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M1 Abrams In Action
The Abrams family of tanks has been America’s premier main battle tank for over 30 years, and remains arguably one of the most formidable tanks in the world. 80 pages, 230 photographs plus detailed line drawings and a colour profile.
£11.99
A V I D
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Modelling Grassland and Panzer Tracts No.22-4 Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen Landscape Detailing Featuring Weeds and Wild Flowers, 8t (Sd.Kfz.7) This 88-page Panzer Hedges, Roads and Pavements, Mud, Puddles and Rivers by Gordon Gravett. This book is a great follow up, to the two books published on Modelling Trees. Full Colour, 108 pages.
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Nuts & Bolts Volume 31 - Marder II Panzerjager II fur 7.5cm Pak 40/2 (Sd.Kfz.131) 176 pages, 365 photos, of these 190 contemporary photos from manuals, combat and War fronts in b/w, a number of them previously unpublished; 155 colour photos, 20 colour photos of the two models from Tony Greenland & Vinnie Branigan, 10 pages scale drawings of all versions. £25.15
Tracts is the ultimate accurate primary source reference on the m Zgkw.8t (Sd. Kfz.7) with over 15 Pages of 1:35 scale drawings and 109 clear, large-format, photos most of which have never been published. £23.99
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Panzer Tracts No.16-1 - Bergepanther Ausf.D, A, G. This 84-page Panzer Tracts is
the ultimate primary source reference on the Bergepanther with over 21 pages 1:35 scale drawings and 82 clear, largeformat photos, many which have never been seen before.
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Camouflage & Markings of Canadian Military Vehicles in World War Two
Panzerkampfwagen T 34 - 747(r)
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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.
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The Soviet T-34 Tank as Beutepanzer and Panzerattrappe in German Wehrmacht Service 1941-45. This book is illustrated with 552 black and white photographs, the bulk of which have hitherto gone unpublished, 328 pages.
Camouflage Profile Guide Waffen SS Colors Through 80
pages and more than 180 profiles, this book examines the history of colors and camouflage used by the Waffen SS on their vehicles. From a BMW sidecar 75 prior to the invasion of Poland to the King Tiger 501 s.SS.Pz.Abt used by LAH Peiper in the Ardennes, this book covers a wide variety of vehicles, colors, and camouflage used by this dark branch of the Wehrmacht. £20.99
Illustrated with over 200 photographs. 80 pages.
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Ideal compagnion for modellers and fans of technology. Complete background history and variants.
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Sturmgeschutz III Czechoslovak Tanks 1930-45 Photo Album Prototypes, Tankettes, Light and Medium Tanks, on the Battlefield 2 Export Tankettes and Tanks, LT vz. 35 - Panzerkampfwagen Pz.Kpfw. 35 (t).Progress, construction and each type of tanks made in Czechoslovakia between years 1930-1945 are catched in the first type of this photoalbum. On more than 144 pages of this book you will find out 420 period photos of every prototypes of Tankettes, Light Tanks, Medium Tanks and other exceptional vehicles, which were been made by two of main manufactures ?KD and Skoda in this period. £23.99
World War Two Photobooks series Volume 4 by Peko Publishing. This publication focuses on certain details of production and its combat use from 10th May 1940 until 5th December 1941. Hardback,landscape format, 112 pages, black and white photographs. £23.99
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photographs. Hardback, 223 pages.
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On Display Volume 3-British Steel 96 pages, full colour, paperback, British WWII
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Light Car Patrols 1916-1919
Captain Claud Williams memoir tells, first-hand, what it was like to be a Light Car Patrol commander during the First World War. 276 pages, Lavishly illustrated with original photographs from Light Car officers, this combined memoir and history provides a fascinating and informative picture of an unsung hero of the desert - the Model T Ford.
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Military Miniatures in
Review No 59 Chapters include: The M48 Patton. Part One: An introduction to the wild and wacky world of 3D printing: War Pig. Creating a U.S Special Forces LMTV: Type 94 Times Two. Cargo trucks from Fine Molds: Building Bridges. The Resicast Churchill ARK Mk.II Italian Pattern conversion. Plus more. 80 pages, full colour. £8.99
British Military Trucks of World Gama Goat Detail In Action Tankograd 6029 - U.S. WW II Nurnberg’s Panzer This 80-page volume chronicles the design, War One Types and Variants of Ward LaFrance / Kenworth M1 - Factory development, testing and field use of this iconic This book is an illustrated study of British-Built and Non-British-Built vehicle through 143 vintage colour and black- M1A1 Heavy Wreckers the vehicles designed, developed 48 pages with 150-200 illustrations, among them Trucks in British Army, Royal Navy and-white photos, as well as showcasing the and produced at the M-A-N plant in WW2 action photos, colour photos and technical and Royal Flying Corps Service nuances of the remarkable design via 74 colour drawings. Illustrated throughout. Excerpts of technical Nurnberg during the period 1934-1945. 1914-18 This book is the first-ever publication photos of immaculately preserved examples. manuals, wartime photos, photos of restored vehicles. Fully illustrated with 222 Black/White granting a comprehensive overview of military trucks used by the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Flying Corps in World War One. Hardback, 200 pages, 396 black-and-white photographs. £34.99
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Firefly Collection No 6 - To The Last Bullet: Germany’s War On 3 Fronts - Part 2: Italy 13 pages of full colour artwork by Dennis Oliver highlighting over 40 different vehicles including Panthers, Tigers, Panzer III and IV tanks, half-tracks, the Nashorn self-propelled gun and of course the ubiquitous StuG. £14.99
Tankograd 9021 - Challeng- Tiran in Lebanese Wars er 2 Main Weapon System In its 96 pages, this book will show the modover 300 unpublished and high quality in Armoured Regiments of eller photos of the Tiran. It includes photos of the British Army this tank in combat, destroyed, variants, on First fielded in 1998, the Challenger 2 main battle tank is today the main weapon system in armoured regiments of the British Army.Illustrated with 139 colour photographs, 64 pages.
£13.99
The Weathering Magazine 6 - Kursk and Vegetation
The Weathering Magazine” arrives as a specialized publication designed for modelers of all skill levels and subjects. Each issue delivers to you, the most advanced weathering techniques and the related products used to achieve incredible results.
£8.99
maneuvers, a walk-around of all the details, and more. The modeler will also enjoy the innumerable effects, damage, deterioration, grease, chipping, etc, this vehicle presented during its operational life and use them as inspiration for their models not only of Tiran but any other tank. £21.99
Camouflage & Markings 7 - The Israeli Air Force Part.3 - 2002 to 2012 By Ofer Zidon. Paperback, 96 pages, Colour photos, colour profiles and line drawings. Guideline Publications.
£17.99
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17/01/2014 10:50
Contents - Issue 95 March 2014 37
REGULARS
FEATURES
p 4 NEWS
p 6 THINK TANK
p 54 INCOMING
p 13 PREVIEW
What’s new in the world of military modelling MMI’s thoughts on the latest kits and accessories
p 56 BOOKS
Roundup of the latest modelling and reference titles
p 58 1:48 SCALE
Luke Pitt explores 1:48 scale military models, figures and accessories
p 59 FIGURES
New releases in the 1:35 scale figure world
p 66 LAST POST
Late breaking news and ramblings from the Editor
T-26 Walk Around by Zack Sex Neo for Iwata pistol trigger airbrush
p 16 SOVIET STALWART
HobbyBoss’ 1:35 scale T-26 by Andy King
p 22 PREVIEW
Tamiya 1:35 Ford Mutt
p 24 PIMP MY RIDE
Meng Model’s 1:35 scale Achzarit by Brett Green
p 36 PREVIEW
Dragon 1:35 SAS Jeep
p 37 SHOWCASE
WWI Tanks by Leo Stevenson
p 40 STRACHWITZ DIORAMA Tamiya and AFV Club 1:48 Sd.Kfz. 251 kits by Kamil Feliks Sztarbala
p 52 BUILD REVIEW
ICM 1:35 Type G4 (W31) by Graham Tetley
p 60 PREVIEW
Bronco 1:35 Valentine Mk.XI
p 61 PREVIEW
Tamiya 1:35 revamped LRDG Command Car
24
©ADH Publishing Ltd 2014 Tel: (UK) 01525 222573 Fax: (UK) 01525 222574 Email:
[email protected] Address: ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK Model Military International is published monthly by ADH Publishing. Reproduction in part or whole of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. While due care is taken to ensure the contents of Model Military International is accurate, the publishers and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions.
ISSN 1749-8864
40
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Newsline - March ’14 ACHZARIT HEAVY APC PART 1 Just in time for the new Meng Model kit, “Achzarit Heavy APC Part 1” is volume 3 in the “Wild and Cruel Cats” series on Israeli heavy tank based APC’s in IDF service and covers several different types of Achzarit and their operation in IDF. Authored by Dr. Robert Manasherob, a world recognized expert on Israeli military tanks and vehicles, this book contains dozens of new and never published photos, new and accurate info and facts, results of several years of research, 1:35 scale drawings, color profiles, more than 150 photos including action photos, crew photos, walk around photos, unique markings and illustrations. Contents include the following: • 80 pages – B&W and full color • More than 150 B&W and color photos and illustrations • Dozens of unique and previously unpublished photos • In-action photos • Walk-around photos • Crew photos • 1/35 scale line drawings • Unique markings • Detailed color profiles • Tactical markings Thanks to Robert Manasherob for the information and image www.sabingamartin.com
NEW 1:35 BEDFORD MK 4 KITS FROM ACCURATE ARMOUR
BRONCO NEWS – FORTHCOMING MAXX MRAP Bronco continues its prolific release schedule with the announcement of a forthcoming 1:35 scale U.S. 4x4 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle ‘Maxx’. The model will include optional turret configurations. More details will be available closer to release. Bronco also appears to have taken over the moulds for G.W.H.’s Schlepper, with an announced forthcoming release of a 1:35 scale General Cargo Version. This kit will include a new mould canvas tilt and photo-etched parts. Markings are offered for a German Schlepper and a captured version. Thanks to Bronco Models for the information and images www.bronco-model.com
WHSMITH ACQUIRES MODELZONE BRAND
In October 2013, WHSmith, a British retailer known for its high street stores selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers and entertainment products, announced that it had bought the ModelZone brand, selling products under this brand through existing WHSmith stores, a model employed by the company with other brands WHSmith announced through the ModelZone Twitter page in November 2013 that 10 stores were to carry products under the ModelZone brand name by 23 November 2013 This was later accompanied by usage of the Modelzone brand on WHSmith's website to sell Airfix, Hornby, Corgi, and Scalextric products.
The Bedford MK 4-Tonne 4x4 entered service in 1969 and gradually replaced the Bedford RL in British Army service, and along with the later engined MJ model from 1977 onwards, became the most numerous medium truck in British Army service in modern times. Adopted by many other armies around the world and in later civilian 'after-life', to say that it's been everywhere, done everything and remains iconic are all huge understatements! This new model from Accurate Armour depicts the General Service G.S. version which we have available as K188E with 'Bar grip' tyres, or K188L fitted with the later 'Goodyear G388' tyres. This comprehensive kit is super-detailed throughout and features; full internal rear body and cab seating, full engine detail with optional parts for MK/MJ, detailed cab interior, fully detailed suspension with steerable front axle, detailed transmission, super-detailed digitally mastered tailgate, drop-side panels and wheels (see kit options). The cab doors and roof hatch can be displayed open/closed, dropsides and tailgate are hinged and rear seating can be deployed or stowed. All providing a wealth of possible display options. Also included is an optional and easy to use resin cast tilt cover panel set which can be arranged in full or in parts over the rear body, the cab acetate glazing panels are supplied already laser pre-cut, and the headlamp brush guard frames are also supplied as laser cut details. Lights and indicators are supplied as coloured/clear resin castings and all other rod/rope materials are also included. A comprehensive and simple to use etched brass detail set is also supplied along with a set of full colour decals with many marking options. Thanks to Accurate Armour for the information and images www.accurate-armour.com
MMI Newsdesk, ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK Tel:01525 222573 Fax:01525 222574 Email:
[email protected]
INSIDE THE ARMOUR NEW RELEASES Inside The Armour has just released a 1:72 scale Leopard 2A4SG (2012 version), Kit No. 72001 The kit comprises seven resin parts, 100 photo-etched parts and decals Also included is a CD with over 100 walkaround photos. Inside the Armour has also released Item No. 35093 General Letters and Numbers (Photoetched). This is a set of over 570 PE letters and numbers from 0.8mm to 2mm to use in making casting numbers or any other similar modelling use. Both new releases are available online from www.insidethearmour.com
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MENG MODELS 1/35 SCALE MMTS-007 Leopard 1A3/A4 ................£44.99 MMSS-003 Achzarit APC.....................£36.99 MMTS-009 French Char C .....................49.99 MIRROR MODELS 1/35 SCALE MM35801 Diamond T Recovery .......£49.99 MM35161 Chevy C60L GS Truck ......£39.99
IBG MODELS 1/35 SCALE IBG35022 Marmon Herrington Mk.II .£29.99 IBG35017 Bedford QLR......................£29.99 ACADEMY 1/35 SCALE AC13281 Magach 6B Gal Batash IDF .£29.99 BRONCO MODELS 1/35 SCALE CB35168 6Pdr ATG Airborne w/crew .£29.99 CB35169 Airborne Jeep/trailer w/8 figs £34.99 AB3562 British Field Accessories ..£11.99 TRUMPETER 1/35 SCALE TM05565 T-80B Russian MBT .........£44.99 TM05535 ASLAV-PC Phase 3 ..........£29.99
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4 Model Military International - March 2014
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Think Tank - Russian T-26 Walkaround A side profile of the Russian T-26 model 33 showing its simple and straightforward construction based heavily on the Vickers 6 ton tank design.
RUSSIAN T-26 WALKAROUND Zack Sex gets up close and personal with four Soviet T-26 light tanks on display at the Great Patriotic War Museum in Moscow and the Kubinka Tank Museum.
T
he Russian T-26 tank was the mainstay of Soviet light armoured forces through much of the 1930s. It bore a close resemblance to the Vickers Armstrong 6 ton tank on which it was modelled. Having purchased a number of light tank examples from Britain, the Russians were to manufacture many thousands of T-26 tank models with as many as 54 different turret variants being produced as prototypes or service vehicles. These included a wide range of sub-variants that utilised different calibre guns, flamethrowers and artillery pieces, newly armoured turrets and in one case a pair of machine gun turrets. The T-26 was highly successful in the early 1930s. In fact, fascist German and Nationalist Spanish forces offered a reward for the capture of T-26 tanks during the Spanish Civil war due to its effectiveness against Italian tankettes and the German Panzer I. However, by the time of operation Barbarossa, while many thousands of T-26 tanks were still available to Soviet forces, their effectiveness against Hitler’s Panzers was
greatly diminished due to the T-26’s inadequate main armour and armament when confronted by the Panzer III and Panzer IV with their superior 5cm and 7.5 cm main armament and heavier armour. While The T-26 was indeed considered outdated by the 1940s, this fact did not stop the Red Army from utilising large numbers of these light tanks in the massive battles against the German Army and her allies during outside Moscow during the winter of 1941/1942, in the cauldron that was the battle of Stalingrad and during the Battle of Kharkov. Some of these tanks were also dug in as defensive positions during the siege of Leningrad. The Red Army’s final use of the T-26 was against the Kwantung or Japanese occupation army in China in the final weeks of WWII. This was a battle in which the quality of armour was not important as the Japanese opposition had very little armour reinforcement and Soviet speed through this vast territory was the deciding factor. This venerable little warhorse soldiered on with other armies including the Nationalist Chinese
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forces against the invading Japanese army in the 1930s, while it was in the Winter War of 1939 that the Vickers Tank and captured Soviet T-26s were used to great effect by the valiant Finnish forces. The Finns were to use the T-26 throughout their Continuation War in confrontation with vastly superior tank designs such as the T-34, KV-1 and Iosef Stalin series. The survivors of Finland’s desperate campaign to remain independent of Stalin’s yolk may still be seen today in Parola Tank
Museum. Many of these Finnish veterans are a mish-mash of various Soviet T-26 and British Vickers tanks. Such was the need of Finland’s fighting forces that these obsolete designs soldiered on to the bitter end thus ensuring that this Axis ally was the only country on the Eastern front not to be entirely occupied by Soviet Russia and fall behind the Iron Curtain. A fine tribute perhaps to the resilience of Finnish forces and this gritty little tank. ■
Detail shot of the T-26 turret this example has been repaired having been extracted from a Red Army tank range. Of note is the repair weld running down the side of the turret.
17/01/2014 14:11
One of the four road wheel suspension units, these simple swivel units are attached to the lower hull in a fairly basic fashion with none of the complexity of later suspension units found on tanks such as the T-34 or KV-1.
Mounted on the side running boards are simple pressed metal stowage boxes for various crew accoutrements.
A rear view of the T-26 engine deck area showing to good effect the large exhaust muffler and mesh and grill air intakes found on the top of the deck.
Note the narrow gauge tracks used on the T-26 while no doubt suitable for warm climes such as Spain of questionable value in the Russian Rasputa or muddy season.
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Think Tank - Russian T-26 Walkaround
Top shot of the T-26 turret this vehicle has extremely simple square hinged turret hatches.
Forward view of the turret top showing the empty periscope mountings and small circular fan unit for fume extraction.
Top shot of the rear engine section showing the simple and basic construction of this light and robust tank.
Detail shot of the main gun mounting 45mm 20K anti tank gun.
Top view of the turret from the front showing the three lifting eyes used during production and mounting of the turret on the T-26 hull. his turret is also used on BT-5 and BT-7 vehicles.
Top shot of the front left of the T-26 upper hull showing the front left hand clutch unit attached to the drive wheel, a fairly basic affair.
