Model Military International - Issue 105 (January 2015)

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■ All the information you’ll ever need to create the best military models... ■

CAUNTER SCHEME BY MIKE STARMER

Issue 105 January 2015 www.modelmilitary.com

STRYKER AFV Club 1:35 scale M1130 Stryker

ARMOURED ROLLER Roden 1:35 scale Rolls Royce 1920 Mk.I Armoured Car

OMAHA BEACH

INSIDE: p 01 CoverMMI 105B.indd 1

How this 1:35 scale diorama was built

1:35 Crusader Build and Reference ■ 1:35 Panther Ausf. D ■ 1:35 BMP-1 ■ 1:48 Kfz. 69 with 3.7 Pak ■ and more...

January 2015 / £4.20 / Issue 105

11/11/2014 17:33

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Modelling Trees Part Two - Conifers 92 pages, full colour. £21.95

Modelling Trees Part One Broadleaf Trees 92 pages, full colour. £19.95

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D.A.K Profile Guide This book shows the original German camouflage of vehicles used by the Deutsche Afrika Korps, with color variants throughout the war. 108 pages, Over 170 profiles cover schemes, published by A.K Interactive. £23.99

Tankograd 9022 - Cold War Exercise SPEARPOINT 80 Joint British and American Forces face the Threat from the East. After two years of preparatory work, the field training exercise Spearpoint 80 was conducted as part of the large-scale Exercise Crusader 80 between 11 and 26 September 1980. Since NATO came into existence, this exercise was the largest British one held on West German soil.Illustrated with 86 colour photographs, 32 black&white photographs and 4 maps. £13.99

Tankograd 5051 - FUCHS The Transportpanzer 1 Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier in German Army Service Part 1 - Development and Technology. The Transportpanzer 1 Fuchs wheeled armoured personnel carriers are, aside from the Leopard main battle tanks, the most iconic and most prominent assets of the modern German Army. Illustrated throughout with 96 colour photo’s, 33 black&white photo’s, 12 graphics and one five-side technical drawing in 1/35 scale. £13.99

Painting Guide for AFV of World War Two and Modern Era Much more than a new technique, this book offers you a novel approach of AFV painting. The author clearly explains, through detailled step by step photos, how to give your model the perfect enhance of contrast and a ‘eye catching’ look. 82 pages, full colour. £17.50

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Realistic Wood Effects First book of this new collection (Learning series) in a small format. This collection is oriented to help modelers through different modeling tasks. This volume is dedicated to paint different types of wood, planes, ships, tools, accessories etc. 83 pages, full colour. Published by A.K Interactive. £10.99

Tankograd In Detail Fast Track 03 - M2A3 Bradley The US Army Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle. In action photographs and a detailed walkaround, English text.Limited print-run 999 copies. Illustrated with 86 colour photographs. 40pages. £10.99

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AK Learning Series - Panzer Crew Uniforms In this book, we find many painting articles with an extensive step guide and many full colour photographs. A detailed guide on how to paint these uniforms from the classic black uniform to camouflaged clothes and going through the painting of several heads. £10.99

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Camouflage & Markings of Allied Armor in the Battle for Cassino January-May 1944 This is an authoritative guide to the armor deployed by the Allies over the course of the fighting for this strategic objective. Covering American, British, Indian, Canadian, French, New Zealand and Polish armor, this book includes a number of rare and unpublished photos with detailed captions. 56 pages, 78 b&w photos, 20 full color plates of artwork. £19.99

Tankograd 5052 - FUCHS The Transport- How to Build The Leopard Family panzer 1 Wheeled Armoured Personnel in 1:35 Carrier in German Army Service. Part 2 How To Build The Leopard Family Reconnaissance / Engineer / Command. The In 1:35 is a comprehensive guide to Transportpanzer 1 Fuchs wheeled armoured modelling this famous vehicle in its personnel carriers are, aside from the many forms. From battle tanks to Leopard main battle tanks, the most iconic recovery vehicles, homeland protectors, and most prominent assets of the modern to battle-hardened veterans, you’ll find German Army. Illustrated throughout with much to enjoy and inspire within the 107 colour photo’s, 5 black&white photo’s, 3 pages of this exciting new book. 82 graphics, one technical drawing in 1/72 and pages, full colour. one technical drawing in 1/35 scale. £13.99 £12.95

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Art of Modelling 5 VK 3001 With PZ.KPFW. IV AUSF. B Turrett Techniques: Takom Leopard C2 Mexas Techniques: Revell 03986 Supermarine Spitfire MK.IIA Painting Techniques 2: Painting and Weathering of Olive Green Techniques: Industria Mechanika IMECH009 Red Star 47 Readers Gallery: STUG IV LATE Tip: How to apply paper propaganda posters. All modelling news. 66 pages.£7.95

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How to Build... Airfix 1:24 Hawker Typhoon The complete guide to building the amazing Airfix 1:24 scale Hawker Typhoon, written by Brett Green of HyperScale and Model Military fame. This new book features an exhaustive step-by-step guide to construction with modelling contributions by Brett, Marcus Nicholls and Chris Wauchop. 74 pages, full colour. £12.95

Nuts and Bolts 32 - The medium cross-country Lorries 3 ton (6x4) of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht To date, Nuts & Bolts has only produced publications on tracked, half-track vehicles and weapon systems. With this volume, the first issue in a series which will deal exclusively on Lorries - in particular the medium cross-country Lorries (commercial) - m. gl. Lkw. (o) - of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. 225 pages, 16 camouflage schemes, 471 photos. £25.15

Soldaten - The German Soldier in WW2 Author and illustrator Dennis Oliver is joined in this title by renowned military artist Stephen Andrew to showcase the men and armoured vehicles that held the German lines in the Netherlands through 1944 and 1945. 13 pages of brilliantly rendered and painstakingly researched colour artwork by Dennis Oliver and guest artist Stephen Andrew. 33 Pages. £13.99

Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank Volume 2 In Challenger 1 Volume 2 Robert Griffin outlines the service career of the Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank and Challenger Repair and Recovery Vehicle. This exciting Photosniper title includes numerous period photographs, ten colour plates and vehicle plans for the Challenger 1 Mk.3 as deployed into combat during Operation Granby. 80 pages, 185 photos. £13.99

M2A2 ODS Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle in Detail 96 pages, full colour, Chapters Include: Introduction, Hull Walkaround, Drivers Compartment, Squad Compartment, Turrett exterior details, Turrett Interior details, NBC Protection System, OIF M2. £19.99

Officers and Soldiers 24 - French Dragoons Volume 1 According to Father Daniel, the dragoon corps was founded during the reign of Henri II following the creation of the mounted Arquebusiers in 1554 by the Marshall of Brissac in the Piedmont. They were foot soldiers forming small bands organized into companies or platoons, who travelled on horseback and who used their firearms while on foot. 82 pages, colour plates. £16.99

The Weathering Magazine 8 This time focused on the Vietnam War. Inside you will find how to create a jungle diorama, how to obtain the characteristic earth and dust colors of Vietnam, and realistic painting of helicopters and airplanes as seen in the war. This, and so much more. So much, that the magazine includes 8 bonus pages full of tricks and techniques to cover the topic in depth and have even more fun. £8.99

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YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.bookworldws.co.uk Stockists of the following subjects: Aviation, Military, Naval, Modelling, Railway, Motoring Major credit cards accepted, UK cheques payable to Bookworld Wholesale Ltd UK Postage Single Book £2.50 Two or More Books £4.50 Overseas airmail please add 15% of order value minimum £7.50

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Contents - Issue 105 January 2015 40

26

54

REGULARS

FEATURES

p 4 NEWS

p 6 THINK TANK

p 56 INCOMING

p 18 HOBSON’S CHOICE

p 58 1:48 SCALE

p 24 PREVIEW

What’s new in the world of military modelling News on accessories, tools and finishing products Luke Pitt explores 1:48 scale military models, figures and accessories

p 60 BOOKS

Roundup of the latest modelling and reference titles

p 66 LAST POST

Late breaking news and ramblings from the Editor

Caunter Scheme by Mike Starmer Italeri 1:35 Crusader by Brett Green Dragon 1:35 Panzer T-34-747(r)

p 26 CRUSADER Mk.I CLOSE-UP Puckapunyal Crusader in detail

p 32 PREVIEW

Zvezda 1:35 Panther Ausf.D

p 34 COMMAND STRYKER

AFV Club 1:35 M1130 Stryker CV/TACP by Alex Kutovenko

p 39 PREVIEW

Italeri 1:35 BMP-1

©ADH Publishing Ltd 2014

p 40 OMAHA BEACH

Tamiya 1:35 M4 Sherman showcased by Jose Brito

p 54 TANK BOY GALLERY

Roden 1:35 Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

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 January 2015 - Model Military International 3

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Newsline - January ’15

MMI Newsdesk, ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK Tel:01525 222573 Fax:01525 222574 Email:[email protected]

SOUTHERN EXPO 2015

Hornby Hobbies Warehouse Move

H

ornby Hobbies has successfully completed a warehouse move to new facilities in Hersden, Canterbury, which will be run by specialist firm, DS

Logistics. Hornby Hobbies owns the iconic Hornby model rail and has evolved to incorporate famous UK brands such as Airfix and Humbrol in model kits and paints, Corgi in die-cast and Scalextric slot racing. Hornby has expanded internationally with the acquisition of Electrotren, Rivarossi, Jouef and Arnold. The new warehouse is a state of the art facility comprising 100,000 square feet, 60% of which is fully racked and capable of holding 7,000 pallets. The remaining 40% of the facility is set up as a pick pack operation that includes internet despatch and space for re-works. We have three loading bays to ensure the smooth operation of inbound containers from the Far East and India. There is also a large yard to the back of the warehouse for container unloading to avoid road

congestion into the site. Red McKay, Supply Chain Director said “The warehouse move was a smooth operation with virtually no disruption to customer deliveries and we are on a programme of continual improvement to continue deliver a great service. We are extremely pleased to be able to confirm that all permanent Hornby staff employed as part of the distribution warehouse team were offered a transfer to the new site.” Richard Ames, CEO said “The move enables Hornby Hobbies to improve upon turnaround times and creates an infrastructure that provides a platform for growth while improving our service to both consumers and customers. No jobs have been lost as part of the move. All the permanent Hornby staff employed as part of the distribution warehouse team were offered a transfer to DS logistics and the team are now working at the new site.” Thanks to Hornby Hobbies for the images www.hornby.com

Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd March Southern Expo is a plastic model show in the South East of England. It is a display of modelling talent put on by modelling clubs and specialist interest groups to show the results of hours of work. Along side this are many trade stands where you could purchase kits both old and new plus all those longed for accessories. Southern Expo 2015 will be held at Hornchurch Sports Centre, Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 1JU 10am to 5pm Saturday & 10am to 4pm Sunday Entry: Adults £3.00, Children £1 & Senior Citizens £2 Open Competition (Sunday only) – the Senior competition is being sponsored by Models For Sale (http://www.modelsforsale.com) For further details visit the website at http://www.southernexpo.co.uk/ or email [email protected] or send a stamped self-addressed envelope to: Peter Bagshaw 25 Repton Drive Gidea Park Essex RM2 5LP Tel: 01708 726102

NEW BOOKS FROM ADH PUBLISHING

Wombourne ASVC Fantastic Plastic Show 2015

Wombourne Aero Space and Vehicle IPMS Model Club will be holding their annual ‘Fantastic Plastic’ show on 6th September 2015. The address is: The Community Centre, Church Road, Wombourne, WV5 9EZ. It is also our 50th year as a club too.

ADH Publishing has just released two new books. The first is "Building Tamiya Armour Kits in 1:35". This new book brings together five detailed features that will show what is possible from this extensive range of kits. In so doing, it offers hints and tips, detailed step-by-step guides and written descriptions on all manner of techniques from basic construction, through detailing, painting and realistic weathering. The models have been built by Spencer Pollard, Marcus Nicholls and Brett Green. This is available now from ADH Books' website www.adhbooks.com In the second new release, "How to build Tamiya’s 1:12 Motorcycles", Keith Bristow demonstrates techniques for painting, weathering and superdetailing. This book gives all the hints and tips needed for all types of bikes from road to racing and all the techniques are relevant to the latest models. Also available now from ADH Books www.adhbooks.com

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M48A2GA2

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1:48 Now for the first time as a kit • Authentic reproduction of cast part surfaces • Finely detailed gratings • Easy mount vinyl tracks • Smoke dischargers • Rotating turret • Detailed gun • Hatches mountable in the open position • Search and target designating searchlight • Authentic decals for four versions REV ELL HA S MOVE D : Revell GmbH, Unit 10, Old Airfield Industrial Estate, Cheddington Lane, Tring, HP23 4QR Tel: 0845 459 0747, Fax: 01296 660041, Email: [email protected] © 2014 Revell GmbH. A subsidiary of Hobbico, Inc. All rights reserved. Trade enquiries welcome.

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Think Tank - THE ‘CAUNTER’ SCHEME

THE CAUNTER SCHEME

Mike Starmer explores the background, details and application of the often misunderstood ‘Caunter’ Scheme.

T

he recently released 1:35 scale Bronco A13 cruiser tank and Miniart Valentine II and the much earlier Stuart tank have completely inaccurate ‘Caunter Scheme’ colours and patterns on their instruction sheets. This article is intended to allow modellers who wish to built historically accurate models of the larger tanks employed in the early desert battles to do so. This ‘Caunter Scheme’ is surely the most enigmatic and inaccurately represented of all the W.W.2 camouflage schemes used by the British Army. The term ‘Caunter Scheme’ is not an official name but a term adopted by historians and modellers when reference is made to this particular disruptive design. The basic design is simply a series of elongated triangles which, on A.F.V.s, lorries and cars, mostly emanate as a fan shape from a single point at the rear of the vehicle and diverge towards the front corners. The areas between these are covered by elongated triangles too. Carriers and other equipment have their own similar designs. In previous years numerous publications have carried side view artwork illustrations depicting this scheme that for modelling purposes is almost useless. This ‘side view’ practice has inevitably spawned some imaginative and inventively painted models. ‘Caunter’ patterning is evidently still believed to be a scheme of randomly applied straight edged patches of

colour applied in varying directions over a vehicle. Not one photograph of the hundreds that I have seen confirms this perception. However those photographs do prove general adherence to the specified pattern as set out in the contemporary G.O.297 of November 1940. The colours commonly suggested by most kit companies are generally termed ‘tan’, ‘stone’ or ‘sand’ which are open to great variation (discussion – argument) by modellers. These are invariably depicted both in artwork and models as medium to dark toned browns or ochre despite much photographic evidence that clearly show very light tones. The much beloved ‘light blue’ or ‘light gray’ frequently recurs and ‘dark’ green’ or ‘dark grey’ is still common, even black. Some parts of the scheme shown on kit instructions have obviously been based on a single photograph with those unseen areas simply been guessed.

