mmi.134.2017

FREE GIFT FOR SUBSCRIBERS! DETAILS INSIDE E E L A M R U B miya’s classic Ta .

1:35 M3 Lee

Issue 134 June 2017 www.modelmilitary.com

S ’ E L P O E P THE TOR TRACels’ 1:35 Plus Mod actor Belarus Tr

MOBILE BLOCKBUSTER

INSIDE: p 01 CoverMMI 134.indd 1

Tamiya 1:35 Valentine ■ Tamiya 1:35 Matilda Red Army ■ Dragon 1:35 Jagdpanzer IV A-0 ■ Dragon 1:35 SiG 33 ■ Tamiya 1:35 Crusader ■ Shanghai Model Show Report ■ and more...

TAMIYA’S BRAND NEW 1:48 STURMTIGER June 2017 / £4.50 / Issue 134

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Contents - Issue 134 June 2017 REGULARS

FREE GIFT FOR SUB

p 4 NEWS

6

What’s new in the world of military modelling

LEE BURMAclassic

SCRIBERS! DETAILS INSID

E

Tamiya’s 1:35 M3 Lee.

Issue 134 June 2017 www.modelmilita ry.com

p 56 BOOKS

The latest titles in military history and modelling

THE PEOPLE’S TRACTOR Plus Models’ 1:35 Belarus Tractor

p 58 SMALL SCALE

New vehicle and figure releases in 1:72 scale and smaller

MOBILE

p 59 FIGURES

Reviews of the latest 1:35 figure releases.

INSIDE:

TAMIYA’S BRAND NEW 1:48 STURMTIGER

Tamiya 1:35 Valentin Jagdpanzer IV A-0 e ■ Tamiya 1:35 Matilda Red Army ■ Dragon 1:35 SiG Dragon 1:35 Shanghai Model Show 33 ■ Tamiya 1:35■Crusade Report ■ and more... r■

June 2017 / £4.50

/ Issue 134

9 771749 7 886040

34

p 60 1:48 SCALE

Luke Pitt takes a look at the latest in 1:48

26

p 66 LAST POST

Dragon’s Black Label MIM-104B Patriot w/998 HEMTT

FEATURES p 14 MOBILE BLOCKBUSTER Part Two

Tamiya 1:48 German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger by Brett Green

p 22 PREVIEW

Tamiya 1:35 Red Army Matilda

p 24 PREVIEW

Tamiya 1:35 Crusader Mk.III

p 25 PREVIEW

Dragon Jagdpanzer IV/A-0

p 26 THE PEOPLE’S TRACTOR

Plus Models 1:35 Belarus Tractor

by Konrad Dzik

40

p 38 PREVIEW

Dragon 1:35 38(t) SiG 33

p 40 BURMA LEE

Tamiya’s 1:35 M3 Lee

by Jim Turner

p 48 PREVIEW

Tamiya 1:35 Valentine

p 50 SHOW REPORT

Shanghai Model Show by Brett Green

p 52 TALES FROM THE CRYPT Dragon Sd.Kfz. 251/22

by Chris Wauchop

52

©Doolittle Media Ltd 2017 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. 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.

May 2017 - Model Military International 3

ISSN 1749-8864

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Newsline - June 2017

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

TANK WORKSHOP CORRECTED 1:35 FERDINAND ENGINE GRILLE Further to my article in Issue 132 of Model Military International magazine, The Tank Workshop has corrected the engine grille on their 1:48 scale Ferdinand conversion, with 18 rows now represented.

The corrected piece will be included in all the full production conversion sets.

Thanks to Steve Faxon and The Tank Workshop for the information and images: www.tankworkshop.com

RYE FIELD MODEL’S 1:35 M1 ABV

Here is the box art and some CAD images of the forthcoming kit from Rye Field Model, Kit No. RM-5011 M1 ABV. This model will be on sale by the time you read this. We will have more information upon the kit’s release.

Thanks to Rye Field Model for the information and images.

BLAST MODELS 1:35 FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES FIGURE Blast Models has announced the release of four new modern French Special Forces figures in 1:35 scale: • BL35289F FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES GPC W/ FAMAS F - 2013 • BL35290F FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES GPC W/ HK G36 - 2013 • BL35291F FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES GPC W/ FN SCAR - 2013 • BL35292F FRENCH SPECIAL FORCES GPC W/ FAMAS – 2013 These are available now from Blast Models’ website www.blast-models.com

LANCING MODEL SHOW - SATURDAY 13TH MAY 2017

Lancing Model Show is being held on 13th May 2017.

This is the show’s 11th year, which continues to offer free admission and a top class competition along with many club and personal displays alongside the traders Details are as follows: Lancing Parish Hall, 96 South Street, Lancing, BN15 8AJ Doors open to the Public from 10.00am - 4.00pm Free entry, donations welcome Club Displays and Exhibits, Competition, Traders and Refreshments Please see www.lancingmodelshow.org.uk or email info@lancingmodelshow.org.uk for further information.

DRAGON 1:35 MAGACH 3 WITH ERA After previously releasing a Magach 1/2 tank, Dragon offered a Magach 3 as part of their Six-Day War series.

Now yet another kit is available, a Magach 3 fitted with explosive reactive armor (ERA).

Combat experience revealed the vulnerability of Israeli tanks to antitank guided missiles like the Soviet AT-3 Sagger, as well as to RPG-7s.

It was clear that better protection was required, and Rafael developed the Blazer add-on ERA for several tank types. Blazer consisted of modular protective elements that contained inserts filled with an explosive compound to disrupt incoming HEAT projectiles. Blazer, a first-generation ERA, typically added about 1 ton to the Magach 3’s weight.

This 1:35 scale kit inherits features from Dragon’s existing Magach 3 model, but it has been suitably modified to represent an IDF version fitted with ERA. This means the tank has a completely new look compared to the standard Magach 3. The ERA blocks on the hull and the turret are accurately replicated.

There are other brand new parts too. For example, there is a new machine gun with ammunition box and a new commander’s cupola. Additionally, there’s a generous selection of photo-etched parts for delicate elements such as tool brackets and tow cable brackets, plus the tank uses one-piece tracks made from DS for added convenience.

The 105mm main gun’s weatherproof mantlet cover is also made from DS to ensure maximum realism.

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

4 Model Military International - June 2017

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13/04/2017 12:30

Think Tank - German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger A profile view of a knockedout Sturmtiger. Note the open pistol port on the side of the superstructure, and the heavy hit under the rear lifting hook.

STURMTIGER

We explore the development and deployment of the Sturmtiger German Assault Gun.

S

turmtiger was a World War II German assault gun built on the Tiger I chassis and armed with a 380mm rocket-propelled round.

The official German designation was Sturmmörserwagen 606/4 mit 38 cm RW 61. Its primary task was to provide heavy fire support for infantry units fighting in urban areas. The few vehicles produced fought in the Warsaw Uprising, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Reichswald. The fighting vehicle is also known under a large number of informal names, among which the Sturmtiger became the most popular.

CONCEPT The idea for a heavy infantry support vehicle capable of demolishing heavily defended buildings or fortified areas with a single shot came out of the experiences of the heavy urban fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. At the time, the Wehrmacht had only the Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B

available for destroying buildings, a Sturmgeschütz III variant armed with a 15 cm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun. Twelve of them were lost in the fighting at Stalingrad. Its successor, the Sturmpanzer IV, also known as Brummbär, was in production from early 1943.

This was essentially an improved version of the earlier design, mounting the same gun on the Panzer IV chassis with greatly improved armour protection.

Whilst greatly improved compared to the earlier models, by this time infantry antitank weapons were improving dramatically, and the Wehrmacht still saw a need for a similar, but heavier armoured and armed vehicle. Therefore, a decision was made to create a new vehicle based on the Tiger tank and arm it with a 210 mm howitzer.

However, this weapon turned out not to be available at the time and was therefore replaced by a 380 mm rocket launcher, which was adapted from a Kriegsmarine depth charge launcher.

PROTOTYPE AND PRODUCTION In September 1943, plans were made for Krupp to fabricate new

Tiger I armoured hulls for the Sturmtiger. The Tiger I hulls were to be sent to Henschel for chassis

Prototype Sturmtiger undergoes tests. The early-style Tiger tracks and the front hull armour plate held in place with conical bolts are of interest.

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assembly and then to Alkett where the superstructures would be mounted. The first prototype was ready and presented to Adolf Hitler in October 1943. Delivery of the first hulls would occur in December 1943, with the first three Sturmtigers completed by Alkett by 20 February 1944.

Due to delays, Hitler did not request production of the weapon until 19 April 1944; 12 superstructures and weapons for the Sturmtiger would be prepared and mounted on rebuilt Tiger I chassis. The first three production series Sturmtigers were completed by Alkett in August 1944. Plans to complete an additional seven 38 cm Sturmtigers from 15 to 21 September 1944 were presented to Hitler in a conference on 18–20 August 1944. Ten Sturmtigers were produced in September, along with an additional five in December 1944.

Hitler had laid great importance on the special employment of the Sturmtiger and believed it would be necessary to produce at least 300 rounds of ammunition per month.

DESIGN The Sturmtiger was based on the late model Tiger I, keeping its hull and suspension. The front of the Tiger’s superstructure was removed to make room for the new fixed casemate-style fighting compartment housing the rocket launcher. This was located directly at the front of the vehicle, giving it

ARMOUR LAYOUT OF STURMTIGER: Armour Thickness Location 150 mm 150 mm (100 mm) 82 mm 70 mm 62 mm 62 mm 28 mm

superstructure front hull front (without the additional plate) superstructure side and rear upper hull side and rear hull front top lower hull front lower hull side lower hull rear hull floor

Slope (angle from vertical) 47° 25° 20° none 80° 65° none 48° -

compartment nor could the barrel withstand the pressure if the gasses were not vented.

Therefore, a ring of ventilation shafts was put around the barrel which channelled the exhaust and gave the weapon something of a pepperbox appearance.

Due to the bulkiness of the ammunition, only 14 rounds could be carried, of which one was already loaded, with another in the loading tray. The rest were carried in two storage racks. To help with the loading of ammunition into the vehicle, a loading crane was fitted at the rear of the superstructure

a boxy appearance.

Compared to the Tiger tank, the Sturmtiger was much shorter overall, only 6.28 m (20 ft 7 in) compared to the Tiger’s 8.45 m (27 ft 9 in), due largely to the fact that it did not have the long main gun of the latter which protruded far in front of the hull. It also was slightly lower than the Tiger at 2.85 m (9 ft 4 in) compared to 3 m (9 ft 10 in).

ARMOUR Since the Sturmtiger was intended for use in urban areas in close range street fighting, it needed to be heavily armoured to survive.

Its sloped (at 47° from vertical) frontal armor therefore was 150 mm (5.9 in) thick, while its superstructure side and rear plates were 82 mm (3.2 in) thick.

The hull front was 100

The same vehicle viewed from the front, while a British Sherman ARV passes.

millimetres (3.9 in) or 150 millimetres (5.9 in) if it had an additional armour plate fitted. This pushed the weight of the vehicle up from the 57 t (56 long tons; 63 short tons) of the Tiger I to 68 t (67 long tons; 75 short tons).

ARMAMENT

G.I.s examine the 380 mm Raketen-Werfer 61 L/5.4 of a Sturmtiger captured in Germany on 28 February, 1945. Note the almost vertical elevation of the barrel.

The main armament was the 380 mm Raketen-Werfer 61 L/5.4, a breech-loading barrel, which fired short-range, rocket-propelled projectiles roughly 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) long. There were a variety of rounds with a weight of up to 376 kg (829 lb), and a maximum range of up to 6,000 m (20,000 ft), which either contained a high explosive charge of 125 kg (276 lb) or a shaped charge for use against fortifications, which could penetrate up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) of reinforced concrete. The stated range of the former was 5,650 m (6,180 yd). A normal charge first accelerated the projectile to 45 m/s (150 ft/s), the 40 kg (88 lb) rocket charge then boosted this to about 250 m/s (820 ft/s).

The design of the rocket system caused some problems.

The hot rocket exhaust could not be vented into the fighting

next to the loading hatch. Even so, the entire five man crew had to help with the loading.

It was intended that each Sturmtiger would be accompanied by an ammunition carrier built on the same Tiger I chassis, but only one carrier was completed.

A 100 millimetre (3.9 in) grenade launcher was located at the loading hatch’s rear, using bouncing mines that were used for close range defence against both armoured vehicles and infantry in a 360 degree circle around the vehicle.

For defence against infantry attacks, there was a mount in the front for a 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun.

COMBAT SERVICE The Sturmtiger was intended to serve as a heavy infantry support vehicle, rendering assistance with attacks on heavily fortified or built-up areas. By the time the first Sturmtigers were available, however, Germany had lost the initiative, with the Wehrmacht being almost exclusively on the defensive rather than the offensive.

Three new Panzer companies were raised to operate the Sturmtiger: Panzer Sturmmörser A

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Think Tank - German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger

Damage to the rear hull of the same vehicle.

Note the rough cast texture of the barrel.

American soldiers with an abandoned Sturmtiger. The hull roof hatch may be seen on the ground.

A nice overall view of this abandoned Sturmtiger.

A variety of rounds were employed, with a weight of up to 376 kg (829 lb) each.

The track guards were often damaged or torn off altogether in street fighting.

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Another intact but abandoned Sturmtiger.

The loading crane was used to hoist the massive shells into the vehicle, and also into the breech.

Sturmtiger during field trials.

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Think Tank - German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger

An early version Sturmtiger abandoned on the road.

Captured Sturmtiger being loaded for transport.

Sturmtiger wearing a hard-edged, field-applied “Ambush” scheme.

B Kompanien (PzStuMrKp)

Bergepanther, the recovery vehicle variant of the panther tank, and a Sturmtiger in a field repair yard.

(“Armoured Assault Mortar Company”) 1000, 1001 and 1002.

These originally were supposed to be equipped with fourteen vehicles, but this figure was later reduced to four each, divided into two platoons.

PzStuMrKp 1000 was raised on 13 August 1944 and fought during the Warsaw Uprising with two vehicles, as did the prototype in a separate action, which may have been the only time the Sturmtiger was used in its intended role.

PzStuMrKp 1001 (commanded

by Captain von Gottberg) and 1002 (commanded by Lieutenant Zippel) followed in September and October. Both PzStuMrKp 1000 and 1001 served during the Ardennes Offensive, with a total of seven Sturmtigers.

After this offensive, the Sturmtigers were used in the defence of Germany, mainly on the Western Front.

During the battle for the bridge at Remagen, German forces mobilized Sturmmörserkompanie 1000 and 1001, a total of 7 units, and attached them to the 6th

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This photo provides a good view of the Zimmerit coating applied to the lower hull front and the armoured mudguards.

Another messy, field applied camouflage pattern.

Abandoned Sturmtiger with applique armour.

