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Issue 145 May 2018 www.modelmilitary.com

WINTER HOWITZER Dragon 1:35 scale M4 (105) Howitzer Tank

HEAVY METAL Meng Models 1:35 D9R Doobi Civil Conversion

HIGHWAY THROUGH THE

MINEFIELD

INSIDE: p 01 CoverMMI 145B.indd 1

Rye Field Model M1 Assault Breacher

1:35 IJN Special Type 4 Ka-Tsu ■ 1:35 A9 Cruiser Tank ■ Maus Rail Car ■ 1:35 Panther ■ 1:35 Wespe Italian Front Build ■ and more...

May 2018 / £4.75 / Issue 145

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09/03/2018 15:28

Contents - Issue 145 May 2018 REGULARS p 4 NEWS

12

What’s new in the world of military modelling

p 58 BOOKS

The latest military and modelling titles in print

p 60 1:48 SCALE

News and opinion in the world of 1:48 by Luke Pitt

p 66 LAST POST

44

AS90 Turret Trainer

FEATURES p 6 THINK TANK

M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV)

p 10 PREVIEW

Zvezda 1:35 Ferdinand

p 12 HIGHWAY THROUGH THE MINEFIELD

Rye Field Model 1:35 M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle by Andrew Judson

p 20 PREVIEW

32

Bronco 1:35 A9 British Cruiser Tank

p 22 WINTER HOWITZER

Dragon 1:35 M4 105mm by Gary Edmundson

p 30 PREVIEW

Profimodeller 1:35 Maus Rail Car

p 32 HEAVY METAL

Meng Models 1:35 D9R Doobi Civil Conversion by Michael Franz

p 44 ITALIAN FRONT STINGER

Tamiya 1:35 German Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe Italian Front by Brett Green

22

p 52 SMALL ARMS CORNER

M1919 Browning Machine Gun

p 54 PREVIEW

Dragon 1:35 IJN Special Type 4 ‘Ka-Tsu’

©Doolittle Media Ltd 2018 Tel: (UK) 01525 222573 Email: enquiries@doolittlemedia.com Address: Doolittle Media Ltd., Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK Model Military International is published monthly by Doolittle Media Ltd. 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

May 2018 - Model Military International 3

p 03 Contents 145B 3

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Newsline - May 2018

MMI Newsdesk, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, UK Tel:01525 222573 Fax:01525 222574 Email:editor@modelmilitary.com

Dragon 1:35 scale 15cm s.IG.33 auf Fahrgestell Pz.Kpfw.III (Sf)

G

ermany created a wide number of self-propelled howitzers (SPH) during WWII, these typically being converted from existing tank chassis. Indeed, some were even field-improvised conversions, and this is certainly the case with Dragon’s newest German kit. It represents a 15cm s.IG.33 auf Fahrgestell Pz.III which, as its name suggests, mated a 15cm field howitzer with a Panzer III chassis. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was seeking heavy artillery mounted on tracked chassis because horse-drawn or truck-drawn howitzers were impractical in the desert. This SPH was used by the Deutsches Afrika Korps, specifically the 90 leichte Infanterie-Division, in North Africa. It first saw action in September 1942.

Just like its forbear in the desert of North Africa in WWII, it combines the Panzer III and s.IG.33 howitzer, both already available in Dragon’s range. However, it’s far more than just an amalgamation of two kits, because many new components were required to make this vehicle a reality. The front armoured shield and the armor plates protecting the sides and rear of the fighting compartment. The installation of the 15cm howitzer in this compartment also required new parts. Furthermore, there’s a new stowage rack mounted on the rear of the engine deck. Not only is this a unique addition to the Panzer III range, but this novel SPH gives fans of DAK subjects something new to sink their teeth into!

Thanks to the Hobby Company Limited for the information and images www.hobbyco.net

MINIART NEW RELEASES

44th Annual Chicago Show

MiniArt has announced a number of interesting new releases: Kit No. 37022 - Soviet Medium Tank T-55 Late Model 1965 • The kit can be assembled with or without fitting for mine roller system.

• Fitting options of deep wading equipment.

• 2 types of fuel tanks.

• 2 types of toolboxes.

• 2 options of anti-rain cover for driver.

• The kit can be build up with or without gun mantlet cover.

• Build up options: 2 operating modes (day/night).

The Military Miniature Society of Illinois will host its "44th Annual Chicago Show" on October 19-21, 2018 at the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg. All miniature artists and enthusiasts are invited!

Talented artists will display their miniature sculptural art and vendors will fill the hall with an amazing selection of merchandise for the hobbyist, artist and collector! The show will also be filled with the unparalleled hospitality of our events (most recently at the last World Model Expo Chicago last July and the 43rd MMSI Chicago Show last October).

You an find links to room and exhibit reservations on the MMSI website, www. military-miniature-society-of-illinois. com. So mark your calendars now, book your air and train fare and start planning your next project or product that you'll be bringing to Chicago. We look forward to see you in October.

The MMSI Show Committee

Kit No. 35281 - Soviet Soldiers Riders, Special Edition • 5 unassembled figures of Soviet soldiers riders with weapons and equipment.

Kit No. 35585 – Accessories for Buildings • Unassembled and unpainted house accessories including windows, doors, gates and lights.

Kit No. 37060 – T-62 Wheels Set • Road wheels, drive sprockets and idler wheels for T-62 tanks.

Thanks to MiniArt for the information and images www.miniart-models.com

LANCING MODEL SHOW 2018 Lancing Model Show is being held on 12th May 2018.

We are now in our 12th year and continue to offer free admission and a top class competition along with many club and personal displays alongside the traders.

Details are as follows: Lancing Parish Hall, 96 South Street, Lancing, BN15 8AJ Doors open to the Public from 10.00am - 4.00pm Free entry, donations welcome Club Displays and Exhibits, Competition, Traders and Refreshments Please see www.lancingmodelshow.org.uk or email info@lancingmodelshow.org.uk for further information

Hotel: Chicago Marriott Schaumburg 50 N Martingale Road in Schaumburg, IL. Phone: 847-240-0100. Make your reservations now with our special group rate by mentioning MMSI! Schedule: Vendor & Exhibit areas open to the public 3 to 8pm. Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturday. Saturday activities include a free modeling seminar, MMSI Figure Auction and Awards Presentation at 5:30pm. Sunday is a modeling seminar at 10am.

For More Information, contact Show Chairman Pat Vess at pat@livezey.net

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09/03/2018 15:44

MISSION MODELS PREMIUM HOBBY PAINTS, PRIMERS & ADDITIVES

CHANGE THE WAY YOU PAINT

WWW.MISSIONMODELSUS.COM IMPORTERS/DISTRIBUTORS: UNITED KINGDOM - https://www.tigerhobbies.co.uk GERMANY - http://www.modellbau-koenig.de UNITED STATES - https://www.micromark.com AUSTRALIA - http://www.airbrushmegastore.com

Think Tank - M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV)

M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) Development and deployment of the M1150 ASSAULT BREACHER VEHICLE (ABV)

T

he M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV), nicknamed The Shredder, is a U.S. military mineand explosives-clearing vehicle, based on the M1 Abrams chassis, equipped with a mine-plough and line charges.

Its first large scale use by the US Marines was in the joint ISAFAfghan Operation Moshtarak in Southern Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan in 2010 against the Taliban insurgency.

Summary Type: ............ Military Engineering Vehicle Place of origin: ................... United States Service history: • In service 2010–present • Used by United States Army, United States Marine Corps • Wars - War in Afghanistan Production history: No. built:............................................... 39 Specifications: Length: ......................40 feet (12 meters) Main armament: .................... M58 MICLIC

DESIGN AND PURPOSE These tracked combat vehicles were especially designed to clear pathways for troops and other vehicles through minefields and along roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices.

The 72-ton, 12 m (40 foot) long vehicles are based on the M1 Abrams with a 1,500 horsepower engine, but fitted with a 12.7 mm machine gun and a front-mounted 4.5 m (15-foot) wide plough, supported by metallic skis that glide on the dirt and armed with nearly 3,175 kg of explosives.

The Breacher is equipped with Linear Demolition Charge System (LDCS): rockets carrying C-4 explosives up to 100–150 yards forward, detonating hidden bombs at a safe distance, so that troops and vehicles can pass through safely.

In the 1990s, the U.S. Army decided it could not afford to continue developing complicated, maintenance-heavy vehicles for this purpose. The Grizzly program was cancelled in 2001, and the

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prototype developed never made it to the production lines. The Marine Corps however persisted and funded its own development and testing. The main body of the final model of the ABV is built on the General Dynamics chassis that is used for the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. Pearson Engineering of the UK provided the specially designed plough and the other mine-clearing accessories.

FIRST USE IN COMBAT Breachers were first used in combat on the morning of December 3, 2009 when Marines pushed into the Taliban stronghold Now Zad during Operation Cobra's Anger in Helmand province, on their way to another Taliban stronghold Marjah, 610 kilometres southwest of Kabul, that was to be assaulted in February 2010.

On February 11, 2010, two Breachers fired explosive line charges in the desert outside Sistani to test Taliban defences on the eve of Operation Moshtarak when closing off the enemy's A

Historical text adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_Breacher_Vehicle

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M1150 Assault Breacher clearing a path for the following M1 Abrams tanks.

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Think Tank - M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) A

B

D

G

J

p 06-09 M1Breacher TT 145B 8

E

H

K

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C

B escape route.

On February 13, 2010, on the first day of the operation, Breachers of the US Marines 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion succeeded in digging and blasting "safety lanes" through the numerous minefields laid by the Taliban around Marjah.

According to a report in December 2009, there were then five ABVs in Afghanistan, and the U.S. Marines were said to have plans to field a total of 52 by 2012, of which about 34 have already had been produced. The U.S. Army was said to have ordered 187.

OTHER DEPLOYMENTS

F

I

L

By August 2013, six Assault Breacher Vehicles were brought to the Korean Peninsula. They are used by the 2nd Infantry Division to provide the capability for deliberate and in-stride breaching of mine fields and complex obstacles. The ABVs would allow the 2ID to clear the heavily mined Korean Demilitarized Zone, believed to contain tens of thousands to millions of mines.

A previous deployment of MRAP mine-resistant vehicles to Korea caused North Korea to accuse their presence as vehicles that would cross the DMZ for an attack of the country; the MRAPs were later withdrawn due to their unsuitability for the terrain. North Korea did not respond to the ABV's arrival to the peninsula. ■

A The business end of the Breacher.

B M1150 Assault Breacher vehicles, assigned to the U.S. Marines with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, wait prior to the beginning of Operation Black Sand in Shukvani, Helmand, Afghanistan, August 2004.

C The Breacher firing its Linear Demolition Charge System, rockets carrying C-4 explosives up to 100–150 yards forward detonating hidden bombs at a safe distance so that troops and vehicles can pass through safely.

D A Marines Breacher.

E A green camouflaged Breacher on the highway.

F A fascinating sequence of photos showing a Breacher deploying from a landing craft.

G The Breacher hits the beach.

H This Marines Breacher is ready for action as soon as it rolls off the ramp.

I A clean Breacher rolls through the desert.

J Commander’s cupola.

K An M1150 Assault Breacher on display at Anniston Army Depot, a major United States Army facility for the production and repair of ground combat vehicles, overhaul of Small Arms Weapon Systems and the storage of chemical weapon in Alabama.

L Breacher in profile.

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KIT PREVIEW

Zvezda 1:35 German Tank Destroyer ‘Ferdinand’ Sd.Kfz. 184 • Kit No. 3563

Close up of the road wheel detail.

Idler wheel detail.

The solid front fender latch.

FERDINAND!

Marking options.

Graham Tetley examines an all-new Ferdinand Tank Destroyer from Zvezda.

T

here is only one Ferdinand known to survive and that is at the Kubinka museum in Russia: it is vehicle 501 (markings for it are in the kit) from s.Pz. Jg.Abt (schwere Panzerjager Abteilung) 654 and was captured at the Ponyri railway station area during Operation Citadel.

The vehicle was disabled by the mine and although the crew tried to recover it, they were unsuccessful. Unfortunately, I won’t be going to Kubinka but was able to see the Elefant at Bovington last year. I stood next to it - it is a huge, impressive beast.