GENERAL ORDER G.O.297 – NOVEMBER 1940 The first General Order, G.O.297, was issued by G.H.Q.M.E. in November 1940 although the actual period of general use commenced in July 1940 following trials in about May of that year. The specified colours to be used were selected from the British Standard B.S.381C: 1930 'Colours for Ready Mixed Paints' book then used by government bodies. The specified colours were a basic colour of Light Stone No.61; or alternatively Portland

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Stone No.64, with Silver Grey No.28 and Slate No.34 as the disruptive colours. These colours are stipulated in several preceding contemporary documents with the disruptive designs later compiled in ‘Military Training Pamphlet (India) No.10 of June 1941; I obtained a photocopy in 1997. This booklet is devoted entirely to concealment and camouflage by use of terrain and materials, even down to disruptive designs for tentage. For vehicle modellers the most important part of this document is Chapter V, headed ‘Disruptive Painting of Vehicles’:

CHAPTER V. DISRUPTIVE PAINTING OF VEHICLES. 32. General. The object of painting vehicles in disruptive colouring is to obtain, the maximum possible concealment from ground and air observation. It must, however, be borne in mind that disruptive painting is only an aid to concealment. The proper use of ground and of vehicle camouflage equipment such as nets, must always be considered. NOTE (i). - The greater area of upper light-reflecting surfaces should be painted dark. NOTE (ii). - The sides, front and rear should be painted with a disruptive design in which the masses of light and dark are approximately equally balanced. Disruptive designs for mobile objects must be diagonal-horizontal in general layout. Vertical lines should not be used. A vertical mass is more conspicuous than a horizontal mass when moving across open ground, as it is directly opposed to the horizontal plane of the ground, and is more clearly observed in its relation to fixed bearings such as a tree, wood or building in the distance or middle distance. Vertical lines increase the apparent height of an object, but horizontal or diagonal lines reduce the apparent height. It is essential that disruptive painting should be carried all over the surface of the vehicle, e.g., over spare tins, tool-boxes, running boards, etc. Straight lines such as the barrels of guns must be broken. Tyres (including spare wheels) will not be painted at present. This policy will be reversed as soon as a suitable paint which will not injure tyres can be introduced. Rear curtains of lorries must be disruptive painted and kept down when concealment is required. 33. Colours and Patterns to be adopted for training purposes in India. The colours used will be as follows:(1) SLATE, or New Service Colour (B.S.C. No.34). (2) SILVER GREY (B.S.C. No.28). (3) PORTLAND STONE (B.S.C. No.64). They will be applied as shown in the following diagrams. Overhung surfaces and interior surfaces of compartments will be painted Portland Stone. Those external level surfaces on the plan views which do not appear on the other views are to be painted as shown on the plan. All interior surfaces will be painted Portland Stone. 34. Method Draw outline of disruptive design on side of the vehicle with chalk. (Get right proportions.) Repeat the process on top, front, remaining side and rear of vehicle in order named. Give further guidance to painters by daubing the disruptive paint here and there within the outlines. The work may then be completed rapidly by four or more men working on different areas simultaneously.

This text was supplemented by eight drawings depicting the designs for each class of vehicle then in use; no separate drawings were issued for each particular type of vehicle. However the base workshop painters needed to adapt the appropriate drawing to suit other particular vehicle types taken on charge since the original drawings were issued. Due to a number of ambiguities of colour demarcation lines on the drawings, the painters were obliged to give priority to one aspect and adjust the adjacent surfaces accordingly. This inevitably led to numerous small variations clearly discernible on photographs of similar equipment. Total repainting was only to be carried out by Base Ordnance Workshops; field units only carried paint stocks for 1st and 2nd line touch up repairs, 10% of that required for total repaint.

1941 During 1941, the scheme was prevalent in the M.E. operational areas of Egypt, Palestine and Syria and by default Greece and Crete too. By August 1941 the Australian Forces adopted an altogether different scheme for Palestine and Trans-Jordan. For the areas of Ethiopia, Abyssinia and The Sudan, G.O.297 prescribed a variation of ‘Caunter’ pattern using only the two colours, Light Stone No.61 and Light Purple Brown No.49 in lieu of Slate 34 and Silver Grey 28 respectively. However not all units necessarily used this scheme in those areas. It was this two coloured pattern that 3 RTR used in Greece on their A10 cruisers and 5 RTR on their A13s in Libya although there is sufficient evidence that strongly suggests that Slate No.34 was used in lieu of Light Purple Brown No.49. This variant is beyond the scope of this article but Bronco provided markings for 3 RTR and 5 RTR subjects which carried this scheme. Unfortunately both disruptive patterns supplied in the kit for these are completely imaginary. A proposed change of camouflage policy came with an October 1941 Routine Letter, G.S.D.4/105, which stated that due to the shortage of paint, and as the final destination of vehicles was unknown, then a single colour, Light Stone No.61 (M.E. standard colour No.23), would be the basic colour. In practice Portland Stone No.64 (M.E. standard colour No.11) served the same purpose until stocks were exhausted. Caunter patterning was formally cancelled by G.O.1272 in December 1941 when this new policy was adopted which allowed ‘Commands’ to apply a single disruptive colour over Light Stone No.61 as required or necessary. This ambiguity led to the application of a whole range of colours and patterns devised by brigades during 1942 until October when G.H.Q.M.E. abruptly stopped that practice by imposing specific designed patterns for particular vehicle types. On A.F.V.s, ‘Caunter’ disappeared quite rapidly due to repainting of repaired tanks and new issues. During the later period of ‘Operation Crusader’ Valentine, Crusader and Stuart tanks may be seen in a single colour carrying the distinctive I.D. flash unique to the operation so application of ‘Caunter’ must have ceased even before December. Older vehicles remained in the scheme by diminishing degrees into 1942 even on a few vehicles photographed as late as September 1942 since repainting was carried out on an ‘as and when necessary’ basis. The large A.F.V.s that carried ‘Caunter’ scheme were the A9, A10 and A13 cruiser tanks; Matilda II, Crusader I, Valentine II and Stuart I. The Tetrarch tank sent out in December 1941 for tropical trials carried this scheme too. The relevant issued drawing showed an A9 cruiser tank and all of the above tanks would have been painted using this drawing as a basic guide. As a result there were numerous ongoing adaptations as the painters tried to fit this design to a different type of tank. The A9 drawing actually shows a complex design in plan view which seems never to have been used since the multi-toned areas are in fact the rear hull plate layouts peculiar to A9 and A10 tanks. The instructions issued with M.T.P.10 states that this plan view layout should be used only when those areas are not visible in the other views. The drawing shows some discrepancy between the edge of the hull front and turret top edge but photographs reveal general conformity to the frontal aspect when the scheme was applied. The few photographs that do show any upper surfaces indicate that the painters simply ignored the plan view drawing and continued the fan shaped rear stripes forward over the hull and turret to the outer front corners.

NOTE - The above colours and designs were evolved by Headquarters, Middle East. For various reasons it has been decided to adopt the same scheme for training purposes in India although it is realised that the scheme may not be suited to certain types of Indian terrain. Should modifications to the colours and designs be necessary for operational purposes then instructions will be issued by Army Headquarters.

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Think Tank - THE ‘CAUNTER’ SCHEME THE DRAWINGS The drawings here have all been based on the official drawing and photographic evidence showing the design emanating from a common point on the rear hull. This may clearly be seen on the rear views of the A10, A13, Stuart and Matilda II, I have reasonably presumed that this was so on the other types too. It is also noticeable that in a number of cases the colour lines were adjusted to coincide with the edges of plates and corners. This actually detracted from the intention of the design which was to create false shadows and highlights and in some cases accentuated them.

‘A’ SERIES CRUISER TANKS The A9, A10 and A13s were easy to paint, ignoring the plan view, the colour lines were simply carried straight from the rear point to front corners over the turret as implied by the rear view. In front aspect the Slate areas usually came straight down over the left sub-turret on the A9 then doglegged to the front corner where the inner face of the track-guard meets the hull. That central Silver Grey band at the rear ended as a point meeting the Slate either at midway along the turret roof or front corner where the frontal Silver Grey ends on the drawing.

MATILDA II From close scrutiny of numerous photographs I found that Matilda tanks carried one of three variants of the design. These variations may be distinguished by differently located colour demarcation lines on their turrets and hulls. The Matilda turret has a peculiarity in the turret shape. It was cast with a prominent curved flair from just below the roof edge to the skirting over the turret ring that is at such an angle as to very noticeably reflect the light and gives the impression of a very light coloured bulged shape painted on the turret side, this has led to unfortunate errors in some museum restorations. What was probably the earliest design had an inverted ‘V’ shape of Silver Grey No.28 on the turret, this is what I have called pattern ‘A’, and appears to be an attempt to conform closely to the official drawing. Pattern ‘B’ has no ‘V’ and no Slate colour on the hull side and pattern ‘C’, which is what I believe may be the final attempt, now has a more balanced tonal arrangement. When selecting your model subject check your photograph against the features on the drawings to decide which is the most appropriate pattern to apply.

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Think Tank - THE ‘CAUNTER’ SCHEME CRUSADER I Crusaders appear to have two variants of layout of colour lines on their turrets with the rest of the tank basically the same. These are both on the drawing. An early Crusader I T15588 in M.E., June 1941, carried a ‘Caunter’ scheme modified on the front by having a triangle of Slate 34 from the bottom left corner of the track-guard drawn diagonally right across the front plate. Where it stops cannot be discerned on the photograph. The remainder of the tank appears to conform to the drawing. Although perhaps extreme, this photograph clearly demonstrates how far areas could become distorted when the scheme was applied to a range of different types and goes some way to explain the multitude of observed apparent discrepancies.

VALENTINE II Only the Valentines of 8 RTR carried this scheme, their low hull and general configuration must have caused problems for the painters and is not at all conducive to balanced areas of light and dark tones. Photographs of Valentines in the scheme are not common and the colour demarcations on the hull are not easy to see unless one has some previous idea to where to look. There seems to be two major versions of the pattern. On one version there is only a small dark area on the side of the front right track-guard but this is mostly covered by the white/ red/ white I.D. flash. However in some cases it is just possible to see a bit of the dark colour peeking out from behind that flash, the left side dark area is slightly larger. On the other version this dark area is larger and more obvious. The turret does not always have that inverted ‘V’ shape of Silver Grey No.28 on each side but since the turret is small it is often not very obvious. I have shown both colour layouts as right and left sides on my drawing but any particular tank would have had the same layout on both sides. Where that inverted ‘V’ occurs on the turret then the stripes across the rear deck must have been very narrow as I have shown with little if any disruptive value. As none of the photographs that I saw show this area, I have drawn it with a degree of speculation. Adhering to the official drawing this seems to have been the only possible layout. It must have been very tricky painting the rear decking.

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Think Tank - THE ‘CAUNTER’ SCHEME

STUART I The Academy kits of M3A1 have the design and colours totally wrong as does the Matchbox/ Revell kit. The Stuart tanks of 4th Armoured Brigade arrived from the U.S.A. in overall Olive Drab No.9. The first few were issued to 8th Hussars in Olive Drab No.9 and marked with unit signs and names. These were later repainted in Caunter design having their names and WD masked off when painted. ‘Bellman’ was one such with the name in yellow on an Olive Drab rectangle. Later arrivals were immediately repainted in the ‘Caunter’ scheme at B.O.W. before issue. Photographs of these tanks show four major variations of the scheme, its high boxy overall shape does not lend itself easily to adaptation of the official pattern. Initially that inverted ‘V’ appears again as an attempt was made to follow the official drawing. This feature was succeeded by a number of turret and hull line variations in similar vein to that on the Matilda tank until what might be the final design showing more Slate colour on the hull sides. Most of these tanks were destroyed during Operation Crusader; the survivors were back-loaded to base depots for repair and repainting in the new overall colour. There are several pictures of plain Stuarts carrying an overall colour with I.D. markings indicating the adoption of the new policy for replacement or reinforcement tanks.

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Think Tank - THE ‘CAUNTER’ SCHEME MARKINGS A few broad notes on the subject of markings might be of value. A particular feature on A.F.V.s and some other vehicles too was the retention of the original WD number in white. This was often masked off before desert camouflage was applied and appeared on a neat rectangular Khaki Green 3 back-ground or Olive Drab on Stuarts. When complete remarking was carried out this number might be repainted in black to contrast against a lighter camouflage colour but also in white so as to be less conspicuous. Most of the units based in Egypt at the outbreak of hostilities had their vehicles marked with the appropriate divisional signs and unit codes. These also carried coloured geometric squadron signs on each side of the turret with smaller ones on front and rear. The Matilda II tanks were an exception, devoid of squadron markings, since there were so few available they were constantly re-allocated to support operations of other units. Some units often displayed individual vehicle names according to unit practice, references are essential for these and have suitable photographs. The markings on Matildas of 4 RTR and 7 RTR were confined to WD number and names beginning with ‘D’ or 'G' respectively or 32nd Armoured Brigade with just names. In 1941 there was no requirement for any air identification or ground forces recognition sign on British vehicles, none were carried. Specifically for ‘Operation Crusader’, a ground forces recognition flash was introduced effective from 5th November 1941. This new marking was deemed necessary due to a number of factors. A new unfamiliar shape in the form of Stuart tanks that were being fielded for the first time. More importantly, infantry were unfamiliar even with our own tanks and lacked the training to work with armour and it was now acknowledged that there existed a lamentable ability of even our own tank crews to correctly recognise British tanks even when out of action, a situation seriously exacerbated amongst smoke dust and heat haze when in action. Officially this flash was 18 inches high divided vertically into three 6 inch wide alternate stripes of white/ red/ white. The operation order No. 643/G to 30 Corps required the marking to be applied to each side of the turret, centrally on the front hull and each side of the front track-guards. In the latter case it was often the full height of the plate and curved to match the top edge. There are cases too of larger flashes on the side of turrets. A case of “bigger is better” which had much to commend it in the circumstances about to unfold. The marking lasted until early January 1942 and was rapidly obliterated at the end of the operation, never being used again thereafter.