SS-Panzer Armee to take part in the battle. The Sturmtigers were originally tasked with using their howitzers against the bridge itself, though it was discovered that they lacked the accuracy needed to effectively hit it. During this action, one of the Sturmtigers in Sturmmörserkompanie 1001 near Düren and Euskirchen hit a group of stationary Shermans tanks in a village with a 380mm round, resulting in nearly all the Shermans being put out of action, and their

crews killed or wounded.

After the bridge fell to the Allies, Sturmmörserkompanie 1000 and 1001 were tasked with bombardment of Allied forces to cover the German retreat, as opposed to the bunker busting for which they were originally designed.* ■

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

June 2017 - Model Military International 11

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12/04/2017 15:51

FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:48 German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger • Kit No. 32591

MOBILE BLOCKB

PART TWO – PAINT

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KBUSTER

PAINTING AND FIGURES

Box art for the forthcoming production kit.

Brett Green paints and added a crew to Tamiya’s brand new 1:48 scale Sturmtiger.

I

n the last instalment, I described the assembly of Tamiya’s new 1:48 scale Sturmtiger and added Zimmerit from putty.

The model had been built straight from the box up until that point, but I decided to add photoetched engine mesh. I ordered Voyager Models’ Item No. AP 030 – Tiger I Early Version Grill. This fitted the late-version Sturmtiger engine deck perfectly.

PAINTING LATE WAR COLOURS I spent some time examining photos of Sturmtigers. Patterns varied considerably, with many appearing to be rough field-applied versions of the Ambush scheme.

The finish was also sometimes hard to determine due to dust and low contrast between the colours.

In the end, I decided to follow the instructions for the camouflage pattern, supported by a couple of photos.

The photos seemed to suggest that the base colour might have been either Red Brown or Green. I chose Green.

The surface of the model was prepared with Tamiya Grey Primer sprayed straight from the can.

A lightened version of Tamiya acrylic XF-67 NATO Green was used as the overall colour. It was lightened with around 25% Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow.

Although this is quite a light and bright shade, it would be darkened by later blending and weathering.

This base coat was applied with my Iwata HP-C Plus airbrush, and thinned with Mr Colour Leveling Thinner 400.

The Red Brown was Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown, also lightened considerably with Dark Yellow, resulting in a hint of pink. This suited my purposes as I wanted some ambiguity – is it Red Brown or Primer Red? This second colour

was applied freehand according to the pattern on the kit instructions.

The late-war Dark Yellow was apparently quite a pale shade, so Gunze’s acrylic H403 was significantly lightened and sprayed, once again freehand.

The model looked pretty scary at this point, with the pale colour particularly messy. You really need to keep the faith at this point, and realise that this is just a transitional phase.

The lurid camouflage was tidied up with overspraying and respraying until I was reasonably satisfied with the basic pattern.

The tracks were sprayed a base colour that was a mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown. The outer road wheels had not been fitted at this stage, so the inner wheels, drive sprockets and idler wheels were sprayed individual camouflage colours.

The outer road wheels were separated into colour groups and sprayed individually before being glued to the axles.

WEATHERING The first order of weathering was blending and fading. For this, I simply sprayed Tamiya XF-57 Buff diluted with 90% thinners over the entire model. This toned down the bright Red Brown and Green shades and also disguised any tiny remaining spatters of overspray.

The entire model now received an overall wash. This comprised a smudge of Raw Umber oil paints mixed with Mineral Turpentine.

Before the wash had dried, it was streaked vertically on the superstructure sides with a clean brush. Excess wash was also removed with thinners.

A slightly heavier version of the same wash was used to highlight detail on the insides of the hatches, the scopes and the wheels.

Chips were added using Vallejo A

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:48 German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger • Kit No. 32591

Assembly complete. Zimmerit was added using Tamiya two-part epoxy putty, shaped with the tip of a small electrical screwdriver.

I think that the custom-made zimmerit adds character to the model.

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

The one thing missing from the kit is engine grilles. These were invariably fitted to Tiger-based vehicles.

Three custom acrylic colours were mixed for the camouflage colours.

The NATO Green and Red Brown were both lightened with XF-60 Dark Yellow.

The colours were tested on the outer road wheels, which had not been fitted at this stage.

Voyager’s early version Tiger grilles fitted this late model Sturmtiger perfectly.

B 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) applied

with the tip of a fine brush, and scratches simulated with a sharpened brown Prismacolor pencil.

The running gear was coated with AK Interactive’s Spatter Effects Dry Mud Acrylic.

Period photos show that these vehicles were commonly covered in a thick layer of dust – not surprising considering their urban demolition role.

I applied a sifted layer of MIG Productions’ P415 Light European Earth pigments through a coarse strainer. This was refined by stippling the “dust” into the recessed (and removing the excess) by stippling with a stiff brush.

FIGURES A crew always lends a nice sense of proportion to a model, and probably moreso in a smaller scale such as 1:48.

I had recently bought a number of 1:48 scale resin figure sets from Figures With Attitude.

Amongst these were six figures that were nominally designed for

a Sturmgeschutz III, but they are equally appropriate for most tank destroyers or self-propelled guns.

I have already used three figures on my recent Tamiya Ferdinand conversion. I chose another two for the Sturmtiger – one perched on the edge of the hatch and another with a raised hand, conveniently at the height of the loading crane.

I also transferred one of the previously painted Ferdinand crew to stand on the engine deck of the Sturmtiger.

For the new figures, I cleaned up and assembled the resin parts using super glue. A small gap between the arm and body of the raised-arm-guy was filled with Tamiya grey tube putty.

The heads were not fitted at this stage. In fact, I painted up three heads, deciding that I would use the best two. My figure painting skills are average, so I thought that this would improve my chances!

PAINTING THE FIGURES The heads and the bodies were drilled and mounted on toothpicks to ease handling during painting.

A

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The tracks were sprayed a mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown before the inner rows of the road wheels, the drive sprockets and idler wheels were painted with the three camouflage colours.

The running gear was masked off.

Overspray was tidied up by brush and the outer road wheels were fixed in place with Revell Contacta cement.

The upper and lower hulls were now glued together. A final panel of zimmerit could now be added to the front top of the hull.

The muzzle vent and front of the counterweight were painted black and later masked.

The Red Brown was Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown, also lightened considerably with Dark Yellow and applied freehand.

A lightened version of Tamiya acrylic XF-67 NATO Green was used as the overall colour. It was lightened with around 25% Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow.

The late-war Dark Yellow was Gunze’s acrylic H403 significantly lightened and sprayed, once again freehand.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

B

Tamiya 1:48 German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger • Kit No. 32591

The completed bodies were primed with Tamiya’s Grey Primer straight from the spray can. The heads were sprayed separately with Tamiya’s Fine White Primer to give a lighter base for the flesh tones.

In this relatively small scale, I wanted to make sure there was a bit of variety in the crew’s appearance. I selected a combination of three main shades for the uniforms – Panzer Black and two versions of Field Grey (Feldgrau). One of these shades is greenish, while the other is more a khaki grey.

Vallejo made my life a little easier by packaging all the uniform colours I needed in one box – Panzer Aces Set No.5. This set also includes paler shades of the base colours to paint highlights.

The specific colours I used were 333 Germ. Tkcr. (Black), 334 Germ. Tkcr. I (Feldgrau), 335 Germ. Tkcr. II (Feldgrau), 337 Highlight Ger. (Black), 338 Highlight Ge. I (Feldgrau) and 339 Highlight Ge. II (Feldgrau).

The colours were applied by brush. Two coats were plenty to ensure solid even coverage.

I added a wash made up from Future Floor Polish and water in equal parts, and a small amount of Vallejo 337 Highlight Ger. (Black).

This was applied by brush to the painted uniforms and it settled A

The model looked pretty scary at this point, with the pale colour particularly messy.

The lurid camouflage was tidied up with overspraying and respraying until I was reasonably satisfied with the basic pattern.

These adjustments took place over several sessions. You can’t rush these things!

The entire model was now sprayed with Tamiya XF-57 Buff diluted with 90% thinners. This toned down the bright Red Brown and Green shades and also disguised any tiny remaining spatters of overspray.

The entire model now received an overall wash of Raw Umber oil paint mixed with Mineral Turpentine.

“I spent some time examining

photos of Sturmtigers. Patterns appeared to be rough field-applied versions of the Ambush scheme.

”

The running gear was coated with AK Interactive’s Spatter Effects Dry Mud Acrylic.

This was followed by a dark oil wash.

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The initial application does not have to look tidy!

I applied a sifted layer of MIG Productions’ P415 Light European Earth pigments through a coarse strainer.

This was refined by stippling the “dust” into the recessed (and removing the excess) by stippling with a stiff brush.

Still needs work!

Period photos show that these vehicles were commonly covered in a thick layer of dust – not surprising considering their urban demolition role.

Chips were added using Vallejo 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) applied with the tip of a fine brush, and scratches simulated with a sharpened brown Prismacolor pencil.

The worn track shoes were highlighted with a mix of metallic paints applied with a dry rag.

Next time we will cover painting, weathering, adding a crew and a scene.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:48 German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger • Kit No. 32591

B nicely into recesses and natural shadow areas. Any excess was soaked up with a clean brush while the wash was still wet.

After the wash had dried, a highlight shade for each colour was applied using the dry-brush technique.

Details such as epaulets, piping and insignia were then picked out with a fine brush.

Following a protective coat of AK Interactives’s Ultra Varnish Matte, metallic items including buttons and belt buckles were painted with Vallejo Model Colour 70865 Oily Steel.

Painting of the heads got underway with a sprayed base coat of Tamiya’s acrylic XF-15 Flat Flesh. Headgear was then painted, followed by a wash of heavily thinned Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna oil paint. The ruddy mixture flows into the low-lying areas and crevices, making a nice start to shading and detailing.

Fine facial details such as mouths and eyes were carefully brush painted with a watered-down mix Vallejo 337 Highlight Ger. (Black), which is actually a dark brown shade. High areas of the face such as the chin, brow, nose, cheeks and ears were painted with paler shades of flesh, while shadow areas under the eyebrows, under the nose and chin received darker shades. I made no serious attempt to paint the whites of the eyes – I rarely do in 1:35 scale so I didn’t even consider it in 1:48 - preferring a dark thin slit in most cases.

Finally, with the figure painting complete, the handles were extracted and the heads glued to the bodies.

Tools and fittings were picked out with Vallejo acrylics.

CONCLUSION Tamiya has delivered another winner with their 1:48 scale Sturmtiger. It is well detailed, fits together perfectly and is a fast build.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Tamiya has in store for us next in their 1:48 scale series. ■

The two new Figures With Attitude crew members await clean-up and assembly.

Heads and bodies were drilled and fitted with toothpick handles to make painting easier.

Base uniform colours in place.

These are Vallejo acrylics.

The heads received a white primer coat, while the bodies were treated to grey primer.

The base flesh coat is Tamiya XF-15 Flat Flesh.

Details such as epaulets, piping and insignia were then picked out with a fine brush. Metallic items including buttons and belt buckles were painted with Vallejo Model Colour 70865 Oily Steel.

Headgear was painted, followed by a wash of heavily thinned Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna oil paint.

I added a wash made up from Future Floor Polish and water in equal parts, and a small amount of Vallejo 337 Highlight Ger. (Black).

Fine facial details such as mouths and eyes were carefully brush painted with a watered-down mix Vallejo 337 Highlight Ger. (Black).

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Modelspec Tamiya 1:48 German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger Kit No. 32591 Accessories Used Figures With Attitude – various 1:48 scale German crew figures Voyager Item No. Ap 030 – Tiger I Early Version Grill Figures With Attitude – StuG Crew Figures Tools & Modelling Products:

The crew in place on the vehicle.

The final coat was AK Interactives’s Ultra Varnish Matte.

The figure on the right was painted previously for the Tamiya Ferdinand conversion, but he fitted nicely on the Sturmtiger’s engine deck too

Tamiya Epoxy Putty Smooth Surface Tamiya Putty Basic Type Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement 1.8mm Screwdriver Revell Contacta Plastic Glue Selleys Super Glue Mission Models Micro Chisel Paints and Finishing Products: Vehicle: Tamiya Acrylics: XF-1 Flat Black; XF-55 Buff; XF-60 Dark Yellow; XF-64 Red Brown; XF-67 NATO Green.

Gunze-Sangyo Acrylic: H403 Dark Yellow Winsor & Newton Oil Paint: Raw Umber K Interactive: Splatter Effects Dry Mud Acrylic MIG Productions Pigments: P415 Light European Earth Figures: Uniforms (all Vallejo Panzer Aces acrylics) – 333 Germ. Tkcr. (Black); 334 Germ. Tkcr. I (Feldgrau); 335 Germ. Tkcr. II (Feldgrau); 337 Highlight Ger. (Black); 338 Highlight Ge. I (Feldgrau); 339 Highlight Ge. II (Feldgrau).

“A crew always

Flesh Base Coat: Tamiya acrylic XF-15 Flat Flesh.

Wash: Rowney Georgian Oil Paint 221 Burnt Sienna.

Variations and Highlights: Vallejo Model Colour acrylics 70815 Basic Skin Tone; 845 Sunny Skin Tone; 919 Foundation White (mixed).

lends a nice sense of proportion to a model, and probably moreso in a smaller scale such as 1:48.

”

General Detailing (all Vallejo Model Colour acrylics) – Oily Steel; 919 Foundation White; 70950 Black; 70957 Flat Red.

✓ (Base Tamiya Kit): Good detail; superb fit; easy build; fast and easy link-and-length tracks. ✗ Nothing worth mentioning.

Available from * Historical summary adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturmtiger Tamiya kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company Limited www.hobbyco.net

Rating

Tamiya has delivered another winner with their 1:48 scale Sturmtiger.

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KIT PREVIEW

Tamiya 1:35 Infantry Tank Matilda Mk.III/IV “Red Army” • Kit No. 35355

COMRADE MATILDA Brett Green takes a look at the new Tamiya’s new 1:35 scale Matilda Mk.III/IV “Red Army” version.

W

e have just have received an early production sample of Tamiya’s forthcoming “Red Army” Matilda. This model is based on the new-tool kit from 2009 (Kit No. 35300) and shares absolutely nothing in common with Tamiya’s original Matilda, kit number 35024, that was released in 1973.

Tamiya’s new “Red Army” Matilda comprises 580 parts in dark green plastic (320 of these are the track links and skids), ten polythene caps and markings for two vehicles.

So what is different in this version? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

There are new side skirts with characteristically prominent hinges for the mud chute hatches.

Track skids replace the return rollers of the previous kit. New solid front locker hatches are also included.

Tracks are the chunky Spud

version, quite different to the style provided in the earlier release. These are presented as individual links made up from two parts per link.

The links are then simply clicked together without the need for glue.

The guide teeth are hollow on the real tank. For the kit, the plastic guide teeth are moulded with a dent at the front and rear.

This offers a pretty good representation considering the guide teeth are almost completely hidden behind the complex running gear and large armoured side covers.

Surface texture is everything we have come to expect from a new Tamiya release. Cast metal is beautifully depicted on the turret, the nose and the armoured engine deck covers. Recessed screw heads on the lower hull side covers even includes slot detail.