Zvezda’s new kit is not as detailed as the Dragon kit of some years ago but it comes at a very reasonable price. So how does it compare, and is it any good?

Read on.

Coming in a very sturdy cardboard box protected by an outer sleeve, we have eleven sprues moulded in sand-coloured plastic. On my example the standard of moulding is flawless with no flash, sink marks or blemishes present at all. Detail ranges from simplified, to good, to excellent, and worthy of note are the tracks which come in link and length with sag moulded in. The single-piece hull tub is straight and true, and I have to say that a test fit of the main deck, glacis and superstructure reveals no fit issues at all. Clear parts are provided for the periscopes and the tow cables are all in one piece & shaped to fit the hull as well.

There are only 292 parts to this model and the only construction options we have are whether to have the gun crutch and the rear

superstructure periscopes up or down. There are no photo-etched parts included although we do get a piece of nylon mesh for the rear engine grille. For the internals, we get a very basic gun breach so there is at lease something to see if you want the hatches open. No figures or other accessories are supplied.

Markings are provided for three vehicles although erroneously they are attributed to s.Pz.Jg.Abt 653 when we know that ‘501’ was with s.Pz.Jg.Abt 654.

There are some differences between the Ferdinand and the Elefant but the basic hull and running gear were the same. So, looking at my references, this is how the kit compares: a) The drive and idler sprockets are very well done. The bolt detail is a little soft on the inner rims, but the shape and contours look correct. b) The road wheels are a little soft on bolt detail, especially on the inner rim. The dimple in the middle of the hub just has a blob for the central bolt. c) The tracks have been captured very well, in fact the only thing that Zvezda have missed are the minute casting numbers on each link. The upper runs have been molded with sag and we get plenty of individual links for the sprockets & idlers. Plenty of spare links are provided should you need them. d) On the front fenders, the nonslip surface on the real thing continues onto the inner part where the fender supports are located. That detail is not present on the kit. e) The weld seams could do with

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Close up of the track detail.

Periscopes in clear plastic.

roughing up, especially on the front glacis where welds should be but are not.

So, measuring up against 1:35 scale plans that I have, I can say that the main parts are spot on.

Zvezda has missed very little on this model and I am now kicking myself for not taking a tape measure with me to Bovington.

However, it is dimensionally okay and very well detailed.

The instructions are clear, welldrawn, and with no errors so far that I have spotted. There are 16 construction steps with the subassemblies drawn outside of the main ones, making construction remarkably easy to follow.

Road wheel sprue.

CONCLUSION I like this kit, I like it a lot. It does not have the finesse of the Dragon offering but at the current UK retail price is around the £27 mark you are getting something that is great value for money. It scales out within acceptable limits, it is very well detailed, features great fit and comes with link and length tracks. The instructions are good enough for any modeller to get to grips with it too. It gets a solid 9/10 from me.

The main superstructure parts.

Weld detail on the superstructure sides.

REFERENCES USED • My own photos of the Elefant taken at The Tank Museum, Bovington, in August 2017. I had about an hour on my own with this beauty, shoving my camera into places that no graceful old lady should endure!

• Achtung Panzer No.6 Panzerkampfwagen Tiger ISBN 4-499-22706-2 • Google searches and photos on many websites ■

One-piece tow cable & clasps.

The front glacis plate.

09/03/2018 15:46

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www.modelmilitary.com 09/03/2018 15:41

FEATURE ARTICLE

Rye Field Model 1:35 M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle • Kit No. 5011

HIGHWAY THROUGH Andrew Judson builds Rye Field Model’s 1:35 scale M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle.

W

hen I heard that there was a kit of the M1 Assault Breacher in the pipeline, I must admit that I was very excited. When I heard it was coming from Rye Field, the blood really started pumping.

This beast of a machine is based on the M1 Abrams chassis and is equipped with a large mine plough and line charges, a rocket fired, attached to a line 350 feet long containing 5 pounds of C4 explosive per linear foot.

On detonation, it clears a pathway approx. 8 meters wide by 100 meters long. The vehicle is also armed with a .50 cal machine gun for the crewman. It was first used in an active role in 2009 in Afghanistan in the Helmand province. Originally used only by the Marines, the US Army is now also using these in their ordinance as well. A

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UGH THE MINEFIELD

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Rye Field Model 1:35 M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle • Kit No. 5011

B IN THE BOX

Charge bag detail is included.

The new upper turret piece, moulded with individual M19 ARAT-1 mounts.

Looking in the box, you are greeted with a lot of plastic parts - a lot! There are 1062 plastic parts not including the link ‘n length tracks, plus also a fret of photo-etch with some nice small parts there as well. Phew!

The plastic parts are all in a tan coloured plastic, and very well moulded, with no flash or excess that I could see.

Also included in the box are a decal sheet and a set of instructions. The instructions are well drawn and laid out, and include some nice colour profiles for three different schemes, Green with a Sand plough, overall Sand, and overall Green. I must say that any choice, once done, is going to look very impressive.

There are also some colour tech drawing of the plough at the end of the instructions.

In total, there are 28 pages to cover during this build.

Looking at the build, it starts with the turret for eight pages, then onto the lower hull over seven pages, then the mine plough for four pages. I was impressed with the weapon system and how the charge bags are moulded into the launch system, though

careful painting will be required if you have this opened for display purposes. It is also nice to see link and length tracks, which are very well detailed and should look very cool, weathered up.

ASSEMBLY Building this kit was definitely no easy task.

There are many parts to put together here.

I followed the instructions step by step to ensure that I made no mistakes. I found that I had to really double check on a few sections as the drawings were a little vague.

I completed most of the build in subassemblies to help with painting later on. The main sub-assemblies were the lower running gear, the upper hull, the turret, the rear post drivers, and that massive mine plough.

The plough, I must say, was a challenging exercise in itself, due to the amount of parts and complexity to put it all together. I did scratch build the bar guards myself from Evergreen strips, as it was easier to do this compared to trying to use the etch provided.

After I had all the sub-assembles built, it was time for my favourite part - painting. A

Turret base.

Cupola and .50 cal complete

Hull armour blocks.

The upper hull parts.

Link and length parts should be straightforward to assemble.

Inside the charge hatches, showing the rocket that pulls the charges out.

The containers contain the lengths of charge bags.

The turret completed, showing the rear without the charge containers in place. Rye Field has left nothing out.

Rear of the turret showing charge containers in place.

Photo-etched parts are included.

Kit decals are almost exclusively stencil markings.

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Both the side shields/doors completed.

Front shot of the turret with the rear charge containers and covers in place Rear shot of turret.

Upper shot showing the layout of how it goes together.

Lower hull partially done with the turret in place, also showing side shield, wheels and rear section with post drivers.

Left hand view of vehicle with turret in place, including shields in place.

Right hand view of vehicle.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Rye Field Model 1:35 M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle • Kit No. 5011

B PAINTING There are, as mentioned, three choices to paint this big beast.

These are Sand, Green or Green with a Sand plow. I chose the latter. Why? I had already seen a few of these models built and the majority were in Sand, which is the main colour we see. However, as usual, I wanted to do something different that would hopefully would stand out from others, so Green and Sand it was.

I started by painting the main vehicle all in Tamiya Acrylic, NATO Green, then the Plow in Tamiya Desert Sand as the base colours.

From here is where the fun began for me, as I now got to play around creating and bringing out some groovy, hopefully effective effects and weathering.

I started with a pin wash, using AK’s OIF wash formula to enhance the detail over both the vehicle and plow. This really made a difference. I then left it over night to dry completely.

Next, I got out the AK dust effect products and begun to create streaking, run off and built up grime effects, to which I used white spirit to the blend and father it all out to take away the harshness.

I also very sparingly used some Dark Streaking to bring the effects together.

With the main vehicle done, I then started on the plow. The main weathering was pretty much as per the vehicle, although I did apply some metallic water on those massive graters to give a used effect, followed by dust over the top of them.

With both sections now completed, I glued them together and left it all to completely dry.

This sat on my bench with braces under the plow, as I wanted it up in transport mode, for several days, so I knew it wouldn’t break.

The end result was quite nice with the contrast between the Green and the Sand.

Turret painted in base colour, Tamiya NATO Green.

Upper deck in base colour.

Lower Hull running gear, painted and weathered. AK Dust effects are very nice to work with.

A different angle of the running gear painted and weathered.

Ruler, Blu-Tack, and wheels being weathered.

FIGURE While everything was drying on the bench, I chose a resin figure from my spares box, brand not known.

I modified the arms so that they rested on the .50 cal MG, giving it a more natural pose.

To paint this, I used Citadel paints, as i really like what you can do with them, and the finish they have when dry.

I painted him in the USMC style tan overalls, commonly used.

The end result had a nice contrast to the rest of the kit, and also gives one an idea of the size of one of these big beasts. A

The rear post driver assembly in its base colour.

The turret’s rear hatches, shields, all in base colour.

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Commander painted up and at his work station. Note the dust build up.

Vehicle pretty much done, just needs the side and upper shields

Right hand side of charge container. Love the decals!

A closer look at the charge container and the markings. Most of this is hidden when the model is all together.

Close up of reactive blocks on turret front. Markings were stippled on using an old brush.

The rear post driver in transport mode. Note the great rear detail.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Rye Field Model 1:35 M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle • Kit No. 5011

B CONCLUSION There’s a lot of work in this big beast of a kit, and I think as you build you’ll need to take into consideration the painting, depending on the chosen scheme.

Some may need to be done in stages with careful masking as you go. At least it’s not in a camo scheme!

I would say this is for the experienced modeller considering the parts count and the level of detail, although that’s not intended to stop one from having a go.

I am very impressed with this kit. I believe it was a great choice for Rye Field, and it is great to see a new variation based on the M1 chassis.

Yes, I would highly recommend this kit, though beginners take caution to the fact that it is detailed and complex and will be a time-consuming build. ■

Front view of the massive plow, a kit with in itself.

Thanks to Rye Field Models for the sample www.ryefield-model.com

Modelspec Rye Field Model 1:35 M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle Kit No. 5011 Accessories Used: Resin figure, the rest is out of the box Paints & Finishing Products: Tamiya Acrylics, Citadel Acrylics, AK streaking and dust effects ✓ Massive and impressive kit with a lot of great detail. ✗ Some areas are over engineered, not a beginners kit.

Overall this is a fantastic kit representing, well, the real vehicle. I would highly recommend this to all that are up for the challenge.

Thanks to Rye Field Models for the sample.

Rear view of the plow.

Lots of work in there.

That’s one long looking beast!

Approx 35 cm long.

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Front side shot showing the size of this menacing beast when on the move.

Love the contrast between the two colours

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KIT PREVIEW

Bronco Models 1:35 British Cruiser Tank A9 and A9CS • Kit No. CB-35149

This photo-etched fret includes jerry can rack for the rear of the hull.

A second photo-etched fret supplies generic A9/A10 Cruiser detail parts.

TRIPLE TURRET CRUISER

The running gear and link-and-length tracks.

Bronco has now released the three-turreted British Cruiser Tank A9 and A9CS. Luke Pitt takes a look

W

e are indeed living in the Golden Age of armour modelling.

Only a few short years ago a mainstream 1:35 scale kit of a British A9 Cruiser tank would have been unthinkable. German armour ruled back in the day, but thankfully manufacturers have turned their attention to other subjects often neglected in the past. I for one welcome the trend as the German flavour has somewhat lost its appeal for me.

Bronco’s new 1:35 scale A9 Cruiser Tank is presented with a fairly average illustration adorning the box top lid. I must confess, I’m a fan of good box art and this one just doesn’t grab me.

Opening the box however, is a totally different story. Presented over seven medium yellow sprues with an upper and lower hull tubs together with two small and one large turret mouldings, things start to brighten up. 615 plastic parts make up the kit with five more in clear. Two photo-etched frets are included that include 42 parts.

The level of moulding on this kit is top shelf as is the fit of the

upper and lower hulls. It is so good that they almost click into position.

Three marking options are included: • A9 Mk.I (Arnold) from the 1st Battalion 7th Armoured Division in overall light stone • A9 Mk.I (Antelope) from the 1st Battalion in Caunter camouflage • A9CS Mk.I from the 3rd Battalion in France 1940 in a two tone green camouflage A well-drawn and precise instruction booklet is included covering assembly in 21 steps.