COLOURS The official basic colour was BSC.No.64 Portland Stone, a very pale cream with a slightly green tinge or alternatively BSC.No.61 Light Stone which when new was a medium toned yellow with a brown tinge; many veterans recollect its use, being recalled as “desert yellow”. Both of these colours are much lighter than the dark yellow /brown 'builder's sand' colour most often used on models and marketed by model paint companies. BSC.No.61 Light Stone is not Humbrol 93 ‘8th Army desert yellow’, this colour is actually based on the 1948 colour BS.361 Light Stone and quite different to the wartime colour nor is it matched by any model paint company. No.28 Silver Grey has for many years been believed to be a very light blue or grey. However, No. 28 Silver Grey is neither blue nor grey and not light either but a medium yellow-green in appearance. The name dates from the 16th century and is the description of oxidised silver plate. Relative to W.W.2 RAF colours, it lies between ‘Sky, Type S’ and ‘Interior Grey-Green’ in hue and tone and strongly resembles the then contemporary ‘Sky’ a.k.a. ‘duck-egg blue’ colour of R.A.F. machines. The darkest colour has frequently been stated in the past to have been

Black. Only the trials vehicles in early 1940 used this colour. According to the 7th Armoured Division Intelligence Summary for 10 May 1940, Abbassia Depot; ‘The upper surfaces are black, the centre portion is green and the lower surfaces are a stone colour.’ This was considered by some to be too dark but effective even at short distances and “all vehicles are to be painted in these colours”. The actual shades of green and stone are unknown at this time but this was a short lived combination. Late 1940 photographs of 1 RTR Vickers Light Mk.VI tanks and some A9s do show a very high contrast ‘Caunter’ design that could be in these colours. The darkest colour actually used was B.S. No.34 Slate, a dark greengrey with a yellowish tinge that fades to a medium grey after exposure to strong sunlight. This matches veteran's descriptions and the washed out appearance so evident on photographs. The alternative dark colour is Khaki Green No.3, the 'New Service Colour' introduced for vehicles in the UK in early 1939 and on deliveries to Egypt. Retaining this only required the other two colours to be applied at the workshops, which practice is confirmed by witness interview. It fades heavily towards a more olive shade but remains comparatively dark. To give the reader some idea of the appearance of these colours some close approximations do appear on commercial charts, available free from decorator’s stores. These are trade BS.4800 series. They will probably suit the less pedantic, in any case any colour in the desert soon lost the 'new' look. Most paint companies market these BS.4800 series of colours but sold under their own names. The number is always the same and should be used as the standard, not the name. B.S.C. COLOUR.

BS.4800

Silver Grey No.28 Slate No.34 Light Stone No.61 Portland Stone No.64 Khaki Green No.3

Lighter and more yellow than 12 B 21. Slightly lighter and greyer than 12 B 25. Slightly more brown than 10 C 35. More yellow and slightly lighter than 10 B 17 More yellow than 10 C 39.

The following mixes use Humbrol (H) and Revell (R) paints but be aware that due to variations in their colour accuracy and your own unintentional proportion differences, mixes made without comparison to a standard sample will vary. To avoid fractions of units in the mix formula all mixes have been rounded up to whole units. KHAKI GREEN No.3 BSC. No.28 SILVER GREY BSC. No.34 SLATE BSC. No.61 LIGHT STONE BSC. No.64 PORTLAND STONE

= 5 x R363, 3 x R360 + 1 x R84. = 5 x H74 + 2 x H145. = 4 x H32 + 2 x H81 + 1 x H117. = 8 x H74 + 1 x H26. = 7 x H196 + 2 x H34 + 2 x H74

PRINCIPLE REFERENCES: • M.T.P. 10, INDIA June 1941. • BS.381C: 1930, 1948, 1964, 1988 issues. Colour swatches. • BS.4800, current colour swatches. • Numerous published sources and video footage. • Worldwide contacts and acquaintances too numerous to mention. • Most grateful thanks to the staff at the RAC Tank Museum and Hussar's Museum Winchester and acknowledgements to The Librarian, Royal Engineers Library, Chatham. For greater coverage of the scheme, complete official drawings and colour swatches ‘The Caunter Scheme’ book is available from the author. n

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NEW in the ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series HOW TO BUILD... TAMIYA’S ARMOUR KITS IN 1:35 Though the modelling world is awash with an incredible variety of military vehicle kits from a huge number of different companies, one stands head and shoulders above the others in terms of originality, buildability and fun. That company is Tamiya, who have consistently provided the budding enthusiast with some of the finest kits available in the scale of 1:35. This new book brings together five detailed features that will show what is possible from this extensive range of kits. In so doing, it offers hints and tips, detailed step-by-step guides and written descriptions on all manner of techniques from basic construction, through detailing, painting and realistic weathering. No stone is left unturned in the quest to inspire the modeller to complete similar projects for themselves. It really is a one-stop-shop for the budding military modeller! Within its 84 pages you will five find features that take you through the construction and painting of the ‘Easy Eight’ Sherman, Nashorn, Elefant, Gama Goat and Tiran 5, all expertly put together by our renowned team of authors, Spencer Pollard, Brett Green and Marcus Nicholls, who have created one of the finest collections of modelling features ever published, on this famous range of kits. This then is the world of Tamiya’s wonderful 1:35 military vehicle kits plus p&p – we hope that you enjoy your visit!

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Italeri 1:35 Crusader Mk.I • Kit No. 6432

AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE PART ONE – CONSTRUCTION

The Editor builds and improves Italeri’s 1:35 scale Crusader Mk.I.

Italeri’s Crusader Mk.I was released in 2012, but is shares many parts with the original 1976 Mk.III kit.

I

t is easy to be dazzled by the seemingly endless stream of impressive new releases that appear on our hobby shop shelves. It is also tempting to assume that any kit from the 1970s would not be worth considering in these days of high tech production methods and equally high modeller expectations. It is true that most 40-year-old kits look very dated today, but there are a few exceptions. Italeri originally released their 1:35 scale Crusader Mk.III tank in 1976, when I was still in high school and disco was on the AM radio. In the subsequent decades, Italeri released an anti-aircraft version, plus a Mk.II (which was actually probably closer to a late Mk.I) and finally, in 2012, a Crusader Mk.I. Italeri’s 1:35 scale Crusader Mk.I best represents a very early

version, but it maintains some hangovers from the Mk.II and Mk.III kits. Most of these are very simple to address, as it is mainly parts that do not need to be installed. This most recent addition to Italeri’s Crusader family supplies a new style of mantlet and mufflers, early headlight arrangement, covers for the road wheels and other specific early version parts. The kit comprises 228 parts in light grey plastic plus 6 parts in gunmetal coloured flexible vinyl. Moulding quality is quite good, with minimal flash and few imperfections on the outer surfaces of parts. Detail is crisp too, with raised rivets and even screw heads with slots moulded in place. The vinyl tracks are well detailed inside and out. So far, so good. But the real test is how it goes together.

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The kit features a nice combination of raised and recessed surface detail.

Lots of rivets – just like the real thing!

Some of the new parts specific to the Mk.I include the muffler cover and the small auxiliary turret.

The wheel covers were not fitted to all Crusader Mk.Is.

The kit supplies a very early version mantlet.

The kit decal sheet. The fonts look suspect to me. I will be replacing the serial numbers with decals from Archer Fine Transfers.

CONSTRUCTION Construction commences with the lower hull, which provides a good representation of the Christie helical spring suspension. This is achieved by an inner hull – provided as a tub – supplemented with the Christie suspension arms and separate outer hull sidewalls. The fit of these parts is perfect. In fact, the fit of all the parts is creditable considering the age of the original moulds. At this stage the instructions suggest that the upper hull should be added, but I decided to wait until I had the running gear fitted. The road wheels are made up from four parts each. No polythene caps here – the inner wheels are supposed to be trapped behind plastic washers, which are supposed to be melted in place with a hot screwdriver. Oh my, how passé! I simply glued the washers in place and tried to live with the fact that the wheels would not rotate. Once again, I ignored the suggested construction sequence and, with the road wheels, idlers and drive sprockets in place, I decided to fit the tracks. The vinyl material is a bit stiff, but I thought I’d see if it would work with Revell Contacta cement. Short answer, it doesn’t! I therefore brought out the super glue to connect the ends of the full length tracks. I had better A

The hull and Christie suspension components.

Fit is positive, and we don’t have to worry about workable suspension!

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Italeri 1:35 Crusader Mk.I • Kit No. 6432

The outer hull covers in place. Nothing to see here.

The road wheels are made up from four pieces each. If you choose to fit the plain covers, you’ll need to make up another ten for the inner wheels too.

The inner wheels fitted to the suspension arms. These have simply been glued in place, as have the polystyrene washers.

Outer road wheels, caps, drive sprockets and idler wheels in place.

B luck with this.

Once the glue had set, I looped one of the tracks around the drive sprocket and idler wheel. Fit was loose enough to comfortably super glue the top track run to the top of the five road wheels. I clamped the tracks to the wheels while the

super glue set. The drape was not completely convincing, but this was not a particular problem as most of the problem areas would be covered up by the sandshields. I was planning to build a slightly later Mk.I than the kit depicts

Old-school vinyl tracks are enough to strike fear into my heart, but the detail on these isn’t bad at all.

straight from the box, so I left off the plain road wheel covers. I also left off the rear stowage bins from the track guards (Parts 24c and 26c). The muffler covers were enhanced with a few strips of plastic, covered by a goopy coat of

Mr Dissolved Putty, which served two purposes. The first was to blend the plastic strip in with the top of the muffler cover (I assume that this was a pressed metal pattern), and secondly, it provided a suitable texture for rust.

Inside face detail is even better. If you don’t like these, you can drive yourself nuts with Friul Model’s individual metal links.

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The top and bottom hulls were clamped securely while the glue dried to avoid gaps.

I decided to use the kit tracks. These have been glued to the top of the rad wheels to represent sag.

AFTER MARKET TO THE RESCUE Although the original kit was released in 1976, there are a number of state-of-the-art enhancements available. One of these is Panzer Art’s 1:35 scale “Mantlet & MG Turret for British Crusader I/II Tanks”. This comprises a new machine gun turret for the forward hull, plus a replacement bulged mantlet. The

set also includes brass muzzles for the machine guns and a turned metal QF 2 pdr barrel to replace the oversized kit item. The resin is beautifully cast. First, the casting block was cut from the auxiliary turret with a razor saw. The small casting lugs were cut from the edges of the new mantlet too. The update set also supplies a

Taking shape now.

A

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Italeri 1:35 Crusader Mk.I • Kit No. 6432

The driver’s vision box and cupola is provided in eight small plastic Fortunately, fit is very good. In fact, filler was not needed anywhere on pieces. the model.

The muffler covers on the real Mk.I had a stamped metal reinforcement. This was depicted with narrow Evergreen plastic strip.

The muffler boxes were then coated with Mr Dissolved Putty and sprayed with Tamiya Grey Primer to blend the plastic strip with the kit parts. This is also a nice rough texture appropriate for rust.

B The muffler boxes fitted to the rear track guards. Note that the pipes have been treated to a stippled coat of Mr Dissolved Putty too.

Panzer Art’s Mantlet & MG Turret for British Crusader I/ II Tanks provides a replacement turret mount, later bulged mantlet and a new auxiliary turret.

Metal parts are included too. The kit’s 2 pdr barrel is overly thick, but Panzer Art’s turned metal replacement looks great.

The raised turret ring was scored with a new hobby blade.

A sprue cutter was used to nibble away at the raised ring.

Clamps were used to hold the bottom of the turret to the base while the The turned metal barrels were glued to the rear mantlet part super glue dried. with super glue. This was then fed through the holes in the forward mantlet.

The sand shields hide most of the track sag.

The auxiliary turret’s casting block was cut off with a razor saw. The block was attacked from four different sides until it fell away.

These small plastic sections could then simply be snapped off. The flat bottom of the turret could now be attached to the resin base.

The auxiliary turret and the new mantlet in place.

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Modelspec Italeri 1:35 Crusader Mk.I

Kit No. 6432

Accessories & Materials Used: Panzer Art 1:35 scale Item No. RE35-178 - Mantlet & MG Turret for British Crusader I/II Tanks Evergreen Plastic Strip Mr Dissolved Putty Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Revell Contacta Glue Selley’s Supa Glue Razor Saw 3 Good detail; nice surface textures; good fit; important subject. 7 Some attributes are for a later version; vinyl tracks. Available from Italeri kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited www.hobbyco.net

Basic construction is now complete, although there are still a few kit parts and scratch built items to be added.

B new base for the turret. The kit

turret features a raised rim that fits into the hull’s turret ring. This had to be removed before the new resin base could be installed. First, I scored along the angled area between the bottom of the turret and the ring itself. Next, I nibbled vertical cuts into the ring with a sprue cutter. With this done, the short plastic sections

Rating could simply be wiggled and snapped off. This left a little bit of tidying up with a sharp hobby blade before the new resin turret mount was glued into place. The upper and lower plastic turret halves were now brought together, but the rear stowage bin was left off. This was another item that was only introduced later. Test fitting the mantlet showed

that some plastic had to be trimmed from the lower part of the front turret opening. Once this was done, the fit was very good. The auxiliary turret was now glued into place, but the machine gun barrel was not fitted at this stage, as it was likely to be knocked off during subsequent construction. n

NEXT TIME: Next time, Brett adds more detail and customises his Crusader before finishing the model in the Caunter scheme.

Italeri’s 1:35 scale “ Crusader is still a good kit, even with a lot of mileage on the clock!

”

Italeri’s 1:35 scale Crusader is still a good kit, even with a lot of mileage on the clock!

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KIT PREVIEW

Dragon 1:35 Panzerkampfwagen T34 – 747(r) • Kit No. 6449

The upper hull is superbly detailed.

Graham Tetley compares the original Cyberhobby 1:35 scale T-34/76 STZ with this new Beutepanzer version.

RED BEUTEPANZER

B

ack in 2007 Dragon released, under their Cyberhobby brand, Kit 6388 (22) of the unique Stalingrad Tractor Factory (STZ) T34/76 STZ Model 1942. Much anticipated, sadly Dragon dropped a boo-boo as the main hull halves did not fit together. Fast-forward to 2014 and we have basically the same kit, minus the more detailed etched fret, but with a corrected lower hull, a Panzer III stowage bin and new markings. Yeah!

