Military Modelling Vol.44 Issue 01

Fifty Shades of White! Faded winter whitewash for BA-20 Armoured Car

MILITARY MODELLING

Batterie Elefant 21cm Mörser 18 model in 1:72 scale

Major Charles Napier

Award-winning Peninsular War vignette

Japanese Invasion! Dragon’s 1:35 scale IJN Type 2 Ka-Mi

3rd January 2014

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Vol.44 No.1 2014

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16

Features 16 A FADED WINTER WHITEWASH

Mark Bannerman builds and winter weathers a Russian BA-20 Armoured Car.

26 “GET DOWN MAJOR!”

Ian Succamore earned himself a Silver Medal at last year’s Euro Militaire with a fine Peninsular War vignette.

38 THE JAPANESE HAVE LANDED!

Michael McLaughlin builds Dragon’s IJN Type 2 Ka-Mi and places it on a suitable beach base.

38

48 BATTERIE ELEFANT

Peter Gillson builds a 21cm Mörser 18 as emplaced on occupied Guernsey during The Second World War.

48

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54 THE MAFVA COLUMN

John Ham explains research for beginners and suggests some unusual information sources!

56 SMALL SCALE SCENE

Robin Buckland rounds-up the latest news and releases for armour fans.

60 ON PARADE

Recommended books for military modellers.

66 ATTEN-SHUN!

Products’ review section.

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Camouflage & Markings of Canadian Military Vehicles in World War Two. Armor Color Gallery No.11. Chapters include: Canadian Production, Imports, Colors, Markings, Photo Gallery: Training in Britain, Italian Theatre, North West Europe, Color Plates. 64 pages. £23.99

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At the start of the Great War in 1914, the British Army had just 80 trucks and 20 cars in service. These had been augmented by a further 59,490 motor trucks and 33,800 cars and ambulances by the end of the war in 1918. This policy of motorisation made the British Army the most mechanised of all the belligerent nations. This book is the first-ever publication granting a comprehensive overview of military trucks used by the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Flying Corps in World War One. It covers British-built subsidy, purpose-built and impressed general service trucks with famous manufacturers’ names ranging from AEC to Wolseley. It also shows non-British-built trucks in service with the British Armed Forces, of which the majority were of American origin. Additional chapters cover workshop trucks, tankers, gun trucks, steam wagons, traction engines and tractors.

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X ACT Models X-ACT XS-35001 T-90 Russian Tank £future XS-35002 Gaz 233014 Jeep Tiger £future XS-35003 T-84 M £future Takom TAK1001 FT-17 1/16th £79.99 TAK2002 St Chamond early £45.00 Italeri 6513 M-923 Hillybilly Gun Truck £TBA 5616 Vosper Boat crew £17.50 288 M4A3 Sherman Calliope £24.99 228 WC56 Dodge Staff Car £20.99 IBG Models IB35021 Marmon Harrington MkI £29.99 IB35024 Marmon Harrington MkI German £29.99 IB35005 Einheltdiesel w/breda 3.7cm £34.50 IB35016 Bedford QLT Troop Carrier £29.99 Dragon D6741 Italian Para’s Anzio 44 £15.99 D6641 Pz III Ausf H Early £49.99 D6725 SAS Jeep ETO 44 w/figs £29.99 D6779 1/35 Pz IV Ausf D Trop £49.99 D6777 Type 95 Light Tank Hokuman £47.99 D7506 1/72nd Panther D late £21.50 D7508 1/72nd Bergepanther w/Pz IV Turret £21.99 D6746 Ostwind Ausf G w/zimm £49.99 D6341 Kettenkrad early w/trailer £27.99 D3548 M-103A1 Heavy tank £TBA D3550 MBT 70 ££future D6609 Jagdpanther G2 £TBA D6679 RSO w/mounted 7.5cm A/T gun £TBA D6732 SdKfz 10 Ausf A w/towed 5cm pak 38 £TBA D6783 Oper Marita Greece 41 £TBA Academy AY13281 Magach 6B Gal Batash £TBA Tamiya 37013 M-109 Vietnam £34.99 35331 Type I Jap S/P Gun w/figs £24.99 32407 LRDG w/masterbox figs £25.99 35333 Brit Para’s w/bicycles £9.99 35332 M-151A2 Grenada 83 £19.99 35334 M-151 A1 jeep Vietnam £19.99 89542 M-60A2 £25.99 25166 M-60A1 £25.99 ICM Models RIC35479 Moskvitch 401 saloon £15.50 RIC35534 Type 770K Open Top £24.50 RIC35536 Packard Twelve series 1408 £24.50 RIC35632 WWII German Firemen £7.99 RIC35526 L1500s German Fire Engine £24.50 RIC35671 WWI Austro/Hun Weapons £7.99 RIC35674 Russian Maxim M/Gun (1910) £7.99 RIC35675 Russian Maxim M/Gun (1930) £7.99 RIC35401 Type 2.5-3.2T Light truck £24.50 Trumpeter TP01579 T-64A £39.99 TP01594 BTR-80 £39.99 TP02519 MSTA-S £TBA 1:35 Scale TM01012 Ural-4320 £37.99 TM01568 KV-8S Welded Turret £32.99 TM02324 ML-20 152mm Soviet £30.99 How M-46 Carriage TM02340 Chinese Type 56 Div Gun £18.99 1:350 Scale TM04551 PLA Navy Type 071 Amp £TBA Trans Dock (LPD) TM04546 HMS Westminster F237 £39.99 Type 23 Frigate TM09940 0.05mm Acetate Gauge (Black) £TBA TM09941 0.15mm Acetate Gauge (Silver) £TBA 1:35 Scale TM02061 French R35 Light Inf Tank Track Links £17.99 TM02064 T-90 Workable Track Links £12.99 TM02346 Soviet GAZ-67B £32.99 TM05562 T-90A Russian MBT (Welded turret) £44.99 TM05564 T-72B Mod 1989 (Cast turret) £44.99 TM915 1/16th Su-100 £169.99 TM02338 BR-2 model 1935 152mm Gun £39.99 TM02348 Zu-23-2 Russian A/A Gun £24.99

TM05533 LGS Fennek Dutch £39.99 TM05572 JGSDF Type 73 Light Truck £24.99 1:200 Scale TM03705 USS Missouri BB-63 £279.99 TM06631 USS Missouri Upgrade Set £24.99 TM06632 Missouri Surrender Ceremony (69 figs) £9.99 1:350 Scale TM04550 HMS Daring Type 45 Destroyer £54.99 Kinetic Models (future releases) KN61010 RG-31 Mk 3 Canada £34.99 KN61011 4x4 MRAP Truck £TBA KN62001 1/48th R-11 US/NATO Fuel Truck £TBA Bronco Models (future releases) BM35065 Panzer 35T (SKP) £TBA BM35066 Nimrod 40M A/A Tank £TBA BM35127 SdKfz 233 7.5cm (1942) £TBA BM35101 Buffalo MPCV w/slat armour £TBA BM35142 MRAP Vehicle “Maxx” £future BM35110 KV-85 £TBA BM35124 8 Rad PzFunkwagen SdKFZ 263 £TBA BM35143 Panzer 1 Ausf F (VK1801) £31.99 BM35167 Italian Topolini open top w/lady £19.99 BM35166 M-24 Chaffee Indochina £36.99 BM35144 MkIII Valentine MkIX £34.99 BM35146 MkIII Valentine MkXI OP £32.99 BM35168 6 Pdr A/T MkIV Gun Carriage MkIII £TBA BM35169 Jeep w/Trailer plus Airborne figs £TBA BM35170 6 Pdr with Jeep and Crew £TBA BM35171 Italian light delivery van w/civilians £TBA BM35154 Panzer II Ausf J £TBA BM35164 Light Staff Car w/crew Libya £TBA AB3562 WWII Brit Field Access set £11.99 AB3563 T97E2 Track links (M48/60) £TBA AB3564 Soviet BT-7 Track £TBA BM35125 CV3/33 Tankette series II early £future Mini Art (Future releases) UMA35151 U.S Horsemen Normandy 44 £TBA UMA35084 Battle of Bulge figs £TBA UMA35089 101st Airborne 1944 £8.99 UMA35150 Merc Benz 1500A Cargo £27.99 UMA35145 BZ-38 Refueller £TBA UMA38001 European Tram £39.99 UMA35159 AEC Mk III Arm Car £32.99 UMA35170 Soviet Heavy Inf weapons £7.99 UMA35171 Fire Truck w/trailer and pump £TBA UMA35165 British Officers £TBA UMA35102 Soviet Inf Weapons £7.99 UMA35152 AEC Mk I Arm Car £32.99 UMA36055 Base w/brick wall £15.99 UMA35108 Soviet Inf (new weapons) £8.99 UMA35154 Soviet Inf weapons/equipment £7.99 UMA35173 Gaz-AAA model 1941 £28.00 UMA35161 U.S Officers £future UMA38004 French Civilians 30/40’s £future UMA36056 Middle East Dio £future Riich Models (future releases) RE35009 M1 6Pdr Ammo set £TBA RE35010 WWII Brit weapons set A £8.50 RE35011 WWII Brit weapons set B £8.50 RV35018 6 Pdr MkIV A/Tank Gun £TBA RV35024 Artillery Tractor CT3 601 (r) £TBA RV35025 STZ-5 NATI Katyushka £TBA RV35006 M-109 A6 Paladin SPG £TBA RV35028 Brit Uni Carrier crew in winter £6.99 uniform 1943/45 Meng Models (future releases) SS-002 D9R Doobt Bulldozer £49.99 SS-003 APC Achzarit early £36.99 SS-004 M2A3 Bradley w/Tusk III £future TS-006 Russian T-90A MTB £49.99 TS-007 Leopard 1A3/4 £44.99 TS-008 French FT-17 Light Tank cast turret £44.99 TS-009 Char 2c French super Heavy tank £51.99 VS-003 Gaz 233 014 Tiger £24.99 SPS-001 Rubber Tyres for Diorama’s £3.99 SPS-002 Drink Bottles £3.99 SPS-003 Merkava Mk3D Tactical Markings £6.99 SPS-004 Rivets & Nuts set A (Lge) £3.50 SPS-005 Rivets & Nuts set A (sm) £3.50 SPS-006 Rivets & Nuts set B (Lge) £3.50 SPS-007 Rivets & Nuts set B (sm) £3.50

New Postage Rates Postage charges (within UK) •Large Letter - £1.50 •Small Parcel 1kg - £3.50 •Small Parcel 2kg - £5.00 •Med Parcel 1kg - £6.50 •Courier up to 25Kg - £8.00 Oversea items at cost, ask for quote

SPS-008 Rivets & Nuts set C £3.50 SPS-009 Rivets & Nuts set D £3.50 SPS-011 Beer Bottles £3.99 SPS-012 Concrete & Plastic Barrier set £future SPS-014 Equipment for Modern Mil Vehicles £future HS-002 IDF Tank Crew £6.99 AFV Club (future releases) AF35233 SdKfz 233 8 rad w/75mm Short gun £TBA AF35263 SdKfz 263 £42.99 AF35S67 AAV7A1 Ram/RS w/EAAK £TBA AF35236 AEC Matador Early £TBA AF35257 German Fuel/Water tank set £14.99 AF35258 WWII British Fuel Tank set £14.99 AG35039 Nato 155mm How Ammo £14.99 AG35042 M2HB.50 cal M/G Conv £7.99 AF35049 AEC Dorchester Early £TBA AF35273 AEC A/car Mk III £TBA AF35060 M-60A1 Patton £TBA AF35166 6 Pdr A/T Gun £TBA AF35175 M1A1 75mm Pack Howitzer £TBA AF35202 17 Pdr A/T Gun £TBA AF35209 M-24 Chaffee (korea) £TBA AF35261 German Sea Mines (4) £TBA AF35217 6 Pdr Mk IV QF £TBA AF35219 6 Pdr Gun Airborne Crew £TBA AF35092 German Hunting Crew 5 Figx £17.99 w/Dog & Rabbits AF35145 T-34/85 Mod 1944/45 Factory £42.99 No 174 w/Int AF35186 Bofors 40mm FlaK 28 A/A Gun £29.99 AF35S82 NM-116 (M24 Chaffee) £TBA AF35253 Churchill 3in Gun Carrier £TBA Hobby Boss (future releases) HBB83801 U.S White 666 Cargo (hard top) £34.99 HBB83834 French GCT 155mm AU-F1 SPH £TBA HBB83829 Nimrod 40M A/A Tank £29.99 HBB83807 4.7cm Pak on Pz35 R731 (f) £26.99 HBB83818 T-37 Amphibious light tank £future HBB83822 Swedish CV-9030 IFV £future HBB83813 SdKfz 221 A/Car early £future Merit Models 1:16 Scale MM61602 M198 155mm Towed How £69.99 MM61603 sFH18 15cm German How £79.99 1:200 Scale MM62001 USS Hornet CV-8 £259.99 1/35 Scale M63501 US M19 Tank Transporter Hard Top £89.99 Panzerwrecks Canfora Books On Display 3: British Steel £19.99 On Display 2: Stug III £19.99 On Display 1: Modern Armour £17.99 AFV Photo Album £31.99 Panther £26.99 Nordic Edge 3 £23.99 PeKo Panzerwaffe on the Battlefield £23.99 Sturmgeschütz III on the Battlefield £23.99 Sturmgeschütz III on the Battlefield 2 £23.99 T-34 on the Battlefield £18.95 Nurnburg Factory Panthers (Dec) £32.99

QUAD BIKES

A04701 Scale 1:48 %ULWLVK4XDG%LNHVDQG&UHZ Delivering vital combat supplies to troops on the ground, quad bikes and trailers are providing sterling service on frontline operations. This latest batch of Afghanistanbound ATVs and trailers will deliver food, water and ammunition to the MYVU[SPULPUKPMÄJ\S[[VHJJLZZHYLHZ or where larger vehicles are not suitable, effectively running alongside those who are on dismounted operations.

Scale 1:4

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1:48

The AgustaWestland Merlin HC3 is the RAF version of the AW101 medium-lift helicopter, which was developed as a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the UK and Agusta in Italy. Powered by three 2,312shp RTM32201 turboshaft engines, the Merlin HC3 can lift a payload of up to 5,433kg, including 24 troops or a variety of vehicles, equipment and quad bikes.

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www.humbrol.com

For schools and all youth organisations

Briefing

Notice Board Information and diary dates The Editor welcomes copy for publication in ‘Notice Board’. This service is free of charge. Obvious ‘for sale’ notices, either private or trade will not be accepted. These restrictions do not apply to bona-fide museums and collections or traders wishing to pass on information about the availability of products to readers. Would secretaries of clubs and societies please allow a three-month lead time for time-sensitive notices. Please note: under no circumstances will copy be accepted by telephone. All notices must be in writing, by letter or e-mail. Please send all copy for ‘Notice Board’ direct to the Editor at the address listed under ‘Editorial’ on the contents page.

A Call to Muster 2014 The above show will be held on Saturday 22nd March 2014 at the Southlands Leisure Centre, Ormesby Road, Middlesbrough TS3 0HG. Traders, Modellers, Wargamers and Re-enactors will all be present and there will also be a Tombola with prizes plus a Bring & Buy. The show is open from 10.00am to 3.30pm and the admission charges are £1 for adults and 50p for senior citizens and children. Free car parking and hot and cold snacks will be available. All proceeds from the show will be donated to the Royal British Legion. See www.teesshows.co.uk for more details.

Huddersfield 2014 Hosted by IPMS Wakefield this model show takes place on Sunday 16th February 2014 at the Huddersfield Sports Centre, Southgate, Huddersfield HD1 1TW. There will be an Open Competition, Trade Stands, Club and SIG Displays. Refreshments will be available. Doors open 10am – 5pm. Admission: Adults £4, Concessions £2. Contact Geoff Milnes on 07879 446554 or Alan Paul on 07811 358355. [email protected] www.huddersfieldmodelshow. co.uk

Southern Expo 2014 The show takes place at the Hornchurch Sports Centre, Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch

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Road, Hornchurch, Essex RM11 1JU on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th March. Doors open from 10am to 5pm Saturday and 10am to 4pm Sunday. Entry: Adults £3, Senior Citizens £2, Children £1. Open Competition (Sunday only) – the Senior competition is being sponsored by Models For Sale (www.modelsforsale.com) For further details visit: www.southernexpo.co.uk or email SouthernExpo@tiscali. co.uk or send a SAE to Peter Bagshaw, 25 Repton Drive, Gidea Park, Essex RM2 5LP. Tel: 01708 726102.

West Midlands Military Show The 38th WMMS will take place on Sunday 9th March 2014 at the Aldersley Leisure Village, Aldersley Road, Wolverhampton WV6 9NW. Doors open to the public 10:00am – 4:00pm. There will be the usual mix of wargame and modelling displays. There will be a Bring & Buy and around Trade 50 stands. Free car parking, bar and food available during the day. Entry: Adults £3, Children and Senior Citizens £1, Family ticket £5. For more information visit the website at www.alumwellwargames.co.uk

Latest kit news! New from Inside The Armour is a set of Churchill air intake louvres (item 35091). This is a simple and inexpensive addition

Big Sherman progress The task of building Dragon’s 1:6 scale M4A3 Sherman (reviewed in Atten-Shun! Vol.43 No.9) is now well underway. The massive parts are quite challenging to work with due to the larger working area they demand; even the sub-assemblies are as big as some complete kit projects! The instructions are basic, and some pre-planning has been needed to ensure a more efficient build up, especially to avoid handling and spoiling painted sub-assemblies. The six bogie assemblies have now been built and painted and look impressive; they have been further detailed with extra bolt details and casting marks etc. The massive hull and turret are assembled and have been textured and detailed with weld beads. The project is now beginning to offer a tantalising taste of what fun it is going to be when the tools, and all of the sub-assemblies and details are added, and the whole project can be painted and finished. I have some paints and materials to aid this and I feel the Sherman will look impressive and offer a rewarding challenge in the next few weeks. I have even found the perfect Dragon figure to man the open cupola once he has been given a make-over!

However, a big downside at the time of writing is the rather poor-quality tracks. These just don’t seem to be man enough for the job as every time the model is picked up and moved some more links break apart. I’m going to have to come up with a way of pinning and reinforcing these to cure the problem so I expect plenty of trial-and-error will be involved along with much gnashing of teeth! Tracks aside, the project is really beginning to take shape now, although there is still a mass of work to do, including a lot of checking with visual references of the full-size Sherman, including researching suitable serial numbers and divisional markings. I look forward to featuring the finished model in the magazine as soon as I am able. I certainly believe it will be one of those projects that can be added to over a period of time, with items such as stowage and crew being possible to upgrade and alter, improve and customise. Rob Henden

to your Churchills which will improve the look and accuracy of the side air intakes by providing the louvres missing from the AFV Club and Tamiya kits. Grilles are sold separately and not included in this set. Also new from ITA is a set of Churchill Idler Plates (item 35090). This provides plates missing from the AFV Club Churchill Idler assemblies. An inexpensive and ideal addition to Churchill builds where trackguards are not fitted, especially early and Dieppe Churchills. The sets can be ordered from www.insidethearmour.com

Military Modelling Vol.44 No.1 2014

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ABOVE: The Bastogne Barracks Museum, part of the Belgian National Army Museum.

ABOVE: Our guide on the Bastogne Barracks tour, alongside a famous photo and where it was actually taken.

RIGHT: “Base Bastogne” is the sign once inside the gates at the Bastogne Barracks Museum.

ABOVE: Flag outside the 101st Airborne Museum in Bastogne. RIGHT: An 8.8cm Raketenwerfer 43 (Püppchen) inside the Bastogne Barracks collection. BELOW: A full-size figure in a snowy diorama setting at the 101st Airborne Museum.

www.militarymodelling.com News from the Military Modelling website and forum If you would like to submit an item for the website email Robin Buckland at [email protected] or come and join our online presence at militarymodelling.com the world of military modelling at your fingertips

W

ell, we are all set to start off 2014, and amazing to realise we have come to the year that will mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1. Three of

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our four planned Group Builds on the website will have a WW1 theme, while the other (in the third quarter) will mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Both these anniversaries

suggest we can expect to see a number of appropriately themed models released over the course of the year. Another regular part of our website is a growing set

Military Modelling Vol.44 No.1 2014

Website

ABOVE LEFT: Main museum building at Kalgin Gol.

ABOVE RIGHT: This 76mm Regimental gun is one of the exhibits at the Museum of Kalkin Gol in Russia.

LEFT: Another exhibit seen on Simon Ashford’s visit to the Battle of Kalkin Gol Museum.

The main body moulding of the new Italian Light Delivery Van due from Bronco Models.

BELOW & ABOVE RIGHT: Pre-release photos of the new sprues from Bronco’s yet to be released Italian Light Delivery Van.

This release poster shows advance news of what to expect in the new Bronco van kit.

of features covering various military museums around the world. We already have a few in that list which cover the Normandy battlefields, and we will be adding a few more.

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So if you are planning a visit for the first time, and wonder about places to see, do keep an eye out for what we will be covering. Thanks to the Internet, even once you are

over there you can still look them up for tips. Regular news of new releases from the various manufacturers means that we often carry advance photos of posters and

test mouldings from their new kits which are sent through to us, even before the kit is on the market in some cases, so always worth keeping a lookout for. MM Robin Buckland

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A faded winter whitewash Mark Bannerman builds and winter weathers a Russian BA-20 Armoured Car. ABOVE: BA-20 model in a winter scene (in my own neighbourhood last winter!) courtesy of Photoshop.

