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Issue 141 January 2018 www.modelmilitary.com

A NEW KING IN TOWN Meng’s 1:35 King Tiger

AIRFIELD MULE Tamiya’s brand new 1:48 SS-100 Heavy Tractor

Painting Bronco’s 1:35 A10 Cruiser Tank

DESERT CRUISER

INSIDE: p 01 Cover MMI 141B.indd 1

A10 Close-Up Think Tank ■ Dragon 1:35 Patriot ■ Tamiya 1:35 AMD35 ■ DSPIAE Cutters ■ Armourfest Show Report ■ and more...

January 2018 / £4.75 / Issue 141

17/11/2017 14:32

Contents - Issue 141 January 2018 REGULARS p 4 NEWS

48

What’s new in the world of military modelling

p 58 INCOMING

New accessories, tools and decals in 1:35 scale

p 60 1:48 SCALE

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

p 66 LAST POST

Embarking Bravo Company

FEATURES p 6 THINK TANK

A10 Cruiser Tank Close-Up by Brett Green

p 12 PREVIEW

Dragon 1:35 Patriot

p 14 DESERT CRUISER Pt.2

36

Painting Bronco’s 1:35 scale A10 Cruiser Tank by Brett Green.

p 22 PREVIEW

Tamiya 1:35 AMD35

p 24 A NEW KING IN TOWN

Meng 1:35 King Tiger by John Bonanni

p 34 PREVIEW

DSPIAE Cutter Tool

14

p 36 AIRFIELD MULE

Tamiya’s new 1:48 SS-100 Heavy Tractor by Brett Green

p 42 PREVIEW

Dragon 1:35 Befehlspanzer Ausf.G

p 44 TECH GUIDE

Rust by Clayton Ockerby

p 48 NEW KIT ON THE BLOCK

Meng Model 1:35 scale AMX-30B

by Tomasz Janiszewski

p 56 SHOW REPORT

Armourfest 2017 by Royce Wilson

©Doolittle Media Ltd 2018 Tel: (UK) 01525 222573 Fax: (UK) 01525 222574 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 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.

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Newsline - January 2018

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

SPARMAX SILVER BULLET MAC The Silver Bullet MAC is a new version of the moisture trap, like the Silver Bullet ‘Plus’ but with a MAC (micro air valve) instead of an adjustable air bleed valve. The MAC valve restricts airflow to the airbrush, instead of bleeding air to reduce the airflow.

This NEW Silver Bullet MAC is for use with: • Automatic compressors that have a pressure-activated on/off switch. This is because the MAC version keeps the functionality of the auto-switch turning on and off at pressure, whereas bleeding air causes an auto-switch to stay on all the time.

• Manual compressors that already have a builtin bleed adjuster or safety bleed. Most manual compressors do have a safety bleed for the times when the airbrush is idle and not letting through air, but the compressor is still running. A MAC valve is ok for compressors with the safety feature.

The Silver Bullet Plus is for use with: • A manual compressor that does not have its own air bleed.

All three versions provide cleaner, drier air. The addition of the air valve offers: • Compact. The Silver Bullet Plus or MAC is more compact than a separate end-of-line moisture filter and separate bleed or MAC valve.

• Convenient. Even if your compressor has a regulator or adjuster on it, it is more convenient to tweak the pressure at the business end of your hose, near your airbrush and near your hands, while you are working away.

• Fine tuning. The small knob gives finer control of air pressure than the cruder adjustments on a larger compressor knob.

• Adding control. If the compressor has no air regulator or air adjuster, then this product adds that control of air pressure.

Available now from The Airbrush Company www.airbrushes.com

Bronco 1:35 scale M1224 MaxxPro MRAP Bronco has announced that their long-anticipated MAXXPRO MRAP should be available before the end of the year.

We’ll bring you a full review of this kit upon release.

Thanks to Bronco for the information and image www.cn-bronco.com/en/index.php

BOLTON IPMS SCALE MODEL SHOW 2018 The Bolton IPMS Scale Model Show 2018 will be held at a brand new - The Premier Suite at the Macron Stadium (Home of Bolton Wanderers FC) De Havilland Way, Bolton BL6 6SF. The show will be held on Sunday the 28th of January 2018 and will run from 10:00 until 16:00.

The show theme for 2018 is 'Print, Film and TV'. From Airwolf to Zombies and pretty much everything in between!

Prizes will be awarded for best Club/SIG display, best themed model and a Best in Show, which can be from any Club/SIG display or the theme table.

Prices are: Adults £4, OAP £3, Children (Under 16) £2, Families (2 adults and 2 children) £10.

There is free parking on site and hot and cold refreshments will be available to purchase on the day.

BLAST MODELS 1:35 AML 60 & 90 NEW RELEASES Blast Models has announced the release of six new accessory sets and crew figures in 1:35 scale for Takom's new AML 60 and 90 kits, available now from Blast Models' website: • BL35304K AML 60 & 90 4 DIFFERENT SAGGED WHEELS + 1 SPARE • BL35305K AML 60 UPDATE SET TAKOM • BL35306K AML 60 & 90 ENGINE W/ DOORS - TAKOM / LIMITED EDITION • BL35307K AML 90 UPDATE SET TAKOM • BL35308K AML 60 & 90 CHASSIS DOORS - TAKOM • BL35309F AML 60 & 90 CREW "LEGION" - TAKOM • BL35310F AML 60 & 90 CREW EARLY TAKOM • BL35311F AML 60 & 90 CREW LATE TAKOM All are available now from Blast Models http://www.blast-models.com

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17/11/2017 14:36

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Think Tank - A10 Cruiser Tank Close-Up

T

An A10 Cruiser Mk.II has thrown a track in Greece – a common cause of loss.

A10 CRUISER TANK CLOSE-UP *Historical text adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruiser_Mk_II

The Editor takes a walk around the A10 Cruiser tank on display at The Bovington Tank Museum

he A10 was developed by Sir John Carden of Vickers in 1934 by modifying his A9 design. The A10 specification called for armour of up to 1 inch standard.

The two sub-turrets present on the A9 were removed and extra armour bolted onto that already present on the front and sides of the hull, along with all faces of the turret, providing approximately twice the armour in most areas.

The A10 was two tonnes heavier than the A9, but used the same 150 bhp engine.

Consequently, the tank’s top speed was cut from 25 miles per hour to 16 miles per hour.

The turret armament consisted of a QF 2-pounder gun and a coaxial .303 Vickers machine gun. For the production version, there was a 7.92 mm BESA machine gun mounted in the hull in a barbette to the right of the driver. This was added to give extra firepower, but at the expense of simplicity - the Vickers and the BESA using different ammunition. The tank had a crew of five - Commander, gunner, loader, driver and hull machine gunner.

There was no separation between the driver's compartment and the fighting compartments.

The prototype, "Tank, Experimental A10E1", was completed in 1936, a few months after the A9 prototype. Carden had died in an air crash in 1935 and development was slower than expected. In 1937, the A10 was dropped as an infantry support tank, but in 1938 it was decided to produce it as a heavy cruiser.

The A10 was accepted for service initially as "Tank, Cruiser, Heavy Mk I" and then "Tank, Cruiser A10 Mk I" and finally "Tank, Cruiser Mk II".

Production was ordered in July 1938.

Total production was 175 vehicles, including the 30 CS versions; 45 were built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, 45 by Metropolitan-Cammell, 10

by Vickers. In late 1939, another order was placed with Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, this time for a larger order of 75 vehicles. Entering service in December 1939 the tank was something of an oddity, it had been intended to sacrifice speed for armour like an Infantry tank but was still relatively poorly armoured and not effective.

IN ACTION

Despite its reportedly poor cross-country attributes, crews appreciated the A10’s reliability and suspension performance.

A number of Mark IIs were part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France in the early stages of the Second World War. Their cross-country performance was recorded as poor, but they were still used later in North Africa at the defence of Tobruk in 1941, where reliability and suspension performance in desert conditions was praised.

Sixty worn out examples were taken to Greece by the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and, although they performed well against the German tanks, more than 90% were lost due to mechanical breakdowns as opposed to enemy action, mainly lost tracks. ■

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An a

An abandoned A10 Cruiser with 2 Pdr armament.

A burnt out A10 Cruiser Mk.II by the side of a Greek road.

The Tank Museum at Bovington has a Close Support A10 Cruiser tank on display.

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Think Tank - A10 Cruiser Tank Close-Up

The m exhau

The short, wide 3.7� (94 mm) howitzer is The hull mounted very obviously different to the standard 2 pdr. BESA machine gun.

Detail view of the driver’s visor and Pyrene fire extinguisher on the interesting style of bolt heads. the front left track guard.

The stowage boxes on the hull side.

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The muffler and exhaust pipe.

One of the two blacked-out headlights.

Note the texture of the applique armour plate.

A good view of the track pads and front hull details.

Right side towing eye and final drive detail.

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Think Tank - A10 Cruiser Tank Close-Up Right side mudguard.

Close up detail of tool clasps.

Engine vents on the A close-up view of the side of the upper hull. small road wheels.

A general view of the rear threewheel bogie arrangement.

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One of the Detail view of a return rollers. suspension unit.

Drive sprocket.

Track pad detail.

Idler wheel.

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KIT PREVIEW

Dragon MIM-104F Patriot SAM System PAC-3 M901 Launching Station • Kit No. 3563

Graham Tetley examines Dragon’s 1:35 scale Black Label trailer mounted M901 surface to air missile launcher station.

Lovely tread detail but shame about the mould seam.

These are the solid walkways.

PATRIOT LAUNCHING STATION

D

ragon’s ‘Black Label’ series has been met with quite a lukewarm reception so I was filled with trepidation when The Editor offered me this to review.

This new Black Label kit represents the trailer mounted M901 surface to air missile launcher station and includes the launch trailer and associated equipment mounted on the trailer.

Also including are the launcher assembly and the missiles in their containers with options to show them launching. Very misleading (in my view) is that the box does not include the radar trailer shown on the box art.

In the box you will find just under 500 plastic parts, four DS tyres and some wire for the handrails. There is no photoetch in the kit, which is a real disappointment, as you will find out. Eduard has a set (ref. 36347) that addresses these omissions if you so wish though.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PATRIOT Patriot is an acronym that stands for ‘Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target’. It first came to popular attention during

Sprue breakdown.

the First Persian Gulf War with it’s employment to counter Iraqi SCUD missiles.

There have been several upgrades to the system over the years and this kit represents the MM-104F PAC 3 version. This current system uses 4 missiles per canister, which means a total of 16 missiles per launcher.

It is expected that continuing upgrades will see the Patriot remain in service for the next 20 to 25 years or longer.

BOX CONTENTS The model comes in a very big box and contains 15 sprues worth of parts although many of these are duplicates. Moulding quality is very good throughout and there is no flash or any other moulding imperfections at all. Detail ranges from very good to very simplified so here are my highs & lows: a) The first thing that struck me is that the many walkways present on this kit have been moulded solid. Dragon has done a very good job of representing the tread plate detail but it should all be hollow. This is where the Eduard etched set would pay dividends. b) There is no plumbing provided or even any diagrams showing you how to add all of the various cabling that abounds on the real thing. The box art shows you some, but a Google search will reveal many pictures showing how and where this is plumbed up. c) Dragon provides us with some braided metal wire for the walkway handrails but this wire is very inflexible. It is supposed to go through the provided plastic supports but will easily break these. I recommend replacing it with more flexible wire or kite string. d) There is some very fine detailing on the sides of the tyre walls. e) The way that the trailer legs have been moulded is very commendable. You can position them extended or stowed and a bit of drilling & pinning would see

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them fully workable. f) I really like the fine printing that Cartograf have managed to reproduce on the decals. You will be amazed at what is readable when you zoom in.