THE KIT What we get in the box are oodles of parts, approximately 600 in total, made up of 190 Magic Track links, the etched fret, a length of metal wire and about 200 spare parts. Mou lding quality is superb with no blemishes whatsoever on my example. As mentioned earlier, I was curious to see what Dragon had done with the lower hull tub and to see if this has been suitable corrected. The sponsons have been tweaked in length and width, now omitting the large gap present on the old kit. The angle of the front glacis join has also been modified but we do have a large gap at the forward end of the sponsons that will need filling when joined to the upper hull. That said, for the life of me I cannot get the rear plate Part R29 to align correctly with part R5 and I should also add that it leaves large gaps where it joins to the upper hull. There are still

fit problems with the front nose cap in that there is a substantial gap between this part C3 and the lower glacis plate Part R30. Not only do we have a gap at both ends, but there is still a step in the front hull where this nose cap joins the upper hull. Plenty of sanding, filling and cursing will be needed to make this look right. So it seems that the sponson gaps have been addressed but the other fit problems of 6388 have not. Whilst the lower hull is corrected, Dragon has not corrected what appears to be a dimensional error to do with how far back the turret sits on the hull top. In his excellent review on kit 6388, Terry Ashley over on the Perth Military Modelling Site has a great dimensional drawing of this. If you can live with it then fine, it isn’t too noticeable. Aside from the surgery noted above, everything else appears to be okay. Construction is very straightforward on this kit and there are not actually too many parts that go into the build. I mentioned earlier that the etched fret had been simplified and we just have two louvres and an ‘all in one’ mesh grill to add to the rear deck. All hatches can be posed open but, aside from a gun breech, there are no other interior parts. The Magic Tracks superbly detailed however my only gripe is that each link has two knock-out pin marks that will be a bear to fill and sand, but I will take these over DS Tracks any day. Twelve ice

cleats are provided are these are stowed on the fenders and secured with brass straps and hooks. To add that unique captured German twist to the kit we have a Panzer III sprue added that gives us the parts for the stowage bin. Two brass parts help in affixing it to the turret but you do have to cut off some detail (the mounting strips top and middle) from part E1. There is only one marking option included which, as this is a unique vehicle, is no surprise. Panzer Regiment 31 of the 5th Panzer Divison, Russia 1943 is your only choice.

The gap and the step where the nose cap joins the front hull.

Gaps when fitting the rear plate.

CONCLUSIONS I was really excited to see that Dragon had corrected the lower hull, but then felt a bit deflated that they had not fixed the fit problems with the front nose cap, rear engine deck parts and positioning of the turret ring. I do wish that Dragon would spend more time on research and address the fit issues before releasing the kit to market. This really is a shame as the kit itself is crawling with detail and everything else about it is really very good. To that end, if you want an out of the box captured T34 then this is a good solution, but be prepared to do lots of filing and sanding to get it looking ship-shape. As a consequence, I give it a 6/10 and a recommended. ■

Note the gap in the left sponson.

The retooled sponson. This gap completely disappears when glue is added.

Thanks to The Hobby Company Limited for the sample www.hobbyco.net Front sponson gap.

The kit decals.

Generous photo-etched detail.

We like Magic Tracks! Maybe chopping off the locating pins will help.

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Cruiser Tank Mk VI - Crusader Mk I

CRUSADER MK.I CLOSE UP

AT THE TANK MUSEUM, PUKAPUNYAL AUSTRALIA

MMI takes a close look at the details of the Crusader Mk.I tank on display at the Royal Australian Armoured Corp’s Tank Museum at Pukapunyal.

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he Crusader Mk.I featured in this photographic essay is on display at the Royal Australian Armoured Corp’s Tank Museum at Pukapunyal, Victoria. The 9th Division Cavalry Regiment was the only Australian unit to use the Crusader tank in combat. However, the Directorate of Armoured Fighting Vehicle Production used a Crusader Mk.I to help design the Australian Cruiser. This Crusader was later given to the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School, Puckapunyal, for training, and is now the museum example that we see here.

HISTORY The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks of

the early part Second World War and perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. The Crusader's mobility made it a favourite of British tank crews and once upgraded with the Ordnance QF 6 pounder main gun made it more than a match for the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks it faced in combat. Retained in service because of delays with its replacement, by late 1942 the lack of armament upgrade combined with the presence of Tiger I Tanks among the Afrika Korps and reliability problems due to the harsh desert conditions, led to the Crusader being replaced in the main line of battle by US-supplied M3 Grant and Sherman medium tanks. The next British cruiser in combat would be the Cromwell heavy cruiser.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT In 1938, Nuffield Mechanizations and Aero Limited produced their A16 design for a heavy cruiser tank based on Christie suspension. Looking for a lighter and cheaper tank to build, the General Staff requested alternatives. To this end the A13 Mk III cruiser tank design which would enter service as the "Tank, Cruiser Mk V" and known in service as "Covenanter" was designed. Nuffield were, in 1939, offered the opportunity to take part in the production of Covenanter. Nuffield, however, preferred to work on its own version of the A13—though they still provided design work for the Covenanter's turret. This new tank was adopted as "Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI Crusader", under General Staff specification A15. Although Crusader is often

referred to as an improved version of the Covenanter, in fact it was a parallel design. Both tanks were ordered "off the drawing board" without building prototypes first. Despite a later start, the pilot model of the Crusader was ready six weeks before the first Covenanter. Unlike earlier "Christie cruisers" (A13, Marks III and IV and the Mark V Covenanter) that were built with 4 road wheels, Crusader had five road wheels each side to improve weight distribution in a tank that weighed almost 20 tons instead of the 14 tons of the previous cruisers. The 32 in (810 mm)-diameter wheels were of pressed steel with solid rubber tyres. The hull sides were built up of two separated plates with the suspension arms between them. It had a different engine from

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1. The auxiliary BESA machine gun turret was fitted to the Crusader Mk.I, but was often removed in the field. 2 & 3. The armoured headlight housing is fitted to the centre of the glacis plate. 4. The driver’s armoured box was exposed at the front of the hull.

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5. The driver’s open vision slot. This was mounted in a small hinged flap that could be opened to improve the driver’s view.

the Covenanter, different steering system and a conventional cooling system with radiators in the engine compartment. At the left hand side of the front hull—a place occupied by the engine radiator in the Covenanter—was mounted a small hand-traversed auxiliary turret armed with a Besa machine gun. The auxiliary turret was awkward to use and was often removed in the field or remained unoccupied. Both the A13 Mk III and the A15 designs used the same main turret. The turret was polygonal— with sides that sloped out then in again—to give maximum turret space on the limited turret diameter. Early production vehicles had a "semi-internal" cast gun mantlet, which was quickly replaced in production by a better protected big cast mantlet with three vertical slits—for the main gun, for a coaxial Besa machine gun and for the sighting telescope. There was no cupola for the commander who instead had a flat hatch with the periscope mounted through it. The main armament, as in other British tanks of the period, was balanced so the gunner could control its elevation through a padded shaft against his right shoulder rather than using a geared mechanism. This fitted well with the British doctrine of firing accurately on the move. When it was understood that there would be delays in the introduction of successor heavy cruiser tanks — what became the Cavalier, Centaur and Cromwell — the Crusader was adapted to use the 6 pounder gun.

NORTH AFRICA With the Axis forces in North Africa having pushed the British back to the Egyptian border and the remaining British armour being a mixed force of older tanks with a few Matildas, tanks were hurriedly shipped via the Mediterranean arriving on 12 May 1941. There

were sufficient Crusaders to equip the 6th Royal Tank Regiment which, with the 2nd RTR (with older cruiser tanks), formed the 7th Armoured Brigade. The rest of the tanks were Matildas for the 4th Armoured Brigade giving the 7th Armoured division only four tank regiments. Although there was pressure from London for the reconstituted Desert Rats to go into action, outfitting for the desert and training delayed their first use until Operation Battleaxe, an attempt to relieve the siege of Tobruk in June. As the brigade swept round the flank, the Crusaders were caught by concealed anti-tank guns and lost 11 tanks. The 6th RTR lost more tanks, to action and defects, in the fighting withdrawal of the next two days. The 7th Brigade was re-equipped with further Crusaders, but as the brigade had been expanded by the addition of 7th Hussars there were not sufficient to replace the older cruiser tanks. The 22nd Armoured Brigade, effectively an advance force of the 1st Armoured Division, which was three inexperienced Yeomanry units equipped with Crusaders transferred to North Africa to bring the 7th Armoured up to three-brigade strength. The 8th Hussars was added to the 4th Armoured Brigade but these had to be equipped with M3 Stuart light tanks as there were still insufficient cruisers. The 22nd was able to take part in Operation Crusader of November 1941 which was named after it. In Operation Crusader the two British Corps were disposed such that they could not support each other, but it was expected that as the British outnumbered the German and Italian forces in tanks, the tank against tank battles would be decided in their favour. However in the resulting encounters, Rommel did not put his tanks en masse into action against

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Cruiser Tank Mk VI - Crusader Mk I

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6. Nice detail view of screw heads and the towing point on the left front side. 7. The right front side of the hull, with a nice shot of the track guard hanger. 8. The rubber-rimmed idler wheel. 9. The main wheels feature distinctive perforated rubber tyres. 10. The drive sprocket. 11. The narrow tracks and their flat shoes. 12. Note the hollow guide teeth.

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numbers of German anti-tank guns working offensively with the tanks and infantry proved effective. The Germans had a few 88 mm guns but were mostly equipped with the PaK 38, a long-barrelled 50 mm gun, with a range of 1,000 yards. This superiority in quality and tactical deployment of AT guns was to be a feature of the Afrika Korps throughout the Desert War. The Crusader's 2 pdr (40 mm) gun was as effective as the short-barrelled 50 mm of the Panzer III although it was outranged by the shortbarrelled 75 mm of the Panzer IV. Although the Crusader was faster than any tanks it opposed, its potential was limited by a relatively light QF 2-pounder gun, thin armour and mechanical problems. A particular tactical limitation was the lack of a high explosive shell for the main armament—these existed but were never supplied. Axis tank forces developed an extremely effective method of dealing with attacking tank forces by retiring behind a screen of concealed anti-tank guns. The pursuing tanks could then be engaged by the artillery. With the German anti-tank guns out of range of the tanks' machine guns and without a high explosive shell to return fire, the tanks were left with the equally unpalatable options of withdrawing under fire or trying to overrun the gun screen.

The Crusader proved prone to catch fire “ when hit, a problem that was identified as due to the ammunition being ignited by hot metal penetrating the unprotected racks...

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SHORTCOMINGS The Crusader proved prone to catch fire when hit, a problem that was identified as due to the ammunition being ignited by hot metal penetrating the unprotected racks. The angled underside of the turret created "shell pockets" that acted as a lever for lifting the turret from its mounting when struck by a shell. The Crusader proved unreliable in the desert. This started with their transport from the UK to North Africa. Poor preparation and

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13. Right side muffler cover.

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14. The engine deck with the cover slightly askew! 15. A good shot showing the relationship between the engine deck, the muffler and the pipe. 16. Note the rolled steel texture on the armour plate. 17. Exhaust manifold pipe detail. 18. Left side muffler cover, viewed from the front. 19. Lower rear hull. Notice the three large louvered vents. 20. Towing point detail, rear hull. 21. Detail view of one of the stowage box latches on the track guard. 22. Front hull towing point.

handling caused problems that had to be rectified before they could be passed to the regiments, and ate into the supply of spare parts. Once in use the sand caused erosion in the cooling system and the stresses of hard cross-country travel caused oil leaks in the engine blocks. Since there were few tank transporters or railways in the desert, the tanks had to travel long distances on their tracks causing further wear. By the end of 1941, there was only one brigade, the 2nd, that was operating only Crusaders. In March 1942, US-built Grant medium tanks arrived: these replaced one in three Crusader squadrons. While the inclusion of the Grant with its effective 75 mm gun gave better firepower against anti-tank guns and infantry they were slower, limiting the Crusaders when they had to operate together. From May 1942, the Mark III were delivered. Of the 840 tanks available to the British, 260 were Crusaders. The German tanks they were facing were improved types with improved frontal armour which caused the Crusaders' 2-pounder shot to shatter rather than penetrate. As part of British deception operations, Crusaders could be issued with "Sunshade" which was a metal framework with canvas covering that disguised the tank as a lorry to German aerial reconnaissance. Dummy tanks were also deployed. Later in the campaign shipping was improved, Nuffields had put an engineering team in Egypt, and crews were better at preventing problems, but the reputation of the Crusader could not recover. After Montgomery took over command, the imbalance between British armour and German was redressed by better control and the addition of more Americansupplied Grant and Sherman tanks. The Crusader was replaced in the main line of battle and used for "light squadrons" trying to A

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Cruiser Tank Mk VI - Crusader Mk I

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23. Detail view between the hull and turret. 24. Right side view of the auxiliary turret. 25. Left side view of the turret. Note the riveted construction. 26. Stowage box on the left track guard. 27. Overall front side view of the turret. 28. The gunner’s vision slot. 29. Close up view of the mantlet. Note the characteristic cast texture.

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the heavier units. The Australian 9th Infantry Division operated Crusaders for reconnaissance and liaison. The British 1st Army landed as part of the Allied operations in Tunisia; some of its units were using the Crusader and these saw action from 24 November. These were not solely Crusader regiments but mixed Crusader and Valentine tanks; within each squadron two troops were Crusader IIIs and there were Crusader II CS attached to the Squadron HQ. These units of the 26th Armoured Brigade were used as an independent armoured column, "Blade Force", with the 78th Infantry Division. The operations of Blade Force were on terrain different from the desert of the earlier campaigns and the fighting took place with smaller numbers of vehicles. These actions were similar to what would be seen later in Europe. The 1st Army converted to Shermans during Tunisia, but Crusaders remained in use with the 8th for longer. The last major action for Crusaders was the Battle of Mareth. The North Africa campaign finished shortly after.

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30. Right front view. 31. The front right lifting hook. 32. The angled rear armour. 33. Rear turret detail. 34. Turret antenna mount and isolator. 35. The turret spotlight. 36. Rear view of the same spotlight.

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OTHER USES After the completion of the North African Campaign, the availability of better tanks such as the Sherman and Cromwell relegated the Crusader to secondary duties such as anti-aircraft mounts or gun tractors. In these roles it served for the remainder of the war. The Crusader, along with the Covenanter, equipped regiments at home particularly those of the 11th Armoured Division. A Crusader bulldozer was developed but not used operationally. One of these bulldozer tanks was converted for removing munitions following a fire at Royal Ordnance Factory Kirkby. The Crusader anti-aircraft guns were designed for use in North West Europe. However with the Allied domination of the air they were largely unneeded and the AA troops were disbanded. The Crusader gun tractors operated with 17-pounder regiments attached to armoured divisions and with XII Corps.* ■

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KIT PREVIEW

Zvezda 1:35 Panther Ausf. D • Kit No. 3678

D-LIGHTFUL! Andy King is impressed with Zvezda’s all-new 1:35 scale Panther Ausf. D.