The upper hull has surprisingly few parts but has a huge number of rivets. The good news here is that they have been masterfully done in both shape and form. The model scales out almost exactly compared to the drawings in the “Armour Photo History” by Peter Brown. To be honest I could not find any missing nick naks on the hull, turrets or road wheels when compared to this reference. The track guards are very pleasing as Bronco have moulded them so finely that they are almost scale in thickness.

The lower suspension has a

nice level of detail present, but the suspension spring seam needs to be cleaned up almost perfectly as it very much seen on the final build. The tracks are link and length tracks and are done very well in both ease of assembly and detail present. I really don’t think an individual track option would add anything to the model - the kit provided tracks are perfectly fine the way they are.

The exhaust is a combination of plastic and photo etched parts.

The photo etch has to be shaped into a cylinder and once done is accurate and quite pleasing to the eye. The storage bins, tools and extinguishers are all supplied as separate parts and are all nicely represented.

The model is not without its flaws, but all should be quite easy to fix if you feel so inclined. 95% of modellers will be pleased with this rendition of the A9 Cruiser as it is, as am I. It is refreshingly different and quite well done. ■

Thanks to Bronco for the sample www.cn-bronco.com/ en/index.php

Track detail is very well done.

Road wheel and suspension detail.

The clear sprue.

The new upper hull and the two machine gun turrets.

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The one-piece lower hull tub.

Markings are provided for three vehicles.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Dragon 1:35 scale M4 (105) Howitzer Tank • Kit No. 6548

WINTER HOWITZER Gary Edmundson finishes Dragon’s M4(105) in a winter whitewash.

D

ML has released two 1:35 scale kits of the Sherman M4 105mm tank, the first having an “easy eight” suspension, and afterward an improved kit with the earlier VVSS type. The later kit corrected a flaw involving the width of the mantlet, which was originally too narrow by about 2 or 3mm.

I built this kit wanting a small winter vignette with a well-sculpted US tanker figure from a line of resin castings from John Rosengrant. Since modelling US armour is rare for me, my end result has a few inaccuracies and compromises that could have been avoided in hindsight.

The tracks and the commander’s hatch type are a couple of examples of this.

The model was given a winterwhitewash scheme to look like one of the photos of 105mm Shermans from the 6th Armoured Div. in Luxembourg in January of 1945. Vehicles shown in period photos had large identifying numbers painted on the side, and I chose a fictitious “13” intended to be part of that group. A

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Dragon 1:35 scale M4 (105) Howitzer Tank • Kit No. 6548

B TURRET DETAILS DML corrected the width of the mantlet on this kit, but parts for the mount for the dust shield were not modified accordingly.

When the dust shield mount was assembled, I cut the pieces in half, and added a 3mm chunk of stretched sprue to widen it.

The part for the fixed commander’s aiming sight B24 is shown backwards in the instructions (tall part should go to the rear), and so it had to be very carefully separated from its mount, turned 180 degrees and glued in its proper configuration.

Copper wire from an electrical cord was wound around an appropriately sized drill bit, and used to replace the spring detail on the oval loader’s hatch. Stiffer brass wire was bent and used to make stowage mounting rails on the turret sides, with copper wire supports added in a couple of places.

I randomly chose the cast commander’s hatch with a single lid when building the kit, but should have selected the split hatch option which would have matched

what is seen in the photos of the tanks from the 6th armoured division. Since the model is depicted as one not in any photos, perhaps it could have been?

HULL DETAILS The kit has options of solid or spoked road wheel types. Photos of the 105mm Howitzer tank show mostly the solid ones in service, so these were chosen for the running gear.

Handles for the engine deck dropped down to lay flat, and the kit provides small lines to represent this. I trimmed these off, drilled two holes where each handle would go, and fashioned new ones from lead wire (bought from a fishing tackle shop and used to tie flies). Similar handles were added to the driver’s and radio operator’s hatches.

The kit-provided photo-etched brush guards for the headlights and horn are quite delicate, and were bent to shape using some spare aluminum tubing to form the curves. The guards for the rear lights were not representative of how they actually looked, so new

ones were made from two pieces of etched runner and cemented together with cyano glue.

The tow cable provided in all DML kits is really not the right scale of weave that looks very good at all, and I replaced it with the cable from an old drafting table arm. The metal was annealed to take out the springy-ness and the kit tow shackles were attached at each end.

The brass front fenders were assembled with the use of a butane soldering tool. Small copper clamps held the pieces together, and flux was wiped onto the mating edges.

Small chunks of solder wire were sliced off and placed into the flux, and the flame of the soldering tool was brought close enough to heat the metal, and retracted as soon as the solder melted and “wicked” into the joint. These parts were thin, and overheating could have melted and permanently ruined them. The soldering technique was also used on the roof vent between the driver and radio operator to give strength to the joints that cyano glue doesn’t always provide.

DML’s second 1:35 release of the M4 105mm Sherman corrected some errors from their first, notably the width of the mantlet

John Rosengrant’s 1:35 US Tanker resin figure served as the inspiration for this project

Aging eyes calls for upgraded vision aid! This optivisor was modified by adding a #10 lens, integral lighting, and the option of a magnifying Optiloupe

Some of the kitsupplied photoetched tool fasteners were modified with lead strip, and the light guards for the rear were built from scraps of p.e. runner.

Handles for the driver and radio operator hatches were made from lead wire.

The hull and turret parts fit surprisingly well.

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Cable from an old drafting table arm replaced the kit supplied material since the weave was more indicative and to-scale.

Stowage components were test-fitted to the model to get an idea of how much to add, and how it could be realistically arranged.

TRACKS It was never my intent to use the kit tracks. I had bought some rubber block tracks from ModelKasten when they had the non-workable type available many years ago, and every link had a sink mark in it. Without a lot of work they were useless. Since the wartime photos showed these vehicles with the track-widening grousers, I searched for a workable set that would fill my needs.

At having no luck trying to find decent replacements I relented that the kit-supplied soft rubber tracks would do, and just painted them up and attached them.

Because the springy nature of them would not allow the top run to sit on the running gear flat, I pushed a piece of dark grey styrene rod along the length of the sponson, from the rear pushing down on the tracks enough to have them appear as they should.

Because the tubing is well above the etched metal lip on the outside edge of the sponson, it is invisible.

PAINTING THE VEHICLE The model was airbrushed with Tamiya’s XF-62 Olive Drab, with a lighter shade of that same colour (by adding a touch of XF-49 Khaki used to show some fading and weathering. Since the decision to give the tank a winter white-wash

came later, that last step could have been skipped.

An etched metal mask was used to airbrush on the national star with some off-white, and I added the number “13” by placing water-slide decals in the form of an outline on the vehicle sides. A good modeller should be able to paint these on by hand, but I couldn’t paint a straight line if my life depended on it. Using the outlines as a guide, I applied some yellow Vallejo paint mixed with a bit of Khaki to tone down the brightness.

It took a few coats of thinned paint to complete the job, and I then gave the whole model a coat of Future gloss coat.

To achieve a worn whitewash finish, I applied a thin coat of

Since the model was made in conjunction with another US AFV project, numerous stowage components were prepped for painting by mounting them on toothpicks for ease of handling.

hairspray to the model with an airbrush. Experience has taught me to keep this to a minimum, after a troubling experience recently with a Tamiya M8 Greyhound. A mottled coat of off-white Tamiya acrylic was then airbrushed over this.

After waiting a day for the paint to cure, I took a ¼” wide brush dampened with water, and started to work at the white paint surface with a scrubbing motion, lifting off a small amount of the top coat as the hair spray dissolved underneath. The technique to remove just the right amount of paint in just the right way is a combination of experience and luck, I find. I knew how I wanted the end result to appear, and patiently took my time, working over the

entire surface of the hull and turret. Brush strokes were made in the direction of water run-off, to emulate a natural wearing of the white wash over time and the elements.

Fuel spills and oil stains were added with Life Color Tensocrom acrylics TSC 207 Oil and TSC 210 Fuel. To bring out some of the detail on the turret and hull, a thinned wash of raw umber/black mix of oil paints was applied to those small areas. For any worn metal parts, Uschi metallic powder 4009 Steel was rubbed on with a stippling brush. The idler wheel and drive sprocket teeth along with the grouser parts of the tracks received a fair bit of this treatment. A

The process of painting the stowage components involved a dark pre-shade, followed by successively light airbrushing of Khaki shades.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Dragon 1:35 scale M4 (105) Howitzer Tank • Kit No. 6548

The entire model was base-coated in Tamiya’s XF-62 Olive Drab.

Markings were applied by using decals for the number, and stencils for the National star. The numbers were later painted in with faded yellow Vallejo acrylic paint.

A lighter shade of the base colour was added to the airbrush, and a mottled, faded pattern was applied, but with the later decision to white-wash the vehicle for a winter scheme, this step ended up being redundant.

After a protective coat of Future floor acrylic had been applied, a thin coat of hairspray was airbrushed over the model.

B STOWAGE The one task I loathe about modelling armour is adding external stowage. US armour is especially prone to this, with so much of it shown in the wartime photos.

To mimic the amount of external stowage on Sherman tanks in general is a job in itself, and doubles the amount of effort one needs to spend on a related project.

While working on the Sherman I was also putting efforts in on a Tamiya M8 Greyhound armoured car (see MMI issue 143), and I had hopefully gathered enough accessories to dress up both with boxes, packs, tarps, bedrolls etc. from the old Verlinden and Warriors lines of resin sets. I had seen the sides of the turret hanging with the standard GI back-packs in wartime photos, but had to arrange the engine deck with an assortment of items that looked reasonable.

An off-white mixture of Tamiya acrylic was made by adding a few drops of XF-57 Buff to XF-2 Flat White, and then sparingly applied to the model

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A wate a down

A water dampened brush was used to scrub off the white-wash paint here and there, with brush strokes moving in a downward direction.

The equipment was painted a black/brown mix of Tamiya’s acrylics as a pre-shadow, and then received various shades of Khaki which was misted on, lightening each pass with a bit of Buff.

Buckles and straps were painted on using either Vallejo Leather Brown or Khaki. The arranged stowage on the engine deck was glued in place with white glue, and then miniature ship’s rope was draped over it all and tied tight. The personal packs and ammo pouches on the turret were glued to the railing, and sections of strapping were added to these packs and painted afterward.

After deciding to populate the rear back plate shelf with jerry cans, I had room for an oil tin from the Plus Model range of accessories which added a bit of colour and interest. The tin was painted with Alclad II Duraluminum and the decal added for the label.

This stowage was tied down with a product called EZ Line, which is a stretchy thread used to rig model biplanes. It simulated the wire that would have been used in this case.

After an appropriate amount of the white-wash had been removed, details like the tools, tow cable and hull machine gun were painted and weathered.

Wartime photos showed some vehicles to have their numbers covered with white-wash, and others with it exposed.

DISPLAY BASE AND FIGURE Celluclay papier-mâché was mixed with a bit of water, white glue and acrylic paint colour to form the groundwork, which was spread onto an old trophy plaque. Sand and small grit were pressed into the soft mix after it was spread onto the base. Various colours of static grass were also pressed into place randomly. Plant root from a garden shrub had the muck shaken off, and sections of it were glued together to form a wintery tree-like object. A small truck was fashioned from a lump of epoxy putty and the assembly was painted dark brown. After adding it to the base, baking soda was sprinkled on randomly, and also was added to the tracks of the

A

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Dragon 1:35 scale M4 (105) Howitzer Tank • Kit No. 6548

B

The rubber band style tracks from DML were made to lay flat on the return rollers by pushing a styrene rod down the length against the underside of the sponsons.

I built this kit wanting a small winter vignette “ with a well-sculpted US tanker figure from a line of resin castings from John Rosengrant... ”

Stowage items made use of old accessory sets from Verlinden and Warriors

The oil tin on the rear was taken from a line of Plus Model resin accessories.

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B tank. The face and hands of the

tanker were primed a dark flesh colour, and painted using oils. I airbrushed the rest of the figure flat black and then drybrushed the colour into his overalls and jacket using various Vallejo colours such as US Field Drab 873, Stone Grey 884, and Khaki 988. The details were picked out in a lighter shade of the original, and a very light grey was used to highlight buckles and the coverall zip.

SUMMARY After seeing some of the work of author and modeller Steve Zaloga in person, I left the idea of making elaborate dioramas and pursued just displaying a model more simply in a small vignette.