Raised strips, rivets and bolts are present wherever appropriate.

Two schemes are included.

One half of the spud links.

Running gear parts.

The low-profile cupola is included.

Main wheels and suspension units.

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Nice cast texture on the turret and nose.

The cover-art scheme in overall Dark Green

Detail parts.

The one-piece upper hull is beautifully moulded

Two Soviet crew figures are included.

Separate lower hull sides and floor

Other hull sides.

The revised mud chutes.

The revised mud chute lockers.

Mantlet.

Different parts for open and closed cupola.

The asbestos insulation wrapped around the exhaust pipes looks fantastic too.

The sprues contain two styles of 2 Pdr gun barrels plus a 3” howitzer barrel, which suggests that a Close Support version may follow. Each barrel is supplied in one piece and is hollow at the muzzle end. Several rows of flashed over holes may be found on the inside of the hull surrounding the turret ring.

This hints that the Australian version featuring the armoured ring protecting the base of the turret might be seen some time in the future. The low-profile Commander’s cupola is included on the sprues too – another feature typically seen on Australian Matildas.

The mantlet is secured with poly caps allowing the gun to

elevate, and the driver’s hatch may be left to slide on its rails.

A full complement of new on-vehicle tools plus crew stowage is supplied.

Two Soviet crew figures are included. Poses are relaxed and sculpting is very good.

Moulding quality is marvellous.

There are just a few very feint circles to clean up on the inside of the loader’s hatch. Although there are an alarming number of ejector pin marks on the lower hull, these will all be completely hidden behind suspension components and the big mud chutes. Sponsons are not boxed in but you won’t see the light of day once the armoured hull sides are secured. The searchlight lens is a solid plastic piece. Helpfully, however, it is a separate part so it may be replaced with a clear lens

if desired.

Kit engineering is sensible, and this Matilda should be as straightforward to build as the 2009 kit. I particularly like the way Tamiya has broken down the nose of the vehicle to avoid a horizontal join across the front of the hull.

Decals are included for two specific Soviet Matildas in 1942, while decals 3 to 12 are various generic slogans and markings.

This one won’t be staying in the box for long!

Running gear parts.

Highly Recommended ■

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

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KIT PREVIEW

Tamiya 1:35 British Cruiser Tank Mk.VI Crusader Mk.III • Kit No.37025

The Editor takes a walk down memory lane with Tamiya’s re-issue of the Italeri 1:35 scale Crusader Mk.III.

The lower hull tub.

Upper hull.

CRUSADER REDUX T

he Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks during the early part of the Second World War. Over 5,000 tanks were manufactured and they made important contributions to the British victories during the North African Campaign. The Crusader tank would not see active service beyond Africa, but the chassis of the tank was modified to create anti-aircraft, fire support, observation, communication, bulldozer and recovery vehicle variants.

The first variation ‘Crusader I’ tank entered service in 1941, and, though manoeuvrable, it was relatively lightly armoured and under-armed. Improved armour thickness to 49mm marked out the “Crusader II’ variant. The main armament for the Crusader Mark I and II’s was an Ordnance QF 2 pounder (40mm) main gun, but the ‘Crusader III’ was fitted with an Ordnance QF 6 pounder (57mm) main gun. This variant was more than a match for the mid-generation German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks that it faced in combat. As part of the 1st Armoured Brigade, the Crusader was to prove vital during the Battle of El Alamein, at Tobruk and in Tunisia.

Retained in service because of delays with its replacement, by late 1942, the lack of armament upgrades, plus reliability problems due to the harsh desert conditions and the appearance of Tiger I heavy tanks among the German Afrika Korps, saw the Crusader replaced by US-supplied M3 Grant and then by the Sherman medium tanks. * It is easy to be dazzled by the seemingly endless stream

of impressive new releases that appear on our hobby shop shelves.

It is also tempting to assume that any kit from the 1970s would not be worth considering in these days of high tech production methods and equally high modeller expectations.

It is true that most 40-year-old kits look very dated today, but there are a few exceptions.

Italeri originally released their 1:35 scale Crusader Mk.III tank in 1976, when I was still in high school and disco was on the AM radio.

In the subsequent decades, Italeri released an anti-aircraft version, plus a Mk.II (which was actually probably closer to a late Mk.I) and finally, in 2012, a Crusader Mk.I.

Plenty of stowage bins!

Kit decals.

Tamiya has now turned their attention to this vintage kit, reboxing the Crusader Mk.III and adding a few of its own touches too.

The basic kit comprises 223 parts in traditional Italeri sand brown plastic plus 6 parts in gunmetal coloured flexible vinyl. Moulding quality is still surprisingly good, with minimal flash and few imperfections on the outer surfaces of parts. Detail is crisp too, with raised rivets and even screw heads with slots moulded in place.

The vinyl tracks are well detailed inside and out. The side skirts will hide the entire top run, so these will be perfectly adequate for most modellers,

myself included.

A number of areas have been re-tooled since the original release. These include new parts for the turret spotlight (a separate die-cut clear acetate lens is suppled), turret hatch underside dampers, improved moulding on the turret rear stowage boxes and the front fenders and new raised weld beads.

Tamiya adds two grey sprues for a total of 44 parts, comprising two crew figures plus weapons, helmets, tools and infantry equipment. The Bren Gun, Sten Gun and Lee-Enfield rifles are particularly nice. The crew figures are in natural relaxed poses, with one perched on the edge of his hatch and the other is standing.

These two sprues are dated 1996 and I believe they first appeared in a re-issue of the venerable Tamiya Churchill Mk.VII. Tamiya supplies a small decal sheet for two 6th Armoured Division vehicles in Tunisia in late 1942 and early 1943. Both vehicles are finished in overall Olive Green and feature red-whitered theatre markings.

Italeri’s improved Crusader still stands up to scrutiny more than 40 years after its initial release and it remains the only game in town. Tamiya’s addition of crew figures, accessories and new decals is welcome. ■

The improved weld beads are obvious here.

Mantlet and lower turret parts.

Wheels are nicely done.

The original Italeri figures are best discarded…

Recommended. * Historical summary courtesy of Wikipedia

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

…but the Tamiya crew is very nice!

The vinyl tracks.

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KIT PREVIEW

Tamiya 1:35 British Cruiser Tank Mk.VI Crusader Mk.III • Kit No.37025

Graham Tetley compares Dragon’s new 1:35 scale Jagdpanzer IV/A-0 preproduction version with earlier releases.

The casemate front.

The new plastic parts are here.

PRE-PRODUCTION JAGDPANZER

T

he first Jagdpanzer IV vehicles were the 0-Series (pre-production) and were distinctive in that they had rounded edges to the front superstructure. They were armed with a 7.5cm Pak 39 L/48 gun (with muzzle break) as well as two MG42 machine guns firing through ports in the front hull plate. The first production vehicle was made in January of 1944 on a modified PzKpfw. IV Ausf. F chassis.

The kit represents a preproduction A-0 series vehicle and there is some evidence to indicate that a few were used with Panzer Lehr Division in 1944.

Dragon released a kit of this vehicle in 2005 as part of their Imperial Series. You will see none of that kit in this box as almost all the contents are from 6369 (Jagdpanzer IV L/48 July 1944 Production w/Zimmerit) released last year.

For new parts we have a sprue ‘N’ which provides the casemate, casemate roof, gun housing, new frontal armour panel as well as the one-piece gun barrel. These new bits are very nicely done and up to the same high standard as the rest of the kit: the casemate front has some lovely weld & torch marks and the gun housing has a superb cast texture and recessed screw heads. Added to Sprue F is a new mantlet for the L/48 (or L/43) gun. Now, you may remember when I reviewed 6369 I criticised Dragon for providing the incorrect mantlet in that kit. Well, that correct mantlet appears is in this one so here’s hoping Dragon are putting it in all subsequent releases of 6369. A new etched fret provides a few small items (12 in all), a clear sprue for the periscopes with DS Tracks

rounding it off. The standard of parts throughout is first class with no flash or mould imperfections present on my sample at all.

Detail on the new gun mount roof.

Construction starts with the lower hull and be prepared here to do some surgery. Rather than tool up a new lower hull Dragon has you carving off a return roller mount and then getting your ruler out to get the placement correct for two more each side. Tedious, but not the end of the world and you could do away with this if you wish as you can’t see much anyway with the Schurzen and tracks in place. Dragon’s measurements match up with the plans in Achtung Panzer so all is good so far. There should be no fit problems based on similar Dragon Panzer IV kits that I have built using these same parts. Also needing alteration is the inner plate for the casemate front but the cutting guide in the instructions is the same size as the kit part – good idea!

The tools come with moulded on straps & clasps which look just fine although some may prefer to replace them with etch.

There are some internal details in the shape of a rear

firewall, radio and gun breach.

Some modification is needed to the gun breach but if you have the hatches closed then you can skip this bit. In the earlier kit Dragon gave us the Schurzen in etched metal but here we have those parts in one-piece plastic. Initially I was left feeling somewhat shortchanged but, after inspection, I prefer this approach. Certainly the plastic parts provide more rigidity and, using the lines on the parts, they can easily be cut into individual panels if you so wish. Regular readers will know that I am not a fan of DS Tracks but, with the Schurzen assembly hiding the top track run, I will consider using them as they do look acceptable.

Markings are provided for three vehicles: one from Panzer Lehr that we know about, one from an unidentified unit and another from a training school which is where most of these vehicles ended up.

Dragon has provided an updated Jagdpanzer IV A-O that appears to hit current standards. As always, I would have liked to have seen a little more etch and Magic Tracks in the box but this is certainly the best kit of this vehicle currently available. The new barrel and re-tooled mantlet are a plus but it is a mystery why Dragon didn’t provide these parts in the earlier, production, kit.

That aside, and based on my references, this kit looks the part and I can find no major errors. If you like prototypes that did see service then it ticks all the boxes and comes highly recommended. ■

Detail on the casemate roof.

New etched fret.

Marking options.

Casemate side.

The plastic schurtzen.

Thanks to The Hobby Company for the sample www.hobbyco.net The new gun mantlet.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Plus Model 1:35 Belarus Tractor • Kit No. PM35338

S ’ E L P O E P CTOR A R T

THE

resin t s r i f y his ver ling Plus o t n i s e zik div ual yet appea or.

D d a r n Ko unus larus Tract e h t h t kit wi :35 scale Be Model 1

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W

hile I was browsing a modelling forum a while ago I came across something different to the most common tanks and so on, namely an earthmover. Plus Model announced their resin 1:35 scale Belarus Tractor at the 2011 Nuremberg Toy Fair. I immediately decided to buy one for myself and do it as I like unusual topics.

When it finally arrived, it was my first fully resin kit. I didn’t want to destroy it during assembly as I wasn’t familiar with such a kit, which is why it sat on my shelf for a while waiting for the right time.

Finally, after a year, when I have finally managed to do few of them I feel the confidence to start with Belarus.

BACKGROUND At the end of World War II, agricultural infrastructure in the Soviet Union (USSR) was in a poor state, production of agricultural machinery having been non-existent during the later years of the War. Those tractors and machinery still working on the Large Collective Farms were tired from heavy use and dated, most having been produced in the early 1930s or earlier. At best these tractors were unreliable and were poorly maintained. The Communist state ordered new tractors to be made at several locations within the USSR, the main assembly plant for MTZ being in Minsk, Belarus, with smaller tractors being produced in other locations, while other factories produced highhorsepower articulated and tracked tractors. All these tractors were exported under the name “Belarus” but were of a different design to each other. Within the Eastern Bloc, the tractors had no paint scheme, they were simply painted the same colour all over, red, green and blue being the most common.

In the late 1980s Belarus tractors gained a paint livery of cream/ white, cream wheels, with a red chassis, this remained until the late 1990s when it changed to red with a black chassis and cream wheels (later silver). A green alternative to the red was available for some markets during the 2000s (decade).

While blue with a black chassis is currently the livery for the more basic 2wd cabless models.

Up to the 1950s MTZ had not produced wheeled tractors, tracked crawler tractors being more common. These early tractors were essentially re-claimed tanks, with the gun turret removed and a flatbed, winch, crane or dozer blade added, the tractors seeing more use on land reclamation and forestry applications rather than agriculture. This was largely due to the tanks being unsuitable for large scale cultivation as their engine, transmission and track reliability was poor due to them not being designed for pulling loads for long periods as required in agriculture. New designs were put into production during 1950 and the new MTZ wheeled tractor was born. These tractors were built to the three main concepts of Soviet engineering- reliability, simplicity and value for money.

During the Cold War, the Belarus Tractors that were sold in western markets were infamous for their low quality compared to western manufacturers tractors. The Soviets incapacity to build tractors with quality materials became to symbolize the failure of Communism in the 1980s, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Often the tractor factories could not obtain quality materials and these were made with inferior components. The quality of rubber seals, gaskets and paint was particularly poor in the early 1990s. The Belarus name suffered much during this time, but with a higher investment level between the 1990-2000 decades the name had a significant “relaunching” and now offer a high quality product that meets European and North American standards.

Some 3 million tractors were built in the Minsk Tractor Works from 1948. In 2010, distribution of Belarus tractors in United States and Canada was re-established through a local distributor “MTZ Equipment Ltd”.

One of the contributing factors was the fact that the factory started making tractors with compression ignition diesel engines matching the current emissions standards, including Tier 3/4i/4 (United States/ Canada) and Euro 3a, 3b, 4 for emission standards in Europe.

In February 2014, the MTZ brand made its first appearance at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky, with the MTZ 1220 tractor model.* A

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Plus Model 1:35 Belarus Tractor • Kit No. PM35338

ASSEMBLY B Plus Model’s Belarus Tractor is

not an easy build due to the large number of parts and unusual construction sequences that require parts not to be glued together before painting. It is also better to exchange some parts such as rods of actuators with scratch built parts made from brass tube, because the resin ones might not be straight for sure, as they are long and thin parts.

A couple of parts need to be straightened, but with a resin kit this is not a big deal. This material shapes nicely under the influence of heat, so it’s enough to dip it into hot water for a while or warm it up with hair dryer, then you can form it easily.

Plus Model includes a DVD with plenty of original vehicle reference that is very useful, especially in the case of pneumatic pipelines that are all over the model and need to be made from wire. Some say it is better to do this with brass tube that is more rigid than wire, but I decided to use wire that is easier to bend into position, although some folds that aren’t desirable might occur. If you are delicate enough though, you can avoid them.

Summarising the building stage, it isn’t an easy kit but if you have some experience with resin, you should be able to handle it without too much trouble. ■

Plus Model’s Belarus Tractor is made up from mainly resin components

Photo-etched parts are also included.

The sub-assemblies are not glued together at this stage. This makes painting easier, but construction more complex.

Pneumatic hoses were added from soft copper wire.

The digger is test-fitted to the back of the vehicle.

Ready for paint!

Hoses and wires were added to the engine compartment too.

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PAINTING

I started painting by airbrushing a few layers of Tamiya Linoleum Deck Brown that work as a base coat for future chipping and primer. With the benefit of hindsight, maybe it would have been better to use something darker in the case of a red vehicle that doesn’t make the big contrast between both.