RIGHT: A BA-20 in German service. (Photo source unknown)

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T

he Broneavtomobil 20 (BA-20) was a 2.5-ton light armoured car developed in the Soviet Union in 1934 and was produced until 1942. The BA-20 was armed with a 7.62mm DT machine gun and had a top road speed of 53mph. Over 4,500 of these vehicles were produced in the 8-year period. The armoured car was designed primarily for reconnaissance and scouting purposes. By 1938,

the upgraded BA-20M communication version was introduced which was essentially same vehicle but with a whip-style antenna instead of the external frame antenna. The BA-20 was conceived using the chassis from the civilian GAZ-M1, which in turn, was a modified version of a Ford design. While the chassis was made by the Nizhny Novgorod factory, the body was built at the Vyksinskiy plant where the final assembly of the BA-20 occurred. An interesting feature of the BA-20 and BA-20M was the design of the tyres that were filled with cork so that it was impervious to bullets and shrapnel. Another later modification was the BA-20ZhD which was designed to travel on railway tracks by replacing the wheels with metal rail-type wheels. The BA-20 first saw combat during the Spanish Civil War serving with the Republican Army. They were also pushed into Russian combat service against Japan in 1939 during the Battle of Khalkin Gol. In 1939, the Red Army used large numbers of BA-20s in the invasion of Poland and also during the winter war against Finland circa 1939-40. Many BA-20s were captured by the Finns and pushed into service against the Red Army. Because the

Military Modelling Vol.44 No.1 2014

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ABOVE: Freshly produced BA-20s at the Vyksinskiy plant. (Photo source unknown) RIGHT: I have seen many captions for this image suggesting it is a captured BA-20 in Hungarian service, Romanian service and Finnish service. I am uncertain though I would not rule out a Republican Army vehicle in the Spanish Civil War. (Photo source unknown)

BA-20 was developed using a civilian car as its basis, they were by-and-large restricted to moving on hard ground and roads. The lack of a sturdy suspension system, a weak chassis and a relatively low-powered engine made off-road travel virtually impossible. The BA-20 can often be misidentified as a FAI, which was also an armoured car built on the chassis of the GAZ car and which looks identical to the BA-20. However, the main difference is that the BA-20 had a flat roof and the FAI had two dome-shaped armoured covers over the driver and co-driver’s stations.

In kit form An injection-moulded kit of the BA-20 first appeared in 1990 under the banner of STC Start and then later it was re-boxed by Alan Hobbies and Dragon. A multitude of other manufacturers have since carried the model such as RPM (with new decals), Ark Models and Maquette to new a few. Essentially, the model has not changed other than the box art. On first appearance it looks simplistic and quite straightforward. However, I was to find out that the fit of parts was not very favourable. The model The BA-20 was not designed for rough terrain travel and performance was far superior on roads and flat surfaces. (Photo source unknown)

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ABOVE: The Broneavtomobil 20 (B-20) in German service. The frame antennae has been removed and repainted in German Dunkelgelb with either green or brown camouflage (or both). (Photo source unknown)

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comes in a light grey plastic with the tyres and antennae frame being provided in soft black plastic. The parts are numbered and the instructions are quite straightforward being presented in just six assembly sections. I decided at the outset to build the model completely then work on filling gaps and seams. The interior is rudimentary with just two seats and a steering wheel. The turret hatch can be mounted in a closed or open position and the side doors are separate giving the modeller a choice to fix these open or closed. There is no engine included although apparently the RPM release offered a basic one. I followed the instructions and built the model as presented but left the side doors and wheels separate. Unfortunately, there are no etched-metal parts or a detail set for it other than replacement wheels from Tank Workshop and a more detailed machine gun from ModelKasten.

Construction

ABOVE: The Alan Hobbies offering of the BA-20 in 1:35 scale. The model has also been carried by Dragon, RPM, Ark Models and Maquette.

Assembly was very simple but the fit, as already stated, was not really very good with many small gaps needing to be filled. Although putty is typically my primary medium for filling gaps, I opted to try using sheet styrene strips for most of this job. I had read in a back issue of Military Modelling that one approach is to drop strips, or rods of sheet styrene, into liquid glue for about 4-minutes, allow the styrene to soften then pushing the styrene in

ABOVE LEFT: The model has many gaps so styrene strips softened in liquid glue were pushed into the gaps to fill the void. This is particular effective with long gaps running along seams and joints. ABOVE RIGHT: There are quite a few glitches and in some cases small nicks as a result of removing the part from the sprue. I began by filling these with Tamiya Putty.

ABOVE: Sheet styrene strips were used to fill gaps on the rear then I sanded the edges to bring the strips flush to the edge of the model.

ABOVE: A very effective gap filler is resin dust. I used a sand stick, sanded a piece of excess resin and brushed the sand stick along the corner to allow the dust to settle in the gap. In this view, the upper corner of the bonnet has been filled in this manner. RIGHT: The whole model was sanded to remove any small pits and surface blemishes.

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TOP LEFT: My primary putty for filling larger gaps is typically auto car primer which is put in place with my finger then lightly brushed and smoothed down with Testors’ glue.

ABOVE: Once the primer is dry, I sand the area lightly to provide a consistent finish.

LEFT: The antenna frame was glued in place with slow-drying liquid glue to ensure that it was a proper fit all around the vehicle.

BELOW: The model completely assembled – I left the doors off of the vehicle as I wanted to mount these open and the wheels were also left off for easy painting.

to fill the gaps. I did just this by placing a series of short lengths of EverGreen styrene strips into a bottle of Testors’ liquid glue then adding the styrene along a long gap and pushing the styrene to fill the void with the tip of a hobby knife blade. Even if the styrene is thicker than the gap, the softening of the styrene will allow the strip to fit in. I also tried same approach with those round bits of plastic that serve no purpose but are part of the moulding process. I dipped these into liquid glue for 3-4 minutes, removed with tweezers then wedged these into areas where the gaps were slightly larger. This led me to think that all of the excess plastic trees from previously completed kits could be used in a multitude of ways for future projects - so I won’t be throwing these out anytime soon! Another gap filler which I found quite handy for filling voids, particularly ones that sit on corners where filler does not always work well, is to use a sand stick and lightly sand a piece of excess resin to allow the surface of the stick to accumulate resin dust. Then lightly rub the sand stick along the corner gaps. The resin dust will neatly deposit itself into the gap and a small application of super glue keeps the resin dust

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locked in. A little sanding may be required once the super glue is dry to clean it up the definition of the joint. I used this method on most corners of this model where two parts were joined together and it worked like a charm. The only area where I used putty was in those spots where sanding might be more difficult

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ABOVE: The model cleaned in soap and water then primed with two light coats of Tamiya White Primer.

LEFT: I applied three light applications of green using Lifecolor’s 3-pack Soviet AFV Contrast & Desaturation set.

RIGHT: The top of a marker pen was used to mask the hubs when airbrushing the rubber on the wheels. Blu-Tack on the inside of the cap helps secure the cap to the wheels.

BELOW: I applied the paint using my airbrush going from the darker paint ‘Deep shade’, then medium green ‘Ground colour’ and finally the ‘Flash’ green colour.

ABOVE: The tyres received the same treatment with the Lifecolor paints. The rubber was airbrushed on using Tamiya NATO Black XF-69.

to reach. Instead of trying to sand a flat surface, I repeatedly brushed the putty area with liquid glue to smooth out the surface. Sometimes, for small holes and pin marks, super glue can also act as an excellent filler and can be sanded smooth once it is absolutely dry. The model is easy to build but quite a bit of time will be required to fill those gaps but using sheet styrene strips turned out to be a real timesaver! With the model fully assembled I turned my attention to finishing. Several options are available based on the books I had on Russian armoured vehicles. The Republican Army used the vehicle during the Spanish Civil War but I was unable to find any decent colour reference information. The Finns also used a large number of captured BA20s and photographic evidence suggests that the Russian green base colour would not have been altered but some were winter whitewashed. The Germans also captured large numbers of BA-20s and four schemes could be used – original Russian green, Panzer Grey, base of standard German yellow with either a red or green camouflage or a winter whitewash. I initially considered just going for the most common colour I found in image format of Russian standard green. However, midway through I decided to try the hairspray technique and give the model a winter whitewash finish.

Painting To begin painting, I applied two light coats of Tamiya Primer. It is always surprising to me how many small glitches and unfilled seams I have missed before the primer is applied – despite my careful study of the model! The primer really does bring out all of those flaws. After correcting these, a further primer application was applied. I applied three light applications in succession of green going from dark

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to light using the 3-pack Soviet AFV Contrast & Desaturation set from Lifecolor. Although termed Desaturation, I think we more frequently see the term referred to as ‘modulation’. It essentially means varying the base colour of a vehicle model so that upper surfaces are given a lighter tone and lower surfaces have a darker tone. This technique can be used with any paint – Lifecolor have branded a three paint pre-mixed pack to simplify our lives. The Soviet AFV 4B0 Green Set includes three 22mm Lifecolor paint containers and each is labelled – ‘Ground colour’ (Medium), ‘Flashed shade’ (highlight) and ‘Deep shade’ (shadow). I started the airbrushing with an overall application of the darker paint ‘Deep shade’. Although Lifecolor is supposed to be ready for airbrushing, I did mix the paint with 10% water. My previous limited experience with Lifecolor taught me that they dry almost instantly when the paint hits the surface of the model and can create unfavourable surface texture. A little water will extend the drying period and provide for a smoother finish. Then I airbrushed the medium green ‘Ground colour’ from a 45 degree angle all around the model and finally with the ‘Flashed’ green colour from a 90 degree angle. Although the difference in tone between the three colours is not evident at first, the initial application of a wash brings the different tones to the forefront and nicely blended without any demarcation lines. With the base down, I found that the surface was a bit gritty and rough – which can play havoc with subsequent weathering. For instance, a wash on a rough surface will cause the paint to act as a sponge and absorb the wash resulting in blotches. To avoid this, I applied two even coats of Tamiya Clear X-22 which left a superbly smooth finish.

Winter whitewash It was at this point that I decided on the finish – a faded winter whitewash. I had previously tried the ‘hairspray technique’ several times with poor results, although the very last time I attempted it things turned out actually quite well! I opted to try it again – this time going for a far more faded result and tweaking the method slightly. I sprayed the model with DeSerres brand hairspray in two light applications. I have learnt that one application is inadequate because the chips end up being far too large. A second application does help in minimizing large sections of paint from coming off in one go. The application of hairspray does not need to be light although two light coats are better than one heavier coat. Once the hairspray was dry, I loaded my airbrush with Tamiya Flat White XF-2 mixed with 50% tap water and sprayed a light coat to the model. The problem with a light coat of white is that it is translucent and the white paint actually looks grey because of the greens showing through. I resprayed the model with the same mix of 50/50 white to water to reduce the translucency. A third coat was required to ensure that the white looked white - and not varying degrees of light grey. With the paint absolutely dry, I fetched two old brushes in preparation for the chipping effect. Two factors will affect the size of the chips - application of hairspray and amount of water used to soften the top white coat of paint. To reduce any chance of messing it up, I work in small

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ABOVE: Russian soldiers with a convoy of BA-20s during the Finnish Campaign. The variation in worn whitewash makes for an interesting study. (Photo source unknown) BELOW: My equipment for weathering – hairspray by Deserres, Micro balloons for random snow, Tamiya ground texture, sand sticks of varying grades, pastels, and Rembrandt Sepia oil paint.

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patches – usually between two panels – applying a small amount of water and letting it sit for 10 to 20-seconds then slowly pocking at the surface with the brush. If the water to paint ratio is about right, it does not take long for the chips to start showing through. Some areas are more stubborn and I will use a toothpick to make a scratch then poke at the area. It is a brilliant technique but can go astray if the two golden rules are not applied – limit the water to soften the top coat paint and restraint in keeping the pokes small and controlled. I worked my way around the model slowly and I noticed I

ABOVE: A captured BA-20 in Finnish use. Note the addition of a whip antennae which would ordinarily make this a BA-20M. (Photo source unknown)

RIGHT: Before staring on the weathering, I applied Tamiya Clear X-22 to the whole model. I find Lifecolor very matt and porous and this can hamper the weathering process.

BELOW: Russian and German soldiers conferring on the eve of the Polish invasion. The invasion ended on 6th October 1939 with the division and annexing of the whole of the Second Polish Republic by Germany and the Soviet Union. (Photo source unknown)

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was speeding my poking process up considerably as I was nearing the finish line so to speak! It is critical to maintain consistency as one works around the model otherwise one side will end looking more chipped than the other side. To create an effect of paste that would have run off and clouded the surrounding green base, I sanded an artist pastel stick and applied the powder to the entire model. The effect on the surface of the model looked very much like a vehicle that is in -30deg C climate where the surface of the vehicle takes on a whitish frozen appearance. To hold the

ABOVE: I applied two even coats of Tamiya Clear X-22 which left a smooth, transparent and semi-gloss finish. This was followed by two light coats of hairspray straight from the aerosol canister. BELOW: I airbrushed the model with two light applications of Tamiya Matt White X-21 mixed with 50% tap water. A third coat was required to ensure that the white looked white – and not varying degrees of light grey.

ABOVE: The chipping process begins. I used old brushes, slightly moistened with water, and jabbed and poked until the white paint begins to peel off. Once this happens it is very easy to move around the model and remove where necessary. RIGHT: It can easily be overdone so restraint is crucial and best to do in a few sittings where one can become more critical as you move along with the chipping process.

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ABOVE: The result that I was trying to attain was a late winter one where some of the whitewash would have already worn off. However, I did not like the stark difference between the white and the green base as it looked too uniform and neat. ABOVE RIGHT: To create an effect of paste that would have run off and clouded the surrounding green base, I sanded a white artist pastel stick and applied the powder to the entire model.

chalk in place, I airbrushed two light applications of Tamiya Thinners which saturates the pastels and holds it in place. The favourable characteristic with pastels is that if the result is not quite satisfactory, it can be removed with the swipe of a brush that is moistened with thinners (preferably enamel-based such as Testors’ or Humbrol thinners to ensure that the acrylic base colour does not get damaged). My next step was the application of a pinwash using Rembrandt Sepia oil paint mixed with Winton Burnt Umber heavily saturated in Testors’ Thinners. The paint to thinner ratio should be about 1:9. I applied the mix around all of the rivets, along panels and seam lines. This was followed by stroking the entire model with a wide brush that was moistened in Testors’ Thinners in a downward motion. This created some very subtle streaking where the brush would pick up some of the freshly applied pinwash and create streaks and rain marks. I repeated the same step by applying Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna in select areas and again lightly brushed these areas in a downward motion with a wide thinner moistened brush to create run-off rust. Rust effects can be overdone so it is important to keep it subtle and selective.

ABOVE: This was followed by the application of a pinwash using Rembrandt Sepia oil paint mixed with Winton Burnt Umber heavily saturated in Testors’ Thinners. I applied the mix around all of the rivets and along panels and seam lines. RIGHT: I used a wide brush that was moistened in Testors’ Thinners and brushed the whole model in a downward motion to create subtle streaking and blend some of the various textures on the surface together.

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Conclusion This completes a relatively simple model with some work required to bring it up to standard. The fun part was trying my hand at the winter whitewash and having some success in achieving the look I was after. I can see how the hairspray technique can quickly become second nature method for just about any finishing project, whether it is a whitewash, a desert scheme or just to create a rust and dust effect. I also enjoyed this model because it is one that is often seen on shelves, but rarely seen completed at shows or featured in magazines. An inexpensive model of a unique Russian armoured car with several variations in finish and a good one to test a whitewash finish out on MM without investing too much money.

TOP: Hornet figure painted in oils and Humbrol enamels with the model on a small scenic vignette. ABOVE: Wartime photo with BA-20 model inserted into the scene courtesy of Photoshop. LEFT: Lastly, I used Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna in select areas to create run-off rust and some metalizing using a regular pencil in a few spots.

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“Get Down

Ian Succamore earned himself a Silver Medal at last year’s Euro Militaire with this fine Peninsular War vignette.

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have planned to do this vignette of Major Charles Napier at the Battle of Corunna for a number of years. When I read the excellent book chronicling the battle by C. S. Grant entitled The Road to Corunna I was captivated by an extract from Major Napier’s war diaries, which gave me the idea for a vignette I wished to depict in miniature. Composition is the key to all sculpting and it is even more important when attempting a vignette or diorama. How the figures are animated and how they interact with each other needs an awful lot of consideration. Once the putty is on, and it appears wrong at a later date it becomes extremely difficult to back pedal and change things and in this article I wish to elaborate on much that I have learned regarding planning and accomplishing a vignette that tells a story. For me it is important that my vignette tells a story, otherwise all I will see are some models stuck on a base that appear to be disassociated from each other. I feel that it is also important that the story imparted by the model is clear, so that the viewer can almost instantly understand what the scene is meant to depict. The viewer should be able to recognise what has just happened, and what is about to happen and for this reason I would urge everyone to study the finished vignette before reading on and ask what the scene is depicting and what emotions are being portrayed. Charles Napier was Major of the 50th (West Kent) Regiment of Foot in January 1809 when over the previous winter the French had pushed back the English army west across Northern Spain. The English retreated along what we now know as “The Road to Corunna” and “The Battle of Corunna” was an English defensive action to allow the army to further retreat back to England by boat from the harbour at Corunna. The 50th Regiment was at the front of the action and Major Napier wished them to advance, and gave the order. He led the Regiment himself towards a wall, but when he turned around he found that only his officers and a sergeant had followed him. Some of the officers returned to rally the reluctant men, which left Major Napier, a lieutenant and a sergeant next to the wall, which was described as little more than a pile of rubble. Despite being under heavy fire Major Napier climbed on the wall so that he could berate his lacklustre men. The lieutenant and the sergeant called for him to get down otherwise he would be shot, but Major Napier then in a fit of pique would not climb down from the wall. After he was captured (apparently “barely alive”) a French officer told that he saw the Major standing on the wall so he demanded that no one was to shoot the “bravo officer”. It was this scene of Major Napier, standing on a dilapidated wall while his sergeant and lieutenant called on him to come down, that I wished to depict. Maybe this is the impression

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you got from looking at the finished vignette? If not, I hope your imagination developed a similarly interesting story.

Construction Photograph 1 shows the armature for the Major. The head is a Scale Link piece that has had the eyes, eyebrows and nose removed. Photograph 2 shows how I begin sculpting all my figures and also the composition. The Major has a new face sculpted from a 50:50 mix of Duro and Magic Sculpt (MS). I used the only photo I could find of Major Napier as reference (Photo 3) and this was a depiction of him from his time in India as the Governor of Scinde (1843-47), so he is much older than he would have been at Corunna in 1809. The photo does suggest a beak of a nose and more prominent eyebrows, so this was how I chose to depict the younger man at Corunna. This may look nothing like the Major, but I was not too worried as he is hardly a prominently recognizable character from history. The sergeant and the lieutenant are both in their armature stages; they both have Scale Link heads with eyes and eyebrows removed, and they are both looking up at the Major while trying to take cover behind the wall, which had not been built yet! The Major is standing on Blu-Tack. At this point his arms were too short although this was rectified later. The angles of the figures’ bodies and limbs were moved and corrected

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‘‘ ” ...a French officer told that he saw the Major standing on the wall so he demanded that no one was to shoot the “bravo officer”.

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many times to ensure a correct alignment that, hopefully, complemented each other, and yet still tell a story. The other figures’ faces were sculpted in much the same way as the Major’s. I began by removing the eye detail and the eyebrows, whereas other detail on the faces was adequate for my needs and so they were left alone. The eyes and the eyebrows were re-sculpted with 50:50 Duro/MS. The officer was depicted looking up anxiously and calling to the Major, whereas the sergeant looks up with a frown on his face

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and calls to the Major to get down. Changing the angle of the eyebrows on a face can significantly change the expression in this way. All the green areas on the figures at this stage are the Duro/ MS mix which I find soft enough to work with, but hard enough to hold the finer detail. Rolling out this Duro/MS mix (turning it over regularly) using the handle of a hobby knife and loads of talc will also give you a very thin sheet of putty that is easy enough to cut to shape. You do have to be careful though, as any fingerprints will appear in the wet putty. Once dry it can also be filed, so any imperfections can be dealt with, except those fingerprints! The tools I use for sculpting are shown in Photo 4 and are from top to bottom; an old knife handle that I use as a rolling pin; a pin mounted onto a piece of dowel with a blob of putty; an old paintbrush I use dipped in water to smooth out any imperfections; a spatula; a blunt hobby knife and two rubber-tipped “paint pushers”. The basic rule of sculpting materials is - there are no rules other than the ones that work for you. I must, however, make a reference to a book I use extensively by Burne Hogarth called Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery that gives excellent instruction on how folds form and develop in clothes, and although it is aimed at 2D drawings, I find it an invaluable reference when sculpting. The trousers and boots on all the figures were built up with MS, (Photos 5 & 6). The Major’s boots were sculpted on top of blobs of putty that will eventually be incorporated into the wall he is standing on. By doing it this way I can ensure that the Major’s boots look like they are conforming to the shape of the wall, rather than vice versa. It also ensures that the Major does not appear to be “floating” above the wall. The tails of the coat were fashioned from rolled-out Duro/MS. The soft putty was cut to shape and then stuck onto the figure with a small smear of

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super glue and when dry the coat tails were then filed to a better shape. Photographs 7, 8, 9 and 10 show the Major completed and ready for priming and painting. The bicorn was a resin casting of a master I made using various putties, but more about this later. The sword and its scabbard were attached with Blu-Tack at this stage because I can be a bit clumsy with my fingers when it comes to painting and I have a tendency to break off fragile parts. I did not wish to lose all my hard work to the great carpet monster that eats all these parts. (Why is it they can never be found afterwards?) The scabbard was an item I found in the spares box that has been there for about 20-years, so I have no idea of its origin. The scabbard belts were cut from lead foil. The sword was cut out of a piece of plastic card and filed to shape. All the buttons on the uniform were made from lead foil using a punch and die set. All green parts are Duro/MS, except for the shoulder straps and the spurs. The shoulder straps were made from straight Duro that I rolled out until it was the desired thickness. Once dry it is very flexible and can be cut to shape with the knowledge that it will bend and flex into the shape you wish it to form. A small wipe of super glue will keep it in place and “hey presto”, you have shoulder straps that appear to have moved and lifted with the shoulders, rather than ones that seem glued into place. I use this method to sculpt all straps and belts now. The spurs were much simpler in principle, and also much more of a fiddle. A dried Duro sausage was cut to length and then glued into place for the part that attaches to the boot. The business end of the spur was also made from a dried Duro sausage. I put a longitudinal cut into one end and glued in a circle of lead foil cut out with a punch and die set and glued the other end to the boot.