Inspiration for a project can come from many sources, and in this case I was looking to couple an AFV project with a well-sculpted resin figure. The Sherman tank is such a recognizable and familiar AFV, and has such a long & varied service history that there’s always a different one to model. ■

John Rosengrant’s resin US tanker figure was painted in Vallejo acrylics, with oil paints for the face and hands.

Modelspec DML 1:35 M4 (105) Howitzer

Kit No. 6548

Accessories used: Verlinden Productions Bedrolls, Tentpacks, Kitbags VP-1618 Verlinden Productions US WWII Infantry Gear VP-1154 1:35 US Tanker Standing Winter WWII S&T Productions STP-35003 Tools and Materials Used: Tamiya Extra Fine Cement Loctite 404 instant adhesive Harder & Steenbeck Infinity CRplus Airbrush Micro Scale Kristal Klear Bed Head TIGI hair spray Paints and Finishing Products: Tamiya Acrylic paints as listed in the paint callouts.

Winsor & Newton Oil Paint Series 1 554 Raw Umber, 331 Ivory Black Vallejo Acrylic paints as listed in the paint callouts Uschi Metal Polishing Powder Steel-Type Item 4009 References: Battle of the Bulge Then and Now After the Battle Productions GI (Government Issue) Collectors Guide Histoire and Collections Walk Around M4 Sherman Squadron/Signal Publications Modeler’s Guide to the Sherman MMIR Special The M4 Sherman at War Steven J Zaloga Concord Publications Sherman in Action Squadron/Signal Publications Armor No.16

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KIT PREVIEW

Profimodeller 1:35 Transportwagen-Maus • Kit No. 35007

James Hatch checks out this very specialised rail transport kit designed specifically for the Maus heavy Panzer.

MOVING THE MAUS T

he TransporterwagenMaus was a 14-axle special transport vehicle of the German railways (Reichsbahn), which was developed and built to transport the Maus by the Graz-Simmering-Pauker works in Vienna. On account of the tank’s size and weight, a rail route between Berlin and Böblingen, had to be found, avoiding all tunnels and large bridges. This wasn’t at all an easy accomplishment, and resulted in an extremely convoluted route.

Well, where do I even begin when it comes to this behemoth?

Without a doubt, this is the largest, heaviest and most parts-numerous

resin kit that I’ve ever been asked to take a look at. It’s also a subject that I know very little about, being primarily an aircraft modeller (with a spattering of Sci-Fi), so this review can only really look at what is presented, and compare the photos of the completed model, alongside the few images I have of the real thing. When I said this thing was large, it’s actually 720mm in length, with a track width of 41mm.

This is a multimedia kit which is largely resin, but also has metal and PE elements, along with a small decal sheet. There are 930 resin parts. Yes, you read that correctly!

Profimodeller’s Transportwagen-

Maus is packed into a long and heavy carton with illustrative line drawings adorning the lid, and upon opening, a 28-page manual is found in the top, folded in half so that the narrow packaging can accommodate it. Underneath this is a plastic back that contains four large cardboard trays onto which the larger, longer and slab-sided components are secured. Each tray also contains an illustration of its contents. Removing this package reveals a set of TWELVE small boxes, each with a lid sticker that again highlights the package contents. Underneath these boxes lays a sleeve with two PE sheets

and a single decal sheet, and a decal placement guide is folded neatly next to this. Lastly, some lengths of wire complete the contents inventory.

TRAY PARTS There are FOUR trays of very dark grey resin parts included, with adhesive foam being used to hold them in place. This is a neat method of fixing as the parts are slightly elevated from the card surface, so it is therefore easy to slip a knife underneath them and through the foam, in order to release the parts before you clean them up.

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BOXED PARTS There are TWELVE boxes of equal size, included with this release.

Each box has a label attached to the top, showing an illustration of the included parts, and also a list which includes how many parts are within. I quite like this approach, and for something of this complexity, it’s a welcome inclusion. Most of the boxes have the parts within inside small ziplock wallets. The only exceptions to this are some of the larger or more numerous parts, such as the railways sleepers etc. Most of these boxes are choc-full of parts, with most of them being connected to some sort of casting block. These look easy enough to remove, especially with a fine razor saw. Some smaller parts are cast onto a sheet, such as is seen with HpH model kits. A small number of other materials are also to be found in these boxes, such as rubber and copper wire. Parts quality is excellent, with only a small number of annoyances, such as some track sleeper clips broken away due to the mass packing of these parts into one of the small boxes. However, this is easily fixed.

nothing here which will cause any headaches. It all looks like simple bending is all that is required, and the parts are generally large enough not to cause eye strain.

Photo-etch production is excellent, with clean fold lines and edges. All parts are held in situ by small tags that shouldn’t cause any problem with cutting. A small file will be useful for finally cleaning up the locating points though.

Two lengths of what looks like piano wire are also included. This appears to be for various axels.

DECALS A single sheet is included, printed solely in white, and containing various stencils and serials that will be applied to the chassis etc. Printing is quite glossy and also suitably thin. There is no indication as to where these are printed, but having used Profimodeller decals before, I don’t foresee any issue at all.

A sheet is included which clearly shows where the many stencils are to be placed around this model.

There’s certainly enough to enliven what could otherwise have been an empty-looking finish.

PHOTO-ETCHED AND METAL PARTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Two photo-etched frets are included in this release, and whilst some folding is essential, there’s

This comes in the forum of a series of A4 sheets, stapled together, and comprising 28 pages. All

illustration is extremely concise in its line drawing depiction, with all parts being clearly annotated, meaning that they will be easy to locate within the numerous boxes and trays supplied in this kit. Colour references are given throughout construction, but not in any specific manufacturer paint codes. Illustrations are supplied at the end of the manual, showing the Transportwagen-Maus in various elevations. No photographic material is provided in the manual, but you can still find a number of historic images in an online search.

CONCLUSION This build will be no walk in the park, whatsoever. It is both a complex and involved build that will dictate the modeller needing experience of working with this media. Of course, it will also require plenty of space for displaying the final result, but I’m not going to insult anyone’s intelligence as they should already have worked that small detail out.

It’s also a very expensive kit, and you should be confident of your own skillset before contemplating a purchase. Having said this, if you want a 1/35 trailer for a Maus, then this is not only the only deal in town, but it is also superbly designed and accurate to the reference that I have been sent

with regards to this release, but the kit is also very high quality. All resin is nicely cast, and the whole kit is thoughtfully packaged for ease of finding the parts you need amongst the 930 on offer! Current exchange rates put this kit at about £240, and of course, you will need to purchase your own Maus with which to display the trailer.

Highly Recommended. ■

Thanks to Profimodeller for the sample http://www. profimodeller.com/detail/ p35007-transportwagemaus/ Please note that other related sets are available to use with this, and are available separately. These are: • Maus Loading Ramp for 990,00 CZK (approx. £35) • Tow Bar for 159,00 CZK (approx. £6) We did actually receive a little something extra with our sample, with the emphasis on the word ‘little’.

This was a mini-Maus, seen here in the photos. This was a free gift which I presume comes with the main Transportwagen-Maus

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng Models 1:35 D9R Doobi (Conversion to civil model) • Kit No. SS-002

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HEAVY METAL

THE CATERPILLAR D9 DOZER Michael Franz converts Meng Model’s armoured D9R to a civil dozer.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng Models 1:35 D9R Doobi (Conversion to civil model) • Kit No. SS-002

I

t is several years since Chinese manufacturer Meng Models released their amazing kit of the Caterpillar D9R “Armored Bulldozer” in 1:35 scale.

Unfortunately this kit offered no option to build a civil version of this giant, which I would have preferred. I therefore lost a little bit of interest in this kit and put it on the shelf, waiting for the interest to return someday. It took a long time until a good friend of mine from Canada told me that a small manufacturer called Firecat Designs in the USA released a conversion set for the Caterpillar to build the civil version. The order was placed only a few hours later and after a few weeks I had the conversion set in my hands.

The kit is comprises a new cab, new main fuel tank and a lower part of the cab, new running boards and an engine grille. The parts are completely made by 3D-printing with precise fit but very visible layers of the printing process which required a lot of work to remove and get a smooth surface.

I started to sand all the new parts carefully with coarse abrasives which became finer and finer towards the final steps. It took several layers of primer, more sanding and more primer before the surface was completely smooth.

In the meantime I started with the engine covers, which also required several modifications.

The armored engine grilles were roughly removed first, the surfaces sanded and completely cleaned.

The same procedures (putty, sanding, primer and repeat) were necessary here as for the 3D-printed parts before, to get these areas clean. Maybe it would have been better to produce new parts instead of modifying the kit’s parts but in the end it worked well.

At the same time I assembled the two identical undercarriages of the dozer with the drive wheels, sprockets and rollers. Once the engine covers were finished I assembled the main body with the new 3D-printed front grille, then mounted the undercarriages to the body and closed the engine cover at the backside with plastic cards.

The brand new cab is a single-seater cab whereas the kit includes only a two-seater version (driver and gunner). The huge main fuel tank behind the cab is also a new part of the conversion kit. These two parts require a complete rebuild of the base plate of the cab, adjusting it to fit with the single-seater cab and the new fuel tank. I used plastic stripes to make the outer frame around the floor and also cleaned the surface before having mounting the new floor panels on it. Several photo-etched and plastic parts were used to add more details.

For the interior, I added also some photo-etched parts from Eduard, originally for the armoured D9 Doobi Interior. Some parts of this set are useful, some others will remain left over. After the rebuild of the base plate and the finishing of the cab and fuel tank I went on to the ripper at the rear of the vehicle.

The ripper was built without any modifications except the hydraulic piping, which is adjusted to the new rear of the dozer.

The dozer blade was also built without modifications except the hydraulic cylinders and the pipework. I left off the armour plates at the cylinders, reshaped the upper area and added some new headlamps.

Finally I made some new handles made out of wire, finished the carrier which goes over the cab and added some further headlamps to it, mounted the exhaust muffler, assembled the metal tracks and made a final dry fitting before starting the paintjob of the dozer. A

A massive new tank is provided and needs some reshaping

Part of the frame that goes over the cab.

The new cab, sanded and filled.

The roof after the cleaning

All parts received a black primer after the surface was smooth.

The primered cab, ready for further details

The parts of the engine cover during the modifications.

Modifed engine covers black primered.

The floor of the cab needs to be reshaped and modified for the new single-seater cab

Plastic stripes and cards were used for the modification

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Primered and test-fitted cab with the tank Finished chassis, reads for mounting the floor of the cab

Note the already mounted first parts of the hydraulic cylinders for the dozer blade The rear side was reshaped to fit the new tank, photo-etched parts were used for further details

The hinges were made of photo-etched parts, the handles made of wire

The interior was modified completely to fit inside the new cab.

Note the photo-etched details and the hydraulic cylinders, coming of Shapeways.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng Models 1:35 D9R Doobi (Conversion to civil model) • Kit No. SS-002

B The ripper was used without any modification except the hydraulic pipework.

The new 3D-printed front grille and the small additional tank next to the cab.

The body is mostly finished.

Only some details at the floor of the cab missing.

The new grid plates for the floor.

Test-fitting of the dozer blade, the pipework and the new headlamps.

Finished - ready for the paint job.

The dozer blade received some damage on the upper part.

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B PAINTING I started the paintwork with a layer of Vallejo’s black primer, airbrushed on everything to get a smooth, uniform surface and to make sure that the real paint will adhere well on the different materials which were used on that kit.

The heavily stressed areas of the surface – dozer blade, undercarriage, tracks and ripper – first received an airbrushed layer of AK Interactive’s Extreme Metal Iron colour, followed by a layer of Heavy Chipping Medium and a red-brown paint of the Italian company Lifecolor. The red-brown was heavily chipped off of the iron paint to receive the bright metal surface back under the rust.

A layer of clear coat fixed the paint before I sprayed on one further layer of Heavy Chipping Medium. As there is no original Caterpillar model paint of the current generation vehicles available, I mixed the colour by myself, using different kind of yellow, beige, brown and orange, all of the colour range of Lifecolor. This yellow paint was airbrushed in several thin layers and chipped with a stiff paint brush and warm water to reveal the rusty and metal colours underneath. I only did a little bit of chipping as I wanted to keep the dozer in good condition.