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ext to the Tiger, the Panther is probably the other best known German tank of WWII. First appearing in 1943, the Panther was a medium tank that was developed as a direct result of a study of the Soviet T-34 although, unlike the simplicity of that tank design, the Panther suffered a lot of technical problems when it made its service debut due mainly to its complexity. The tank weighed in at around 43 tons and was powered by a Maybach HL230 V-12 petrol engine capable of pushing the Panther up to 55kph (34mph) on roads. It had a crew of five (loader, driver, radio operator, gunner and commander) and the main armament was a 7.5cm KwK42 L/70 gun which had a high muzzle velocity that gave it excellent armour piercing capabilities, superior in fact to the Tiger. The first Panthers were plagued by mechanical problems (such as the engine carburettor catching fire) and were eventually recalled to Germany for modifications although it wasn’t much better during its combat debut at Kursk in 1943 with the start of Operation Zitadelle being put back a few times due to the Panther’s unreliability. Most problems had been ironed out by 1944 but the Panther still had issues with the final drive and transmission.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The Panther Ausf. D is the subject of this new kit from Zvezda. Inside the rather sturdy box you have nine sprues in a tan coloured styrene, one clear sprue and a small decal sheet. All parts are relatively well moulded

with little flash although there are pin marks visible on the underside of the fenders and hull sponsons and a moulding flaw on one of the road wheels, the good news though is that it’s an inner wheel and faces the inside. When Zvezda released their Tiger it got a bit of a kicking for the amount of sink marks visible however I am happy to report that none are present on this kit, on my sample anyway. There is no etch in the kit but it does feature a nice amount of interior detail for the turret (but none for the hull). The tracks are link and length and not horrid rubber bands, and under the engine deck the cooling fans are included. Weld seams are nicely done and if anything may need beefing up as they rather fine and may disappear under a coat or two of paint. Returning to the tracks you have two long sections for the bottom run with the rest made up of individual links. The links themselves are made up of two pieces as the guide horns are separate. The swing arms for the suspension glue directly to the hull (no working torsion bar suspension here) so should you wish to pose the model on uneven ground you will have to plan ahead, also with the type of track supplied you will need to source aftermarket individual link tracks, The road wheels have a very fine ’Dunlop’ logo detail on them and you have the option of the earlier wheels with sixteen boltheads or later ones with thirty-two bolts. This is quite useful as the sixteen bolt wheels were often seen on later Panthers either as spares or additional armour. The kit actually depicts an early Ausf ‘D’

as on the hull you have two headlights on the front hull, the turret has smoke dischargers, the ’dustbin’ type commanders cupola, three pistol ports and two side hatches and the engine cover has the early type air cleaner covers (later ones had grab handles). As it’s an early one you can get away without applying zimmerit also the engine intake mesh covers did not appear until later too. The hull sides feature deep recesses for the on-vehicle equipment racks which on first inspection seems very heavy handed, but when you actually fit the parts Zvezda have achieved an almost scale thickness for the racks (it was only a fairly thin gauge metal that was used). All that would be possibly required is to add weld seams and to drill out the holders for the ‘C’ clamps. The exhausts would benefit from having the ends drilled out as they are too shallow and the side skirts are a bit on the thick side and would be better with etched aftermarket items. The turret mounted MG is about the only worse thing I can find with this kit as the barrel has no detail whatsoever however I’m sure there’s a decent one rattling around your spares box somewhere. The main gun barrel is in two halves and personally I would replace this with a metal aftermarket item mainly due to my usual clumsiness in cleaning them up and ‘flat spotting’ it somewhere. The on-vehicle equipment such as shovels, axes etc are pretty good and only need the moulded tool clamps replacing with etched ones for a better appearance. Now I’m not in the habit of measuring

Each individual link is made up from two parts – track pad and guide horns – but the full lengths for the top and bottom runs should make things easier! The upper hull moulding is presented in one piece.

The separate guide horn parts. Nice and hollow.

Lovely bot head detail on Texture is moulded to the road wheels. No vinyl the turret floor. rims here – hoorah!

The characteristic machine gun slot Turret dimensions are good. in the glacis of the early Panthers.

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models unless they look outrageously wrong, but after a tip off from one of my modelling buddies (thank you Dave Coyne) I did it for this kit as the suspicion was the turret was undersize. Comparing it to the only drawings I have (Achtung Panzer No 4) the turret is very close although the mantlet is about 2mm too narrow but until I get around to building it the jury is still out. I will add the disclaimer that there are drawings and there are drawings and short of physically visiting a museum that has a real Panther ‘D’ in the collection with a tape measure it’s the best I can do. Colour options are limited to just two vehicles, both of which are from Panzer Abteilung 52 in July 1943 during ‘Operation Citadel’ and the

Early-style exhausts.

Nice weld bead and chain detail on the travel lock.

The engine deck features a separate engine hatch.

paints quoted are from Humbrol and Zvezda’s own range which is a new one on me.

CONCLUSION Well, I’m impressed! As soon as I opened the box I had a feeling it was going to be a good one and I was not disappointed as I knew Zvezda were capable of doing much better than re-boxing old Dragon kits and this one proves the point. Of course the kit can be improved with etch, a metal barrel etc (which kit doesn’t), but what you get in the box makes an excellent starting point as it is. I particularly like the way the tracks have been designed, as it’s a good compromise for those who dislike hundreds of individual links (personally I love ‘em) but don’t

like vinyl tracks either such as myself in case you had’t noticed! For anybody contemplating an early Panther D, build this one. It is a serious contender especially as the RRP here in the UK is about half that of others on the market. Of course the aftermarket goodies will raise the price but it’s definitely worth a look. Nice one Zvezda, keep them coming! Highly recommended! ■

Thanks to The Hobby Company for the sample www.hobbyco.net History via Wikipedia, the Encyclopedia of German Tanks of WWII and Achtung Panzer No.4.

The one-piece lower hull.

Markings are provided for two vehicles.

Clear parts are provided for the cupola and vision blocks.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

AFV Club 1:35 M1130 Stryker CV/TACP • Kit No. 35130

D N A M COM R E K Y STR impressed Alex Kutovenko isuilding his with the ease of b le M1130 AFV Club 1:35 sca kit. Stryker CV/TACP

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hen AFV Club and Trumpeter began to saturate the market with Stryker vehicles in 2006, I looked at them with no interest. Curbside body, thin wheels, small machine gun and always lot of stowage. Pretty ugly overall, with only the MGS variant more pleasing to the eye than the others. Years passed, and anybody who wanted a Stryker had built their own; while everyone else forgot about them. However, sometimes a manufacturer adds a new variant to the family, and I found inspiration from one of these. AFV Club was preferable for accuracy and level of detail. But why the M1130? This one has lots of antennas and just looks interesting to me.

CONSTRUCTION I planned to build the kit mostly straight from the box. Assembly began according to the instructions without any major improvement. I should mention the easy and logical steps in the instructions because today many top manufacturers make mistakes and don’t seem to care about userfriendly instructions. Lots of detail falls quickly into the well-known Stryker shape. No putty, sanding, dry-fitting. Just perfect. As this is a Radio Command Vehicle, the main weakness was the aerial mounts. I replaced them with items from RB Model because the plastic had difficult seams. I also replaced the M2 Browning barrel. In fact, I always change them! I find that if I have a fast easy

build, it gives me a goal in the painting stage. This was totally true with my AFV Club Stryker, so after 2 days of assembly it moves to paint booth. The antennas are the main attraction on this variant, so we need to make sure that they look convincing. Personally for me the best material is guitar strings. It is strong but flexible and looks right in scale.

PAINTING Some modellers don’t like priming models but I think it is a necessary step. My model was primed with white primer as the most neutral and universal colour. I have also used Vallejo Acrylic-polyurethane primer with good results, easy to use and no smell. One-tone vehicles are always A

Assembly was straightforward. Fit is perfect. Aerials were changed to brass ones from RB Models.

The base colour was Tamiya XF-58 over black pre-shading.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

AFV Club 1:35 M1130 Stryker CV/TACP • Kit No. 35130

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B easy to paint, especially in common

colours. Strykers seem to feature a warm grass-like green so I choose Tamiya XF-58 Olive Green for base colour. Preshading was done with black on all the undersides and shadow areas. I did not want to apply any extra modulation so only soft colour graduation was applied. The base XF-58 colour was mixed with Gunze H312 and White to make top highlights. After painting comes some oil rendering, pin wash and streaks. The real vehicle was not heavily weathered so I tried not to overdo the wear and tear. While working with green I always used dark green or brown oils for shadowing but now tried blue. The result was pretty nice looking shadows that gave more tonal variation. A pin wash was preferable because there is a lot of bolts of add-on armour. This details lifts perfectly after a selective application of AMMO-1005 Dark Brown Wash. Some streaks were made with AMMO-1206 Dark Green. After the application of enamels, it is safest to leave the model for 1 or 2 days to let it dry thoroughly. Chipping can be a nightmare for modellers. It is a challenge to paint convincing looking ships without going too far. I don’t like chipping by brush but it is really the best way. Logically, the most chipped areas on the vehicle will be hatches and roofs, so I pay attention most attention to these areas. The most fun stage is weathering. I have tried to create some special weathering but also to make it logical. The vehicle is fast enough so that dust and dirt will be accumulating from the front wheel to the back of the vehicle. The easiest way to achieve the right direction for your pigments is to begin with acrylics and airbrush. I used Tamiya acrylic XF colours because they are dead flat and combie colour effect with pigment adhesion. Light earth tones were sprayed over the hull bottom and sides. Note the line of sprayed dust is rising to the rear. Working with pigments was simple, without any volume addition. Many Stryker looks just like that. The base colour for dirt was AMMO Airfield Dust and also Europe Dust. All were fixed with AMMO Pigment fixer. The wheels were treated the same way. As they are rubber I sprayed them with matt varnish to give pigments a good surface to grip. A

Sometimes you need more than one bottle for decals. AFV decals are pretty thin and perform perfectly with Revell liquid. Blue oil for weathering gives more attractive colour variation to the green and in future steps does not affect other weathering. C

A pin wash was added using AMMO’s Dark Brown wash. I did not remove the excess.

AMMO Crystal Clear. This is the perfect solution to make lenses but it takes a really long time to dry. This headlight dried in 8-9 hours.

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Dirt base with flat Tamiya acrylics. At this point you offer a general view and direction to the mud on your vehicle. You can make even streaks with acrylics.

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Overall view. Note how mud line rises from first to last wheel.

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A. One of the main concerns with stowage is that it is in the right position on the vehicle. It must be logical too. Real photos of stowage helps a lot. B. The stowage really adds interest. C. Note the netting over some of the boxes. D. A spare weapon is also stowed on the roof. E. The vinyl wheels were primed with flat clear before the pigments were added here. F. Subtle variation of the base shades may be seen here. G. An overall view from above. H. Note the rather scary marking above the crew hatch.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

AFV Club 1:35 M1130 Stryker CV/TACP • Kit No. 35130

B STOWAGE Everybody knows that modern US vehicles carry a lot of stowage and the Stryker is no exception. The bags and tarps lend more interest to the model but add work for the modeller. Most of the stowage was from Legend sets for US armour, although some were also from MENG, and others from Tamiya. I can say that MENG’s Modern Supplies set is perfect, especially Barrets. As I am not very confident hand painting, all the stowage was sprayed by airbrush with black as a base shadow coat. Then various tan colours were then added as highlights. Maybe this way is less realistic, but it is fast and reliable. After that, all the straps and belts were painted I added one last brown wash to all the bags and left them to dry.

Stowage lends character and individuality to the overall projects.

The base black shading coat was followed by various tan shades. This is quick and effective.

CONCLUSION I always thought that AFV Club deserves more attention from modellers. They are doing some truly awesome stuff. This Stryker is no exception. It’s always big advantage for a company that produces nice models straight from the box. Novices can build without modification and the experts can always add extras. This model is quite straightforward in assembly and don’t stops you on any stage. The only real disadvantage is the total lack of stowage – not even a pack or a strap! ■

The antennas are critical to the look of the finished vehicle.

The hull is festooned with bolts and structural detail.

Modelspec AFV Club 1:35 M1130 Stryker CV/TACP Kit No. 35130 Accessories Used: Guitar Strings MENG Modern Supplies Legends Stowage Sets for US Armour (various) Tamiya Stowage (various) Paints and Finishing Products: Tamiya Acrylic Paints AMMO Enamels – 1005 Dark Brown Wash; 1206 Dark Green Wash AMMO Pigments – Airfield Dust; Europe Dust; Pigment Fixer ✓ High level of detail; fast and easy build. ✗ No stowage. Available from AFV Club Kits are distributed in the UK by Pocketbond

Rating

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KIT PREVIEW

Italeri 1:35 BMP-1 • Kit No. 6520

The lower side hull.

Andy King takes a look at a rather familiar 1:35 scale BMP-1 Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

Nice crisp detail on the drive sprockets.

COLD WAR CARRIER T

he BMP-1 is a Soviet era IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) that was produced in huge numbers and used by Warsaw Pact countries as well being exported to a quite a few others. First appearing in 1966, the vehicle featured a welded steel hull and weighed around 13 tons. It could reach up to 65 km/h (40 mph) on roads and 45 km/h (28 mph) off-road with a range of 600 km (370 Miles). Armament consisted of a 73mm smoothbore semi-automatic gun and a turret mounted launcher for the 9M14 Malyutka ATGM (AntiTank Guided Missile), secondary armament was a 7.62mm PKT co-axial machine gun. The vehicle had an amphibious capability using it’s tracks to propel it through water although this was more for rivers and lakes and not for sea landings plus it was designed to be used on the nuclear battlefield in that troops could fire out of the vehicle whilst protected from fall-out and other contaminants. Over 20,000 were produced up until 1982 when it was replaced

with the unimaginatively titled BMP-2 although it could still be seen in service somewhere on the planet well into the ‘Noughties’. Although it’s in a shiny new box, this kit from Italeri is not a new tool as it was originally done by ESCI in the 1990s, I know because I built it way back then. In the box there are just two sprues moulded in grey styrene with a darker coloured one for the link-and-length tracks and a small decal sheet. There is some flash on parts but considering the age of the moulds I’m surprised there isn’t more, although there are pin marks present on the inside of the tracks. The moulded detail is of its time and save for the turret, the driver’s and commander’s positions, every other hatch and door is moulded closed. No interior is provided and just looking at the top of the hull the periscopes are lumps of rectangular plastic although the weld seams are quite nicely done. Colours and markings are for three BMP’s only; Syria 1973, Iraq 2006 and a Russian Army one in 2005. To be fair, this kit caused a

lot of excitement when it first appeared as at the time models of Soviet-era vehicles were just starting to appear and references were pretty thin on the ground as what was available came from either official Soviet sources, de-classified intelligence material or the newly released (at the time) Concord series by Dragon that featured the BMP in one volume. Up until the last couple of years when Trumpeter released their BMP-1, this moulding and the one by Dragon (re-boxed by Zvezda and Revell) were the only kits of this IFV available with the ESCI one considered to be the more accurate of the two although both are slightly overscale. The addition of etch, other aftermarket bits and lots of TLC will improve what is a rather basic model but in reality it has been totally outclassed by the Trumpeter kit and with little difference in RRP between the two I know which kit I’d go for. Sorry Italeri! ■

Thanks to The Hobby Company Limited for the sample www.hobbyco.net

Road wheels – a tiny bit of flash but really pretty good for the age of the moulds.

