alternate for the fenders; use D2 and D46 you need if you intend to fit the plastic moulded tools with clamps. In this case you are required to make some holes. If you prefer tools with photo-etched clamps you should use the fenders on Sprue ‘S’. By the way, I used PE clamps from Aber; not strictly necessary but I love their PE parts. Now it was time for the most fun part; the paint-job.
Sub-assemblies of the running gear
The engine ventilation grilles are in the typical early style. Here we see the plastic part and the soldered PE-Parts. The latter requires a lot of time but looks much better
The lower hull with wheels mounted. Note the “Magic Tracks” and the way they are assembled
Extra fine detail is incorporated in the final drive housing
Overview of all sub-assemblies
The completed hull, built mostly out-of-the-box except the Aber PE tool clamps and the homemade wooden jack-block AFV Edition
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FEATURE ARTICLE: Dragon 1:35 Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. C • Kit No.6291
Painting starts with the turret interior. The author used a mixture of XF-1 Flat Black and some drops of X-22 Clear as a base-coat
After applying some dark grey chips made with a sponge, the turret’s interior received a dark colour-wash with thinned burnt umber oil paint
PAINTING TIME
The majority of this version of the Panzer IV were used in the French campaign during the early months of 1940. There have been many discussions about the camouflage on tanks of this campaign. There was an order that all tanks must be painted overall in RAL7021 Dark Grey from the beginning of June/July of 1940, after the French campaign. Before this order, all tanks were painted with a twocolour camouflage consisting of dark grey and dark brown. Some wartime photos seems to indicate that those orders were not followed and only dark grey was used as a single camouflage tone, so therefore I decided to apply a simple camo overall of dark grey with a typical blue note. My Panzer IV represents a vehicle of the 7. Panzer Regiment, belonging to 10.Pz.Div. This unit used a conspicuous (but unofficial) unit symbol on the turret sides, the white buffalo. The Pz.Rgt.7 took part in the French campaign and remained in France until 1941. The painting starts with the turret interior. As a base-coat I used my favourite Tamiya acrylic colours. Here I started with XF-1 Flat Black, followed by a mixture of XF-2 Flat White and XF-60 Sand Yellow. This mixture represents the typical ivory ‘elfenbein’ paint of German vehicles. After this step I applied the usual weathering processes like chipping and colour-washes. Unfortunately you can’t see this work after gluing the turret halves
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A mixture of XF-2 Flat White and XF-60 Dark Yellow was lightly sprayed over the base-coat
The vision blocks were painted with a heavily diluted mixture of X-19 Smoke and X-25 Clear Green
together! For the ‘white buffalo’ sign I used a PE-template from Stencilit. The white colour outside the template was sprayed very carefully with low pressure.
brings the model to life; after having built many models I am a real fan of Vallejo Acrylics and so this paint range is my favourite choice to bring details out.
PAINTING THE LOWER HULL
COLOUR-WASHES, OR FILTERS
The hull was then sprayed with a diluted mixture of XF-1 Flat Black and X-22 Clear. This gives the whole model an undercoat and also helps create the first impression of depth; it is easier for me to apply the following colours over a dark base. The top colour is dark grey with a light, blueish tone. For this I mixed Tamiya XF-63 Dark Grey, XF-50 Field Blue and XF-55 Deck Tan in a ratio of 5:2:1, thinned with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Only thin layers were sprayed to preserve the contrast created by the black base-coat. For further contrast I added XF-1 to the grey toned-mixture and sprayed carefully only the deepest areas and panels. Well, after this stage the whole model looked nice, but still uninteresting. For more effects I used some techniques from the colour modulation style, especially the upper areas which should look brighter. By adding some drops of XF-23 Light Blue to the grey camo mixture, I reached a suitable effect. Tamiya Masking tape was used to get a welldefined edge. Before moving onto the next finishing stages, I applied even more highlights and tones by brushing acrylics onto the details. This method makes the lesser details much more interesting and
After a few hours of drying, it was time for next steps. To subtly unify the different shades and colours, the model need some colour-washes, sometimes called ‘filters’. With a brush, I applied a ready-mixed product from Mig Productions’ ‘Sin Industries’ line called ‘Blue for Panzer Grey’ plus an orange coloured filter made from different Revell and Humbrol enamel paints. Please take note that the effect only becomes noticeable after the weathering liquids have dried completely. When I was satisfied with the result, I applied oil paints (burnt umber, black and buff) to the surfaces to create some more effects, especially dust and dirt marks. The oil paints were re-applied in small amounts many times until I was satisfied with the result. During the next step of the weathering process, I began a series of localised colour-washes to further define small details and panel lines. For this pin (or detail) wash I again used heavily diluted oil paints. To avoid nasty stains (‘tide-marks’) I always apply pure thinner just before I start this wash to wet the surface. I would recommend applying the oil paints to a piece of corrugated cardboard before you use them on a model. The cardboard absorbs