Close up of the T-26 main gun mantlet showing damage sustained by the vehicle on the range. Of note are the basic welds that, according to some sources, allowed flaming petrol from Japanese and Finish Molotov cocktails to leak into the crew compartment.
Detail shot of the main gun mounting. Of note is the 7.62mm machine gun protruding and sighting portal, and the hinged headlight cover.
Front left hand side of the upper hull showing the hinged driver’s compartment.
Side view of the viewing section on the right hand side of the turret and circular pistol aperture.
8 Model Military International - March 2014
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Side profile of the T-26 showing its four return rollers and suspension layout to good effect. The markings found on this vehicle are typical of those found on Red Army vehicles during the early stages of the Great Patriotic War.
Front three quarter view of the T-26 showing its riveted construction. This was to be its undoing against even the lightest of Japan’s cannon, as the rivets would pop and ricochet to deadly effect.
Detail shot of the drive wheel and narrow gauge track on the T-26 on a preserved vehicle found in the Great Patriotic War Museum Moscow.
Side three quarter view of a T-26 showing its aerial mast, driver’s hatch and hinged headlight guard.
Front three quarter view of the 1931 twin turreted original T-26, which was armed with a pair of DT 7.62mm. Over a thousand of those vehicles were produced between 1931 and 1933. A number were captured by Finnish Forces during the Winter War.
Side profile of the T-26 1931 model showing its small narrow turret with viewing portal above to the rear and its simple suspension system.
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Think Tank - Russian T-26 Walkaround
The rear suspension showing the rear idler and a return roller.
Detail shot of the 1931 machine gun turret as originally mounted on the T-26. The Finns found these to be of little value and replaced these turrets with a 45mm gun found on other T-26s.
Rear view of the T-26 showing the louvered air intake over the main engine area showing spare road wheel and track section.
Detail shot of the lower tracks showing the simple road wheels, suspension unit and torsion bars of the T-26.
The front suspension showing the drive wheel and a return roller.
The simple return rollers. Simplicity is the key with the T-26 and as such it was the ideal tank for Soviet armour production to begin its long evolutionary development that led to such designs as the T-34, Stalin and T-55.
Detail shot of the air intake to the rear of the engine deck. Of note is the exhaust outlet attachment point.
The engine cover hinges, spare road wheel and track section.
Detail shot of the louvered air intake above the engine bay, this one differs from the norm in having two reinforcing ribs.
Side profile of the T-26 1931 model showing its small narrow turret with viewing portal above to the rear and its simple suspension system.
A closer view. Note the pitted texture of the old armour plate, and the battle damage to the hull and turret.
Detail of the rear turret showing the rear turret hatch. This was presumably used to remove the main armament during maintenance but may also have been used for ease of supply of ammo such as the 45mm rounds, 133 of which were stowed in the vehicle.
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Front three quarter view of the T-26 1939 model. This later variant shows the sloped welded armour of the hull and sloped turret which bears more than a passing resemblance to the T-34.
Detail shot of the T-36 1939 model turret. This vehicle is preserved in Kubinka tank outside Moscow.
Detail shot of the drive wheel on the T-26 1939 model.
Front three quarter view of an attractively camouflaged riveted construction OT-33 flamethrower variant of the T-26. These vehicles were extremely useful in attacking the Mannerheim line towards the end of the winter war.
Close up of the OT-33 turret with its cast mantlet and stubby main armament. From a distance, the OT-33 looks like emasculated T-26.
Front three quarter view of a well worn and weary T-26 33 model.
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Think Tank - Russian T-26 Walkaround Close up of the drive wheel on the T-26.
Close up of the road wheels on the T-26.
Close up of the idler wheel on the T-26.
Close up of the clutch unit on the T-26.
Close up of the clutch unit on the T-26, useful for the detail modeller.
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PREVIEW
Neo for Iwata Pistol Trigger Airbrush – TRN1 Gravity Feed 0.35mm Needle and Nozzle
The large and small paint cups may be switched thanks to a screw thread and washer. A cap is supplied for the large paint cup only. The dedicated wrench is provided to remove the nozzle.
The inclusion of the plastic pistol grip is a nice touch.
The Editor checks out the latest in the growing range of Neo for Iwata airbrushes.
TRIGGER AIRBRUSH ON A BUDGET
The large paint cup in place.
The small paint cup.
I bought an in-line water trap and quick release adapter for my Neo airbrush. I fit these accessories to all of my airbrushes.
A good range of widths are achievable with this doubleaction trigger airbrush. It is not quite as fine as my Iwata HP-CP, but it will suit most painting applications.
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T
he Airbrush Company has sent along an interesting new product for us to try. This is the Neo for Iwata CN gravity feed airbrush. The Neo Series airbrushes are not manufactured by Iwata in Japan. Iwata-Medea produced the Taiwanese-manufactured Neo Series to perform well at lower air pressures when used with smaller air compressors. The Neo TRN1 is priced below the HP-TR series in the Iwata range but the Neo Series airbrushes still boast Iwata’s 5-year warranty. It is interesting to see that, while the first Neo for Iwata releases were unashamedly presented as a stripped down budget design, the Pistol Trigger Neo airbrushes have the look and feel of quality about them. The Neo TRN1 features subtle contours, and this trigger airbrush includes an attractive and functional plastic pistol grip – something that is an optional extra with the HP-TR from the full-priced Iwata airbrush range. The Neo for Iwata CN gravity feed airbrush features: • A 0.35mm needle and nozzle combination for finer detail spraying and medium sized spray patterns • Interchangeable large 9ml (1/3oz) and medium 1.8ml (1/16oz) cups designed with a funnel shape, which makes for easy clean up and more efficient paint flow. Both cups are included with this airbrush. • Airbrush will hold 0.9ml (1/32oz) without a cup attached • ine detail to medium spray pattern with the one size nozzle • Unique pistol trigger • Dual-action • Internal-mix • Gravity feed • Ergonomic soft pistol grip handle design • PT E needle packing • Air Pressure: Recommended operation is between 5 and 35 psi. Ideal for use with smaller air compressors.
A tool with a slotted end for removing the tip is also included. Conveniently, the Neo airbrush is compatible with Iwata’s moisture trap and quick-release accessories, so you can switch between Neo and Iwata airbrushes with no fuss. I have already bought a moisture trap and quick-release adaptor for mine. To see how the Neo for Iwata TRN1 gravity feed pistol trigger airbrush actually performed, I loaded the paint cup with a mix of about 20 Tamiya lat Black to 80 isopropylene alcohol . The test was sprayed onto a Post It Note. I sprayed a a range of different widths and patterns - fine lines and squiggles, a thicker squiggly line and mottles. The results were impressive. The fine lines were free from overspray or spatter and would be perfectly acceptable for most modelling tasks. The trigger lever and pistol handle are a bit different if you are used to a conventional “pressdown button” airbrush, but I quickly got used to the new action. It is arguably a much easier action for someone who has never used a double-action airbrush before. The airbrush certainly works best at lower pressures. I initially tested it up to 30 PSI (the thicker squiggly line) and I did get some overspray and uneven coverage at that pressure. When used at pressures below 20 PSI, however, the airbrush was very well behaved. It seemed to work best around 12-15 PSI on my trusty old SilAir compressor. Also available is the Neo for Iwata TRN2. This is a side feed pistol trigger airbrush with a larger 0.5mm needle and nozzle combination, which would make it ideal for spraying larger areas, fast-drying paints or thicker liquids. In my opinion, and in common with 1:1 scale spray guns, the trigger action really is better than a press-down button for painting big expanses of the same colour. I think that this trigger Neo will be a great companion to my Iwata airbrushes on the workbench. ■
Available online from The Airbrush Company www.airbrushes.com March 2014 - Model Military International 13
17/01/2014 14:13
Creative Models Limited
T A E R C
MODE L I M IT
HBB83830
1:35 US GMC CCKW 750 Gallon Tanker Version
HBB82498
HBB83824
1:35 Soviet OT-130 Flame Thrower Tank
1:35 Russian T-30S Light Tank
HBB83806
1:35 French R35 Light Infantry Tank
MRR35108
1:35 CMP F15A Ford Truck 4x4 Cab 11
MIN35144
1:35 Red Army Drivers
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1:35 Middle East Diorama
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1:35 CMP F15 Italian Service Ford Truck w/ 20mm Breda Gun Mod. 39
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1:35 US Diamond T968 Cargo Truck – Hard Top
PLU434
PLU435
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PLU438
1:35 German Medical Set
1:35 Container for Sort Waste
1:35 Circular Saw
1:35 US Airborne Scooter with Reel
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Hobbyboss 1:35 T-26 (Model 1933) Soviet Tank • Kit No. 82496
SOVIET STALW T he T-26 was derived from the British Vickers Mk. E by the Soviet Union during the late 1920s as indigenous tank designs were problematic. The original twinturreted Alt A model was built under licence as the T-26, but the Soviets continued to develop it further with 53 proposed versions, although only 23 actually made it into production.
The T-26 was exported to China and Turkey and saw combat in a number of theatres from the Spanish Civil War, Manchuria between the Chinese and Japanese and during WWII captured models were used by Finland, Germany, Romania and Hungarian forces. Remarkably, the tank still served up until 1961 with the Finns and the T-26 chassis was also used as a basis for a flame-throwing
tank, a self-propelled gun, a combat engineer vehicle and as a munitions and personnel carrier. The T-26 Model 1933 featured in this article had the single turret and was armed with a 45mm 20K cannon and 7.62mm DT machine gun. It was powered by a copy of the British Armstrong-Siddeley engine designated T-26 and this was a 90hp four cylinder air cooled petrol engine that could give the
tank a top speed of 31kph (19mph) on paved roads and 16kph (9.9mph) over terrain.
THE MODEL
I received this kit for review a few months ago and although pre-WWII tanks are not really in my area of interest, I was quite taken with the model, especially the colourful marking option for a vehicle from the Spanish Civil War.
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This image shows the gap between the rear engine deck and superstructure.
Because I messed up here I had to replace the moulded detail on the transmission cover backing plates both sides.
HobbyBoss’ 1:35 scale T-26 is not the first kit of this important tank, but it is the best. Andy King builds the model almost straight from the box.
LWART CONSTRUCTION
Starting with Step 1, the drive sprockets, rear idlers and road wheels are assembled and straight away the parts supplied for the sprocket tie rods (D9) were discarded as they were too short. New ones were made from styrene rod. The same was also done for the rear idlers. Holes were drilled from the back and the new rods were inserted.
The axles were assembled next and care needs to be taken here as they are quite delicate. Also, when gluing them to the hull, it is best to leave them to set for a day or so with a block of something or other underneath to avoid the axles splaying out at a funny angle. When fixing the backing plates for the front transmission housings I rather stupidly mixed up the parts (E9 and 10). Rather than destroy A
The large hole at the top of the bogies are not deep enough and need drilling out.
The fenders showing the amount of filling required.
The tie rods for the sprockets and rear idlers replaced with styrene rod. These were inserted from the back.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Hobbyboss 1:35 T-26 (Model 1933) Soviet Tank • Kit No. 82496
B the parts, I had to scrape off the
moulded bolt heads and replace them with styrene ones using a hexagonal punch and die set. I also added some extra bolt heads around the outside edge of the transmission housings too. The fenders require some filling underneath as there are a few pin marks present plus holes for the attachment of parts on the top. There are also some sink marks on the side that I sanded out. The track tensioning plates (parts E23 and 24) need filling too as pin marks are very visible on these parts. Although the axles had been fixed to the hull, I left off the sprockets, idlers and return rollers at this stage as I had an idea that fitting the tracks later on was going to be ‘fun’. The covers over the axles (parts D6 and 7) were textured with liquid glue and an old stiff brush then a hexagonal bolt head added to represent the prominent grease nipple on top. Moving on to the upper hull, the two plates (parts L5 and L9) were fitted plus the upper superstructure was assembled from the five parts supplied and here the fit between the two wasn’t that good. Because of the design, the front plate (L9) bows in the middle and needs to be propped up near the driver’s position to make the join to the upper superstructure. At the back, I had to add a strip of styrene as there was a fairly big gap between the superstructure and rear plate (L5). Now it was time to assemble the tracks, and for this HobbyBoss includes a small jig that you put the links onto then insert VERY tiny pins either side to hold them together, noting that the pins with the bigger head face out. After about four or five hours of putting links together, inserting pins, dabbing tiny amounts of glue and then watching them fall apart again, enough was enough and I
just glued all the links together. After leaving them for about thirty minutes I wrapped them around the running gear and discovered another issue. HobbyBoss recommends using 113 links per side, which is great if you want the mother-of-all-track-sag but FAR too many in reality. I went for 106 links instead and once joined and the track sag set the model was left to dry for a couple of days. The links were actually glued to the sprockets and rear idlers but not the road wheels or return rollers and when set the tracks were removed for painting later on. Returning to the hull, I fitted the final pieces such as the fenders and photo-etched brackets, rear grill, closed up the driver’s hatch and added the on-vehicle equipment which was fairly decent except for the jack on the rear deck which is very simplified. Referring to the pictures in the WWP book, I rebuilt the brackets for the jack from what was left of the fret of the etch sheet in the kit plus I added a handle from styrene strip. The turret was assembled without any issues and again I closed up the hatches. The main gun is okay for a one-piece moulding with only mould seams and one pin mark to remove. The mantlet was left off at this point to make painting the Nationalist markings easier. The antenna that fits around the turret is very delicate and was cleaned up as much as possible while it was still on the sprue although on my sample it had unfortunately been broken. Fixing it in place around the turret was tricky but I found it best to glue the aerial mounts one at a time using liquid glue then following up with a run of cyano glue around the mounts for extra strength. So that was construction out of the way and fairly painless so lets get on with the best bit… painting!
How to glue the tracks as recommended by Hobbyboss….
….and the way I did it with all the links glued together in one go and wrapped around the running gear instead. Far easier!
The turret fully assembled save for the gun and mantlet. These were added after painting was complete. The gap between engine deck and superstructure filled with styrene strip.
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PAINTING After a wash in warm water and Fairy Liquid dish soap the model was set aside and when dry it was given an undercoat of Games Workshop Chaos Black. The base camouflage coat was a mix of Tamiya XF-26 Deep Green and XF-2 Flat Green with XF-3 Yellow added for the highlights. The areas for the Nationalist markings were masked off and because of my complete inability to spray Tamiya XF-2 White for whatever reason I used Mr Hobby Aqueous H11 White instead which went on very nicely. Further masking was done for the yellow and red bits (XF-7) on the turret and hull sides and here it was easier to do that than try and match the colours on the kit supplied decals. After the masking was removed (fortunately without ripping off the turret antenna), the model received a couple of coats of gloss varnish (Tamiya X-22 Clear) in preparation for the weathering process and also to apply the black cross decal on the turret top. By the way, the decal put up a bit of a fight to get on as it curled up and broke in a couple of places. A
These images show the kit supplied jack before and after.
The small improvements to the bogies is illustrated here with Mr Surfacer applied to try and hide the join line, liquid glue run over the surface and dabbed with a stiff brush to obtain a cast texture, the end of the axle drilled out and a bolt head to represent the grease nipple on top.
The kit supplied etch for the fender support brackets.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Hobbyboss 1:35 T-26 (Model 1933) Soviet Tank • Kit No. 82496
B WEATHERING The weathering process was started with a coat of Mig Productions’ Dark Brown Wash overall with a heavier mix worked into panel lines and various details. When dry, the model was airbrushed with Winsor & Newton Galeria Matt Varnish, which is rapidly becoming my varnish of choice. I applied dots of various oil colours ranging from green, blue, yellow, brown etc., and worked them into the base colour with a flat brush dampened with thinners to try and give some tonal variation across the model. Chipping was done with various Vallejo greens and browns, paying particular attention to areas of high wear such as turret and engine hatches. At the outset I didn’t want a vehicle caked in mud as it operated in Spain so I just applied various Mig powders to give it a dusty look. The exhaust was left in the black undercoat with just the brackets painted green and this was given a going over with pastel chalks, starting with black and ending with orange with various browns in between to give a rusty appearance.
Grease stains around the running gear were represented with a mix of Sepia oil paint and Winsor & Newton Gloss varnish (not the acrylic version). The tracks had Mig powder applied and given a rub over with a graphite pencil and the headlight interior was painted with Tamiya Chrome Silver from one of their paint markers before fitting the clear lens.
CONCLUSION Although the subject is out of my usual comfort zone, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this build. The model is small enough to put together relatively quickly but it still has a degree of complexity as regards the tracks. The fit of parts is very good apart from the areas mentioned in the text above but nothing that cannot be overcome. At one point I was very tempted to detail the interior as it is crying out for it but I needed something to build straight from the box and for me this kit fitted the bill perfectly. If I was to build this kit again I would definitely replace the aerial frame with brass wire too.
The finished model before painting.
Masking applied for the markings using Tamiya tape, probably the best stuff around to use.
Nationalist markings applied using Tamiya paint. It’s a bit bright at this stage but weathering will tone it down….maybe.
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“
HobbyBoss kits are growing on me as they are not overly complicated or possess a huge parts count, plus the subjects they are picking do make a nice change from the usual stuff I build...
”
HobbyBoss kits are growing on me as they are not overly complicated or possess a huge parts count, plus the subjects they are picking do make a nice change from the usual stuff I build. I also think these kits are ideal for newcomers to the hobby as an equivalent kit from Dragon with double the parts count would frighten them to death. Personally I can’t wait to see what they do next! ■
Modelspec Hobbyboss 1:35 T-26 (Model 1933) Soviet Tank. Kit No. 82496 Paints and Finishing Materials Games Workshop Chaos Black. Tamiya XF-3 Yellow, XF-5 Flat Green, XF-7 Red, XF-26 Deep Green, X-22 Clear, Mr Hobby Aqueous H-11 White. Vallejo Panzer Aces 306 Dark Rubber, Vallejo 822 German Camouflage Black-Brown. Winsor and Newton Galeria acrylic matt varnish. Mig Productions Dark Brown Wash and various Mig pigments. References WWP (Wings and Wheels Publications) T-26 Variants In Detail by Miroslav Baric and Mike Collins. ISBN 978-80-87509-18-0. ✓ Good general fit of parts. The finished article!