We start with the main chassis rails, which are straight & true, and once constructed you add all of the walkways, wheel fenders and other bits. The tyres are in DS Plastic and have some lovely detail on them but a hefty mould seam to remove around the middle of the tyre. The launcher and it’s various control boxes are easy to put together and a lot of the construction will be taken up by the 16 missile boxes. You can display a missile flying out of one of the boxes if you wish.

The instructions come on 15 steps although some have many sub-assemblies. For a Dragon kit the instructions are quite clear and (so far) blooper-free. There are only two marking options provided, one for a US unit in Iraq, 2003, and the other for a Japanese Army unit.

CONCLUSION This is a simple and straightforward kit that anyone with a little building experience could tackle and for that Dragon have to be congratulated. Detail purists will bemoan the lack of etch or anything to replicate the plumbing and whilst it isn’t a dealbreaker for me it is something that Dragon could have easily provided in the package. We now know that Dragon are releasing this with the HEMMT Tractor unit and that is a kit that I would like to see! I would say that this deserves an 8/10 from me. ■

Cleanly moulded launcher base parts.

Close-up of the wheel hubs.

One of the four missiles.

Peek-a Boo!

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

Kit decals… ...and the teeny tiny writing!

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Bronco 1:35 scale British Cruiser Tank A10 Mk.I / IA / IA CS • Kit No. CB35150

DESERT CRUISER PART TWO – PAINTING, WEATHERING AND CREW FIGURES

Bronco’s brand new A10 Cruiser Tank is first to market as an injection moulded kit. In this concluding instalment, Brett Green paints the model in the elusive desert Caunter Scheme.

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I

n Issue 139, I described the assembly of Bronco’s new 1:35 scale A10 Cruiser tank.

In this concluding instalment, I paint the model in the confounding Caunter Scheme.

CAUNTER CRUISER The Caunter Scheme was a disruptive camouflage pattern used in the Western Desert during 1940 and 1941. It was named after its reputed inventor, Colonel Caunter of the 4th Armoured Brigade. This scheme has always been popular with modellers thanks to its varied shades. Traditionally, the Caunter Scheme has been depicted by modellers as a Sand base colour with a hard-edged geometric disruptive pattern of Light Blue and Dark Green or Dark Blue.

As noted in Part One of this short series, British military colours expert Mike Starmer offered some comments about the colours and markings suggested by the kit instructions: “Basically the only scheme properly advised is the captured tank. All the others are inaccurate.

The BEF example does not show the actual method that the disruptive banding was applied, and certainly not in Black. Also, Khaki Green 3 is not green but actually a brown shade like a deep Olive Drab.

The side view in three stripes of Caunter is fine but without the other four 4 views of the pattern it becomes almost useless for the modeller.

The scheme of multi-coloured angular patches is pure fantasy whilst that for 3 and 5 RTRs in two colours is not quite accurate and lacks one of the disruptive stripes, again useless without the four views or photographs.

Furthermore, Brown / Light Purple Brown 49 were not used in the Caunter patterning.”

Back in 2009, Chris Wauchop painted Tamiya’s then-new Matilda in the Caunter scheme. Armed at the time with Mike's authoritative guide “The Caunter Scheme”, first published in 2004 and amended in March 2009, Chris and I set about determining some up-todate Caunter colours. White Ensign Models produced a set of accurate enamel Caunter model paints, but Chris and I generally work in acrylics so we decided to find a mix to match the colour chips in Mike Starmer’s book. Here is what Chris came up with: • BSC No.64 Portland Stone: 40% Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan + 50% XF-2 Flat White + 10% XF-60 Dark Yellow • BSC No.28 Silver Grey: 50% Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan + 50% Gunze-Sangyo H312 Green FS 34227 • BSC No.34 Slate: Tamiya XF-65 Field Grey I decided to resurrect this Caunter colour formula for this project.

Mike Starmer also kindly supplied a colour diagram of the Caunter pattern as applied to the A10 Cruiser Tank, but he also pointed out that the official pattern wasn't slavishly followed as shown on the upper surfaces, but colour lines were continuous from rear point to front. A

The assembled model ready for paint.

Mike Starmer supplied a colour diagram of the Caunter pattern as applied to the A10 Cruiser Tank, but he also pointed out that the official pattern wasn't slavishly followed.

The entire model received a coat of Tamiya Grey Primer straight from the spray can.

The colours were mixed from Tamiya acrylics to match Mike’s colour chips in his authoritative guide “The Caunter Scheme”, first published in 2004 and amended in March 2009.

The base coat of BSC No.64 Portland Stone. This is a mix of 40% Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan + 50% XF-2 Flat White + 10% XF-60 Dark Yellow.

Masking of the turret started with Tamiya’s flexible white tape…

…followed by Tamiya yellow “kabuki” tape to fill in the larger spaces.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Bronco 1:35 scale British Cruiser Tank A10 Mk.I / IA / IA CS • Kit No. CB35150

The same process was used to mask the hull. It doesn’t look too complicated here but the masking required quite a bit of planning and forethought.

The second colour was now applied - BSC No.28 Silver Grey.

This was a mix of 50% Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan + 50% GunzeSangyo H312 Green FS 34227.

B PAINTING THE CAUNTER SCHEME The base colour of Portland Stone was sprayed first then the hard-edged demarcation was masked with various widths of Tamiya tape, starting with the flexible white type and ending up with the yellow Kabuki tape. I thought that overspray would be inevitable around the layered armoured air inlet louvres, but the result was surprisingly clean.

Masking was by far the most onerous and time consuming part of the paint job. At times it felt like I was working on a 3D M.C. Escher model.

When the masking tape was removed to reveal the final result, the turret and hull were brought together. I was not happy with the continuity of the pattern where the sides of the hull met the turret, so I re-masked these areas and resprayed. I was more satisfied with the modified result.

The tyres of the road wheels, the tracks and the metal parts of the tools were painted using a 50/50 mix of Vallejo acrylic 50% 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) and 50% 70995 German Grey. This was applied with a medium-sized brush.

The delicate flat finish was sealed with several thin coats of Future floor polish. This serves the dual purpose of protecting the chalky Tamiya acrylic paint from scrapes and scuffs, and being a helpful base for further weathering and decals.

Decals were applied over this glossy coat of Future Floor Polish, then a brush coat of Micro Sol was added. The surrounding film disappeared under the potent decal solution.

The colours looked a bit light and bright at this stage, but further weathering would tone and blend the scheme.

A thin wash was mixed comprising Winsor & Newton Raw heavily thinned with Mineral Turpentine. This diluted mixture was applied to the entire vehicle with a soft brush. Excess wash was easily cleaned up when dry with a selective application of thinners.

With the decals and the base wash in place, the model received a thin topcoat of Alclad II Flat Clear lacquer.

In addition to airbrushed stains and streaks with a 50/50 mix of thinned Tamiya Flat Black and Red Brown, I also added chipping with a “scale black” mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown, and a Dark Brown Prismacolor pencil.

The tracks were coated with a watered-down mix of Maru Easy Mud No. 21103 – North Africa (Desert). When dry, this created the impression of sand in the recessed areas of the track pads and treads. A

The next layer of masking was applied over the top of the previous tape and the Silver Grey coat.

The final colour to be applied was BSC No.34 Slate. This was represented by Tamiya XF-65 Field Grey.

The hull with the second Silver Grey coat and final camouflage masking applied.

Slate coat sprayed.

The reveal! I was generally pleased with the overall effect but I was not happy with the broken lines where the side of the hull met the turret. I wanted this to look more of a continuous – even if crooked – line.

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I did a bit of remasking and respraying for this revised result.

The same problem was apparent on the other side too.

After more masking and spraying.

Note the source of the hard-edged pattern near the back of the hull, and how the lines spread out from there.

I thought that I should do the right thing and apply the pattern over the perforated muffler heat shield. The Slate base colour was masked and oversprayed with Silver Grey.

The extra five minutes work was well worthwhile!

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Bronco 1:35 scale British Cruiser Tank A10 Mk.I / IA / IA CS • Kit No. CB35150

The tyres of the road wheels, the tracks and the metal parts of the tools were painted using a 50/50 mix of Vallejo acrylic 50% 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) and 50% 70995 German Grey. This was applied with a medium-sized brush.

The kit decal sheet.

Decals were applied over a gloss coat of Future Floor Polish.

A thin wash was mixed comprising Winsor & Newton Raw heavily thinned with Mineral Turpentine.

B

This diluted mixture was applied to the entire vehicle with a soft brush. When applied to the running gear, I tipped the model on its side so the wash would lie evenly in the recesses of the road wheels.

Excess wash was easily removed or reworked with a clean brush dipped in Mineral Turpentine.

The wash darkens the overall finish and highlights structural features such as bolt heads and screws.

With the decals and the base wash in place, the model received a thin topcoat of Alclad II Flat Clear lacquer.

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Chipping was added with a “scale black” mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black Three shades of MIG Productions rust Pigments were used on the and XF-64 Red Brown, and a Dark Brown Prismacolor pencil. exhaust pipes.

The tracks were coated with a watered-down mix of Maru Easy Mud No. 21103 – North Africa (Desert).

The hull and turret were also airbrushed with streaks comprising a 50/50 mix of thinned Tamiya Flat Black and Red Brown.

B FIGURES I reused two Alpine Miniatures’ figures that I had employed previously on my Inside the Armour A10 project in 2013. These were supplied in Alpine’s Item No. 35080, British Armoured Crew Set. Two figures and a puppy are included, but I set the small dog aside for another time.

As usual with Alpine’s figures, sculpting and casting is first rate. After a few minutes’ clean up, the resin arms were attached to the figures and small holes were drilled into the bottom of the neck and bodies to allow a toothpick to be fitted. This makes handling much easier during

the painting stage.

The figures were primed with Tamiya primers straight from the spray can. The heads were primed white, while the bodies received a coat of grey primer.

The flesh areas were sprayed with a mix of Tamiya acrylic colours, and the uniforms were painted with Vallejo acrylics exclusively by brush.

The faces and hands received a glaze of heavily thinned Winsor & Newton Burt Sienna oil paint, which settled in the crevices and shadow areas when dry.

The uniforms were treated to a brushed coat of Sin Industries’ Filter, P245 Brown for Dark Green.

The intention of the Caunter Scheme may perhaps be best appreciated from this high angle.

A

Wooden tool handles were picked out in Vallejo acrylics and “varnished” using Tamiya X-26 Clear Orange.

A sooty exhaust residue was airbrushed using a mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Bronco 1:35 scale British Cruiser Tank A10 Mk.I / IA / IA CS • Kit No. CB35150

Alpine Miniatures’ 1:35 scale British Armoured Crew Set, Item No. 35080.

The figures were primed with Tamiya primers straight from the spray can.

The heads were primed white, while the bodies received a coat of grey primer.

The flesh areas were sprayed with a mix of Tamiya acrylic colours.

The uniforms were painted with Vallejo acrylics exclusively by brush.

B Once these washes were dry, large areas

were dry brushed and details were picked out with a fine brush.

The following paints and mixes were used for the figures.