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The lieutenant All aspects of the sculpting process were identical to those already described. Photographs 11 & 12 show the initial phases of sculpting the lieutenant. Regular checks were made throughout the sculpting process, which were imperative to ensure he was still looking up at his senior officer and that his body language and body angle all worked in relation to the Major’s position in the vignette.

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‘‘” The left arm needed to offer some balance to the position of the body.

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Photographs 13, 14, 15 and 16 show the completed lieutenant ready for priming and painting. His hat is again a resin copy of a master, which contained many imperfections and air bubbles. These were all addressed with MS. Particular attention was given to the position of the arms; the right arm needed to extend directly to the Major, as if reaching to him. The effect would be spoiled completely if his arm seemed to be reaching past him towards some unseen object. The left arm needed to offer some balance to the position of his body. Also, if I left the sword

to hang by his side it would be resting against the floor, which would cause an individual some discomfort as he would be continually having a sword hilt jabbing up into his ribs. I therefore decided to have him pushing the sword out of the way. By making an angle out of the sword it directs the viewer’s eye back to the centre of the vignette, and complements the other angles, which will eventually be created when the whole vignette comes together. This made the left hand pretty awkward to sculpt, but the result was pleasing to the eye as the figure now looked balanced.

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The sergeant Photographs 17 & 18 show the initial phases of creating the sergeant. Again, there are no differences to the building process at this stage although it was at this point that I realised that I needed to pay attention to the equipment he will eventually have. Up until now all of the figures were being sculpted at the same time and to be perfectly honest I realised at a fairly early stage that I would need two bicorn hats that looked identical in every way. I also realised that in the future I may well need the different elements of the equipment for other projects. To avoid having to repeatedly sculpt these items I decided to make a master and then cast these items. Photograph 19 shows the pieces of equipment ready for casting. The sergeant’s pike, however, was not going to be cast. It was created at the same time as the other assorted accoutrements using a piece of brass rod, some plastic card cut into the shape of the blade, and some putty. The brass rod was sharpened by putting it into a Dremel to act as a lathe, then using sandpaper to shape the end. Plastic card was then cut to shape and glued to the end. The shaped plastic card blade was then filled out with MS and once dry it was filed and sanded into a better shape. The cross member was created by super-gluing two sausages of dried Duro to the brass rod. MS was used to create the iron bands around the shaft of the pike. The bicorn was fashioned using rolled out and dried Duro (for its flexibility). The two sides of the hat were cut out using a card template. A circle of lead foil was then cut to the circumference of a 54mm head and a blob of putty was placed on top of the head, and the sides were glued into position. The remaining gaps were then filled with MS. Tassels were sculpted into place using the Duro/MS mix, which all seems easy enough. If only it was true! In reality the result in the photo shows attempt number three. It was a challenge to get the right

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size to fit a head; also to get the side templates to ‘sit’ right against the head with the correct, equidistant gap between them along the top, and to meet at either end, and all at the same time, while getting the glue to dry to everything at once. I hope to never have to do this again! Compared to the bicorn, the backpack was a doddle. A lump of dried Duro/MS was cut and filed to shape. Lead foil and dried Duro, which had been rolled flat, were used for the straps and MS for the blanket roll. The main difficulty was getting the size and shape right, but with perseverance and patience, an adequate result can be achieved. The water bottle also presented its own challenges. The main body was cut from a sausage of dried Duro/MS, which had been rolled to the right diameter, this was then filed down to make the sides neat and smooth. Two layers of lead foil were then super-glued around the outside to represent the wooden sides that stand proud of the main body. More foil was added to create the belt that goes half way round its circumference, and for the straps that hold the belt in position. The stopper was created using a small sausage of putty. At least this is how I meant to make it. Every time I cut out the main body I rolled it across my desk to see if it was circular. I now know that making a perfect circle from a piece of putty is pretty tough and the final result shown in the photo is not my first try at making one of these water bottles, but it is definitely the last! After finally completing all of the accoutrements I passed the master copies of the Back Pack, Water Bottle and Bicorn to my Father who took care of the casting process using a Sylmasta Casting Kit.

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Completing the sergeant Photographs 20, 21, 22 and 23 show the completed sergeant. The multitude of belts and straps were made from Duro as previously

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‘‘ ” The Pike was only positioned with BluTack at this stage, as gluing it in place would have hindered the painting process.

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described. Lead foil was used for the strap of the water bottle, as this stood proud of the figure. The Pike was only positioned with BluTack at this stage, as gluing it in place would have hindered the painting process. As with the lieutenant, a lot of attention was given to the position of the arms and sword. The sword angle needed to complement the position of the lieutenant’s sword and the Pike also had to complement all other aspects of the piece as I wanted it to firstly sit naturally on the wall, and secondly to be at an angle away from the Major to draw the viewer’s eye back towards the bottom centre of the vignette. During the building of this vignette many trial fittings of the different elements (the figures, the figures’ equipment, the wall and the tree) were required to maintain a balance to the whole scene and are, I feel, essential to a successful vignette/diorama. I continuously thought back to the story I was trying to tell

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with all aspects of the vignette needing to be there for a reason to get a successful outcome. For this reason the base was completed very early in the project, and if you will forgive the article writer’s licence to compress time, Photos 24, 25 & 26 show the completed figures in their positions on the magically finished base. I hope these photos help to explain and clarify what I have been trying to describe in the text regarding composition and storytelling. The final point I wish to make involves the bush. It was not just a random piece of shrubbery; I placed it on the base so that its branches reached to the right of the scene. This was intended to give balance to the sergeant’s pike, which angles in the other direction.

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Painting I decided to paint the lieutenant first because he was a complete figure with nothing else to add during the painting process (Photos 27 – 33). I have described in other articles my ‘recipe’ for painting faces so I will not repeat it here. I did have in the back of my mind that the whole vignette needed to work together, so for that reason the figures were repeatedly put into place onto the base to make sure that the effect was maintained. For example, after the eyes were painted on each figure, they were checked in situ to make sure the figure was looking in the right direction. I also made notes of the mixes used for the scarlet jackets of the officers (50:50 Andrea Napoleonic Red and Andrea Dark Red, with Lifecolor Black added for the shadows, and Lifecolor Flesh added for the highlights), so that the more expensive material used for these two would look very similar. I used the same mix for the sergeant’s jacket with the addition of Andrea Wood, to give it a faded and worn look.

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The same can be said for the white trousers. Only black and white in varying mixes were used for these, with Andrea Wood again being the only addition for the sergeant’s trousers. I made a very conscious effort to keep the mixes simple so that the reproduction of these mixes became straightforward. This made it much easier to maintain the uniformity of the figures.

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‘‘ ” I decided to paint the lieutenant first because he was a complete figure with nothing else to add during the painting process.

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I needed the major in place on the wall first as he had the stones of the wall sculpted onto his feet (Photos 34 – 38 show his painting). Last to be painted was the sergeant (Photos 39 – 42). Note the scar on his cheek and worn clothing, to suggest a more seasoned veteran. As his pike would be resting against the stones this item was not going to be glued onto the sergeant until after he was painted. With no further problems encountered with the painting process the sergeant was refitted into the scene and the pike glued in place. His hands were then sculpted from Duro/MS, and painted in the usual way. Once all three figures had been completed I added some dirt using differing earth tones and some black. Doing it this way maintained the uniformity of the dirt colours. I also added less dirt to the major who, due to his rank, would be less likely to get as dirty as the men, and he is not kneeling in the mud. Photographs 43, 44 and 45 show the three figures completed.

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I did try a different approach to my usual painting method and instead of using printers’ inks for the metal areas I decided to try some acrylic metallic colours. The silver metal colours appeared to work for me in the way I intended, but not the gold colours. I feel the gold colours became too vibrant and I found them difficult to shade and highlight. For the silver areas the base was Vallejo Gunmetal highlighted with Vallejo silver and then shaded with washes of Lifecolor Black. I did not have an intermediate gold colour similar to the gunmetal for the silver, which did not help with the gold areas as I base-coated them with straight Andrea Gold that I would have preferred to use as the highlight only. I tried to dull this down a bit with some washes of Vallejo Burnt Umber, but the effect did not please me as much as the silver areas did. In fact, I ended up using Burnt Umber oil paint as a pin wash

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‘‘ ” ...the end result is not far off what I imagined it would be, so for that I must be thankful.

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to accentuate the shadows and dull down the vibrancy of the basecoat. I am currently on the lookout for an intermediate Gold colour that I can use as a basecoat, but until that time I think I shall stick with the printers’ inks and oil paints for the gold colour metals. Photographs 46 – 51 show the finished vignette.

Acknowledgements I would like to thank all those who have contributed advice and shown support for this vignette. It took a year to build and paint, with some small interruptions in between the sculpting and painting processes, but I enjoyed

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every minute of it. I am never happy with the outcome of my figures as I can always see the mistakes. However, this vignette I have a certain sense of satisfaction for, the end result is not far off what I imagined it would be, so for that I must be thankful.

References Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery – Burne Hogarth, Watson-Guptill Publications. British Napoleonic Uniforms – C. E. Franklin, The History Press. The Road to Corunna – C. S. Grant, Partizan Press.

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The Japanese Michael McLaughlin builds Dragon’s IJN Type 2 Ka-Mi and places it on a suitable beach base. ABOVE & LEFT: The author’s completed model. RIGHT: Box art for Dragon’s IJN Type 2 Ka-Mi. A Late Production version with Floating Pontoons is also available from Dragon in 1:35 scale as item 6712.

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apanese tanks have fascinated me ever since I saw the box art of the 1:76 scale Type 97 Chi-Ha in an Airfix catalogue in the 1970s. The unusual camouflage and design of this vehicle, resembled none of the other tanks in the Airfix range and it caught my youthful imagination. Since then I have purchased almost every Japanese tank which I could afford that has been released in larger 1:35 scale. I was extremely tempted by the old Airedale Castings model of this vehicle which was built by John Prigent in MM Vol.38 No.3. However, that kit was out of my price range and my skills at that time would not have done it justice, so I was delighted when the Editor asked me to build this Dragon model and place it in a small scenic setting. The completed model is based on an amalgamation of several propaganda photos, one of which featured a large Japanese Naval ensign attached to the side of a Ka-Mi turret.

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The completed running gear subassemblies, the brass parts on the roadwheels are included in the kit to correct the profile of the hubs.

have landed!

The sub-assemblies of the turret.

Construction I started the build with the running gear and lower hull. As is my habit, I treated the Dragon instructions with great caution, dry-fitting, doublechecking and comparing to reference photos all the parts, which slows down even a simple build, such as this, considerably. My caution was justified and I did not have to venture far to find the first instructional errors: • The hub caps for the idlers part A22 attach to the idler halves parts A18 and A19. • The parts for the idler arm can be found on sprue A and not D. • The propellers are shown transposed compared to contemporary photos. Now it was time for the DS tracks which although they are beautifully detailed, I really did not get along with at all. The best advice which I can offer is to use cyanoacrylate glue (super glue) to join them together and to try to impart some semblance of sag. Dragon’s cyber-hobby.com division did produce a set of individual tracks for this model as item 3888 but unfortunately these are no longer available. I moved on to the upper hull where everything went together without any problems and only a couple of welds needed to be added to the glacis plate part B11. As this vehicle would have been be operating in a tropical climate I chose to model all the visors etc. open, the crew hatches on either side of the turret I cemented closed but with the ventilation covers open. There is another error in the instructions for the operating mechanism of the crew hatches. If you wish to depict the ventilation covers open part D15 should be used and not D18 as instructed. The barrel shrouds of Type 97

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machine guns, although beautifully moulded, should have only one seam on top with two hinges which was easily fixed. With the upper and lower hulls complete and test fitted I decided to add a driver to the lower hull so that his face could be seen through the open visor. I made a floor and a bulkhead from plastic card to prevent unwanted light from the turret hatch and engine deck showing the lack of interior detail. The driver is a 1970s vintage Tamiya partial figure from their Type 97 Chi-Ha kit which had some work done to improve the definition of the clothing. Once primed the face was surprisingly well sculpted and

The completed upper hull test-fitted to the lower hull.

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The sculpting of the face of this 1970s-era Tamiya driver figure has stood the test of time. The only modifications were to the clothing to refine the detail.

ABOVE: A false floor and bulkhead were installed to block unwanted light from entering the driver’s compartment, note the Lego bricks which keep the bulkhead square.

The figure was directionally shaded using black and white.

The painted driver figure cemented in place.

The exquisite Taisho figure which was converted to act as the commander.

To remove the masking tape from the sealed interior an ingenious rip-cord system had to be devised.

would more than suffice for the role. The floor was sprayed matt black and this colour was sprayed into corners etc, with less on the sponsons to give the impression of objects and structures. The figure was painted and firmly cemented in place. This left me with a problem; the painting technique which I wanted to use was not compatible with the usual methods of masking an open visor. After some thought and experimentation I used a piece of knotted string under a piece of masking tape to act as a rip-cord which let me remove the tape from inside the finished model.

The completed commander and gunner in the turret. Note the convincing bamboo cane effect which the author created with a piece of brass rod and acrylic paint!

The turret posed no problems and I substituted the photo-etched part MA6 for C24, because it was finer than the moulded part and more in keeping with references. I modified another Tamiya figure from their Chi-Ha kit to act as the gunner, in a similar manner to the driver figure and cut a slot for the 37mm gun’s shoulder rest to fit into.

Painting the figures I used the same colours for the flesh tones of each figure and varied the applications to match the lighting on each figure, with the exception of the driver where I used a lighter highlight tone. The tanker overalls were painted in Vallejo Russian Uniform WWII 924 and the leather belts and helmets in Vallejo Leather Brown 871, the glass in the goggles were replicated with a drop of Tamiya Smoke X-19. The driver had to be painted before the vehicle was finally assembled and the only light source for this figure was from the driver’s visor, so some directional lighting was called for. I used a similar technique to that which I later used to paint the vehicle exterior to paint the figures. I primed the figure and sprayed matt black upwards at an angle of 45 degrees to fill the shadows and I continued spraying black around the legs and up over the belt.

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I sprayed matt white downwards at an angle of 45 degrees around the figure, but paying particular attention to the face where light would illuminate it. The face was painted in a high contrast style using Andrea Color 2nd Base, shaded with 2nd Shadow and highlighted with 2nd Light. The prehighlighting and shading enhanced the high contrast effect that I wanted, which make the driver’s face more visible through the visor. The commander and gunner were painted in much the same way but the white pre-highlight was more evenly distributed around the figures. The faces had been basecoated with two thin coats of Andrea Color 2nd Base and any visible hair was blocked in with Vallejo 950 Black. Vallejo 822 German Camouflage Black Brown was used under the top eyelid, the irises of the eyes, across the nostrils around, under the bottom lip, the cap/ helmet and between the lips. The shadows were added using just one colour, Andrea Color 2nd Shadow. Where a deeper shadow was required I painted on more Andrea Color 2nd Shadow which makes the colour deeper and more intense. The highlights were added using Andrea Color 1st Base, which was built up in a few layers of decreasing area. The lips were painted with Andrea Color 2nd Shadow. To give the faces a little a little more life I added a heavily thinned coat of Vallejo Transparent Red 934 over the bottom lip and on the cheeks. The 5 o’clock shadow and the hairline at The assembled turret masked and ready for paint.

the back of the head were applied with a thin coat of Vallejo 899 Dark Prussian Blue to add a blue tinge without darkening the underlying colours, using a larger brush to avoid any streaks. The commander is made by Taisho Modelling and is listed as item RM35004. I really liked this figure as soon as I saw it at a model show and I bought it without hesitation! Converting this figure to a SNLF Petty Officer was simply a matter of removing the rank and Army insignia and painting three very small anchors in their place. The trousers were painted in Vallejo German Fieldgrey WWII 830 which is a good match for the SNLF ‘Sea Green’ uniform colour. The tropicaltan shirt was painted in Vallejo 971 Green Grey and highlighted with Vallejo Deck Tan 986 to give a faded effect. The cap was painted with Vallejo Reflective Green 890, with a fine black rank band carefully applied. The cap badge was rather challenging as it is an anchor, which was relatively easy to paint, but with a cherry blossom (Sakura) on the upright post, which was rather difficult and took several attempts before it bore even a passing resemblance to any kind of blossom! The commander came with a plastic card stick, which I replaced with a section of brass rod. As I like a challenge I decided to try to achieve a bamboo effect on this perfectly cylindrical rod. I painted the rod with Vallejo Natural Wood 834 and added blobs of undiluted paint evenly along the length of the rod to represent the joints. I then painted a fine line of Vallejo German Camouflage Black Brown 822 around each joint and then lightened the Vallejo Natural Wood 834 with white to firstly reduce the width of the Black Brown line and to add some highlighting.

All the sub-assemblies in a fresh coat of primer.

‘‘” I really liked this figure as soon as I saw it at a model show and I bought it without hesitation!

Painting and markings The exterior colours of this vehicle have been a matter of some debate, two distinct shades are often seen in contemporary photos, a dark colour which is agreed to be green and a much lighter colour which is often interpreted as grey or Imperial

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ABOVE: Pre-shading was applied with an airbrush. RIGHT: The model was heavily dry-brushed with white.

‘‘ ” The argument presented by Mr. Akira Takizawa for the Imperial Japanese Navy Type 21 camouflage green for this pale colour is, to my mind, the most convincing.

White was sprayed over the top of the model to add highlights and blend the black and white.

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Japanese Navy Type 21 camouflage green. The argument presented by Mr. Akira Takizawa for the Imperial Japanese Navy Type 21 camouflage green for this pale colour is, to my mind, the most convincing. Type 21 camouflage green is a very pale, almost pastel green. The most complete, surviving example of a Ka-Mi at Kubinka which was captured on Shimushu Island is painted in this pale green, where this pale green has been chipped, green paint shows as an undercoat. The interior of this vehicle, according to Mr. Takizawa, is also painted in this colour. This explained some contemporary photos which did not seem to make sense to my western eyes; that the interior of the turret was usually a much darker colour than the hatch interiors which appeared to be painted white, the reverse of the usual practice in the west. The reason for the repaint can only be speculated upon; John Prigent suggested in his seminal article that this was a better camouflage colour for shallow waters where this vehicle would be most vulnerable. I suspect, however, that it was to keep the tank crews busy during the sea passage to the islands where these vehicles were deployed. I had decided, before starting this build not to follow the current fashions and approached the finishing from a fresh perspective, using a technique which had been successful on another model. I wanted highlights and the details to be visible to the casual observer, whilst still appearing natural. I do like simple techniques which yield high-quality results for the minimum application of time, skill and effort, in keeping with my modelling motto: “If you can’t do it right, then cheat!” My method is that extreme shading and highlighting is completed first and it will show through the colour which is subsequently airbrushed over this.

ABOVE: The base colour was sprayed in light coats to preserve the highlighting and shading.

ABOVE: With the decals applied and the details painted the subtle, but effective highlighting and shading becomes apparent. LEFT: Some subtle weathering and the model is ready to be attached to the base.

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The groundwork was made from polystyrene covered with plaster bandage inside a plastic card box.

ABOVE: A very convincing peeling paint effect, see text for details. BELOW: The beach sand was applied and blended onto the model.

