(Originally written on December 28, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-45 Series Kit No. 6232;
Kingtiger Late Production w/New Pattern Track Ardennes 1944;
649 parts (621 in grey styrene, 21 etched brass, 3 turned brass rounds,
1 length of steel cable, 1 turned aluminum gun barrel);
Price around $34 to $38.
Advantages: "final" version fills a niche for some modelers;
nice package with useful details included; no requirement to put zimmerit on it!
Disadvantages: wan paint scheme is accurate but may not appeal to some modelers.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: to all German and Battle of the Bulge fans.
F I R S T L O O K.
The DML Tiger II with Henschel turret (Kit No. 6208) was not even
out the gates of the factory when some modelers began immediately
carping about it, much to my surprise, for very petty details that I
don't think the majority of the modelers would have noticed or cared
about. These modelers, which one of the AMPS officers rightfully dubbed
"experten," rarely seem to think much about the impact their comments
have on the average Joe. After attempting to savage that kit, they then
sharpened their spears for the next one DML had announced, a "final"
production version as used during the Battle of the Bulge.
I freely admit that I have little use for individuals who are
that dim, and now that the kit is here I think it should speak for
itself. It is similar to the earlier kits but comes with a different
set of tracks (F sprue with 72 single links vice the two-part links
used on earlier models of the Tiger II) and some other features, such
as new drivers (P14 and P15) to match and a choice of smooth or stepped
mantelets (P1 or O17). The difference in the drivers is flat-topped or
pointed drive teeth, but you will need the P14/15 drivers if you use
the new tracks in the kit. (The others will work if you use older
tracks, such as a Friul set. Note that the directions first indicate
dropping the original drivers in the "do not use" parts map but then
indicate you can in the construction section.)
The parts breakdown is similar. For the 6208 kit, it was this:
584 in grey styrene, 8 etched brass, 1 length of nylon string. For this
kit, it is as follows: 538 in grey styrene, 21 etched brass, 3 turned
brass rounds, 1 length of steel cable, 1 turned aluminum gun barrel.
Note that 83 of the parts given in the header data are from Kit No.
6115, 352nd Volksgrenadier Division Ardennes 1944, which are included
in the kit. The main difference is in the track set.
The rest of the kit is virtually the same as the previous model,
and while it provides a nice turned aluminum gun barrel it requires the
modeler to assemble the plastic one (parts O21 and O22) and cut off the
muzzle brake, and then install this assembly on the gun barrel. No
separate muzzle brake is included.
The larger brass sheet includes all eight screens for the engine
deck plus the mounts for the jack, replacing styrene parts D26.
Three turned brass 8.8 cm rounds are included, complete with etched brass
bases with the production data etched into them.
The one paint scheme provided is for s.Pz.Abt. 506 in the
Ardennes, which comes in the pale tan/pale green/maroon brown scheme.
Numbers on the decal sheet and a thumbnail list indicate any one of the
1st Company's tanks can be made from the kit.
Overall this kit looks to be pretty much on the money, and for
most modelers the "massive flaws" uncovered by the "experten" are
inconsequential. Although DML didn't label it as a "60th Anniversary"
kit, it does arrive in time for the remembrances of that terrible
battle in the winter of 1944.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review
sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
PS - Sprue breakdown
A 17+17
B 49+49
C 37
D 33
F 72 + 72
G 26+26+26 (Normal Type)
I 1
K 62
O 46 (Henschel)
P 5
6034 9
6057 11
6115 63
ADDENDUM
There is some comment afoot that this is a good late model Tiger
II, but not a Battle of the Bulge tank. It does have the new single
link tracks and drivers that came out in November 1944 but according to
Jentz were not fitted until March 1945,and so would only have gone on
the last batch of tanks built.
Cookie Sewell
(Originally written on December 28, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/72 Armor Series Kit No. 7256;
E-100 Heavy Tank;
(96 parts (86 in grey styrene, 6 etched brass, 2 in tan vinyl, 2 in grey vinyl);
Price about $8.95.
Advantages: first kit of this vehicle in this scale in styrene; inclusion of brass and
crew figures nice touches.
Disadvantages: "Panzer 46" tanks always a tough call on finishing and marking.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all small-scale German fans.
While there are still those that consider DML an "also-ran" to
Tamiya, most of them are pretty much silent these days. DML was the
first to come out with some kits that the Big T was never interested in
doing, and did a respectable if not excellent job with those kits.