Over the prepared base I next applied three coats of heavy chipping fluid from Ammo, and start painting the white parts of cab that were painted with white Tamiya diluted with Ammo Thinner for Acrylics, due to the fact that the paint may be scraped off more easily if you use dedicated thinner. Sometimes I use water as well, but for me paint diluted with this thinner is smoother and flows better throw my airbrush.

Finally, I was able to airbrush the red base. I added a little bit of white and orange to make it a bit faded. While using a heavy chipping fluid, it is safer to apply the base colour heavily diluted in many thin coats. This will protect you from crackling the paint, as that probably isn’t the effect that you want to achieve!

I decide to multiply rust colours over the areas where most of it would be visible.

For that I use diluted Lifecolor Rust Set, applied with a sponge.

Next, I started working on chipping over the cab. I did it early so that I was able to secure those parts with clear from Tamiya.

By adding more white and yellow paint I created some colour modulation.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Plus Model 1:35 Belarus Tractor • Kit No. PM35338

I am a big fan of this technique if it isn’t too contrasty, although you need to remember that whole model will become darker and unified after the weathering.

I then applied a filter from heavy diluted clear red to blend everything and make colour deeper.

Now I was able to start working on the chipping process. Here I use an old stiff brush, sharpened tooth pick and sometimes a scalpel. First I moisten the surface with water (or if the paint doesn’t want to go I mix water with some ammo cleaner), give it a bit time, and start rubbing it with a brush.

After chipping over the scratches some bright areas may appear, but after the clear varnishes, it simply disappears.

If you want to do some long thin scratches, use a toothpick or scalpel, but you need to be careful it’s easy to damage a base so it needs to be done very delicately.

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The tyres were first primed with black, then I brightened them a bit with Tamiya German Grey and White. Actuators were painted with Alcad polished aluminium.

To end the painting stage I varnished everything.

On the places that weren’t exposed and cab I used clear and on the rest of the elements semi-flat was applied. Don’t forget about Alcad metalizers that need to varnished before working with enamels and oil products.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Plus Model 1:35 Belarus Tractor • Kit No. PM35338

WEATHERING

I start the weathering process by applying an enamel wash. Here I decided to use three colours: Medium Grey over white areas; Dark Wash over the excavator, lower hull and engine parts, that were about to be the dirtiest ones and Brown Wash for the green vehicles over hood.

I applied the wash with a small brush over all panel lines and depressions to expose them.

To begin with the engine I painted the exhaust collector rusty.

I used Lifecolor rust set for this. Firstly, I painted it with base rust, then I applied other colour with a sponge and as a wash with small brush.

After couple of minutes it was wiped with another brush moistened with odourless thinner.

Some engine grease was applied to the entire engine, the most where I can find on the photos dirt and old oils were likely to accumulate. Then everything was blended with a brush moistened in odourless thinner.

The dial lenses were given some Vallejo Still Water that would nicely imitate the glass that can be found there in real vehicle.

To add some wet spots, I speckled engine oil and painted a few stains over pumps and infusions where oil might be spilled.

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I could now finally glue the hood and front fuel tanks, which was very helpful in the next weathering stages.

“

During the Cold War, the Belarus Tractors that were sold in western markets were infamous for their low quality compared to western manufacturers tractors.

”

Over the prior exhaust, painted previously with polished aluminium, I added some general rust spots with a sponge over the edges.

To make the rust more realistic I applied a little bit of oil wash brown over the biggest spot of chips with sponge and then it was blended with wet brush.

Some tinier and subtle speckles were added with a bit more diluted paint applied with a brush.

Over the biggest scratches, some oil wash brown paint was applied with a sponge, mostly over white parts, because on red it wasn’t really visible. After a while I blended it carefully with brush, achieving nice looking eruptions of rust that reduces contrast between white and rusty scratch.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Plus Model 1:35 Belarus Tractor • Kit No. PM35338

The places that are visible were covered with some oil. I prepared for the later steps by applying some engine grease.

After a couple of minutes they were blended, so I achieved a nice grease effect that will be visible through the dust layers as darker spots, and will be a base for future wet spots that are characteristic to most construction equipment that require regular lubrication.

Finally it was time for some dust. I like to work with Tamiya enamels that give me a lot of control when applying from the airbrush. I can easily change the level of how dusty the vehicle is with thinner. I start this process by applying a layer of from my airbrush all over the model.

After couple of minutes I blend the previously applied layer. On the vertical surfaces I usually use a flat brush, which helps creating the rain marks. You need to think more in the places where you will later apply more mud or earth. Here I blend it by cleaning the open surfaces, and where it wouldn’t probably accumulated and left more in all the nooks and crannir. It’s good to repeat this process few times to ensure the best effect

When it comes to the cab, the most dirt was probably on the floor. Here I work mostly with pigments. Firstly I apply some mix of European Earth and Dark Earth all over, but not too much. It’s harder to get rid of them later than to add more.

“

Summarising the building stage, it isn’t an easy kit but if you have some experience with resin you will do it without too much trouble.

”

The pigments were blended and fixed with odourless thinner, that spreads it nicely and give you opportunity to place the pigment where you want. I prefer to use thinner than dedicated pigment fixer in such places because it gives me more opportunity for changes and longer working time.

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When it was dry I applied some engine oil over the pipeline installation where you can find the some was always spilled. I prefer to thin it a bit and apply in many layers.

Coming back to the chassis, some pigments were applied in a similar way as in the cab. This time I used less. It was done mostly to different colour of dust and earth.

I decided to use Dry Light Soil and Turned Earth, but adding some darker becomes more realistic.

I speckled some engine oil over the chassis and wheel arches. In places close to the engine and equipment that needs oil to work properly, I added more with a brush so it looks as if it was soaked with oil.

I applied same mud effects to the wheels. Here I diluted it a bit with odourless thinner and then applied all over. After a couple of minutes, when it was dry, I wiped it with a wet brush mostly from the insides of the tread so the most stayed in the corners.

The thicker mud was done with MUD from AMMO. I applied a tiny quantity with an old brush. Before I tapped it over the model I wiped the brush on paper towel as I would have done for dry brushing.

I decided to speckle heavy diluted mix of previously used MUD on the side of wheels, so it stays in place with the rest.

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Plus Model 1:35 Belarus Tractor • Kit No. PM35338

To comlete the work on the wheels I applied a trickle of mud. For such precise and small thing acrylics are better than enamel paints. Using a tiny brush, I painted lines of mud with heavy diluted warm sand-yellow paint.

Finally I could glue the windows using Bondic glue that doesn’t leave any marks as super glue used to. When everything was folded, I drew a mask for the wiper trace with an callipers and cut it with a fresh edge.

Over the windows, some heavy diluted enamels were used before airbrushing in much smaller quantities than over the rest of vehicle.

Rain marks were added with vertical moves of a soaked brush.

Next I speckled some Engine Oil, this is darker and shinier so it gives nice contrast to the previously applied layer of grease.

To imitate the oil marks I airbrushed some Engine Grease and blended it a bit. You can add some dark pigment to increase the facture as I did here too.

To finish I mixed Engine Oil with black pigment and applied it to the centre of the oil spots.

Finally I could piece the painted subassemblies together, add pipes and call it ready. The mud on the dozer blade was done like the chassis. Oil streaks from the tanks were done in same way as the oil spots on scoop.

Detail of the weathering on the rear of the vehicle.

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A view from the top

Engine oil and grease effects are impressive on the finished model.

Dust on the wheels and windows is subtly done.

The completed model.

Mini Modelspec Plus Model 1:35 Belarus Tractor. Kit No. PM35338 ✓ High level of detail; appealing subject ✗ Experience with resin kits will be helpful Available from Plus Model kits are available online from their website and from specialist hobby shops worldwide www.plusmodel.cz * Historical summary adapted from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus_(tractor) It’s not an easy build, but Plus Model’s 1:35 scale Belarus Tractor is an impressive model.

Rating

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KIT PREVIEW

Dragon 1:35 Jagdpanzer 38(t) ‘Hetzer’ w/15cm s.IG.33/32(SF) • Kit No. 6489

Dragon has released another unique version of the Hetzer, this time fitted with the 15cm s.IG. 33 howitzer. Andy King takes a close look.

HETZER HOWITZER T

he Jagdpanzer 38(t) chassis was developed into a few versions, one of which was the infantry support vehicle mounting a 15cm howitzer. Based on the Bergepanzer 38(t) the superstructure and front glacis plate were to be altered to accommodate the 15cm howitzer and give the crew some protection from small arms fire.

I say ‘were’, as it is assumed that production commenced in December 1944 with only a total of 30 chassis made, six being conversions and 24 new-build vehicles which some reference books state, however some historians also point out that no records exist as to whether they were built and if any entered service and the few photographs available only show the prototype so you will have to make your own mind up.

Twelve sprues in grey styrene are included as well as a small fret of etched metal, a small decal sheet and an aluminium turned barrel that has rather nice rifling detail inside it which is something I haven’t seen in a Dragon kit for a while.

As is normal with a Dragon kit, you get a variety of sprues from different kits such as the Bison H, Bison M, SIG 33 and of course the Jagdpanzer 38(t) and this of course means that a lot of parts will be destined for the spares box. The only new sprue is for the superstructure sides, ammo storage box and exhaust.

All parts are well moulded with only a slight amount of flash and seam lines present. The interior seems to be fairly well detailed for what you can see inside and should look busy enough. One thing to point out is when fitting

the transmission into the hull do not glue parts K10 until it’s in place.

Tracks are of the link-andlength type and come ready moulded with track sag which

View from the top.

Side view of the new superstructure.

Rifled gun barrel.

Radio detail is moulded into the rear firewall.

Photo-etched parts and generic decals.

is a fairly good compromise between individual links and the rubber band flash riddled DS Vinyl things. To fit them I would put the wheels, sprockets and idlers loose on their axles, glue the tracks to them, leave to set thoroughly and then remove them as sub-assemblies to aid painting later. I would also do this before fitting the upper hull.

Colours and markings are for three vehicles, all from unidentified units (which is usually a giveaway as to whether these vehicles existed). One is overall Dunkelgelb (Dark Yellow) and the other two in three tone schemes (one of which has a winter

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whitewash finish) with markings limited to just three balkenkreuz (German crosses).

As with the Jagdpanzer 38(t) and 2cm Flak I reviewed in an earlier issue I’m still waiting for

one that actually existed such as the flame thrower version or better still a Bergepanzer recovery vehicle as potentially this is a borderline ‘paper panzer’ or ‘1946 what-if’ so your guess is as good as mine as to whether this is an actual vehicle. Then again I suppose it is easier to re-use bits from other kits and put them out for fans of the ‘what-if’ at the moment rather than design new parts. Or am I being too cynical? ■

Detail parts.

Thanks to The Hobby Company Limited for the sample www.hobbyco.net Link and length tracks.

13/04/2017 10:27

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10/01/2017 13:17

FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. M3 Tank Lee • Kit No. 35039

BURMA LEE Jim Turner corrects and improves Tamiya’s venerable 1:35 scale M3 Lee.

I

built Tamiya’s M3 Grant back in 1973 when it was first issued.

My recollections were of an enjoyable build of what was at the time a state of the art kit, so when Tamiya reissued both the Lee and Grant a few years ago I added them to my stash.

The incentive to start this build was actually a Tamiya M4 Sherman ‘Early Type’, from which I had nicked the headlamp brush guards to complete another build, leaving me with the incomplete Sherman.

I then remembered that the early cast road wheels of the M3 kits were incorrect - they are moulded with six spokes but should have five. The Sherman could be used as a donor for both the Lee and Grant as it included both the cast five-spoked type suitable for a desert Grant and the pressed solid six-spoked ones as used on many Lees.

With that problem solved, another necessary correction that I was aware of was the well-known problem with the tracks. The end connectors are rather inexplicably positioned centrally on the tread blocks rather than joining adjacent blocks. I suspect that this was done to help with the flexibility of the vinyl track, though contrary to some suggestions this kit was never motorised.

GETTING STUCK IN I thought I would have a go at the Lee, having never built one before.

Naively thinking that I would just need to correct the suspension, I was soon disappointed! The rear end of the hull is where Tamiya really got in a muddle. The Lee hull rear plate, exhaust system and deep engine deck overhang are features of the diesel-engined M3A5 (although the fan blast deflector is missing), while the engine deck itself, common to both kits, is from the Wright

radial-powered M3. This mistake is hard to fathom, especially when the correct rear end configuration is provided in the Grant kit, albeit with a late variant exhaust system not appropriate for the Western Desert!

I had also read somewhere that the kit dimensions are suspect.

R. P. Hunnicutt’s ‘Sherman – A History of the American Medium Tank’ includes a substantial chapter on the M3 including 4-view plans of each major model. These are reproduced to 1:48 scale, so I scanned them into the computer and reprinted them with a scaling of 1.37 to get 1:35 scale, then compared the major components to these plans. The lower hull turns out to be 2mm too wide, while the length, measured axle to axle from the drive sprocket to the rear idler, is spot on. The upper hull is about 1mm wider than the plans, while the superstructure is about 1mm too tall. The most significant error is the length of the engine deck, which is 4.5mm too long, resulting in the rear hull sides tapering too far and so being too shallow at the rear. The superstructure deck is also slightly too far forward, in turn making the lower glacis angle slightly too steep. I found that the turret height, diameter and front face slope all agree with the plans; however the curve between the roof and sides is noticeably too round. The dimensional problems would be hard to fix, it all comes down to personal choice as to whether they can be lived with.

Personally I find it acceptable if the model looks like what it is supposed to be. The rear deck is significantly overlong, but I’m not sure that it would attract attention unless pointed out so I can just about live with it. As far as the rest is concerned, nothing looks beyond fixing with some plastic card and a Tamiya M4 Sherman!

A

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ttened from

FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. M3 Tank Lee • Kit No. 35039

The butchered Sherman hull and separated idler bracket. The bracket is in two parts, one moulded with the hull side and one on the rear plate. The parts were roughly cut out and thinned down with a file.

The Lee hull with its undersized idler bracket (what were Tamiya thinking?) and the more accurate Sherman part, the Lee bracket was simply removed with a razor saw and file, taking care not to lose adjacent rivet detail.

The cast differential housing was devoid of any texture so I added some by liberally painting it with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and repeatedly pressing the surface with coarse grade abrasive paper. Repeating the process increases the degree of roughness.

B RESEARCH

The next question was which vehicle to model? I wanted to do something less obvious than the almost inevitable US Army machine in Tunisia, and I settled on a tank of the ‘forgotten’ 14th Army in Burma. Long after being withdrawn from service at the end of the campaign North Africa, five British armoured regiments equipped with Lees and a few Grants saw action in Burma, from the defence of the ‘Admin Box’ in February 1944 to the end of the campaign in May 1945. They operated very successfully in the infantry support role subordinated to two of the three Indian Armoured Brigades that took part in the campaign to re-take Burma, one brigade being attached to each of the three Corps of 14th Army.