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The model was primed, as is my routine, with Halfords’ Grey Primer, then the shadow areas and recesses were airbrushed with Tamiya Flat Black XF-1. I gave everything a heavy dry-brush, of Humbrol Matt White 34 mixed with Winsor & Newton Titanium White oil paint. It does take a little time to adapt to applying a heavy dry-brushing as opposed to the subtle effect which I had spent years achieving. It is better to overdo this stage as the highlights can be reduced with the subsequent application of colour. I concentrated on the upper areas and decreased the amount of dry-brushing towards the bottom. The tracks received extra attention to accentuate the detail. I then used my airbrush to add some white highlights especially on the top where the tropical sun would

bleach the paint and to cut back the black preshade. This was followed by angling the airbrush at 45 degrees and using downward strokes to apply a very thin layer of white to subtly blend the highlighting and shading. I used the most readily available paint which was from White Ensign Models, a supplier with an excellent and rapid mail order service. White Ensign Models Type 21 Camouflage IJN 07, is an enamel paint which can be thinned with ordinary white spirit. I have to admit to a little trepidation about using enamel paint through my airbrush as I associated it with my early attempts at airbrushing which usually ended in disaster and clogged airbrushes! My fears were unfounded and the paint thinned and flowed beautifully and after using it I can see why these paints have such a loyal following among modellers. I sprayed the colour in thin even coats, ensuring that I did not obscure the highlighting and shading. On reflection I could have applied more of the base colour, but I liked the effect that the model changes colour depending on the light from grey to green which is a noticeable feature of the camouflage applied to naval vessels. I applied the flag decals to each side of the turret with a generous application of Micro Sol and Micro Set and carefully opened up the side vision slits which had been covered by the decals. Once dry, I sprayed a light coat of Type 21 Camouflage Green over the decals to take away the bright and glossy effect and blend them into the model. I painted the machine guns and tyres with thin layers of Vallejo Matt Black to retain the highlighting and shading and the hatch interiors were similarly painted with Vallejo Silvergrey 883 which is my preferred colour for white in this scale. The tyres were later washed with blue to impart a slightly faded rubber effect. The flag was made from the Archer Fine Transfers Japanese flag set (item AR35017), which was applied to thin aluminium foil, although this gives a truer scale thickness than the thicker lead foil, it is far more flexible and can

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be all too-easily accidentally bashed. I applied a thin wash of Vallejo USA Tan-Earth 874 followed by a wash of Vallejo Pale Sand 837 to impart a pale coral-sand dust effect.

Weathering I added a few chips and scrapes Using Vallejo Reflective Green 890 to represent underlying green paint and German Camouflage Black Brown 822 for rusted metal. For the exhaust I wanted to depict peeling paint, so I used a scalpel to cut into the plastic and lift sections of plastic away. I undercoated the exposed area of plastic in Vallejo German Camouflage Black Brown 822 and added dots of red-brown and yellowish tones which I had used for the faces to suggest texture. The tracks were given a wash of Vallejo German Camouflage Black Brown 822 to tone down the highlighting and any green overspray and then highlighted with a soft pencil.

Base Most models of this vehicle which I have seen are depicted on level ground but, as I wanted to do something different, I decided to portray this vehicle going uphill. I thought that this would not only be an attractive way to display this model, but would also solve the problem of the tracks which were too tight for my liking. I chose a suitably-sized wooden base and built a frame with an oversized open box structure from plastic card to contain the groundwork. I carved some polystyrene to an appropriate shape for the slope and used this to fine tune the angles at which the model would finally sit. I filled in the gaps in the bank with pieces of polystyrene and covered it with plaster bandage. I carved depressions in the groundwork to accept the tracks and to give an impression of weight on soft sand. The polystyrene was covered with plaster impregnated bandage to form a base layer for the groundwork. The groundwork was built up inside the box and the sides of the box were cut down to fit the groundwork. This modular approach allowed me to create the groundwork without the risk of damaging the wood base or the plastic frame.

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ABOVE: A close-up of the vegetation.

Sand For this model I had to choose between a tropical setting on land or on a beach. A land setting would entail modelling tropical plants which is very timeconsuming and a beach setting would be difficult to render convincingly. As I do not have a great deal of free time, the only realistic option was to tackle one of my modelling phobias… sand! This is one form of terrain which I have studiously avoided as it is extremely difficult to model convincingly, it can look either too coarse or too smooth. For many years

ABOVE: The driver’s face can be seen though the open visor.

LEFT: A close-up of the crew looking down into the turret.

BELOW LEFT: A view of the commander and his bamboo cane.

BELOW: Turret area with crew and Japanese Naval ensign.

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I have carefully studied convincing renditions at Euro Militaire and taken notes and this was the time to apply those observations. The final inspiration came from looking at the colours in the grain of a piece of wood which looked the right colour for sand and I used this to gauge my colours. Sand needs a combination of colours, the most important of which is, surprisingly, black. After some trial and error I came up with a combination which worked to my satisfaction.

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I made up a mixture of Polyfilla, Silver Sand (which I believe is the finest grained sand), PVA glue, water and some Tamiya Desert Yellow XF59. This mixture was spread over the base and had a very coarse texture, as if the beach was made of coarse gravel rather than sand! It was then sprayed with Satin Black car spray paint and concentrated on the area under the tank to give the impression of a shadow. I sprayed Tamiya Desert Yellow XF-59 in a thin coat followed by random lines and blotches in any depressions; this allowed the black to show in shielded areas. The result at this stage was very pink colour and I needed to bring it more towards yellow and white. I sprayed on Tamiya Flat White XF-2 in random lines and highlighted raised areas. I brushed on MIG Productions Beach Sand and set it with MIG Pigment Fixer which shifted the colour to yellow. At this point I had to correct the colour and the texture so I made up a very thin wash of Vallejo Pale Sand 837 and washed this over the groundwork with a wide brush. Finally the colour was getting closer to what I wanted, but the texture was not as it was still too coarse. I added some Micro Balloons, which I normally use for snow, to the Pale Sand wash, added a little more paint to thicken the wash and brushed this mixture on to the coarse groundwork. This finally gave the groundwork the right colouring and texture.

Finishing touches I used small green tufts of Faller scenic grass and Great North Roads ‘Tufts with leaves Spring’ bushes to form the thickening undergrowth at the top of the beach and Hudson & Allen Studio green medium foliage for the low growing straggly plants further down the beach.

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Views of the author’s completed model on its scenic base.

I then painted the wooden base Satin Black using a Halfords spray paint can and glued the model to the base using Araldite Epoxy Resin glue. I needed a nameplate in a hurry and fortunately I found a model picture frame on my workbench. I printed out a simple title onto a sheet of label paper and stuck the label inside the frame. This was heavily varnished before painting over the lettering in gold which was also used for the frame and finally I painted the black background. The entire model was given a coat of Testors’ Dullcote to matt everything down.

Conclusion I was very impressed with the excellent quality and ease of construction of the Dragon kit, but I really do wish Dragon would improve their instructions which would make building their kits a real pleasure rather than feeling as if one is entering a minefield! I was, quite frankly, surprised at how quickly and easily this project was completed using a different approach and for some time afterwards I kept wondering MM what I had missed!

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Suppliers www.whiteensignmodels.com www.acrylicosvallejo.com www.winsornewton.com www.andrea-miniatures.com www.historexagents.com www.miniature-park.com www.dragon-models.com

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Batterie Elefant

‘‘” Heavy artillery for coastal defence was a significant part of the defensive network...

Peter Gillson builds a 21cm Mörser 18 as emplaced on occupied Guernsey during The Second World War.

C

learly, their location in the English Channel, closer to France than England, is why Hitler considered the Channel Islands to be of such strategic importance. However, I suspect that being the only part of British soil he captured was the more emotional reason for this. It was Hitler’s intention that after the War was won France would be demilitarized and given some autonomy under its own Government, but the British Channel Islands would effectively become part of Germany. Whatever the real reason, Hitler ordered that the islands be turned into his “battleships of concrete and steel” and therefore, as part of the Atlantic Wall, a large number of military installations were built. It is estimated that 10% of all the Atlantic Wall weapons and materials were installed in the Channel Islands!

Heavy artillery for coastal defence was a significant part of the defensive network and, excluding antiaircraft guns and close-range casemate guns, there were 41 pieces of heavy artillery of 15cm calibre and above in Guernsey alone in 1944. These ranged from three batteries of 4 x 15cm guns to the mighty Marine Batterie 1 – the Mirus Battery – consisting of 4 x 30.5cm guns formerly mounted in battleships. In total, the Army had eight batteries whereas another three were manned by the Navy, all focussing on defending the coastline of the Island of Guernsey with similar numbers also in Jersey. It is worth noting that since the islands were never invaded they were, from a German point of view, totally wasted and troops would have been far better deployed in Normandy, something that Rommel had wanted to do but Hitler, fortunately for the Allies on D-Day, overruled him. The full list of the artillery batteries in 1944 were: Marine Batterie 1 Mirus

4 x 30.5cm

Marine Batterie 2 Steinbruch

4 x 15cm

Marine Batterie 4 Strassburg

4 x 22cm

7 HKAR 1265 Elefant

3 x 21cm

8 HKAR 1265 Mammut

3 x 21cm

9 HKAR 1265 Rhinozeros

3 x 21cm

10 HKAR 1265 Barbara

4 x 15.5cm

13 HKAR 1265 Scharnhorst

4 x 15cm

14 HKAR 1265 Gneisenau

4 x 15cm

15 HKAR 1265 Dollmann

4 x 22cm

16 HKAR 1265 Radetzsky

4 x 22cm

HKAR Heeres Küstenartillerie-Regiment = Army Coastal Artillery Regiment.

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ABOVE: ABOVE: Map of the battery showing the location of the three guns, the houses mentioned in the text, the observation tower and barbed wire perimeter. BELOW LEFT: Model Making – a scale model of the battery area - now that would make an interesting vignette! BELOW RIGHT: One of the howitzers in its firing position. Photos: Courtesy of Guernsey Museums & Galleries, States of Guernsey, 2014.

Army, Navy or Air Force? As a general rule, naval personnel manned batteries designed to fire on shipping; the army personnel manned those to fire primarily onto the beaches or land targets, while the anti-aircraft batteries (not included in the above list) were manned by air force personnel.

Tactical context Three batteries, each of three guns, utilised the 21cm Mörser 18, these were the Batteries Elefant, manned by 7 HKAR (Army Coastal Artillery

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Howitzer camouflaged before being installed in its gun pit. Photo: Courtesy of Guernsey Museums & Galleries, States of Guernsey, 2014.

Regiment) 1265; Mammut manned by 8 HKAR and Rhinozeros by 9 HKAR, each controlled via the Naval HQ based in St Peter Port which was the subject of a photo walk-around article in MM Vol.41 No.6. The three batteries were located in the island’s centre so they could provide fire all around the island, and each had very similar combat missions. The combat mission for Elefant, taken from German records of 1944, was “To engage enemy forces attempting to land or already landed, especially on the south coast, to provide harassing fire on South Bay and the southern part of Rocqaine Bay, and on targeting landing approaches all around the Island, to provide harbour barrage fire, and to engage enemy targets on land.” These three batteries were in open positions to enable a full 360° field of fire and as such not a lot remains of the positions; fortunately we know from German records of 1944 the total ordnance making up a Elefant battery consisted of: Three x 21cm mortars 18; 1 x 3.7cm anti-tank gun; 1 x 2cm anti-aircraft gun; 2 x MG 34; 2 x MG 257(f); 3 x MG311(f); 3 flame throwers 42, with a barbed wire perimeter. The ‘f’ suffix indicates these weapons were of French origin. During autumn of 1944 the authorised strength was 145, but the actual strength was 122 men. While the area of land taken by this single battery was relatively small, it still required around 20 homes to be vacated, some of which were used as billets for the battery personnel.

21cm Mörser 18 Not only modellers have to test-fit guns onto the groundwork! Photo: Courtesy of Guernsey Museums & Galleries, States of Guernsey, 2014.

This shows the locations of the artillery batteries listed in the text as well as the location of the MNO HQ. It also shows the targeting zones for Vazon bay, code named ‘Fir’.

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This gun, which was introduced into service in 1939, was ideal for the bombardment role because of its high elevation it could drop shells onto indirect target zones such as beaches and valleys hence their location in the centre of the island. Designed and built by Krupp of Essen, the gun itself was based on a First World War design – the Mörser 17 – although the carriage was quite revolutionary, the first to have a double recoil system in which the barrel recoiled on the cradle as normal, but in addition the whole top part of the carriage on which the cradle was fitted, recoiled along the main part of the carriage. This dual system was very effective at dampening the recoil making a very steady firing platform with virtually no movement across the ground, and therefore increasing the gun’s accuracy. Such was the effectiveness of this weapon that specialist rounds were developed, including a concrete piercing round. In 1942 production of the smaller 17cm version, using the same carriage was started and it was found there was very little difference in effectiveness, but with a greater range (29,600 metres as opposed to 16,700 metres), so by 1942 production of the 21cm Mörser 18 had stopped as priority was given to the 17cm Mörser. The 21cm Mörser 18 continued to be used throughout the war and remained a popular howitzer. Preparation for firing was reasonably straightforward, the carriage carried an integral firing platform which could be lowered to the ground, the wheels were then cranked up and the gun was ready to fire. The cradle allowed a 16° traverse, and if more was needed a rear castor wheel would raise the rear spade enabling one man to traverse the

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gun a full 360° if needed. The biggest problem was the slow rate of fire - one round per minute due to the need to lower the gun for it to be loaded.

Target system I do not know if this system was in widespread use by the German Army, but there was a very effective targeting system used in the Channel Islands. Each bay in Guernsey was given a code name, usually a tree, for instance Vazon was called ‘Fir’, the bay was also divided into eight areas, each given a code number, these have been colour coded on the accompanying map. Each battery had these areas pre-ranged so that in the event of an invasion their fire could be quickly and accurately targeted into a specific area, and their fire could easily be redirected as a battle developed. A simple, but effective system, which was fortunately never put to the test in Guernsey.

ABOVE: One of the howitzers in its gun pit. Photo: Courtesy of Guernsey Museums & Galleries, States of Guernsey, 2014. BELOW: Complete but unpainted sub-assemblies.

The model Revell have produced a great little kit of the 21cm Mörser 18 (item 03188) and it’s more like a miniature 1:35 scale kit than my recollection of how 1:72 scale kits used to be, which shows my age! The kit can be built in firing or travelling positions, but as I wanted a simple, compact little vignette, I decided not to build the gun in its firing position, as that would have resulted in the need to build a full emplacement. From a modelling point of view the complication regarding modelling the gun in the travel position is that being such a large gun it was normally transported in two loads, and that would lose the very nature of the gun, (MM Vol.41 No.10, page 42 has photos of a Mörser 17 in two transportation loads). However, for short distances it could be moved in one piece behind its prime mover, such as the SdKfz 9 Famo, which is also included in the kit. I really did not want to build a prime mover, so my solution was to build the gun in short distance travelling form without the halftrack. We know from photos that the guns were delivered before the emplacement had been built so the scenario I decided on was as if it had just been delivered to the location, which was in the middle of fields used for dairy farming. I decided upon adding some figures from AB Figures to set the scene for a group of officers who could be deciding on which of the yet-tobe-completed gun pits this one would go in. I am sure even the efficient Third Reich had time when men stood around wondering what to do! I chose to build the kit straight from the box and not to invest in an aluminium barrel. The build was as per the instructions and there was only one point of note. With the barrel I used some very fine wet and dry sandpaper to smooth the join line down the whole of the plastic barrel, which consists of two parts. The key to this was to have the paper wet and alternate between a few sanding strokes along the length of the barrel with strokes around the barrel, the latter achieved by holding the paper still and rotating the barrel between the fingers of my other hand. In this way, a quite smooth finish was achieved.

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Painting All of the photos indicate that the guns in Guernsey were a single colour and not painted in a camouflage scheme so I decided on a plain Panzer Grey colour. The model has a lot of nooks and crannies so I gave it an undercoat of matt black, the logic being that any areas that I may miss with the top colour would look like deep shadows! Panzer Grey from Lifecolor, lightened with a little beige was used for the basecoat, over this was sprayed a lighter version which was applied in patches to bring out some of the highlights and create an initial weathering effect. A wash of black acrylic was given to emphasize the shadows and this was further enhanced using various grey Faber Castelle watercolour pencils, followed by further washes of black and dark brown. This was only the second time I had tried these pencils but they enabled me to add shading exactly where I wanted it, and using water to smooth and mix the colour. I think these are well worth trying again. A 6B pencil was used to replicate the shiny steel on areas of the gun carriage.

‘‘” I chose to build the kit straight from the box and not to invest in an aluminium barrel.

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ABOVE: The finished model with cover and branches added. BELOW: The painted Mörser.

Georg Spath in the observation tower. Photo: Courtesy of Guernsey Museums & Galleries, States of Guernsey, 2014.

I do not know if the guns deployed in Guernsey had previously seen action in the Battle for France, but I assumed that even if they had, then some maintenance, cleaning and repainting would have occurred during the transit time to Guernsey, therefore wear and tear were kept to a minimum with the emphasis being on representing only a little dirt accumulated during travelling. The lower parts were sprayed with a few earth colours to represent dried mud. In a few areas this was streaked using a brush to simulate the effect of rain on the dirt. The lower parts were darkened by spraying with sepia. When this had dried overnight a few areas were dry-brushed to highlight them. Finally, a few details were highlighted or shaded using the coloured pencils. Photographs show that the gun was delivered to the site with a canvas cover over the breech, and I originally opted not to include one since it would hide most of the gun, but in the end I decided to along the route of historical accuracy and added one!

Reference photos Fortunately, Ludwig Spath donated to the Guernsey Museum and Galleries

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Service a collection of photos taken by his father, Georg, while he served with the battery from 1st December 1940 through to the liberation in May 1945. These document the battery from the arrival of the howitzers at the dock through construction and operation. I was amused to see one photo where one of the howitzers is being “test-fitted” onto the concrete ground works just like full-size modelling!

Setting the scene Each of the locations of the batteries were green field sites used as pasture for diary cattle prior to being commandeered from the farmers. By the time the guns arrived some work would have been completed on the open emplacements, but most of the area would have been left alone and so the grass would have grown to a reasonable height. For this I used a mix of diluted PVA with static grass and model railway meadow mix glued directly to the base, keeping it very simple so the focus was on the gun rather than the base. In order to create the effect of tall grass I added another layer of the grass mix to the base, avoiding the area around the figures so it appeared as if the grass around them had been trampled down by their movements. Well, it nearly looks like that! The gun being a very heavy piece of equipment would undoubtedly leave some track marks in the grass; these were made by pressing down the grass and then painting the tracks with brown water colour, followed by a dusting of crushed pastels.

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was scavenged form my bits box, taken apart and the branches used on the gun, enough to give the impression of camouflage, but not too many that they covered up the gun.

Conclusion

The partially completed figures.

Figures AB Figures produce a great range and I decide to use their figures to represent a group of officers in discussion near the gun. Since the battery arrived during December 1940, having some in greatcoats is not inappropriate. I really like these figures; my only plea is that they add more photos on their Website so the consumer can see what figures are contained in each set. The figures were primed with white and then painted using Vallejo acrylic paints. Flesh tones were a basecoat of a basic Vallejo Flesh 815, left to dry while I turned to the uniforms. Vallejo German Uniform Green 920 was lightened with a little flat flesh – it was the ‘beige’, which was closest to me at the time! This lightened colour was used as a base coat that would also serve for highlights. A thin wash of pure colour 920 was painted over all, but the highlights to form the mid-tone; when dry a mix of 920 and black was used for the shadow. Vallejo paints were also used for details such as belts and boots, etc. When dry, a wash of Andrea Shadow from their set of flesh colour paints was added to the areas of flesh, the feet and lower legs to represent dust.

I have for a long time wanted to build a small scale artillery piece and this kit is just that. A great little kit and a fun project, but it was surprising how long it took. It also made a refreshing change from modelling in 1:35 scale! If anybody knows of a kit (in any scale) of the French 220 L MLE 1917 cannon re-designated the 22cm K532(f), by the Germans, please let me know via the Editor since I would love to try my hand at a model of that type of gun emplaced in the Dollmann Battery which is situated on the south coast of Guernsey and one emplacement of which has recently been renovated.

The completed German officers from AB Figures in place on the vignette.

Acknowledgement My thanks to Matt Harvey from the Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery Service for helping me with the photos.

References Channel Islands at War by George Forty. Photos form the Guernsey Museum and MM Art Gallery Service.

A late change When I again looked at some of the photos held by the museum service I noted that the breech area was covered in canvas during transportation, and before being emplaced the howitzers were roughly camouflaged with branches. Some damp tissue was used to create the cover and painted with various shades of watercolour brown. An old 1:72 scale tree

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Warflat and Crusader at Locomotion, Shildon. This used to be at the now closed Beverley Transport Museum. More information on Warflats and transporting tanks by rail featured in Tankette Vol.46.

The MAFVA column News and views from the Miniature Armoured Fighting Vehicle Association

John Ham explains research for beginners and suggests some unusual information sources!

ABOVE: Monty’s Humber ‘Victory’ at the Coventry Transport Museum. The Airfix kit was the subject of a recent MM article. He was so attached to this vehicle that when it fell from a Mulberry harbour after D-Day, he had it fished out of the sea. It was repaired and running again by the next day! Following the war it was returned to Rootes, the car’s owner. All photos by the author unless otherwise credited.