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FEATURE ARTICLE: Dragon 1:35 Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. C • Kit No.6291
Dust was added with some dust-coloured pigments (Mig Productions Europe Dust/Rubble Dust)
With some red-coloured paints the author simulated deeper scratches
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The wheels were treated separately with the same mix of pigments
The chipping process starts with light-coloured Vallejo paints, placed on logical areas
For an impression of even more worn off paint the author added small chips over the previous chips
Subtle tonal variations can be seen on the engine deck
The tracks were first painted with ‘Iron’ from Mr.Metal Color
Finally, some oil stains were applied. The product from Mig Productions works very well for this purpose
A summertime vehicle needs dust; all dust was made with dust coloured pigments to simulate a dusty surface
The exhaust box was painted with the help of the rust colours from the Lifecolor Set ‘Dust and Rust’
The effect after polishing is amazing, it looks like real steel
An overview of all the materials used
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Modelspec: DRAGON 1:35 DRAGON 1:35 Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. C KIT No.6291 Materials; Injection-moulded grey polystyrene, photo-etched brass, waterslide decals Paints used; Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black, XF-2 Flat White, XF-60 Sand Yellow, X-22 Clear, XF-63 Dark Grey, XF-50 Field Blue, XF-55 Deck Tan, XF-23 Light Blue Weathering materials; SIN Industries ‘Blue for Panzer grey’ Available from; Dragon kits and accessories are widely available from good model shops. UK import and distribution by The Hobby Co. www.hobbyco.net The combination of paint effects and weathering processes adds up to create a highly realistic and natural-looking finish on the PzIV
the linseed oil in the paint, helping you to avoid a glossy, irregular finish. After the colour-washes I proceeded with the weathering of the lower hull. A thin layer of XF-57 Buff was sprayed to get an optimal base for the pigments. A light shade of dust-coloured pigment was used, and it was lightly stippled on dry, using a soft brush, over areas that dust would logically settle. To fix them permanently I used Mig Productions’ ready-mixed ‘Pigment Fixer’.
CHIPS FOR TEA!
Back to the next step and a very important one for the effect of a worn and used tank; we need chips! Why do we need paint chips? This technique allows you to simulate scratches and worn paint, a very time consuming process but important for the finish. But be careful, You should place chips only on logical areas (for instance around hatches, on the engine deck etc.)
I always start with the lightest colour and apply small, random chips with a very fine brush. On German grey vehicles I always use acrylics from Vallejo; German Sand, Sunny Skin and some drops of Field Blue. For more depth I used a mixture of Vermillion, Salmon Rose, and Black. This mixture was carefully placed onto the lighter chips. The idea of this process is to create an impression of well-worn colour, right down to the original rustprimer base-coat. The deepest scratches were simulated by adding German grey. I was very careful when applying chips because I think this tank was not used under heavy conditions like later in the war and so my motto here was “less is more”. The tracks were now painted. The first step was to spray a mixture of black and brown Tamiya Acrylics, followed by a ‘cloudy’ layer of Buff. With a brush, I then applied ‘Mr.Metall Iron’ from
Gunze on the contact areas. To achieve a realistic steel effect, I polished these areas with the help of a mini-drill. After this, a pigment powder mix (sand-coloured tones) was washed over the tracks. The last stage of the weathering process was to application of dust-coloured pigments. I applied them dry with a fine brush and it’s always better and more realistic if you use different pigments and mix them to create varied tones.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, it’s safe to say that Dragon’s 1:35 Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.C assembly held no nasty surprises – everything was clearly shown and parts-fit was perfect. This is a time-consuming kit but everybody can now build his own Panzer IV Auf.C, no matter if you’re a novice or experienced modeller. And my last words about this kit; Yes, you can build this kit straight from the box, absolutely! •
AFV Edition
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FEATURE ARTICLE: DRAGON 1:35 M48A3 MOD.B • KIT NO.3544
Marcus Nicholls embarks on yet another multi-part, in-depth build, this time Dragon's new 1:35 postwar M48A3 Patton tank
Part 1
PATTON MAKER W