Link and length tracks are supplied.

The upper turret shell with tie downs moulded in place.

Good detail on the hatches. Just a shame they’re moulded closed!

The upper hull.

Potted history via Wikipedia.

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Kit decals.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman (Early Production) • Kit No. 190

OMAHA BEACH OMAHA BEACH, EASY RED SECTOR, 741ST TANK BATTALION, “A” COMPANY, TANK “10”, 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION, 16.º REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM, E COMPANY

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H José Brito recreates a dramatic scene from the landings at Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944.

6

June 2014 was the 70th Anniversary of the landing in Normandy, which occurred during World War II. With that in mind and to celebrate the event I decided to make a diorama about Omaha Beach on that morning. D-Day was an event of great importance, perhaps the most important in modern world history, which changed the course of the war and of world history. Now Germany had to fight on the Western Front and their fate was sealed. D-Day is one of the most recounted and celebrated military operations of history. Almost everything has been said and written. Even so, D-Day is still “the” event of World War II and is the most prolific when it comes to books, DVDs, movies… releases. The risks were high and success was by no means guaranteed or even expected. The consequences of a failure would be unpredictable. Russia needed desperately a second front in the West and they were already at the limit, caused by several years of war against the Nazi war machine. If D-Day had failed, the US would probably have had to drop Atomic Bombs over German cities, like they did in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thankfully D-Day was a success and Allies managed to invade Europe and shorten the war. This diorama is my personal tribute to the sacrifice of all of those who committed their lives to driving out Nazism and Fascism from Europe.

BUILDING THE SHERMAN The M4 Sherman (early production) from Tamiya is a typical model from this Japanese company. Once the box is opened, you will find great plastic, clear and concise instructions, perfectly printed decals, nice fit and stunning small details.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman (Early Production) • Kit No. 190

Tamiya provides top quality plastic, so only some minor clean-up is necessary. Flash is almost invisible and the ejector pin marks are in positions that are hidden on the finished model. This means that we are able to start the construction very quickly. Even so, there is always room for some improvements and so some small details were added to the model. A simple step like this can really improve the final look and add that extra touch of realism to our replica. In this case, some drain holes were gently opened with a fine drill and a pine wise. This was a very simple process, but with a big impact in our model.

For the best results I use their Pin Magic applicator. Pin Magic applicator will allow an ultra-control, because the Plastic Magic Glue is ultra-thin. Being so thin, is ideal to work as capillarity.

Construction is very straightforward. The running gear parts fit very well and only a minor amount of glue is necessary. In this case I used Deluxe Materials Plastic Magic Glue.

The construction is achieved by building several sub-assemblies. Once they finished, they will be all glued together. This approach will also make the painting process much easier and we can reach the most hidden spots.

Tamiya provides one-piece vinyl tracks, but we all know that gluing vinyl tracks can be a real nightmare. Thanks to Deluxe Materials, those times are over. Their new solution, Tricky Stick is just great. As the name says, this is a solution for tricky situations. This is not glue. In fact, this is more like a primer for glue. All we have to do is apply some Tricky Stick over the track and then let it dry for a few minutes. Once dry, it looks totally invisible. Then all we have to do is apply Deluxe Materials Rocket Hot or Rapid over the joint parts. Simple, effective and works! Finally, a product that works with vinyl tracks. The next step is to apply Deluxe Materials Rocket Rapid over the tracks and glue the extremities. With the help of Deluxe Materials Tricky Stick, the Deluxe Materials Rocket Rapid will have a very strong reaction and will securely bond the vinyl to the model.

Vinyl tracks do not allow natural sag. Once in place, they look lightweight and like they are floating in space. So we must once again use the combination of Deluxe Materials’ Tricky Stick and Rocket Rapid. All we have to do is apply Deluxe Materials Tricky Stick over the running gear and, after that, apply Deluxe Materials Rocket Rapid to glue the tracks into a natural and very convincing sag.

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Photo-etched parts from Eduard were used on this model. Sets like this really improve the final look and add an extra touch of accuracy. The small photoetch parts are removed with the help of a brand new scalpel round blade, then they were glued in the capillarity way. Most of the times by using the Deluxe Materials Rocket Hot glue solution.

For the M4 Deep Wading system, I decided to use the 1:35 set from Tank Workshop. The resin casting is top quality and the fit really nice. At this stage we also must add the waterproof canvas. For this task I used Magic Sculpt. Some good references are necessary in this stage. Sadly, references on this are not easy to find. Soon the model is now ready for painting . Note how all the extra work and details has really improved the final look.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman (Early Production) • Kit No. 190

PAINTING AND WEATHERING

The entire model was primed in Vallejo 73608 US Olive Drab. The primer must be applied in several layers in order to keep the fine surface detail. Once completely dry, it is rock hard and extremely smooth.

As usual, I like to paint my models in the Zenith Transformation approach. This is a completely different technique when compared with the modulation style. In the modulation style, the model looks like a 3D CAD job. With the Zenith Technique approach, the light effects are accurately represented on the model. In the Zenith Transformation technique, the colours must be airbrushed in heavily thinned and consecutive layers. With this technique, the model is exposed to the light and the paint is applied in the same fashion as if the model was exposed under a spot light. The colour transitions are ultrasmooth and the model has a higher visual interest. For this task I used the Vallejo US Army Olive Drab acrylic paint set, applied in successive well thinned layers. Look how the colour transitions are ultra-smooth and the model has a high visual interest.

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Small details were brush painted in Vallejo Model Colour.

Once all the painting well completely dry and before starting the weathering process, the entire model was airbrushed in Vallejo Polyurethane Gloss Varnish well thinned in Vallejo Airbrush Thinner. This process makes the surface extremely smooth and ideal to apply the decals.

The decals must be gently cut from the sheet. For this task we must use a brand new scalpel blade and small scissors. As usual, for the decal placing process, I use the new MIG Productions decal solutions - Decal Set and Decal Softener. We apply a small quantity of MIG Productions Decal Set in the desired spot. This formula will increase the decal adhesion into the model surface. With the decal in the final place, we apply MIG Productions Decal Softener. This solution will soften the decal and improve the setting. Leave the decal untouched and, when the formula is fully dry, the decal will look great and will look like it is painted over the surface. Once the decals are completely set, it is time to start the weathering.

MIG Productions oil colour Buff and Light Flesh Tone were applied to represent the streaks on the body frame. These must be applied in several layers and well thinned with MIG Productions Odourless Turpentine.

MIG Productions Dark Wash was applied into the recessed parts. It must be applied with the help of a very fine brush. For the best results and a better control, the wash can be thinned in MIG Productions Thinner for Washes. The colour variation was achieved by applying several others oil colours and wash colours from MIG Productions catalogue. All those colours combined will add that extra touch of realism and accuracy to our model.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman (Early Production) • Kit No. 190

Soon the model is fully painted, weathered and ready to be placed in the diorama.

PAINTING AND WEATHERING

I am a diorama builder and I like bases with bulk. As usual, I used a wood base and made the volume using heat isolation foam. This foam is cheap, easy to find and easy to work. It is also lightweight and ideal to fill big spaces.

The foam is glued into the base with Deluxe Materials Tacky Glue. This kind of glue flows really smooth and the bond is really, really strong. Also, it does not react with the isolation foam.

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All my projects start with several sketches. This step is very important because will define the composition and the place of all the elements. The elements must be placed in a dynamic way and according invisible diagonal lines. We must avoid at all cost placing elements parallel to the sides of the base. Next step is transfer the idea and sketch to the base. We really must spend the necessary time in this step. This is one of the most important steps of all and will define the final look of the entire scene. At this stage, we also must double check our pictorial references. Just to place everything in the right spot and get some extra ideas. Several fits are made during the diorama making. Like that we can have full control of the final display.

In the place where the Sherman will stand, we must cut the isolation foam. This simple step will add the sense of weight to the model. A round blade scalpel is used for this task. Cutting the isolation foam does not present any kind of problem.

Several types of waves were drawn on a paper sheet. At this stage we must define what kind of wave is more suitable to our project. Analysing Robert Capa’s surviving pictures is very important to choosing the correct type of wave. The isolation foam is really easy to work and the reliefs can easily be obtained with the help of rough sandpaper. All we have to do is pass the sand paper several times and in a short time we will get the desired shape. Be aware about the isolation foam dust. It can be very dangerous to our lungs and this task must be made in a very wellventilated area. Once this job finished, we must wash the isolation foam and remove all the dust.

A simple test fit allows checking if the model looks ok in the final position.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman (Early Production) • Kit No. 190

Deluxe Materials Foam Armour was applied all over the foam. This will add a super strong and protective layer to the foam. This is a good protection for future weathering work. Weathering work involves strong solvents and they can damage the foam. With the Foam Armour coat, and as the name says, the foam is protected.

The basic shape of the water explosion was sculpted in florist foam. Like the isolation foam, this material is easy to find, cheap and very easy to work. A plastic pin was glued in the bottom of the sculpted explosion, with the help of Deluxe Materials Tacky Glue. Then it was glued in place, with the help of the same glue. The sculpted water explosion is covered in Deluxe Materials Foam Armour. For this task I usually use a medium size and cheap brush. For a better flow, water can be added to Deluxe Materials Foam Armour.

The bottom of the sculpted water explosion received several coats of MIG Productions Antiskid paste. This is ideal to represent the beach sand being projected by the blast in the shallow waters.

MIG Productions Antiskid paste is applied to represent the beach sand. MIG Productions Antiskid paste is very fine and ideal to represent 1:35 scale beach sand.

Deluxe Materials Create and Shape was applied over the Deluxe Materials Armour Foam. This will add relief to the sea water. Deluxe Materials Create and Shape was also applied over the sculpted water explosion. MIG Productions Europe Dry Mud Fine Texture was applied in the base of the water explosion. This will represent the sand blasted in the explosion.

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The sea was painted in several green paints from the Vallejo Model Colour range. Some white paint was added to the mix, to represent the sea foam.

Cotton tissue was mixed in MIG Productions Acrylic Resin and placed over the sculpted water explosion. Once the resin well dry, the cotton tissue will look like real sea foam.

Over the sea base, several layers of Deluxe Materials Making Waves were applied. This product dries into an ultra-natural and realistic translucid finish. It can be mixed with water and can be applied by brush, spatula or sponge. During the applying we can also define the kind of relief we want. The waves are basically cotton tissue mixed in MIG Productions Acrylic Resin. This is a very simple step and when fully dry, the final look is ultra-realistic.

The Hedgehog Tank Obstacle from Accurate Armour is a lovely item. Being in white metal and resin, the construction is very straightforward and in a few minutes the item is ready for the painting. The tank obstacle was airbrushed in Vallejo Model Air 71129. As usual, applied in several layers, just in order to maintain the surface detail. With a fine sponge, several scratches were made in Vallejo Model Colour 70829. This will add some colour variation and an extra visual interest. MIG Productions Light Rust Effects wash and Standard Rust Effects was applied over the tank obstacle. This will help blending all the scratches previously applied. MIG Productions Dark Wash was applied around the recessed and raised parts. Several rust oil colours from MIG Productions were added over the tank obstacle.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman (Early Production) • Kit No. 190

The tank obstacle was placed over the base and blended into it with the help of MIG Productions Antiskid paste. This simple step will add the sense of weight to the item and it will look very realistic in the end.

Deluxe Materials Making Waves was applied over the tracks, tank, upper hull… just to blend the model into the sea. Simple steps like this can make the difference when it comes to accuracy and realism. The water splashes were made in monocomponent resin. This kind of resin dries very fast and when mixed with fibreglass, we can achieve this kind of effect easily.

Fibreglass is like a tissue, but when we mix it with resin and fully dries, the final look is like real water.

Eduard provides a really cool photo-etch fauna set that includes pre paintedbwater animals / fish. The items are really nice and very lifelike, even the smaller ones.

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Figures The figures came from a Dragon Models box. The set U.S. 29th Infantry Division, Omaha Beach, D-Day 1944, Ref. 6211. The plastic quality is very good and the poses very natural. Dragon Models also provide lots of accessories and the details are lovely. Some of the heads were replaced by new ones in resin from Hornet, Royal Model and Warriors. Some of the helmets are from the Tamiya and Italeri range. The new resin heads have better facial expressions when compared with the Dragon Models. Soon the figures are fully assembled and ready for the painting process. Note the gun straps made in lead foil. Assembling the Dragon Models figures is very easy and the fit really good. Only a fine flash line must be removed and in a short time we can start the painting process. As usual, the clothes, accessories, guns… were painted in Vallejo Model Colour and the flesh areas were painted in MIG Productions oil colours. Once the painting well dry, the figures were airbrushed in Vallejo Polyurethane Gloss Varnish, just to add the wet look.

Finishing Touches

The final details in the sea foam are achieved by adding a mix of Deluxe Materials Making Waves and Deluxe Materials Scenic Snowflakes. In a ratio 50/50 we can get a translucent paste with an ultra-fine texture, just like real sea foam. Once completely dry, the results are very convincing and very natural. Applying MIG Productions Wet Effects and Damp Earth Mixture is the final step. This product must be applied in vertical lines to represent the humidity and the falling water over the tank.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman (Early Production) • Kit No. 190

FINISHING TOUCHES

Modelspec Tamiya 1:35 U.S. Medium Tank M4 Sherman (Early Production) Kit No. 190 Items Used: • 1:35 Tank Workshop, M4 Deep Wading Kit, Radial Powered Engine (TWS0041) • 1:35 Accurate Armour, Hedgehog A’ Tank Obstacles, Fortress’ 44 (FF35001) • 1:35 Eduard PE, M4 Sherman for Tamiya Kit (35351) • 1:35 Eduard PE, fauna, water, animal/fish – colour (36197) • 1:35 Bison Decals, U.S. D- Day Shermans (35030) • 1:35 Dragon Models, U.S. 29th Infantry Division, Omaha Beach, D-Day 1944-Item 6211 • 1:35 Hornet resin heads • 1:35 Warriors resin heads Paints & Finishing Products: Hood glue, Deluxe Materials glue and special effects solutions, Heat isolation foam, Wood base, Injected plastic, Resin parts, Plastic card, Metal parts, Vallejo primers, acrylics and thinners, MIG Productions oils, washes, pigments, filters and thinners, Graphite soft pencil, Plus Model Lead Wire References Used • Several internet sites and forums ✓ Always cool to make an Omaha Beach, 06 June 1944 diorama

This was a very enjoyable project and a great opportunity to add another diorama to my collection. Honestly, this was one of the most demanding modelling projects I have done so far. Representing moving water can be a big challenge and this diorama was a great opportunity to test my skills, as also my patience. The Sherman from Tamiya is still a lovely kit and with some minor extra details it can be built into a very nice model. Hope you like it! ■

✗ Nothing I can remember Available from Tamiya kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited www.hobbyco.net

Rating

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TANK BOY GALLERY

Roden 1:35 Rolls-Royce Armoured Car 1920 Mk.I • Kit No. 801

ARMOURED ROLLER

Takahiro Sumitomo presents his Roden 1:35 scale 1920 Pattern Rolls Royce Armoured C

T

he Rolls-Royce armoured car was developed in 1914 and used in World War I and in the early part of World War II. In September 1914, all available Rolls Royce Silver Ghost chassis were requisitioned to form the basis for the new armoured car. The following month a special committee of the Admiralty Air Department, among whom was Flight Commander T.G. Hetherington, designed the superstructure which consisted of armoured bodywork and a

single fully rotating turret holding a regular water cooled Vickers machine gun. The first three vehicles were delivered on 3 December 1914, although by then the mobile period on the Western Front, where the primitive predecessors of the Rolls-Royce cars had served, had already come to an end. Later in the war they served on several fronts of the Middle Eastern theatre. The vehicle was modernised in 1920 and in 1924, resulting in the Rolls-Royce 1920 Pattern and

Rolls-Royce 1924 Pattern. In 1940, 34 vehicles which served in Egypt with the 11th Hussars regiment had the "old" turret replaced with an opentopped unit carrying a Boys antitank rifle, .303-inch Bren machine gun and smoke-grenade launchers.