• Primer: Tamiya Spray White Primer for the heads; Grey Primer for the bodies.

• Flesh Areas: Basic Flesh Tone: Tamiya Acrylic XF-15 Flat Flesh (applied by airbrush) Glaze over flesh areas: heavily thinned Winsor & Newton Burt Sienna oil paint.

Heavy facial details (mouth, eyes, nostrils): thinned Vallejo Model Colour 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) Subtle facial details (wrinkles, recessed etc.): thinned 70874 USA Tan-Earth Blonde hair: 70837 Pale Sand with 70874 USA Tan-Earth shading.

Brown Hair: 70874 USA Tan-Earth with mixed 70847 Dark Sand highlights.

• Uniform Colours (all Vallejo Model Colour Acrylics, and all applied by brush): Shorts and side cap: 50% 847 Dark Sand plus 50% 70988 Khaki. More 847 Dark Sand applied for dry-brushing and picking out highlights.

Pullover, tunic and socks: 70921 English Uniform. Add 70988 Khaki for dry-brushing and picking out highlights.

Beret and boots: 50% 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) plus 50% 70995 German Grey.

Wash over uniform areas: Sin Industries’ Filter, P245 Brown for Dark Green Buttons and RTR badge: 70865 Oily Steel (applied after dry-brushing, wash and final flat coat).

The uniforms were treated to a brushed coat of Sin Industries’ Filter, P245 Brown for Dark Green.

Figures lend a sense of proportion and context to any vehicle.

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CONCLUSION I had really been looking forward to this kit and it does not disappoint.

Bronco’s 1:35 scale A10 Cruiser Tank may be built as one of four different versions straight from the box, and it offers a wide range of interesting and varied camouflage.

Surface textures look great and exterior detail is very good; and with a total of 222 dark yellow plastic parts, it is a relatively easy build too.

The suspension is a bit wobbly but does not present any insurmountable hurdles to a moderately experienced modeller.

It’s great to have this very buildable model of an important early British WWII tank.

Highly Recommended. ■

The machine gun barrels were painted with Tamiya’s enamel X-10 Gunmetal.

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

Modelspec Bronco 1:35 scale British Cruiser Tank A10 Mk.I / IA / IA CS Kit No. CB35150 Accessories Used: Alpine Miniatures’ 1:35 scale British Armoured Crew Set (35080) Materials Used: • Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement • Revell Contacta Glue • Selleys Super Glue Paints Used for Vehicle: Tamiya Grey Primer (Spray Can) Tamiya Acrylics: X-26 Clear Orange; XF-1 Flat Black, XF-2 Flat White, XF-55 Deck Tan, XF-60 Dark Yellow, XF-64 Red Brown, XF-65 Field Grey Tamiya Enamels: X-10 Gunmetal Winsor & Newton Oil Paints – Raw Umber; Lamp Black Maru Easy Mud No. 21103 – North Africa (Desert) Alclad II Flat Clear Lacquer

It is interesting to compare the new all-plastic Bronco A10 Cruiser Tank with the resin Inside the Armour kit that I built in 2013.

Paints Used for Figures: Tamiya Grey and White Primers (Spray Can) Tamiya Acrylics: XF-15 Flat Flesh Vallejo Acrylics: 337 Highlight Ger. (Black); 70815 Basic Skin Tone; 70837 Pale Sand; 70847 Dark Sand; 70865 Oily Steel; 70874 USA Tan Earth; 70921 English Uniform; 70955 Flat Flesh; 70957 Flat Red; 70988 Khaki; 70995 German Grey.

Alclad II Flat Clear Lacquer ✓ High level of detail; accurate; straightforward engineering. ✗ Wobbly suspension

The raised surface details are nicely highlighted by the weathering.

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

Rating

It is great to have this very buildable model of an important early British WWII tank.

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KIT PREVIEW

Tamiya 1:35 French Armoured Car AMD35 1940 • Kit No. 32411

Each side is made up from a single part.

Rivet and structural detail is impressive.

VOITURE BLINDÉE

Engine vent detail is moulded onto the rear deck.

The Editor explores Tamiya’s latest reboxing of an ICM kit with bonus Tamiya parts – the 1:35 scale AMD35 French Armoured Car.

T

he Panhard 178 (officially designated Automitrailleuse de Découverte Panhard modèle 1935, 178 being the internal project number at Panhard) or “Pan-Pan” was an advanced French reconnaissance 4x4 armoured car that was designed for the French Cavalry before World War II. It had a crew of four and was equipped with an effective 25 mm main armament and a 7.5 mm coaxial machine gun.

A number of these vehicles were taken over by the Germans in 1940 after the Fall of France and employed as the Panzerspähwagen P204 (f).

Production continued for the benefit of Germany for some months after the armistice of June.

After the war a derived version, the Panhard 178B, was again taken into production by France.* Tamiya’s latest mix-and-match re-boxing is their 1:35 scale French Armoured Car AMD35 1940.

ICM originally released this Panhard 178 AMD-35 in 2015. The armoured car itself comprises 153 cleanly moulded in a dark tan coloured plastic parts and four vinyl tyres.

The vehicle features full engine and fighting compartment detail.

Hatches and doors are separate so you may show off all that nice interior detail if you choose.

Surface textures are really well done, including crisply raised domed rivets in different sizes, pressed metal effect, grilles and non-slip flooring.

The four tyres are soft vinyl with a clean tread pattern and no centreline seam, so they are certainly useable. They are much better than the vinyl tyres included with the reboxed ICM ANH truck I’m not the biggest fan of vinyl tyres but these ones are pretty good, although there is a slight, ragged seam on the sidewall.

that I reviewed recently, although there is a slight, ragged seam on the sidewall.

Next in the package is a small sprue offering a partial French WWII Commander figure for the turret hatch, plus rolled packs, fuel drums, ammo boxes and a spare helmet. These are made up from 21 parts in green plastic, dated 2007.

Markings are supplied for three vehicles – two French and one German. All three vehicles are finished in overall Olive Green.

Decals are in register and well printed.

This is another worthy Tamiya reboxing of a very good recent ICM kit plus a garnish of useful Tamiya parts, including a Commander figure. ■

The upper turret shell.

Wheel hubs.

A Tamiya French Commander half-figure is included…

Kit decals cover three vehicles.

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 …along with stowage and fuel containers.

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* Historical information courtesy of Wikipedia.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng 1:35 King Tiger • Kit No. MNGTS031

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John Bonanni builds Meng’s 1:35 scale King Tiger – one of a number of new Tiger IIs now on the market.

A

s the war was coming to an end, the German elite heavy tank unit, 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion (s.Pz.Abt. 503), found itself trying to stave off disaster.

The unit experienced combat on both Eastern and Western Fronts and it turned to defensive actions

by March 1945. After retreating from Hungary the unit was down to only a handful of King Tigers and desperately made their way West in hopes of surrendering to US forces. On 10 May 1945 the unit’s last two King Tigers passed through the small village of Brloh, Czechoslovakia, modern day Czech Republic, only to break down and be abandoned. A

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng 1:35 King Tiger • Kit No. MNGTS031

Basic hull assembly was straightforward with only minor adjustments needed. The mantlet cast textured was recreated by stippling Tamiya putty.

Plastic sheet was used to cap the back of the mounting holes for the interior structure.

B BEAUTY IN RED Upon opening Meng’s box, you are greeted by 10 red sprues that are very close to the colour of red oxide primer used by the Germans.

Additionally, there is a grey sprue containing two crew figures, clear sprue for the periscopes, aluminium barrel, and photoetched fret.

Work began on the hull by attaching the internal bracing structure. I did not sand the bottom of the torsion bar alignment supports which would come back to haunt me. When I installed the torsion bars they presented an awkward downwardcant. There was no way to fix this issue once the interior braces were attached. To solve this problem be sure to sand and test fit the interior bracing with the torsion bars prior to attachment. Next, locating holes for the optional interior kit were blocked off and filled. After attaching the rear plate the upper hull was tacked on using super glue and reinforced with liquid cement. The hull roof is l;moulded separately leaving a perfect chance to display the interior if you choose to buy the optional interior set. Another area where I ran into an issue was attaching the turret roof. The fit was very tight and the rear right side needed a few swipes with a sanding stick for it to fit properly.

The vehicle I was modelling was photographed extensively shortly after the war and by that time it had been stripped of nearly all external features. Locals probably obtained the valuable tools rather than the crew misplacing them.

Despite this notion I still wanted to model a bare vehicle, mainly because I had the beautiful 3D printed tool clasps from Shapeways. These one piece clasps are exceptionally well printed and a great value. I simply popped

This holes need to be filled if you wish to display the model with the side skirts off. Perfect Putty, a water based filler, was a quick fix for the holes.

Enhanced cast texture was added to the cupola and the lifting loops, grad handles, and sight were replaced with copper wire.

The rolled steel texture and weld joints are perfectly captured on the models surface. Too bad the turret will be covered with tracks!

The kit provided photo-etched screens dropped into place and were secured with a drop of super glue.

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them off of the printing plug and used a drop of super glue to fix them to the hull. I will mention the kit supplied tools have very well detailed clasps attached to them.

In addition to aftermarket tool clasps I scratch built minor details and added photo etch pieces from the spares box.

Cables are provided in the kit, but again I wanted to model a more unique vehicle. The kit cables were added to the spares box and were replaced with braided copper wire and ship rigging. Lifting points, hatch grab handles, and commander’s sight were replaced with various diameters of copper wire.

To add more character to the build I replaced the large tow cables with braided Initially I didn’t think to alter the side skirt attachment points, but after copper wire and the smaller cable with braided fabric. priming the model I removed the bottom bevelled edge and corrected the holes.

TRICOLOUR FUN Painting began with a black primer coat to find any last flaws before adding the camouflage scheme.

Next, AMMO 010 Dunkelgelb Mid War was slowly built up to create the base coat. AMMO acrylics are very temperamental paints when airbrushing, but I have found Mr. Color Leveling Thinner to be the perfect solution. By mixing AMMO acrylics with the Leveling Thinner a smooth and satin finish is created. After base coating the vehicle in Dunkelgelb Mid War I thought the colour was a little dark and needed to be tanner to reflect a late war vehicle. A few drops of 017 Cremeweiss added to the base colour remedied the situation.

AMMO acrylics 015 Schokobraun and 004 Resedagrun were used for the camouflage colours. Lastly, a heavily thinned mix of the base colour was airbrushed over the entire model to blend the entire finish.

Vehicles from s.Pz.Abt. 503 had unique extra track features on some of their King Tigers. I choose to model a vehicle which had its turret covered in spare tracks.

The rear plate needed retextured after I filled the areas where the mud flaps were. The deflection problem with the torsion bars can be seen as well.

A coat of black primer showed any building flaws and provided a uniform finish prior to painting.

TRYING SOMETHING NEW After the paint had fully cured for a period of 48 hours I began the weathering stages. First, a Vandyke Brown oil paint filter was applied to the entire vehicle.

Next, AMMO’s 1000 Wash for German Dark Yellow picked out the details and enhanced the models shadows. Excess wash was cleaned up with a brush dampened with mineral spirits 20 minutes after application. Chipped paint was applied over two sessions with the first to replicate bare steel using 033 Rubber and Tires mixed with a few drops of 044 Chipping colour. Next, a mix of lightened base colour was applied around the deeper chips to add dimension.