The only commercial decal options for Burma M3s that I could find are on Echelon sheet ALT352006, which includes markings for six Lees of C Squadron, 150th Regiment, Royal

Various wheels. The top two rows are from the Sherman kit - two styles of drive sprocket and two sets of road wheels (six-spoked pressed and five-spoked cast steel types), and the pressed steel idler. Bottom row shows the set provided in the Lee kit including the incorrect six-spoked cast road wheels. Photographs and the Hunicutt plans show that the pressed steel wheels were combined with a six-spoked cast type rear idler, so I used the Lee parts. I also used the Lee drive sprockets as the larger bolt heads seemed to better match photographs. On the left are the Sherman and Lee return rollers, I used the Sherman ones as they were better moulded.

Armoured Corps. Although I bought the sheet, in the end I didn’t use it as such, mainly because I didn’t really like the look of the unique and distinctive extra armour that this regiment added to the rear flanks of their vehicles, salvaged from Stuart Light Tanks. Having scoured the web and all the books I could muster for photographs, and even visited the Imperial War Museum Photo Archive in London, I decided to model a tank belonging to the 3rd Carabiniers.

This seems to be by far the most photographed Lee regiment in the campaign, however it soon became apparent that the tanks were highly individual in terms of stowage and fittings, and that allround photographic coverage of a single vehicle just wasn’t available.

I picked as my subject a vehicle photographed from the front left quarter that showed many of the significant points of variation, the rear and right hand side features would have to be based on educated guesswork.

Although some sources suggest that the diesel-powered M3A4 variant was used in Burma, all the photographs I could find show middle to late production Wright R-975 radial-engined M3 types, with fishtail exhausts and large external air filters, the latter sometimes covered by rectangular armour plates welded over them.

The Carabiniers seem to have had a mixture of tanks armed with either the short, counterweighted 75mm M2 gun or the longer, plainbarrelled 75mm M3. The Tamiya Lee kit comes with the very early short 75mm M2 gun without the counterweight; I decided to model a long-barrelled example so that I could use the Sherman kit gun barrel. The side-doors on the hull were deleted in late production vehicles; examples both with and without are seen, but the majority seem to have them. The commander’s cupola was not popular in British service and often replaced by a rotating split hatch of the type fitted to

On the left are the rear end parts taken from the Sherman kit: the idler brackets, track tensioner assemblies and the rear engine access doors. On the right, top to bottom, are the Lee kit rear plate, the Grant kit part and the plastic card replacement. The angled lower section of the rear plate was cut from the original kit part and dimensions for the plastic card plate were taken from the Grant part. The door hinges were cut from the Sherman rear plate and glued on using the doors as a template, I did this first so as not to lose them!

The commander’s hatch from the Grant kit and the Maskol mould used to cast a resin copy. Of course I could have sacrificed the Grant kit and used the original part.

the Grant. In cases where the cupola was retained it appears that the 0.30cal machine gun was not fitted. Later production M3s were fitted with three roof ventilators of the type fitted to the Sherman, these are often evident in photographs but in many cases it is hard to tell; though it would seem like a basic requirement for operating in the tropics! A specifically British modification that was made to Grants was the addition of a driver’s periscope mounted on the superstructure roof in front of the turret and a second one on the turret hatch for the commander; these are also evident in many photographs of Burma Lees. Another British mod commonly seen was the addition of a twin 4-inch smoke bomb thrower to the left hand side of the turret.

The radio antenna fit seems to be unique to British Lees in the Burma Theatre, and was probably done in local workshops in India.

The standard British No.19 Set would have been fitted in the

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The Lee mantlet and Sherman 75mm M3 gun barrel. The length of the Sherman barrel exactly matched the plans, to make the locating peg on the barrel fit the hole in the mantlet it was packed with scraps of 30-thou plastic card.

A row of rivets is missing from each side of the engine deck which would have been partially covered by the original stowage boxes. To add the missing rivets, a row of holes was drilled using a pin vice and 0.75mm bit, Short lengths of plastic rod were then inserted and glued in place.

The turret shell after being given a rough texture with liquid poly and coarse abrasive. In retrospect, I should have done something about the curvature of the turret edge.

The rods were cut down to about half a millimetre and rounded off using 600 Grade Wet & Dry abrasive. Holding the abrasive vertically and dragging the edge over the rods takes off the corners to leave a rounded ‘rivet’.

“

As on the real tank, the back plate does not meet the underside of the engine deck, the gap being covered by a mesh grille. I used some Aber generic brass mesh cut to size with scissors. To give some rigidity to the mesh, I added a couple of reinforcing plates from 30-thou plastic card. These are concealed behind the air filter boxes when the hull is assembled.

The panels to form the stowage boxes were cut from 30-thou plastic card using a steel straight edge and a hobby knife. Getting everything square is more important than exact dimensions (although getting both right is a good thing!) Cutting the parts from a single strip of card ensures that they are identical in one dimension, and then the other sides were cut using the first off as a template. Ensure that one is a template for all the others or it is guaranteed they won’t be the same!

I didn’t intend to go to massive cost and effort to create a perfect replica, however I hope that it is a model that is representative of the Lee tanks that so successfully operated in Burma.

”

hull, there being no space in the turret, its preferred location.

This radio had two antennas, one for an HF signal, with a range of about a thousand yards for troop communication, and one for VHF with about a ten mile range for communicating with higher HQ. The antennas are usually seen fitted on or about the front left fender; the exact position varies, depending on the regiment. One antenna usually seems to be mounted on the end of a substantial pole, probably to overcome ‘blanking’ by the hull, not a problem with turret mounts.

The original and redundant US antenna mount on the left rear of the superstructure was often left in place.

Most vehicles were fitted with the ‘solid’ pressed steel six-spoked wheels and either the British manufactured WE210 ‘Double-I’ pattern rubber block track or what appears to be US T-51 plain rubber block track, although it is very possible that the latter are actually WE210 tracks worn smooth. In fact

track wear is very evident in many cases, some being so bad that the steel skeleton is partially exposed.

The stowage bin arrangements are very variable on photographed Burma Lees. They were most likely delivered with the standard US Army fit as supplied by Tamiya, with a pair of US-type stowage boxes one each side of the engine deck, a few photographs show one or both of these fitted. Most show the left hand bin replaced by a larger and more irregularly shaped one, with a lid that seems to slope down to the rear and left.

This is not the same as the British bin fitted to the Grant, which is much smaller. Some vehicles have the right hand bin replaced by a large ammunition box or just absent. Also frequently seen are the British pattern grouser boxes, fitted to the rear of the sponsons above the back fenders, either on one or both sides. When fitted, the rear lights were deleted.

My chosen subject was photographed moving at speed on

a dirt road through scrubby terrain throwing up a considerable amount of dust. It has the longer M3 75mm gun and the Commander’s cupola is deleted. A bracket for twin 4-inch smoke bomb launchers is mounted, but only a single launcher is fitted.

The periscopes and the roof ventilators are present, as are the side doors. Two bases for the No. 19 radio set antennas are mounted around the front left fender but only one antenna is fitted – almost certainly that for the short range transceiver. It appears as though only one of the twin hull-mounted 0.30cal Brownings is fitted, a common modification as they were considered nearly useless anyway. The tank is fitted with WE210 tracks and three such pads are held in a rack on the glacis; the wheels are of the pressed solid-spoked type. The large stowage box is fitted on the left of the engine deck and behind it is possibly a grouser bin, although it is hard to tell because of the dust cloud. A large white star is

clearly visible on the front left side at an apparently odd angle.

A census number is also present on the hull side below the stowage bin but it is not readable due to the dust and poor focus. Finally an interesting and unidentified marking is present alongside the driver’s visor, consisting of a dark (black?) disc with a vertical white bar superimposed on it. As no other image is attributable to this vehicle, rear and right side views are of necessity speculative.

However, several photographs show the rear of other Lees of the Carabiniers, so I was able to make a few educated guesses.

CONSTRUCTION Given the limitations of the basic kit, I wanted to keep the aftermarket expenditure to a minimum. Changing the tracks was a must, my only other investments were an Aber 37mm M6 gun barrel (35 L-103) and 0.30cal Browning machine gun barrel (35 L-62) as both of these parts were poorly

A

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. M3 Tank Lee • Kit No. 35039

The large stowage box and pair of grouser boxes were made from 30-thou plastic card with hinges and catches from 10-thou card, dimensions were estimated. The spare track rack is made from three pads from the Panda track set glued together without end connectors, surrounded by a frame made from strips of 30- and 10-thou plastic card. I based it on the photograph and a similar frame on a Dragon British Sherman.

Some small scratchbuilt parts: the two antenna mounts and the 2in smoke bomb thrower.

The tarpaulin rolls were made from a cylinder of Milliput 2-Part Epoxy Putty (Yellow/Grey). To get the rolled end effect I roughly wrapped a sheet of heavy paper around a rat-tailed file and pressed this ‘die’ into the end of the Milliput. This works best when the putty is slightly cured and then doesn’t stick to the paper.

To get a fabric effect I then rolled up the Milliput cylinder in some fine cotton fabric, in this case an old fitted bedsheet, and gently squeezed it to impress the texture and to slightly flatten it. The gathered seam imparts the impression of the edge of the tarp. Be sure to use an old sheet as wives/girlfriends/mothers usually seem to think that this is not a legitimate use for current bedding.

Stowage boxes fixed in place, retaining straps were added from 10-thou plastic card. The upper strap on the grouser boxes unavoidably sits too low because of the excessive taper of the rear hull side.

The completed rear end, note the infilled sponsons and cut down engine deck overhang plate.

B done in the kit. All the other modifications were either pillaged from the Sherman or scratch built.

The rear idler mounting plates moulded on the lower hull sides are substantially undersized so they were removed with a razor saw and file and the rectangular holes above them intended to accept the back plate locating lugs were filled. The Grant kit has the correct hull back plate that could be used, but it made more sense to use as much of the Sherman as possible as the detail is better. The angled section at the base of the Lee kit rear plate was cut off and fitted to the hull; the remainder of the rear plate was formed from a rectangle of 30-thou (0.75mm) plastic card, cut using the Grant part as a template. The rear engine access doors and hinges and the box air filters were taken from the Sherman kit and positioned using the Hunnicutt plans. The fishtail exhausts were taken from the Grant kit; these were the only

parts I used from that kit as they would not be needed to make a desert Grant. The exhausts are slightly undersized, but they are inconspicuous under the large air filters. The Sherman rear idler mountings are moulded on the hull sides and rear plate, they were roughly cut out then sanded flush so that they could be simply surface mounted on the Lee hull.

The Sherman parts also include the track tensioning mechanism that is missing from the Lee and Grant kits. The M3A5 style rear deck overhang of the kit was cut down to match the M3 overhang in the Hunnicut plans. Between the top of the rear plate and the engine deck underside is a gap covered by a mesh grille. For this I used a section cut from Aber photo-etched brass square mesh (S10). Cutting it is rather more difficult than for normal photoetched brass parts, I found the best way to do it is using scissors.

A couple of scraps of 30-thou card

added some rigidity to the fragile mesh, positioned such that they are concealed by the air filters when the upper hull is fitted.

Before fitting the upper and lower hull together I filled the hollow sponson undersides with 30-thou card, this is rather necessary as the sponson undersides are quite visible even when the track is fitted. The transmission cover is completely smooth, so to give some impression of a cast surface I liberally painted it with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement then repeatedly pressed coarse grade abrasive paper onto it. After a few presses, the surface became tacky and was left to harden. The process can then be repeated as necessary to give a nicely roughed up finish.

The suspension was a hybrid of Lee bogie assemblies and Sherman wheels. The bogie units themselves have suffered from mould wear, front detail is still good but the joint between the front and back needs clamping

firmly and is difficult to clean up.

An ideal solution would have been to use a Tasca replacement M3/ Early M4 suspension set, but I couldn’t justify the expenditure!

The bogie faces should be the style with a horizontal rib, this was added using plastic rod.

Photographs and the Hunicutt plans show that the pressed steel wheels were combined with a sixspoked cast type rear idler, so I used the Lee idlers. I also used the Lee drive sprockets as the larger bolt heads seemed to better match photographs. Return rollers are from the Sherman as they are better moulded.

As already mentioned, the kit tracks are beyond fixing, so changing them is necessary.

There are several aftermarket options for WE210 tracks, I used a set from Panda Plastics (www. shermantracks.com) which look accurate and are quite buildable, unlike some others in my opinion.

The Panda treads have blocks

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Combining the Lee bogies with the Sherman wheels was straightforward; however neither set of parts was ideal. The wheels had a prominent mould join around the centre of the tread which had to be sanded off; they are also hollow, with no reverse face. The bogies are of simple construction, just a front and back sandwiching a simplified volute spring assembly. This actually doesn’t look too bad when assembled, apart from the poor and inaccessible joint on top that I concealed during the weathering. To close the gap it was necessary to clamp the two halves together firmly while the glue set.

The completed turret with additions comprising the Aber 0.30cal and 37mm gun barrels, the scratchbuilt smoke bomb thrower and cast resin hatch and ventilator.

The completed bogie assembly dimensions matched the Hunnicutt plans.

The tank I was modelling was fitted with the cast bogie style that has a horizontal rib. I added this from plastic rod filed flat on one side and fixed in place with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, which partially melts the plastic rod and blends it into the surface. When fully hardened (overnight) a file was used to take the rod down to the level of the existing ribs.

To represent the machine-gun barrels and the 37mm gun counterweight Tamiya provide identical parts that look like neither! The former was replaced by an Aber 0.30cal Browning barrel, while the latter is a piece of scrap iron wire that I think was once a firework sparkler handle! The hatch periscope is just a piece of round sprue filed to shape and mounted on a 10-thou plastic card disc.

The suspension components were temporarily clipped into place and the tracks assembled and fitted then fixed with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, just leaving the links that fit around the drive sprocket and idler free to pivot to allow removal. The tracks were then painted and could be slipped back over the wheels and fixed with cyanoacrylate. The joint is best positioned on the drive sprocket as this holds the end connectors in place.

with integral pivot pins onto which the end connectors push fit, these can be a little tight and I was concerned about snapping the pins or bending the fragile end connector teeth. The safest way to assemble them I found was to gently position the end connector loosely on the pin then to push the tread block firmly downward into the end connector against a flat surface. With two tread blocks fitted to the end connector, the opposite side connector is fitted in the same way. Once a few treads are assembled the track can be straightened by laying it on a flat surface and pushing down on the tread centres with a straight edge.

I found that the Panda tracks fitted the Tamiya drive sprockets with no problems. The road wheels are narrower than the track treads and there is a significant gap between the track teeth and the wheels, this is in fact correct.

Although not visible on my chosen tank, engine decks were

The excellent Panda Plastics WE210 track set shown with a section assembled.

invariably cluttered and I wanted to replicate this. Because of the clutter, it is impossible to tell if any pioneer tools are fitted; I added the spade, pick-axe handle and axe. In all cases I used the tools from the Sherman kit as they are the same but better moulded.