Alone the dozer blade, undercarriage and the ripper received some more intensive chipping as these areas receive extremely heavy wear and tear.

After masking the yellow areas I airbrushed black colour on the engine cover, the cab and the hydraulic cylinders, as well as a light grey colour at the driver’s position and at the complete inside of the cab. The smaller details were brush painted next in each respective colour.

Eduard’s coloured photo etchedparts for the interior of the D9 were used as far as possible to detail the displays and add some further details inside the cab before I added some dirt inside with different brown and beige pigments. Next. the cab was mounted to the body and the window shields were cut out of a clear foil and glued inside.

The decals were applied and fixed with clear coat. All remaining parts were now installed. The hydraulic lines were made of flexible tube, mounted and laid in the correct positions and the connectors were painted in silver colour. The chrome colour of the hydraulic cylinders was made with liquid chrome from Molotov. The photo-etched window wipers are parts of a set with window wipers from Aber which were added next as well as the photo etched headlamps from SKP Models. A

Black primer was sprayed on the complete vehicle first.

Vallejo's Metal Colour "Iron" was airbrushed on the vehicle as first layer for the chipping.

Rust colour followed next on single spots.

The dozer blade was mostly painted in Iron colour as base coat

The inside of the cab and the floor were painted in light beige.

The beige interior part before the painting of its small details.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng Models 1:35 D9R Doobi (Conversion to civil model) • Kit No. SS-002

B

The body after the yellow base coat sprayed on and first chips added.

Note that most of the chipping was done at the lower part of the body, floor plate and the handles

The iron base color on the dozer blade after the chipping "Rust streaks" of AK Interactive was used as a filter befor the black painting of the upper areas.

Details painted and decals added on the tank

The finished dozer blade before adding dust and dirt on it

The cab nounted on the body, decals added and fixed with clear coat

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B DUST & DIRT The lower area of the vehicle received one last layer of Heavy Chipping Medium now. Some small clumps of plaster and fine sand were glued on to the yellow painted and weathered tracks and on the lower area of the vehicle.

Next I airbrushed several thin layers of different shades of beige colour on the vehicle and on the tracks. The colour was partly removed again to get a realistic look of dust and dirt on the dozer. A dark brown wash was used all around the smaller, deeper or raised details to emphasise these.

The tracks were mounted and the whole vehicle was dusted once again with different brown and beige pigments, partly fixed with thinner, partly applied dry to maintain the dusty look.

Lastly I added some leaked fuel and oil (Tamiya Smoke and black and brown pigments) and some shiny metal (metal powder and a graphite pencil).

The finished paint job, ready for the weathering.

Molotov's "Liquid Chrome" was used to paint the hydraulic cylinders

Last test-fitting before mounting the tracks

The metal tracks were painted separately in the same way a the dozer before the mounting.

The glass for the window was cut out of a clear foil and glued inside the cab with white glue

THE BASE The base was made of a wooden spatula, built on a white wooden painting ground from Gerstaecker which I use as base for most of my works.

Some small stones and rocks made of plaster were pressed in the soft spatula and fine sand was spread over it. I fixed everything with thinned white glue and painted the base with the airbrush in different beige colours. Some dry brushing and oil colour washings followed to bring everything to life.

Single tufts of green grass were added on the ground before the dozer found its final place on the vignette. A

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng Models 1:35 D9R Doobi (Conversion to civil model) • Kit No. SS-002

B CONCLUSION Meng Models D9R Doobi is a fantastic kit with many great details.

The conversion set of the American manufacturer Firecat Designs is a great upgrade kit that makes it possible to convert this giant to an amazing civil version of the dozer. Even so, the conversion set requires some rework and additional work – but the result is a very convincing replica of this huge bulldozer. ■

Small stones made of plaster were glued on the track and the vehicle before pigments were used to weather the Caterpillar

Modelspec Meng Models 1:35 D9R Doobi

Kit No. SS-002

Accessories Used Firecat Designs: Conversion Set D9 civil bulldozer Easy Metal Links (EML35007): Metal tracks for D9R Doobi SKP Models (243) Lenses and taillights for D9R Doobi Shapeways (3460730) D9R Hydraulic Cylinder Set Orange Hobby (G35-134) Hydraulic pressure rods Eduard Models (36268) Interior coloured etched parts Evergreen: Different stripes, plastic cards, profiles Copper wire Etched parts, plastic parts, etc. of my spares box Gerstaecker: Gesso Board Tools and Modelling Products: Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Revell Contacta Clear Modellbau König Super Glue Mr. Putty Leaking oil, shiny metal and the fire extinguisher

Paints and Finishing Products: Lifecolor: Yellow (UA042), Orange (LC04), Matt Flesh (LC21), German Desert Yellow (UA084), Earth Red (UA306), Mimetic Middle Stone (UA097), Black (LC02), Hellgrau (UA021), Dark Brown (UA409), Red (LC06) Revell Aqua Color: Iron (91), Light Grey (90) AK Interactive: Rust Streaks, Dust Effects, Dark Mud, Wash for NATO-Tanks, Heavy Chipping Medium, Dark Brown Wash, Engine Grime, Pigments North African Dust, Pigments Dark Earth, Pigments European Earth Tamiya: Smoke (X19) Molotov: Liquid Chrome Vallejo: Black Primer Uschi Van der Rosten: Metal powder Graphite pens Winsor & Newton oil colors: Van Dyk Brown, Burned Umbra, Black

Stones made of plaster were used on the base and painted in different beige colors

Base: Gerstaecker: Gesso Board white (wooden painting support) Plaster Sand and small stones Mini Nature: Different grass tufts ✓ (Meng Kit) Perfect fitting, great details (Conversion set) Great upgrade set, lovely details, excellent fitting . ✗ Nothing worth mentioning.

Available from Firecat Design’s conversion set is only available via the website https://firecatdesigns.com

Rating

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Small grass tufts colour the beige floor.

The completed model with its simple but effective base.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 German Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe Italian Front • Kit No. 35358

ITALIAN FRONT STINGER PART ONE - ASSEMBLY

The Editor builds a test shot of Tamiya’s forthcoming 1:35 scale Italian Front Wespe.

T

he Sd. Kfz. 124 Wespe (German for "wasp"), also known as Leichte Feldhaubitze 18/2 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf.) ("Light field howitzer 18 on Panzer II chassis (self-propelled)"), is a German self-propelled gun developed and used during the Second World War. It was based on a modified Panzer II chassis.

During the Battle of France in 1940 it became apparent that the intermediate tank of the German forces, the Panzer II, was unsuitable as a main battle tank.

Though mechanically sound, it was both under-gunned and underarmoured. The chassis, however,

proved serviceable for providing mobility to the 10.5 cm field howitzer. Existing chassis were converted to self-propelled artillery vehicles, such as the Marder II conversion providing mobility to the PaK 40/7.5 cm anti-tank gun.

The design for the Wespe was produced by Alkett, based on the Panzer II Ausf. F chassis. Alkett had earlier worked with Alfred Becker to convert captured French armoured vehicles into selfpropelled artillery carriers. Among other modifications the Panzer II's engine was moved forward and the chassis slightly lengthened to accommodate the rear-mounted 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer. The

superstructure was lightly armored, with 10 mm armor plate (enough to stop small arms fire) left open at the top and rear. The vehicles were produced by FAMO's Ursus plant in Warsaw.

The Wespe was in production from February 1943 until June 1944, when Soviet forces approached the frontier. By that time, 676 had been produced.

An additional 159 were modified to serve as mobile artillery ammunition carriers

COMBAT HISTORY The Wespe first saw combat in 1943 on the Eastern Front. It proved very successful, and Hitler ordered

all Panzer II chassis production be dedicated to the Wespe alone at the expense of other projects, including the Marder II self-propelled antitank gun.

The vehicles were allocated to the armoured artillery battalions (Panzerartillerie Abteilungen) of Panzer divisions along with heavier Hummel self-propelled artillery.

The Wespe brought greater mobility to the artillery formations of the panzer divisions.

The Wespe proved reliable and highly manoeuvrable, but provided an easy target due to its relatively high profile and inadequate gun crew protection.

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IN THE BOX It is hard to believe that Tamiya released their Wespe, Kit No. 35200, more than 20 years ago in 1996. By this time Tamiya had already heralded its hallmarks of good detail, clever engineering, simple parts breakdown and trouble-free construction with their landmark Tiger I, Tiger II, Panther, Panzer III and Panzer IV releases from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and the Wespe did not disappoint in any of these regards.

Indeed, the 1996 Wespe kit still stands up to critical scrutiny today.

Tamiya has now updated this kit with new link and length tracks, four excellent crew figures, several detail and stowage items and markings for two Italian Front vehicles.

I was lucky enough to receive a test shot of this forthcoming kit in pale grey plastic and packed in a plain white box.

Three brand new sprues have been added to the original kit.

Tamiya’s updated 1:35 scale Italian Front Wespe now comprises approximately 267 grey plastic parts plastic (this includes 44 parts on the figure sprue), a length of string, four polythene caps and markings for a choice of two vehicles. The grey sprues seen here will be replaced with Tamiya’s typical dark yellow plastic for the commercial release.

The lower hull is provided as a single-part tub. Interior detail is then added to the rear section of the lower hull.

The upper hull is a single part, while the superstructure sides and rear are made up of individual panels.

The 105mm gun is beautifully detailed and looks great straight from the box. The gun features a poseable breech block and the ability to elevate and traverse.

Likewise, the spare ammo boxes, radio, stowage and weapons on the inner sides of the fighting compartment are suitably busy and very well detailed.

There are a number of ejector pin circles that will be visible on the inside of the side armour plates and the rear hatch, but these will be easy to scrape off and sand flat. A

The once-piece lower hull tub.

Superstructure sides.

Moulding detail is excellent, and the drape between the return rollers is quite natural.

The four crew figures are well up to Tamiya’s recent high standards.

Fabric drape on the uniforms is well done too.

The upper hull is also a single part, making assembly fast and easy.

This release features brand new link and length tracks.

Two new MG 34 machine guns are also included on this sprue.

Parts breakdown is designed to minimise unnatural join seams.

Facial expressions look good.

Spare shells are also offered.

Simple markings are supplied for two vehicles.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 German Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe Italian Front • Kit No. 35358

B The running gear comprises

swing arms, axles and leaf springs moulded in one piece each, to which are added simple two-piece road wheels.

The tracks are a highlight of the kit. They are made up from a combination of sections of two links, three links, a long flat bottom run, a subtly draped upper run plus two sagged front and rear lower sections. Detail on the outer surface is very well done.

Smaller detail parts such as tools, tow cable guides and the gun barrel travel lock are well moulded. Some of the detail on the tools looks a little basic now and might be enhanced with photoetched clamps or after-market replacements.

The plastic parts are rounded out with four brand new crew figures – a gunner, a loader and the Commander. In common with Tamiya’s recent figure release, they are all well moulded and the facial detail is particularly nice.

The figure sprues also include spare shells.

The only multimedia in the kit is a length of string for the tow cable.

Two simple marking options are provided for vehicles in service on the Italian front.

The instructions are well laid out over 18 steps with clear illustrations supplemented by brief text directions where required. The section dealing with the tracks is especially well done.

The axle, swing arm and leaf spring are moulded as a single part for each road wheel.

Suspension pieces in place.

The main components for the drive sprockets, road wheels and idler wheel.

Fighting compartment components cleaned up…

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Wheels and sprockets have been added here.

…and assembled.

A raised ridge must be removed from the mating surface of the stowage boxes.

I used a sharp hobby blade for this delicate task. Before (left) and after (right).

09/03/2018 15:51

CONSTRUCTION As is often the case with Tamiya kits, there is little to say apart from “follow the instructions”.

The diagrams are clear and I did not find any reason to divert from the suggested construction sequence except to avoid gluing the main sub-assemblies – lower hull, upper hull, 105mm howitzer and superstructure – until painting is well underway. The fit is so good that this is not a problem.

There are a few ejector pin circles to deal with on the rear access door and on the inside of the superstructure sides.

The actual assembly sequence is detailed in the accompanying photos and captions. A

Link and length tracks.

These are all the parts required for one side.

Tracks Step One – the upper run is glued to the return rollers.

The natural sag between the return rollers may be clearly seen here.