✗ Very fiddly track links. Available from Thanks to Creative Models Limited for the sample www.creativemodels.co.uk
Rating
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KIT PREVIEW
Ta iya 1:35 S tility T
k M151 1
ietna
a
• Kit No. 35334
Fine detail is up to Tamiya’s usual standards.
The rear of the tarpaulin. Two marking options plus decals for the instrument dials and placards are included.
VIETNAM MUTT
Andy King examines Tamiya’s updated 1980s Mutt, now in Vietnam War M151A1 guise.
T
he M151A1 Utility Truck, more commonly known as the ‘Mutt’, was designed in the 1950s to replace the WWII era Willys Jeep. Ford were given the contract in 1951 to design the new vehicle called a 1/4 ton 4x4 Military Utility Tactical Truck (or MUTT for short) with development going through to the late 1950s, finally entering service in the 1960s up until the early 1990s when it was replaced by the HMMWV or Humvee as it is better known; although the US Marine Corps kept theirs in Kosovo in 1999 as the MUTT was small enough to be carried by a CH-53 helicopter unlike the bigger Humvee. The MUTT, with its semimonocoque chassis and independent suspension was a marked improvement over the earlier Jeep but it did have stability problems and a few of the early models turned over, so drivers would often put ammo boxes filled with sand in the back to weigh it down. Although primarily designed for US Forces, the MUTT did find its way to the export market and was used (and probably still is in some places) by a number of countries
such as Algeria, Canada, France and Zaire. The Tamiya MUTT originally appeared in the 1980s as a M151A2. At first glance you would think that this new kit is just a rehash but on closer inspection Tamiya has retooled it to a degree as there are some differences between some parts compared to the earlier kit, although the sprue layout is virtually the same. Even the driver figure is from the 1980s! Looking at some of the differences, I noted that the headlights are now hollow as opposed to the solid ones in the original kit (but still no clear lenses), the windscreen is new with an integral instrument panel and wipers that face each other (the originals faced the same way), the front fenders are flat and the rear tailboard has a different light layout. You also have the inclusion of a canvas roof. There were differences with the rear suspension between the A1 and A2 versions but I can’t tell whether Tamiya has made any changes in this area. So, in the box you get three sprues moulded in olive green plastic, a small decal sheet and a
strip of clear thin styrene for the windscreen. The parts are cleanly moulded and even the older parts of the kit are commendably flash free although there are some mould pin marks that may be visible on the finished model. The canvas tilt is quite nicely done but again there are pin marks on the insides that will need filling. No doubt the assembly will be a breeze - Tamiya kits generally are - and looking at the instructions there don’t seem to be any major pitfalls along the way. As you might expect for a vehicle from the Vietnam War era, you can have any colour you like as long as it is green (at least the earlier A2 version was more colourful) and the markings are limited to a vehicle from the USMC 3rd Division and one from the US Army 18th Military Police Brigade. I’m sure it will make up into a lovely little model but the thing that bugs me about this kit is that if you are retooling something then why not go the whole distance and redo everything? Tamiya probably didn’t feel the need I suppose but at least put a figure in that is up to today’s standard. Also the inclusion of decals for the instrument panel and clear styrene for the headlights would have been nice too instead of having to source them elsewhere (Little-Lenses by Little-Cars.co.uk or MV lenses spring to mind). Other than that enjoy the model! ■
The tarp is new for this release.
Suspension elements.
The windscreen frame has been retooled to correct the windscreen wipers.
The front of the body is new too, with separate headlight lenses – solid green plastic though!
Thanks to The Hobby Company for the review sample www.hobbyco.net Unfortunately, the 1980s-vintage figure does not really stand up to scrutiny.
One of the one-piece plastic wheels and the jerry can.
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The body.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Men 1:35 s ael Heavy
o ed e sonnel a ie
a it ( a ly) • Kit No.SS-
3
I R Y M P M I P The Editor builds Meng Model’s brand new 1:35 scale Achzarit Heavy Armoured Personnel Carrier, adding a crew and stowage.
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E D I R
Meng’s attractive box art.
Moulding quality is world class. The various grilles and vents are moulded in place on the upper hull.
Raised structural detail looks great.
Filler hatches and lifting points are moulded in place too. The one-piece rear stowage basket is an impressive piece of moulding.
Some interior detail is present, suggesting that a full interior may feature in a future release or as an after-market option.
Guns are crisply rendered.
Clear parts are provided for lenses and scopes, with a number of intriguing spares too.
The generous photo-etched fret includes the perforated rear side skirts.
Markings are supplied for three vehicles.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Men 1:35 s ael Heavy
T
he Achzarit ( תירזכאin Hebrew: "cruel", female inflection) is a heavily armoured armoured personnel carrier manufactured by the Israeli Defence Forces Corps of Ordnance. The Achzarit is based on the Soviet T-54/T-55 tank, beginning with those captured from Arab armies during the Arab-Israeli wars. The IDF took the old T-55 tank and removed its turret and the chassis was modified for troop carriage by adding a troop compartment and a rear door. The original Soviet-made water-cooled diesel engine was replaced with a more compact and powerful diesel engine, and other internal systems were upgraded. Reactive armour was installed over the original armoured tank chassis. The APC was created in 1988. The Achzarit Mk.1 has a 650-hp engine, while the Mk.2 has an 850hp engine. It is armed with three 7.62 mm machine guns, including one Rafael Overhead Weapons Station, a machine gun controlled from within the cabin, developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems As a lesson from the Second Intifada, a bulletproof glass turret was installed over one of the hatches to enable the commander to see outside without being exposed to small arms fire and shrapnel. Several Achzarits in service have been upgraded with a 12.7mm Samson Remote Controlled Weapon Station in place of the standard 7.62mm Rafael Overhead Weapon Station. Because of its heavy armour, the Achzarit is sometimes called a Heavy APC (HAPC). Achzarit APCs are in service with the IDF Golani Brigade, which operates near the Lebanese border and in the northern part of the West Bank and with part of the IDF Givati Brigade. Achzarit APCs took part in Operation Rainbow in Rafah, after a comparatively lightly armoured M113 APC was destroyed by an RPG. Achzarit APCs were also involved in the Gaza war.*
WHAT’S IN THE BOX? Moulded in pale tan coloured styrene, Meng’s 1:35 scale Achzarit comprises 209 plastic parts, 20 small polythene caps, one photoetched fret, two full-length flexible vinyl tracks, a length of string and markings for three vehicles. Moulding quality is excellent. I could not find any ejector pin circles or other imperfections on any areas that will be visible on the finished model, including the inside of hatches (a traditional danger area).
o ed e sonnel a ie
The upper hull is moulded as one large and impressive part. The surface detail is especially noteworthy – the raised rivets, bolts, filler hatches and other features look great. The lower hull is moulded as a single piece too. Some interior bulkhead elements such as the entry tunnel and the definition of the crew compartment are included, so you’ll be able to display the ramp open with the suggestion of something inside. We will undoubtedly see after-market upgrades for a full interior, or you could have a go at super-detailing this area from scratch if you’re really keen. The rear hull basket is another impressive example of single-piece moulding. The suspension features separate swing arms, so the wheels may be posed on uneven terrain if the modeller wishes. The road wheels, idler wheels and drive sprockets are held in place with polythene caps. The black vinyl tracks are well detailed, accurate, fast to install and they may be glued with regular plastic cement. Most of the top run is hidden on this vehicle, so I think the vinyl tracks will look fine here. However, some may prefer individual link tracks. Fortunately there are plenty of options available for replacements - Friulmodel and Modelkasten being the best - if you prefer an alternative to the kit’s flexible vinyl tracks. Options include moveable hatches and alternate position upper and lower rear entry ramp. The .50 cal and two .30 cal machine guns are well detailed, and there are a number of spares once the model is finished. The photo-etched fret includes large covers for the rear hull side, featuring realistic perforations that will assure a see-through look on the finished model. Also on the photo-etched fret are number plates, a vent and even a template for painting the wheels. Clear parts are supplied for light lenses, scopes and covers for the sights. Markings are supplied for three vehicles on a simple black and white decal sheet. All the markings are in register and saturation of the white looks good.
a it ( a ly) • Kit No.SS-
3
Two styles of road wheels are supplied – large hub and small hub. A poly cap is trapped between each pair of road wheels.
Sidewall and treadplate detail is moulded onto the walls and floor of the crew entry corridor.
The swing arms are separate parts so they could theoretically be posed over uneven terrain.
The supporting arm for the front swing arm should be initially inserted in this position…
…and then swung down to meet the swing arm in this position before it is glued in place.
SPEED BUILDING Construction was remarkably fast and straightforward. Overall fit was close to perfect. This is a very impressively engineered model. The project gets underway with the running gear. Meng supplies ten road wheels with the small
As supplied, the idler adjuster (part of the idler wheel arm) is fixed in position by a tab and corresponding gap.
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The idler arms were adjusted to reduce tension on the tracks and a jig improvised from pencils, bottles and a heavy spanner was used to keep the top run on the wheels while the cement set. I decided to adjust my idler arm to loosen the fit of the tracks. This was done by simply snipping off the tab from the kit’s idler arm.
The kit’s full-length flexible tracks look a little shallow when laid out like this, but they are easy to glue together using regular plastic cement.
It worked! A squirt of Revell Contacta cement was applied to the top of each road wheel to keep the top track run from floating above.
hub and four with the large hub. The instructions suggest that each side should be fitted with just the one large-hub wheels for the front and four standard wheels. The swing arms are supplied as separate parts so they may be adjusted to pose the model on uneven surfaces, but I just glued mine in the standard flat configuration. The polythene caps trapped between each pair of road wheels allows them to be simply pressed into place.
The kit’s full-length flexible tracks looked okay, but I did look for a supplier with the excellent Modelkasten workable tracks as I had used last year on my Tamiya Tiran 5. Unfortunately, I could not find a set of Kastens anywhere, so I used the kit tracks after all. The idler adjustment arms are separate parts. I test fitted the vinyl tracks before gluing the idler arm in place. The fit was tight in the standard position so I decided to swing the arm forward in order
Clamps were used to hold the side armour sections in place while the glue dried.
The rear stowage basket sub-assembly.
to reduce the tension on the tracks. This would allow the top run to drape on the top of the road wheels – with a little help from some glue! I snipped the tab off the idler arms and pressed them into place – no glue yet. When all the wheels and sprockets were in place, I wrapped the tracks around the running gear and applied some glue to the top of
The lower hull and running gear completed. Note the partial interior sidewall detail – surely a hint of things to come.
each road wheel. Pressure was then applied to the top track run using a few pencils and odds and ends. At this point, I could appreciate the crisp track pin detail on the end of each link and the convincing curve around the drive sprockets and idler wheels. Once the sag had been applied, and especially after they were painted, the kit tracks actually looked great. The model was built according to the instructions, but I can suggest a couple of clarifications. A
A view of the completed lower and rear hull. The working rear ramp is closed here.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Men 1:35 s ael Heavy
o ed e sonnel a ie
The clear scopes must be fitted from inside the upper hull before the hull halves are glued together.
The headlight assemblies are really nicely done, and feature clear lenses.
B When assembling the rear
stowage basket, make sure that you follow this sequence: 1. First glue Parts E42 and E35 to the base plate Part D9. 2. Next glue the basket itself, Part C10, and the diagonal hand hold, Part E20, in place. 3. Finally, glue the second hand hold, Part E21, in place over the ribs of the basket. When assembling the vision scopes, I found it best to adopt a three-step process: 1. Press the scopes in place 2. Apply liquid glue around the join from the inside. 3. Press the scopes again – they will probably click further into place.
PACKING UP The Achzarit is a big vehicle with lots of flat empty space on the top, so I thought that some stowage would add interest. Photos suggest that packs and rolls were mainly stowed on top of the moveable upper entry ramp.
a it ( a ly) • Kit No.SS-
The scope lenses were masked with narrow strips of Tamiya tape, while the rear and bottom of each clear part was painted green.
A couple of raised structural features must be carved off each side of the hull. This is actually quite tricky considering the raised detail surrounding them. Mission Models’ Micro Chisel was the ideal tool for this job.
Tail light and rear box detail.
I used Verlinden’s Israeli Army Military Vehicle Stowage, Item No. 1890, on my Tamiya Tiran 5 last year, but I had some of the resin parts left over. I added these to some generic packs and a box from Value Gear. I also made up some custom tarps and rolls from Kneadatite. This allowed me to provide a flexible base for the resin stowage, avoiding the dreaded “floating pack” effect over the top of the hull’s surface features. Kneadatite two-part epoxy putty comes in a blue and yellow strip. When the parts are sufficiently blended, it becomes an even shade of green. When mixed, Kneadatite feels quite stiff compared to Milliput. It is also shinier, with what feels like a harder surface. I rolled and rubbed the two parts together between my fingers and palms until the colour was a solid green. I sprinkled greaseproof paper with Johnsons Baby
The perforated skirts really look the part.
3
Powder and pressed the epoxy ball onto the surface. A small glass jar was also dusted with baby powder and used as a rolling pin. I rolled the jar firmly over the blended putty, the peeled it off, added more powder and repeated the process until I was happy with the size and the thickness of the epoxy sheet. The epoxy sheet was now trimmed into a rectangle by pressing down with the edge of a steel ruler. The result was a thin and very flexible rectangle of epoxy, which I then folded into a fairly flat tarpaulin. A second, slightly thicker sheet was formed into the shape of a rolled blanket. These were applied direct to the ramp. The resin box and packs were pressed into place while the putty was still workable.
The rear skirts are mounted on stout locating positions moulded on the hull sides.
COVERS AND PENNANTS AND BOLTS Kneadatite was also used to form covers for the grenade launchers. Photographs show that covers were commonly used in this area. Seam detail was added with the tip of a toothpick. Not quite finished with the Kneadatite, I also cut two rectangles from the rolled green sheet of putty, using one of the photo-etched ID pennants (Parts W11) as a template. When the rectangles were cut to size, they were laid against the front hull side and pressed gently in place to pick up a hint of the surface texture. The real ID pennants appeared to be made from a fabric of some sort, better
The upper hull test fitted to the lower hull. Note that the front mudguards interfere with the fit, so leave these off until the upper and lower hull parts have been glued together.
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The interior was sprayed with Tamiya’s Fine White Primer, decanted from the spray can and applied with my Iwata airbrush.
The entry area of the inside upper hull was painted white too.
Stowage from Value Gear and Verlinden was used to supplement a few rolls that I made using Kneadatite.
The putty rolls were used as a flexible base for the resin stowage.
Covers for the smoke grenade launchers and pennants for the hull side were formed from Kneadatite two-part epoxy putty.
represented by pliable putty than the kit’s solid photo-etch. The only other extra details were bolt heads added to the perforated armour mesh. These were formed using thin plastic and my Waldron Sub-Miniature Punch and Die Set; and glued in place with super glue.
STRAPS AND NETS I had some Kneadatite left over after the tarp and roll had been cut from the flattened sheet. I thought I would try to cut some narrow strips from the partially set putty to use as straps for the stowage. The Kneadatite had been mixed around an hour earlier, so it was not as sticky as it was when it was first rolled flat. I used a metal straight edge to cut a strip from the flat sheet. This worked perfectly. In fact, it worked so well that it gave me an idea. In many front-line photos, earlyversion Achzarits are fitted with a cargo net on the back of the stowage basket. I thought that it might be possible to form this cargo net from strips of partially dry Kneadatite. I got straight onto the task of slicing narrow strips from the green sheet. Once I had about 20 strips
of roughly the same width, I started to lay them out into a grid on greaseproof paper, starting with the horizontal and then carefully laying the vertical strips over the top. These were gently pressed down where they met using the tip of a toothpick. To my astonishment, not only did this work, but I was able to lift the completed net from the greaseproof paper in one piece! While the Kneadatite was still pliable, I attached one end to the stowage bin using spots of super glue, then folded the net to meet near the top. This left a few rows of the net drooping. I added a few random extra lengths of strip to the back of the net, as seen in some photos. After setting overnight, the net remained somewhat flexible but would return to its original shape. I used some of the strips as straps for the stowage too.
The kit’s string tow cables were glued to the towing eyes and passed through a mix of Gator’s Grip acrylic glue and water. As it dries, this gluggy mix stiffens the string, beds down any stray threads, fixes it in position and lends a sense of weight.
The tow cable should be threaded through the various mounts and guides while it is still wet.
The finished net, tacked to the stowage basket with spots of super glue and allowed to sag naturally. This set in position as the putty set more thoroughly in the following hours.
SHADES OF SAND The model was prepared for painting with a base coat of Tamiya’s Grey Primer straight from the spray can. The tyres and tracks were then sprayed with a mix of Tamiya XF-1
A
The cargo net was made up from a grid of narrow strips cut from a rolled sheet of Kneadatite. The straight-edged blade was used to achieve the clean cuts seen here.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Men 1:35 s ael Heavy
o ed e sonnel a ie
a it ( a ly) • Kit No.SS-
3
B Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown.