Among them were the ones usually called "Panzer 46" in model shows, as
the tanks were either never built or never entered service in time to
see combat (e.g. they would have been the tanks in service in 1946,
hence the name; aircraft modelers refer to their equivalents as
"Luftwaffe 46" for the same reason.)
They are not really "fantasy" armor as some have called them, as
the designers had completed all major work and the blueprints were
found for the vehicles where they were not completed. But since they
never got into service, colors, markings and units of assignment are
pure speculation.
Such is the case here, where DML has matched its nice 1/35 scale
effort of producing a kit of the E-100 super-heavy tank with a 1/72
scale version. From the parts breakdown, it appears that DML may have
originally intended this kit to use a diecast hull, but this is not
present and in its place comes a nice two-piece hull form. All of the
rest of the parts attach to this form, such as the suspension units
that consist of one piece per side with all suspension arms and
components cast together.
The hull carries all of the details seen on the captured
prototype hull, so the modeler does have the choice of mounting the
skirts (parts D1 and D2) or leaving them off. Brass screens are
provided for the engine deck.
One of the nicer touches is the inclusion of two vinyl figures
for the crew, one commander with peaked cap and one crew member with
side cap. While the directions suggest using the camouflage pattern on
them, in this scale you are on your own! A nice marking sheet is
included, along with suggested paint schemes for a completed tank.
(Note that Soviet markings are also included if you want to show the
model as "captured." )
Overall this is a nice effort and
will fit in well with most small scale collections, albeit it is the size of a
1/35 scale light tank.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on December 28, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6214;
Panzer Crew LAH Division Russia 1943;
62 parts (52 in grey styrene, 8 etched brass, 2 paper maps);
Price around $8.95.
Advantages: new moldings gives German modelers an option from the original DML Panzer crew of 12 years ago.
Disadvantages: three partial figures will require some sort of internal shelf inside the model for mounting.
Rating: Highly Rated.
Recommendation: for all German armor fans.
When DML released its German Panzer Crew (6028, Tiger Crew of
five figures representing Michael Wittman and crew at rest, with four
full figures and driver in the hatch) 12 years ago it quickly became a
best-seller, and the figures appeared in many German models and
dioramas. They were the first plastic crew to be in fine scale and
closer to the mark than the ancient Tamiya tank crew then on the
market, and modelers snapped them up in droves. But 12 years on, the
poses grow stale, and as a result many modelers have turned to either
newer Tamiya offerings (which usually come with kits, such as the Otto
Carius set) or resin.
DML has now released a new set, based on troops from the 1st SS
Panzerdivision (Liebstandart Adolf Hitler, which along with the SS
affiliation is tactfully not cited on the box) with five new poses. Two
are full figures, one a commander holding his headset and the other a
tanker sitting on the side of the turret (with the legs where they are,
either a Tiger II or Panther would seem to be an appropriate "seat").
One is "convertible" with either a set of legs in an informal post or
that can be used as a half-figure as the driver. The other two are
designed to fit in hatches of various vehicles.
The Ron Volstad artwork shows them in the camouflage pattern
suits of the midwar era, and some details are given in closeup for
assisting in painting them. Brass strips are included for the headset
bands, a DML feature which they have maintained since starting their
figure series.
The half-figures are not "magic" and will need some sort of
support inside the vehicles the modeler selects for them, so be
prepared to do some planning when you test fit them to the vehicle of
your choice.
Overall a good idea from DML.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
Wednesday, December 14, 2004
(Originally written on December 11, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45 Series
Kit No. 6202; Sd.Kfz. 251/16 Ausf. C Flammpanzerwagen;
710 parts (649 in grey styrene, 17 in etched brass, 17 in tan vinyl, 16 in clear styrene, 7 stickers,
2 turned brass, 1 section black nylon string, 1 section white vinyl string);
Price about $34.95.
Advantages: first kit of this variant to reach the market; highly detailed flamethrower setup
and equipment; crew included; choice of hulls should be a popular idea.
Disadvantages: crew made from vinyl may not be popular.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all German WWII fans.
F I R S T L O O K
DML has been on a roll with its new line of German light and medium halftracks,
and now they have released a very flexible kit of the flamethrower variant.
For those who have never been around a flame weapon in
action, they are the original version of "shock and awe". For several
years now a Marine Corps re-enactor team has been at the annual show by the
Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles ("The Allan Cors Collection")
and demonstrated the WWII American backpack variant used in the Pacific. Even
150 meters away from the flame jet, which is shot parallel to the crowd of
observers, an overwhelming wave of heat strikes the crowd like a sledgehammer
and audible cries of surprise can be heard. And you're not even the target.