Tracks Step Two –five two-link sections are glued together and allowed to partially set for a few minutes.

Tracks Step Three - the links are now glued to the idler wheel. The three-link sections are moulded slightly curved and fit around the idler wheel perfectly.

Tracks Step Four - four three-link sections are now glued together and attached to the newly moulded drive sprockets. These fitted the sprocket teeth flawlessly.

Tracks Step Five – one of the draped nine-link sections is glued to the drive sprocket and the bottom of the forwardmost road wheel.

Tracks Step Six – the ten-section length is similarly glued to the idler wheel and the rearmost road wheel.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 German Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe Italian Front • Kit No. 35358

The position of the elevation sprocket and the perforated panel is a bit vague. This is how they should look from the rear…

…and from the front.

Gun rail parts.

The barrel and breech have been assembled here.

The gun and its mount are taking shape.

The gun slips into its cradle without the need for glue.

Gun sight detail is really nice.

The hydraulic lifter is workable, changing position as the gun is raised and lowered.

Gun shield components.

Note the ejector pin circles, although these are hard to see once the shield is glued to the gun mount.

The completed gun, mount and shield.

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Upper hull parts ready for assembly.

Port side stowage and radio.

Starboard superstructure stowage. Some of these are newly moulded parts.

Interior sidewall detail has now been glued in place.

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The sidewalls and rear panel have been glued together using the upper hull as a guide.

09/03/2018 15:51

FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 German Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe Italian Front • Kit No. 35358

The model has now been completed in four major sub-assemblies.

These sub-assemblies fit together almost perfectly without glue. This will make painting – especially the fighting compartment details – much easier.

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Next time, Brett will paint and weather his Wespe and add Tamiya’s four included figures.

B CONCLUSION

It is hard to “ believe that Tamiya

released their Wespe, Kit No. 35200, more than 20 years ago in 1996...

”

Once again, Tamiya has delivered a well-detailed and easy to build model of an iconic vehicle.

Despite the 1996 origins of the main sprues, this upgraded Wespe features plenty of detail and stowage in the fighting compartment, and the addition of link and length tracks is very welcome. The four included figures will provide an instant vignette too.

As you might have gathered from the article, this model was a pleasure to build.

I'd love to see this upgrade approach applied to Tamiya's Panzer III and Panzer IV kits too.

Chalk another one up to Tamiya! ■

Modelspec Tamiya 1:35 German Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe Italian Front Kit No. 35358 Tools and Finishing Products: Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Revell Contacta Plastic Glue Tamiya Hobby Knife (Olfa) Sanding sticks Tweezers ✓ High level of detail; superb fit; includes crew figures; easy build; excellent link-and-length tracks. ✗ A few ejector pin circles.

Available from

Next Time Next time Brett will paint and weather the vehicle, and assemble the four crew figures.

Thanks to Tamiya Japan for the sample www.tamiya.com Tamiya kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited www.hobbyco.net

Rating

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Small Arms Corner

M1919 Browning Machine Gun

The M1919 Browning is a .30 calibre medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1919 saw service as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries. Many M1919s were rechambered for the new 7.62×51mm NATO round and remain in service to this day.

The M1919 was an air-cooled development of the standard US machine gun of World War I, the John M. Browning-designed water-cooled M1917. The emergence of general-purpose machine guns in the 1950s pushed the M1919 into secondary roles in many cases, especially after the arrival of the M60 in US Army service. The United States Navy also converted many to 7.62mm NATO, and designated them Mk 21 Mod 0; they were commonly used on river craft in the 1960s and 1970s in Vietnam. Many NATO countries also converted their examples to 7.62, and these remained in service well into the 1990s, as well as up to the present day in some countries.

A similar conversion of the M1917 also produced the larger M2 Machine Gun, using the same basic operating principles and layout but firing the much more powerful .50 calibre (12.7mm) ammunition. The M1919 is distinguished by its smaller size and the use of a pierced cheese-grater-like jacket around the barrel used on most versions.

Bandiana Military Museum in Wodonga, around three hours north of Melbourne Australia, holds a well-preserved example of the M1919 Browning machine gun. ■ *

SPECIFICATIONS: Weight: Length:

31 lb (14 kg) (M1919A4) 37.94 in (964 mm) (M1919A4) 53 in (1,346 mm) (M1919A6) Barrel Length: 24 in (610 mm) Cartridge: .30-06 Springfield (U.S.) 7.62×51mm NATO .303 British 7.92×57mm Mauser 6.5×55mm .22 Long Rifle (Mini) 7.62×54mmR 8×63mm patron m/32 7.65×53mm Argentine 7.5×54mm French Action: Recoil operated/short-recoil operation Rate of fire: 400–600 round/min (1200–1500 for AN/M2 variant) Muzzle velocity: 2,800 ft/s (850 m/s) Effective firing range: 1,500 yd (1,400 m) (maximum effective range) Feed system: 250-round belt * Historical text adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1919_Browning_machine_gun

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The breech and cocking mechanism.

The Browning’s distinctive perforated cooling jacket.

The business end!

The metal pistol grip and the gunsight viewed from the rear.

A view from above the gun.

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KIT PREVIEW

Dragon 1:35 IJN Special Type 4 ‘Ka-Tsu’ • Kit No. 6839

Dragon expands its family of 1:35 scale Japanese WWII subjects with the amphibious IJN Special Type 4 ‘Ka-Tsu’. Graham Tetley reports

AMPHIBIOUS TRACTOR

T

he Ka-Tsu was designed as a large amphibious tractor to transport troops to the shore. It was unarmoured apart from some minor protection for the crew. The first prototype was completed in late 1943 and trials were conducted in March 1944.

Some vehicles were modified to carry two ‘Long Lance’ torpedoes and two 25mm cannons, the idea

being that the Ka-Tsu’s could be dropped offshore by submarine, make their own way over reefs and into atolls and then launch their torpedoes at enemy ships. The war ended however before this could be tested in combat.

THE KIT Coming in a very oversized box, we have eight plastic sprues, separate upper & lower hull pieces, an etched

Echo!

Hull front detail, but as smooth as a baby’s behind.

The kit is mostly new.

Commendably thin propellers.

fret, some copper wire for the steering cable and four lengths of DS Track. It has a small parts count for a Dragon kit of just over 370 although 89 are unused. The bulk of these unused parts are the figures from the included ‘US Marines Guadalcanal 1942’ set as, out of the four provided, only one is needed.

Generally, moulding quality is sharp throughout and the large, one-piece upper & lower hulls are free of any

warps or distortion. I say generally because the sprue that includes the camera and replacement forearms is rather rough.

The suspension, road wheels and tracks are not new and come from the Ka-Mi kit, but the rest is newlytooled. Being a new kit with a small parts count fortunately leads to very simple instructions as there are only 9 construction steps, no alternate options and markings for

The very basic marking option.

Detail

The rather rough camera sprue.

Road w

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one vehicle only.

So, let’s have a look at the construction. We start with the suspension and immediately have one construction tip. We are asked to fit two etched collars MA2 that sit between the road wheel and the suspension unit. If you use two (one on the inner and one on the outer wheel) then the two units A1 & A2 will not fit together properly.

I had this problem when I built my Ka-Mi but the solution is to just leave off the inner collar. The hull halves go together beautifully as do the superstructure bits.

Now, there are four areas with this kit where I feel Dragon could have done much better. These are: a) There is no inner detail included in the hatches. I accept that references may be sparse however and that Dragon could not find what the insides looked like. b) DS Tracks are included but these are in four lengths, two per side, and are simply copied from the Ka-Mi. Very lazily, Dragon request that you to cut 20 links from one of the DS track runs per side. It will be fun seeing how long they hold together! c) Looking at the photos of the real thing – as well as the boxart – you

can see that all of the sides and superstructure were welded yet Dragon has not represented any of this into their kit. d) Part D8 is supposed to represent the green/yellow/red IJN running light and the boxart shows it really well. The part itself though is just a bland plastic rod on a base with no attempt made to mold the glass light sections.

One thing that puzzled me was that the instructions show the steering cable just appearing out of nowhere on the upper hull. It actually fits between the superstructure and wheelhouse.

This cable is actually quite stiff so I will be replacing mine with fuse wire. The exhaust pipe is a little strange in that you just butt the lengths up to each other and there are no positive location aids. We do get an etched cover for the exhaust which you simply bend over the plastic part provided. The hatch shields Parts E3 are little too thick compared to the real thing but I can live with it. The various lifting hooks and mooring bollards are well done, as is the steering mechanism at the back, although the holes in the hatch parts E4 are a little bit too wide for the grab handles part

Detail on the hull top.

Road wheel detail.

E7. In real life, the twin screws and rudders could be retracted into the hull and you can show them either way, it’s your choice.

So that is really it – it is a very simple build.

CONCLUSION Dragon has to be congratulated in tackling such an unusual subject, however it is very simplified in many areas and missing some detail. I am not convinced that the price will encourage people to buy it (UK price is anywhere between £79 & £90, In Europe it is priced around the 90 Euro mark) and it is expensive for what is in the box.

For the cost, I find it disappointing that Dragon could not be bothered to tool up a correct length of track (Neo or DS) or give us enough separate links (as they once sold for the Ka-Mi) as an option.

Dragon have already announced the version with the torpedoes and 25mm guns but I really hope that they price it better and that they make some improvements to what is in the box. At the very least, we deserve a decent set of tracks if we are paying a premium price. I will give it a 6/10 – great subject, but priced too high. ■

Dragon’s standard style instructions are included.

REFERENCES USED: There is only one known surviving example and it is at the WWII and Korea LVT Museum storage, Yermo Annex, Barstow, CA (USA): see a) http://www.surfacezero.com/ junk/afv/barstow/e8.jpg b) http://the.shadock.free.fr/ Surviving_Japanese_Medium_ Tanks.pdf) A Google search will reveal a few more photos but there isn’t much out there.

TankPower ‘Japanese Armour’ Volume 3. ISBN 83-7237-128-8

Warp-free lower hull tub.

Facial detail is good for an old figure set.

Track detail – outside face…

…and inner.

One of the new sprues.

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A round-up of the latest news and releases in 1:72 and 1:76 ACE

HUMBER SUPER SNIPE FFW 1:72 SCALE KIT NO. 72552 ACE continue to give we ‘one true scale’ modellers of both military vehicles and airfield dioramas a lovely range of interesting, albeit quite complicated, kits. I have previously done their Citroen 11CV and Tilly, both of which produced lovely replicas. They do a great range of vehicles and trucks that are well worth chasing up. I purchased this kit myself for $23 through Glen at Creative Models here in NSW, Australia.

IN THE BOX This kit represents the Humber Super Snipe 8cwt FFW (Fitted For Wireless) and ACE do a Super Snipe staff car as well on the same chassis. The Super Snipe was a large robust pre-war car available as a saloon (open and closed bodies) and shooting brake complete with wooden framed rear body and, with minor strengthening and bigger tyres, met with widespread war-time use as a staff car and general light transport. Some survived well into the post war period, especially in the Middle East. One famous one was ‘Monty’s Humber’, seen in many victory parades and kitted by Airfix in 1/32 donkey’s years ago. There are still several preserved Humbers with various body shapes and an internet search will find lots of images.

The FFW body was fitted to a small range of other vehicles such as Ford and Fordson 8-10cwt, as well as Chevrolet and Dodge 8cwt light trucks and so the parts from this kit could be added to the ACE and Airfix kits (the latter coming in the USAF Bomber Resupply Set) to make something different.

The lovely box art on a proper lift-off lid opens to reveal a huge number of parts - 138 in mid- grey plastic on three sprues and a 12 part PE sheet, all to produce a model 8cm long, 3cm wide and 5cm high! A pattern is printed for you to cut out windows from a sheet of thin clear plastic, which is not provided.

It is super detailed but a bit over-engineered and some parts are not used, such as spare bumpers, springs and dashboards which appear to belong to the passenger versions.

Parts are well moulded but like most short-run kits there is a fine seam of flash around most parts, some of which needs to be removed but some can be ignored when hidden during construction. Parts have finely engraved details that look great when in place - just remember to dry-fit everything!

I was a bit disappointed by the tyres as the box art showed lovely military pattern ones. The kit ones are a little simplified.