hen Dragon announced the release of a new M48A3 Patton tank in 1:35, it was quite a departure from their more usual Panzer IVs and Panzer IIIs of late, but a welcome development nonetheless; it's always a refreshing change to have something a bit 'left-field' from time to time. The M48 is an iconic post-war tank that perhaps most famously took part in the Vietnam War, serving with the US Army and US Marine Corps for many years up to the introduction of the M60, itself a development of the M48. Tamiya's 1:35 kit did a good job for many years but it has its inadequacies and needs a fair bit of detail and remedial work to produce a truly accurate result. Time for a new kit then! And Dragon were the first to step up to the mark, although rumours have it that AFV Club are planning a new M48 too. When the review sample arrived from The Hobby Company Ltd I couldn't wait to dive in, even though my modelling bench was already fully occupied with Meng's D9R dozer. Dragon have
kept the parts-count of their M48 to a sensible level which I was extremely relieved to see. This doesn't mean it's a simplified kit at all, it just means it has been designed in a way that it won't take months to build, which is just fine by me. The massive cast hull of the M48 is split into upper and lower halves onto which the engine deck is built, element by element. The hull is covered in an excellent cast steel texture, a real triumph by Dragon's designers. The instructions suggest that you build the suspension – lower roadwheels, sprockets and idlers, upper return rollers – onto each half, then join them at a later stage. I think this is the wrong approach and I chose instead to mate the hull halves as my first task, which would allow me to blend and re-texture the join line without the wheels and suspension bases getting in the way; these parts can be easily fitted later. There's a fair amount of re-texturing required where the join was made and I used a technique I am comfortable with for the task. I first filled all the gaps with medium viscosity superglue and once
dry, sanded it down with a coarse sanding stick. I then used a round-headed dental burr spinning at low speed in my mini-drill to make hundreds of tiny divots in the plastic surface. This closely replicates the texture provided by Dragon and after a while the join line virtually disappears. All that's left to do is to apply a coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 which seals any tiny gaps and evens out the texture. This process was carried out over all areas of the hull that needed enhancement, including around the complex joins of the rear/upper hull. Dragon provide basically excellent one-piece tracks with the kit which are very well detailed, but are spoilt by a moulding seam that runs around the outer edge; very hard to remove or disguise. I will be using Friulmodel tracks, but more on that next time! • UK import and distribution; www.hobbyco.net Dragon kits are widely available from good model shops
The turret is rendered with some superb cast-steel texture plus foundry marks. Unfortunately, Dragon fail to provide the fabric cover over the main gun mantlet which was almost always seen fitted to M48s in service, so modellers will need to make their own, or purchase an aftermarket item. Voyager Model and DEF Models have both produced resin mantlet covers and searchlights too and one will be used on the review model
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The main hull parts have already been cemented together and the join line blending/re-texturing process begun
Running gear and suspension parts are extremely well detailed. Contrary to the instructions, it’s advisable to assemble the hull first, then add the suspension and wheels later
The characteristic angle louvres of the M48 engine access doors are nicely replicated in Dragon’s new kit. A couple of ejector pin marks were filled here
The engine deck air intake grilles are separate mouldings and again, the grab handles look very realistic and don’t need replacing with wire
The engine cover comes with grab-handles moulded in; replace them if you must, but they look just fine as they are
This is the plain gun mantlet; most M48s in service wore a canvas cover over this part
Dragon supply excellent one-piece flexible tracks with this kit, but they do have a noticeable mould seam along their outer edges
AFV Edition
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FEATURE ARTICLE: DRAGON 1:35 M48A3 MOD.B • KIT NO.3544
The commander’s cupola features clear parts to replicate the vision blocks. The lower half of the base is clear and its optics are quite easy to mask off
Decals for four M48s are provided in the kit, all from the Vietnam conflict
The upper and lower hull halves fit together very well indeed and only a very fine gap is produced when dryfitted as we can see here
The cupola itself features a ring of clear plastic which pushes into the upper moulding to replicate the vision blocks with great realism
Mr Hobby ‘Mr Cement S’ is the perfect material to bond the kit parts together. It does give off quite a strong smell, so always work in a well ventilated environment
Each bottle of Mr Cement S comes with a good quality brush for easy application. The hull halves were given a liberal application of cement and left overnight to dry
With the upper and lower halves firmly bonded, work can begin on the kit’s rear deck and suspension