I used the right hand stowage bin from the kit and fabricated the large left hand bin from plastic card. Dimensions were estimated from photos, the outer edge is flush with the side of the tank, while the inner edge is just short of the join between the central deck plate and the sloping side plate, exposing a row of rivets that are missing from the kit. Although indistinct, it looks like at least the left hand grouser box is present and I decided to make the pair, usefully concealing the rather poor fit of the sponson end plates.

The profile was copied from the instructions for the Echelon decal sheet (!) not exactly a scale plan but it looks about right.

All the major assemblies just prior to painting.

“Given the limitations of the basic kit, I wanted to keep the aftermarket expenditure to a minimum.

”

Using the same construction method, I also added what I presume is an infantry telephone to the left side of the engine deck overhang, and also a couple of loose ammunition boxes. These were commonly used as extra stowage and I could have easily added more, but they are rather labour intensive to make! The smaller of the two is a B166 Mk.2 grenade box which was very common and sometimes seen welded to the turret or glacis. The larger one is a D370 ammunition box. dimensions for both were found on a militaria collectors website (www. bocn. co.uk.) the boxes are again made from 30-thou plastic card and the stamped surface patterns were added as a 10-thou plastic card overlay, sanded down after application to reduce the thickness and then the edges softened with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. Catches and carry handles were made from thin wire.

The British ‘jerry can’ is surplus from an AFV Club Centurion and the US oil drum is from the Sherman. A couple of tarpaulins were made from Milliput 2-part epoxy putty, lashed with ropes made from painted sewing thread.

The turret has a bracket for a pair of 4-inch smoke bomb throwers but only one is fitted, conveniently saving the need to make two! Early versions such as that fitted to the Matilda had a firing mechanism based on the 0.303 Lee-Enfield rifle breech; those fitted in Burma seem to be much simpler with just a plain box-like firing mechanism. For the barrel I used a section of sprue drilled out at one end, while the firing mechanism is made from plastic card attached to the barrel with a length of 0.8mm piano wire.

The bracket is a piece of brass sheet (formerly a T-34 fender) cut, filed and bent to shape, and the whole thing is assembled with cyanoacrylate glue. Still on the

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FEATURE ARTICLE

Tamiya 1:35 U.S. M3 Tank Lee • Kit No. 35039

Added details at the front end: fender supports and tripod brackets are 10-thou plastic card, the scratchbuilt antenna mounts, spare track box and cast resin ventilator and periscope are in place, as is the 75mm gun barrel from the Sherman. The grab handles over the side doors have been replaced with 0.8mm piano wire. A single 0.30cal hull machine gun muzzle has been added from a short length of steel hypodermic tubing, rather than waste an Aber barrel for just the tip!

Everything airbrush painted prior to final assembly. The main colour is S.C.C. 13 ‘Jungle Green’. Tracks and tyres are painted Humbrol 67 Tank Grey. The track end connectors got a drybrushing of 87 Steel Grey to highlight them, but this completely disappeared under the subsequent weathering! Note the gap between the superstructure roof and rear plate is still unfilled. I had left this to represent the joint on the real vehicle, but after painting I realised that it didn’t look at all authentic, so the area was gently rubbed down, filled with Squadron Green Putty and then the paint job repaired.

The ‘Arm of Service’ square was similarly masked and sprayed, colours are Humbrol 112 Field Blue and 110 Natural Wood.

B turret, the machine gun cupola was replaced by a split hatch which was a polyurethane resin copy of the Grant kit hatch; the mould was made by coating the original part with Humbrol Maskol and that was used to cast the replica part with Polycraft SG2000 2-Part Polyurethane Casting Resin (mbfg.co.uk). The hatch lacks the periscope which I fabricated from sprue. I made a resin duplicate of this for the driver’s periscope as this was easier than trying to cut and file another one to exactly the same shape. Ventilators are clearly visible in the photograph; these could have been cut from the Sherman kit but I decided to duplicate them in resin instead, simply because it was easier.

For the extended antenna base pole I used a 2cm long section of 21 Gauge (0.8mm) hypodermic tubing; over this, to represent the antenna mount I fitted a 3mm length of plastic tube wrapped

“Your tank is back from the paintshop, Lord Vader!” The main assemblies got a coat of Citadel Chaos Black Primer from the spray can to give a consistent surface to the resin, metal and plastic prior to painting. The Grant commander’s hatch turned out to be a little undersized, leaving a gap between the hatch and bolted outer ring that was too conspicuous, and so it was filled with a bead of resin. The joint between the roof and superstructure rear would also be attended to later.

with a sliver of 10-thou plastic card. The base was a spare from an AFV Club Centurion, drilled to accept the tubing; it may not be the exact same type but looks the part. The smaller antenna base was cast in polyurethane resin using my usual technique (the prototype being from an Academy Grant) and drilled to accept the antenna. This base was mounted on bracket on the armoured hull, a shaped piece of 30-thou card thinned down by about half represents the bracket and a single strand from a braided picture wire was used to represent the connecting cable.

The antenna itself is a 5.5cm length of guitar string.

PAINTING & MARKINGS The main colour choice is straightforward as all Commonwealth vehicles in the Burma/India Theatre were painted S.C.C. 13, unofficially known as ‘Jungle Green’, from 1943 on. This

Front view showing the masked and airbrush painted front marking. I made the mask from 18mm Tamiya Tape using a steel scribing template and pointed scalpel blade. A very lightly sprayed coat leaves no ‘edge’ when the mask is removed. The colour is actually a very dark blue mix rather than black, which can look too stark. The white bar was added later from scrap decal.

The various stowage items were temporarily stuck to bits of scrap sprue for painting. The oil drum was painted Humbrol 66 US Olive Drab, the ‘Jerry can’ and ammo boxes were 75 Bronze Green and the ‘tarps’ were 159 Khaki Drab. The fascine bundle was made from strips of 30-thou plastic card and wire; these small bundles are seen in a number of photos, but in the end I didn’t use it at I didn’t think it looked very convincing.

was mixed from Humbrol enamels: four parts 159 Khaki Drab to three parts 155 Olive Drab to one part 33 Black, the formula being provided

by Mike Starmer on the MAFVA website (www.mafva.net.) The Carabiniers applied an Arm-ofService mark to the rear of their vehicles on the right side of the engine deck overhang. It consisted of a two-coloured square divided horizontally – almost certainly dark blue over beige indicating a Tank Brigade, and a superimposed white number ‘4’indicating the regiment. The square was masked and sprayed, as was the dark disc of the glacis emblem. After painting the tools, the whole model was given a coat of Tamiya Acrylic Gloss X-22 and the decals applied. The white bar of the glacis emblem was a piece of scrap decal cut to shape, and the numeral on the Arm-of-Service square was also a decal from the spares box.

White stars were taken from the

Echelon sheet; the Carabiniers seem to have applied theirs with varying degrees of artistic merit, but the one that is visible appears to be well proportioned, if at an odd angle. The unseen right hand side star was placed in a typical position. There may be a star on the turret roof, it is possible that one point is just visible, but I couldn’t get the decal positioned convincingly so I left it off. I added a red circle decal to the turret rear, enclosing the number ‘11’ in white. This identifies it as a vehicle belonging to 11 Troop of C Squadron, red being the colour of the Carabiniers as the senior regiment of the brigade.

The marking is completely speculative for this vehicle, I added it to provide some colour, but photographs show that such markings were carried in this unusual location by at least some of the regiment’s tanks. Finally just visible on the hull side is

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Stowage glued in place with cyanoacrylate. The track section is some spare Panda links painted 66 Tank Grey with end connectors in 87 Steel Grey, then drybrushed with 56 Aluminium. The engine grille is partly covered by one of the tarp rolls; perhaps surprisingly this was often seen to be covered by stowage, in this case because the black-painted solid grille doesn’t look very realistic!

The finished model.

Weathering consisted mainly of a liberal coat of dust.

I didn’t intend to go to massive cost and effort to create a perfect replica, however I hope that it is a model that is representative of the Lee tanks that so successfully operated in Burma.

an unreadable white census number, other Carabiniers’ census numbers seem to be in the range T25xxx or T26xxx. I used a census number decal from the Echelon sheet and taking a lead from the photograph, obscured the unknown part with dust!

WEATHERING After a second coat of Tamiya X-22 to seal the decals, I applied some weathering. This consisted mainly of a liberal coat of dust.

Operation Capital, the campaign to re-take Burma, took place in the dry season when central Burma is extremely hot and dry.

Almost universally, photographs show tanks covered with a heavy coating of dust, and the photograph that I worked from shows a considerable dust cloud being thrown up. The colour of earth can be very characteristic of a region; I looked at several colour pictures of landscapes in

the Mandalay area, and many show dry earth with a very pale yellow to grey colour, I therefore opted for Humbrol 72 Khaki Drill.

The dust would be smoothly deposited on the vehicle as it moved along the dry dirt roads, but more heavily on lower surfaces.

Crew activity around hatches and upper surfaces would disturb it however, and some effort would be made to keep headlamps and vision devices clean. To simulate this, I applied a wash of Humbrol 72 heavily diluted with Humbrol Enamel Thinners by airbrush to give a uniform application, using a higher paint to thinner ratio for the suspension and undersides. I then cleaned off some areas by dabbing with a paper towel or a flat brush, particularly around the hatches – not forgetting the rear engine access doors, the rear decking where the crew would access the stowed kit and refuel the tank, and the stowage boxes

and stowage. Since there was little or no rain, I didn’t want to give a rain-streaked effect. I applied a particularly heavy covering to the rear hull sides to obscure the spurious census number; this is not too much of a liberty as it is clear from the photograph that much of the dust is raised at the rear by the track lifting off the ground as the tank moves forward. One feature of the M3/M4 suspension is that the track tends to pile dirt on the top of the bogie units. I simulated this by mixing Humbrol 72 with talc to a consistency stiff enough that does not run, and applied it to the top surfaces of the bogies with a small spatula. This had the added benefit of concealing the rather poor and inaccessible join between the front and back of the bogie units. I was concerned that using just a single colour for the dust would give too uniform a result, but the varying densities and textures of the ‘dust layer’ created an effect

that I was happy with. The whole model then got a sprayed coat of Humbrol Matt Cote diluted 1:1 with Humbrol Enamel Thinners.

Final touches were to add a worn effect to hatches and deck edges with an HB pencil, and some oil staining around the fuel filler caps and oil drum. This was achieved by applying some clear oil from an unstirred tin of Humbrol 02 Gloss Green with a small brush.

Due to the limitations of the base kit I didn’t intend to go to massive cost and effort to create a perfect replica, however I hope that it is a model that is representative of the Lee tanks that so successfully operated in Burma, two years after being considered obsolete elsewhere.

Finally, I would like to thank the staff of the Photographic Archive at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth, for their help with finding relevant material during my visit. ■

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KIT PREVIEW

TAMIYA 1:35 BRITISH INFANTRY TANK MK.III VALENTINE MK.II/IV • Kit No. 35352

BE MY VALENTINE?

Do we really need another 1:35 Valentine tank? After a close inspection of the sprues of Tamiya’s impressive new release, Marcus Nicholls thinks we do!

T

amiya’s next new 1:35 tank kit takes the form of the WW2 British Valentine Mk.II/IV tank, a distinctive-looking machine that served with the British in the north African desert and also with the Soviets through the Lend-Lease scheme. It’s important to note that the kit is all-new and not licensed release from MiniArt or AFV Club.

Tamiya have included link-andlength tracks for this release and they look superb. The upper runs (visible on the skirts-off Soviet machines) are moulded with a

very subtle weighted ‘sag’, with separate links provided for the idlers and drive-sprockets. The correct positioning of the tracks is vital and to help with this, the central return roller has a small peg moulded into it, onto which the upper run locates, so the track rests in the correct location.

The four suspension bogies feature individually moulded inner springs and the multi-diameter roadwheels are beautifully reproduced with the pressed steel patterns and a full set of boltheads. The hull is broken down into

Tracks are supplied as link and length

Some of the individual links.

individual panels to allow them to be moulded with maximum detail and for the same reason, the engine deck comes with separately-formed cooling ‘ribs’.

Three markings schemes are provided; one British vehicle No.3 (T.47242) from an unknown unit in the North African desert 1941/2 and two Soviet LendLease machines. For the former option, the side skirts are fitted and the tank is painted in overall desert sand (TS-46 Light Sand).

The markings are represented by waterslide decals as are,

interestingly, the leading edges of the front track guards, presumably for a neat and accurate result.

The two Soviet machines are in overall dark green (two parts XF-62 Olive Drab to one part XF-59 Desert Yellow) and come with turret markings for two unidentified Red Army units.

For these, the side skirts are left off, giving the model quite a different look. Please note, the kit reviewed here is a test-shot and is thus subject to change before final production. ■

Nice crisp track face detail.

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This is a test shot in grey plastic

Road wheel and idler detail.

The Valentine features two wheel sizes.

The final kit will likely be moulded in yellow.

Drive sprocket.

Deep rib texture for the outer sprockets

Hinge and port parts.

Two crew figures are included.

Exhaust part.

Forward upper hull.

The exhaust

Cast texture is included as appropriate.

Fine separate brackets.

Detai parts are beautifully moulded.

Markings for British and Soviet options.

The lower hull is moulded in one piece.

One of Tamiya’s factory builds.

Engine deck

Tamiya models and accessories are widely available from good model shops and online. UK import and distribution by The Hobby Company; www.hobbyco.net

Lower hull.

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SHOW REPORT

Shanghai Model Show 2017

I

spent an interesting and enjoyable New Year’s Day at the Shanghai Model Show in China.

The show was held over two days across three stories of a city exhibition centre. Modellers packed the venue and there was plenty for them to see and do with local and overseas model companies, after-market manufacturers and practical demonstrations on hand.

Highlights included Meng’s display, which included their brand new 1:35 scale King Tiger with Zimmerit.

The competition was large and entries were to an impressively high standard.

A number of presentations were made on the first day, including myself and David Parker.

China certainly boasts a vibrant modelling scene and has many talented modellers. It was great to be able to share some time with them on New Year’s Day. Thanks to Meng’s hospitality during and after the show www.meng-model.com * ■

SHANGHAI MODEL SHOW

2017

The Editor spends an interesting New Year’s Day at the Shanghai Model Show.

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1:35 scale Elefant in primer red.

Nashorn in winter camouflage.

Left: Modellers meeting in Shanghai.

EMEWE 1:72 scale kits.

Anest Iwata had a display of their airbrushes, G.W.H was on hand. which were also available for sale.

To the victor, the spoils. Trophies included a working airbrush on top!

Many of the manufacturers were new to me.

Three stories of modelling goodness!

Amusing Hobby were showing some new and forthcoming releases.

Meng’s new King Tiger and flexible Zimmerit coating.

Plenty of traders were at the show.

David Parker demonstrating his skills…

…to a full house.

Some interesting products were available.

The competition area included some very impressive models.

A number of ambitious dioramas were in competition.

Abrams.