Nearly all of the chips were created using an artist’s sponge with only limited areas corrected with a brush. I prefer to use a sponge, it’s quick and random.

I always enjoy adding a dot A

I used AMMO acrylics for this model which need to be built up in multiple light coats.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng 1:35 King Tiger • Kit No. MNGTS031

Dunkelgeld Mid War straight from the bottle was too dark for my liking so I airbrushed a highlight coat that had a several drops of Cremeweiss.

The basecoat began with a uniform coat of Dunkelgelb Mid War, I have found Mr. Leveling Thinner to perform the best with the AMMO acrylics.

The first camouflage colour added was Resedagrun, I absolutely love the colour straight from the bottle.

Schokobraun with a few drops of Cremeweiss finished off the intricate camouflage scheme.

B filter, which I find blends the

colours together and adds an interesting fading effect. Typically, I use traditional oil paints by Winsor and Newton or 502 Abteilung. However, this time I choose to go with AMMO’s new Oilbrusher product. Contained

in a makeup brush bottle AMMO promotes the Oilbrusher’s design that has a clear tube, anti-leak system, and fine brush applicator.

These features add some convenience when modelling. For instance, I only needed to dirty one brush as opposed to two.

Details were picked out with various acrylic colours, I prefer Rubber and Tires for base coating metal objects.

Additionally, they are a cheap alternative to traditional oils and have colours specifically designed for modelling. The application was straightforward, place dots on the models surface and then blend using a dampened brush.

I found the Oilbrusher’s to have

the consistency of thick paint, not like an oil paint. I didn’t find it as a downside and the colours blended just as well as the traditional medium. Oilbrusher’s were used to create dust tones as well and when completely dry the finish is dead flat. A

I opened up my decal spares box for the rear turret markings, which were from a Dragon Tiger I kit.

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To blend the colours a Vandyke Brown oil paint filter was applied over the entire surface.

A pin wash using AMMO’s Wash for German Dark Yellow picked out the recesses and deepened the shadows around raised details.

Two layers of chipped paint, dark brown and lightened yellow, was selectively applied to details. Period photographs show the vehicle nearly in factory fresh condition.

After base coating the spare tracks in black multiple rust layers using Life Color acrylics were added.

The new Oilbrushers from AMMO enhanced fading and streaking, I would highly recommend this new product.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng 1:35 King Tiger • Kit No. MNGTS031

Burnishing Friul tracks are a quick way to add colour.

However, I always seem to have areas where the burnishing solution does not reach the tracks because of surface tension and I always end up painting them.

The mud process was repeated on the tracks and a pencil highlighted areas of wear on the inner face while on the outer face the mud was sanded away to expose white metal.

Several layers of mud have been added, darker enamel colours indicate areas of damp mud.

Streaks and stained areas were hand painted on, the hull has a lot of dust added as well.

A fast way to replicate chipped paint is with a sponge, too bad this will be covered with mud and dust!

B TONS OF TRACK One feature that drew me to model this vehicle was the spare tracks added to the turret for increased protection. Meng provides nicely detailed link and length tracks along with single link spare tracks, but I wanted to use Friulmodel tracks to achieve the proper look and configuration.

After assembling the tracks they were given a bath in burnishing fluid. No matter what I do the tracks always seem to have areas that are not treated with fluid which leaves the bright white metal finish. Therefore, I end up painting the tracks in a dark brown black colour. Next, a series of dust washes followed by pigments created the dirty finish. I also speckled AK Interactive’s AK016 Fresh Mud directly from the bottle to break up the dusty appearance and add depth. The lower hull was treated in the same method as the tracks to build up the dirt and dust.

A

Metallic objects were burnished with Uschi Polishing Powder, which is a super fine metallic powder ideal for highlighting details.

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Dry pigments were brushed in a streaking motion on the vertical surfaces to add more dust and debris.

Engine oil spills broke up the dusty surface and were made with mixing some Mars Black oil paint with AK’s Engine Oil enamel.

Several layers of dust speckling built up the horizontal surface grime.

A pencil was selectively used again to show deep wear on the edges of the vehicle.

Varying the wood colour on the jack block was an easy way to break up an otherwise monotone detail.

The periscopes were picked out first with AMMO’s Rubber and Tires colour followed by Tamiya Smoke to add the glossy appearance.

The last step to finish off the spare tracks was to add a very light coat of Oilbrusher dust, vertical streaks helped blend colour.

The oil spill mix was used again on some of the wheel hubs, it’s important not to apply it to all of the wheels.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng 1:35 King Tiger • Kit No. MNGTS031

Modelspec Meng 1:35 King Tiger. Kit No. MNGTS031 Accessories and Upgrades: Friulmodel Tiger II Tracks Shapeways 3D printed tool clasps Dragon decals Braided copper wire Tools and Materials: Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Microscale Industries – Micro Sol, Micro Set Iwata HP-C Airbrush

B FINISHING TOUCHES At this point the model was almost ready to be placed on the display shelf. Uschi’s metal polishing powder was used to highlight metal details and black pigment indicated the exhaust stains. Fresh oil spills were accomplished using AK084 Engine Oil mixed with Mars Black oil paint to increase opacity. The periscope glass was picked out

Paints and Finishing Products: - AMMO Acrylics – Dunkelgelb Middle War, Cremeweiss, Schokobraun, Resedagrun, Rubber & Tires, New Wood - AK Interactive Enamels – Engine Oil, Kursk Earth, Fresh Mud - AK Interactive Pigments – European Earth - AMMO Enamels – Wash for German Dark Yellow - AMMO Oilbrushers – Dust, Buff, Rust, Field Green, Dark Mud - Mr. Color – Leveling Thinner - Tamiya Acrylics – Smoke - LifeColor Acrylics – Burned Rust, Corroded Rust, Streaking Rust - Humbrol - Enamel Thinner - Uschi Metal Polishing Powder – Steel - Winsor and Newton Oil Paint – Vandyke Brown, Mars Black

with Tamiya X-19 Smoke.

The new Meng King Tiger is an excellent addition to the German armour kit market. Despite numerous King Tigers on the market already, this kit provides details never afforded before in plastic. The rolled steel texture is a huge benefit from this kit along with its affordable price tag when compared to alternatives. ■

The completed model in all of its three-colour glory!

✓ Surface texture, included aftermarket. ✗ Minor fit issues, torsion bar alignment.

Available from All good model shops Worldwide.

Rating

The wide tracks are very obvious from this angle.

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The rolled steel texture is a huge benefit.

The new Meng King Tiger is an excellent addition to the German armour kit market.

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KIT PREVIEW

DSPIAE Stepless Adjustment Circular Cutter • Item No. HRC64~75

The circle cutter comes packed in a stout box.

James Hatch takes a new circle cutting tool for a test drive.

DSPIAE STEPLESS ADJUSTMENT

CIRCULAR CUTTER

I

was recently lucky enough to be sent the Thinnerline circular cutter for test. If you don’t know what these tools do, then it’s quite simple…they allow the modeller to cut out discs in masking paper and very thin plasticard etc. from around 1mm to 50mm in diameter. Having found the Thinnerline an amazing tool, I couldn’t turn down the offer to try out the brand new DSPIAE tool kindly sent to me for review from the Netherlands,

by Corien and Evert from Breveco Modelling.

DSPIAE’s new Stepless Adjustment Circular Cutter (long name!) comes in a very attractive, robust and heavy box whose quality is pretty reminiscent of the way Apple packages its products. The box lid contains a line drawing illustration of the circle cutter, and the edge of the box has a unique 16-didgit identifier that you can use to verify that this is a genuine DSPIAE product, and not a counterfeit. Certain

The whole package exudes quality workmanship.

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elements of our hobby have succumbed to piracy, so this is a very nice touch.

The only thing I can pick up on is that the box lid states the minimum size is 1mm, whilst the maximum is 7.8! I am pretty sure that this is more like 50mm.

The lid is a seriously snug fit, and once you overcome the suction when you remove it, you’ll find a removable tray with foam cut-outs. This contains three different cutting tools in their own plastic box, tool assembly components and a screwdriver. Yes, you will need to assemble this cutter, but it won’t take more than a few minutes. For information, the tray lid tells you the cutting angle for each blade. These are colour-coded for ease of recognition.

Some minor assembly is required…

…but illustrated instructions are included.

The main cutter body is made up from three heavy metal parts.

Three different blades are included.

The assembled main body.

Very fine adjustment is possible.

Simply dial up the size of the circle that you want.

The blade rests in its mount, free to move as the tool rotates.

With the blade in place and the diameter dialled up, the tool is rotated in its mount…

…to produce a wide range of circles from small to large.

ASSEMBLY After lifting out the tray, you will find a foam-backed instruction card, with everything clearly shown in line drawing format. The cutter is assembled in six easy stages. Unlike the Thinnerline tool which is essentially based upon a bearing, with internal parts, the DSPIAE tool is also enveloped in an aluminium case that protects the bearing. This is machined in high quality material and has a red/crimson appearance to it, applied probably through anodization.

The sharp corners are then machined at 45 degrees, exposing the metal again.

Very attractive indeed. The two-part aluminium housing is now bolted to the exterior of the bearing, and tightened with the supplied tools. Four grub screws are now applied, securing the bearing so it doesn’t slide. Don’t fasten these too tight. They only need to nip. Now the adjuster and gauge are fitted. I did find a washer left over and a small neodymium magnet. They aren’t on the instructions.

OPERATION After fitting the blade into the tool (yellow 45 degrees) and adjusting its position, I dial the size of circle I want into the cutter, and the cutter is sat on a sheet of masking paper. I then use the small handle to turn the inner bearing and a perfect circle is cut. It really is that simple. The gauge works so that the close to the centre of the bearing you adjust the pointer, the smaller the mask. Move it outwards towards the circumference, and your masks are larger. The cutting tools are amazingly sharp and should be kept in their plastic protectors when not in use.

CONCLUSION This tool does exactly what it was designed to do, and flawlessly. An amazingly high quality tool for which you will find endless masking applications in your hobby, from wheel hubs to inner radius curves for canopies etc. You really should treat yourself! ■

Available from Breveco Modelling for €62,50 https://www. brevecomodelling.nl/index.php/en/ shop/tools/circular-cutter.html

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:48 German Heavy Tractor SS-100 • Kit No. 32593

AIRFIELD MULE The Editor builds Tamiya’s newest 1:48 scale military model, the German Heavy Tractor SS-100.

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* Historical text courtesy of Tamiya website.

T

he SS-100 was a veritable workhorse for German forces during WWII. Powered by a 100hp 8,553cc diesel, it was based upon a civilian vehicle design and could pull loads of up to 20 tons.

The SS-100 was put to work towing all sorts of subjects including artillery pieces, aircraft, and even V2 rockets, as well as recovering broken down vehicles.* Tamiya has now released a 1:48 scale version of the SS-100 Heavy Tractor as part of its growing medium-scale Military Miniature series.

The body is presented as a single moulding.

The front mudguards and the running boards are cleverly combined as one part.

IN THE BOX The new kit comprises 80 parts on four sprues of dark yellow plastic, five parts in clear plus markings for four vehicles.

The body is moulded as a single part including the cab and engine compartment. The four doors are moulded closed while the cab floor and the rear are separate parts.

Clear parts are provided for the rear, side windows and the windscreen.

The chassis is a simplified single part with engine and drive train detail moulded in place. I think this is a reasonable approach for this smaller scale, and a good compromise to allow fast assembly. Leaf springs, exhaust, rear differential and the front steering rack are all separate parts. The end of the exhaust is solid, but hollowing this out will be fast and easy.