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The lower rear panel of the hull features a drop-in panel, but it has none of the cast texture of the main mouldings. It was first glued in and allowed to dry
The panel’s edges were then sealed with lines of CA glue, which were sanded down once dry. A dental burr in a mini-drill was then ‘scribbled’ over the panel’s surface to replicate the cast texture of the surrounding hull, blending it perfectly into the lower hull. Care must be taken not to touch the detail with the burr, to prevent damage
The upper rear deck is formed from two, quite complex mouldings that have long join-lines. CA glue was used here instead of liquid cement, as it has better gap-filling properties. The excess CA glue can be scraped and sanded down later
Dragon chose wisely to build up the engine deck from individual elements as this approach offers better levels of detail for the multi-angled surfaces
A welt of CA (superglue) was built up on the inner surface of the join lines, creating a very strong structure in this area of the kit. Next time, we’ll look at the assembly of the deck, plus turret and running gear
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AFV Edition
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FEATURE ARTICLE: MENG 1:35 D9R ARMOURED BULLDOZER • KIT NO.SS-002
Part 2
Marcus Nicholls continues construction on Meng’s 1:35 D9R dozer
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L
ast issue, my closing sentence was “Next issue, I'll describe the assembly of the running gear, tracks and that massive dozer blade, plus I'll get some paint on this big, brutal teddy bear...”. Well, things don't always go to plan and I didn't quite reach all those points, as you can see. This was partially due to the unexpected amount of work need in constructing the D9's vast blade. The kit parts all fit together extremely well and none of it was a problem, but I wanted to add weld seams to all of the piston pivots and bases, and this takes a little time. Referring to the Desert Eagle book on the D9, I decided not to use a pyrogravure (a low-temperature soldering iron) to create the weld seams, instead I choosing to create the welts of steel by flowing in medium-viscosity cyanoacrylate glue, allowing it to build up naturally, then 'fixing' it with CA accelerator. Once the glue had set, I used a round-headed dental burr in a mini-drill to refine the profile of the welds and once happy with the look, coating the area with Mr Surfacer 1000. This is quite a time-consuming process but as the back of the blade is very visible on the finished model, I feel it was a worthwhile exercise.
GUARD RAIL
The full-width guard 'grille' that sits on the blade's top edge is an impressive moulding but the vertical elements are a little too thick to look in scale, so, taking a file and a No.11 scalpel blade, I laboriously thinned down each bar until it looked a little more scale-like. Once this had been done, I added some damage! Apart from photos of factory-fresh D9s, all images of the dozer show this grille in various states of disrepair from mildly bent-up in places to twisted and buckled to the point where you might wonder if it's of any further use. I chose the milder option, twisting and distorting some of the elements using a pair of pliers, being careful not to crack the delicate plastic moulding. Once all this detail work had been accomplished, I applied a stippled-on coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 with a paint brush to impart a light texture to the blade's surfaces, another time-consuming task...
PISTON CHANGES
The other change I made to the dozer was the way the blade mounts to the vehicle. The instructions guide you to assemble the pistons onto the blade's pusher arms, then fix each assembly to the blade, but this makes the process of cleaning up the glue-seams on the pistons much trickier. Instead of this, I chose to drill out the pins at each end of the pistons and build them up on their own, then make new piston pins from styrene rod to be inserted once the pistons were ready. It might seem like a lot of extra work to partially re-engineer the pivots, but it didn't take too long and made the overall assembly of the D9R's main focal point a lot easier.
RUNNING GEAR
The running gear of the Meng's kit is quite simple in design, each bogie unit building up from two halves between which the front and rear idler wheels are trapped when the halves are brought together. The roadwheels (or rollers) are also moulded in two halves and are if you want them to rotate once fitted, it's quite easy to squeeze them into their locations with tweezers once the bogie halves are joined. Be careful though, the rollers are prone to popping out again, so handle the bogies with care until they are mated the model's main hull. Quite a hefty join line is produced along the top of each unit and these need attention before you fit them to the hull. I filled them by first flowing in cyanoacrylate, filing/scraping down, then re-filling any remaining gaps with Mr Surfacer – a very handy material. The big drive sprockets fix to stub-axles that protrude from the sides of the D9's body, and a quick test fit showed them to be quite wobbly. This was cured by wrapping the polycaps that hold them in place with strips of Tamiya masking tape which closed up the tolerance to the correct degree.