Even so, flamethrower men were vulnerable, as the gas
mixture reacted badly if hit by small arms, and most Japanese were not about to
let the flamethrower man get close if they could help it. The Marine Corps
solution was eventually to put the flamethrowers in tanks like the M4 Sherman,
which could usually get close enough to the target to ensure its total
incineration.
That was the idea behind this vehicle, an armored and
tracked machine capable of bringing the flamethrower to the enemy. The Germans
took a standard Sd.Kfz. 251/1 halftrack and rebuilt it to carry two 1.4 cm
flamethrowers, stagged in "beam" positions, and 700 liters of flame
mixture plus the piping and compression gear to fire the weapons. Total
capacity provided for about 80 two-second bursts and ranges were around 35
meters. Early models were also provided with a 0.7 cm hand unit, which could be
connected to the base vehicle by a 10 meter hose. The weapon system, know as
Geraet 916, began to be issued from January 1943 onward.
DML has now taken their very modular 251 series and
provided the parts necessary - some 147 of them plus 17 more parts for the crew
- to convert the base 251 over to the "stroke 16" variant with flame
weapons. The complete kit is provided, as well as a choice of two different
styles of flame guns and the dismount gun with its hose.
The kit is basically the standard 251 C model with the
exception that the H sprue with riveted components is also included, so you
have a choice of early or late bodies. Construction of the actual "stroke
16" begins in Step 5 with the compressor and pump assembly, and things go
from there. The parts for the flame weapons are small and confusing so I advise
the modeler to keep them on the sprues until needed!
The kit comes with a selection of three different
etched brass frets, one of which now includes the weld reinforcements for under
the fender wells. It shows them being used on the riveted one; I have no idea
if they are also present on the welded hull version or not. The other parts
include brass shields for the flame weapons but not the machine guns. The
directions aren't real clear as to whether or not the bits that go on the back
of the styrene shield (part L23) go on the etched one or not, but I would
suspect that they did.
The three crew figures are the new cementable vinyl,
and according to Freddie Leung of DML are designed to be used with liquid
cement like Testors or Tamiya Orange. He also noted that to trim them up simply
"paint" mold seams with the liquid cement and the seam should vanish
if not touched while the cement evaporates. The "gunners" have a
choice of soft caps or asbestos hoods, a really strange thing to see. (I
received a test shot of the figures some time back, and must admit it took me a
while to figure out what it was and what the figures went to!)
Roughly a foot (30 cm) of black nylon string is
included for the dismount flame weapon, and white nylon for an optional tow
cable. The mirror mounts/fender guides are turned brass, and a bending jig is
included to set the correct angle on them for use on the model.
Three marking and finish schemes are provided: two for
riveted variants (one in a two-color scheme and one three-color) and one welded
variant in overall Panzerbraun. Three decal sheets are included, as well as
stick-on mirror faces and also stick-on instrument faces as well.
Overall this is an impressive kit with impressive options.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for
the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on December 11, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/72 Armor Pro Kit No. 7241; Sd.Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther
Early Production with Zimmerit;
124 parts (110 in grey styrene, 6 etched brass, 4 black vinyl,
2 lengths of twisted wire, 2 screws);
Price between $8.95-10.95.
Advantages: new molds with some changes over early releases; petite zimmerit pattern
appears to be highly acceptable in this scale
Disadvantages: directions somewhat compacted and do not show all options well
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all German WWII small-scale fans.
has now gone into more detailed 1/72 kits, all of
which are flagged as "Armor Pro." These are new molds, provided with
detail parts normally not found in 1/72 or 1/76 kits such as etched brass and
steel wire, and built to a higher level of detail than basic kits.
;This is the second one that I have reviewed, and it is
a much nicer piece than the first or basic version. It comes with a new styrene
hull, whose molds were delicately etched with a "waffle" zimmerit
pattern and which effectively represents a vehicle with that coating. All major
components that would be zimmerited are done, however, modelers should note
that in order to get the requisite level of detail the rear stowage bins (D2
and D3) are done in black vinyl. This means they will have to be attached to
the hull rear (part E1) with ACC cement and not plastic cement. The reason DML
did this is to get the "waffle" pattern to mold all the way around
the circumference of the bins.
There are a lot of nice touches one finds with recent
DML 1/35 scale kits included with this kit as well, such as the gun barrel
muzzle being pre-bored for the modeler due to some clever designs of the molds.
Wheels have bolt patterns inside and out, and the modeler has a large choice of
tow cable options as well.