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T P Y R C E H T M O R F TALES 48 Ausf. D Pakwagen • Item No. 62 Dragon 1:35 scale Sd.Kfz.251/22

PAKWAGEN ON THE PROWL

D

ragon’s 1:35 scale Sd.Kfz. 251/22 Ausf.D ‘Pak Wagon’ is a classic case of a great subject with not-so-great instructions instructions. This kit is well detailed, but the photo-etched parts went unused except for the centre gunshield and seat springs, which are very nice but almost completely hidden once installed. The kit-supplied turned brass width feelers, aluminium gun barrel and self-adhesive chrome mirror lenses are all very good.

The lack of precise location points for the main body parts

made construction a bit of a timeconsuming guessing game. The instructions did not help much in this regard either.

Quite a few additions were made.

Internal additions include: • locks and hinges from photoetched spares on ammunition lockers.

• armour on the inside of upper fighting compartment made from plastic card.

• electrical wiring and ‘fuse box’ (?) using solder wire, plastic card and rod.

• gun cleaning rods made from plastic rod.

Back in 2010, Chris Wauchop built and detailed Dragon’s 1:35 scale Sd.Kfz.251/22 Ausf.

D Pakwagen.

• handles on the end-caps of individual ammo cases replaced with solder wire.

External additions include: • a new radio antenna and mount made from plastic card and brass wire.

• bracket on rear machine gun mount added using photo-etched spares.

• loops for camouflage attachment added using photo-etched spares.

• tool mounting brackets and clasps on the front fenders using photo-etched spares.

All edges on fenders and mudguards were thinned to scale using a motor tool. Electric cable to headlight was added using solder wire. The opening for the starter crank was drilled out, as was exhaust pipe opening. A new side stowage bin door was made from thin plastic card to replace the thick kit part. A photo-etched chain and padlock were added to this part. A safety chain and attachment rings were added to the towbar locking pin.

The kit’s front vision port covers were replaced with flat ones cut from plastic card. The cover on the

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PT

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Far left: Breech detail is excellent.

Left: Chipping representing bare metal was added with the tip of a 2B pencil.

All woodwork was painted with XF-59 Desert Yellow then weathered and woodgrain texture added with a fine brush.

Gun cleaning rods were made from plastic rod.

A second machine gun could be mounted at the rear on an anti-aircraft mount.

A bucket from the spares box was hung from the rear door.

Dust and mud was a mix of several earthy pastel chalk colours applied both wet and dry.

Detail was added to the front fender.

The exhaust pipe opening was drilled out and the edges thinned.

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T P Y R C E H T M O R F TALES 48 Ausf. D Pakwagen • Item No. 62 Dragon 1:35 scale Sd.Kfz.251/22

Far left: A good design feature of the Sd.Kfz. 251 was the large track area, with the characteristic “slack track” design with no return rollers for the upper run of track.

Left: A photo-etched chain and padlock were added to the scratchbuilt stowage door.

Far left: Stowage was added to the internal boxes, including a helmet with a thinned rim.

Left: The kit’s gun shield looks great in place.

B radio operator’s side, in reality,

was welded shut. Lastly, a bucket (from the spares box) was hung from the rear door handle.

Except for the driver, the kit crew figures were not really applicable to this configuration of the vehicle. In the end, the driver was not used anyway.

PAINTING AND WEATHERING The half-track was painted using my long-serving Testor Aztek A470 airbrush.

The model was given an overall coat of Dark Yellow, which was a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-2 Flat White and XF-60 Dark Yellow. Following this base coat, the outline of the disruptive camouflage pattern was lightly pencilled on. These lines were then over painted with the appropriate camouflage colours using a fine sable brush. The Red Brown and Green colours were, again, custom mixes. The Red Brown was 75% Tamiya XF-64 red Brown and 25% XF-60 Dark Yellow. The green is 75% Gunze Sangyo H 422 RLM82 (83) Light Green and 25% Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow.

The outlines were then carefully filled in with the airbrush. All

woodwork was painted with XF-59 Desert Yellow. Tracks were sprayed with a 50/50 mix of XF-64 Red Brown and XF-1 Flat Black.

They were then brushed with a very watery wash of XF-59 Desert Yellow. Decals were then applied using Gunze Sangyo Mr Mark Softer and Mr Mark Setter.

Using a fine brush, a very thin oil paint wash mix of Raw Sienna and Lamp Black was carefully applied around all raised, and into all recessed detail.

Dust and mud application came next. This was a mix of several earthy pastel chalk colours applied both wet and dry.

The entire model then received a good coat of Testor’s Polly Scale acrylic flat finish (404 106).

Paints were custom mixed from Tamiya and Gunze acrylics, applied with the Testor Aztek A470 airbrush.

CONCLUSION I was very pleased with the final result. There is no doubt that Dragon has delivered another well detailed kit with their Sd.Kfz. 251/22 Ausf.D, but it is let down by poor instructions and some illfitting aspects.

Even so, though, this is one mean looking half-track when it is complete! ■

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PT Modelspec Kit - Dragon 1:35 scale Sd.Kfz.251/22 Ausf. D Pakwagen.

Kit No. 6248 Materials Evergreen rod, tube and card of various sizes, brass rod, fine solder wire, lead foil and lots of photoetched bits and pieces from the spares drawer.

Paints

The hard-edged demarcation between the camouflage colours was achieved with a fine sable brush.

Tamiya acrylic XF-1 Flat Black, XF-2 Flat White, XF-60 Dark Yellow, XF-64 Red-Brown, XF-59 Desert Yellow and Gunze Sangyo H 422 Light Green, oil wash of Raw Sienna and Lamp Black.

Reference ‘Les semi-chenilles MittlererPanzerkraftwagen Sd.Kfz. 251’ by Loic Charpentier. Published by Editions du Barbotin • ‘The Nordic Edge Model Gallery’ published by Canfora Grafisk Form and Forlag • ‘Sd.Kfz. 251 SchutzenPanzerwagen’ published

by Ryton.

• Online reference www.pietvanhees.nl/251/251-22.htm ✓ Great subject. ✗ Poor fit in places; unclear instructions Available from Dragon kits are distributed in the UK by The Hobby Company www.hobbyco.net The model received a final coat of Testor’s Polly Scale Flat clear acrylic.

Rating

Am ammunition box with decal label in place.

Dragon’s Sd.Kfz. 251/22 is a fine looking model but the instructions do throw down some challenges during construction.

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Book Reviews GERMAN MOTORCYCLES A VISUAL HISTORY PART 1 DAVID DOYLE AMPERSAND PUBLISHING ISBN 978-1-944367-02-2-9000

Motorcycles have been going to war since their inception. The German’s lightning war required machines of high calibre and variety. As a result of this the German military was the largest employer of motorcycles during the Second World War. During the campaigns that spread across Europe and into the Soviet Union, motorcycles served in a variety of functions including chauffeuring officers, delivering dispatches, point vehicles and taking the brunt of battle. By 1938, some 200,000 motorcycles were produced annually and the adjacent areas Germany had annexed. The principal manufacturers were BMW, DKW, NSU, Triumph (under German license), Victoria, and Zundapp.

The Ampersand Publishing “Visual History” books are intended to be the inexpensive reference source on the subject they cover. This reference work is part one of what I would imagine to be a series on German motorcycles.

The BMW R series machines are covered in sequence with the R4 coming first followed by the R12, and then the 35,71 and lastly the R74.

The Zundapp KS750 is then covered in addition to the small “IF8 Trailer “ often used in conjunction with the heavy versions of the BMW and Zundapp.

Comprising 117 pages with 66 period black and white and 214 colour walk around photos, the book is comprehensive in its presentation. The format generally starts with the period black and white photos followed by the detailed colour walk around photos of the featured motorcycle.

Some of the black and white photographs will be familiar while others may not. What I like here is how the black and white photos have been reproduced in such a way that they are both large and crystal clear to the viewer. The colour photos are in the form of a detailed walk around format and cover almost all the in exterior details.

This book is a welcome addition to the growing collection of reference material pertaining to German Military Motorcycles.

Highly Recommended Thanks to Ampersand Publishing for the sample www.ampersandpubco.com Luke Pitt

SCALE MODEL HANDBOOK DIORAMA MODELLING VOL. 2 MR BLACK PUBLICATIONS ISBN 2241-8105

Mr Black has been bringing us many fine publications on figure modelling for some time now and here we are presented with this, the second volume on Diorama Modelling.

As with other publications in this series, it comes in the form of a soft cover A4 size book, printed on high grade matt paper with 98 pages and seven topics within.

The topics are as follows: • Elephant Down by Christos Katselos • Teutoburg Forest 9AD by Grigoris Marmatakis • Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan IV of the Ottoman Empire by Igor Kordyukov • Landsknechte Players by Sergey Popovichenko • Stalingrad-A fight to the last by Dan Capuano • Resting at Karachev by Christos Panagiotopoulos and Tolis Moustakas • The Grim Reality of War, Poland 1939 by Noel Petroni All of the above are very high-class pieces done by some of the world’s best. The photos and written content are excellent, and inspire one start on the next piece.

This is a very good publication, and one well worth having for those who love both figures and dioramas.

Highly Recommended Thanks to Mr Black Publications for the sample www.mrblackpublications.com Andrew Judson

M10 / ACHILLES

A VISUAL HISTORY DAVID DOYLE AMPERSAND PUBLISHING ISBN978-1-944367-19-9000

Ampersand Publishing has carved a niche for itself courtesy of its very useful reference titles. These books are intended to be the inexpensive reference on the subject they cover.

This newly released book, clearly timed with the release of the new Tamiya 1:35 scale M10, is in the usual Ampersand “Visual History” format.

The book contains 127 pages with 66 black and white and 144 colour photos that cover both M10 and British Achilles.

Some of the black and white photographs will be familiar while others may not. What I like here is how the black and white photos have been reproduces they are both large and crystal clear. The colour photos are in the form of a detailed walk around and cover almost all the interior and exterior details of both vehicles, as with the black and white photos the colour phots are again reproduced clearly and large enough not to squint.

This book is a welcome addition to the growing collection of reference material pertaining to the M10 family.

Highly Recommended Thanks to Ampersand Publishing for the sample www.ampersandpubco.com Luke Pitt

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THE BATTLE FOR BUDAPEST 1944-1945 IMAGES OF WAR ANTHONY TUCKER JONES ISBN1473877326

THE BATTLE FOR BUDAPEST 1944-1945 ANTHONY TUCKER JONES ISBN147387732

GERMAN ASSAULT GUNS AND TANK DESTROYERS 1040-1945 ANTHONY TUCKER JONES ISBN1473845998

HITLER VERSUS STALIN, THE EASTERN FRONT 1942-1943, STALINGRAD TO KHARKOV NIK CORNISH ISBN1783463996

Here are three great new books from Pen & Sword in their Images of War series.

All three come in a soft back format with 128 pages for the first two books and 132 for the last.

All cover their subjects well with excellent photos, many not published before. All are in great detail, not too blurry and fuzzy, and will give many a modeller ideas for the next project.

The first title is The Battle for Budapest. Chapters covers: • Hungarian Turning Point • Skorznys Panzerfaust • SS Trapped in Budapest • Konrad Fails • Fatal Breakout

• Defeat at Balaton Tolbukhins Masterstroke • Thanks for Everything The Second, German Assault Guns and Tank Destroyers: • Sturmgeschutz III Ausf A,B,C/D and E • Sturmgeschutz III Ausf F and F/8 • Sturmgeschutz III Ausf G • Sturmhaubitze 42 • Sturmgeschutz IV and Jagdpanzer IV • Panzer IV/70 and 70(A) • Panzerjager Marder I,II and III Third Title Hitler Verses Stalin: • Timoshenkos Failure • The Iron Fortress • To the Volga

• Into the Caucasus • With our Backs to the River • The Loaded Pistol • Isolation • Near Collapse • Recovery and Respite-Mansteins Gamble As can be seen, these titles all cover quite a bit with in the pages. The written text is interesting and informative and the photos are excellent.

I have always liked this series, as they cover a wide range, and these are three more welcome titles.

I would recommend these to all who are WWII buffs, Great reads.

Highly Recommended Thanks to Pen & Sword for the sample www.pen-and-sword.co.uk Andrew Judson

ACCION PRESS

VIGNETTES, A HOW-TO GUIDE JOAQUIN GARCIA GAZQUEZ ISBN 978-84-95464-91-0

Being a figure enthusiast, and having been known for doing vignettes as well, I must say that I am feeling a little spoilt with the release of this publication.

Accion Press has always been well known for great publications, and yet again they have delivered.

This new book comes in the form of an A4 glossy soft cover, with167 high quality semi-gloss pages packed with excellent colour photos and good information, all subject related.

Inside, there are many chapters covering: • Introduction • Decorating a Vignette • Why Scenes are Made • Composition • Basic Decoration Tips • Proportions • A Simple Anecdote • Composing a Vignette • Playing with Different Heights • Tilting the Planes • Telling a Story • Other Approaches Each Chapter is very detailed both in well written text and relevant photos.

The author / modeller is well known for his works and has written other publications. It is not a “look at me” book or “how I promote a brand” book. It is a book written well and truly for the reader, so they can read and learn of this great subject. I personally will be reading this in detail before my next project.

I can only say, that this really is a great publication, well worth adding to your library.

Highly Recommended Thanks to Accion Press for the sample www.euromodelismo.com Andrew Judson

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A round-up of the latest news and releases in 1:72 and 1:76 Graham Tetley takes a sentimental journey to “No Painting Required” land…

REVELL

1:76 SD.KFZ. 124 ‘WESPE’. KIT NO. 03215

First appearing in 1974, this was standard Matchbox in that you not only got the vehicle, but a diorama base and figures to populate it with. Not only that, but it was molded in two colours so you didn’t have to paint it. This one comes with a base that represents a dried river or lake bed with a palm tree on it. It was, and remains, just so cool!

Nothing has changed between 1974 and 2017 in this Revell re-boot as we still have the same 54 parts, very cleanly moulded, on two sprues along with a set of flexible plastic tracks. Revell provides some superbly clear instructions making this a quick and easy build. Detail is generally very good, however keep in mind that it does not have the finesse of current models. The fighting compartment especially is sparse as is detail around the main gun and mount. The fighting compartment sides have some knock-out pin marks that will need cleaning but there are no other blemishes. The tracks are rather ingenious as Matchbox moulded them with a ‘tab & hole’ system for joining them. No glue or staples are necessary and Revell thankfully have kept this.

Construction commences by building the lower hull tub from separate pieces and then adding the road wheels. A further tub is provided for the fighting compartment floor into which you place some ammunition and all of this goes into the lower hull before the one piece upper is added. All of the tools are moulded onto either the upper hull or rear compartment although we do get a separate jerry can rack with two jerry cans to add.

Markings are provided for two vehicles, one for North Afrika and one for Kursk. Be wary of the North African one as I can find no evidence of these vehicles making it there. Production of the Wespe started in February 1943 but the Axis forces in North Africa surrendered on May 13th, 1943. I would go with the Kursk markings as we know that Wespes were there.