Lifecolor UA902 “IDF Sandgrey 2” was used as the base camouflage colour. I like Lifecolor’s interpretation of this sometimeselusive Israeli shade. I used this paint for the Tiran 5 that I built during 2013, but this time I found that it sprayed more easily, not clogging in the nozzle as it had done previously. It is possible that I have finally hit upon the right combination of paint and thinners. This time I used around 25-30% thinners in the mix. A blend of the base colour plus UA901 “IDF Sandgrey 1” was then sprayed as a disruption to the large expanse of monotone colour in streaks and mottles. However, when I had finished, the disruptive coat looked a bit to hard and regular to my eye – almost like a desert camouflage tartan. I therefore toned down the effect by overspraying the model with another thin coat of IDF Sandgrey 2. It’s never too late to adjust your paint job. Next, a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown was thinned heavily and sprayed in shadow areas and along major structural surfaces. The basic camouflage colours were now sealed with three coats of Future Floor Polish. This glossy coat prepared the model for decals, and also for the coming oilbased filter.
IT’S A WASHOUT I’ve had a few near-disasters with overall filters and washes lately, so I seriously considered skipping this step altogether and using my airbrush to deliver the remaining weathering effects. However, I girded my loins and had another go. This time I chose MIG Productions’ Neutral Wash, which is a grey-brown shade. This was applied neat from the
Bolt heads were formed using Waldron’s Sub-Miniature Punch and Die Set and glued to the perforated skirts to offer deeper dimension to the area.
Basic construction complete and the model is ready for paint.
The white entry area was masked off with Tamiya tape and the entire model received a coat of Tamiya Grey Primer.
The wheels and tracks were sprayed “scale black” – a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown.
bottle using a wide flat brush. The liquid was a bit thicker than I wanted, and it started pooling in recesses – definitely not desirable. I countered this by dipping a clean brush into Mineral Turpentine, then applying the thinner over the large areas where the pooling and “shock waves” were most obvious. This did the trick. The wash stuck to the immediate areas around structural details – especially the raised rivet heads – but was wiped out of the deep recesses and large flat areas. Kit decals – really only the number plates on the vehicle itself - performed perfectly over the glossy coat of Future floor polish and with an application of Solvaset decal setting solution.
A blend of the base colour plus UA901 “IDF Sandgrey 1” was then sprayed as a disruption to the large expanse of monotone colour in streaks and mottles. However, when I had finished, the disruptive coat looked a bit to hard and regular to my eye – almost like a desert camouflage tartan.
Lifecolor UA902 “IDF Sandgrey 2” was used as the base camouflage colour.
Structural features were highlighted with a very thin application of scale black, and the obvious shading was toned down with a thin overspray of the original IDF Sandgrey 2 colour.
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MIG Productions’ Neutral Wash was brushed over a coat of Future Floor Polish, but once again I thought the effect was too conspicuous. It was tamed with a fresh coat of clean enamel thinner.
The tyres, tracks and spare track links had been partially oversprayed with Sandgrey during the main paint job, so these were carefully redefined with a fine brush using the “scale black” shade, a thin 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown. The same colour was used to paint the two cables. The other stowage details were picked out using Vallejo and Lifecolor acrylics (see the Modelspec at the end of the article for the exact colours). One of the interesting colour features of modern Israeli vehicles is the painting of hand holds and lifting points in red. I applied a careful undercoat for all these elements using Vallejo Model Colour acrylic 919 Foundation White. Once dry, they were painted with Vallejo 70957 Flat Red. A pin wash of AK Interactive’s Dark Brown Wash was applied around selected structural features while the model was still glossy. The ID pennants were sprayed white and glossed up with Future before the kit decals were applied. I cut away the white border and applied the black panel direct to the Kneadatite rectangle. Once the
Red is a notoriously difficult colour to paint due to poor coverage qualities. All the areas that were to be painted red were first undercoated with Vallejo’s acrylic Foundation White.
decals had settled under a coat of Solvaset, the panels were secured to the hull sides and under the tow cables using super glue. A coat of Tamiya’s Flat Clear straight from the spray can snapped the uneven gloss to an immediate uniform matte. The wheels and tracks were treated to a sandy-dirty mixture of Maru Technics’ “Easy Mud” Nos. 21103 North Africa (Desert) and 21105 European Earth. Easy Mud is a thick textured acrylic compound that is available in various colours. I decided to mix these two colours. Once thoroughly blended, they were irregularly applied to the wheels, the tracks and the front and rear lower hull areas with an old stiff brush. When the Easy Mud had dried to a uniform matt finish, a liberal amount of AK Interactive’s Dark Brown enamel wash was brushed over the wheels and tracks. This darkened the overall colour and lent some more depth to the overall effect. Reference photos show that A
Vallejo Acrylic Flat Red covered the white base coat perfectly, offering a stark contrast against the Sandgrey base colour.
The placards were super-glued to the sides of the hull, beneath the draping tow cables. The kit decals were applied to the putty placards, which I made to replace the stiff photo-etched items supplied in the kit.
The stowage on the rear ramp was picked out with a number of colours from Vallejo’s acrylic range. It is amazing how an oil wash and some careful highlighting can impact on a stark paint job. A top coat of Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear has been applied in the photo to the right too.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Men 1:35 s ael Heavy
B the antennas on IDF Achzarits
were typically white and quite thick, and usually tied down to the back of the vehicle. I took the easy route by cutting a section of white plastic rod to size, and drilled out a corresponding hole in the antenna base. Thin black bands were painted on the antenna rod at intervals. I also cut the spring section of the base off, reshaping it at an angle so the whole antenna would lean back at around a 45 degree angle. Finally, the antenna was tied down to the stowage basket using smoke coloured invisible mending thread.
o ed e sonnel a ie
a it ( a ly) • Kit No.SS-
3
A CASUAL CREW Along with their growing range of 1:35 scale Israeli vehicles, Meng Model has also released an IDF Tank Crew. These are really well sculpted, with excellent facial features and authentic fabric draping. The stances are versatile too. All four figures are casually posed, with the Commander drinking from a water bottle, one guy chatting on his mobile phone and the other two seated in conversation. Each figure is made up from a minimum of eleven parts, including separate head, caps, Detail parts were added to the hull, including the antenna base – cut at an angle to before being glued in place - and the machine guns. The masks have been removed from the vision scopes as well.
“
Construction was remarkably fast and straightforward. Overall fit was close to perfect. This is a very impressively engineered model...
The finished model. This is a big vehicle.
”
The antenna was formed from a length of plastic rod, and tied down to the rear stowage bin with smoke-coloured invisible mending thread.
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Meng also offers an IDF Tank Crew Set. This was designed for their Merkava family but three of the figures work well with the Achzarit.
Moulding quality is excellent.
A clear sprue supplies two each of four styles of Each of the figures is made up from separate head, drink bottles. Handy extras for the spares drawer! headgear, arms, legs, hands, feet and front and rear torso.
The main bodies of the three figures waiting for camouflage painting. Primer in place – Grey for the bodies and white for the heads. The white primer is a better base for flesh shades.
The centre head is a resin item from Hornet. Everything else is from Meng.
arms, legs, feet, hands and a torso split into front and rear halves. The fit is excellent though, so assembly is not a chore. Mould seams are minimal, so cleanup is fast and easy. The figures appear to have been designed for Meng’s Merkava kits, but I found that three of them worked quite naturally with the Achzarit.
A HORSE WALKS INTO A BAR… …The barman asks, “why the long face?” I really like Hornet heads for their crisp casting and expressive sculpting, but they do tend to have long faces. Even so, I decided to replace the Commander’s plastic head with an item from Hornet Head Set No. HZH01 Israeli AFV Helmet, as I thought the expression and position of the mouth looked perfect for drinking from Meng’s clear water bottle. The Meng plastic heads were used for the other two figures. The heads were not joined to the bodies at this time. They were primed white. The separate body sub-assemblies were sprayed with
Tamiya’s Grey primer straight from the spray can. The base colour for the uniforms of the two crew figures in the hatches is Lifecolor Combo Series UA 903 IDF Green applied with my Iwata airbrush. Two coats were required. The uniform for the guy on the mobile phone was brushpainted Vallejo acrylic Panzer Aces 348 Splinter Strips after I ruined my first paint attempt with a botched dark brown enamel wash. I lightly dry brushed the uniforms with a paler shade of the base colour. Next, the vests, caps and other details were picked out with Lifecolor UA 438 Medium IDF Green and UA 437 Dark IDF Green. The edges were then highlighted with thin lines of “scale black”, mixed from Vallejo Model Colour 70862 Black Grey and Panzer Aces 337 Highlight Ger. (Black). The flesh base is Gunze-Sangyo acrylic H44 Flesh. The faces and hands received a Burnt Sienna oil wash followed by detail painting with Vallejo acrylics. A topcoat of Alclad II Klear Kote Lacquer sealed the paint job. A
The camouflage colours are a combination of Lifecolor and Vallejo acrylics. The base flesh colour is Gunze-Sangyo H44 Flesh, but I wouldn’t use it again. I’ll be going back to a base of either Tamiya XF-15 Flat Flesh or one of Vallejo’s Flesh base colours next time.
The three completed crew figures.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Men 1:35 s ael Heavy
B CONCLUSION The Achzarit is a large, unusual and interesting vehicle. Many modellers will be very grateful that Meng Model has brought us this excellent kit. I like the approach that Meng has taken here. The model is made up from a modest number of parts, so construction is very straightforward and fit is perfect. There is nothing intimidating here – even a beginner modeller could tackle this kit and be confident of a good result. Even so, detail is not compromised. Surface features are well represented and separate minutiae such as the machine guns and hatches look great. The model is greatly enhanced by the photoetched side skirts too. If you are a super-detailer, you already have access to a number of high quality individual link tracks (notably Modelkasten and Friulmodel), and you can add stowage and figures to your heart’s content. ■
o ed e sonnel a ie
a it ( a ly) • Kit No.SS-
3
I love the casual everyday stances of these crew figures taking a swig of water, talking on a mobile phone commonplace yet compelling. Detail is good right to the soles of the boots!
The clear headlight lenses were attached using Gator’s Grip acrylic glue.
The cargo net was painted a paler shade, although it is hard to tell in these photos.
The Achzarit is a large, “ unusual and interesting vehicle.
Many modellers will be very grateful that Meng Model has brought us this excellent kit...
”
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Modelspec Meng 1:35 Israel Heavy Armoured Personnel Carrier Achzarit (Early) Kit No.SS-003 Accessories Used Meng Item No. HS-002 – IDF Tank Crew Hornet Head Set No. HZH01 Israeli AFV Helmet Value Gear Stowage Sets – Allied WWII U2 and U.S. Packs Set #10 Verlinden Item No. 1890 – Israeli Army Military Vehicle Stowage
For unknown reasons I had trouble getting a dead flat finish. This was particularly frustrating as the acrylic paints were dead flat before I applied the top coat of lacquer!
Tools and Materials Used Kneadatite Blue Yellow Epoxy Putty Waldron Sub-Miniature Punch and Die Set Mission Models’ Micro Chisel Evergreen Plastic Rod Olfa hobby knife Revell Contacta Cement Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Tamiya Surface Primer Paints and Finishing Products
The figures lend a good sense of scale to this big vehicle.
Vehicle • Tamiya Spray Can Grey Primer • Lifecolor Israeli Amy Combo Pigments and Colour Set - UA901 IDF Sandgrey 1; UA902 IDF Sandgrey 2. • Tamiya Acrylics – X-27 Clear Red; XF-1 Flat Black; XF-64 Red Brown. • Vallejo Panzer Aces and Model Colour Acrylics Various • Future Floor Polish • Tamiya Spray Can TS-80 Flat Clear Lacquer • MIG Productions – P222 Neutral Wash • AK Interactive Enamel Wash – AK 045 Dark Brown • Maru Easy Mud – Item Nos. 21103 North Africa (Desert); 21105 European Earth • 2B Pencil Figures • Gunze-Sangyo acrylic H44 Flesh • Lifecolor UA 438 Medium IDF Green; UA 437 Dark IDF Green. • Vallejo Model Colour Acrylics: 70862 Black Grey; 919 Foundation White; • Vallejo Panzer Aces Acrylics: 337 Highlight Ger. (Black); 341 Flesh Base; 342 Highlights Flesh; 348 Splinter Strips ✓ Perfect fit; fast and easy build; high level of detail; poseable hatches; partial interior. ✗ Photo-etched signage is unyielding. Available from Thanks to Meng Model for the sample www.meng-model.com * Historical summary from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IDF_Achzarit
Rating
A profile view of this menacing personnel carrier.
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KIT PREVIEW
a on 1:35 S a t Kit S S
-Ton 4 4 T
k T
• Kit No. 6 25
The impressive one-piece body.
Andy King reviews the latest in Dragon’s Jeep family – a British version used by the SAS in Northwest Europe during 1944.
SAS JEEP IN NWE
W
illys produced some 363,000 Jeeps and Ford 280,000 in total during WWII and they served virtually everywhere around the globe on every front until their eventual replacement in US service by the Ford M151A1 ‘MUTT’ in the 1960s. The kit of the 1/4-Ton 4x4 Truck (Dragon can’t call it a Jeep due to licensing issues with Chrysler) has been around for a couple of years in various guises and this latest offering depicts a Jeep used by the SAS in Northwest Europe during 1944 which was more tailored to their needs. The Jeeps featured extra fuel tanks, storage for the POL
Photo-etch and decals.
Armoured glass for the gunners.
(Petrol, Oil, Lubricants) cans or ‘Flimsies’ as they were known, a radiator grill with all but two of the bars removed, small armoured glass windscreens and an awful lot of weaponry bolted on. In the box you get 10 sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue for the windscreens, a sheet of etch and a small decal sheet printed by Cartograf. There is also a sprue of four figures from an earlier Dragon set of SAS figures. The parts are nicely moulded with only a few pin marks present, mainly under the fenders and rear wheel arches which will need addressing but unfortunately on my sample the rear ends of the Browning .50 Cal machine guns have sink marks which are quite noticeable and will need replacing. On first inspection, looking at the flimsies I thought “Solid handles? Really??” but fortunately Dragon come to the rescue as there are etch replacements in the kit along with a photo-etched stowage rack too. You have a complete engine included but if you want the bonnet open to display it, you will need to fill in the pin marks underneath. It is nice to see the inclusion of decals for the instrument panel instead of searching out aftermarket ones or trying to paint them yourself and they will look good under a coat of clear varnish. One
thing that would have been nice to see in this kit is the inclusion of ammunition boxes for all the machine guns as I am pretty sure there would have been a LOT packed into the back of the Jeep. I was a bit disappointed that the figures were not like those illustrated on the superb Ron Volstad box art as I feel they would have been a better inclusion rather than the standing figures supplied. Hopefully as the release of Allied subjects seems to be gathering pace a set of seated figures for this particular Jeep are manufactured soon. Painting and marking options are pretty limited as you would imagine and all units depicted are unidentified ones from Northwest Europe 1944 (well it is the SAS after all). The most interesting ones are the camouflaged Jeeps and here the instructions call out for black over the olive drab base colour but I would check your references as I’m not so sure about that. Having had a good look at this Jeep and the fact it would be loaded with weapons and kit it’s really making my fingers itch to make a start on it. Minor nitpicks aside, this looks to be a lovely little model and the amount of weaponry hanging off it certainly gives it a meaner look than that of a standard Jeep. This may go to the top of my build pile after all… ■
The wheels are all plastic and all lovely!
The figures are from an earlier release but are nicely done.
A separate chassis rail is also supplied.
The characteristic SAS Jeep gap-toothed grin.
Interior details are well done.
Part of the exhaust system, including the muffler.
Plenty of weapons are included.
Thanks to The Hobby Company for the review sample www.hobbyco.net
Bren Gun and Lee-Enfield rifle.
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(History via Wikipedia and other Internet sources)
17/01/2014 14:20
SHOWCASE
WWI Tanks by Leo Stevenson
WWI TANK SHOWCASE EMHAR 1:35 MK.IV MALE AND TAURO 1:35 A7V Leo Stevenson presents his thoughts on two 1:35 scale WWI tank models.
‘E
very cloud has a silver lining’ they say. In early June 2013 I tripped and fell down stairs at home and ruptured my quadriceps muscles in my right leg, so I'm now having a long period of convalescence as my clumsy body tries to heal itself. It’s a good excuse to have an extended period of modelling, but I wouldn’t recommend the pain that allows such distraction. As a modeller, my main interest is in World War One aircraft, but with the 100th anniversary of this war approaching I thought that for a change I’d make a couple of tanks from this time; a British Mk.IV ‘Male’ tank and a German A7V tank. These are only the second and third tank models I have made since I was about 13 years old, so please forgive any errors; they were absorbing and relaxing to build - just what I needed! Leaving aside my philosophical musings about my leisure activity involving making representations of these crude and brutal killing machines, archetypical symbols of
this mechanised bloody conflict, I pressed on, thinking of them with my ‘art historian’s hat’ on almost as abstract sculptures. In fact, both tanks look like designs that came straight from one of the more obscure pages of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, almost laughably unsophisticated if we compare them with modern tanks, but after all these are vehicles made nearly a hundred years ago. The British Mk.IV ‘Male’ tank kit is made by Emhar, and the German A7V made by Tauro Model in Italy. Both kits are 1:35 scale, and both were enhanced with various aftermarket items and scratch-built additions or replacements.
type that fought in the war. This tank has an iconic shape, which is echoed in the fact that it features on the official badge of the British Royal Tank Regiment to this day. The colouring of these early British tanks seems to be a subject of much debate, so I cautiously opted to make mine a very dirty and weathered battleship grey; I could be wrong, but it looked right to me.
A7V The German A7V is also a kind of generic representation based on the camouflage and markings shown in several imaginative reconstructions that people have published over the years. Unlike those of you who prefer to model later tanks, I feel able to give myself license to speculate because the sole surviving original A7V and the indistinct period A
MK.IV MALE The British tank came with various decal options to represent particular individual vehicles (including one ‘Beutepanzer’, a captured tank used against us), but my choice was to represent an unmarked tank as it seems that many tanks of this sort carried no names or markings. In this way, it represents a generic tank that could embody many tanks of this
The Mk.IV Male in progress. Note the scratchbuilt rails and unditching beam. The latter was inexplicably absent from the kit. March 2014 - Model Military International 37
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SHOWCASE
WWI Tanks by Leo Stevenson
A view from the rear. My Mk.IV Male was painted a dirty and weathered battleship grey.