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nformation and research has always been an important part of the MAFVA ethic and is the basis for producing accurate models. The principle UK military museums are important information sources, and hold historic archive material for those wishing to delve further. However, sometimes other sources turn up which are not quite so obvious. The Coventry Transport Museum is home to a large and interesting collection of motor transport, showing the history of car manufacture in the Midlands. At the time of writing the museum has an exhibition illustrating the Midlands’ manufacturing industry in WW2. Many of the car manufacturers switched to the wartime production of military vehicles and aircraft. Sometimes, these entailed simple conversion to military pattern lighting, or perhaps strengthening suspensions on civilian versions transforming them to staff cars. More substantial was the re-tooling for the manufacture of light armoured reconnaissance cars and armoured cars by companies such as Humber, Guy, Morris and Daimler. The Museum has one of Monty’s Humber staff cars, Victory, in its collection, and also a Daimler armoured car. The current exhibition has assembled a few other military vehicles, and includes a Daimler Dingo Scout Car, Universal Carrier and a Standard Light Utility truck, plus examples of military engines and WW2 motorcycles. Some of the information from this exhibition may enable me to write an article on wartime manufacturing in a future issue of Tankette. LEFT: Daimler Dingo Scout Car at Coventry Transport Museum. One of the best British reconnaissance cars of WW2, this one has post-war smoke dischargers fitted. BELOW: BSA M20 Motorcycle Combination at Coventry Transport Museum. The British Small Arms Company in Small Heath made rifles and .303 Browning Machine Guns as well as the M20 Motorcycle. Some 8,000 machines were ordered by the British Army, and it was also used by other Commonwealth countries.

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MAFVA

ABOVE: An open day at the Charley WW2 Beambending site in Leicestershire. These ultra secret sites were used to jam the Luftwaffe navigational radio beams that allowed them to locate targets in the night bombing campaign on Britain. More views on www.mafva-midlands.weebly.com

The RAF Cosford Air Museum hosts a springtime model show (this year’s takes place on Sunday 6th April, Ed), but apart from the very good aircraft collection, it also has a small collection of military vehicles from the Cold War era. The museum is well worth a visit and admission is free, you just pay to park your car! Locomotion, is the division of the National Railway Museum at Shildon, County Durham. Not only is this an interesting museum for small and big boys, but it contains a Warflat railwagon with a Crusader tank load. The railways were, and still are, the principal means of moving tanks and military vehicles over long distances, reducing mechanical wear and fuel use. Limitations of the railway loading gauge, allowing safe negotiation of tunnels, bridges, platforms and other lineside impedimenta is an important factor in the design and dimensions of military vehicles. The Warflat was the most numerous of a number of strengthened railwagons designed to carry the heavy weight of tanks on the rail network. A lesser-known repository of military vehicles and equipment is the Chatham Historic Dockyard. A large warehouse within the museum houses some of the larger exhibits of the nearby Royal Engineers Museum. Here can be found a Chieftain AVRE, a D8 Caterpillar tractor, diggers, bridging and pontoon equipment, a landmine laying machine and other softskin vehicles. Other attractions in the museum are the opportunity to tour a WW2 destroyer,

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submarine and 19th Century warship, and other dockyard workshops, all making for a good day out. Leaving aside vehicles, many diorama builders look for authenticity to their scenes, and a study of military architecture can provide inspiration. The Muckleburgh Collection in Norfolk is located in a wartime army encampment, which was also part of the Norfolk coastal defences against invasion in WW2. Still surviving on the site are gun emplacements, pillboxes and restored AA gun pits. The Cambridge branch recently visited these as part of a behind-the scenes tour, one of the many benefits of being a MAFVA member. Look out for special open days, too. Local history and preservation groups sometimes open up normally off-limits sites for event days, and are a good chance to view establishments not usually open to the public. John Ham MM [email protected]

ABOVE LEFT: A fully-loaded Chieftain AVRE from the Royal Engineers Museum at Chatham Historic Dockyard. ABOVE RIGHT: Royal Engineers D8 Caterpillar Tractor at Chatham Dockyard. Other RE equipment includes bridging gear and river crossing pontoons. BELOW: Restored 3” AA Gun Pit at Muckleburgh. The site dates from WW1 when an AA battery defended coastal towns from Zeppelin bombing raids. The Collection has a number of military vehicles, artillery and wellconstructed models. See report on www.warwickshirearmourmodellers.com.

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AFV reviews

Small Scale Scene

ABOVE LEFT: Box art for the new 1:72 scale T-90 just released from Revell.

Robin Buckland’s monthly column for military vehicle modellers.

W

ell, Christmas is behind us and if I can speak personally for a moment, so is my full-time career of the last 28-years as I have taken an early retirement. Writing has only ever been part of my hobby, not my real job. I know it is going to feel strange but hopefully at last I will have the time to make more of the models I have sitting around only part finished. Add the impetus given by the prospect of the 100th Anniversary of WW1 it promises to be a time when more new models from that era will present themselves. Even now the news of new models is starting, still a month or two away from the news to be revealed at the main Toy Fairs in the New Year. Potentially some exciting things are already on the way for 2014. One of the things to strike me in 2013 is the number of new models which feature large scale subjects. More 1:72 scale submarines with both a wartime German Type IX and a 1960s era nuclear boat, the USS Skipjack. More vehicles in 1:6 scale from Dragon and ship models now quite

plentiful in 1:350 scale among those I can think of. I wonder if this will continue into 2014, though will we have space to store them of course? A couple of other smaller items that I have built since last time are one of the new Airfix 1:48 scale Quad Bikes and trailer, as well as the 1:35 scale 5th Wheel dolly from Des Kit, to go with their 2000gal Fuel Trailer. Both are relatively small, but really quite neat.

Revell Well, we have seen kits of the T-90 in 1:35 scale already and now Revell have chipped in with a smaller one in 1:72 scale. Developed from the T-72, it has numerous changes that make it a quite different tank, while retaining something of the look of the older

The 1:35 scale 5th wheel Trailer Dolly from Des Kit built up.

One of the pair of 1:48 scale British Army Quad bikes built up from the new Airfix kit.

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ABOVE RIGHT: The new AFV Club 1:35 scale Norwegian Army NM-116.

vehicle. Armed with a 125mm smooth bore main gun, capable of firing standard ammunition and missiles, a co-axial 7.62mm PKT mg and then a 12.7mm NSC mg on the commander’s cupola. Fitted with Kontakt-5 reactive armour panels and the TShU-1 Schtora-1 self-protection system to warn against incoming anti-tank missiles. Power comes from a 12-cylinder diesel engine. First impressions are good, with plenty of detail included, which has been very neatly done. The track is their new style of doing things, with four lengths of moulded track, two for each side. It guides you to heat the lengths in warm water to make it more flexible, then wrap around the assembled running gear (before you put the upper hull on). This worked quite well I found though maybe takes a little bit of getting use to if you are used to the link and length style they have used before. Detail on the hull is nicely done, as it the turret, which has a lot of ‘bits’ to be fitted to it. Be careful to check the instructions for holes to be drilled in the upper turret shell before you glue it to the turret ring, dependant on which of the three variants you plan to model. With extra armour panels on both hull and turret, also extra plates on the side skirts. There are slight variations in the fitting to add or not, depending on which of the three finishing options that are provided for. There is a T-90 in Russian service in 2005, a T-90K again in Russian service but in 2011 this time. These both carry a multi-colour camouflage scheme. Lastly, a T-90S of the Indian Army,

and this is in a different style of camouflage pattern. Overall this is a good-looking kit which is assembling well (I haven’t quite finished it as yet) and I for one am very pleased to see it available in the smaller scale, in a well detailed model. Thanks to Revell for our sample. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit www.revell.de/en or facebook.com/Revell

AFV Club A recent release is an interesting variation on a theme. They have released an excellent 1:35 scale kit of the Norwegian Army Chaffee, the NM-116. Having received a good number of M-24 Chaffees as a result of US support after the end of WW2, these were further developed to soldier on and only finally went out of service in the 1990s. While the familiar Chaffee shape is retained, a change in engine alters the look of the rear deck, smoke dischargers and other fittings change the look of the turret, while the fitting of the French made 90mm low pressure main gun and a .50 cal Browning as the co-axial armament, while the hull mg is removed (which left more internal space for ammunition stowage) it really does take on such a different profile. The kit is beautifully detailed, with even the individual torsion bars to be fitted inside the hull. Then a choice of style for the roadwheels, and you can even mix and match these just as happened on the real tanks. Within the turret the breech of

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AFV reviews

both the main gun and the coaxial .50 cal are included, ideal if you want to model it with the turret hatches open. Talking of the turret, I like the way they have done the cupola in clear plastic, so you paint in the metalwork but it leaves the clear glazing for the vision ports. Clear parts are also supplied for the periscopes to fit in the hatches themselves. The only thing that some will love and some will not is the inclusion of the singlepiece vinyl tracks rather than individual links. Posters are included of the box art, so you can hang that on your study wall, and in this first batch of releases, another ‘bonus’ of a rather scantily clad ‘Valkyrie’ warrior which is also something a bit different. Added to all of this, the camouflage options make for another distinctive element, as the options provide for a selection of 3 and 4-colour splinter camouflage patterns that add to the very different looks that can result from this new kit. With these colours, and the changes in the look of the assembled tank thanks to all the later upgrades and changes to the basic M-24, this new NM116 is a definite hit with me, something familiar yet different to add to an AFV collection. My thanks to AFV Club for our sample, Pocketbond Ltd are the UK importers.

Bronco Another 1:35 scale Valentine variant has been released by Bronco Models, this time the Mk.XI OP. First designed in 1938, the Infantry Tank, Mk.III was

A built up test-shot of Bronco’s Valentine Mk.XI.

something of a balance between the more heavily armoured Infantry Tank and the more lightly armoured Cruiser. With the heavier armour but using the running gear and engine from a cruiser (the A10) if sought to find a balance between the two, giving the better protection along with improved speed and mobility. The first ones though, with the 2lb gun, were under-gunned. Over 8,000 were built of the 11 different marks, with production in both the UK and Canada. A good proportion of them were supplied to Russia under the Lend-Lease agreement, where they proved reliable and popular through to the end of the war. In British service, it was only the later versions, such as this Mk.XI OP, which remained in front line British service, as they had been replaced with Shermans and Cromwells. These versions though did remain in use as command tanks with the units equipped with the 17lb armed Archer SP gun (also available from Bronco of course). The kit is based on the earlier releases from MiniArt which Bronco took over and have made some improvements to. Individual link tracks are provided, and these assemble around a nicely detailed set of running gear. Inside the hull are internal details for the transmission, the

radiators and cooling fans etc in the rear engine compartment, along with the driver’s position in the nose, and detail within the turret itself. The result is of course a well-detailed model both inside and out. In contrast to the one-piece lower hull, the upper hull is made up from multiple elements that assemble to make for a well-detailed eternal shell. The rear engine/radiator covers are separate parts so can be modelled open to allow the interior details to be seen. Ideal if you want to go for a maintenance scene. There are also clear parts provided for the periscopes. An etched-metal fret carries a lot of detail fittings and indicates the level of detailing that Bronco go to for their models. The interior detailing within the hull extends to the turret, which has a welldetailed gun breech and the radio in the small turret extension. Nice that the vision periscopes to install in the turret roof are in clear plastic too. So again ideal if you want to make it with the hatches open to reveal all this extra detailing. There are four marking options provided for, all in a plain Olive Drab finish. One is for the 61st AT Regiment of the

51st Highland Div, in Bremerhaven Germany, in 1945. The next is for the Battery Commander of 102 AT Regt, in the 15th Scottish Infantry Div, Holland 1945. Option 3 is an example in use with the Royal Armoured Corps gunnery school at Lulworth Cove, 1943/4. Then finally, the fourth option, the Troop Commander’s tank of H-Troop, 73rd AT Regt with 30 Corps at the Rhine Crossing in the spring of 1945. Their now standard finishing touch to the packaging and presentation is the inclusion of a poster of the box art, without all the text obscuring the fine illustration. Thanks to Bronco Models for our sample, this is on sale now.

Plastic Soldier Company More news from this company this month, and this time a Churchill in 1:72 scale. Designed primarily as a quick assembly kit for wargamers, these are increasingly popular with many collectors of small scale AFVs as well. There are two complete kits in the box, and they can be assembled as a basic Mk.IV, the Mk.IV 75mm armed gun tank, a Mk.V 95mm Support tank or a Mk.III Petard equipped AVRE. With the cast turret, and some elements simplified a bit (like the A built up example of the new 1:72 Churchill AVRE from The Plastic Soldier Company.

Box art for the new 1:72 Churchill Mk IV from The Plastic Soldier Company.

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AFV reviews

Box art for Zvezda’s 1:100 scale Matilda Mk.I.

Box art for the T-72B in 1:100 scale by Zvezda.

Dragon’s new 1:72 scale late version Type 2 Ka-Mi.

the standard Mk.IV gun tank. No markings are provided in the kit, but there is a good selection of transfers available separately in the Plastic Soldier range so that shouldn’t present any problem. Thanks to Will at the Plastic Soldier Company for our sample. The Plastic Soldier Company, Felstead Cottage, Sandy Lane, Henfield, West Sussex BN5 9UX and they have a website at www. theplasticsoldiercompany.co.uk

Zvezda

Box art for Zvezda’s 1:100 scale BTR-80.

detail on the track shoes and lack of detail to the inside roadwheels) it does indeed assemble very cleanly and quickly. The commander’s cupola gives you a choice, as there is one with the hatches closed and another with them moulded in the open position so you can fit the commander in place. They also include some extra lengths of track which can be put on the hull or turret as extra armour. Assembly instructions are included. The end result, for a quick build model, looks good. The one thing I have started doing on the AVRE that I have built so far is to open out the end of the petard mortar barrel. I have yet to do the second of the two models in the box, but plan to do that as

There have been a number of recent releases in the series of 1:100 scale wargames models from Zvezda, featuring both WW2 and modern subjects. Amongst these is one I was very interested to see, a little quick assembly model of the Matilda Mk.I. Good to see this made in plastic, though rather simplified to enable it to be clipped together without needing glue. Having said that I use glue on these for a more permanent bond. All the parts are contained on the one sprue, and once these are removed and assembled, it is a very quick job to put together. As I said, simplified in places, but in this size you can get away with it and for wargaming purposes this is good to see, and these small kits offer good value for money. I was certainly pleased to see a model of the little Matilda I finally produced in plastic at last. Secondly, among the modern subjects, though staying with the smaller scale of 1:100, a T-72 and a BTR-80. These two modern subjects each come with two sprues of parts, unlike the single one used for the Matilda. Once again, these are

designed to be clipped together, and this works well. Detail is not at all bad, even included on the underside of the hull on the BTR-80. Assembly time is therefore very quick once the parts have been removed from the sprues. Transfers are included, in the form of basic white numbers, to go onto a plain green overall scheme. Well priced these will be popular with wargamers, while also providing some great ideas to give to youngsters, at prices they could afford, and possibly help encourage them to get into the hobby as well. Thanks to Zvezda, and the UK Importer, The Hobby Company.

Dragon Now on sale from Dragon in their 1:72 scale armour range is the later version of the Japanese Type 2 Ka-Mi amphibious tank. The earlier version is already on sale, but now the later version, including the floatation cells which were fitted to the tank and discarded when it reached shore, is now here. It isn’t a complex kit, with the basic

tank (also available in that format alone) with the addition of the buoyancy floats which fit to front and back of the hull. Underneath the back end of the tank itself are twin propellers, while the rudders are on the rear buoyancy tank. This time it also includes a green painted finish rather than the Japanese Navy light grey that was featured in the earlier version. It assembles well, and is an interesting one to see once those buoyancy cells are fitted, though it would be good to see it in a diorama on a beach as the smaller tank drives away from the discarded flotation cells having reached the shore, and prepared for combat on some Pacific island. Available in the UK now, thanks to The Hobby Company who are the importers.

Figures A new range of resin figures is on sale from D-Day Miniature Studio in Poland. As well as some 1:35 scale subjects, they are also doing some in 1:72 scale and that is what we are looking at here, a marvellous group of three Waffen SS officers set in Normandy, 1944. Bodies are cast in one piece, with just the three heads, one arm and one hand cast as additional parts to be fitted. My absolute favourite is the chap with one arm in a sling and the leather greatcoat just draped over his shoulder on the side of the wounded arm. Bags of character and so good to see something like this being produced in small scale as well. I can’t wait to see what else Pawel Krasicki manages to come up with in this scale. Detail on the uniforms along with basic proportions of the figures is excellent I think. Sculpted and produced by Pawel they are available from http://ddayminiaturestudio.com

Zvezda’s T-72B built.

ABOVE: Box illustration and the actual resin figures in this excellent small scale release from D-Day Miniature Studio.

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AFV reviews

The damaged 1:35 scale wall from Des Kit.

Publications This very useful accessory set is now on sale from Bronco Models.

Accessories A new set of 1:35 scale British Field Accessories is now in production from Bronco Models. With two different sprues, and three copies of each in the box, there is plenty here to provide for a number of models or a good size truckload. One sprue set carries the parts for ammunition boxes for the 6pdr while the other has the parts for British pattern jerricans, cookers, enamel mugs, spades, shovels, petrol tins and funnels. Assembly instructions are given on the back of the box while the box art itself gives a good colour guide. There is a set of transfers included which provide the various stencils for the different items in the box, along with an etched-brass fret with parts for the cooker and the central seam of the jerricans. Detailing throughout is very neatly done, and beautifully moulded as we’d expect. This makes a really very useful accessory set for dioramas or indeed for stowage on individual vehicles, and handy to have items suitable for British/ Commonwealth equipment as well as the more readily available German bits of kit. Thanks to Bronco Models for our sample, this is on sale now. Last month I mentioned that the Plastic Soldier Company had started a range of wargames buildings in partnership with 4Ground Models. These are laser cut models of buildings and accessories and come precoloured. The first releases can be purchased individually, but go together to make up the building for a farm, all in 20mm scale. That makes them okay for both 1:76 and 1:72 scale models. The example I have is for the Hay Loft, but they also do a larger barn, farmhouse, and other outbuildings. The parts come laser cut on pre-coloured boards. They press out of these boards very easily, and just leave a tiny fixing point to clean up with a sharp craft knife prior to assembly. Instructions are

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provided and these will guide you through. Both interior and exterior walls are provided, so detail inside and out. Simple enough, assemble the ground floor level first, then the upper floor and finally the roof. These can be done so each section doesn’t need to be glued in place, but they fit together on pegs in each level. That leaves the wargamer able to place troops etc., inside for play. The overall look of the completed buildings is first class, and I found them fun to put together as well. Available from The Plastic Soldier Company, address and website as before. Now word on some diorama accessories from Des Kit in France. These are not new but perhaps not mentioned a great deal compared to their delightful 1:35 scale vehicle models. One piece that caught my eye on their stand at Euro Militaire last September was a length of stone wall in 1:35 scale, with a damaged section to it as well. Given a coat of primer, it will then just need a paint job to make a really good back drop for a diorama. As it is a single resin casting, and with no assembly task involved, there is little else to add other than let you know that Des have rather a nice little range of these diorama accessories available. Available direct from Des Kit, 27, Rue des Hauts de Bonne Eau, 94500 Champigny sur Marne, France. They have a website at http://deskit.online.fr/

The latest copy of Tankette to arrive is issue 48/5, which has a striking photo of a Stuart in the arena at this year’s Tankfest show at Bovington. Inside are a couple of photos of Mastiff, along with a pair of bar armour equipped Saxons. Features cover the Vickers Medium in Russian service, another on the waterproofing of Churchill tanks for wading. There is part 2 of a feature on the Centurion Bridgelayer, part 1 of an article on Saracen plus coverage of the Coastal Museum of Hong Kong. Add some 1:35 scale drawings of a German conversion of the British Mk.VI Light Tank to carry the 75mm PaK 40 and an article on the London MAFVA Open from 2012. Tankette comes with being a member of MAFVA, and details are available from Gary Williams, 45, Balmoral Drive, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire CW4 7JQ or email [email protected] A bit of a new look to the latest Boresight, and primary contents tackling three main build reviews, along with a set of walkround pictures of a restored White M2A1 Scout Car. The three build articles cover the Trumpeter kit of the UAZ-469 by John Robinson (editor of Boresight itself), Chris Lloyd-Staples builds the AFV Club Valentine Mk.II, while President of AMPS, Roy Chow, does an excellent conversion using the Dragon M16 MGC as the basis for his build of the earlier M13, which only mounts two of the .50 cal Brownings in the AA mounting. All three are very neatly done models. In the final section, Jim Guld provides detail photos of the restored M3A1 owned by Tom Ulik in the USA, a restoration now

One of John Woodford’s excellent photos from Tankfest this year adorns the cover of the latest Tankette.

Front cover of Boresight for November/December 2013.

98% complete, though with the wrong size tyres on it still as yet. Some good close-ups on details of the White, so very handy for modellers looking for that extra level of detailing. Boresight is the magazine of the Armor Modelling and Preservation Society, PO Box 374, Weare, NH 03281-0374, USA. MM

The new 20mm scale Hayloft from The Plastic Soldier Company and 4Ground buildings.

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Books

On Parade Books, magazines and DVDs reviewed The Editor welcomes publications for review. Unless a prior arrangement has been made with the Editor review samples WILL NOT be returned. All samples intended for review in ‘On Parade’ should be sent direct to the Editor at the address listed under ‘Editorial’ on the contents page.