Roden’s 1:35 Rolls-Royce Armoured Car The 1920 Pattern Rolls-Royce Armoured Car was Roden’s very first 1:35 scale armour kit. They subsequently released a 1914 Pattern kit too. The 1920 Pattern kit is supplied

on eight sprues of dark green plastic plus vinyl tyres. The model features engine detail and fighting compartment interior parts.

Painting and Weathering The base colour is Gaianotes Field Blue. MIG Productions’ 502 Abteilung series Brown Wash has been applied over the top of the paint. Further weathering includes AK Interactive’s Streaking Grime, Vallejo’s Light Flesh and Tamiya’s acrylic Black Panel Line Accent Colour. n

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rmoured Car Modelspec Roden 1:35 Rolls Royce Armoured Car 1920 Mk.I. Kit No. 801 Paints and Weathering Products Used: Gaianotes Field Blue MIG Productions 502 Abteilung series Brown Wash AK Interactive’s Streaking Grime Vallejo Light Flesh Tamiya acrylic Black Panel Line Accent Colour

Historical background courtesy of Wikipedia http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Armoured_Car

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Incoming PAPER PANZER PRODUCTIONS 1:35 SCALE VARIOUS UPGRADES AND CONVERSIONS

Paper Panzer Productions is a new company based in Belgium whose primary goal is to release interesting and unique kits, upgrades and conversions. The main areas of interest are late WWII German inventions and “What If” projects. First releases will be for the 1:35 scale, but releases in other scales are already on the planning. Paper Panzer Productions has now released several sets which constitute the beginning of a large range of products. The first set under review is PPP35001 “Der Hammer”, an experimental German 105mm rocket launcher. The kit is composed of 23 very nicely cast resin parts, a metal strip and copper wire. The set contains the launcher, its support with wheels and three crates with ammunition. All is delivered in a sturdy cardboard box with nicely printed instruction. A super Panzerschreck, one could say! Next up are three excellent upgrade and conversion sets for German late war and Paper Panzers tanks. The first, PPP35002, contains late war type exhausts with flame suppressors for Tiger II / Jagdtiger, E-50-75-100 and Löwe tanks. As a real and rare bonus we find a towing device actually seen and photographed on a not finished Tiger II tank at the Kassel factory. The next set, PPP35003 is a set of beautifully cast resin road wheels for the Trumpeter E-50 kit (PPP35004 is for the E-75). And last but not least, PPP35007 ‘Einheitsturm’ (a hypothetical turret for the E-50/E-75 tanks). The kit is very complete and consists of over 20 resin parts and a RB Model metal barrel. The turret is very well designed and is accompanied by a collar and mantlet with foundry marks. The multipart cupola features a AA MG support seen already on late war Panthers and Tigers II. This will be an excellent option for a 1:35 E-50 or E-75 build. The turret also fits the DML Panther G/F and contains a ring that makes it compatible with DML Tiger II! The last reviewed set is the PPP 35005 initial radiator fan covers for Panther D. Comparing the PPP fan covers with those supplied by DML in the 6299 Panther D kit will quickly show the huge difference in accuracy. I’m pretty sure it will make all initial Panther D fans very happy! The casting on all these items is really nice. More items will be available very soon or are already available as you read this review: • PPP 35006 Sd. Kfz. 250/251 “Hammer” conversion (2 in 1) • PPP 35008P Panther “Mystery Brackets” • PPP 35008T Tiger “Mystery Brackets” • PPP 35009 Panzer IV welded return roller supports • PPP 35010 Jagdpanzer IV(V) Final conversion • PPP35011 E-50 gun set • PPP35012 Casting symbols (incl. German factory markings) • PPP35013 SWS wheels late pattern + spare wheel • PPP35014 German infra-red set-up (Panther, KT, E-types,…) • PPP 35015 Panzer Crew 1946 • PPP 35016 Upgrade set for the ‘Einheitsturm’ including PE AA armor plates, spare wheel, etc. All Highly Recommended. Thanks to Paper Panzer Productions for the samples www.paperpanzer.com Paper Panzer Productions items are available through the their website or by visiting their Facebook page. Pawel Rzymski

LIFECOLOR

CITY AND SURROUNDINGS, WAR ON THE ROAD PAINT/WEATHERING SET

Lifecolor has released many sets over a relatively small amount of time, and the range is always growing. Here are the latest. This set is directed at the painting of roads in different environments. There are three colours in the set, these being Middle East Asphalt, Dirt Road and European asphalt. They are all nice tones of greys, and though area specific, I am sure with some mixing you could use in a much broader spectrum. This is a welcome set to add to the collection of paints available and I am sure will be very useful when painting up that nice base for what ever the project it is , you are working on. Recommended. Lifecolor paints and finishing products are available online from Creative Models Limited www.creativemodels.co.uk Andrew Judson

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DRAGON

1:35 SCALE PZ.KPFW.III AUSF L LATE PRODUCTION W/WINTERKETTEN KIT NO. 6387

AMMO OF MIG

MODERN RUSSIAN COLOURS PAINT SET A.MIG 7109

Of late, we as modellers have been spoilt with quite a range of Modern Russian vehicles from trucks through to current variants of tanks and armoured cars. Mig Jimenez, who I am sure that most of you have heard of, has now released this great set of acrylic paints in his new range Ammo of MIG. These contain six 17ml plastic dripper bottles with an appropriate range of colours for the subject matter. They come packed in a brightly coloured box showing the colour range included in the set, and on the back, five examples of camouflage schemes and the colours required to do these - very helpful. The colours we have in this set are: Green Khaki, Light Green Khaki, Yellow Grey, Black, Grey and Oil Ocher. They can be painted with either brush or airbrush, and to thin down you can use either Migs Acrylic thinner, or good old tap water as advised on the box. I am sure these paint sets will come in handy for a lot of people and I can say for myself as well. Keep the sets coming MIG, brilliant! Recommended. Thanks to Ammo of MIG for the sample http://www.migjimenez.com/en/ Andrew Judson

Rather surprisingly, Dragon has not done an ‘L’ Smart Kit before so this is a first. That said, there are no new parts in this kit as there is very little difference externally between the ‘K’ and the ‘L’, and all ‘L’s were eventually modified into ‘N’s. That is why the parts have been available before but this is the first time that they have all come together into one box. In real life, the ‘L’s had the old guns removed and filled with a long barrelled 50mm one. This meant that a new gun mantlet was needed and these are the parts that we now use from the standard sprues. Although advertised on the box as new, the Winterketten tracks were first seen in Kit 6606, the ‘N’, released a few years ago now. In real life they were standard 40cm tracks with cast extensions and also came with ice cleats, but whilst included in 6606 these cleats have been omitted from this release. Altogether there are just over 700 parts in this kit, including one etched fret and 216 ‘Magic’ tracks. The etched fret is specific to this kit but, like the plastic parts, has nothing new on it. There are not many spare parts, but your spares box will welcome what there is. Detail throughout is top class with no flaws present on my kit and, if you have built a Dragon Panzer III before, there will be no surprises in store. The instructions are clear and uncluttered for a Dragon kit and, so far, I have not come across any glaring errors. We get markings for 3 vehicles, all from Kharkov in 1943, and all in white-washed camouflage. There isn’t too much to say about this kit because there is nothing new or ground-breaking about it. Detail is superb, the Magic Tracks are exquisite, and the clear instructions present a refreshing change. By using existing parts we get a cracking ‘L’ kit that will give you no problems, so for that it comes highly recommended from me. Highly Recommended. Thanks to The Hobby Company for the sample www.hobbyco.net Graham Tetley

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1:48 Scale – A round-up of the latest news and releases

2014 - A YEAR IN RETROSPECT

W

ell, 2014 has been quite a year. The world seems beset with troubles once again and if we are to believe the popular press we are either on the cusp of destruction or at the beginning of a new dawn. It is pleasing then to escape to a hobby that may dull the bad news. We in the 1:48 scale community have seen a whole raft of new product releases that, on the face of it, still makes me believe that our beloved scale is healthy and bumping along the bottom, so to speak. I also believe it is naive to think the scale will ever be as popular as 1:35. Even so, this is a great shame, as the scale offers a great deal in terms of speed and, for want of a better word, “buildability”. I remember in last year’s wrap up, I made this statement - “I firmly believe that if a range of high quality multipose plastic figures were available, then we may well see a change in perception in the scale in general”. I still hold that view and have seen a vast improvement in the latest 1:48 scale figures from Tamiya, for example. Some manufacturers have stalled while others have emerged. Plastic kits releases have been quite good with Tamiya leading the way yet again. There is no denying that they are the masters of simple yet accurate plastic manufacturing. Some of their releases have left me a little cold but one of the best, in my opinion, was the Dingo. Another plastic manufacturer that surprised was ACE. Their ongoing offerings of the Gaz family have been generally handled quite well and are a credit to them. While not in the same class moulding-wise as Tamiya, they still offer plenty of scope for super detailing. This year also saw the re-emergence of Bronco with their quite simply superb Russian Self – Propelled Gun SU-152 (ZB48004) that, in my view, may be one of the best plastic 1:48 scale military kits produced thus far. Another newcomer was Mikro-Mir with their Russian T-70 series of tanks, While attacked in some quarters (no pun indented) the kit, is

in my view sound and quite an achievement, given that the firm is a new start up. With just a little work any modeller could produce a gem of a model out of this kit. The aftermarket producers have again raised the bar in terms of what they produce. A few new names have graced our review section and one of the best last year has been Tank Mana. Their sublime SA-4 “Ganef” is truly a work of art. It really has it all - incredible detail, accurate, modern and different. To my way of thinking, this is very thing a resin model should be. This manufacturer has a future line up that includes a BT-76 and, wait for it, a T-55! If these are anywhere as detailed as their first release, then 2015 is shaping up to be a vintage resin year for resin Russian vehicles. Toro Models continue to impress, their figures have shown a remarkable improvement in recent years with their latest being on par with anything produced by other manufacturers. Their complete natures, including such things as detailed instructions (with colour photographs) only instill a feeling of quality about their product. Tank Workshop have been a little slow this year but are about to release a number of conversions and full kits by the time this column goes to press. The thing I like about their sets is that they are sensibly priced and offer outstanding value for money. Hauler continues to release photo etched updates for every new kit and are pretty much bullet proof in terms of what you really do need with a etch set. We have also seen some quite stunning and indeed different full kits from this manufacturer this year, all of which are worthwhile purchases. Gasoline from France has always been a staple in 1:48 and this year brought out a number of quite outstanding full kits as well as updates to their ever expanding range. All of you who read this column will no doubt be aware of my love of high quality figures in this scale and in my mind one of the best figures releases this year has come from

Corsar Rex. Their second set Soviet soldiers (CR-48012) is quite simply outstanding. They are that good that all other figures in this scale can only be judged against them. The good news here is they are about to release another set of five Germans that on the face of it seem equally as good. Royal Models has joined the 1:48 scale figure field and their first release - reviewed in this column - is a stunner. It is my hope that this manufacturer will continue with this line. All Royal figures have certain finesse that set them apart from the rest. Atak from Poland realised one of their best 1:48 Zimmerit sets thus far. Their Stug III waffle pattern set is quite simply a stunning example of the art form and a must have if you choose to build an example with this Zimmerit pattern on it. Plus Models and CMK continue to produce quite outstanding and different pieces that leads me to believe the scale is healthy and continues to move on. I have been following a few projects this year and one that has caught my attention is the work of one individual. Mr Phil Young has commissioned figure sculptors from around the globe to make figures in 1:48 scale. In particular, the head sets previewed a few months back look stunning and I am looking forward to them. 1:48 scale for me is more like a community, so much more than other scales that I tend to work in. From a personal standpoint my 1:48 scale build rate has been extremely slow with only one piece started - but not finished – in 2014. I have slipped from one project to the next without really finishing anything! At this point, I would like to offer thanks to our reviewers and the manufacturers that send us samples. Without them, this column would not be possible. I’d also like to offer all our readers a safe and happy time during the course of 2015. Let’s hope we all build a little more than we did in 2014!

Until next time Luke Pitt

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Luke Pitt hosts MMI’s examination of the growing world of 1:48 scale military models, figures and accessories.