CABIN DEVELOPMENTS
I touched on the cabin's construction last time, filling the ejector-pin marks and completing the unit's basic assembly. Meng offer the choice of tinted and untinted window panes and as I am modelling the IDF version of the vehicle, I will be using the tinted parts. This leaves a whole sprue of window parts as spares, but they will not go to waste; I shall use them to blank off the cabin when it comes time to paint the model, holding them in place with the windows' inner frames. That's the theory at least, for now.. So, apologies for not completing this project but I shall endeavour to push it forward for the next issue – let's see how far I get! •
DY BEAR...
MENG 1:35 D9R ARMOURED BULLDOZER KIT No.SS-002 Materials; Injection-moulded sand-coloured, clear/tined and dark grey polystyrene, photo-etched brass, polycaps, vinyl tube, waterslide decals Available from; www.hannants.co.uk
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FEATURE ARTICLE: MENG 1:35 D9R ARMOURED BULLDOZER • KIT NO.SS-002
The cabin builds up panel by panel and they fit together with impressive precision. There are some ejector-pin marks on the inner faces and these were filled with Holts Cataloy putty, available in the UK from the Halfords chain of car-parts shops. The redundant clear window panes can be used to blank off the cabin interior while the exterior is painted
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The main structure of the cabin can be built up to form a central module which can be painted more easily than if it were left in individual panels. The crew door is hinged and can be left to open and close. Numerous detail items are fitted to the interior walls and these can either be painted off the model and fixed later on, or fitted before painting and touched in by hand with a fine paint brush
The cabin’s rear extension fits together extremely well and simply cements to the assembled central module
The cabin roof also has some ejector-pin marks which need filling, but it’s a relatively easy task. This too was built into a module complete with edge panels, and it simply pops onto the top of the cabin. If built with care, the roof hatch can open and close which will be handy if fitting figures
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FEATURE ARTICLE: MENG 1:35 D9R ARMOURED BULLDOZER • KIT NO.SS-002
The edges and corners of the roof need some spots of filler to conceal the join lines, but much of the excess seen here will be sanded away
Desert Eagle Publishing’s recent book on the D9R dozer provides some invaluable references for the cabin interior, plus hundreds of other vital reference images
To this structure, the access platforms are fixed, as well as numerous hand-grips and other fittings
Detail is moulded into the underside of the cabin roof although it will be hard to see once fixed in place
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The open door does give a good view into the driver’s compartment, which is very well detailed
The battery compartment is very well detailed with various louvres and grilles on its outer surface
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The bogie halves are highly detailed parts and are a tribute to Meng’s prowess in the art of injection moulding
The bogies are quite simple sub-assemblies, consisting of two halves, the peg and polycap for the blade pivot, two idlers and the rollers
The best way to assemble the bogies is to first mate the two halves with idlers in place and once the cement is dry, insert the road rollers using tweezers; this way, they can remain able to rotate
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FEATURE ARTICLE: MENG 1:35 D9R ARMOURED BULLDOZER • KIT NO.SS-002
A long join line is formed once the bogies halves are joined and this needs filling. CA (superglue) was first used to fill the joint, subsequently filed down. This was then given a coating of Mr Surfacer 1000 which helps to seal any small gaps and provide a texture too
The huge drive sprockets are very well detailed and given their chunky nature, are impressively free from sinkmarks which can sometimes afflict deeper injection moulded parts
There are two tricky sprue tabs to remove from the sprockets and care is needed when snipping them off. Tamiya sidecutters were used to cut down the tabs, working from two directions to reduce the height as much as possible.
A Swann-Morton No.11 blade was then used to pare away any remaining waste plastic. The scar can then be gently filed with a round, rat-tail file, taking great care not to alter the profile of the drive teeth.
The polycap that secures the sprocket to the side of the dozer’s cabin is a little undersized and leaves the wheel a little wobbly when test fitted. This can be fixed by wrapping a short length of masking tape around the outer surface of the ‘cap which creates a much more snug fit.