The wheels are all plastic (no vinyl tyres – hooray!) and detail is simplified on the inner hubs. You won’t see these on the finished model though. The wheels are designed to be glued to the axles.

A very nicely detailed 1:48 scale seated driver figure is included. He can be painted to represent Luftwaffe, Wehrmacht or Kriegsmarine crew.

Four marking options are offered: two Luftwaffe, one Wehrmacht and one Kriegsmarine.

One of the schemes is a disruptive Dark Green over Dark Yellow, while the others are overall Panzer Grey.

The decals are typical of Tamiya – semi-gloss in finish and in good register. Athough they sometimes look a bit thick on the backing paper, I have always had good results with Tamiya decals. They sit down nicely and the carrier film disappears under a coat of varnish.

The front radiator grille and the pair of rear mudguards.

Wheel hubs are nicely detailed on the exterior but simplified on the inside.

Clear parts are provided for the windscreen, the side windows and the rear windows.

A

Markings are supplied for four vehicles.

Decal instruments are included too.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:48 German Heavy Tractor SS-100 • Kit No. 32593

The separate leaf springs… …now glued in place.

The front and rear mudguard parts.

The front mudguards are fitted by tilting the part and raising it to meet the chassis.

Lower hull detail parts including the exhaust, steering rack and differential.

Mudguards and running boards in place.

B FALLING TOGETHER Tamiya’s 1:48 scale kits are typically very fast and easy to build, and this new SS-100 is no exception.

There is very little to report except that fit is flawless throughout, and the detail is very good indeed. I finished basic construction of my SS-100 in a

single morning.

The wheels do not use polythene caps. Instead, they are glued straight to locating pins on the end of the axles. The fit is good here too.

The only improvement I made was to hollow out the end of the exhaust pipe.

Next time I would also probably

replace the width indicator poles with fine steel wire. If you don’t feel like doing this yourself, Aber already offers a set of replacement width indicators in turned brass and photo-etch (Item No. 48A19).

Please note that I did not glue the body or the cab floor to the chassis prior to painting. The wheels were left separate too.

PANZER GREY I decided to finish my SS-100 in overall Panzer Grey, and I assumed that it would be fairly clean if it was being operated on an established airfield.

First, the separate body, cab floor, chassis and wheels were prepared with Tamiya’s Grey Primer straight from the spray

Tread detail is really well done.

The road wheels prior to assembly.

The completed lower body / chassis.

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Cab floor, rear wall and seats.

Lower fuel tanks and mounts.

Components of the towing unit.

The windscreen frame and radiator are separate parts.

Don’t lose the radiator cap!

Chassis sub-assembly almost complete. The headlight assembly is about to be fitted.

Lower body and cab detail parts have been cut from the sprues and cleaned up.

The main sub-assemblies…

can. The primer makes it much easier to identify gaps and other imperfections before the camouflage coat commences. In this case, there were a few tiny gaps between the window frame and the upper body. These were quickly dealt with using a few spots of Tamiya Surfacer applied with the tip of a toothpick.

The base colour for the exterior was Tamiya acrylic XF-24 Dark Grey. This was followed by an application of XF-63 German Grey around shadow areas and in a few subtle streaks.

All the components were now dry-brushed with a pale grey.

I tried to keep the effect fairly subtle. A

…test fitted. The fit was perfect throughout, and construction to this stage took only a single morning.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:48 German Heavy Tractor SS-100 • Kit No. 32593

B Next, all the components were

coated with a wash of Future Floor Polish and water mixed with a few drops of black acrylic paint. The mixture tends to gravitate towards edges and recessed areas, creating a convincing shading and highlight effect.

Once the wash was dry, the tyres were painted with a mix of Vallejo acrylic 333 Germ. Tkcr.

(Black) and 70862 Black Grey.

The same blend was used to paint the front and rear bench seats.

The white tips of the width poles and the yellow triangle on the roof were painted now too.

The kit decals were applied over patches of Future Floor Polish followed by a couple of coats of Alclad II Kleer Kote Matte.

The various sub-assemblies were coated with Tamiya Grey Primer, straight from the spray can.

The wheels and cab floor were temporarily attached to a small cardboard box during painting to make handling a bit easier.

FIGURE The figure’s head was primed with Tamiya White Primer and the body with Tamiya Grey Primer, straight from the spray can.

The Luftwaffe uniform was painted with Tamiya XF-18 Medium Blue followed by a wash of Future Floor Polish, white and a slightly darker blue shade. This settled in the folds and recesses of the uniform.

The base colour for the exterior was Tamiya acrylic XF-24 Dark Grey.

Next, all the sub-assemblies were coated with a wash of Future Floor Polish and water mixed with a few drops of black acrylic paint.

All the components were dry-brushed with a pale grey.

The tyres were painted with a scale black mix of Vallejo acrylic 333 Germ. Tkcr. (Black) and 70862 Black Grey.

The kit decals were applied over patches of Future Floor Polish followed by a couple of coats of Alclad II Kleer Kote Matte.

The “scale black” blend was used to paint the front and rear bench seats.

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The driver figure was now test-fitted.

The Luftwaffe uniform was painted with Tamiya XF-18 Medium Blue and the head with XF-15 Flat Flesh.

Following washes and detail painting, the figure was completed with a coat of Alclad II Kleer Kote Flat, then the buttons were painted with spots of Vallejo Oily Steel.

It looks a bit like a brawny version of the Beverly Hillbillies jalopy at the moment!

The head was sprayed with Tamiya XF-15 Flat Flesh. Next, a wash of Burnt Sienna oil paint mixed with Mineral Turpentine was brushed onto the face. This is a simple way to bring out features such as the mouth and eyes

without resorting to micro-painting by brush. A brush was used next though, to highlight areas including the forehead, bridge of the nose, cheek bones and tip of the chin. The mouth and eyes were emphasised a little more with a

The steering wheel and the shift handles were painted semi-gloss black.

fine brush and a watered down black-brown mix.

The boots were painted with a mix of Vallejo acrylic 333 Germ.

Tkcr. (Black) and 70862 Black Grey, and the various uniform insignia were carefully brush

painted with Vallejo acrylic Foundation White.

The figure was completed with a coat of Alclad II Kleer Kote Flat, then the buttons were painted with spots of Vallejo Oily Steel. A

I made sure that the driver’s hand was touching the steering wheel before gluing him in place.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Modelspec

Tamiya 1:48 German Heavy Tractor SS-100 • Kit No. 32593

Tamiya 1:48 German Heavy Tractor SS-100 Kit No. 32593 Tools and Materials Used:

B BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER At this point the clear windows were carefully glued to the inside of the cab. Not carefully enough though as it turns out – I managed to smear glue along the inside of the rear driver’s side window.

Rather than try to clean it off, I took the easy way out by snipping the back window off the driver’s side window part, suggesting that the rear window was wound down!

The cab floor was glued to the chassis, and the wheels glued to the axles. The wheels were lightly weathered with the “Mud” section of Tamiya’s Weathering Master Set A. The driver figure was now test-fitted. His hand touched the

steering wheel, so I glued him in place on the seat.

The final step was to add the body to the chassis. The fit was so good and so tight that I did not need to use glue.

CONCLUSION Tamiya’s 1:48 scale SS-100 heavy Tractor is an ideal crossover subject from military modellers to aircraft modellers. The box art shows the tractor pulling a Heinkel He 219 and a tow bar is provided to allow the modeller to reproduce this scene.

I really like these 1:48 scale kits, and I think they deserve success in the modelling marketplace. They

are nicely detailed straight from the box, but they also represent a good basis for conversion and super-detailing. A number of after market companies have jumped on the bandwagon with resin conversions, stowage, decals and photo-etched upgrades. The relatively small number of parts means a quick build, and all the examples I have built have featured perfect fit. In my opinion, the size of a 1:48 scale military vehicle is, in the words of Goldilocks, “just right” too. Not too big, and not too small.

Tamiya’s 1:48 scale SS-100 is a worthy standalone display piece or an airfield accessory, towing large Luftwaffe aircraft. ■

The white tips of the width poles and the yellow triangle on the roof were painted with Vallejo acrylics.

Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement Revell Contacta Professional Cement Selley’s Supa Glue Tamiya Masking Tape (various widths) Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer Iwata HP-CP Airbrush Paints and Finishing Products: Tamiya Acrylics – X-27 Clear Red; XF-1 Flat Black; XF-18 Medium Blue; XF-24 Dark Grey; XF-63 German Grey.

Tamiya Spray Can - Grey and White Primers.

Vallejo Panzer Aces Acrylics - Germ. Tkcr. (Black); 338 Highlight Germ. Tkcr. I (Feldgrau); 341 Flesh Base; 342 Highlight Flesh.

Vallejo Model Colour Acrylics - 70826 German Cam. Medium Brown; 70862 Black Grey; 919 Foundation White.

Future Floor Polish.

Alclad II Kleer Kote Matte; Alclad II Kleer Kote Flat ✓ Superb fit; good level of detail; high quality decals; driver figure included. ✗ A few simplified details.

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

Rating

The red taillights were painted with a base coat of light grey followed by some spots of Tamiya X-27 Clear Red.

Tamiya’s 1:48 scale SS-100 is a worthy standalone display piece or an airfield accessory, towing large Luftwaffe aircraft.

The wheels were lightly weathered with the “Mud” section of Tamiya’s Weathering Master Set A.

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BINDERS Keep your Model Military International collection safe in a high quality binder.

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09/11/2017 11:23

Tech Guide - Rusted!

RUSTED! Clayton Ockerby takes us step-by-step through the rusting and weathering of a KV-2 turret.

T

here are so many products and tutorials getting around this brave new world of modeling that it makes your head spin!

I actually find it a little frustrating at times, as I feel it can get too much for a lot of modellers to process. It actually can end up confusing people and serving as a deterrent rather than a motivation.

So, at the risk of throwing another tutorial into the mix, please let me preface by saying what works for some, won’t always work for others. It really is a matter of finding something that works for you and spending the time to develop the skill to a level you are happy with.

This is a simple tutorial I have put together to show the way I produce a heavily worn and rusted surface. Lets begin. A

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STEP BY STEP

Firstly, the model is painted in a 50/50 mix of Tamiya Hull Red and Red Brown. This will set the foundation for the rust colour.

17/11/2017 15:22

P

Rust coloured tones are now airbrushed over the model. The colours are achieved simply by mixing Yellow with the Red Brown. Try to build the tones in a logical manner, but don’t be too uniform with the placement.

Here we further darken the rust tones now using a thinned mix of Red Brown and Rubber Black. The darker colours are painted keeping the visual weight around the lower edges of the model. You may also notice the vertical streaking motion that has been used to apply the paint. This will help create depth to the finished paintwork.

Once the paint has had time to dry, the model now receives the first coat of hairspray. (There are chipping fluids available for this purpose, however I have found the results I get using hairspray are as good, if not better that the purpose made chipping fluids. It is really about finding something that works for you).

After about 10 minutes, the model receives another layer of hairspray. Be careful not to overload the model with too much. A couple of quick passes is all it takes.

After about 15 minutes, the hairspray will be dry enough to paint over. For the demonstration, I am painting using a lightened Dark Yellow colour. The model is the subject of a future demonstration, so it will be painted in two halves.