Nuts & Bolts Vol.31 “Marder II” Panzerjäger II für 7.5cm Pak 40/2 (Sd.Kfz. 131) by J. Baschin and M. Block. Nuts & Bolts Verlag GbR, Heiner F. Duske, Nikolaus-Otto Str. 10, 24536 Neumünster, Germany. Price £25.15. [email protected] www.nuts-bolts.de The new addition to the Nuts & Bolts library covers a very popular modelling subject, the 7.5cm PaK on the Panzer II chassis. As usual it is bilingual English/ German throughout. A 10-page text introduction deals with the recognition of a need for a large-calibre self-propelled antitank weapon, its development, production, issue to units and unit organisation. Tables here show planned and actual production figures each month plus unit holdings and allocations to units, with dates. Then there are 19-pages of potted unit histories for most user units, with strengths where known, and a table of known chassis numbers. This is very useful because some of these Marder IIs were built on, and others converted from, chassis from all Panzer II Ausfs from small

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c to F, quite apart from there being recognisable ‘early’, ‘mid’ and ‘late’ versions. A few were even converted from tanks in the field with official conversion kits issued to units. There’s also a short chapter about Marder IIs with infra-red equipment, tested as early as Summer 1942. A section about camouflage includes the official specifications for tactical number sizes and positions, and there’s a note about the locations of surviving vehicles as well as a modelling section with details of the Dragon kits available to help you decide which kit to use for a particular vehicle that you want to model from a photo. All this takes us up to page 42, so it’s quite detailed. The expected historic photo section is superb! A total of 63-pages show 179 photos – including the unexpected bonus of some unit conversions with unusual superstructures, most of them using the 5cm PaK 38 instead of the 7.5cm. I suspect there will be some scratchbuilt conversions to these on competition tables next year, helped by the inclusion of John L. Rue’s 1:35 scale plans of them in the plans section which follows the historic photos. Both early and late Marder IIs are also there, of course, with 5-view plans, and there’s a 2-view of the infra-red setup, two 3-views of conversions built on the PzKpfw II Ausf F, and isometric drawings of the late Marder II. Two manual illustrations of the early and late roadwheel springs and bump stops end the plans pages, and then come six colour pages with two profiles on each, and a single page showing the colours and markings of both 5cm and 7.5cm ammunition – even including the base markings on their cases so very useful for

Raid de Dieppe –19 août 1942 by Nicolas Bucourt, Herve Fihue, Frederick Jeanne and Mathieu Masson. Published by Heimdal. Available in the UK from Casemate UK Ltd., 17 Cheap Street, Newbury RG14 5DD. ISBN 978-2-84048-316-8. Price £32.95. casemate-uk@ casematepublishing.co.uk www.casematepublishing.co.uk Another of the marvellous books from the French publisher Heimdal, this time covering the raid on Dieppe in 1942. It failed and resulted in many casualties, largely Canadian, and a lot of lost equipment. It did, however, provide some valuable lessons which were put into practice for the later landings in Normandy, in 1944. While this is published in the French language, the large volume of period photos will attract many modellers and historians I am sure. A large format hardback, of 396-pages, packed with archive photos, plus modern comparisons, surviving memorabilia, documents and maps. The first chapter deals with the period of occupation of Dieppe, from the fall of France in 1940 and the wrecks that were in the harbour when the German Army occupied it, followed by the period of occupation and fortification once the Battle of France was over. Chapter 2 covers the training and preparations for the attack of the Allied forces, in particular the

modellers who want to identify the bases in after-market etched sets and match them to the correct shells. The ‘preserved vehicle’ colour photo section has 50-pages, each with three or four photos. These show all the details that any modeller could ask for. They even include good details of preserved radios as used in both the standard radio

2nd Canadian Infantry Division, and the Brigades which made up the division. They were to cover the central beach landings, while both 3 and 4 Commando were to be engaged on either flank. The use of tank landing craft, along with the early mark Churchill tanks were to tackle a frontal assault on a defended beach. Chapter 3 then deals with the day of the assault, 19th August 1942 when ‘Operation Jubilee’ took place. History records it was a disaster, with many casualties, both dead and prisoners of war. It tells the story, along with a large number of photos, as the disaster unfolded. The photos include the aftermath on the beach, the wrecked vehicles and equipment, the prisoners being rounded up and marched away under guard. Chapter 4 shows us more of the survivors who managed to get back to England, of the prisoners going to captivity and the German forces, included Speer, coming to inspect the abandoned equipment that had been left behind. The Churchill tanks were a topic for inspection, and photos of recovery operations to get them off the beach afterwards are included. These also feature one or two in German markings as they were repaired and subjected to testing. The final and smallest chapter looks at how the Press treated the assault, both the Allied reporting of the failure, and the German propaganda machine shouting about their success from the rooftops as it were. The photo content is about the best I have ever seen all in one book about the Dieppe raid, and I reckon even if your French is not great for the text, then this will still be good for anyone interested in the story and history of the Dieppe Raid. Robin Buckland

setups, as well as of the basic Funksprechgerät ‘d’ originally mounted behind the driver’s front plate. Those are going to be very useful for modellers of other open-topped Panzerjägers as well. The ‘model section’ photos are of an early/mid version and a late one, both with tips on how the models were built. Very highly recommended! John Prigent

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Books

Modelling Grassland and Landscape Detailing by Gordon Gravett. Published by Wild Swan Publications Ltd. UK distributor Bookworld Wholesale, Unit 10 Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire DY13 9QB. ISBN 978-1-908763-06-8. Price £24.95. [email protected] www.bookworldws.co.uk Grass is probably something that is taken for granted by a lot of modellers, but done well is something that greatly enhances any model that is placed upon it. Gordon Gravett is probably better-known in the Model Railway World than in Scale Modelling, but in this, the latest in a series of books on terrain modelling I challenge anyone not to find something of use. In six chapters and 108-pages, this softback book covers grass, weeds and wild flowers, hedges, roads and pavements, and wet areas such as rivers and puddles. The book starts with the premise that we should get out and about and take a good look at the world around us. The references are out there for us to record and use. Gordon suggests always having a digital camera to hand, very easy with the quality of mobile phone cameras available. For those who possibly don’t have access to the right landscape, the book includes some excellent images of suitable terrain. Having decided on the scene required Gordon describes simple and economical ways of building suitable landscape. When you consider that this landscape is being created for having model trains rattling around it, it will have no problems dealing with static scale models.

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Grasses are of course the fundamental element in the book, so are treated with all due respect. All the various types of grass seemed to be covered, along with their methods of application. The electro-static applicators are particularly interesting, especially after seeing them being demonstrated at the Scale ModelWorld show at Telford. For those reluctant to spend money on these items, more economical methods are covered in detail, and wherever possible normal household or inexpensive DIY materials are shown to be just as effective as more specific modelling products. Obviously having more specialised diorama modelling equipment will give faster and more consistent results, but the book shows that these are not necessary to get great results. All the other elements in the book are covered extremely well, and it’s a measure of Mr. Gravett’s skills that several images needed to be scanned carefully to determine whether they were real landscape or superb modelling. Hard landscaping such as roads and pavements are also covered in detail, and show some excellent techniques for creating the worn and polished look that old road surfaces exhibit. The kind of details that are easy to forget are covered, such as the way a tree’s roots will displace the tarmac or paving around the trunk. All the way through the book are little hints and tips that will be of benefit to modellers of all skill levels. The book has three appendixes at the back, showing how to make a simple five-bar gate and stile, the effects of various materials on different paint colours, and a brief rundown of the various material manufacturers. One area to consider of course is the matter of scale, what will work in 1:76 scale may not work in 1:35 scale or larger. So a level of experimentation will be required to achieve a satisfactory result, but they are achievable and will please any modeller. This is a sound investment for anyone interested in improving their dioramas, and has certainly inspired me to spend more time (and no doubt money!) on my efforts. I happily recommend this book to one and all. Simon Hammerton

Pz.Kpfw. III family by Marek Jaszczolt and Slowomir Zajaczkowski. Published by Kagero. Available in the UK from Casemate UK Ltd., 17 Cheap Street, Newbury RG14 5DD. ISBN 978-83-62878-66-6. Price £11.99. casemate-uk@ casematepublishing.co.uk www.casematepublishing.co.uk Number 36 in this excellent series of colour profiles and associated transfer sheets. There are full colour profiles, which give a good guide to the colour scheme on each of 16 different vehicles. There are eight PzKpfw III gun tanks (of assorted variants) and the same for eight different StuG IIIs. Neat captions giving the background to each vehicle are included in both English and Polish. What makes this as a book for modellers though is that a large sheet of transfers are included, with the markings needed for all 16 subjects featured in the book, and they are produced in 1:35, 1:48 and 1:72 scales all on the one sheet. So enough to attract any AFV modeller no matter what your preferred scale (or if you are like me, then all three!). The transfers are printed by Cartograf so you know they are of good quality. Among the vehicles featured in, just to give a guide, there are a PzKpfw III Ausf J in North Africa, in a unit equipped with demolition vehicles; a StuG III Ausf G and a PzKpfw III Ausf N at Kursk; a StuG III F/8 from the Herman Goring Div in Sicily in 1943; along with others on the Eastern Front, in Italy, France and Holland providing a good selection of the different theatres where these well used vehicles saw service. Overall this is of course a little book for PzKpfw III fans in particular, and with such good quality artwork and transfers, it should attract a keen following. Robin Buckland

Panzerkampfwagen T-34 - 747(r) The Soviet T-34 as Beutepanzer and Panzerattrappe in German Wehrmacht Service 1941-45 by Jochen Vollert. UK distributor Bookworld Wholesale, Unit 10 Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire DY13 9QB. ISBN 978-3-936519-36-5. Price £43.99. [email protected] www.bookworldws.co.uk Germany made extensive use of enemy equipment during WW2. Much of this came from stocks in countries they occupied but some were captured or taken over after it had been abandoned on the battlefield. A lot of this was small arms of similar pattern to their own or trucks which could be repaired and maintained using captured spares. Use of armoured vehicles was complicated by several factors including them being unfamiliar in various ways to their new users as well as being all too familiar as enemy equipment to their own side. Many could only be used until they broke down or ran out of ammunition but necessity meant that some were used for far longer. Probably the most numerous enemy tank encountered was the Soviet T-34. When they first came up against them German troops were taken by surprise and found them hard to knock out. But many were abandoned due to breakdowns and so were taken into service. In some cases this was temporary but others were recovered and repaired or even refurbished and adapted to make up for the shortage of tanks. Studying this is the main reason behind this book which, not only covers the use of the T-34 in German service, but also

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deals with wider issues. It begins by describing the system for identifying and classifying enemy vehicles and a general account of those taken into service from various countries before describing Soviet tank design in general, and the T-34 in particular, including technical details and a series of excellent photos illustrating the various different types. Initial encounters with them on the battlefield and the response to that including anti-tank measures and even the design of a tank based very closely on it follow. Detailed figures for the numbers of T-34 in German hands are hard to pin down but those units which are known to have used them along with where and when are listed. The main part of the book is a series of photos showing them in service. These can only be described as amazing. Most were taken by German soldiers themselves and the majority of them appear in print for the first time. Captions give details of the user unit and location where known. The variety of sub-types is extensive enough but it is more than matched by the variety of markings ranging from crosses of many designs to names and other items. Many tanks remained unchanged apart from these markings while some had additional stowage boxes added, a few had cupolas from German tanks or StuGs added and one even had a complete set of tracks from a Panzer complete with suitable sprockets! Others were modified into recovery vehicles or gun towers with one-off conversions to mount loudspeakers or antiaircraft guns with some adapted for railway use. Details of an ambitious plan to collect and refurbish these captured tanks are also included. As if this was not enough, extensive coverage is also given to Attrappen or dummy vehicles. This briefly covers the Great War and inter-war eras including a range of mock-up tanks used for training when nothing else was available. But the emphasis is again on T-34s with many different versions of varying quality and accuracy for use as training aids for identification and close-quarter combat training. The author tells us in the introduction that this book is the result of 20-years’ work and describes it as “the most

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complicated, most exhausting and most expensive research” he has conducted. This is easy to see. With around 550 photos the result is very impressive. It gives readers the chance to see the T-34 in great detail in an often overlooked part of its service. Photographs are clearly reproduced with many full-page views and even ones of the same tank from different angles or at different times. Adding in the extra sections on other captured tanks including full listings of Kennblätter Fremden Geräts from the American Tucker Tiger armoured car to the various Italian tanks taken over in 1943 makes the whole even better. All this presents the reviewer with a major problem. How can such a great book be reviewed? Even calling it “great” cannot do it justice as it has to be seen, read and studied to be appreciated. That can only be done by holding a copy (preferably your own!) so you can truly appreciate the end result. If you have a serious interest in German WW2 armour or the T-34 series you will find it almost too good to be true. Peter Brown

Tankograd NVA 05. Tankograd Publishing, Verlag Jochen Vollert, Am Weichselgarten 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany. UK distributor Bookworld Wholesale, Unit 10 Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire DY13 9QB. Price £9.99. [email protected] www.bookworldws.co.uk This magazine-format series covers the vehicles and equipment of the East German Army. They used a variety of Soviet and own-built vehicles with this issue covering both.

Small Arms, 1914 – 1945 by Michael E. Haskew. Published by Amber Books Limited, 74-77 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF. ISBN 978-1-908273-75-8. Price £19.99. [email protected] www.amberbooks.co.uk I find these Essential Identification Guides from Amber Books a useful reference. On this occasion we have one on military Small Arms covering the First and Second World Wars. The book is divided into six chapters and these are: WW1, Western Front and Dardanelles; WW1, Eastern Front, Italy and the Balkans; Interwar Years; WW2, Poland and Western Theatre; WW2, Eastern Front; WW2, Pacific Theatre. These main chapters are then broken down into smaller sections covering different countries and the various campaigns. Weapons can appear in more than one section, as the historical perspective is given

The Schutzenpanzer 50PK was the NVA’s designation for the BTR-50 series tracked armoured personnel carrier which served from the 1960s until the reunification of the two Germanys in a number of versions. Heavy artillery support included the 152mm Haubitze M43 or D-1 howitzer which is covered along with the S80, S100, T100 and T130 ‘Stalinetz’ tracked tractors which towed them as well as being used as bulldozer vehicles. German-built equipment is represented by the Multicar, a small four-wheeled carrier which was used by Army and Air Force

along with how successful the various weapons were, their performance and usually their production numbers. Weapons are illustrated with a good selection of appropriate archive photos, along with the characteristic colour artwork for each weapon that is a feature of this series of books. Some interesting comparisons are made, such as the one between the WW1 performance of the German MG 08/15, the Vickers Mk.1, French Hotchkiss M1914 and the US Browning M1917. From pistols and rifles through to the machine guns, WW1 saw a new level of firepower on the battlefield, and the casualties of that war are testament enough to its effectiveness. The sheer variety of weaponry is interesting to see. The Interwar section is brief, but covers topics such as the French in North Africa, the Spanish Civil War and the SinoJapanese War. Then WW2 is broken down into theatres, and the war saw more progression in small arms. The established success of the standard British and German rifles remained largely constant through the war, as did the use of the Bren, the Vickers and the German MG34. But it also covers those developments of WW2 such as the cheap to produce British Sten and the Russian PPsH 43, and the excellent results of the simplification of the MG34 to create the MG42. Other classics

units. This was good enough to be adopted by the Bundeswehr who still operate it! A completely different weapon was the Leuchtpistole LP1001 which was a development of the WW2-era LP1 which was also used for some years. A small number of an unusual two-barrelled version were also produced. Coverage of all these uses period black and white photos with a few colour views of the vehicles on the inside and back covers. Main text is in German but there is an English summary with photo captions in both languages. Peter Brown

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such as the Thompson are of course included. Then there were the new developments such as the German FG 42 for the Fallschirmjäger and perhaps very significantly, the development of the Assault Rifle, in the form of the Stg 44, an influence on the post-war weapons development such as the AK. This is a well-put together book, produced in a readable style and with all the information you might need, while the illustrations will be useful for modellers as well. Small Arms 1945 – Present by Martin J. Doughtery. Published by Amber Books Limited, 74-77 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF. ISBN 978-1-908273-17-8. Price £19.99. [email protected] www.amberbooks.co.uk This is another in the useful series of Essential Identification Guides from Amber Books, and of course a companion to the volume covering the years 1914-1945 previously reviewed. Once again it is broken down into chapters by conflicts, so: The Korean War 1950-53; Wars in Asia 1947-89; The Middle East and Africa 1950-2000; Latin America 1950-Present; Modern Wars; Peacekeeping, Counter Terrorism and Law Enforcement. This organisation means weapons get included in more than one section, but with appropriate comments on

how they came to be there, and in the whose hands they were operating. Some helpful historical background and context, as well as lots of facts about the many weapons that are featured. It does include hand-held rocket launchers like the RPG-7, and for the Vietnam modeller, how about putting the German MP44 in the hands of the Vietcong, a weapon supplied to them by Russia from stocks captured at the end of WW2. Such a variation in use over this period, including thing like the .50 cal sniping rifles which are widely used today. Lots of photos of the real thing and equally lots of colour artwork, many of them sectioned views, so this is an excellent reference piece to have on your bookshelf I am happy to suggest. Thanks to Casemate Publishing (www. casematepublishing.co.uk), distributors in the UK for our samples. Robin Buckland

Jupiter – The 7-tonne 6x6 KHD Jupiter in Modern German Army Service by Peter Blume. Tankograd Militarfahrzeug Special No.5044. Tankograd Publishing, Verlag Jochen Vollert, Am Weichselgarten 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany. UK distributor Bookworld Wholesale, Unit 10 Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire DY13 9QB. Price £13.99. [email protected] www.bookworldws.co.uk Designed and built in the early 1960s by Magirus-Deutz, the LKW 7 t gl 6x6 Jupiter Typ 178 D 15 A

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was used in many roles by the German Bundeswhehr. A total of 17 versions were produced, fitted with a various cargo and tipper bodies with and without winches, as fuel and fire trucks, crane trucks and tippers, tractor units for use with Sergeant missiles and as the carrier for the LARS 1 artillery rocket system with a special armoured cab. This book gives a brief history of the company and the development of the Jupiter then provides a full technical description illustrated with small-scale line drawings of the basic versions. Extracts from the vehicle handbook show the engine and cab interior, the different chassis types, axles, suspension and cabs (most versions had a soft-top cab with a special one for the fire engine) Photograph coverage in both black and white and colour illustrate the many variants in use over its long service. As usual all text and photo captions are in both German and English, photo are clearly printed and production is to a high standard. Peter Brown The SS: Hitler’s Instrument of Terror by Gordon Williamson. Published by Amber Books Ltd, 74-77 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF. ISBN 978-178274-028-5. Price £19.99. [email protected] www.amberbooks.co.uk For anybody seeking a comprehensive, illustrated and up-to-date history of the SS, I can recommend this 2013 reprint of Gordon Williamson’s publication which first appeared in 1994. The book’s 297-pages are divided into 12 sections, the first nine of which relate in sequence the whole story of

the SS. Its origins are traced back to the chaos in Germany after its defeat in World War One. Its development as Hitler’s protection squad or Schutz Staffel (whose men all swore total personal allegiance to the Führer) is then highlighted. From its beginnings with just a handful of men the author then traces the growth of the organisation into the multi-headed instrument of control and terror it became, not only within Germany itself but (and with a surprisingly multinational personnel) throughout German occupied Europe, as Hitler’s campaign of Lebensraum leads finally to World War Two. The rise and fall of Nazi military might is outlined through their activities, not only on the battlefield (as the Waffen-SS) but in ruthlessly controlling civilian populations in general and exterminating concentration camp inmates in particular. The final section of this part of the book is appropriately entitled Death Ride and recounts the total collapse of SS military and civilian power under the combined onslaught of the Allied and Soviet armed forces in 1945. The author then provides a tenth section devoted exclusively to the weaponry used by the SS. If the author had ended his book here it would still be of merit, as a well-written and balanced narrative account of what was a grim – but important – episode in the history of the 20th century. The final two sections, however, both add significant extra dimensions to the work as a whole. In the first of these, entitled Just Soldiers?, the author assesses the evidence and concludes that the answer to this oft-posed question may not be quite as straightforward as might appear. To start with, the SS, as the book clearly demonstrates, was not a monolithic organisation. It had no fewer than four major groupings: first, the Gestapo and SD who controlled the domestic front: second, the Totenkopf Division which, though part of the WaffenSS, had a significant role in guarding the concentration camps: third, the WaffenSS divisions manned by foreign volunteers of various nationalities: and fourth, the

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so-called ‘classic’ Waffen-SS divisions. Only the latter, the author argues, had more than a sprinkling of individuals who could readily be exonerated from personal – as opposed to collective – guilt for the often unspeakable deeds of the Third Reich. His cogent analysis of the nature and causes of evil itself is, however, most thought provoking and merits close reading. The final section is a mine of information. Entitled SS Biographies, it contains the photos and biographical details of over 140 men (and one woman) all of whom played a leading role in the organisation. Their nefarious activities and ultimate fate – assassinated (as in the case of Reinhard Heydrich

German Artillery of WW2 edited by Ian V. Hogg. Published by Frontline Books. Published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS. ISBN 9781-84832-725-2. Price £19.99. enquiries@pen-and-sword. co.uk www.pen-and-sword.co.uk First published way back in 1975, Ian Hogg’s reference on German Artillery remains, in my opinion, the best reference there is to this day about the guns and ammunition used by the German armed forces in WW2. Originally published by Arms & Armour Press, it has been difficult, and often expensive, to find a copy in recent years. Great news then that Frontline Books, part of Pen & Sword Books, have reprinted it in paperback format.