The directions let the model down somewhat, as they
either do not cover what is going on or skimp over options. It's possible that
they felt only skilled modelers would purchase this kit, and ergo know pretty
much by instinct how to assemble one, but it may not have been that way. All
major assemblies are shown pretty much fully assembled, and what the modeler
misses is the fact that the crew hatches (C18), rear hatch (C14) and engine
access hatch (C17) are separate parts that can be shown open or closed. Also,
the skirt brackets (A14 and A15) are shown in place with only "stick
here" directions, something which could be easy to overlook during
assembly.
Two color schemes are included, a two-tone one for
Pz,Abt. 654 in France, 1944, and a three-tone one for the same unit as 3d
Company, s.Pz.Jg.Abt. 654,m also in France 1944. A full decal sheet with
"number jungles" is included so you can do up more than one vehicle if
building a diorama or war game force of these machines.
Overall, the "Armor Pro" kits are a nice
idea and permit the modeler to really close on 1/35 scale kits for quality,
something the "small scale" community has deserved for a long time.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on December 11, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6215;
Fallschirmjaeger 8 cm Mortar Team Italy 1944;
111 parts in grey styrene;
Price about $8.95.
Advantages: new figures and new mortar will be welcome; figures will have a good deal of flexibility.
Disadvantages: poses pretty much limited to operating the mortar.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for WWII German fans.
German paratroopers started World War II with a splash, but after the heavy defenses
encountered at Crete when roughly 1/3 of the forces committed became casualties, they
seldom made combat jumps afterwards. But, like with all other armies, since paratroopers were elite
forces, they were used where the fighting was heaviest and where skilled
infantry was in demand.
This new team from DML consists of the traditional
four figures, all dressed in jump smocks and with the short helment, equipped
with an 8 cm mortar. The mortar is nicely done, consisting of 8 parts on its
own, and comes complete with four ammo cases and 8 rounds of ammunition. Five
more common weapons (two Kar 98, two MP40, and one Panzerfaust) from Kit No.
6025 complete the weapons.
The paratroopers themselves come with a wide variety
of ammo pouches and kit, as well as six "potato masher" grenades. The
figures are done to the usual DML standards, each consisting of six parts for
the basic figure. The skirts of the jump smocks are nicely undercut, giving a
good definition to them and making the figures "pop" just that much
more.
Overall, this looks to be a very nice set and should
come in handy for modelers using Fallschirmjaegers in any sort of mid-war
setting.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on December 11, 2004)
Product Comparison:
Echelon Fine Decals 1/35 Scale Sheet No. T35013; US Army's 3rd Infantry Division
Operation Iraqi Freedom M1A1HA (Heavy Common) Abrams: Spearhead of the 3-69
Armored Regiment; complete markings for six tanks;
Price $14.95 via Stevens International or one of their customer stores.
Fox Military Models 1/35 Scale Sheet No, D 035009; M1A2 Tanks in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003;
markings for seven tanks; price 1000 Yen (US distributor unknown).
It's rare to get two sheets of decals at the same time
covering the same subjects, but such is the case here. I've been waiting for
this sort of set for a long time, and here's why.
Right after the 9-11 attack on the USA, when many
celebrities were not sure what to do or how to react and before some of them
decided to become human shields, the American country music performers
certainly did, and dug right in with either reflective or aggressive songs that
captured the mood of most of the nation. Among the most aggressive ones was one
by singer Toby Keith that he wrote while making USO tours of bases in Europe,
and later, after Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, released as a
single.
Initially the song, which he was not sure about due to
its really pugnacious content, was only played for military audiences, who of
course loved it and cheered wildly. The song, titled "The Angry
American", was later subtitled "Courtesy of the Red White and
Blue." It became a huge hit with the military and the so-called
"Red" states and counties in the US, but horrified many of the
"Blue" state types and triggered the feud between Keith and the Dixie
Chicks, who were still a nominal country music act at the time.
When it was recommended that Keith sing the song at a
4th of July 2002 show, it was nixed by ABC anchor Peter Jennings, who thought
it in bad taste. Jennings never heard the end of the howls over his dismissive
comments, and Toby did not get to sing it on national TV that day.
Nevertheless, the song was wildly popular with the
troops. It has a stanza which goes "...you'll be sorry that you messed
with the US of A/for we'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American
way..." that was the catchphrase for the military and the line not to be
crossed by Jennings and company.