Tonal variation is created in the base colour using mixes of the Dark Yellow with Deck Tan and White. Keep the lighter tones to the top sides and edges.

HANDY HINT!

When chipping the paint, thinning these Tamiya paints with water will produce better chipping results than the traditional IPA thinner.

Let the paint dry for a further 15 minutes. At this point, take an old brush and moisten the painted surface with water.

Continue working the top coat of paint off with a moistened brush. You will start to see the rust colours showing through. Again, take your time.

Slowly start working the surface with the brush, and you will start to see the chipping and the rust colour come to the surface. Take care as it is easy to remove too much of the paint if you are too heavy handed. Once the paint is off, there is no going back!

It’s easy to remove more, but once it’s gone it’s gone. Also try to be logical with the removal. Top edges and other places will receive more wear than other places, so focus on those positions.

Long, horizontal scratches are also made using the other end of the paintbrush. This adds more interest to the effect and simulates actual wear. (Note, the circle shape is actually an old test decal showing through. It is important to prepare your model better than I had prior to painting.

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Tech Guide - Rusted!

Small spots of German Ochre Umber and white oils are touched on the surface of the model.

Once the chipping is complete, a thinned mix of Burnt Umber oil paint is carefully used to deepen some of the darker spots. It is also used as a basic line wash.

Then, using a brush moistened with white spirit, drag the oils downward until almost gone.

As a final touch, a small amount of Rust toned pigment is worked around edges of protruding parts.

B CONCLUSION So there you have it. A weathered, worn and rusted effect that is convincing and quick to achieve.

Be brave and have a go on an old kit - you will be amazed at how realistic you can get your models to look using this technique. It’s a really enjoyable part of the painting process. I’m sure you will be hooked once you give it a try. ■

Clayton Ockerby www.workbenchhobbies.com or find us on Facebook @ workbenchhobbies

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17/11/2017 15:22

NEW in the ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series

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When Tamiya released their 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc in 2009, they set a new standard for plastic model kits. Each model since then has seen incremental improvements. Just when you think the series can’t get any better, Tamiya goes and proves you wrong.

Their 1:32 scale Birdcage Corsair was released in mid-2013. This was an outstanding kit in every respect.

Tamiya expanded their 1:32 scale Corsair family with an F4U-1A in late 2014. This kit included several new sprues and offered a wider range of camouflage and marking possibilities.

Tamiya has now completed the -1 trio with their new 1:32 scale F4U-1D Corsair. Once again, this kit includes a significant number of brand new sprues to depict the unique attributes of this variant.

We can also marvel at the kit’s subtle surface textures, high level of detail, clever parts breakdown and accuracy.

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09/11/2017 11:17

FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng Model 1:35 scale AMX-30B • Kit No. TS-003

SIMPLY THE BEST!

Tomasz Janiszewski builds Meng Models’ 1:35 scale French AMX-30B. It is not the first AMX-30 to be released in 1:35 scale, but it is certainly the best!

A

lthough Meng Model has only existed since 2011, the company has quickly built a very respectable reputation in the market.

Each new release shows the progress made by their designers, whilst their subject choices usually guarantee a lot of interest from the potential buyers.

One may assume that the 1:35 scale AMX-30B, which is the theme of this article, was not as popular as the Renault FT, D-9R dozer or Merkava Mk.III kits earlier released by this manufacturer, but it still fits well the initial Meng’s policy of developing the modern successors of very old injection mould kits, or models that previously had only been available in resin. In this case, it was the 40-year old Heller kit that had been sent for a well-deserved retirement.

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CONSTRUCTION

Thanks to almost perfect fit, the construction process was as easy as building LEGO blocks. I recognised that the kit didn’t require any serious improvement, so I only added a few odds and ends. The main gun barrel was partially covered with a camouflage net, which I made from a piece of gauze dressing that had been soaked with Uni-Grunt priming emulsion.

I also distributed some stowage, which had been fixed with photoetched straps sourced from my spare parts stash. As the manufacturer provided the towing cable in a rather unacceptable form of a length of twine, I replaced it with a length of 0,40mm-thick metal wire rope from Eureka-XXL.

The kit tracks are advertised as fully workable.

However, the track runs broke despite the fact that I had assembled them really carefully. I therefore had to strengthen the joints with small amounts of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. It is worth noting that the photoetched bending/track assembly tool provided with the kit has rather limited use for the former task.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng Model 1:35 scale AMX-30B • Kit No. TS-003

PAINTING

The clear parts were masked with Humbrol masking fluid. At this stage, I also randomly applied Vallejo 26.213 ‘Grey Pumice’ acrylic paste in order to build up the mud texture.

Citadel ‘Chaos Black’ was used for priming the lower areas, whilst the remaining surfaces were sprayed with the Vallejo 28.011 ‘Grey Primer’. I applied them both straight from the can.

Next, I airbrushed the entire kit with Tamiya XF-67 ‘NATO Green’.

My reference photos indicated that the camouflage pattern on the real tanks was applied without using any templates.

I subsequently added the highlights using a mixture of the base colour with small quantities of Tamiya XF-2 ‘Flat White’ and Tamiya XF-3 ‘Flat Yellow’.

I therefore acted in the same way. Once I’d set the micro air control The final airbrushing step was to recreate the NATO black pattern with valve on my airbrush to a minimal air pressure, I filled the cup with Tamiya XF-69. During the entire process, the kit was temporarily attached some Tamiya XF-68 paint and then applied the NATO Brown patches. to a DYI stand for easier handling.

These were finely highlighted with the mixture of XF-68, XF-2 and XF-3.

The next stage involved the use of brushes and Vallejo acrylic paints.

I painted the tools, stowage and camouflage net, and emphasized the highlights on various protruding details with very bright tones of their base colours.

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WEATHERING

To commence weathering, I airbrushed the kit with a layer of matte varnish. This allowed me to apply AK-interactive AK076 ‘Filter For NATO Tanks’ in order to slightly tone down the basecoat.

The details were accentuated by applying a pin wash with AK-Interactive AK075 ‘Wash for NATO camo vehicles’.

The paintwork was then sealed with Italeri’s acrylic satin varnish. This way I’d prepared the base for decal application, which was performed with the help of Microscale decal solutions. If you tend to forget the correct sequence of applying the latter, I recommend you to mark the bottles with the appropriate numbers.

I removed the excess enamel with cotton buds that had been dampened with white spirit.

To further alter the basecoat and add some fading effects, I applied numerous tiny dots of various Abteilung 502 oil colours, including Olive Green, Faded Green, Buff, Snow White, Faded Navy Blue, Oxide Blue and German Ochre. These were blended into the surface with a brush that had been dampened with white spirit, and moved mainly in circular motion.

During this process, I also created the initial streaking effects.

The tracks were airbrushed with a mixture of XF-52 ‘Flat Earth’ and XF-57 ‘Buff’ from the Tamiya range. I planned to weather them whilst joining the kit with the base.

Even though I prefer to weather the lower areas after putting the running gear together, this time I’d dirtied the hull tub before attaching the wheels and tracks. I first applied AK-Interactive’s AK042 ‘European Earth’ and AK081 ‘Dark Earth’ pigments using the tapping technique.

Next, I collected a little AK016 ‘Fresh Mud’ enamel with an old brush, and speckled it over the surface. To add more tonal variety, I randomly applied Tamiya Weathering Sticks 87086 ‘Sand’ and 87087 ‘Light Earth’ here and there.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Meng Model 1:35 scale AMX-30B • Kit No. TS-003

During the final assembly of the running gear, I again had to direct a few rude words to the tracks. Afterwards, I removed the masking fluid from the clear parts, and painted the latter with Mr.Hobby H96 ‘Smoke Blue’ and Vallejo 72.309 ‘Periscopes’.

Another colour from the Panzer Aces range, ie. 72.302 ‘Dark Rust’, was used to add the few paint chips with a very fine brush, whilst various streaking effects were created with AK-Interactive AK012 ‘Streaking Grime’, AK074 ‘Rainmarks for NATO Tanks’ and LifeColor TSC207 ‘Oil’.

The lower areas were additionally airbrushed with sandy pigment tones from the Kremer range, that had been diluted with Tesco Value nail polish remover. The latter includes acetone, which strengthens the pigment adhesion to the surface.

Once the pigments had dried, I removed their excess with a hard bristled brush, and sealed the effect by spraying a layer of rosin fixative. The remaining surfaces of the kit were finely dusted with Tamiya Weathering Sticks 87081 ‘Mud’ and 87086 ‘Sand’.

BASE To build the base, I prepared an oval-shaped piece of styrodur foam, and wrapped its edges with 1mm-thick balsa wood that had been dampened with water. The missing part of the ground surface was added with polyurethane foam. Once the latter had fully dried, I cut the base diagonally from above, giving it a sloped appearance.

The ground was made from ‘Goldband’ plaster, which was applied in two layers and subsequently poured with a mixture of fine sand, white glue and Uni-Grunt priming emulsion in order to simulate the surface of a sandy proving ground.

With the kit fitted to the base, I could finish the ground in the desired colours.

For this purpose, I mainly used various sandy pigments from Kremer and MIG Productions, as well as Humbrol’s H94 ‘Brown Yellow’ and H63 ‘Sand’ enamels that had been applied using the dry brushing technique.

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Modelspec Meng Model 1:35 scale AMX-30B. Kit No. TS-003 The final step was to attach the kit to the ground, and seed some grass tufts from Polák Model here and there.

These were fixed with MIG Productions P032 ‘Acrylic Resin for Pigments’.

Accessories Used: Eureka XXL 0.4mm metal wire rope – Cat. No. LH-00 Tools and Modelling Products: Tamiya Extra Thin Cement White glue Gauze dressing Humbrol masking fluid Styrodur foam Polyurethane foam Balsa wood Plaster Fine sand Uni-Grunt priming emulsion Polák Model grass tufts Vallejo 26.213 Grey Pumice acrylic paste MIG Productions P032 Acrylic Resin for Pigments Paints and Finishing Products: Citadel Chaos Black Vallejo 28.011 Grey Primer Paints: • Tamiya • Vallejo Model Color and Panzer Aces • Mr.Hobby Aqueous Hobby Color • Humbrol Tamiya Lacquer Thinner Microscale decal solutions White spirit Abteilung 502 oils Kremer pigments Lifecolor TSC207 Oil Tesco Value nail polish remover Renesans rosin fixative AK-interactive weathering products: • AK012 Streaking Grime • AK016 Fresh Mud • AK042 European Earth • AK074 Rainmarks for NATO Tanks • AK075 Wash for NATO camo vehicles • AK076 Filter For Nato Tanks • AK081 Dark Earth Tamiya Weathering Sticks: • 87081 Mud • 87086 Sand • 87087 Light Earth ✓ High level of detail; excellent fit; ease of assembly. ✗ Individual track links needed glue to stay together.

Available from Meng Models are available worldwide from specialist hobby shops and online.

Rating

January 2018 - Model Military International 53

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17/11/2017 15:25

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17/11/2017 14:23

SHOW REPORT

VR at AusArmourfest

VIRTUAL TANK S N R I A C O T N I S M STUR

V

isitors to the Australian Armour & Artillery museum in Cairns were able to see a iger tank in Virtual rmt Stu e rar weekend of Reality (VR) over the 17.