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in Prague in 1942), killed in action, executed, imprisoned, disappeared or killed decades later by unknown assailants (as in the case of Joachim Peiper in France in 1976) – are all listed in impressive detail. The book concludes with a section of informative appendices including a list of recommended further reading. These, together with over 270 photos in colour and black and white, plus numerous illustrations and several excellent maps impressively complement the book’s lucid text. Thanks to Casemate Publishing (www. casematepublishing.co.uk), distributors in the UK for our sample. Fred Ledden

The book is organised into sections covering the Organisation of German Artillery in WW2, then splits into Infantry, Mountain, Field, Heavy Field, Heavy, Railway, AntiAircraft, Anti-Tank, Coastal and Recoilless Artillery. The appendices cover Ammunition, Ammunition Markings, Identification of German Artillery Cartridge Cases, Fremdengerat (an intelligence list of foreign weapons with designations) and finally an explanation of the Wehrkreis Organisation in Germany. Each gun has technical details and brief history, along with photos wherever possible. If you want to find out about any German artillery piece, this really is still the best place to do it. Over the last 30-years we have seen lots of new information emerge on WW2 but this remains a great reference for your bookshelf. Now for even better news! If you would like a copy of this book you can order direct from the publisher and, by quoting code MMDC25, you can get a 25% discount off their selling price. Thanks to Pen & Sword for our sample and for offering this special discount for MM readers. Robin Buckland

Marder 1 A5/1 A5A1 – The Marder 1 A5 and 1 A5A1 AIFVs in Modern German Army Service by Karl Schulze. Tankograd Militarfahrzeug Special No.5046. Tankograd Publishing, Verlag Jochen Vollert, Am Weichselgarten 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany. UK distributor Bookworld Wholesale, Unit 10 Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Industrial Estate, Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire DY13 9QB. Price £13.99. [email protected] www.bookworldws.co.uk Since it was introduced into the Panzergrenadiertruppe (armoured infantry force) of the Bundeswehr in the early 1970s the Schutzenpanzer Marder Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle has been regularly improved and updated. The most extensive refit has been to improve the vehicle’s protection against mines and close-range anti-tank weapons. This involved extra armour under the vehicle and on the sides along with mechanical improvements to cope with the increased weight. In all almost 3,500 new parts were fitted to existing vehicles with the end result being designated Marder 1 A5. Weapons remained the same with turret mounting 20mm cannon and coaxial machine gun with a MILAN anti-tank system which can be fitted to the turret or dismounted for use on a tripod. For service in Afghanistan further improvements have been made. An air-conditioning system has been installed and a multispectral camouflage blanket system added which improve conditions inside the vehicle along with electronic countermeasures against improvised explosive devices. Those vehicles so fitted become Marder 1 A5A1. Latest modifications add a raised steel coaming around the rear of the hull to protect troops when using the hatches on the hull top. Additional

stowage is also provided for use when operating away from bases for several days. This latest Tankograd release gives a brief history of the Marder before covering the latest versions in detail. Both are shown in the field in Germany and Afghanistan. Walkarounds show the 1 A5 outside from various angles with some views inside as well including a full-page view into the engine area with a second set of photos of the 1 A5A1 concentrating on the new features with a shorter series showing the latest additions. Apart from two old black and white views of very early vehicles the photos are in colour. Reproduction is excellent with many half-page and full-page photos, even the smaller ones in the walkaround are large enough to show the details clearly. Anyone wanting to model these vehicles has as much visual coverage as they will need, though how they reproduce the ‘soft’ camouflage covering is left up to them! Peter Brown

Objectif La Haye-du-Puits – 3-9 juilliet 1944 by Georges Bernage. Published by Heimdal. Available in the UK from Casemate UK Ltd., 17 Cheap Street, Newbury RG14 5DD. ISBN 978-2-84048-321-2. Price £15.50. casemate-uk@ casematepublishing.co.uk www.casematepublishing. co.uk Another of the Normandy themed books from author Georges Bernage and published by Heimdal. It tackles the fighting in and around the village of La Haye-

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Stuart Asquith’s round up of some of the recent releases from Osprey. www.ospreypublishing.com Bolt Action: Armies of Italy and the Axis (Bolt 7) by various authors. ISBN 978-1-78200-770-8. Price £14.99. With this nicely produced and colourfully illustrated supplement for Bolt Action - the seventh in the series - players can now move on to building a WW2 army for Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Italy or Romania. Fight the Winter War against the Soviets, hold back the Allies in North Africa, or help shore up the German offensives on the Eastern Front. The book contains all the necessary background, rules and army list information needed to field any or all of these armies in the Bolt Action wargame. Details are provided of the organisation and equipment used by these forces during their battle against the Allied forces. Note that Bolt Action: World War II Wargames Rules (£25) is needed to use the armies produced via these lists. Fort William Henry 1755-57: A battle, two sieges and bloody massacre (Campaign 260) by Ian Castle. ISBN 978-1-78200274-1. Price £14.99. The siege of Fort William Henry in 1757 is one of the most famous episodes of the French and Indian War. Built after the

du-Puits, on the Western side of the Normandy bridgehead. This is part of the story of the US breakout from the Cotentin. While the US VII Corps came out and went East, it was VIII Corps who turned West, towards La Haye-du-Puits and Lessay as the targets. This 80-page hardback covers this part of the battle, in the first couple

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battle of Lake George 1755 and subjected to two sieges by the French in March and August 1757, Fort William Henry finally surrendered after a gallant defence by Lieutenant Colonel Monro and his men, the British garrison marching away with Colours flying. What happened next became arguably the most infamous incident of the war – and one that forms an integral part of James Fenimore Cooper’s classic novel The Last of the Mohicans – the ‘massacre’ at Fort William Henry. As the British garrison prepared to march out, a flood of enraged Native Americans swept over the column, unleashing an unstoppable tide of slaughter. Cooper’s novel has shaped today’s view of the incident, but the author of this fascinating new work queries what really happened. His work is based on new research into the conflict as well as archaeological work and updates the views expressed in 1826. Highly recommended. French Guardsman versus Russian Jaeger 1812-14 (Combat 4) by Laurence Spring. ISBN 978-1-78200-362-5. Price £11.99. The Russian Jaeger regiments and Napoleon’s Young Guard clashed repeatedly during the campaigns of 1812-1814. The jaegers were light infantry who gained much experience during the conflict, while the French

of weeks of July. Throughout it is well illustrated, including many from veterans photos, many not seen published before, along with some well known images, which are now put neatly into context of both time and geography. Among the photos are a number covering a US Field Hospital set up in Bolleville, which provide some useful

Young Guard expanded to become the main strike force of their field armies. During the 1812 retreat from Moscow, the Young Guard turned to confront their opponents – which included Jaegers - at Krasnyi, they clashed again at the village of Güldengossa during the battle of Leipzig in 1813 and again at Craonne in 1814. The author tries to place the reader in the shoes of the ordinary soldiers of both sides, tracing the evolving trial of strength between Russian jaegers and French Young Guardsmen. British Battlecruiser vs German Battlecruiser 1914-16 (Duel 56) by Mark Stille. ISBN 978-1-78096-096-8. Price £12.99. The Royal Navy of the early 20th century was a technological innovator. Having already started an arms race with HMS Dreadnought’s armament and steam turbines, it then complemented its new battle fleet with an even more radical concept, the fast, lightly protected battlecruiser, that combined the speed of an armoured cruiser with the ‘big gun’ armament of a battleship. Germany was not slow to follow, with battlecruiser designs that were possibly superior to those of the Royal Navy. When the Great War came, the Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet met at Dogger Bank (24th January 1915) and Jutland (31st

references that could inspire some interesting dioramas. Like others in this series, it is well illustrated with photos from the time, along with modern day comparisons, so it makes for a useful guide if you wanted to travel in the area and visit the places where these events took place. Mixed in are photos of surviving uniforms and equipment, the kind of

May/1st June 1916), where four battlecruisers were sunk – three of these, all British, by catastrophic magazine explosions. This new title compares the rivals’ battlecruiser designs and specifications, as well as looking at their performance in combat, including, interestingly enough, the critical importance of the ships’ powder handling techniques. Italian Soldier in North America 1941-43 (Warrior 169) by P. Crociani and P. P. Battistelli. ISBN 978-1-78096-855-1. Price £11.99. Despite the attention paid to the German Afrika Korps, it was the numerically superior forces of the Italian army that held the line and formed the bulk of the fighting power available to the Axis powers during the war in the desert 1941-1943. Their performance has been criticised over the years, but they suffered from a lack of mobility and poor equipment, which made it impossible for them to meet mobile British and Allied forces on anywhere near equal terms. The Italian army went through many changes through the period, with the introduction of a variety of elite units – armoured, mechanised and parachute divisions – that did much to restore the fighting reputation of the Italian soldier. This book looks at the recruitment, organisation and experience of the Italian forces in the western desert, casting new light on them.

references ideal for modellers. One of a number of books covering the Normandy battles by this author, along with others, which make for an excellent reference source for the campaign. While my French is not what I’d describe as brilliant, I find reading it easier than speaking it if I am honest, but I find these fascinating. Robin Buckland

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Product reviews

Atten-Shun! The Product Review Column The Editor welcomes product samples for review. Unless a prior arrangement has been made with the Editor review samples WILL NOT be returned. All product samples intended for review in ‘Atten-Shun!’ should be sent direct to the Editor at the address listed under ‘Editorial’ on the contents page.

Panda Models Soviet Heavy Tank Object 279 in 1:35 scale In the late 1950s, the Soviets were working on actual tactical problems for carrying out mobile warfare under tactical nuclear warfare conditions. They quickly realized that tanks were extremely vulnerable to ‘rubbling’ – not being able to negotiate blown-down trees, buildings, etc. They also had problems with the ‘Mach Wave’ – the point where the nuclear blast and the air being forced out from under the detonation met and wiped out anything in their path, to include flipping over tanks. To come up with a solution, in 1955 the Council of Ministers authorized prototype design work on a ‘special purpose tank’ to overcome these problems. The chief designer for the project was once again Zhosef Kotin, but he tasked it to L. S. Troyanov of VNII-100. After approval, one prototype was built in December 1959 and two more in May 1960. Testing showed that the tank, dubbed Article 279 (Ob’yekt 279), did not meet the requirements of the government

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resolution and it was cancelled in January 1961. The tank was truly unique. For solving the mobility problem, Troyanov gave it not two but four sets of tracks, covering nearly the entire space under the hull. Due to this arrangement, the tank had a very complex transmission and drive system running down from the main hull to two pontoon-like runners with two sets of tracks on each one. The hull was as thin as it could be made, and as a result a small gondola on the belly accommodated the driver under armour as well as other components. The cast-armoured hull was relatively small but wide, and it was the first heavy tank to store all of its ammunition in the hull; the turret did not require a bustle and remained clear for crew movement. Although some sources say it had the ‘flying saucer’ shape to beat the ‘Mach Wave’ problem, it now seems it was mostly to get as much protection as possible on the tank without having to go up to 80 or 90 metric tons weight (it weighed a claimed 60 metric tons, still 10tons more than the ‘acceptable’ limit for ground commanders).

The tank mounted the mighty 130mm M-65 gun with separate loading, and at the time it was capable of defeating any tank in the world. Armour protection of the main components was up to 305mm thick, but in order to defeat NATO ATGMs the tank was fitted with a smooth set of armoured stand-off plates with a ballistic shaping to add to their resistance. But the result was a tank that wound up being some 4,070mm wide – way past the railway gauge for movement – so the outer sections were removable to narrow it down. Even so, the claimed 3,400mm width was only for the basic armoured hull and not the addons for the attached screening. The tank had a 1,000hp diesel engine and an automatic three-speed transmission (no transfer case) which could propel it up to 55kph and a range of 300km. Video footage of the first prototype chassis being tested shows it to be highly mobile and able to go across nearly any sort of obstacle or terrain. But in the end it was nearly impossible to service and had zero room under the hull to check on either suspension units or tracks. Both the engine and transmission were temperamental and unreliable, and it was just too big for its own good. After remaining a footnote in tank history for years, now not one but three kits are due to market of this interesting if failed tank design. The Panda offering is first (item PH 35005) while others are also due from Takom and Amusing Hobby. The kit replicates most of the crazy features of the prototype with lots and lots of single link tracks! While the instructions tell you to attach the suspension runners (parts C1, 29, 30 and 47) to the hull after adding the wheels and then the tracks, it will be far easier to add the tracks and then cement the pontoons to the hull! However, the drivers have separate drive towers (two A-24/25) that mount separately so you will have to watch it. As I said, they have faithfully copied the original! Once past the suspension (which amounts to about 5⁄6ths of the kit) the rest is pretty straightforward. The tank uses the curious ‘ejection cooling’ system popular at the time in

Leningrad so it comes with the air intake louvres (with photo-etched grilles) and then a three-piece exhaust vent (parts C-33/34-39/40 and two photo-etched grilles) outboard of them. Tool and cable brackets are a combination of photo-etch and styrene. Unlike the Dragon T28 heavy tank kit, the screen sides (sponsons) are both separate and come with a backing plate on them so can be left separate. There is a small gap between them and the hull on the vehicle at Kubinka so a perfect fit is not necessary if you attach them to the hull. It has two conformal auxiliary fuel tanks at the rear of the hull and Panda has done a nice job of them. The gun is two-part styrene but with a Flex-i-file should finish up fairly nice. As the tank never went into service, there are no ‘niceties’ like canvas mantlet covers to worry about. Part B6 is supposed to be a 14.5mm KPVT machine gun in an armoured sleeve and comes with a hollow flash hider via slide-moulding. Note that this tank never carried an AAMG. Some of the fine turret details are either missing or skimped over, but without good photos it will be hard to determine their precise location and fitting. Measurements show the kit to be very close to the original (the base hull on the kit is 101.5mm against 97.1mm wide, but as noted since VNII-100 basically fudged the dimensions to fit within the rail gauge (and cross sections of the hull show that) I think they got it right. Finishing instructions simply show the tank in post-war ‘protective green’ finish that is close to Soviet Khaki No.2 (an old Floquil colour Testors alas did not copy or reissue). No markings are provided and the tank only received any sort of paint or markings in the Kubinka Museum (it currently has a 3-colour camouflage pattern there). Overall, this is a perfectly acceptable kit and it would be hairsplitting to take three kits of this tank in a side-by-side test and judge them differently; but if any rivals come with either singlepiece track runs, or link-andlength, then I think that they will be more popular with modellers! Cookie Sewell Price US $60

Military Modelling Vol.44 No.1 2014

Product reviews

Zvezda Figure sets for ‘Samurai Battles’ in 1:72 scale Russian company Zvezda have added four new boxed sets of plastic self-assembly figures to their increasing range designed to be playing pieces for their expandable game system ‘Samurai Battles’. The boxes in question are Samurai Archers (item 6404), Ninja (item 6406), Peasants with Ammo Supply (item 6415) and Mounted Samurai Archers (item 6416). There are a number of constants between the four boxes; the figures, moulded in light grey plastic, each require

Dragon Models Ltd IJN Type 2 “Ka-Mi” w/Floating Pontoon Late Production in 1:72 scale As it did with the cyberhobby.com spinoff of its 1:35 scale Ka-Mi kit, Dragon has now produced a late model kit with different parts to provide for the final version with a split front pontoon as opposed to the one-piece pontoon in the earlier kit (item 7485).

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some simple assembly, which usually consists of fixing arms in position and figures to their bases, but in some cases a little more work is required. There is the option of fitting each individual figure on its own base, and if required, then placing all such bases on the one supplied multiple base, complete with a banner with which to identify the resultant group. The Samurai figures are supplied with individual yellow or red back banners and there are also decals for applying to these banners. Each box also contains a laminated card displaying the figure group’s abilities under the rules for

‘Samurai Battles’, but these are a bit meaningless without said rules. Sometimes there are additional parts in the boxes, such as ‘ready’ arrows stuck in the ground for the Samurai archers. Finally, each box contains illustrated assembly instructions and a bit of background to the series. The boxed sets are very nicely packaged and presented, plus the full colour artwork provides a useful painting guide. The Samurai Archer box features five figures on foot, four standing, one kneeling and all of them firing their bows. The Peasants with Ammo Supply has three figures on foot, two

The kit (item 7486) replicates the previous release but adds a complete supplemental ‘A’ sprue of 27 parts with the bow and stern pontoon sections, the wading intake and control tower, and all necessary fittings. Note that this kit will build both the early single pontoon and late split pontoon variants. As they have been moulded complete, and not simply ‘stick-on’ parts, the modeller may show the model in the process of dropping its pontoons for combat

which is a nice option. The split pontoon version comes with the inner sides so it can be shown with the pontoons dropped to either side of the bow. This kit has the roadwheels as two-piece bogie assemblies with all other wheels being separate. The lower hull is slidemoulded with all details in place for the suspension mounts. The upper hull is nicely done with ‘see-through’ grilles on the engine deck. Propellers and shafts are separate parts and very petite, but none of the ‘claw’ assemblies of the larger kit are provided. While the 7.7mm machine guns are complete, and part of the turret race is replicated, only a barrel is provided for the main gun. The exhaust guard is provided as an etched-brass grating, however. The DS Tracks once again now come with an installation guide noting they should be 137mm long for proper fit. The ones in the review sample were right at 137mm.

carrying suitable loads and one leading a donkey with panniers. The Ninja box offers five figures, two in the traditional ninja outfit and three in civilian clothes. Finally, the Mounted Samurai Archer box contains two mounted figures, both depicted firing their bows. All in all, these are neat figures, perhaps a little on the small side for those used to metal 25/28mm figures, but the scale is consistent across the range. Expect to pay around £2.69 per box. Further details of this interesting series are available from www.art-of-tactic.com or www.zvezda.org.ru Stuart Asquith

Four (five) marking options are provided, all vehicles in IJN green: Vehicles 651 or 652, Ormoc, Leyte 1944 (white numbers); Vehicle 501, Kurile Islands, 1944 (white numbers); Vehicle 179, Unidentified Unit 1944 (white numbers); Unknown vehicle, Unidentified Unit 1945 (white rectangle on sides of turret). Decals are a tiny targeted set from Cartograf. Overall this matches its cyber-hobby.com ‘big brother’ for quality and should be a popular model to match the previous Dragon Type 2, Type 95 and Type 97 models in 1:72 scale. Cookie Sewell Price £19.99 Dragon Models Ltd., Kong Nam Industrial Building, 10/F, B1, 603-609 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. Tel: 2493 0215. Fax: 2411 0587. [email protected] www.dragon-models.com UK distributors, The Hobby Company, Milton Keynes MK5 8PG.

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Product reviews

Life Miniatures German 6th Army Stalingrad 1942 bust in 1:10 scale Life Miniatures’ bust of a German army soldier (item LMB006) is now available from Historex Agents reduced from £39 to £35.50 in price cuts across the Life Miniatures range. See their website! The kit comprises 11 parts, is cast in light grey polyurethane resin and includes a choice of two heads! The reason is that a pair of spectacles, the steel frame type typically worn by all soldiers of that period, is included and these are

finely cast in three parts, in resin and one of the heads has channels engraved in front of the ears to take the frames. Interesting! The torso is longer than the ‘traditional’ bust and extends below the chest line to the waist belt at the front, whilst retaining the traditional dimensions to just below the shoulder line at the back. A steel helmet and the wooden shaft of a hand grenade thrust through the belt are provided to attach to model. A folded forage cap with epaulette moulded on top fits on the right shoulder and the top end of a Kar 98 rifle (with hooded

foresight) fits onto the figure’s back. As most Life Miniatures’ subjects this one is that little bit different and the head sculpt with its period haircut does “look the part”. Another German, but with detail differences here and there. The master bust was sculpted by Ju-Won Jung and Sang-Eon Lee painted the assembled bust for the box top photo. The kit is

Dragon Models Ltd Battle of Kharkov 1943 figures in 1:35 scale Dragon continues releasing kits of a similar theme but with four single figures for use separately in either dioramas or vehicle bases. This one provides two German and two Soviet figures from the winter of 1943 (item 6782). One of the Germans is wearing the white side of the camouflage parka out and a white helmet cover and is kneeling while firing an MP40; the other German is standing with the field grey side of the parka out and is carrying a German ration can, two loaves of bread and extra canteens. One Soviet soldier is kneeling in a Soviet camouflage combination and is firing a PPSh submachine gun; the other is

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standing with a Moisin rifle and overcoat smoking a cigarette. Both wear the simple Russian furashka fur hat. Each figure consists of at least six parts (head, torso, legs and arms) with a separate skirt for the standing Soviet soldier

and the German with the rations. Soviet weapons are found on the main kit sprue. The kit includes the ‘Gen 2’ gear from Dragon for the Germans along with the complete set of entrenching tools and a full weapons sprue.

available from Historex Agents, Wellington House, 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent CT17 9BZ. [email protected] www.historexagents.com Ken Jones Price £35.50 plus p&p 102, 1F, 469-14, Dapsimni-Dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, South Korea. http://lifeminiatures.kr

Cover painting is by Zgonnik and is much better than the pseudo-Photoshop covers used on some recent kits. But once again the directions are of the “Stick this part here and paint like the box art” variety! Overall the figures are well done and used individually will compliment a vehicle or add to a diorama. Cookie Sewell Price £15.50 Dragon Models Ltd., Kong Nam Industrial Building, 10/F, B1, 603609 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. Tel: 2493 0215. Fax: 2411 0587. [email protected] www.dragon-models.com UK distributors, The Hobby Company, Milton Keynes MK5 8PG.