The unditching beam, muffler, asbestos-wrapped exhaust pipe and coloured stowage are of note here.
I chose to portray my Mk.IV with no markings, allowing it to represent many tanks of its type.
B photos aren’t much help as guides
to the authentic camouflage and markings for any specific tanks. I was forced to make my model have a historically plausible appearance based on what I’d researched. All that can be said with certainty is that the style of camouflage and the way it was applied (e.g. sprayed vs. hand-painted) varied from tank to tank. With regard to the colours used, I based these on the colours I’ve seen on original WWI German helmets, which seem to have been camouflaged in a similar way to some of these tanks. For the markings on the A7V, I masked and sprayed all the side and front crosses (using decals over these giant rivets would have been a challenge!), and used a cross for the rear from my spare decals draw, ditto the number ‘5’ on the sides. I hand-painted the
skull and cross-bones on the front to represent one of the images of an A7V that I found on the Internet. Both kits are of middling quality, with widely varying good and bad points. The Emhar kit has various dimensional deficiencies according to experts on these tanks, but it didn’t seem too far out according to my inexpert eye, however the quality of some components was atrocious, particularly the main guns and the incredibly wrong rails for the un-ditching bar, which I had to scratch build myself. Curiously, I also had to completely scratch-build the un-ditching bar itself, including the shackles, because this wasn’t supplied at all. Otherwise, it is a very acceptable kit if you are willing to put the work in to correct these faults. The Tauro Model kit is also of
middling but acceptable quality. It is a delightfully eccentric kit, with quirky instructions and many parts for the interior that are impossible to see on the finished model unless you open up at least one or two of the many doors and hatches that cover the tank. I couldn’t be bothered to do that, not least because this would have been visually distracting from the almost medieval boxiness of this extraordinarily shaped vehicle. This kit also has real springs used in the bogies in the same place and with the same function as on the original tanks. This is a weird piece of unnecessary authenticity designed, presumably, to allow the model to be trundled over rough terrain – perhaps thick carpet, vroom vroom, but as a 55 year old man I have no inclination to do this. I am sometimes baffled
and annoyed by manufacturers who make seemingly serious models for adults with features that will turn them into toys for children. The machine guns on both kits were of poor quality, so I replaced or adapted these using spare parts from various 1:32 scale Wingnut Wings aircraft kits. Finally, I added a few embellishments to both kits, such as folded tarpaulins, a coil of rope, a tow cable, and a wooden box (of spare track plates perhaps?). The tow cable on the A7V was actually made for a Leopard tank, but I presumed that it would still be correct because chains would have been harder to stow on top of a moving tank, and also this type of cable was used on ships at the time. I could be wrong, but give me a chance - I'm an aircraft modeller! ■
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Modelspec
The German A7V is also a kind of generic representation based on the camouflage and markings shown in several imaginative reconstructions that people have published over the years.
1:35 British Mark IV ‘Male’ tank by Emhar (EM4001) 1:35 German A7V by Tauro Model (ART.106) Accessories Used
The machine guns have been sourced from various 1:32 scale Wingnut Wings kits.
I masked and sprayed all the side and front crosses, and used a cross for the rear from my spare decals draw, ditto the number ‘5’ on the sides.
British plate tank tracks by Accurate Armour (‘item T36’, a big and necessary improvement on the kit’s tracks), Additional or replacement bolts and rivets of various kinds and sizes used on both models made by MasterClub, available via EBay in the UK from Olga Kent (Q.v., these are excellent quality an cheaper than most alternative brands), Tow chain and securing chain for the un-ditching bar made by Verlinden Productions, Folded tarpaulins and wooden box made by Value Gear (www.ValueGearDetails.com), Coil of scale rope made by an unidentified Italian company. This superb product is one of several kinds of scale rope that I bought a few years ago from a shop that specialised in high-quality ship wooden models, now sadly gone. There must be other places to buy such products if you look. Modelling Products Used Various thicknesses of plastic card to make the un-ditching bar and rails, Revell – ‘Contacta professional’ polystyrene glue, Zap – ‘Slo-zap’ cyanoacrylate glue, Gator’s Grip – ‘Acrylic Hobby Glue’, Humbrol – ‘Maskol’ masking fluid, Tamiya – 6, 10 & 18mm masking tapes, + a variety of abrasive sticks and papers. Paints and Finishing Products Sylmasta – ‘A+B modelling epoxy putty’, Squadron – ‘White Putty’ filler, Mr Hobby – ‘Mr Dissolved putty’ Mr Hobby – ‘Mr Surfacer 1200’, Most paint colours all self-mixed, mostly using Tamiya acrylics. Xtracolor ‘RAL7016 Anthracitgrau’ enamel paint used to hand-paint the demarcation lines around the A&V’s camouflage and also the skull and cross-bones (the colour was only chosen because pure black would have been visually too stark and dark). ✓ These are two acceptably good kits that can be made even better with effort and some extra outlay. ✗ The guns and un-ditching rails and bar on the Emhar kit are very bad and need a lot of effort to replace, improve or re-create them. The Tauro Model kit has rather exaggerated surface detail and superfluous and rather crude interior parts. Available from Available online from Hannants www.hannants.co.uk and hobby stores worldwide.
Adversaries together – Emhar’s Mk.IV Male and Tauro’s A7V.
Rating
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Tech Guide
AFV Club Sd.Kfz.251:1 Ausf.C • Kit No. AF 48007 - Tamiya Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D • Kit No. 32564
OTTO’S BRIDG AKA: SELF-PROPELLED WOOD Kamil Feliks Sztarbala builds both AFV Club’s and Tamiya’s 1:48 scale Sd.Kfz.251 kits, and places them in a unique diorama setting.
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DGE OODSHEDS A
fter the German retreat from the surroundings of Leningrad, the Soviets had to conquer Estonia to force Finland to make a peace deal with the Soviet Union. Therefore, an offensive aimed at seizing the town of Narva commenced on the 14th January 1944. One of the episodes of the campaign was the Strachwitz counter-offensive. During the third operation of the Panzerkampfgruppe Strachwitz, the Tiger tanks of 2./s.Pz.Abt. 502 were to cross a tank ditch. Lt. Otto Carius, then a platoon leader within the unit, thought that the ditch could not be crossed without suitable preparations. When asked for a solution by Obst. Strachwitz, Carius proposed to load wooden logs into SPWs and carry them to lay into the ditch, thus making an improvised bridge. The plan was approved by Strachwitz. You’ll find how this story ended in the excellent book on Panzerkampfgruppe Strachwitz written by Michael H. Pruett. I decided to show the scene of loading the wooden beams into the halftracks on a 1:48 scale diorama. I really like this scale, even though there are still relatively few 1:48 AFV kits available. However, the real nightmare is the poor choice of 1:48 figures. First I bought two Sd.Kfz.251 kits: an Ausf.D from Tamiya and an Ausf.C from AFV Club. I must admit that they are completely incomparable. The Japanese one is simplified, to say the least, whilst the Korean kit is only a little less detailed than its 1:35 scale equivalent.
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Tech Guide
AFV Club Sd.Kfz.251:1 Ausf.C • Kit No. AF 48007 - Tamiya Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D • Kit No. 32564
ASSEMBLY
Quite unusually, I began by composing the diorama. For that purpose, I had to temporarily assemble the hulls of both kits, fill them with the dummy load consisting of a pencil and a piece of cork, and place the figures.
The only modification was to make the rear doors openable. Even though they’re moulded separately, the manufacturer didn’t provide the option of mounting them in any position other than closed. After assembling the hinge arms, I glued them to the doors…
…and cut them out from their sockets in the doors with a razor blade.
Now I could complete the interior of Tamiya’s Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf. D kit. The parts went together quickly due to the excellent fit and rather modest amount of detail.
When the scene was set up, I could get on with the half-tracks. AFV Club’s Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.C is almost an exact copy of the 1:35 kit of this vehicle previously released by this manufacturer. Therefore, the assembly of the interior was quite laborious. Although the fit of parts was even better than in the case of the 1:35 kit, mounting the plethora of details took a lot of time. Basically, I put them together almost straight from the box.
I did the same once I had joined the arms to the rear part of the hull. That allowed me to mount the doors in any position.
While I was at it, I also corrected the door locking mechanism.
As the Tamiya kit’s interior looked quite poor in comparison with the AFV Club one, I had to enhance it a little. Bearing in mind that most of it would be covered with the representations of wooden beams anyway, I added only a few details made from pieces of styrene, as well as a MP 40 and a magazine holster.
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Before I closed the hulls of both half-tracks, I had to paint their inner surfaces.
I started by priming them with Mr.Color C29 Hull Red. Once they had dried, I applied AK-interactive’s AK088 ‘Worn Effects Acrylic Fluid’.
Next, I added some paint chips. I dampened the surfaces with water and scratched them with an old, hard paint brush and a bluntedged scalpel blade.
Tamiya XF-57 Buff worked as the base colour. I also added some highlights by airbrushing heavily diluted XF-55 Deck Tan over the most exposed areas.
The details were painted in suitable colours with the help of Vallejo’s acrylics and paint brushes.
The wash was my next step. I mainly used AK-interactive’s AK300 ‘Wash for German Vehicles in Dark Yellow’, but the upholstery was additionally treated with AK045 ‘Dark Brown Wash For Green Vehicles’. The excess enamel was removed with a brush dampened with white spirit. This was brushed downwards in order to recreate some vertical streaks and stains.
The floors were dirtied with Tamiya Weathering Sticks. Mud and Sand mixed with water in different ratios were applied with an old paint brush.
The hulls of both vehicles were ready to be closed.
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Tech Guide
AFV Club Sd.Kfz.251:1 Ausf.C • Kit No. AF 48007 - Tamiya Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D • Kit No. 32564
The fit of the hull parts of AFV Club’s Sd.Kfz.251 wasn’t as good as the Tamiya one. The main reason for this was that the Korean kit is divided into many more parts than its Japanese competitor.
Since the archive photos showed a Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf. D in the engineer version, I had to scratch build the assault bridges and their support brackets. I began by making the latter from pieces of 0.5 mm styrene sheets joined with tiny drops of C.A. adhesive, applied pointwise.
Next, I cut them to the proper size and shape.
I then estimated the size of the bridges. The proper pieces were cut from 0.5 mm styrene sheet and glued together, forming T-bars.
Next, I replicated the ribs and metal ends of the bridges.
Tamiya’s kit was completed quickly without any problems.
After drilling the aperture I unstuck all the pieces. They were smoothed with sandpaper glued to a piece of wood, which helps to get an even, hard surface.
Using reference photos as a guide, I determined the positions of the brackets and attached them to the hull.
These sections were connected with styrene cubes to get the appropriate width.
The wooden lining was made from pieces of styrene sheet, rubbed with coarse sandpaper to recreate the woodgrain effect.
Both kits were now ready for painting.
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PAINTWORK
My first step was to mask the interiors with pieces of cardboard and sponge. The wheels were temporarily attached to hypodermic needles and matchsticks.
The running gears were primed with Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black.
Next, the kits were given a coat of XF-10 Flat Brown. I proceeded carefully to avoid overpainting the tyres, tracks and rubber rims of wheels.
XF-15 Flat Flesh worked as the base colour. I was airbrushing it downwards, intentionally not applying an even coat in order to allow the brown primer to show through here and there.
The highlights and colour modulation of armour plates were done in a similar way. I used a heavily diluted XF-55 Deck Tan. This required setting the compressor to a minimal air pressure.
The shadows were enhanced with X-26 Clear Orange.
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Tech Guide
The wooden parts of the assault bridges were sprayed with XF-52 Flat Earth, whilst the remaining surfaces were primed with XF-10 Flat Brown. Next I applied AK-interactive’s AK088 ‘Worn Effects Acrylic Fluid’ onto the ‘planks’.
AFV Club Sd.Kfz.251:1 Ausf.C • Kit No. AF 48007 - Tamiya Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D • Kit No. 32564
The prepared bridges were airbrushed in a similar way to the vehicles.
I then focused on the running gear. The tracks were coated with a dedicated colour from AK-interactive’s acrylic range (AK722), whilst the tyres and track lining were painted AK719 Satin Black.
As the decal sheets included with the kits didn’t include any suitable markings except for license plates, I had to source the remaining ones from various 1:72 and 1:35 spares. A few touches with a very fine paint brush were also required.
AK720 Rubber, another paint from the AK557 ‘Track and Wheels’ set, was used for the front tyres.
The decals were secured with a coat of gloss varnish.
Once the enamel had dried, I removed the excess with a broad bristle paint brush, dampened with white spirit. This was brushed downwards in order to not only do a regular wash, but also to create some rainmarks too.
After dampening the ‘wooden’ surfaces with water, I made some scratches with an old, hard paint brush.
Next, I brought out the details with AK-interactive’s AK300 ‘Wash for German Vehicles in Dark Yellow’
The kits were then given a coat of clear matt varnish.
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Next, I added some paint chips and scratches, using a very fine brush and AK711 Chipping Colour.
Some fine vertical streaks were reproduced with AK-Interactive’s AK014 ‘Winter Streaking Grime’. The enamel was applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The surfaces of the vehicles still appeared to be a bit dull. To bring some life to them, I randomly applied a bright oil colour with a piece of sponge. The paint was mixed with white spirit in different ratios in order to create a discolouration and replicate small scrapes and abrasions.
To recreate the dirt and mud on the lower surfaces of the halftracks, I first airbrushed a small quantity of AK017 ‘Earth Effects’. To force the airbrush to ‘spit’ with tiny drops of enamel, I had to set the compressor to a minimal air pressure again.
The darker, denser AK078 ‘Damp Earth’ enamel was applied the same way to add some tonal variation.
I then mixed two contrasting pigments with a small quantity of AK023 ‘Dark Mud’, and a pinch of silica sand, and placed the mixture in areas where mud would collect. Once the mud had dried, I painted some oil and grease stains near some bolts and other suspension detail, using a dedicated liquid from MIG Productions.
Both models were almost ready. The final assembly of some remaining detail and small retouches of mud had to be done after attaching the kits to the base.
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Tech Guide
AFV Club Sd.Kfz.251:1 Ausf.C • Kit No. AF 48007 - Tamiya Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D • Kit No. 32564
THE LUMBERJACKS Although the number of 1:48 AFV kits is growing constantly, but at a relatively slow rate, there are still very few figures available. Tamiya’s plastic figure sets can be counted on the fingers of one hand. What’s more, most of them are simply downsized 1:35 or 1:24 figures, which have their origins back in 1970s. On the other hand, Preiser’s 1:48 figures appear to be rescaled 1:72 figures with the level of details typical for the latter. Of course, there some nice resin figures on the market, but they are not numerous and often hard to get. To put it bluntly, the situation isn’t good. By starting this project, I was fully aware of the problem. I decided to utilise mainly Tamiya figures, planning to correct their appearance or just use them as mannequins for sculpting the destined figures from scratch. An officer wearing a coat from Preiser’s ground personnel set and a resin soldier from Alpine Miniatures completed the selection.
Some of Tamiya’s figures look ridiculous. Poor details or bulges pretending to be folds are only some of their features.
First, I built up the thick winter trousers with Mr.Epoxy Putty HD. This two-part epoxy putty is really worth recommending. I usually use Magic Sculpt for sculpting, sometimes mixing it with Green Stuff to create the folds, hair and other details. I was surprised when I found that Mr.Epoxy HD has very similar characteristics to the mixture of MS and GS. Once it is cured, it could be easily treated with sandpaper, files or various blades.
The arms were borrowed from other figures. I glued them in the appropriate positions and thickened them.
After attaching the helmet I could create the hood. The sequence here was important as keeping it allowed me to fit the mating parts properly.
Other figures required a bit less work. After sawing the new folds with a file, I could leave some parts of the uniforms unchanged.
In such circumstances, only the head and boots could be utilized, but not without correcting them first, though. To make sculpting easier, I thickened the torso and legs.
Next, I applied the putty onto the upper part of the torso and formed the Wehrmacht’s winter parka.
The rough shapes of the jackets were created using a plastic DIY tool.
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I then formed the folds and details with sharpened bamboo sticks.
The officer figure was combined from Preiser’s body, Tamiya’s arms and Alpine’s head. I also sculpted new pocket flaps, because the original ones were removed during sanding and polishing the quite crude coat.
As in case of the first figure, I finished the work by adding the headgear and hoods.
Of course, I had to test the soldiers to see if they would hold the ‘wooden log’ properly.
I also completed a resin figure from Alpine Miniatures. The whole cast of the scene was about ready for painting.
Of course, the figures required a few last touches. Some defects could only be spotted on macro photos. After I did the necessary corrections, I primed the figures with Tamiya XF-1 Black. The base colours were applied with an airbrush. I also added the first highlights by spraying a strongly diluted Mr.Hobby H21 OffWhite from above. After securing the surfaces with clear matt varnish I began brush painting. First, I enhanced the shadows and highlights with Vallejo’s acrylics. I also painted the seam lines. Next, I coloured the combat gear and details of the uniforms. The faces and hands were painted in accordance with the Jaume Ortiz formula
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Tech Guide
AFV Club Sd.Kfz.251:1 Ausf.C • Kit No. AF 48007 - Tamiya Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D • Kit No. 32564
THE ESTONIAN ROAD I started by giving the proper shape to a piece of styrodur foam, whose size was set at the beginning of the project. I had to emphasize the road by raising it slightly above the surrounding area. The frame parts were cut from balsa wood. Once I’d glued the balsa slats together with two-part epoxy adhesive, I put the piece of styrodur inside the frame. After cutting out the excess edges of the side walls, I applied Vallejo’s Brown Earth acrylic paste onto the whole surface and let it dry.