When Operation Iraqi Freedom came around eight months
later, when the 3rd Infantry Division rolled into the gigantic Saddam stadium,
one of the lead elements was Charlie Company, 3-69 Armor. The 2nd Platoon of
that company had four tanks, as do all current US tank platoons: they were
CAMEL TOW (C21), COURTESY OF THE RED WHITE AND BLUE (C22), CATALYST (C23), and
CAN TANK R US (C24). They also had two mine plow tanks - C-13 (C-1ORDER II) and
C-33 (CHINCON), from 1st and 3rd platoons respectively.
C22 gained its moment of fame when it turned towards
the gigantic statue of Saddam on horseback, arms outstretched, and blew it to
bits with a single round. This for many folks was the second defining moment of
Operation Iraqi Freedom after the Marine Corps M88A2 and the statue in the
center of town.
While the M88A2 was always a bit nondescript, C22 was
not, and I wanted to do one up (I have four different M1A1 kits downstairs,
only awaiting markings.) When Peter Brown (who I thank for passing these sheets
along to me) gave me a heads up they were both available, he offered to send
them along and I cheerfully accepted.
The two sheets are, unfortunately, light years apart.
The Fox sheet, from a new company in Japan, is all in Japanese and only has two
foolscap drawings of the tanks with it that provide any sense of where the
markings go. Someone on the Internet recently stated that the Fox decals use a
special "disappearing" decal film that comes off when the decal is
totally dry, thus approximating dry transfers, but there is nothing on this
sheet to indicate it in English. It provides names, bumper codes, tac markings,
and some other trim for two of the 3/C/3-69 tanks, CAN TANK R US and COURTESY,
but little else and does not really show how to place them. They do provide
the barrel bands used for quick reference, but the information is all in Japanese
as well so one can only guess at the meanings.
They also claim to provide markings for 2-3 Cav, which
I assume should be an M1A2, as well as TF 3-5, TF 1-64, and T-4-64, but no
information at all on those tanks.
Overall I rate this as marginal at best, requiring the
modeler to have a lot of photos and a good idea of US markings. For the cost it
will probably ask on import, I can only rate it "Recommended with
Reservations." To their credit, Fox do offer sheets in 1/72 and 1/144
scale as well as the 1/35 one.
The Echelon sheet, on the other hand, is incredible
and one of the best examples of a complete waterslide sheet going today. The
sheet covers six tanks with complete markings, including the APU, shipping
data, CIP panel data blocks, shipping bar code plates, as well as generic
number and alphabet markings for modern US armor. The sheet has a large spread
sheet in the middle of the protective cover inside the package showing which
markings go on which tank, and where. It also covers stenciling and component
decal placement as well, and is nearly perfect (I am a stickler, and C-13 and
C-33 are 1st and 3rd platoon tanks, not 2nd Platoon, even if attached for the
moment! It's also 3-69 Armor Battalion, not regiment; 69th is the regiment of
affiliation, but it is the 3rd battalion which is the unit with 3rd Infantry
Division. But then again, I quibble.)
Overall I rate this as "Highly Recommended"
and the best OIF waterslide sheet going, and must comment Lawrence Goh and his
team, as well as modelers Donald Busack and Rob Gronovius for their input to
get the sheet out.
Now all I gotta do is figure out which kit to start with - DML, Tamiya, Trumpeter,
or Italeri...
Note: Echelon - left, Fox - right
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on November 24, 2004)
Review: AFV Club 1/35 Scale Kit No. 35078; German Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. C
with Special Parts (First Edition Only);
313 parts (309 in olive drab styrene, 2 turned brass, 2 black vinyl);
Estimated retail price $39.98.
Advantages: nice, clean kit of a popular vehicle; single piece tracks
more popular with some modelers; relative lack of ejector pin marks will well received.
Disadvantages: another kit competing in a limited market (see text), choice of base plastic odd.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all halftrack and WWII German fans.
F I R S T L O O K.
It never rains but what it pours, as the old saw goes.
From being stuck with only two German halftrack kits for over 20 years (the
ancient Nitto Ausf. B and the awful Tamiya Ausf. C) there has been first a
trickle via Tamiya's D models and then a rush from DML and AFV Club to fill the
void.
This kit is the AFV Club C model, following on the
heels of their D model and also their excellent series of Sd.Kfz. 11 3 ton
cargo and artillery halftracks. Essentially what AFV Club has done here is to
combine bits of earlier kits (102 parts from the Sd.Kfz. 11 kit and 136 from the
Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. D kit) with two sprues of weapons and 46 totally new
hull parts. The "special parts" are two turned brass fender marker
poles that seem to have been added as an afterthought; still, they are a nice
and durable accessory.