Instructions are of the outline sketch variety that illustrate each step quite well, but some parts are incorrectly numbered in the instructions - in step ‘E’ parts labelled C11 and C12 should be A11 and A12, and parts labelled C37 and C38 are actually B37 and B38.

One part (21- a set of back-packs) is not mentioned in the instructions but is shown in its place along the lower RHS of the radio compartment under the radio shelf.

Decals are for 3 schemes, one Belgian (1944), one German captured one (1941- although I wonder how they coped with British radios) and a modern (2010) preserved version well represented by images on the net.

The ACE web-site www.acemodel.com.ua contains a mass of images and a CAD walkaround that is useful to get an idea of where everything goes although the instructions are fine.

CONSTRUCTION The vast number of parts go together remarkably well, but note: • The large number of tiny parts means that the carpet monster will be well fed. My under-bench pet ate a gear lever, seat frame and a wheel arch support - all of which were easy enough to replicate with HSS. • Take especial care with the location and alignment of the springs and axles so that the cab body and radio compartments sit correctly lined up with the wheels centred in their wheel arches. It is also vital to get them squared off so that all four wheels sit on the ground - I used wee balls of blutac to help here - an extra pair of hands, or two, would be useful at this stage!

• The precise location of the fuel tank B24 is not clear.

• Cab sides are too long by about 1mm and will not fit between the cab rear and the radiator unless you remove the tabs on the rear edges of parts B31 and B34. Failure to do this will leave the rear wall out of alignment. Its a shame the cab doors are not seperately moulded as there is some nice interior details to see.

• Remember to dry fit all parts and to remove the

seams/flash as you go along.

• Some parts are definitely handed so don’t go removing too many parts at once. I actually had a blank sheet of paper on the workbench and wrote the part number on it, placing each part on the number as I cleaned it up.

• I would suggest thinning out the underside of the front wheel arches as the edges are a bit thick, and perhaps put a couple of dings in them as they took a fair amount of punishment.

• The PE set contains some very fine parts for wing mirrors, number place holders, windscreen wiper and some handles and straps. The latter can probably be replaced with thin lead foil strips as these are more malleable for their locations.

ADVANTAGES Great topic for a kit, wonderful detail for something so small.

DISADVANTAGES Large number of tiny parts needing careful preparation and dry-fitting. Not one for the young novice, or the ocularly challenged!!

CONCLUSION Another great little kit from ACE who are providing us with some 1/72 vehicles that we never thought we would see. With care and a bit of forward planning any reasonably experienced modeller will be able to add a beauty to his or her collection and it lends itself to being used elsewhere.

Highly Recommended.

Graham Carter

56 Model Military International - May 2018

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ZVEZDA

1:72 SCALE GERMAN HEADQUARTERS IN WINTER UNIFORM KIT NO. 6232

This set of figures is from the Zvezda Art of Tactic range and is designed to fit in with that system. However, the figures are suitable for other uses and will find their way into many dioramas of the Eastern Front 1941 – 1945.

The figures come in a square, flattish box that is usual for the Art of Tactic models, there is attractive box art on one side and details of the contents on the other, with an image of the assembled group. Inside the box are two sprues with the figures and a folded sheet showing how the parts fit together.

There wasn’t the usual two-sided game card in this set, either it was omitted by accident, or there is no need for one.

The sprues are in a grey plastic and this appears to be good quality. The four figures are nicely cast and have very good facial detail for this scale, there is also a very nicely done sf 14Z Scherenfernrohr (scissors telescope) on a tripod stand. The poses are typical of a group of staff officers observing a battle. There is a slight bulkiness to the figures, which conveys that they are well wrapped up against the cold. Two of the officers have the Toque under their caps and this is a nice detail. The one officer has his hand thrust into his coat, again another nice detail. Another officer is pointing and this is well sculpted with a finely detailed pointing hand, pointing arms being difficult to do convincingly.

The officer looking through the scissors telescope is cast in two parts and has separate arms to facilitate holding the body of the instrument; this is a very nice figure.

This set will make up into an interesting group of figures and, as previously said, they will find a use in many Eastern Front dioramas. However, they are good enough to warrant displaying as a small group in their own right.

Highly Recommended.

Paul Giles

May 2018 - Model Military International 57

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Book Reviews OPERATION MARKET GARDEN PARATROOPERS VOL 1 & 2

UNIFORMS, EQUIPMENT AND PERSONAL ITEMS OF THE 1ST POLISH INDEPENDENT PARACHUTE BRIGADE 1941-45

MMP BOOKS GREEN SERIES

BY PIOTR WITKOWSKI ISBN: 978-83-65281-16-6 & 978-83-65281-38-8

Market Garden was the largest airborne operation in military history and many a book has been written about its legacy.

These two books are not so much the history of that grand operation but a guide to the uniforms and equipment of one of the Airborne combatants that took part - the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade These cover the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade in WWII and provide a comprehensive guide covering organisation, uniforms, equipment focusing on their support of the British Airborne Assault on Arnhem in September 1944.

Contrary to many other titles or beliefs, the Polish Paras, although equipped and trained by the British, differed in many ways to their hosts. This book sets out to highlight those differences in Uniform, equipment and tells their story along the way.

This is a typical MMP A4 Portrait style with 144 (Vol 1) and 136 (Vol2) glossy printed pages in a soft cover. These ares the first in a series on the Market Garden Paratroops. Despite only being 144 and 136 pages respectively they are quite complete and packed with high quality period photos as well as with photos of preserved equipment from the period.

Volume 1 is broken into six chapters covering: 1. 1st Independent parachute Brigade timeline 1941-47 2. Other Ranks Field uniform 3. Paratroopers equipment 4. Officer’s uniform 5. Signs, Badges, Insignia 6. Parachutist’s uniform and it’s evolution 7. Bibliography Volume 2 is broken down into 7 chapters: 1. Timeline of 1st Polish Independent Parachute brigade during “Market Garden” 2. Small Arms 3. Artillery and Mortars 4. Airdropping equipment 5. Specialised equipment of subunits and services - Airborne Engineer Coy 6. Specialised equipment of subunits and services - Airborne Signals Coy 7. Specialised equipment of subunits and services - Airborne Medical Coy I found these to be excellent reference titles providing many supporting photographs to illustrate the differences between the Polish and British Airborne forces and there place in WW2.

They are well suited to students of Airborne warfare, World War Two, Polish Armed Forces and modellers, re – enactors and collectors alike.

They are well written and flow well with a good balance between diagrams, photos and text. I look forward to Volume 3.

Highly Recommended.

Sample supplied by MMP Books www.mmpbooks.com Al Bowie

58 Model Military International - May 2018

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VIGNETTES, A HOW-TO GUIDE ACCION PRESS

BY JOAQUIN GARCIA GAZQUEZ ISBN 978-84-95464-91-0

As both an Armour builder and figure painter, on occasions I like to build compact vignettes, telling a small visual story instead of just a static object.

On receiving this new title, I knew that I would be looking at this one a lot!

The book comes in the form of an A4 soft cover, high grade paper, 167 pages, full colour title.

Within the pages you are given a lot of information on the subject, from basics, right unto advanced. It really does go into the full nitty gritty of producing a vignette.

There is a Foreword, Editorial, Introduction and then into the good stuff - the how-to, with the following topics: • Decorating the vignette • Why scenes are made, composition, basic decoration tips • Proportions • A simple anecdote • Composing a Vignette • Playing with different heights • Tilting the planes • Telling a story • Other approaches This title has some stunning works with in its pages. One that really caught my eye was a piece called Post War Kids, of some children playing on a section of T34 Tracks, Beautifully done and original.

So, as may be seen above, this book really gets into it with well written content and excellent photos to go along, giving a great visual experience.

I really do recommend this book to all, a great title.

Recommended.

Thanks to Euro Modelismo / Accion Press for the sample http://www.euromodelismo.com Andrew Judson

DUNKIRK 1940 - THROUGH THE GERMAN LENS MMP BOOKS

BY ALAN RANGER ISBN: 978-83-65281-72-2

This is the third title in Mushroom Publishing’s “Camera On” series and unlike the others this concentrated on the aftermath of a campaign rather than an individual subject.

This title is devoted to the aftermath of the Dunkirk evacuation as seen by the German soldiers that took part. It is essentially a one page introduction then 88 pages of black and white photographs.

Refreshingly, the title does not use the official German propaganda shots but uses those photos taken by the soldiers themselves which is very refreshing as it brings to the table many images not previously seen before. It covers The ships and boats, the wrecked harbour, the town, the beaches and the myriad of equipment both French and British left behind. It also captures the prisoners in the aftermath.

There isn’t much one can say other than it is an excellent collection of photos well printed and in good sizes. I noticed a couple of editing or authors typos mis-identifying some equipment such as British 3” AA guns as 5.5 inch AA and the same subject (The Paddle Ferry Brighton Queen) by two different spellings. That aside, I really enjoyed this title and the photographs really tell a story. The fact they are taken by the soldiers themselves and are not staged propaganda makes this an excellent and refreshing collection and one I am happy to recommend.

Highly Recommended.

Sample supplied by MMP Books www.mmpbooks.com Al Bowie

May 2018 - Model Military International 59

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1:48 Scale – A round-up of the latest news and releases WHAT YOU GIVE IS WHAT YOU GET

H

ow much effort is involved in making a 1:48 scale model kit?

If built from the box, some of Tamiya’s 1:48 scale range can be put together to a very high standard in one afternoon sitting, another day to paint and “puff” just like that, you have a weekend model.

But let’s look at where this “weekend model” term came from.

I’m guessing here, but I think back in the day kits were pretty basic and there wasn’t really much to do.

I remember as a kid almost all the shops were closed on Sunday and basically after Church your day was yours. It was those rainy days that got to you… sitting in your room you either read a comic, a book or made something, or at least that’s how it worked for me. Thinking about it now, I may have got into the hobby through pure boredom!

The kits of choice back in the day were most always Airfix. They sold them in the general store and the local newsagents. Armed with a tube of Airfix glue any series 1 or 2 model was complete in an afternoon and generally painted over the next week. Forget about sanding seams - who did that? I was only shamed into doing this at school one day when one of my modelling friends - a lot of kids made models back in the day - said “you mean you don’t sand the joints!” Thinking about in on the bus home I thought, “shivers”, I might be doing all this wrong, so looking back now I see I stared modelling basically because I was bored and started detailing because I was shamed into it!

Like any really good addiction it caught hold and

Hobbyco in George Street – the headquarters of a misspent youth for many Sydney youngsters of the 1960s and 1970s.

here I am today writing about it.

The problem with any addiction is that you just don’t get the same rush by doing the same thing over and over. You need to add more to get the same high. The same goes with detail. After the initial wow factor comes into play, you just want more and more.

The problem is, the more detail you add, the longer the model takes.

When Tamiya released these 1:48 kits that we have all grown to love, it took us back to a simpler time when we could complete a kit in one weekend. The problem is that we are all addicted to detail and as a result, what we give to the model is basically what we get at the other end.

Anyway I’m late for my bus!

Until next time!

Luke Pitt

TORO MODELS 1:48 SCALE THREE COWS ITEM NO. 48F62

Toro Models continues to release quite interesting and diverse things out there. Their Country Line provides two cows and a suckling calf. Each of the cows has a separate head and tail while the calve is a full casting.

The casting on all three is very well done as is the posing of the animals themselves.

The possibilities of including these in any diorama are endless and come highly recommended Our thanks go out to Toro models for providing the review sample. These can be sourced directly from their web site on the following address www.toro-model.com.pl Highly Recommended.

Luke Pitt

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OKB GRIGOROV

1:48 SCALE TRACKS AND UPDATES: ITEM NO. S48015 WINTERKETTEN TRACKS FOR THE PANZER III/IV ITEM NO. 48041 40CM TRACKS FOR THE PANZER III/IV

Unlike our 1:35 scale brethren, the 1:48 scale community doesn’t really have a lot of choice for aftermarket track replacements. Sure, most of the tracks on the Tamiya kits are fine for the most part, but for some variations or in some cases more refined detail is the order of the day.

OKB Grigorov has been serving our smaller Braille scale brothers for years and come highly recommended for their accuracy and outstanding casting.

The first sets up for review this month are the so called Winterketten tracks for Panzer III and IV family of German tanks in 1:48 scale. Six very well cast track sections, each at 10.5 cm in length and comprising 42 track shoes, are included.