The ground was mixed from potting soil, diluted acrylic resin and earth pigment. I distributed the mixture over the base with a spatula…
Once the mixture had dried, the texture of the base was ready.
…and imprinted the ruts and track marks, using the previously completed kits.
To give the ground the proper colours, I airbrushed it with AK-interactive’s AK017 ‘Earth Effects’ and AK078 ‘Damp Earth’. Next, I applied AK016 ‘Fresh Mud’ into the ruts and grooves. To get a varying intensity of the effect, some surfaces were previously dampened with White Spirit. The larger recesses were additionally filled with small amounts of AK079 ‘Wet Effects Fluid’ in order to enhance the effect of wet mud.
Later, I began attaching the kits and figures to the base. I used a two-part epoxy glue for this purpose.
The vehicles had to be filled with wood. Firstly, I cut some wooden sticks of various thickness into smaller pieces.
These ‘wooden beams’ were put inside the half-track little by little, as I was pouring AK118 ‘Gravel and Sand Fixer’ over each layer.
Since the scene had to show the loading of the wood, only two larger logs were placed inside the second vehicle.
I also milled some small pieces of stick with an old coffee grinder and sprinkled the smallest of them, as well as the resulting dust, onto the ground.
I then glued a few more ‘wooden beams’ and the last figure into the corner of the base.
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Modelspec
The final step was to attach a few remaining details, which were left separate for the painting stage in order to avoid damaging them. I also retouched the weathering here and there.
AFV Club Sd.Kfz.251:1 Ausf.C
Kit No. AF 48007
✓ High level of detail; accurate. ✗ Somewhat complex assembly due to high level of detail; rear hatches not designed to be posed open.
Rating
Modelspec Tamiya Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D
Kit No. 32564
✓ Very fast and easy assembly; accurate. ✗ Some details oversimplified. Available from Tamiya kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited www.hobbyco.net
Rating
I decided to show the “ scene of loading the wooden beams into the halftracks on a 1:48 scale diorama...
”
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BUILD PREVIEW
M 1:35 Ty
4 ( 31)
it
en ove
e
an e sonnel a • Kit No. 35532
Box art. Graham’s latest instalment of “Posh Cars of the Reich” is ICM’s new 1:35 scale Typ G4 (W31)
THE GENERAL’S JALOPY
I
t seems like it has been ‘Posh Cars Of The Reich’ month in the Tetley household. Thanks to ICM, no sooner had I finished Hitler’s ride than the General’s Jalopy just had to be built. You have to hand it to the Germans – they knew how to ferry their top brass around in style. Monty’s Humber seems so bland and chrome-less in comparison! This kit comes on 6 sprues, one of which is clear for the windows and headlight lenses. In the main it is cleanly moulded but some parts do suffer from pin marks. Colour callouts are from Testor’s Model Master’s range but there is nothing here that cannot be substituted from anyone’s range. The decals, sadly, are missing the Swastikas for the pennants so you will have to source them from elsewhere. The instructions are spread over 39 steps and are clearly drawn. However, there are a few problems that I shall elaborate on below. Anyway, let’s get on with building this beast.
WALTER’S MODEL We kick off with the engine, which forms a nice little unit on its own, then move onto the eight tyres. As you can see in the photos, there is a pronounced gap on all of them where the tyre rear part joins the front. You could sand and fill the gaps, but for the purpose of the
Road wheel
review I left them as they were. Next up is the chassis, which is made of separate parts that require care to get totally straight. Here are a few assembly deviations that I should have made: 1) Do not fit parts A72 & A76 until Step 34. That way the wheel arch & running board parts B9 & 11 will let you get them straight & level. 2) Do not fit parts C57 and E34 and E35 until Step 16. Parts E34 & 35 will break repeatedly, and you will discover that they fit into tiny bits on the front suspension. 3) Leave the rear exhaust parts C52 & 54 off until the end. They too with break repeatedly. 4) Also, leave off the steering wheel column Parts E4, A38 & A51 until the end. The attachment point to the chassis is weak and the linkage part E32 is very vaguely shown where to go. You have to twist the cab front around the triangular bit on part E4 to get the cab to fit. Other than that, build the front and rear axles as described. Be aware that there are some annoying mould separation lines on the axles that are a bear to clean up. We also have lots of tiny parts but thankfully the instructions are good for these steps. The chassis is finished off by gluing the wheels in place, but their attachment
The car body under construction
One completed engine
points are quite weak. I drilled a metal pin into each wheel and a corresponding hole into the axles to strengthen them.
small holes in the floor pan. You will notice this in Step 29, but I missed this and glued them to the seat itself – doh!
WHAT THE HESS …
GOERING, GOERING, GONE!
Step 18 sees us tackle the bodywork. The sprue attachment points on the top of the windscreen were so heavy that my part buckled trying to remove it from the sprue. A problem with this kit is that many fine parts have huge sprue points on them – be prepared for parts shattering and replacements needed. As you can see from the photos that the connecting rod for the front steering has been replaced with a piece of brass. The plastic bit broke into 4 pieces trying to get it off of the sprue. There are a few assembly niggles here, but nothing too major. The assembly sequence has you affix the door pillar Parts E46 & 47 to the floor pan, but they are best fixed into the doors instead. You can see this in my photos, and also I should point out that the doors are moulded as one. Do not fix the fuel tank to its mount in Step 22 as, if you do, it will be a nightmare to get the lower chassis to fit. The rear chassis rail should slide into a small gap between this tank and the floor pan, but it doesn’t work. In Step 26, do ensure that the armrest parts A16 & 17 fit into the
At this stage we are approaching the end of the build, but what is left are the really fiddly bits. Starting with the bonnet parts, I wanted to leave mine as separate pieces to show off the engine. Fortunately the fit is good enough to do this, and if you want to go a step further and have the bonnet top opened up ICM have included some cut lines on the underside. The bars that the lights affix to (Parts E11 & 12) are cursed by those gigantic sprue attachment points so be careful. Now we arrive at Step 34 which, as I mentioned earlier, is where it all comes together and we attach those front fenders. Here’s how I did it: 1) Part A76 has a little tab on it that fits into location holes on the Fender parts B9 & B11. Lightly glue the fenders to their (somewhat woolly) attachment point on the front chassis, then line it up with A76. Glue the other support parts A72 to the chassis & fenders now. When dry, you will have a nice, sturdy structure. 2) When fixing the body, there is a bumpy bit on the transmission
Close up of the fan blade
The engine in place on the chassis.
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All the control pedals and levers in place.
Here is where the suspension part was shattered and removed.
The completed rear axles.
Poor fit of the fender inserts.
An example of the huge sprue attachments
This is better than my couch!
Close up of the rear axle.
The central pillar and doors.
Rear wheel detail.
part A15 that fouls the fit. It looks like it is supposed to fit inside a small round hole in the floor pan, but it does not work. You can’t see it when the body is on the chassis, so snip it off. 3) Parts B17 and 18 (the bits that connect the body to the running boards) do not fit well, nor are the instructions much use in their placement. I snipped off their location points and fit was better, but not perfect. 4) In Step 31 you built the main headlight parts. The bar, part E12, is supposed to fit into small holes on the front fenders. I had to file down the ends of part E12 as they are too chunky to fit in the holes provided. It is easier to do this without all the lights attached to it, so beware! 5) The location of the smaller light/ number plate mount in step 31 is illustrated by an arrow pointing generically to the front of the vehicle. There are some faint
The kit’s rather nice derriere
Here is where the exhaust This is how the running board fits into the engine. fixes to the chassis.
Here are the door hinges.
The new brass steering rod.
locations on the front chassis rails that it fits to. An arrow pointing into space really isn’t helpful at all. To round the kit off we tackle the canopy. You will be pleased to know that it goes together really easily and fits to the car body quite well. However, one tip - don’t fit the rear seat in Step 29 as it will foul the fit of this canopy. Get the latter in place and use that to gauge how far back the seat is to go. As a bonus, but shown as ‘Not For Use’ in the instructions, are parts to depict the canopy folded down. As you can see from my photos it all fits perfectly, so is a useful (if secret) option. To the windscreen we add the sun visors, a nice two-part rear view mirror, and the two part steering wheel. So that is it – done.
Lots of lights.
Shown as “Not Used” in this kit – the folded tarp.
points and vague instructions in places. However, once built, it does look the part. Detail is adequate but some areas – notably the engine – would benefit from additional detailing. However, overall, it is not too bad and quite enjoyable to construct. It would have been nice to have had the doors as separate parts, but a little surgery will resolve that. It took me about 35 hours to build this, and more time than
usual was needed to clean the parts up. It is not a beginner’s kit, but it really does look the part. Take care with the assembly, test fit the main parts, and plan several steps ahead as that way you will avoid some of the problems that I came across. But give it a go – you might just like it! Recommended. ■
Thanks to ICM for the sample www.icm.com.ua
CONCLUSION This is not a kit that you can build in a weekend and it does suffer from heavy sprue attachment
My jalopy with tarp.
The completed chassis and running gear.
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Incoming
LIFECOLOR
MUD PAINT AND PIGMENT SET, ITEM NO. SPG05 DUST PAINT AND PIGMENT SET, ITEM NO. SPG04
Lifecolor is a very well known product amongst modellers these days with their great range of both paints and pigments, and they are always expanding their range. Here we have two more new sets. The new Mud set consists of three acrylic colours - North Europe Dark Mud, Red Mud and South Europe Mud - plus three pigment sets, being the same colours. The idea is to mix these together to make a slurry and then apply to the areas required on your project and then allowed to dry, leaving you with the appearance of built up mud. On top of this you could then add a gloss to give it a wet look or add more pigment to give it a dryer up look. You could also apply the paint colour first and then sprinkle in the pigment and leave to dry giving a nice lumpy affect. Either way, and whatever techniques you use, this will really add life to your project. Also new is the Dust set. It comes in the same form as the mud with North Europe, East Europe and South Europe Dust colours in both paint and pigment form. There are many ways to use these, either paint alone through an airbrush, flicked off a brush using the pigments with or with out paint, diluting the paint and using as a pin wash in panel lines etc. Whichever way you choose the effects will look great and add further life to the hard work you have already done. Both of these sets are a great addition to any modelling bench, and I am sure will not disappoint. I highly recommend these and look forward to seeing what else life colour comes out with. Highly Recommended. Thanks to Creative Models Limited for the samples www.creativemodels.co.uk Andrew Judson
MIG PRODUCTIONS
RED PRIMED TRANSFORMATION SET ITEM NO. P258
It would be safe to say that Mig Productions was the company that took the use of pigments, washes and paints to a whole new level. Here we are introduced to a new set, Red Primed, to add visual affect to anything you paint in a primer colour. The set comes with two washes - Dark and Neutral, two filters - Brown for Dark Yellow and Orange for Desert Camo and two tubes of oil paint, Brick Red and Primer Red. Also included is a double-sided instruction sheet guiding you how to use these products, which appear to be simple and easy to apply. I believe from there you can then add other techniques to further the effect. This is a great and easy way to really add life to your project and I am happy to see sets like these come out to make our work easier and faster so we can get onto that next kit. I recommend this set to all. Thanks to Creative Models Limited for the samples www.creativemodels.co.uk Andrew Judson
MIG PRODUCTIONS
RUST AND DECAY TRANSFORMATION SET ITEM NO. P257
Yet again another great new set from Mig Productions. This one is a set to create rust and decay effects to really give a vehicle, building, ground work a realistic battered and worn look. Inside the box are two washes, Standard Rust effect, Light Rust effect, two filters, Orange for Desert Camo, Ocher for Grey Sand, and two oil paints, Dark Rust and Light Rust Brown. There is also a single double sided instruction sheet guiding you on how to use all these products to create some brilliant rust effects as we see on all those Mig projects. The set appears easy and quick to use and will be a great addition to have with all your other products used to create those great kits. I recommend this set to all and look forward to future sets from Mig Productions. Recommended. Thanks to Creative Models Limited for the samples www.creativemodels.co.uk Andrew Judson
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DEF. MODEL
1:35 SCALE DEF WHEEL UPDATES
PLUS MODEL
1:35 SCALE SORTED WASTE CONTAINER ITEM NO. 435
Plus Model is quite a prolific company producing a lot of resin sets of brilliant diorama accessories, and here is another to add to the collection. This pair of modern style waste containers are supplied as ten resin parts, four photo-etched parts and a small sheet of decals. The resin is well cast, needing little clean up, in a grey colour, the decals clear and well produced. This set will make all modern subject modellers such as myself happy, and will be able to be used in many a modern scenario in either a duo, vignette or part of a base for a single figure. This is a great little set and recommend to all, especially if you want to add that little extra to your project. Recommended. Thanks to Plus Model for the sample www.plusmodel.cz Andrew Judsons
Each modeller has a particular attribute that they focus on when opening a new kit. For me, the shape and accuracy of the wheels is the first thing that I look for. I hate wheels that have no tread or display an inaccurate hub pattern. Great strides have been made in recent years to address this with various degrees of successes. DEF Model has sent along some outstanding 1:35 scale wheel updates for review: • te 3 22: itis ad n T a to t k wheels (for the Tamiya kit) 5 wheels are included. • te 3 23:15 TT k eels ( o t e Italeri kit) 5 wheels are included. • te 35 51: Toyota Hi ivilian eel set (for the Meng kit) 5 wheels are included. • te 35 52: Toyota Hi ivilian eel set (for the Meng kit) 5 wheels are included. All of the wheels sets have sagged effect, which is a flat spot where the tyre touches the ground. The effect is subtle and very well done. The casting is flawless with no visible porosity or deforming in evidence. The casting plugs are quite small with some just breaking away with little or no effort. The tread pattern on all the wheels is the most outstanding aspect of these updates; all are di e ent and all i ly a ate. T e ivilian Toyota Hi eels o e a le ave so e o t e inest radial tread pattern I have ever seen. What’s more, they represent a more common wheel than is offered in the Meng kits. T e itis ad and 15 T eel sets o e a variation to the donor kit tread pattern provided and I would say are more accurate to boot. Every time I review Def Model product I am left with a feeling that these guys really know what they’re doing. Their products are presented well, dead accurate and include wheel masks. If you’re after replacement wheels for the kits in question I really don’t thing you can go past these. Highly Recommended. Thanks to DEF. Model for the sample www.defmodel.com Luke Pitt
PLUS MODEL
BRONCO
Here we have another nice little set from Plus Model in the form of a great looking Hay Wagon carrying a large wooden tank. It comes in the form of 23 grey resin Parts. There will be some clean-up required, especially on the four wheels, and also removal of casting blocks for these and the wooden tank, which comes in two halves. Of note is the crisp detail and authentic woodgrain finish. The water tank will also demand some care when gluing together and also sanding to hide the join marks. Other than these small things, the rest looks as though it will go together with ease. I think this will be a lot of fun to paint with many techniques to achieve a great overall finish. It is a versatile set that will be able to be used in many a subject from early to current times. I look forward to seeing one of these in a nice diorama some time. As for me, my mind is still grinding away to where it will end up. I recommend this set to all who want a bit of a challenge and an interesting subject. Recommended. Thanks to Plus Model for the sample www.plusmodel.cz Andrew Judson
on o ontin e to elease a n be o i a inative and se l sets it t is one bein a olle tion o a esso ies to o it itis vehicles, artillery and AFVs in 1:35 scale. A set such as this is long ove d e and on o is a ain to be o ended o o e in t e modeller such releases. This set is moulded in grey styrene typical o on o ade o 294 ey sty ene a ts on 12 s es (3 o Each) plus 1 fret of photo-etched parts and water slide decals. These make up the following easily assembled items: • 18 itis atte n e y ans in l din 3 o ened lids it o e s • 3 S all (15) and ate ans (15) ( li sies) •6 a e ans ( li sies) • 18 6 o nde a nitions ases (Metal 4 d) •3 kets • 3 es i ks and S ovels • 6 na el M s • 3 Stove Sets (Sto ed) it S a e ooke • 3 s all nnels • 3 batte y lante ns The parts are well detailed and the stampings quite legible. Individual caps are provided for the flimsies as well as photoet ed andle st a in . T ese a e ovided it de als denotin eit e ate et ol o a a e in bot bla k and ite de endin on et e yo inis t e as al ini tin late o ainted in een o S 2. The jerry cans are excellent and each has a photo-etched spacer to imitate the correct stamping seam of the real thing. ate de als a e ovided o a n be o t ese. T e 6 o nde a o ates a e ovided it a kin s o o o nd AP in yellow. My only criticism relating to this set is that the collective stove issued to vehicle borne troops, AFV crews etch is only supplied as the stowed item and cannot be displayed in use as no fuel bottle or grill top is provided. The stowed cooker set has phot-etched handles. T is is a ve y se l set o t e odelle o itis and a tille y as t ese a e o on ite s seen in otos and ntil no ( it t e e e tion o t e e y ans evio sly o e ed by tale i and Ta iya) ave only been available as e ensive resin accessory sets. This set offers a lot for a very small price and the only thing I feel they should have added is the la e e ellin nnels sed by itis e s. Highly Recommended. T anks to on o o t e sa le .b on o- odel. o Al Bowie
1:35 SCALE HAY WAGON WITH WOODEN TANK ITEM NO. 428
1:35 SCALE WW II BRITISH FIELD ACCESSORIES ITEM NO. AB – AB3562
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Book Reviews HISTOIRE & COLLECTIONS
D DAY PARATROOPERS, THE BRITISH, THE FRENCH, THE CANADIANS BY JEAN BOUCHERY & PHILLIPE CHARBONNIER HARDBACK. 144 PAGES. ISBN 978-2-35250-250-0
HISTOIRE & COLLECTIONS
US ARMY INSIGNIA 1941-1945 VOLUME 1 BY PIERRE BESNARD. MILITARIA GUIDES, . SOFTBOUND. 82 PAGES. ISBN 978-2-35250-300-2