20 3, & 2 ber tem Sep German Only eighteen of the lt, and only bui r eve re we s icle veh of which are two remain – neither lia. tra Aus in ming, Games company Warga

r World of makers of the popula rs of Tanks game, are sponso at the ion ibit exh k Tan er the Tig , bringing Tank Museum in the UK ers of the together all the memb ces- with the Tiger family in one pla iger, which rmt Stu the of ion except ed. couldn’t be relocat the Since they couldn’t get seum, the physical tank to the mu ted it in company instead recrea rs donning use h Virtual Reality, wit

let to a special headset or tab the tank in of ing der ren 3D a w vie physical space. g’s work As part of the Wargamin ing lud inc ms seu mu with military Artillery & our Arm lian tra Aus y bought Museum, the compan at Tankfest d eile unv h tec VR the Under. n Dow r earlier this yea & New Wargaming’s Australia Travis er nag ma y ntr Zealand cou illed to thr was he d sai ne Pla

By Royce Wilson seum collaborate with the Mu VR que uni the re sha again and munity. experience with its com rare event “AusArmourfest is a public the lian tra that gives the Aus back in trip a e tak to ty uni opport these to se clo time and to get up on’ diti con at mb ‘co e, siv impres vehicles,” he said. perfect “AusArmourfest is the the se wca event to also sho mixed growing capabilities of

56 Model Military International - January 2018

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reality technologies, with the SturmTiger experience offering guests the chance to truly immerse themselves in history.”

AusArmourFest guests using the VR gear were able to virtually walk around the tank, step inside to see the crew compartment and even see the vehicle move and fire its bunkerbusting 380 mm rocket.

“Augmented Reality gives us the ability to showca se the impressive size and capabilities of these vehicles that is not possible by just viewing a physical tank. We can narrate what the viewer sees and heighten the experience for them in a way that creates a much more vivid impression long after they have left The Australian Armour and Artillery Museum,” Mr Plane said.

As well as this interactive installation, AusArmourfest featured more than a dozen historic vehicles, includin g the Australian Cruiser (AC) “Sentinel” tank donated to the museum

by Wargaming in 2016.

Several vehicles from the collection were actually running during the event, including a Jagdpanther 38 Hetzer , a Sovietera T-72, M110 and 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitze rs, a Stuart light tank, a Soviet BMP infantry fighting vehicle , an M114 Fire Support Vehicle, and M8 Greyhound scout car, a Sabre tank, a Czechoslovakian OT810 half-track, a Bren Gun Carrier, a Saladin armoured car, and a Canadian Fox armoured car.

Rounding out the operating vehicles was a WWII German Kettenkrad half-tracked motorcycle; a design which has consistently been popular with armour enthusiasts at events across the world.

Further adding to the excitement, visitors were able to actually ride on some of the vehicles too – and many of them did just that, which proved a popular element of the festiva l.

Australian Armour & Artillery Museum manager Dennis Tocock said the AusArmourFest event coincided with the museum ’s third birthday and had gone very well.

“Over 1200 local, interstate and international visitors to the museum took the opportunity to see fifteen of the museums armoured vehicles operating on the purpose-built ride circuit,” he said.

“The vehicles included both tracked and wheeled vehicle s ranging from WWII to the early 21st century; the expres sion of joy on the faces of the people who took part in over 600 rides said it all.

“In addition to the rides and normal displays visitors also had the opportunity to watch historical re-enactments and had the chance to try the new Wargaming games company mixed reality experience of the Sturm Tiger tank which was extrem ely popular with both young and old visitors.”

For more information on the museum, visit the Austra lian Armour & Artillery Museum’s website at http://ausarmour.com/ ■ January 2018 - Model Military International 57

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Incoming IWATA

IWATA UNIVERSAL AIRBRUSH HOLDER. ITEM NO. IWA-AH-400 IWATA SPRAY OUT POT. ITEM NO. IWCL-300 IWATA LUBE (10ML) ITEM NO. IWA-015001

LIFECOLOUR PAINT SETS

WHITE WOOD, STONE GREY AND LEAKING GRIME AND STAINS

Recently received for review were the Iwata universal airbrush holder, spray out pot and three boxes of Lifecolour paints. Starting with the airbrush holder this came at a good time as my home-made holder had seen better days. It requires a little self assembly and here I would advise you to not include the spring washer as the bolt is just not long enough with it fitted, also I found that the holders needed ‘squashing’ together otherwise your airbrush might fall through.

Speaking of airbrushes I have three different makes (Iwata, Badger and Harder and Steenbeck) and they were all quite comfy sitting in the holders. The clamp has quite a decent length on it so will be suitable for the majority of work bench thicknesses and there is a screw supplied should you wish to bolt a pressure regulator to it if it’s not already fitted to your compressor.

The spray out pot is for when you are cleaning your airbrush and basically you insert it into the nozzle and pull the trigger after filling it up with airbrush cleaner. The filter at the top eliminates any overspray from paint and thinners.

Supplied with two nozzles and two filters the pot itself is glass and features a rubber sleeve to stop it sliding off your bench and the top unscrews for when you need to clean it out. The pot can be free standing as there is a metal bar that connects to the lid which acts like a stand and a handle, alternatively you can attach it to the Universal Airbrush Holder. There is a ‘V’ shaped holder included that you can rest your airbrush on but I found it got in the way however your experience may differ.

To be honest when I first looked at it I thought it a bit of a novelty item but working in a small space as I do it’s actually very handy as it cuts out the risk of spraying thinners over a newly painted model plus the filter mentioned above cuts out any overspray.

The glass pot is ‘dishwasher safe’ according to the literature supplied but I can’t see the other half in your relationship being too happy actually finding it in that particular kitchen appliance.

The lube is a non-toxic, silicon-free liquid that is used to lubricate the moving parts of your airbrush such as the needle packing, main lever and valve-piston packing. When applied along the needle and needle-cap it can help reduce paint drying on the tip, useful when spraying acrylics.

The literature supplied states that it is a new formula that doesn’t evaporate and maintains its viscosity in all environments. Note that you only need to apply a small drop along the needle and into the lever/trigger so the 10ml tube should last quite a while.

Moving onto the Lifecolour paint and with the titles of the sets (White Wood, Stone Grey etc) these are obviously aimed at diorama builders but no doubt they can be put to other uses. My personal experiences of Lifecolour have been pretty limited as I tried brush painting some a few years ago and never really got on with them as I found the paint extremely thin so to get more for review filled me with some trepidation. I needed to try out the paint for you readers out there so after assembling a Miniart diorama set and undercoating it with automotive primer I sprayed it starting with the colours from the Stone Grey set.

Not having any Lifecolour thinners meant I had to improvise with what I had in the house so using Light Stone (UA785) first, it was thinned with Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner with a few drops of Winsor and Newton Flow Improver added then sprayed onto the tops of the walls. I was dreading it as I’ve had bad experiences getting water based paint to spray nicely but this stuff was great and I could have sprayed it all afternoon.

The tip of the needle needed cleaning now and again but generally I was very impressed with the coverage and I can see me investing in some other colours to try out.

The render on the walls was painted next using Reddish Stone (UA764) followed by the stone work and cobbles in Blue Stone (UA740), again all spraying quite nicely, picking out different stones and cobbles with a paint brush using the other paints in the set. The mortar between the stones was done using Light Stone thinned with water.

Paints from the Leaking Stains and Grime set were broken out next and applied with a paintbrush using all six to depict mould growth between the stones and damp patches on the render (it should be noted that UA 749 and 750 are semi-gloss). Again the paints are quite thin but for the purposes of stains they work very well.

Apart from the two semi-gloss paints noted above the rest dried to a very matt finish, just make sure you shake them well before use and be careful taking the lid off as I had one spill out due to pressure build up in the pot.

I didn’t get the time to try the White Wood set but after seeing how the other two sets turned out I’m very confident of getting similar results with them. After experimenting with these sets it has certainly changed my opinion of Lifecolour paint, especially for spraying and I will definitely be trying more in the future.

As to the Iwata airbrush holder and spray pot (which I originally thought a gimmick) I can wholeheartedly recommend them.

Highly Recommended.

All available online from The Airbrush Company www.airbrushes.com Andy King

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HAULER

1:35 SCALE DRAGON’S TEETH TANK TRAP ITEM NO. HLU35096

Hauler has released a set of eight “dragon’s teeth” tank traps.

Dragon's teeth are square-pyramidal fortifications of reinforced concrete first used during the Second World War to impede the movement of tanks and mechanised infantry. The idea was to slow down and channel tanks into killing zones where they could easily be disposed of by anti-tank weapons.

They were employed extensively, particularly by Germany on the Siegfried Line and the Atlantic Wall.

In practice, the use of combat engineers and specialist clearance vehicles enabled them to be disposed of relatively quickly, and they proved far less of an obstacle than many had expected. The obstacles could also simply be buried using bulldozers and dump trucks.* Hauler’s tank traps looks great, with the formwork texture clearly visible on the sides. There are two traps in as-new condition, with the other six showing signs of wear and tear.

I was impressed to see that the blemishes on no two of the tank traps were the same.

The parts are cast onto a small block underneath the base. If you are placing these in a diorama, you should be able to get away with leaving these in place by pressing them into the groundwork before it sets.

These dragon’s teeth will be a simple but effective accessories for your D-Day or North Western Europe diorama.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Hauler for the sample www.hauler.com Brett Green *Historical summary adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_teeth_(fortification)

HAULER

1:35 SCALE SMALL STOVE ITEM NO. HLU35081

Hauler has also recently released a small stove as a diorama accessory.

This simple item comprises three parts crisply cast in grey resin – the body of the stove, the chimney and a pile of wood. Removal of the parts and cleanup whould be quite fast and simple.

The stove could be used in the interior of a building or as a standalone accessory in a vignette or diorama.

This is another innovative and straightforward accessory from Hauler.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Hauler for the sample www.hauler.com Brett Green

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1:48 Scale – A round-up of the latest news and releases SO THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER, RIGHT?

I

seem to be reading posts on social media of late that complain and drone about how good things used to be in the old days.

I’m working on a list just to reassure myself that I’m not really just a negative old crank. I know that from a 1:48 scale modelling perspective there were no “good old days”. We are living in the day right now!

In the past, 1:48 scale armour kits and figures in particular were to large degree rubbish.

From a non-modelling perspective I can see lots of things that have improved. Here’s a few: • Cars. Yes, even though most modern cars don’t have the character of the oldies, I will cheerfully acknowledge that they are infinitely more reliable, don’t leak oil and are better to drive. “ • Food. There is so much more quality and variety in the food available today compared to my childhood that I have to concede that a great leap forward has occurred.

• Communications. Even allowing for the glitches in mobile phone networks and the Internet, years ago when I went overseas you got in touch with home via an expensive and hard-to-organise international phone call, or you sent an aerogramme letter. Meanwhile just last week my daughter phoned

me from a yacht in the middle of an archipelago off the coast of Sweden, asking my advice on outboard motor repairs. She could even send me a picture of the broken shear-pin in the propeller hub, and a video of the motor working.

Amazing, really.

• The good old days. Without doubt, the good old days have improved out of sight, probably

more than anything else, as far as I can figure.

When I was young, the good old days I heard about were full of horses and carts and polio and Great Depressions and World Wars and all sorts of inconveniences. Now, the good old days we all hear about is black and white TV, dragster pushbike,s plastic kits that were really easy to build and plasticine. You can’t say that isn’t progress.