Military Modelling Vol.44 No.1 2014

Product reviews

Young Miniatures Luftwaffe Pilot North Africa WWII resin bust in 1:10 scale A WW2 German pilot was recently added to the Young Miniatures’ range as item YM1846, an uncomplicated three-part bust kit, cast in cream coloured polyurethane resin – comprising head, upper torso and a piece of moulded rod to mount the bust on. Young B. Song designed the bust and produced the German pilot in tropical kit, wearing a Luftwaffe 1940 tropical pattern fliegermütze with the distinctive splinter proof goggles with tinted lenses worn around it. A life jacket is also worn, the schwimmweste Gerät 10-30 B2. This combination of headgear, goggles and life jacket may be a bit puzzling if worn at one time, but is most probably based on photos of Hauptmann Hans Joachim Marseille of JG27, who can be seen in North Africa in photos and movie film wearing such headgear and goggles just before flying. The tinted goggles made good sunglasses on the ground – and in the air worn over the flying helmet.

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Marseille was a high-scoring pilot who was awarded the Knight’s Cross, with Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds, the cross and clasp that Young B. Song has reproduced at the throat of the figure. On the front of the life jacket near the inflation tube is the Armbandkompass AK39 hung by its leather strap. These compasses had long straps so they could be worn on the fore or upper arm over thick flying clothing, but can be seen in photos secured

to flying clothing, uniforms and equipment. The compass was Luftwaffe issue, enabling downed airmen to get their bearings after baling out or surviving a crash landing. It had a moulded ‘Bakelite’ (phenolic resin with filler) body with a leather strap and alloy fittings. No details are given in the kit for painting the face of this compass, which incidentally was liquid filled, so I’ve drawn up what should be on its dial (reproduced here), which can be either photocopied and reduced,

or scanned and reduced then printed to fit the dial. The AK39 compass body is about 6cm diameter by 2.5cm. At 1:10 scale it measures 6mm on the model, and allowing for the rim, the face should be 5mm diameter to fit. It’s a good model to paint – mainly all light khaki drill and pale yellow for the life jacket; it is cleanly moulded with only ‘pips’ left from the moulding sequence to remove before it’s primed, painted and assembled – and it would be, perhaps, best to paint the head separately. The box top photo gives a good idea of what’s needed where Kirill Kanaev has painted the bust for the Young Miniatures’ box top photo, and his work is reproduced here. The kit is available from Historex Agents, Wellington House, 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent CT17 9BZ. [email protected] www.historexagents.com Ken Jones Price £38 plus p&p Young Miniatures, 693, Un-Dae 1ri, Seo-Myeon, Gyeong-Ju, Gyeong-Buk, Korea. [email protected] www.young-miniatures.com

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Product reviews

Trumpeter HMS Warspite in 1:350 scale Trumpeter have followed their previous release of British battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth (reviewed in MM Vol.42 No.5) with this new model of one of her sister ships HMS Warspite was one of five battleships of the Queen Elizabeth Class; the others were HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Valiant, HMS Barham, and HMS Malaya. HMS Warspite was built at Devonport Dockyard and was commissioned in 1915. Warspite was present at the Battle of Jutland where she sustained heavy damage. After the First World War Warspite and her sisters were retained by the Royal Navy. In the interwar years all five ships underwent extensive refits, which included long antitorpedo bulges, trunked funnels and the addition of anti-aircraft guns. Warspite was completely rebuilt between 1934 and 1936. Warspite survived both World Wars only to be sold off to Metal Industries in 1947 for scrap. On her way to the scrapyard she ran aground in Mounts Bay Cornwall, where she stuck fast. She was eventually scrapped in that location. This kit depicts Warspite as she appeared in 1942. Trumpeter’s well packaged kit contains 18 sprues of finely moulded components plus separate fore and aft deck

Mitches Military Models USAAF POW bust in 200mm scale I almost don’t know where to start with this one! I have never painted a bust before now,

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mouldings, two Walrus aircraft (moulded in transparent plastic), a black plastic display base, brass-etched fret, a small decal sheet, and of cause the assembly instructions. The instruction booklet is laid out in Trumpeter’s usual step-bystep diagram format, guiding the modeller through the 20 individual stages of construction necessary to complete this model. There is a separate painting and marking guide printed in colour showing port, starboard, and plan views of the ship (some of these views are also repeated on the kit’s box art). With the exception of the ship’s aircraft and black display base, the rest of the kit’s components are moulded in a light grey plastic. Close inspection reveals some very fine detail, with even the nameplate text ‘WARSPITE’, reproduced in miniature, on parts E4 and E14. However, my previous observations regarding the moulding and shape of the main armament’s gun barrels still stands. In my opinion these barrels are better replaced with aftermarket alternatives, indeed by the time you read this Trumpeter may well have released their own detail set which may address

but at Euro Militaire 2013 I discovered this new one on the stand of Mitches Military Models and quite simply, I just had to have a go. Cast in resin it is a 200mm scale bust of a USAAF POW (item B21). Now

Close-up of one of the main armament’s gun barrels.

this issue. Trumpeter do supply a brass-etched fret of detail parts, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that this fret is different from the one provided in their earlier release of HMS Queen Elizabeth. Still, as with their Queen Elizabeth kit, Trumpeter have omitted the ship’s cranes from the fret. These are items that would be have benefitted from being reproduced as etched items rather than the somewhat simplified plastic representations (parts J9 and J12) supplied with the kit. Replacement etched cranes may well be a feature of a forthcoming detail set from Trumpeter, but if not will surly be available from the specialist after-market manufacturers. Unlike some of Trumpeter’s other warship kits, which offer the modeller a choice of either full hull or waterline display options, this 1:350 scale kit of Warspite is intended only be built as a full hull model. Indeed converting it to a waterline model while not

for licensing reasons these days I suspect that they can’t market it as what it clearly is but, having recently watched the Great Escape on TV this is most definitely Hilts, or Steve McQueen of course, complete

impossible, would be a bit of a chore as there is no obvious waterline marked either inside or outside of the hull to use as a guide to work to. There are also 13 guide pins/bulkheads that would need to be pre-cut or omitted altogether to enable the kit to be displayed as a waterline model. With well over 500 parts this is certainly a comprehensive kit, with the finished model measuring 558mm in length and a beam of 82.4mm. If you flick through the instruction booklet it’s easy to perceive this model as a daunting project, but if you have good general modelling skills, even if this is your first warship kit, by taking your time and following the instructions carefully you should be in for a challenging but rewarding build which will result in a fine scale model. In the hands of a more experienced modeller though, and super-detailed with the addition of some after-market components, a truly stunning representation of HMS Warspite is undoubtedly possible. Richard Dyer Price 59.99 www.trumpeter-china.com UK distributors Pocketbond, PO Box 60, Welwyn, AL6 0ND.

with flying jacket and baseball in one hand, catcher’s mitt on the other. The sculpting of the face is really remarkable. I look in awe when I see the abilities of sculptors like Carl Reid who is the man behind this one and thanks to Gordon at Mitches Military Models for adding this one to their range. Simple enough in term of parts, which just require the casting points to be cleaned up, and a stand is included to fit to the bust itself. It just requires assembly then priming and painting. A super release! Robin Buckland Price £35. Available from Mitches Military Models, 4 Mill Terrace, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 9AF. [email protected] www.mitchesmilitarymodels. co.uk

Military Modelling Vol.44 No.1 2014

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Product reviews

AFV Club Extra-Thin Camouflage Net Desert Tan in 1:35 scale Back in the 1970s most countries were still using camouflage nets made of ‘scrim’ (dyed burlap) and cotton twine netting. But the US came out with a new standardized system of plastic material on nylon nets which revolutionized the concept. The US system came in sets, with allocation being based on how many sets were needed

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for a specific vehicle or structure such as a tent. Each set came with a large hexagonal net and a smaller triangular one that could be attached to each other by a cord fitted with quick-disconnect clips. The nets could then be draped over variable height poles (each consisted of a number of threefoot sections with a three-bladed ‘propelled’ shaped fibreglass spreader at the top) and using cord and stakes stabilized to the ground or tied off. The set went into two plasticized storage bags, one flat and one like a large golf bag. The nets came with two sides - verdant green for summer and a brown colour for winter on the opposite side.

There were also two types - radar scattering and radar transparent, based on what the vehicle and electronics under it were to accomplish. (Alas, they looked identical!) Also all sets were supposed to be infrared scattering as well. The nets caught on and many other manufacturers and nations copied the idea, with Barracuda of Sweden being the biggest company and most successful thus far. AFV Club has now come up with a novel method to replicate this style of camouflage and provides it in three colours - desert tank (AC35019, the sample), jungle green (AC35020) and snow grey (AC35021). Each sheet is 181 x 255mm or 6.335 x 8.925 metres in scale. The net is made of a tough resin type material but is provided on a waterslide decal sheet to prevent damage. To use the screen, first you must assemble a cardboard former from parts included with the directions (note you have to cut them out). The entire sheet is then immersed in water and

left to soak for three minutes, after which you pry up all four corners to remove it from the backing. The former is then placed on top of the net, and then the sides are pulled up to embrace the former. Once the sides are over the former, the former is inverted and the backing sheet carefully rolled back to leave the net in place on the former. The net can then be stretched out to expose the individual sections of the mesh. Once dry, the net is carefully cut away from the former and is ready for use. As the borders on most nests are only a length of cord with interspersed connectors, this is a pretty fair way to replicate modern netting. The netting is also able to take paint, washes and filters, but only acrylic ones. Overall this is a truly neat and innovative idea and should prove popular, but I have no idea if you can connect several of them to match US practice! Cookie Sewell Price £6.99 UK distributors Pocketbond, PO Box 60, Welwyn, AL6 0ND.

Military Modelling Vol.44 No.1 2014

Product reviews

Dragon Models Ltd SAS 1⁄4 Ton 4x4 Truck ETO in 1:35 scale Based on their success in the desert, Willys Jeeps were used in many purposes by various organizations in Europe as well. The 1st Airborne Division (UK) used them as scout vehicles, including an attempt to land them at Arnhem in 1944. But they were used in many other scouting and raiding roles as well. This kit (item 6725) is the ‘Euro’ version of the vehicle and compliments the SAS ‘Desert Raider’ versions with all of the modifications made for use in Europe. It comes with standardized fittings for extra fuel tanks and ‘flimsy’ cans plus a variety of armament options. They have also included the 2nd SAS Regiment figure set (item 6199) from 2008 to give some figures to complement the vehicle, but none are designed to fit inside it. As it has corrected parts as well as some nice new ones it now comes on nine sprues but the body and frame are removed from their sprues and bagged separately in the box. The body is slide-moulded with all but the grille and rear plate. There are some serious injection pin marks on the bottom of the body and under the mudguards, but other than the wheelarch wells I don’t think most modellers will bother with removing them. The frame is also one piece with all braces and the rear ‘bumperettes’ moulded in place. A so-so towhook is also moulded in place on the frame, but as the opening section of the military hitch is provided (part B45) as a separate part it will probably look better when assembled. The driveline is typical of modern kits, axles with differentials and a separate differential cover, separate shock absorbers, steering links and a tie rod. The transfer case comes with the front driveshaft in place but the rear one is a separate part. The wheels are conventional front half with all tread/rear insert type (staggered tread pattern) and separate

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brake drums. Springs are the usual type, but the skid plate comes with the muffler attached (part B41) which is new to me for an assembly. The model comes with a cutout grille but then emphasizes a new correct moulded full grille which comes with the new set of universal tyres. My eye tells me they are virtually identical other than the missing bars, so apparently Dragon has corrected the original grille with incorrect spacing and location of the blackout lights. As this is the ‘Euro’ version it comes with a backing plate of armoured louvres, but these are a single piece. With appropriate painting and finishing techniques it should look the part, however. A ‘blackout’ disk is included from brass for the right side headlight to match British practice. This kit comes with extended range fuel tanks on the tops of the rear wheelarches as well as four ‘flimsy’ fuel cans on the rear plate. Etched-brass tie-down

straps are included for all of these cans to attach them to the vehicle. Two bracket carriers mount one on each front mudguard as well. This vehicle offers a wide choice of armament as it comes with no less than eight Vickers K machine guns and a pair of M2 air-cooled .50 calibres as well. Armoured windscreens are included in either clear styrene or sold grey, so the modeller has a choice on what to do with them. A total of 10 disc magazines are included for the K guns and the box art and directions show no less than five of them mounted on the representative vehicle. The engine consists of 15 parts and looks the part, and it comes with a separate radiator. This consists of three main parts, but it also has the headlights and blackout lights attached. These take clear lenses (for those who wish to use them) and must be installed before the radiator is mounted to the body. It also comes with an expansion tank (part B21)

but no hoses are provided to connect them. The seats have separate pads and backs, and the controls are very complete, to include pedals. The figures are of four men in ‘para’ suits and berets, so can be finished as either SAS or paratroopers at the modeller’s discretion. Each one comes in six parts per the normal breakdown with additional Commonwealth kit for completion. Ron Volstad’s artwork playfully shows two Paras and an SAS man in a Jeep surprising a pair of Germans in an Opel Blitz! There are two finishing options: both are for SAS vehicles in Northwest Europe 1945. One is standard green/ olive drab and the other is green with black ‘Mickey Mouse’ camouflage. A sheet of Cartograf decals provides for instruments and a ‘number jungle’ for the census number. The figures are given blue/grey/white painting instructions and the box art provides better information on their finishing. Overall this is a nice kit and probably can be used in a number of ways - I unfortunately do not have the specific changes made to the 1st Airborne scout Jeeps used or lost at Arnhem. Cookie Sewell Price £29.99 Dragon Models Ltd., Kong Nam Industrial Building, 10/F, B1, 603-609 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. Tel: 2493 0215. Fax: 2411 0587. [email protected] www.dragon-models.com UK distributors, The Hobby Company, Milton Keynes MK5 8PG.

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Product reviews

Revell US Navy Skipjack - Class Submarine in 1:72 scale Unlike her submarine forebears of WW2, the USS Skipjack (SSN-585) was very different in appearance, with a sleek uncluttered hydrodynamic teardrop shape. USS Skipjack was one of the US Navy’s first nuclear powered attack submarines and, after testing and evaluation, was transferred to the fleet on 15th April 1959. During a large navel exercise, her first interaction with multiple surface ships, Skipjack was able to ‘sink’ every large carrier involved in the wargame! By 1962 the US Navy had commissioned five more Skipjack Class submarines. With her then newly developed S5W reactor, Skipjack and her sisters were able to operate submerged for months at a time.

Bison Decals Decal sheets for American AFVs in North Africa in 1:35 scale American AFVs in Tunisia used a variety of colourful markings, including yellow stars and turret bands and geometrical tactical signs and large numbers within units. These four new sets from Bison offer modellers several options for these. Set 35125 covers Stuarts and Priests These are an M3 with the D39273 ‘horseshoe’ turret and cupola named New Hampshire 4 from 13th Armored Regiment at Kasserine and three options for tanks with D58101 ‘flat top’ turrets from 1st Armored Regiment tanks with enough

The Skipjack Class submarines proved to be fast and agile with a submerged top speed of over 30-knots, and carrying a total of 24 torpedoes with six forward firing torpedo tubes the Skipjacks’ had teeth too! USS Skipjack was the last of the class to be decommissioned and was finally retired from service on 19th April 1990. The review sample (item 05119) is boxed to the usual Revell style, with colour artwork on the top to illustrate the subject within and some close-up photos of a painted prototype model on one of the side panels. Inside the box is a cardboard insert offering some added

protection to the kit underneath. Revell have done a good job in packaging this submarine model in a sturdy and reinforced box, however even with the cardboard insert there is still space for the main hull components to slide about and potentially, be damaged or cause damage to, other smaller components. Luckily my review sample seems to be all intact! Once the cardboard insert is lifted from the box you get your first glimpse of the kit contents. There are five polythene bags containing the kit components and sprues. The four main sections of the hull (two to a bag) have been

decals to depict one model from different names and flag combinations. An early M7 with US flag including an incomplete version and another named The Texas Special from 34th Cannon Company with added mud camouflage complete the set. Set 35126 covers Shermans An early production M4 from 1st Armoured Regiment at Kasserine had large numbers on the hull and mud camouflage (oddly the instruction sheet drawing shows an M4A2 which is not correct) The other four options are M4A1. A clean 66th Regiment tank seen at Oran had a leaping fox on the side and extra fuel cans stowed on the engine deck white another 2nd Armored Division tank with mud added both had yellow roofs. Two 1st Armored Regiment tanks had variations in markings in yellow including a turret band and a simpler option with white stars.

another from the 13th with flags, a turretless command tank also from the 13th and finally two options for 1st Armored Regiment tanks with red and white turret numbers. All decals are clearly printed by Begemot the markings in a matt finish though the backing film is glossy. Flag markings are produced in two parts with separate red and white bars and blue and white stars sections for clearer detail. Instructions are on A4 sheets with black and white drawings giving the basic appearance of

Set 35127 covers M5A1 Stuart and Half-tracks The Stuart had mud camouflage with very thick rings around its white stars. Half-track options are for an M2 with yellow stars and flag, an M3 with white stars and flag and an M2 fitted with 37mm anti-tank gun and shield with white stars in blue discs and yellow and black tac marking. Set 35128 covers Lees Four tanks can be depicted, one of three possible options for a 13th Armored Regiment tank with yellow stars and turret band,

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packaged with a small block of polystyrene and thin sheets of protective foam. With the exception of a small sprue of transparent parts, which are bagged with four small photo-etched components, the kit is all moulded in a light grey plastic. The quality of the moulding is good with engraved panel lines and vents. The kit also includes parts for a plastic pedestal type display stand, though I personally think that the finished model would look better with pedestals made from turned brass or aluminium. A trip to your local DIY store may offer something that could be used to create a

Product reviews

suitable alternative. While on the subject the stand, I was intrigued to find the logo of a company called ‘Moebius Models’ discreetly moulded underneath one of the square stand bases and ‘© 2012 Made in China’ (there is also the date ‘11/30/2012’ printed in black) so it would appear that this kit is not an original tooling from Revell but a repackaged Moebius Models kit sold under the Revell brand name. Of course there are the kit’s multilingual instructions, in this case a 13-page A4 booklet in Revell’s usual step-by-step diagram format. There are 30 separate stages of construction necessary to complete this model, which include the painting and decal placement guide for all six of the Skipjack Class submarines (stages 25 to 30).

each vehicle to show where each marking goes are to be placed along with a ‘map’ showing the layout of the sheet with keys to identify each item. Colour versions of the instructions can be downloaded from the Internet address given. Print run is limited to 250 sets, UK price for the sets is £4.99 each. Several shops and mail order companies stock them and their website www.bison-decals.com has details of them as well as instructions for those who want to buy direct. Many thanks to Johan Lexell for sending a set for review. Peter Brown

Colour reference codes are from Revell’s own range of paints. The decals appear to be well printed with good registration, however there are the inevitable large areas of transparent carrier film notably between the three digit pennant numbers. Use of proven decal application solutions would be advisable and should prevent any chance of ‘silvering’. Finally, there are four photoetched components, parts 52 and 53, (two of each). As these are circular objects they are not attached to a fret and are ready to be glued to the underside of the hull. The instructions should be carefully studied to ensure their correct location; this is shown in stage 16 of the assembly sequence. With a parts count of just 60 (which includes the display stand and photo-etched components)

this kit should be simple enough to build, but with the finished model measuring 106.7cm you will have to clear some space on your shelf, or rearrange the models in your stash to accommodate the unbuilt kit! To conclude, this kit has to be one of the best replicas of a Skipjack Class submarine available on the market today, it’s a well engineered kit that with care should build into an impressive centre piece of anyone’s model collection. The finished kit could be displayed on the plastic stand provided, or how about as a waterline model depicting the submarine recently surfaced or just about to dive? As already noted, in 1:72 scale a Skipjack Class submarine is not a small model, and in fact there is good reason for the choice of scale

as, not only is it a recognisable standard modelling scale, it also produces a submarine model with a hull large enough to accommodate r/c equipment to enable a working model to be built. Yes it is possible, and for those interested in attempting this I would recommend visiting www.sub-driver.com which is a company who specialise in kits, parts, and supplies necessary items to convert static model submarines into fully operational diving models. Recommend to maritime and military modellers alike. Richard Dyer Price £69.99 Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit www.revell.de/en facebook.com/Revell

Shamrock Miniatures Michael Collins’ figure in 75mm Michael Collins was serving as the Chairman of the Provisional Government of Ireland and Commander-in-Chief of its National army when he was shot dead in a gun battle following the ambush of his convoy by anti-Treaty members of the IRA in August 1922 during the Irish Civil War. Collins, known as “The Big Fellah” knew there would be problems visiting areas where forces anti to him were established, but he firmly believed they would not attempt to kill him in “his own country”. Shamrock Miniatures first ‘historical figure’ (item SMH01) is a 1:24 scale study of Collins, cast in light grey polyurethane resin in six parts and dressed in his C-in-C’s uniform, carrying his pistol in an open-topped leather holster on his right side in a distinctive low slung, ‘gunslinger’ attitude. A similar ‘rig’ in webbing was adopted for British tank crews in the Second World War. The 1:24 scale figure is both quoted as 80mm and 75mm on the box, however size is something most modellers would not bother about and a

5mm difference is neither here nor there within a quoted ration. Collins was a tall man and this is a good likeness and study based on the many photos of him in Irish Army uniform. The completed and painted model in the box top photo will have to serve as a painting reference. An appropriate and unusual choice, but not

surprising from a new and appropriately named Irish figure manufacturer. The kit is available from Historex Agents, Wellington House, 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent CT17 9BZ. [email protected] www.historexagents.com Ken Jones Price £22.75 plus p&p www.shamrockminiatures.com

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