This is the latest release from the ever-growing range of rather excellent books by Histoire and Collections and the subject this time is US Army insignia 19411945. Inside it is very well illustrated with images of the embroidered cloth shoulder patches that US Army troops wore throughout WW2 and all those shown in the book are apparently just a small selection from the authors impressive personal collection. The introduction to the book describes the history and development of the cloth patch from its beginnings in 1918, how it was manufactured and where throughout the period (and from some surprising sources) to how you can date a particular patch. Also as an example the evolution of the 2nd Division emblem is shown from 1930 to that seen on the modern day uniform. The illustrations in the book are well presented and to complement the patches there are very useful images of various uniforms such as the M-1944 woollen field jacket showing the typical patch layout as well as period photographs of GI’s and the covers of booklets of various units and official insignia guides. Indeed it was interesting to read about the swastika used as a design for the 45th Infantry Division as it was an ancient Indian symbol for good luck, being changed for another Indian symbol (the Thunderbird) when the swastika became the emblem of choice for a wholly different regime in 1930’s Germany. The patches are laid out by unit and show the various incarnations chronologically with accompanying text to describe the differences and covered in this first volume are Army Groups, Armies, Army Corps and Infantry Divisions including the 82nd and 101st Airborne from the European, Asia and Pacific theatres. The quality of the images is very good however there are two on page 11 that are slightly fuzzy but it doesn’t really detract from the book at all. Although primarily aimed at patch and militaria collectors and US Army re-enactors, for the figure painter this is also an invaluable reference. Highly recommended for anyone that has an interest in the uniforms of the GI and I’m certainly looking forward to volume two. Highly Recommended. Many thanks to Casemate UK Ltd for the review sample www.casematepublishing.co.uk Andy King
When Brett asked me if I wished to review this title, I thought it was interesting that H&C had released another title covering the non US Airborne Operations on and about D-Day. I quickly found that this is a reprint of the 2004 release and obviously released in time to coincide with the D-Day 70th Anniversary like the first was to tie in with the 60th Anniversary. Hopefully H&C will be rereleasing a lot of the related titles as well. This will be a welcome release as the original was hard to come by and commanded some ridiculous prices on the second hand market. So, what makes this title special? For one, it covers the oft-neglected subject of the Commonwealth and French Airborne operations on D Day that are frequently overshadowed by the much publicised US airborne contribution. Secondly, like the other excellent H&C titles it provides a detailed look at the Commonwealth supplied Airborne forces including operations, structure, equipment and uniforms. Colour photos of models in surviving period clothing and equipment are used to illustrate this title and photos of surviving equipment show the reader just what these brave men were equipped with. The contents are well researched and book follows a logical structure in 16 chapters: • T e 6t i bo ne ivision ivisional o de o Battle, the Arms and Services • T e 1st anadian a a te attalion • ee en a at oo e s • Head ess • a ad es • lot nsi nia • e o ations • ni o s attle ess S e ial ni o s ield Dress • ndivid al i ent aa tes ebbin Equipment, Tools, Special Equipment • e sonal ite s • 6t i bo ne Medi al o s • ti al nst ents Si nals adio i ent Road Signs, etc • ea ons • e i les • e i le Ma kin s • e ial T ans o t Each Chapter is packed with photographs of either historical or of preserved equipment. These are supported by tables and excellent captioning and information relating to the equipment. The photos are well reproduced and a good size allowing the details to be seen. A lot of the equipment covered is rare and not just the basics usually see. The photographs are excellent showing not only the equipment but re-enactors posing in natural settings with it. The text is readable and flows well which is the norm with H&C titles in this range despite the French origins. I absolutely recommend this title to modellers, re-enactors, historians and anyone with an interest in WWII or Airborne operations. It is well researched and photos in colour will be a great aid to the modeller with the organisational and equipment information aiding the re enactors. Hi ly e o ended to t e olle to e ena to modeller or historian. Thanks to Casemate UK Ltd for the review sample www.casematepublishing.co.uk Alastair Bowie
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NUTS AND BOLTS VOLUME 31 - MARDER II PANZERJAGER II FUR 5.5 CM PAK 40/2 (SD.KFZ.131) BY J.BASCHIN AND M.BLOCK
The “Nuts and Bolts” series of reference titles really need no introduction. What they offer is a one-stop reference source for the particular vehicle they cover. I must confess that I love these books. I like the convenience of just grabbing them, opening a page when I require it and basically getting on with modelling the subject. In reality, these books are more like four traditional books in one: a development history, wartime photo coverage, line drawings and colour profiles and a comprehensive walk around photo essay. This new reference work has some 178 pages. Prepared with the aid of restored examples from a number of sources, it offers a complete source of reference material on the Marder II. You know, years ago this sort of reference was not readily available. Modellers had to scratch around, looking as they did at multiple sources and often finding conflicting information. As with all in the “Nuts and Bolts” series, this book is logically broken down into segmented parts. The first 105 pages are devoted to the development and history of the weapon’s use in German service. Within this section, selected subsections discuss the development and technical description, followed by the differences between the prototype and production vehicles. A very useful chart describes how many were made and what units they were assigned to. The book is jammed packed with details like the variations of the weapon system itself and how they were used in the field. I particularly liked the chart describing the set up of a typical unit and all the vehicles that supported these “Panzerjager” units. This first section is lavishly illustrated with a little over 189 black and white war time photos. The next 8 pages are devoted to very well drawn 1:35 scale plans of all the known versions and one page for the suspension system. John Rue never disappoints with his illustrations and the four three-dimensional drawings just add to the experience. Twelve colour profile drawings follow over the next 6 pages and are wonderfully executed and presented. What I like about these profiles is that within the profile itself, a small black and white photo is inserted to which the artist has given his interpretation. I believe this should be the industry standard. The bottom profile on page 119 doesn’t quite match the profile however - the photo would indicate the sand overspray is softer than the profile and could be interpreted as white - but still, this is only a very minor criticism. The last page of colour profiles deals with the various ammunition used for both the 5 cm Pak 38 and 7.5 cm Pak 40. The next 25 pages consist of 154 colour walk around photos from the various restored examples. The entire vehicle is covered from the interior, engine through to a detailed study of the radio’s fitted. The last 5 pages are devoted to two model builds that are generally ok but, in my opinion not really up to the standard set by the rest of the book. - Rommel ouvre le bal à l'Ouest : Mai 1940, première journée difficile pour la 7. Panzer-Division de Rommel. - Tactique : Le Sherman " Crab " - Organisation des unités et tactiques de combat.- Afrique du Nord : Le siège de Bardia - Halfaya, un succès stratégique pour la suite de la guerre !- Unité : " La vie de château ", Combattre dans les " Tanks " de la Grande Guerre- Libération à l'Ouest : Guards or not Guards ? Analyse d'un reportage-photo du 18 Juillet 1944 sur la divisionBritannique "Guards Armoured Division " se préparant à l'opération " Goodwood ".In my opinion, this is the best reference source I have come across for this weapon type. It strikes the right balance between historical fact, photo coverage and high quality colour profiles. For me, it is all I would ever need (reference wise) to detail and finish a model. It includes information that was both easy to digest and presented in a logical manner. Reference doesn’t come much better than this. I’d really like this format to be adapted for Allied subjects. Now that would be something wouldn’t it. Highly Recommended. Nuts and Bolts books are available online from specialist bookstores and from their website www.nuts-bolts.de Luke Pitt
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1:48 Scale – A round-up of the latest news and releases
INSPIRATION CAN I BUY SOME PLEASE? Y
ou know, I really love looking at other people’s models. In a sense, it tells me what makes a modeller tick. How many times have you seen a perfectly built model with absolutely no individual character? I travel a fair bit on the web and indeed on a club level and from time to time I see models that just grab your attention, while others can just leave you flat. It could be the model’s presentation, the idea or the detail. Most of us can build a basic model out of the box, but how many can build one without inspiration? Inspiration is the key. Without it, you have nothing. I have seen some really unpretentious models but the inspiration and the so called “big idea” behind them still sets them apart. So where does one find this inspiration from? Can you buy it? From a seedy looking guy on a street corner? Walk into a shop and say “I’ll have some inspiration to go please?” It is simply that certain something that sets any model or miniature apart. The so-called “Spanish School” of modelling has in its essence this firmly in mind. The modulation concept for example endeavours to bring life and depth to essentially a flat subject. Some have called the concept exaggerated, but nevertheless the method does bring a certain inspiration to others. The humble pin wash is another concept
that can bring life to an otherwise “dead” or “lifeless” paint job. I believe that we should all embrace any concept that will make our models look better and provide us with inspiration. However, this should be tempered with the fact that what we are doing is building scale models, and not graphic pieces of art. Inspiration can take many forms. I can see a photo of a model and think to myself, wow, I’d like to do something like that. When starting a project, how many of us have gathered together as much information as we can possibly muster with the aim of producing the most accurate and complete model we possibly can, but, at the end of the day, have no inspiration to pull the project to the finishing line? The information we have on hand is sometimes contradictory, the drawings do not match and on the odd occasion the captions on the photos are entirely wrong. This can be overwhelming on occasion and as a result all your good intentions can lead to nothing more than frustration.
I remember years ago when I was a kid I used to read Airfix magazine, there was a modeller by the name of John Sanders. Mr. Sanders combined paper and plastic to produce models that captured the look and feel of the subject he was modelling. Shep Paine was another pushing the envelope and made additions and modification when a particular kit was not available. Modellers in general don’t seem to do that now. Some argue that there is no point as someone will produce an update out of resin or photoetch. But it is these guys gave me inspiration to push on. How about you?
Unit next time Luke Pitt
PLUS MODELS
US SCOOTER SOLO (ITEM AL4012) US SCOOTER WITH SIDECAR (ITEM AL4013)
These new releases from Plus Models are different and extremely well done. These particular scooters were mainly used in the States during the Second World War on Factory airfields and alike. The kits consists of around 14 resin castings each, a small decal sheet, a length of wire and a small photo etch fret consisting of 8 parts. The detail on the resin castings is sharp and in some cases breathtaking. The very small wheels, for instance, even have a very fine tread pattern on them. I can recommend this one for our 1:48 aircraft bretheren as I believe this would be the only real application. Highly Recommended. Thanks to Plus Models for the samples www.plus model.cz Luke Pitt
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Figures
DRAGON
- A round-up of the latest figure sets on release...
1:35 SCALE SAS VEHICLE CREWS NORTH AFRICA 1942 KIT NO. 6682 The Special Air Service was formed in July 1941 by David Stirling and was first used behind enemy lines during the North African campaign. Although its first operation during Operation Crusader was a disaster, the unit went on to be very successful and indeed became a legend throughout WWII and beyond to the present day. This new set of figures is designed to fit Dragon’s new SAS Jeep from the North African campaign and as such feature the typical uniform from that theatre and period. The figures are all based on a famous photograph of three Jeeps and crews in a line with David Stirling standing next to them. All figures are nicely detailed and the moulding is good however there are a few seams to clean up. Also there are lines present that run across some of the figures and it’s something I have commented on before with Dragon figures. It’s not a huge problem but they can run across details such as belts and straps and as such it can be tricky to rectify them. Anyway, moving on and all the seated figures come with a choice of arms and heads so that you can mix and match the poses of the crews. The Commander figure has a relatively good likeness to David Stirling and facial features of the crews are good but the beards could do with some definition as it is hard to see they are there and they were quite distinctive. Although you have a smallish paper insert with the assembly and painting instructions printed on it, you would be better advised to use the splendid Ron Volstad box art instead for reference (yes I am a fan). Again, another very useful set of figures from Dragon and I’m sure a lot of people will be looking forward to the release of the North Africa SAS Jeep to stick them in. History via Wikipedia and other Internet sources Highly Recommended. Thanks to The Hobby Company for the review sample www.hobbyco.net Andy King
DRAGON 39-45 SERIES
1:35 SCALE SOVIET INFANTRY, WINTER 1941 KIT NO. 6744 Brand new from Dragon is this set of four 1:35 scale figures of Soviet Infantry from the Winter of 1941. In the rather full box you will find five sprues moulded in grey styrene. The moulding is okay but apart from the usual seams I was surprised to see some flash present. Although it is not a huge amount, for a new kit it just seems odd. Again there are a some lines that run across the figures in places - something that still plagues Dragon figures for some reason. All I can think is that it is some shrinkage issue during extraction from the mould – i.e. the parts are still hot when removed from the tool. So back to the figures and the detail is good and facial features are well defined too. The uniforms basically consist of greatcoats, toques and felt boots with the officer wearing a sheepskin coat. You get a good selection of personal kit and weapons, which include two Mosin-Nagant rifles, a Ppsh41 sub machine gun, two PPS-42 sub machine guns and a Degtyaryov DP-28 light machine gun. Assembly and painting instructions are to be found on the back of the box with colours quoted from the Mr Hobby and Testor’s Model Master paint ranges but again you would be better using the artwork on the front for reference. Although aimed at the winter of 1941 and the invasion of Russia by Germany, this set would also work well for the Winter War against Finland too. It is nice to see more Soviet WWII figures appearing so this set comes with a highly recommended rating from me. Highly Recommended. Thanks to The Hobby Company for the review sample www.hobbyco.net Andy King
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KIT PREVIEW
on o 1:35 n ant y Tank Mk
alentine Mk.
(
) • Kit No.
35146
The one-piece lower hull.
Markings for four vehicles are included.
VALENTINE CHARGER
Remarkablely moulded spring detail.
Bronco’s 1:35 Valentine family expands further with the Mk.XI (OP) version. Al Bowie examines this latest release.
T
he Valentine was the most produced British Tank of WWII and came about as a cheaper private venture alternative to the Matilda Infantry tank. The Vickersproduced tank, whilst built on the flawed Infantry tank concept, was a very reliable mount that went on to be produced in many marks in both the UK and Canada and was used by the Commonwealth forces as well as being supplied to the USSR. It was also and most significantly the pilot vehicle that proved the DD Swimming tank concept. The Mk.XI was the last of the Valentine line and carried the British 75mm gun, essentially a rebored 6 Pdr chambered for the US 75mm rounds as used in the Sherman. The turret was fitted with a BESA Coax MG although limited ammunition was carried which was the same for the 75mm Gun. It is often claimed (indeed on the kit box) that these were OP tanks but given
The supplied photo-etched fret.
the limited space for additional radios and map boards this is highly unlikely. These were issued to Commonwealth SP artillery (Archer) units in North West Europe and were more than likely used as battery officer’s “Chargers”. Only 120 were built with a further 175 finished as DD tanks and it appears all had the welded hull regardless of manufacturer. By the time it entered service in late 1943, the design was well past its use by date hence the secondary roles allocated to it. Bronco has built on its previous release of the Valentine Mk.IX after tooling a family of Valentines for Miniart and the kit shares many common sprues with only new parts for the glacis, turret front, armament and stowage. I was pleased to see that Bronco has included their excellent individual track links and British Jerry cans in this kit. The kit is extensive and the vehicle is made of 534 parts plus 216 for the track links and a large PE Fret. It is moulded in Bronco’s familiar light grey styrene with the tracklinks being in a darker brown. The detail and moulding is fine and absolute state of the art as one has come to expect from this manufacturer. As expected with so many parts, the kit has extensive interior detailing including a full engine bay with the option of displaying the radiators in their raised position for engine access. This will be particularly useful for the diorama builder wanting something different. Additionally, the driver’s compartment is also detailed and a turret interior is provided
with a detailed radio and gun mount. The gun supplied is a RO 75mm QF with a muzzle braked barrel. Clear styrene periscope assemblies are provided for all periscope positions and are multi part assembly that capture this complex device well. Side skirts are not provided but a pair of 25 pdr ammunition boxes from the Mk IX kit are provided but indicated not for use. Additionally a pair of larger ammunition boxes (Bofors?) and 6 Jerrycans as frequently seen on British AFV’s are supplied. Four marking options are supplied. These are: 1. 61 AT Regt RA (TA) 51st Highland Div Bremerhaven Germany May 45 – T 123456 (?) named “Kilmun” 2. Battery Commander 102 (Northumberland Hussars) AT Regt (TA) 15 Scottish Inf Div Holland 1945 3. Royal Armoured Corps Gunnery School Lulworth Late 43 early 44. 4. Tp Comd H Tp 4 Battery 73 AT Regt RA (TA) 30 Corps Rhine Crossing Spring 1945. This kit is a big step up from the excellent Miniart kits, addressing all the minor problems with those and I could find little out of place from the references at hand. It has the usual high level of detail that one expects from Bronco and will build into a stunning example of a Valentine Mk.XI. The amount of fine photoetch and complex assemblies are not beyond the skills of most modellers but even so this is not a kit for the beginner. Highly Recommended. ■
Road wheels and a drive sprocket.
Full engine and radiator detail is included.
The all-new turret with nice cast texture.
The new mantlet.
Thanks to Bronco for the sample www.bronco-model.com
Excellent individual track links are included. Clear parts for scopes, mirror and headlight.
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KIT PREVIEW
Ta iya 1:35
o
and a No t
i a • Kit No. 324
Graham Tetley has just bought Tamiya’s venerable LRDG Command Car, now improved with new figures and accessories.
The new figure sprue from Master Box.
Master Box sand channels.
LRDG WARMED OVER
D
o you remember November 1976? Abba was in the charts with ‘Fernando’, Chicago had a Number 1 hit with ‘If You Leave Me Now’ and Showaddywaddy got to Number 2 with ‘Under The Moon Of Love’. So, I won’t talk sweet talk and whisper things in your ear, but I will tell you lots of things I know you’ve been longing to hear …
The cab floor still stands the test of time.