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It’s worth spending some time on this sub-assembly to enhance the weld seams where the various fixtures join the main structure. Once all parts had been brought together and weld seams added, the whole unit was given a coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 to subtly enhance the surface texture
The D9’s massive blade is extremely well detailed and the parts fit together well. The guard rail takes some time to clean up Described in the main text, the piston bases were modified and fixed to the blade first, the piston being fitted later on with plastic rod pins
Simulated weld seams were added where the guard rail mounts to the upper edge of the dozer blade
Cyanoacrylate glue was used to build up welts where the piston bases and other items are fixed, to depict weld seams Once in place, the guard rail was given some light ‘damage’ using needle-nosed pliers as this part is often seen in a very beaten up condition on real D9s
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FEATURE ARTICLE: MENG 1:35 D9R ARMOURED BULLDOZER • KIT NO.SS-002
To enable the dozer blade’s main side arms and its smaller pistons to be assembled and their joints filled and sanded easily, some slight modifications were made to the way they build up. The moulded-in pins were trimmed/drilled out and the holes cleaned up and enlarge with files and broaches where necessary. Styrene rod was then cut into short lengths and pressed into place to act as new piston pins
A degree of ‘slop’ in the fit of the blade pistons and connectors is desirable as it will enable the blade to fit to the dozer more easily
We’re getting there! With the blade temporarily fitted, the D9 dozer starts to look good. The patches of grey on the main body is Gunze’s ‘Mr Surfacer 1000’ liquid filler, applied to conceal small gaps
The blade tilt piston on the right side arm builds up from two halves, so its join line will need light sanding. Resin bolt-heads from Calibre 35 were added to the main flange, above right
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Views of the dozer blade with the arms in place. Note the inward angle of the arms and the single piston on the right arm, which angles the blade back and forth
More next time folks! Construction will proceed apace on our D9 build and with luck, it’ll have a set of tracks on it by the next issue on Military Illustrated Modeller...
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THE DEADLY 88; FLAK 37 IN DETAIL Modelling references for the 88mm ‘Fliegerabwehrkanone’ Flak 37
T
he infamous 88mm ‘Flak’ gun must be the most well known artillery piece of the Second World War. Manufactured by Krupp and Rheinmetall, the ‘88 entered full production in the early 1930s and gained its first combat experience during the Spanish Civil War. Sixteen Flak 18 guns were initially sent to Spain in 1936, in the anti-aircraft role with the Condor Legion, where they were fired not only at aircraft but at land targets too, proving its effectiveness as an antitank weapon. With the onset of the Second World War, the ‘88’ found itself deployed to all fronts, again in both ground-to-air and ground-to-ground roles, and quickly became a much feared weapon by anyone whom encountered it. ‘Deadman’s Corner Museum’ (Centre Historique des Parachutistes de Jour-J), just a few hundred yards down the road from the village of Saint-Côme-du-Mont in Normandy, is home to a well preserved Flak 37, a later variant of the ‘88’ that saw combat in the D-Day campaign. In these photos we can see some useful details of the gun, which will prove handy for anyone building Dragon’s kits. •
This control wheel has lost some of its Bakelite covering
paratrooper-museum.cominteractif.com Google; Deadman’s Corner Museum.
A view up the open breech, into the 88mm diameter gun-tube
The forward end of the recuperator cylinder is supported by a two-legged brace bolted to the gun cradle
Details of the recuperator cylinder’s back end where it meets the gun mount
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MODELLING REFERENCES: WW2 German 88mm FlaK37
Crescent-shaped gun elevation control
The breech of this gun is jammed in the open position
Possibly a hydraulic coupling, viewed from behind
Electrical couplings using multi-pin sockets
Electrical cables snake around the gun mount, details often left off models of the ‘88
A look into the gun cradle shows its internal structure and electrical conduit.
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Views of the gun control dials which are still in reasonable condition
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MODELLING REFERENCES: WW2 German 88mm FlaK37
Electrical cabling and boxes
Inside the fuse-setters, do we see traces of wartime red-oxide primer?
Remnants of the gun’s electrical cabling
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For the serious Modeller Issue 30
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SIGN OFF – FINAL THOUGHTS FROM THE EDITOR
DIORAMAS YOU
MUST BUILD
BEFORE YOU DIE...
CLEANING YOUR 90MM AA WITH THE ENEMY’S FLAG...
T
he American M1 90mm gun served as the US Army’s main heavy anti-aircraft and anti-tank gun, playing a role similar to the dreaded German 88mm Flak guns. It served from just prior to the opening of World War II into the postwar period. In this photograph we can see a US gun crew cleaning the barrel of their gun with the closest sheet of cloth to hand – a large swastika flag! Both practical and triumphantly irreverent, and neat idea for a vignette.
[email protected] See you again next time!
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US M1 90mm gun in miniature The only model kit of the M1A1 90mm gun we are aware of is by Commander Models’ resin production. The kit is available from www.ironshipwrights.com and www.whiteensignmodels.com
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