The method of bending the tracks round the sprockets and idler wheels can be accomplished by either the hair dryer or hot water methods. I would have preferred a few separate links for this process but on the other hand I’ve seen outstanding results with the previous methods.

The guide horns are solid, which is correct, and the detail is simply outstanding. The second set is the type 1, 11cm track for the Panzer III and IV series of vehicles . The castings and are masterfully done. Six track sections each at 10.5 cm in length and including 42 track shoes are included and the track horns are hollow on these examples which is again completely correct.

I highly recommend these sets and our thanks go out to OKB Grigorov for providing the review samples. I will be reviewing more of these sets over the coming months so stay tuned. These updates can be purchased directly from their web site on the following web site: www.okbgrigorox.com Highly Recommended.

Luke Pitt

RED ZEBRA

1:48 SCALE MODULAR CONCRETE WALL SECTION

This is a very interesting concept. Many of the latest conflicts in the Middle East and Africa involve the erection of concrete walls in various heights.

Red Zebra has sent along some soon to be released concrete wall sections.

They measure around 11 foot high in the imperial scale. What sets them apart is that they basically don’t need to be painte, The plaster casting has been coloured to a perfect colour match of newly cast concrete. Small flecks of dark grey are apparent as are the subtle dings and scratches on the surface of the castings themselves.

Their applications are endless and they are very well done to boot.

Our thanks go out to Red Zebra for providing the review sample. They can be purchased from their web shop on the following address: https://www.redzebramodels.co.uk Highly Recommended.

Luke Pitt

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www.missing-lynx.com www.hyperscale.com p 62 Buyers Guide 145.indd 62

09/03/2018 15:35

Available in the ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series How to Build...

Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib New and revised for 2017 now including the Car Door and Bubbletop builds.

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 James Hatch, Brett, and Chris Wauchop.

Hundreds of construction photos, reference images, a museum walk around, and how to get the very best from your big Typhoon kit a must have before you build the model!

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www.doolittlemedia.comwww.doolittlemedia.comwww.doolittlemedia.com p 63 Typhoon Book 145.indd 8

09/03/2018 15:36

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 adalbertus@adalbertus.com.pl 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 smartmodelling@smart7.fsworld.co.uk

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 info@badgerairbrush.com (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 info@deluxematerials.com 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

CAMMETT

(Lifecolour, Scale Caliber)

Unit 5 Greenfield Industrial Estate, Forest Road, Hay on Wye, Powys, HR3 5FA Tel; 01497 822757 Email; cammettco@btinternet.com 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 midlandbooks@compuserve.com 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 info@creativemodels.co.uk

DARTMOOR MILITARY MODELS Haylis cottage, Budlake, Broadclyst Exeter, EX5 3LJ, England Tel; 01392 881271 www.dartmoormilitarymodels.com

www.etchmate.com www.missionmodels.com Tel; 818 842 1885 Fax; 818 842 1886 info@missionmodels.com, sales@missionmodels.com, orders@missionmodels.com

THE ARMORY; M&MODELS

9329 S. Cicero Ave, Oak Lawn, IL 60453, USA http://home.earthlink.net/~mmodels/

MODEL WHOLESALE UK LTD Tel; 01892 533036 www.modelwholesaleuk.com

ORDNANCE MODELS

Harbour Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 2LZ, Tel; 01502 517444 Fax; 01502 500521 www.hannants.co.uk sales@hannants.co.uk

HISTOREX AGENTS

Wellington House, 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent, CT17 9BZ, UK Tel; 01304 206720 Fax; 01304 204528. www.historex-agents.co.uk sales@historex-agents.co.uk

HOBBYLINK JAPAN

Sano-shi, Kurohakama-cho 162-1, Tochigi 327-0813, Japan www.hlj.com

HUSSAR PRODUCTIONS, CANADA www.airconnection.on.ca

ICM

Via Hannants in UK

(ETCHMATE, GRABHANDLER, MICRO CHISEL)

HANNANTS

BOOKWORLD WHOLESALE

CALIBRE 35

MISSION MODELS

MONROE PERDU

BLAST MODELS

Unit 10 Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Ind Est Stourport, Worcs, DY13 9QB Tel; 01299 823330 Fax; 01299 829970 info@bookworldws.co.uk

9 Rannoch St., Battlefield, Glasgow G44 4DF, Scotland Tel/Fax; 0141 633 1400 milicastmodels@hotmail.com www.milicast.com

9a Marcombe Road, Torquay, South Devon, TQ2 6LL Tel; 01803 400436 www.greatnorthroads.co.uk email svfarrugia@yahoo.co.uk

IAN ALLAN

Via AFV Modeller or www.blast-models.com

MILICAST MODEL CO.,

www.ianallanpublishing.com Mail Order Dept 01455 254450 Kiev 02099, Ukraine, Borispolskaya 9 building 64.

Tel/fax; (+38044) 369-54-12 export@icm.com.ua 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

4 High Street, Botley, Southampton, SO30 2EA Tel; 01489 781177 www.justkitsandmodels.co.uk

MDC

Model Design Construction, Victoria Place, Victoria Road, Ripley, Derbyshire DE5 3FW Fax; 01773 513344 orders@modeldesignconstruction.com www.modeldesignconstruction.com

MODELING ARTISAN MORI

http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~m.a.mori/index_eng.html

MIG PRODUCTIONS (Creative Models in UK)

C/ Santiago Rusinol 7, Pral 2a, 08750 Molins de Rei, Barcelona, Spain www.migproductions.com

Monroe Perdu Designs, 3168 Renee Court, Simi Valley, CA 93065, USA. www.monroeperdu.com Via; www.steelmodels.com

PACIFIC COAST MODELS Tel; 001 707 538 4850 info@pacmodels.com www.pacmodels.com

PANZERWRECKS

PO Box 164, Heathfield, Sussex TN21 8WA, UK www.panzerwrecks.com

PARAGRAFIX

104 County Street, Suite 101 Attleboro MA 02703 USA Tel: +1 508.431.9800 M-F 9am to 4pm EST http://www.paragrafix.biz pgms@paragrafix.biz

PLUS MODEL

(Creative Models in UK)

SCHIFFER BOOKS

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; info@bushwodbooks.co.uk

SCHUMO KITS

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No 2 Hollywood Lane, Hollywood, Birmingham, B47 5PP Tel; 0121 474 3030 www.simple2trade.com

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Owlerton Green, Sheffield, S6 2BJ Tel; +44 (0)114 234 4231 Fax; +44 (0)114 231 4966 General: info@swann-morton.com 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 enquiries@hobbyco.net www.hobbyco.net

Jizni 56, 370 10 C. Budejovice, Czech Republic. plusmodel@plusmodel.cz www.plusmodel.cz

TRUMPETER

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VERLINDEN PRODUCTIONS

(Trumpeter & AFV Club in UK)

Bachmann Europe PLC Moat Way, Barwell, Leics, LE9 8EY Tel; 01455 841756 info@pocketbond.co.uk

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

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REVELL GmbH & Co. KG Orchard Mews, 18C High Street, Tring, Herts, HP23 5AH Tel; +44 (0) 1442 890285 www.revell.eu

SB MODELS

UK distributor for Model Victoria and Royal Model

P.O. Box 114, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA13 0WY. Tel/Fax; 01229 430 749 sales@sbmodels.fsnet.co.uk www.sbmodels.net

SBLC

PO Box 794, Cheltenham GL52 3ZW, UK RICHARDSBLC@aol.com

SBX MODEL SHOP

Norwich Road, Ipswich. IP1 5DN Tel; 01473 464311 www.sbxmodelshop.co.uk

www.trumpeter-china.com Pocketbond in the UK (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 MODELS (Toms Model Works)

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ZVEZDA

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

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09/03/2018 15:58

Next Issue On sale 3 May 2018 CLASSIC CAT

John Bonanni adds loads of aftermarket to bring Tamiya’s 1:35 scale venerable Tiger I up to spec

ISSUE No.145 May 2018, Published 5th April 2018 Editor;

Brett Green

Group Editor;

Marcus Nicholls

Publisher;

Alan Harman

Graphic Design;

Alex Hall

Advertising Manager;

Sean Leslie

Office Manager;

Paula Gray

Administration Manager; Hannah McLaurie MMI Website;

Doolittle Media Web Team

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Tech Guide by Clayton Ockerby

Model Military International is published on the first Thursday of each month by; Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX UK www.modelmilitary.com Tel; +44 (0)1525 222573 Email; enquiries@doolittlemedia.com Editorial enquiries; Email; editor@modelmilitary.com Advertising enquiries; Tel; +44 (0)1525 222573 Email; sean@doolittlemedia.com

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.

MID-SCALE CHURCHILL The Editor builds Tamiya’s forthcoming 1:48 scale Churchill Crocodile; accompanied by a detailed Think Tank reference piece by Bruce Culver

LONG TRACK RADAR Michael Franz converts Trumpeter’s 1:35 AT-T into the striking P-40 Longtrack Radar

FOR YOUR SAFETY Don’t forget, when using solvents such as glues, paints, thinners and cleaning agents, always ventilate your work area thoroughly and wear a face mask.

When using power tools, side cutters or any tool that can suddenly break or create highspeed airborne particles, wear approved eye protectors with hard, clear lenses. Please always model in safety!

Advertisements are accepted for publication in Model Military International only on Doolittle Media’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); £47 UK £59 Europe £72 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.

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May 2018 - Model Military International 65

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The Last Post...

FIRING OF 50,000TH SIMULATED ROUND FROM TURRET TRAINER SIGNALS SAVINGS OF £125M T he 50,000th simulated round has been fired from an AS90 Turret Trainer signalling savings of approximately £125 million to the Ministry of Defence.

The trainer, based at Tidworth Garrison in Wiltshire, was first introduced in 2005 to train the commander, gunner and loader of an AS90 - a self-propelled 155mm Howitzer gun.

It is designed to allow gun crews to practice their routine firing drills, turret operating procedures and crew duties without the expense of live firing and offers the immersion and realism of firing, with a reduced safety risk and a highly reduced cost.

Based on a real AS90 turret, the trainer uses an electro-mechanical system to fully replicate a complete firing cycle. This includes the weight and size of the artillery rounds and the noise and turret movement on firing.

Since the trainer was introduced more than 8,500 soldiers have used the equipment. This experience enhances their safety for when they progress to live firing and allows them to focus on more

advanced training scenarios.

Defence Minister Guto Bebb said: “This equipment provides high quality training for the British Army that’s also cost efficient. As live firing events are extremely expensive and can be logistically challenging, using the AS90 turret trainer is a great alternative. It also offers immersive training that prepares users for live firing both in practice and on the battlefield.”

The 50,000th simulated round was fired by Lieutenant General Paul Jaques, Chief of Materiel (Land) at Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), the MOD’s procurement agency based at MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol.

Lt Gen Jaques said: “This firing marks another milestone demonstrating Defence’s innovative and cost-saving approach to deliver effective and worthwhile training for our personnel. I’m exceedingly proud of the team’s work and the benefits gained by the soldiers that get to use the training equipment.”

The milestone, on February 14, represented savings of approximately £125 million over a 12-year period on the basis that live rounds cost £2,500 per use. ■

The AS90 Turret Trainer.

Lieutenant General Paul Jaques, Chief of Materiel (Land) fires the 50,000th simulated round. The 50,000th simulated round has been fired from an AS90 Turret Trainer signalling savings of approximately £125 million to the Ministry of Defence.

Seen here Lieutenant General Paul Jaques, Chief of Materiel (Land) with the members of 1 Royal Household Artillery left to right Lance Bombardier Zara Perkins, Lance Bombardier Jordan Precious, Lt General Paul Jaques, Sgt Jon Carter, Bombardier Jake Jepson and Gunner Charlie Shore all from A-Battery The Chestnut Troop based at Tidworth.

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Text: Copyright UK Ministry of Defence Photos: Andrew Linnett, DE&S Photography. MOD Crown Copyright 2018

09/03/2018 16:04

• M727 MIM-23 Tracked Guided Missile Carrier accurately rendered in 1/35 scale

1:35 MODERN AFV SERIES

D3583 Sign Up to our Newsletter on www.hobbyco.net Find us on facebook search Plastic Kit UK

p 67 Dragon 145.indd 1

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

09/03/2018 15:37