Solid handles – how 1970s!
LRDG sand tyres.
Tyre tread detail (and the raised centreline seam).
p 61 LRDG Pre 095B.indd 61
Not quite as good as Showaddywaddy, but also charting in the same month was Tamiya, who graced us with the first issue of kit MM192 - the British LRDG Chevrolet. For this author is was a fabulous kit but I always remember the figure at the back aiming the Lewis gun, as well as the tyres splitting not long after I had built it. After coming and going a few times, more recently as a Limited Edition with a Breda gun attached, Tamiya has seen fit to re-release this old friend and include some new goodies. First up is the basic truck, which is exactly the same as that first issue 37 years ago. This is the command version and comes with the radio box on the cargo bed side. Detail is generally very good, but some of it is rather basic and a little crude in areas. On the plus side the parts show no signs of warpage, sink marks, or other major flaws, but there are some rather prominent mould seams on most parts. We were not as detail-orientated all those years ago and you will note that the kit-supplied flimsies have solid, moulded-on, handles and the sand channel will need its holes hollowing out. Some stowage is provided in the form of a wooden box, some bedrolls and stowage bags, as well as a very chunky Boyes anti-tank rifle. The tyres are moulded in soft plastic but, as I mention above, they have a tendency to split. Hopefully Tamiya have improved the plastic used, but I will find out in a few months or years. By way of added goodies, we also have a single sprue from Tamiya’s Allied Vehicles Accessory Set, kit 35229. This gives you more baggage, jerry cans, oil drums and other nicknacks to fill up the cargo bed with.
But no vehicle is complete without a crew and Tamiya has teamed up with Masterbox to add their kit MB3598 ‘LRDG in North Africa’ figures set. In it there are two officers, one driver (a welcome replacement for the original Tamiya ‘dummy’) and two crewmen – one with a spade and the other with a sand channel. The mouldings are very nice, indeed I am impressed by the facial detail, but watch out for some heavy seams. The weapons included are very nicely done and include some Lee Enfields, two Thompson SMG’s with the drum magazine, and a Bren gun. The instructions are typical Tamiya and are clear, well drawn and foolproof. The main instructions are from the basic MM192/35092 kit and there is an extra page for the figure assembly & painting and accessories. There is a small addendum sheet included. Tamiya has not seen fit to re-tool this model so some detail is not up to current standards. Over the past few years though we have been blessed with many upgrade and accessory sets for this kit, so you can bring this 1976 model up to current standards if you wish. Resicast offer some superb upgrade and conversion sets, Black Dog give us some stowage, and Eduard provide the etch. So there we have it. I am glad that this old friend is back and the figures and accessories add a nice touch. The retail price is reasonable too – I paid £25 for it but you can get it slightly cheaper if you shop around. Therefore it comes highly recommended from me. ■
Tamiya kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited www.hobbyco.net
Headwear detail.
Facial detail is excellent.
Best to replace this with the Master Box part!
The radio.
Rear cargo bed door.
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email:
[email protected]
1/2 MILE FROM RAF MUSEUM
www.hannants.co.uk
MASTERCARD/VISA/SWITCH
ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE! IF YOU ARE READING THIS THEN SO ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHERS. FOR INFORMATION, CALL COLIN SPINNER OR CLAIRE ALLEY ON 01525 222573
WEB BROWSER>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> www.hobbyco.net
creativemodels.co.uk
tamiya.com
italeri.com
revell.com
www.missing-lynx.com www.hyperscale.com p 62 Buyers Guide 095.indd 62
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Contact Details - for companies featured in MMI... ACCURATE ARMOUR/ ARMOUR DISTRIBUTION
Units 15-16 Kingston Industrial Estate, Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, PA14 5DG Scotland. Tel; 01475 743 955 Fax; 01475 743746 www.accurate-armour.com
ADALBERTUS
Iberyjska 7/49, 02-764 , Warsaw,Poland
[email protected] www.adalbertus.com.pl
THE AIRBRUSH COMPANY Ltd
Unit 7 Marlborough Road, Lancing Business Park, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 8UF. Tel; 08700 660 445 www.airbrushes.com
ALCLAD II LACQUER
5 St Georges Close, Bacton, Norfolk. NR12 0LL Tel; 01962 65216 Fax; 01692 652334
ALPINE, ROYAL MODEL, ARTISAN MORI, YOSCI; SMARTMODELLING No.7 Gordons Way, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0LN. UK Tel; 01883 734746
[email protected]
AMPERSAND PUBLISHING (via Historex Agents in UK)
235 NE 6th Avenue #4 Delray Beach, Florida 33483-5543, USA Tel; 561-266 9686 Fax; 561-266-9786
ARCHER
(Historex in UK)
PO Box 1277 Youngsville, NC 27596-1277, USA www.archertransfers.co
BADGER AIR-BRUSH COMPANY 9128W Belmont Ave, Franklin Park, IL 60131 Tel; 847/678-3104 www.badgerairbrush.com email
[email protected] (In the UK from www.shesto.co.uk)
BISON DECALS
Available from www.hannants.co.uk and www.pdi-model-supplies.com
DELUXE MATERIALS www.deluxematerials.co.uk
[email protected] Tel; 01529 455 0340
DRAGON MODELS
(The Hobby Company in UK)
Dragon Models Ltd, Kong Nam Ind. Building B1-10F, 603-609 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan NT, Hong Kong Fax; (HK) 4110587 www.dragonmodelsltd.com (For 1:6 Action Figures, please contact Amerang in UK)
ECHELON FINE DETAILS
Available from; wwwaccurate-armour.com & http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~kriegsketten/
FRIENDSHIP MODELS
12 Delta Drive, Musselburgh, East Lothian, EH21 8HR Tel; 0131 665 0866 Mobile; 07877166225 www.friendshipmodels.com
GREAT NORTH ROADS
9a Marcombe Road, Torquay, South Devon, TQ2 6LL Tel; 01803 400436 www.greatnorthroads.co.uk email
[email protected]
HANNANTS
Harbour Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 2LZ, Tel; 01502 517444 Fax; 01502 500521 www.hannants.co.uk
[email protected]
HISTOREX AGENTS
Wellington House, 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent, CT17 9BZ, UK Tel; 01304 206720 Fax; 01304 204528. www.historex-agents.co.uk
[email protected]
HOBBYLINK JAPAN
CAMMETT
(Lifecolour, Scale Caliber)
Unit 5 Greenfield Industrial Estate, Forest Road, Hay on Wye, Powys, HR3 5FA Tel; 01497 822757 Email;
[email protected] www.cammett.co.uk
CLASSIC PUBLICATIONS
Midland Counties Publications, 4 Watling Drive, Sketchley Lane Industrial Estate, Hinckley, Leics UK. LE10 1YF Tel; 01455 233 747, Fax; 01455 233 737
[email protected] www.classic-publications.com
CREATIVE MODELS LTD
(Mig Productions, Vallejo, Accurate Miniatures)
Unit 6-10, Honeysome Industrial Estate, Honeysome Road, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire. PE16 6TG Tel; 01354 760022 www.creativemodels.co.uk
[email protected]
DARTMOOR MILITARY MODELS Haylis cottage, Budlake, Broadclyst Exeter, EX5 3LJ, England Tel; 01392 881271 www.dartmoormilitarymodels.com
C/ Santiago Rusinol 7, Pral 2a, 08750 Molins de Rei, Barcelona, Spain www.migproductions.com
MILICAST MODEL CO.,
9 Rannoch St., Battlefield, Glasgow G44 4DF, Scotland Tel/Fax; 0141 633 1400
[email protected] www.milicast.com
MISSION MODELS
(ETCHMATE, GRABHANDLER, MICRO CHISEL)
www.etchmate.com www.missionmodels.com Tel; 818 842 1885 Fax; 818 842 1886
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected]
THE ARMORY; M&MODELS
9329 S. Cicero Ave, Oak Lawn, IL 60453, USA http://home.earthlink.net/~mmodels/
www.airconnection.on.ca
www.ianallanpublishing.com Mail Order Dept 01455 254450 Kiev 02099, Ukraine, Borispolskaya 9 building 64. Tel/fax; (+38044) 369-54-12
[email protected] www.icm.com.ua
ITALERI
(The Hobby Company in UK)
Via Pradazzo, 6, I-40012 Calderara Di Reno, Bologna, Italy, Tel; 051 726037 www.italeri.com
JUST BASES
21 Graham Road, Paignton TQ3 1BB Tel; 01803 558520 www.just-bases.co.uk
JUST KITS
Schiffer Publishing, 4880 Lower Valley Rd, Atglen, PA, 19310 USA www.schifferbooks.com
SCHIFFER BOOKS in UK
Bushwood Books, No.6 Marksbury Avenue, Kew Gardens, Surrey TW9 4JF, UK. Tel; 020 8392 8585, 020 8392 9876, email;
[email protected]
SCHUMO KITS
www.schumo-kits.com
SDV MODEL
BY
www.sdvmodel.cz
SIMPLE 2 TRADE
No 2 Hollywood Lane, Hollywood, Birmingham, B47 5PP Tel; 0121 474 3030 www.simple2trade.com
SMARTMODELLING
No.7 Gordons Way, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0LN UK Tel; 01883 734746
[email protected]
MONROE PERDU
SQUADRON
Monroe Perdu Designs, 3168 Renee Court, Simi Valley, CA 93065, USA. www.monroeperdu.com
ORDNANCE MODELS Via; www.steelmodels.com
PACIFIC COAST MODELS Tel; 001 707 538 4850
[email protected] www.pacmodels.com
PO Box 164, Heathfield, Sussex TN21 8WA, UK www.panzerwrecks.com (Creative Models in UK)
Jizni 56, 370 10 C. Budejovice, Czech Republic.
[email protected] www.plusmodel.cz
POCKETBOND LTD
(Trumpeter & AFV Club in UK)
PO Box 80, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England, AL6 0ND Tel; 01707 391509 Fax; 01707 327 466
[email protected]
PSP MODELS LTD (Mission Models in USA)
Unit 19B, Applin’s Farm, Farrington, Dorset DT11 8RA, UK Tel/Fax; 01747 811 817 www.psp-models.com
QUICKBOOST
www.quickboost.net
REVELL GmbH & Co. KG
LSA MODELS
SB MODELS
Model Design Construction, Victoria Place, Victoria Road, Ripley, Derbyshire DE5 3FW Fax; 01773 513344
[email protected] www.modeldesignconstruction.com
SCHIFFER BOOKS
(Swash, Tasca, Gap, Yosci, Royal Model)
4 High Street, Botley, Southampton, SO30 2EA Tel; 01489 781177 www.justkitsandmodels.co.uk
MDC
Industriestrasse 6, 94347 Ascha, Germany Fax; 09961 910 7826
Tel; 01892 533036 www.modelwholesaleuk.com
Orchard Mews, 18C High Street, Tring, Herts, HP23 5AH Tel; +44 (0) 1442 890285 www.revell.eu
(TASCA, MASTER BOX) Retail; 151 Sackville Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 3HD, England. Tel/Fax; 01273 705420
[email protected] www.lsamodels.co.uk
SCHATTON BARRELS
MODEL WHOLESALE UK LTD
PLUS MODEL
ICM
Via Hannants in UK
(Creative Models in UK)
HUSSAR PRODUCTIONS, CANADA
BOOKWORLD WHOLESALE
CALIBRE 35
MIG PRODUCTIONS
PANZERWRECKS
IAN ALLAN
Unit 10 Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Ind Est Stourport, Worcs, DY13 9QB Tel; 01299 823330 Fax; 01299 829970
[email protected]
http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~m.a.mori/index_eng.html
Sano-shi, Kurohakama-cho 162-1, Tochigi 327-0813, Japan www.hlj.com
BLAST MODELS
Via AFV Modeller or www.blast-models.com
MODELING ARTISAN MORI
UK distributor for Model Victoria and Royal Model
P.O. Box 114, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA13 0WY. Tel/Fax; 01229 430 749
[email protected] www.sbmodels.net
1115 Crowley Drive, Carrollton, TX 75006-1312 U.S.A
SWANN-MORTON
Owlerton Green, Sheffield, S6 2BJ Tel; +44 (0)114 234 4231 Fax; +44 (0)114 231 4966 General:
[email protected] www.craftknives.com
TAMIYA JAPAN
Tamiya, Inc., 3-7 Ondawara Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8610 JAPAN www.tamiya.com
TAMIYA UK;
THE HOBBY COMPANY LIMITED Garforth Place, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, MK5 8PG, UK Tel; 01908 605686 Fax; 01908 605666
[email protected] www.hobbyco.net
TRUMPETER
www.trumpeter-china.com Pocketbond in the UK
VERLINDEN PRODUCTIONS (Historex in UK)
811 Lone Star Drive, O’Fallon, Missouri 63366, USA www.verlinden-productions.com
VALLEJO
(Creative Models in UK)
Acrylicos Vallejo, SL Apartado 337 - 08800 Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Spain Tel; (34) 93 893 60 12 Fax; (34) 93 893 11 54 www.acrylicosvallejo.com
VLS CORPORATION (LSA in UK)
(TRAKZ, WINGZ, CUSTOM DIORAMICS, WARRIORS); Lincoln County Industrial Park, 1011 Industrial Court, Moscow Mills, Missouri 63362, USA www.modelmecca.com
WHITE ENSIGN
Unit 5, Cobnash Industrial Estate, HR6 9RW Tel; 0844 415 0914
[email protected] www.whiteensignmodels.com
WWII PRODUCTIONS, AUSTRALIA
PO Box 794, Cheltenham GL52 3ZW, UK
[email protected]
12 Prince Street, Waratah, 2298, NSW, Australia Tel; +61 (0)2 4967 3205 Fax; +61 (0)2 4967 3207
[email protected]
SBX MODEL SHOP
ZVEZDA
SBLC
Norwich Road, Ipswich. IP1 5DN Tel; 01473 464311 www.sbxmodelshop.co.uk
(The Hobby Company in UK)
Promishlennaia Str.,2, Lobnya, Moscow Region, 141730 Russia
[email protected] www.zvezda.org.ru
■ Please mention ‘Model Military International’ if you make contact with any of the companies listed above - thanks! 64 Model Military International - March 2014
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Bret Mk.I Pete refer thes
Next Issue On sale 6th March 2014
ISSUE No.95 March 2014, Published February 6th 2014 Editor;
Brett Green
Group Editor;
Marcus Nicholls
Publisher;
Alan Harman
Graphic Design;
Alex Hall
Advertising Manager;
Colin Spinner
Advertising Sales;
Claire Alley Mark Peacock
Advertising Assistant;
Joe Brown
Office Manager;
Paula Gray
Administration Manager; Hannah McLaurie MMI Website;
ADH Web Team
Printed by; Symbian Print Intelligence, Hertfordshire, UK
BY SEA AND BY LAND
Distributed by; Seymour Distribution 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT Tel; 020 7429 4000
Brett Green converts Tasca’s Sherman Mk.III to a deep wading version, while Peter Brown provides accompanying reference in a Think Tank piece on these fascinating amphibious vehicles.
Newstrade; Select Publisher Services 3 East Avenue, Bournemouth, BH3 7BW Tel; 01202 586848 Email;
[email protected] Model Military International is published on the first Thursday of each month by; ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX UK www.modelmilitary.com Tel; +44 (0)1525 222573 Fax; +44 (0)1525 222574 Editorial enquiries; Email;
[email protected]
T-80U
Vladimir Adamec builds Xact Scale Models’ 1:35 scale T-80U Russian Main Battle Tank.
Subscription enquiries; Tel; +44 (0)1525 222573 Fax; +44 (0)1525 222574 Email;
[email protected]
THE HUNTER HUNTED
Reproduction in part of any text, photograph, or illustration without written consent from the publisher is strictly prohibited. While due care is taken to ensure the contents of Model Military International is accurate, the publishers and printers can not accept responsibility for errors and omissions.
Steve Shrimpton creates a wrecked Nashorn in 1:72
Advertisements are accepted for publication in Model Military International only on ADH Publishing’s standard terms of acceptance of advertising, copies of which are available from the advertising department. Please write to the address above. All advertising, circulation and subscription enquiries should also be directed to the UK address above.
...and much more! ZIS-30 CONVERSION Steve Zaloga converts Mirror Models’ 1:35 Komsomolets Tractor into a ZiS-30.
Due to many influencing factors, we cannot guarantee the appearance of the above projects, but we’ll try our best!
FOR YOUR SAFETY Don’t forget, when using solvents such as glues, paints, thinners and cleaning agents, always ventilate your work area thoroughly and wear a face mask. When using power tools, side cutters or any tool that can suddenly break or create highspeed airborne particles, wear approved eye protectors with hard, clear lenses. Please always model in safety!
Subscription rates are; 1 year (12 issues); £44 UK £56 Europe £69 Worldwide (Airmail) Binders; £8.50 plus postage (UK £2.45, Euro £4.45, World £6.45) For all orders, please call; (UK) +44(0)1525 222573 or visit www.modelmilitary.com Back Issues; Back Issues are available at the current cover price. See the latest back issues advert or visit www.modelmilitary.com The paper used in this magazine is manufactured at the Leipa Georg Mill and is 100% recycled using de-inked pulp. The mill conforms fully with the requirements of both FSC and PEFC and carries the full accreditations for their environmental policies.
© ADH Publishing 2014
The paper used on this title is from sustainable forestry
Order online now at; www.modelmilitary.com
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[email protected]
March 2014 - Model Military International 65
p 64-65 Contacts NI 095B.indd 65
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D6773 Dragon Kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, MK5 8PG See the full Dragon range at www.hobbyco.net Find us on facebook Dragon models are available from all good model shops search Plastic Kits UK
p 67 Dragon 095.indd 8
www.hobbyco.net
17/01/2014 10:54