But on the down side, do you remember street directories? You bought a new one every couple of years and when you were going somewhere unfamiliar you looked up the directory before you left home and memorized how to get there. Now they’ve got GPS, which is very good and clever and saves you having to think at all (remember that …thinking?). Anyway, have you noticed how often the GPS sends you where you are going via a route that is actually really stupid when you come to actually look at it on a map?

Maybe you haven’t checked, but it’s happened to me plenty of times.

Getting back to 1:48 scale modelling though, I think the only thing that could make the current situation any better, plastic kit wise, is another mainstream maker in the market, what do you think?

until next time Luke Pitt

TORO MODELS

1:48 SCALE SEPTEMBER 1939 SERIES POLISH FIGHTER PILOT IN LEATHER GREATCOAT. ITEM NO. 48F43 Toro Models from Poland has produced a series of figures under the banner of “September 1939”. These focus on the men and material used in the invasion of Poland.

This new figure is not quite as good as the ones I reviewed last month as is really quite a disappointment.

The pilot is dressed in a leather coat and while it is executed to an acceptable standard, the overall pose seems a little awkward. For example, the right arm has the figure’s right elbow ahead of the upper and lower forearms, which makes the whole stance of the figure look odd.

The second noticeable fault is the size of the figure’s boots. They are noticeably undersized. I find this release a little odd as it is not up to the high standard of other figures in Toro’s range.

Not Recommended.

Our thanks go out to Toro Models for providing the review sample http://www.toro-model.com.pl Luke Pitt

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ETA DIORAMA ACCESSORIES

1:48 SCALE ITEM NO. 625 - GERMAN ARMY FOOD SACKS ,GERMAN FOOD CARDS AND GERMAN DOCUMENTS ITEM NO. 622 - GERMAN WWII NEWSPAPERS

The finishing touch to any vehicle or diorama are the little details that are not often seen but are often discovered by detailed inspection of the completed piece. ETA Diorama accessories hail from Greece and are highly detailed colour printed paper cards with a number of different items on them. Over the coming months I will review a number of their 1:48 scale subjects.

The first item up for review is printed on two thin sheets of high quality paper. Measuring 11.5 cm x 8 cm, they include six brown German Army food sacks and six in light grey. Also included are 32 German ration cards and 42 German personal document cards.

The second item offers German newspapers. The papers are presented in two forms. One version is aged with yellow borders and a slight sepia hue; while the other in an as new condition - or just plain black and white. The pages make up a complete newspaper.

The publications covered are “Deutsche illustrate” in 1940. issues 22, 36and 49; and in 1941 issues 16, 18, 19 and 32.

Also included in this set is Issue 8 of a unique SS newspaper, published in 1944.

I can’t recommend these little sheets highly enough - they will not disappoint.

Highly Recommended.

ETA Diorama Accessories are available online from http://www.eta-diorama.com/ Luke Pitt

EDUARD BRASSIN

1:48 SCALE 8.8 CM DECK GUN FOR THE TRUMPETER KIT KIT NO. 648327

The 8.8 cm SK C/35 was the standard deck gun mounted forward of the conning tower in Type VII boats, although a few substituted a high-angle 8.8 cm SK C/30 naval gun for anti-aircraft defense.

The SK C/35 was designed for the prototype VIIA boats of 1935 with a nominal ammunition allowance of 220 rounds.

During the early war years, these guns were used to encourage surrender of independently routed merchant ships or to sink ships damaged by torpedoes.

Some of these guns were later removed from U-boats for mounting aboard minesweepers and submarine chasers after unshielded deck guns proved impractical in action against defensively equipped Merchant Ships and escorted trade convoys.

The 8.8 cm SK C/35 gun weighed 776 kilograms and had an overall length of 3.985 meters with a vertical sliding-block breech. The gun fired a 9.5 kg projectile 88 mm in diameter, and the barrel is sometimes described as 45 caliber.

A 2.82 kg propellant charge produced muzzle velocity of 700 m/s with nose-fused high explosive and high explosive incendiary projectiles, with or without tracer. Useful life expectancy was 12,000 effective full charges per barrel.* Eduard has released a 1:48 scale multimedia kit of this deadly naval gun. Being in Eduard’s BRASSIN range, the main assemblies are provided in resin, supplemented with a small photo-etched fret.

The kit comprises 39 parts in grey resin with a further 22 detail parts on the photo-etched fret. Casting quality is perfect on my sample, and detail is truly excellent.

Although this set is ostensibly designed as a replacement for the Trumpeter gun on their 1:48 scale Type VIIC U-Boat, this little resin gem would also shine as the centrepiece of a separate vignette.

This is a lovely model of the naval 88, whether you plan to use it on the Trumpeter kit or as a standalone display.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample www.eduard.com Brett Green *Historical summary adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8.8_cm_SK_C/35_naval_gun January 2018 - Model Military International 61

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

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email: sales@hannants.co.uk

1/2 MILE FROM RAF MUSEUM

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www.missing-lynx.com www.hyperscale.com p 62 Buyers Guide 141.indd 62

09/11/2017 11:18

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

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This new book features an exhaustive step-by-step guide to construction with modelling contributions by James Hatch, Brett, and Chris Wauchop.

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Please mail this form to; Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, United Kingdom Tel; +44(0)1525 222573 Fax; +44(0)1525 222574 Online; www.doolittlemedia.com (Photocopies of this form are acceptable)

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www.doolittlemedia.comwww.doolittlemedia.comwww.doolittlemedia.com p 63 Typhoon Book 141.indd 8

09/11/2017 11:19

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

www.schumo-kits.com

SDV MODEL www.sdvmodel.cz

SIMPLE 2 TRADE

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

SMARTMODELLING

(Swash, Tasca, Gap, Yosci, Royal Model)

No.7 Gordons Way, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0LN UK Tel; 01883 734746 smartmodelling@smart7.fsworld.co.uk

SQUADRON

1115 Crowley Drive, Carrollton, TX 75006-1312 U.S.A

SWANN-MORTON

Owlerton Green, Sheffield, S6 2BJ Tel; +44 (0)114 234 4231 Fax; +44 (0)114 231 4966 General: 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

POCKETBOND

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

QUICKBOOST

www.quickboost.net

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)

8532 Lamar Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, USA Tomsmodelworks@aol.com www.whiteensignmodels.com

WWII PRODUCTIONS, AUSTRALIA 12 Prince Street, Waratah, 2298, NSW, Australia Tel; +61 (0)2 4967 3205 Fax; +61 (0)2 4967 3207 ww2prod@optusnet.com.au

ZVEZDA

(The Hobby Company in UK)

Promishlennaia Str.,2, Lobnya, Moscow Region, 141730 Russia office@zvezda.org.ru www.zvezda.org.ru

SCHATTON BARRELS

Industriestrasse 6, 94347 Ascha, Germany Fax; 09961 910 7826

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

64 Model Military International - January 2018

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PANTHER POWER!

Chris Wauchop presents his Tamiya 1:35 scale Panther Ausf. D.

Next Issue On sale 4 January 2018

ISSUE No.141 January 2018, Published December 7th 2017 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 Administration Assistant; Julie Lane MMI Website;

Doolittle Media Web Team

Printed by; Henry Stone Ltd, Oxfordshire Distributed by; Seymour Distribution 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT Tel; 020 7429 4000 Newstrade; Select Publisher Services 3 East Avenue, Bournemouth, BH3 7BW Tel; 01202 586848 Email; tim@selectps.com

NEW SAMURAI – Part 3

Brett Green paints Tamiya’s 1:35 scale Type 10, and adds two crew figures.

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 Fax; +44 (0)1525 222574

EGYPTIAN SU-100

Jim Turner builds Dragon’s 1:35 scale SU-100 in a fetching Egyptian scheme.

Editorial enquiries; Email; editor@modelmilitary.com Advertising enquiries; Tel; +44 (0)1525 222573 Email; sean@doolittlemedia.com

FOR YOUR SAFETY

WINTER JAGDPANZER

Tracy Hancock places Dragon’s 1:35 scale Jagdpanzer IV in a wintry scene.

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!

...and much more!

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

Reproduction in part of any text, photograph, or illustration without written consent from the publisher is strictly prohibited. While due care is taken to ensure the contents of Model Military International is accurate, the publishers and printers can not accept responsibility for errors and omissions.

Advertisements are accepted for publication in Model Military International only on 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.

© Doolittle Media 2017

The paper used on this title is from sustainable forestry

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January 2018 - Model Military International 65

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The Last Post...

EMBARKING BRAVO COMPANY H

HMS Ocean embarks Bravo Company 40 Commando Royal Marines as part of the ongoing Humanitarian Relief Effort in the Caribbean.

MS Ocean, the Royal Navy’s Fleet Flagship, sailed from the Island of Dominica to the British Virgin Islands on 20 September 2017 in order to collect over 100 members of Bravo Company 40 Commando Royal Marines.

The Royal Marines had been based in the British Virgin Islands ever since flying there directly from the UK on 13 September just prior to hurricane Irma had made land fall on the Islands. The embarkation of over 100 skilled amphibious troops will prove a force multiplier for HMS Ocean as she makes her way to the Turks and Caicos Islands to render Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) having already done the same in the British Overseas Territories of the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla and most recently, the independent republic of Dominica.

Ocean’s contribution to the overall Department for International Development led UK relief operation has been significant; as an amphibious platform she is ideally suited to working in littoral waters to deliver stores, personnel

and equipment deep in land over any terrain by both air and surface manoeuvre. Ocean’s significant airlift capacity has proved particularly invaluable in a region where roads and bridges have often been destroyed; with Merlin and Wildcat helicopters from 845, and 847 Naval Air Squadrons alongside Chinooks from 18 Squadron RAF embarked.

Over the past seven days Ocean has flown 110 aviation sorties that have between them delivered over 270 tonnes of much needed water, food, equipment and other aid supplies from the Ship alone; this figure doesn’t include aid stores already ashore but subsequently moved by Ocean aviation to those in need. In terms of technical support to the affected areas of the region, Ocean has delivered over 627 man-days of engineering and logistical support enabling activity such as restoration of electrical supplies, repairs to water treatment systems and the recovery of other critical national infrastructure alongside a clean up operation to clear roads and drainage systems.

Ocean also evacuated 39 vulnerable British nationals from Dominica,

Arriving onboard HMS Ocean from the British Virgin Islands by Chinook Helicopter. HMS Oceanis in the Caribbean to support the Government's Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief, providing assistance in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Maria.

one of whom was very seriously ill and received life saving treatment onboard.

The Commanding Officer of HMS Ocean, Captain Robert Pedre, said: “The embarkation of Bravo Company 40 Commando Royal Marines onboard HMS Ocean will prove a real force multiplier for us as we prepare to deliver Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to the Turks and Caicos Islands. To date, my Ship’s Company have delivered 627 man days of expertise and airlifted over 270 tonnes of aid from the Ship alone into 3 separate affected island groups as well as evacuating 39 British nationals from Dominica.”

HMS Ocean’s short notice deployment to the Caribbean is a demonstration of the UK Government’s significant and ongoing commitment to ensure the stability and safety of the British Overseas Territories and their inhabitants alongside other countries who have requested and been granted UK assistance. At present there are over 2000 UK military personnel deployed to Op RUMAN including RFA Mounts Bay, which was pre-positioned to the region in preparation for the Hurricane season. ■

A nice detail view of a Royal Marine Commandos from B COY, 40 CDO.

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Source: Royal Navy CROWN COPYRIGHT

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