CONCLUSION This is a great little kit, ideal for wargamers, 1:76 fans or as a kit to give to your children to get them into the hobby. It is dripping with fun and for the price offers lots of potential so I give it a hearty 9.5/10. It would have got 10/10 had Revell given it to us it in two colours!

Highly Recommended Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For details visit www.revell.de/en Graham Tetley

The old Matchbox artwork and the new.

You can’t beat that Matchbox window.

“I can see the pub from here”.

Main vehicle parts.

Close-up of the mechanic figure.

Left: Mono-colour Revell compared to Matchbox’s original “no painting required”!

Right: Marking options.

The diorama base.

Detail on the radio and ammo stowage.

Gotta love palm trees.

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Figures

- A round-up of the latest figure sets on release...

Battles of Smolensk & Roslavl 1941 Dragon

1/35 SCALE 39-45 SERIES KIT NO. 6791 New from Dragon is this set of figures depicting German WWII troops from the Russian campaign during 1941 and in the box you get three figures (not the usual four) in fairly relaxed poses, four sprues of personal equipment and weapons and two sprues of DS Vinyl that have various tunics and a pair of folded marching boots on them.

Moulding quality on the figures is good with light mould-seam lines present that will need removing and although newly tooled there are some mould lines (or die-lines) on the back of them that will require some careful filling. The other items in the kit are showing their age and some flash is present on some parts.

Two figures are depicted wearing the early M40 pattern field grey tunic with field grey collars while the third has the earlier M36 tunic with dark green collar. All are wearing mouse grey trousers and the classic marching boots. One figure is from an SS unit, the other two are Heer (army) but it wouldn’t take much to alter them to a unit of your choice.

Detailing is okay but I feel that it could have been sharper especially on the uniforms so I would recommend using the tip of a scalpel or a dressmakers pin to re-scribe the undercuts on collars, webbing, shoulder straps etc. Facial features are pretty good but again could do with the undercuts, ears etc getting some TLC too.

The weapons and personal equipment date back a few years and Dragons Gen2 period but they are still good to use and even includes a Czechmade Maschinengewehr 30(t) which is a bit of a rare one to see but welcome nonetheless.

I’m not sure about the inclusion of the DS Vinyl stuff as these are more suited to putting on vehicles but I suppose they will be useful for the spares box. No decals are included for uniform insignia or helmet badges so these will have to sourced from the aftermarket.

This is a pretty useful set with the relaxed poses but the down side is that only three figures are included as normally there are four in Dragon sets. I suppose in these days of cutbacks and reductions in the size of things then it was only a matter of time it would happen in the modelling world although I’m willing to bet the RRP stays the same as a box of four figures.

Recommended to fans of everything WW2 German, even if there is one less figure.

Thanks to The Hobby Company Limited for the review sample http://www.hobbyco.net

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1:48 Scale – A round-up of the latest news and releases EVERYTHING IS JUST A SHAPE

W

hen doing the interview with Richard Kemp this month he often used the phrase “everything is just a shape”. This phrase hit a chord with me.

A few days later I shared some photos of a 1:48 scale radiator grill that I have been working on. Someone asked how I did it. I was trying to explain the process but he didn’t seem to be able to visualise what I was trying to explain. I resorted to demonstrating the process using Post It Notes and only then did it became clear.

As some of you may know I spent my formative years as a jeweller. I was privileged to work under a master who had the ability to make virtually anything out of flat or round gold stock. To see him and his mind work was amazing.

His motto was “you can do anything, you just need to try”. I’ve often adopted this attitude when doing any task that I am ask to perform - break it down to small baby size chunks and believe that you can do it.

For example, I know a lot of modellers will not paint figures. I find that attitude rather odd, as you will never get good at anything without practice. The same could be said for scratch building. If you fear it, you will never master it.

I’ll be honest with you - when building I tend to push myself to try different approaches. Scratch building (in my view) can be the most rewarding of any modelling pursuits. After all, everything is just a shape and can be broken down into small bite size chunks that almost anyone can do.

As my late father use to say, “if you think you can’t do it, you won’t”!

Until Next Time Luke Pitt

HLBS

1:48 SCALE BVS10 VIKING ATTV RESIN AND WHITE METAL KIT The BVS10 Viking ATTV is an All Terrain Armoured Vehicle produced by BAE Systems Land Systems Hägglunds of Sweden and under license by FNSS of Turkey. This vehicle, referred to as the All Terrain Vehicle (protected) - ATV(P) or Viking by the UK forces, was originally developed as a collaboration between industry - Hägglunds Vehicle AB - and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on behalf of the Royal Marines.

HLBS kit comprises 21 parts in well-cast pale yellow resin, ten parts in white metal, four parts in cast brass and photocopies of basic hand-drawn instructions on two sheets of A4 paper.

Casting quality is very good, and the detail is generally well done. The body of the main vehicle and the trailer are single solid parts, and the entire running gear and tracks are moulded as one piece per side for each of the four track sections. The top hatch in the top of the front unit is a separate part with a recess for a figure (figure not included).

Detail parts are supplied in resin and metal. The stout coupling between the two main units is supplied as two parts in cast brass, while a number of other details including the power coupling, the tube and machine gun are presented in white metal.

There are no major casting blocks, so clean-up should be fast. Assembly will be quick too, with the simple parts breakdown and relatively small number of parts.

This will be an interesting and unique project.

Recommended to modellers with experience of limited run kits.

Thanks to HLBS for the sample www.hlbs.co.uk Brett Green

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

INTERVIEW

AN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD KEMP, OWNER AND MASTER BUILDER OF THE HONOURABLE LEAD BOILER SUIT COMPANY (HLBS) I’m a firm believer in promoting small 1:48 scale manufactures and my interview with the owner of HLBS is just that.

Not many know of this firm outside the wargaming community, which in my mind a great shame as their 1:48 range is quite good.

Richard Kemp is the owner of the firm and is 48 years old. He has been running and making models for HLBS since 1995.

He began scratch building and casting models for war gaming that he wanted He used to do a lot of demonstration games at shows other people began to ask if his models were available to buy and eventually it became a full time business.

THE QUESTIONS: Luke: Hi Richard. Good to have you with us. Can you tell our readers what motivates you to do masters and what is the process involved?

Richard: Thanks inviting me over this month Luke. If I see something I like, such as a vehicle and it’s not already available as a kit, then I’ll have a go at making it. First, it’s simply a process of gathering as much information as possible, like drawings and dimensions etc., or if it’s available as a kit in 1:35 scale that’s even better as the standard of kits these days is brilliant and they’ve done all the research. Then, it’s just a matter of scaling it to 1:48 with a calculator and ruler and transferring it to plastic sheet. Everything in life is just a shape, there’s nothing that can’t be reproduced with the aid of a steel ruler, pencil, circle cutter, craft knife, plastic sheet, strip, rod, liquid glue and Milliput. Okay a few other tools are handy but it depends on

what you want to spend. I’ve got multiple punch and die sets which aren’t cheap but I’ve also got various diameters of metal tubing for forming which cost next to nothing. Like I say, everything is just a shape. If I’m making a vehicle, I cut out all the flat pieces first, removing all the holes for hatches and the like, then assemble the basic shape and then fill in the gaps and then start detailing it up.

Luke: I never heard that one before - “everything is just a shape”. I’m going to use that! I understand that making a master for production purposes is a little different than say making a model for yourself? Can you explain what you guys do?

Richard: You’ve got to think about how you’re going to mould and cast it. It’s a little hard to explain as each master is different. Try to imagine 3D parts in a two-dimensional plane.

People who assemble resin models will know from the kit parts what’s involved. We try to make the models as simple as possible but the more complicated the vehicle the more parts it will have.

Luke: Interesting comments Richard. I’m sure our readers were unaware of the difficulties involved for the most part. Richard, do you have a particular field of interest that you would like to follow?

Richard: I like modern vehicles in 1:48 scale 1970s to the present, but I also make WWI and 1920s vehicles in 1:55 scale to go with 28mm wargames figures.

Luke: I know this can be a tricky question as people’s egos are involved, but who do you admire the most in the 1:48 scale modelling community?

Richard; Not wishing to tread on anyone’s toes here but I’d have to say Olivier Saint-Lot at Quarter-Kit in Paris. I can’t think of anyone who’s dedicated their career pretty much

purely to 1:48 scale exclusively for so long and with so much output with Gasoline and the like.

Luke: Okay, here is another tricky one.

Who do you admire in terms of master model making and your thoughts on the process of pan graphing down larger kits to 1:48 scale?

Richard: I’ve got to be honest, I’m a bit of shut in and don’t pay much attention to what’s going on with other companies but there’s Alan Simpson at Harts Models who does outstanding work and Marky V who’s done some modelling for us. As for pantographing down larger kits to 1:48 scale, I don’t see the point, not from any moral high ground but simply from the costs involved. People have offered to scan things for us but the costs are eye watering let alone the printing to get a decent master. Some of the prints I’ve been shown look like either the rusty version or the Zimmerit version of the real thing. We’ve had weapons printed in 1:48 and they’re £20-£60 a time for a quality print and I got the models off the net for free, so what would a vehicle cost? Enough to make it an incentive for me to use a few pounds worth of plastic sheet and strip and a couple of weeks of my time, which would be still cheaper. Now, I’m of the mind that it’s all a bit of a white elephant.

Luke: Richard, are there any surprises coming up from you in the future?

Richard: Yes, we’ve got a range of

1:48 scale modern figures coming out later in the year, that I’ve only been working on for about seven years, so it’s about time.

The only surprise is, I’ve stopped procrastinating and started to get the masters finished.

Luke: I know you’re a busy man with crazy working hours, so just one last question. What are your thoughts on 1:48 and what can we all do to make it the premium scale?

Richard: Oh, I think it’ll be become a premium scale all on its own.

Tamiya wouldn’t continue to release new kits if they weren’t selling.

Neither would we, although I probably would. I don’t think it’ll be long before other manufacturers jump on board for the big win, especially as 1:35 scale has been done to death and they’ll be looking for new ranges You can view Richard’s catalogue on the following link: www.hlbs.co.uk

HAULER

1:48 SCALE BTR-60 WHEELS ITEM NO. HLX48377

This new set of wheels is intended as a replacement for the Mikro Mir kit wheels.

All eight wheels are very well cast with a very well defined and accurate tread patten.

The wheels themselves seem to be slightly oversize and the centre hub cap seems to be set a little too far into the hub itself. The wheels have quite fine bolt detail on the hub itself but none on the inner face of the wheel. The last issue is not really a problem as it will never be seen. Inevitable comparisons could and should be made with the recently released Armory Models wheels of the same type. To be honest, I believe the Armory Models version is better in terms of detail, size and the flat spot incorporated into their wheel itself.

Both wheels sets are a vast improvement on the Mikro Mir wheels and depending on your location and budget. Both are fine replacements.

Highly Recommended Available online from Hauler www.hauler.cz Luke Pitt

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Contact Details - for companies featured in MMI...

ACCURATE ARMOUR/ ARMOUR DISTRIBUTION

Units 15-16 Kingston Industrial Estate, Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, PA14 5DG Scotland.

Tel; 01475 743 955 Fax; 01475 743746 www.accurate-armour.com

ADALBERTUS

Iberyjska 7/49, 02-764 , Warsaw,Poland 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!

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Next Issue On sale 1 June, 2017

ISSUE No.134 June 2017, Published May 4th 2017

T-34/76

Joaquin Garcia Gazquez builds Tamiya’s 1:48 scale kit.

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

Jim Turner builds and corrects AFV Club’s 1:35 scale Centurion.

STRANGER THINGS

John Bonnani tackles the daunting RPM 1:35 Minenraumer to create a monster.

Subscription enquiries; Tel; +44 (0)1525 222573 Fax; +44 (0)1525 222574 Email; enquiries@doolittlemedia.com Reproduction in part of any text, photograph, or illustration without written consent from the publisher is strictly prohibited. While due care is taken to ensure the contents of Model Military International is accurate, the publishers and printers can not accept responsibility for errors and omissions.

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.

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

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!

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FOR YOUR SAFETY

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

Editorial enquiries; Email; editor@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.

BE MY VALENTINE

The Editor gets his hands on Tamiya’s brand new 1:35 scale Valentine tank.

© Doolittle Media 2017

The paper used on this title is from sustainable forestry

Order online now at; www.modelmilitary.com

KOREAN CENTURION

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

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The Last Post...

TRUE PATRIOT MIM-104B PATRIOT W/998 HEMTT. DRAGON BLACK LABEL SERIES KIT NO. 3558 Andy King explores the latest Dragon Black Label release.

P

atriot is a surface-to-air missile system manufactured by US company Raytheon, first conceived in the late 1960s, developed during the 1970s and entering service in 1981.

Patriot derives its name from the radar component of the system and is actually an acronym for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target. It replaced both the Nike and Hawk missile systems as the US military’s primary air defence weapon and has been exported to many countries.

Dragon’s 1:35 scale kit represents the MIM-104B PAC-1 (Patriot Advanced Capability) that featured a major update to the systems software to enable the radar to search differently and be able to defend its assets.

You get 13 sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue for the cabin glazing, two different types of tyres for the HEMTT and trailer in DS vinyl, a length of nylon thread and a decal sheet printed by Cartograf. No etch of any description is included.

Moulding quality is not bad however on quite a few parts there are some relatively heavy seam lines which is surprising for Dragon and the sprue with the chassis rails for the HEMTT was curved on my example, not ideal when trying to get a multipart chassis like this one together during construction. Some sinkage was apparent on a couple of pieces too.

Looking at pictures of the real vehicle the cabin is somewhat simplified and missing detail, the instrument panel features raised detail (really Dragon???) and the windscreen wipers are moulded into the windscreen frame. Elsewhere on the vehicle the guard around the exhaust and all the tread plates are moulded solid and really need replacing with etch plus there is a LOT of electrical cabling, hydraulic piping and fuel lines missing.

The DS vinyl tyres are useable but have a mould seam around the circumference. The fit of the tyres on the inner wheel is not bad considering and at least any gaps around the rim will face inward, however I would still replace these with resin items.

As stated above the chassis is a multi-part assembly and will require great care to get it flat and square, something not helped by that distorted sprue. The axles have no provision for turning the wheels so unless you resort to surgery it’s straight ahead only.

Although there are four missiles included you wouldn’t normally see them until after launch as they are contained in shipping crates that are pre-loaded in the factory, the missile and exhaust blasts through frangible panels either end of the crate.

For paint and markings you have two options, one in a three tone camouflage scheme from the 1990s and the other an overall sand colour from the 1st Gulf War 1991. Both are US Army but no specific units have been given.

It’s a technicality as I’m not sure if any parts of the system changed physically but the Patriots sent to the Gulf in 1991 were MIM-104C PAC2’s so you need to research this further.

This kit is typical of Dragon’s Black Label series in that it is simplified in areas yet commands a hefty retail price. What you get in the box makes a decent starting point and if you can live with the simplification of parts it will make an impressive model straight out of the box, to bring it up to scratch however you will to need to invest in etch and some resin wheels although the same can be said of Trumpeter’s version. ■ History via Wikipedia.

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

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