ACCURATE ARMOUR

1:48 SCALE AEC COLES 6 TON CRANE EMA MK-VII ITEM NO. K48015 We live in a world of constant change. It would seem everything that is new seems to be better. Older kits tend to be forgotten and sometimes overlooked by the general modelling public. Accurate Armour is one of the Premier brands on the market today. They offer a sensibly price product that are as good and in some cases better than anything else available today. The kit I am about to review is “old” (from a modelling perspective), as it was first released in 2010 but this column has never had the chance to review it until now. Accurate Armour’s 1:48 scale AEC Coles 6 Ton Crane EMA Mk-VII comes complete in the familiar grey Accurate Armour box with a first class instruction booklet, decal sheet, two large photo etch frets and 76 very well cast resin pieces. The completed model is large and dare I say, has presence. The jib is made up of a large photo etched fret and is by far the best way to achieve the desired scale appearance. You will need a metal rule to bend this piece accurately into shape or some other aftermarket tool like a “hold and fold”. The rest of the kit is cast in resin as is very well detailed. The cab, for instance, is fully detailed with the doors separate and detailed on both the inner and outer surfaces. The wheels and tyres are very well done, which can make or break

kits of this type, and have accurate hub and tyre details. The crane and chassis are large one-piece castings and are pleasingly free of distortion and pour plugs, which will speed up the build process. The winch drums have the cables moulded on to them but, are masterfully done and little or no clean up will be required here. Eight vehicle choices are provided for and span the early 1940’s to the mid 1950’s. This is an impressive kit and well worth considering. It would make and interesting standalone piece or a centrepiece for a diorama. I really can’t recommend this kit highly enough; I just wish Accurate Armour would expand their 1:48 scale line as all are quite superb. Highly Recommended. Thanks to Accurate Armour for the sample www.accurate-armour.com Luke Pitt

ROYAL MODELS

1:48 SCALE GERMAN INFANTRY IN WINTER DRESS ITEM NO. 735

What can I say about Royal Models figures? They have a certain style and finesse that others just don’t seem to match. Royal Models has an uncanny ability to capture a certain feel in their figure sculpts. I am a great fan of their work. This figure has been rendered in a very crisp style. The figure represents a German in a mid to late war reversible uniform. The all-important facial detail is handled very well and rendered to a very high standard. The casting is first rate. The execution of the uniform detail and folds in the fabric are simply outstanding. One of my pet hates about resin figures in general is that most are labelled 1:48 scale but are in fact either a tad too large or just very small. This figure however, is right on the money. It scales out to around 5 foot 8 or 9 inch in the imperial scale, which makes it the average height for that time period. The pose of the figure lends itself to many applications. I hope this is the first of many from this manufacturer. Highly Recommended. Thanks to Royal Model for the sample www.royalmodel.com Luke Pitt

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Book Reviews

EASTERN INFERNO

THE JOURNALS OF A PANZERJAGER ON THE EASTERN FRONT 1941-1943 EDITED BY CHRISTINE ALEXANDER AND MASON KUNZE CASEMATE PUBLISHING ISBN 978-1-61200-218-7

There have been many books on the subject of the Eastern Front written by historians and those that fought and survived to tell the story, but even though this is another of those personal accounts, this one is a little different in the fact that it has been edited by the granddaughter and grandson, due to the fact that the author disappeared in the summer of 1944 when Army Group Centre was destroyed. The contents were taken from three journals that Hans Roth had written in the years of 1941-43 and left in safe keeping at his home with his wife, and were never edited, leaving them in their original state, revealing all his feelings and accounts of his actions in these times, leaving the reader with the real actual story of this man’s journey in these terrible days. The book comes in the form of a large format soft back cover, containing 240 pages. It is broken down into the three journals covering his actions in Journal 1, Barbarossa and the battle for Kiev. Journal 2, March to the East and the winter of 41-42. Journal 3, Frontline warfare and the retreat after Stalingrad. There is a section of Final documents, in German with explanations of what they are and then lastly further reading, if one was interested in getting more information on this conflict. There are also 36 pages with photos and maps, all in Black and white. This is a very vivid and descriptive account, and one can only imagine the hardship and horror that this man went through in this time of his life. Hans Roth was never classed as KIA, but his final document from the Bundesrepublik confirmed that he had been lost in war. The location of his grave is not known. I would recommend this book to all, as an honest no bull account of actions for a German soldier fighting on the Eastern Front on a day to day basis. Recommended. Available online from Casemate Publishing www.casematepublishing.co.uk Andrew Judson

OLE BILL – LONDON BUSES AND THE FIRST WORLD WAR

BY DR WILLIAM D. WARD PUBLISHED BY THE LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM ISBN 978-1-87 1829-22-8

This book has been researched over twenty years and it has been published to coincide with the restoration of the lottery funded B2737 which was unveiled this summer first in its general colours, but in September was militarized and has toured the WWI battlefields in Belgium and France. The tile “Ole Bill” refers to the bus currently on view at the London Bus Museum but actually belongs to the Imperial War Museum. The book is lavishly illustrated, 112 pages long, in soft covers and describes the use of the London bus in WWI but also covers the fact that this was not a new idea and buses had been used to move troops quickly during anti-invasion exercises as early as 1908. It also covers the various use of the chassis for armoured, artillery, military lorries and ambulance types and even includes mobile pigeon lofts. Chapters include colour schemes and markings and use by the Royal Navy. All information has source origins showing what a thoroughly well researched reference work this is. Recommended. Available from the London Transport Museum Peter Bailey

LA FLAK DE LA LEIBSTANDARTE ISBN: 978-2-84048-378-6 HEIMDAL PUBLISHING

Another French language title from Heimdal has arrived on my desk. This one is devoted to the anti-aircraft artillery formations of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler the premier SS Division. Whilst not as large as the previous title I reviewed there is a lot in the 104 pages written in French. The 1 SS Leibstandarte served on all fronts with the exception of North Africa and being the premier SS division had the best equipment and resources. The book illustrates the various equipment from light 20mm and 37mm AA through to the heavier 88 mm AA used by the Division in towed and SP forms. The photos are mainly campaign related in-action shots and represent a great inspiration for modellers, showing the crews serving these guns well. Photos from the raising of the Flak batteries in 1940 up until the final days of WWII are found within and these are generally well reproduced. Despite the potential language barrier, I still enjoyed this title just for the amazing photographic montage of German AA equipment during WWII. Highly recommended to fans of German Armour in WWII in particular modellers who will find great inspiration within its 104 pages. Highly Recommended. Available online from Casemate Publishing www.casematepublishing.co.uk Al Bowie

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THE PAINT GUIDE FOR FIGURES OF WORLD WAR TWO HISTOIRE & COLLECTIONS ISBN: 978-2-3250-298-2

Figure painting is like a dark art to this reviewer so any help I can get with improving my mediocre standard is most welcome. This latest H&C title is a great step in providing guidance to the figure painter whether you are a rooky like me or feel quite proficient in bringing a plastic or resin to life. I feel it will offer across all skill levels and provide great inspiration to those in need of a little push. It is packed full of excellent examples of the authors work and step by step descriptions will aid in improving one’s own skills. The book is devoted to World War two figures but the techniques would be easily transferable to other periods or genres. Not only does the author cover how to paint and represent various uniforms but also how to tackle difficult subjects like leather and accessories such as weapons. In addition there are sections covering Displaying your figure or figures on bases and vignettes. The Author covers only Acrylic paints in this title but given the excellent ranges available these days I do not see

that as any detriment as once it may have been. The areas covered by the author follow in a logical sequence and one could pull out a figure and easily work through it using the book as a guide. Chapters cover the following: • The Basics of painting with acrylics – The Zenithal light • Necessary equipment • Figure assembly and preparation • Uniform painting • Clothing in Leather • Camouflage Uniforms • Accessories • Staging • Vignettes with Figures • Gallery • Technical Gallery • Epilogue If I have any criticisms of the book it is that, like so many other figure painting books, the subjects chosen as examples are mainly German and

Russian. Just for once I would love to see examples of how to paint US uniforms in their various shades of Khaki through to Jungle Green or British Khaki of the 8th Army or the browner shade of serge battle dress. The technical galleries show such examples and give a table listing the various paints used for the stages but mostly the title is devoted to the popular German Army subjects Regardless of my criticism this is a very valuable title for the experienced modeller or the novice getting into the hobby. As such I highly recommend this title and look forward to further Guide titles from this publisher. Highly recommended to the Collector, Figure or Armour Modeller Available online from Casemate Publishing www.casematepublishing.co.uk Al Bowie

US WWII & KOREA

HEAVY SELF PROPELLED ARTILLERY 155 GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE M12 155 GUN MOTOR CARRIAGE M40 8 IN HOWITZER MOTOR CARRIAGE M43 BY JOCHEN VOLLERT TANKOGRAD PUBLICATIONS TECHNICAL MANUAL SERIES 6030

The US military produced excellent technical documentation for the equipment it fielded to allow for operator training and maintenance. These were illustrated and had parts lists with exploded diagrams. Modellers quickly recognized these as an excellent source of reference on the subjects they were reproducing in scale. Tankograd Publications has taken these Technical Manuals (TM) and used reproductions of the parts that modellers would find useful and supplemented these parts with photos of the actual equipment in service as well as brief a brief history and description. The series proved itself very successful and this is the latest title covering the heavy US SP guns of WWII and the Korean War. Reference on these subjects is rare and expensive so this title is very welcome. The book is a softcover of 48 pages in an A4 Portrait format. It is printed on glossy quality paper with black & White photos being well reproduced. Despite the title the book briefly includes the M30 Ammunition carriers as well as the actual SP Guns M12, M40 and M43. A great selection of in-action photos are included but the real treasure within lies in the excellent operators’ and engineering photos of disassembled vehicles and components. The book covers not only the vehicle but also the radio equipment carried, the gun and its sighting equipment as well as a very useful section on the ammunition. This is an extremely useful title whether you are a modeller or an AFV enthusiast and will make a welcome addition to readers reference library Highly Recommended. Available online from Tankograd Publishing www.tankograd.com Al Bowie

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BUYERS GUIDE>>>>>>>>> AVID READER

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email: sales@ parabellum.co.uk

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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 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

n Please mention ‘Model Military International’ if you make contact with any of the companies listed above - thanks! 64 Model Military International - January 2015

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STING IN THE TAIL

GAZ-AAA and Maxim Quad AA Gun by Chris Leeman

Next Issue On sale 1st January, 2015 TELFORD

MMI reports on new releases, announcements and models in competition.

ISSUE No.105 January 2015, Published December 4th 2014 Editor;

Brett Green

Group Editor;

Marcus Nicholls

Publisher;

Alan Harman

Graphic Design;

Alex Hall

Advertising Manager;

Gareth Liddiatt

Advertising Assistant;

Joe Brown

Office Manager;

Paula Gray

Administration Manager; Hannah McLaurie MMI Website;

ADH Web Team

Printed by; Symbian Print Intelligence, Hertfordshire, UK Distributed by; Seymour Distribution 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT Tel; 020 7429 4000

STRYKER

Meng’s 1:35 scale Char 2C.

Newstrade; Select Publisher Services 3 East Avenue, Bournemouth, BH3 7BW Tel; 01202 586848 Email; [email protected]

...and much more! Due to many influencing factors, we cannot guarantee the appearance of the above projects, but we’ll try our best!

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 enquiries; Tel; +44 (0)1525 222573 Fax; +44 (0)1525 222574 Email; [email protected] 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. 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. 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

Kamil Feliks Sztarbala creates a post-war Berlin street.

Editorial enquiries; Email; [email protected] Advertising enquiries; Tel; +44 (0)1525 222573 Email; [email protected]

FOR YOUR SAFETY

Wäscherei in der Französischen Straße

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

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The Last Post... Luke Pitt gets his hands on Tamiya’s latest addition to their 1:48 scale lineup – an Sd.Kfz. 69 n. with a towed 3.7cm anti-tank gu

SPECIAL DELIVERY use a die cast chassis on this release and, as a result, more useful detail has been incorporated into the new plastic part. Careful study of the old die cast chassis and the new plastic chassis reveals the bed supports are now hollowed out which is a welcome change. This release has the chassis moulded in plastic and in one piece. The body is moulded in a number of pieces with the front fenders being attach to the bonnet. The rear troop compartment is an entirely new sprue (E) and is quite well done with some fine seat detail in evidence. The road wheels have the correct hub shape and have off road tyres. The seated figures are a carryover from their first release. The Iggy Pop song ‘Five Foot One’ comes to mind when looking at these guys. They are very small and seem to be moulded to fit. Tamiya have lifted their game in this regard since these figures were originally release. Most of their newer figures are really quite good, which makes the inclusion of these so disappointing. A 3.7 cm Pak is included in this release and is included on sprue G. The gun is quite simple, but even with that being said it is very well done. Two markings choices are provided, both in Panzer Grey. I am impressed with the overall feel of this kit. It may be small but it is certainly perfectly formed. The moulding is first class, it is accurate and very simple to build, all the hallmarks that we have come to expect from Tamiya. The subject choice - in my opinion - might not be to my liking but, it is a wonderful addition to the ever expanding range of Tamiya 1:48 scale armour. Recommended. ■

The new plastic chassis features improved detail over the previous die-cast part.

Road wheels.

Nice quilted seat texture. Looks comfy!

Forward body detail.

Well detailed gun shield on the 3.7 cm Pak.

Smaller detail parts.

Gun barrel and wheel parts.

This guy is small but apparently happy.

Thanks to Tamiya for the review sample www.tamiya.com Tamiya kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited www.hobbyco.net * Historical summary courtesy of Wikipedia http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krupp_Protze The truck’s windscreen.

TAMIYA 1:48 GERMAN 6X4 TOWING TRUCK KFZ.69 WITH 3.7 CM PAK • KIT NO. 32580

T

he L 2 H 43 and L 2 H 143 “KruppProtze” (unofficial designation) was a six-wheeled German truck and artillery tractor used by German forces in World War II. It was powered by a 55 hp or 60 hp (since 1936) Krupp M 304 4-cylinder petrol engine. Its main purpose was to tow artillery, especially the PaK 36, and transport motorized infantry. This vehicle was extensively used on the Eastern Front, during the North African campaign and in France and Sicily. The “Krupp-Protze” was of relatively advanced design. It was mass-manufactured between 1933 and 1941. Its fuel consumption was relatively high (24 Litres / 100 km on road) in comparison to the comparable Opel Blitz 1.5 t truck (16.5 liters / 100 km, produced 1938 - 1942). Total production was about 7,000 units. A successful design, the Krupp-Protze was converted into several variant configurations: • Kfz.19 - Telephone truck • Kfz.21 - Staff car • Kfz.68 - Radio mast carrier • Kfz.69 - Standard configuration for towing the 3,7 cm PaK 36 • Kfz.70 - Standard configuration for personnel carrying • Kfz.81 - Ammo carrier conversion for 2 cm FlaK gun, usually towed • Kfz.83 - Generator carrier for antiaircraft spotlight, usually towed • Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf. A - Armoured personnel carrier, six-wheeled version, only 20 built in 1937; production went to Daimler-Benz, who built the Ausf. B fourwheeled version in 1941 and 1942. Sometimes anti-tank (36 mm Pak 36) and anti-air (2 cm Flak) guns were mounted directly on the truck bed. * Tamiya’s new 1:48 scale kit of the perennial Krupp Protze truck, first released by Tamiya in 2006 as item no. 32534, is the towing version of the very same truck. The kit comprises 68 parts moulded in dark grey plastic over six sprues. The box art on this release is very good, with a sharp and technically correct illustration adorning the now familiar black boarded box. Tamiya has seen fit not to

The kit decals.

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D6604 Find us on facebook search Plastic Kits UK

p 67 Dragon 105.indd 8

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 Dragon models are available from all good model shops

12/11/2014 10:31