Compared with the DML kits, the parts breakdown and
layout of the AFV Club kit is totally different. It has the hull come in three
basic parts (sides with road wheel mounts and top) and a stock set of base
parts for the center of the hull (belly and floor) rather than the separate
lower chassis favored by DML. Details are pretty similar, other than how they
are formed from smaller pieces. The hinges for the dismount compartment doors
are somewhat thicker than the DML ones, but as these work and the others do not
it was more a case of "overengineering" for durability.
There are a few optional parts. The armored radiator
air exhaust louvers are provided in two styles and the builder has the option
of which one to use. Like the DML kit, all of the hatches may be posed opened
or closed; also like the DML kit, no engine is provided for the engine
compartment.
Many modelers will like the fact that the AFV Club kit
comes with one-piece black vinyl tracks, which make assembly much easier and
faster. These do need care, as they are "handed" with one side one
link longer than the other to cover the torsion bar layout difference in length
of the track sets. However, they are unfortunately old-fashioned ones and
require assembly with ACC cement, not standard tube cement; the pins are too
small to use a "hot screwdriver" on for sealing either. AFV Club
makes four different styles of single-link track for the 3 ton halftrack
family, and these can be selected after-market for the model: early model (AF
35044), late model (AF 35069), late model steel (AF 35070) or final model
rubber type (AF 35081).
Markings are provided for four different vehicles:
"Grossdeutschland" Division, Russia 1943; 3rd Panzer Division,
Operation "Zitadelle", Kursk 1943; 16th Panzer Division, Russia
1943-1944; and 14th Panzer Division, Ukraine 1942. However, only two sets of
license plates are provided, and only one is shown correctly matching a vehicle
on the directions!
For some odd reason, AFV Club has stopped using their
light tan styrene and is now making their kits in a olive drab plastic. This
will make it nearly obligatory to prime them first before painting them in light colors.
Overall, this is a very nice kit, delicate and in some
cases giving the impression it is underscale; it is not, but that is the type
of molding for which AFV Club has become known.
However, it bothers me a bit that AFV Club tends to
wind up duking it out with other major companies for a slice of the modeling
pie with identical kits to their competitors. While competition is not a bad
thing - especially if your competition produces a dog, as Tamiya has done way
too often - it makes the slice of the pie that much smaller for both companies.
Particularly frustrating is the fact that the Germans
only built around 15,250 of all of their 251 halftracks (of all four variants -
A, B, C, and D) and a handful of OT-810 clones in the CSSR after the war. The
Americans produced over 55,800 halftracks of four basic types (M2, M3, M5 and
M9) which served in all theaters and with most of the Allies, plus postwar
service with many other countries (such as the Israeli army up into the mid
1970s).
I keep hoping one of the manufacturers will figure out
the fact that there are only three lousy kits from Tamiya of all of the US
models, and go after that market rather than slice up the smaller piece of the
German pie, but so far no such luck.
Thanks to Miin Herng Tsueng of AFV Club for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on November 24, 2004)
Kit Review: AFV Club 1/35 Scale Kit No. 35S26; Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. D + Pak 40
Anti-Tank Gun Limited Value Set (3000 Sets Only);
723 parts (457 in olive drab styrene, 128 in black styrene, 128 in manganese brown styrene,
5 etched brass, 4 black vinyl, 1 turned aluminum gun barrel).
Price $47.98.
Advantages: "One Stop Shopping" nets three and a
half kits in one box for a low price; excellent detail and value for the money.
Disadvantages: do not open parts until needed or you will have some problems locating them!
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all German halftrack and artillery fans.
F I R S T L O O K.
AFV Club arguably produces some of the best kits on
the market today - but in the US they are also among the most expensive.
Therefore, this kit was something of a surprise when it showed up, as you
essentially get three and one-half AFV Club kits in one box for a much lower
price than the kits are separately.
For your forty-eight clams you get the complete AF
35063 Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. D kit, the complete set of AF 35044 "Early
Model" single link tracks, the complete AF 35071 7.5 cm PaK 40 Antitank
Gun, and half of the AF 35075 7.5 cm PaK 40 ammunition set. Considering that
depending upon time, place and distributor this could run as much as $100 so
you can see what a deal this one-stop shopping really is! Note: while the
boxtop illustrators indicated that this is a "Limited Value" kit, I
think they really meant "Limited Time Offer" as it is QUITE a value!
I strongly recommend that you only open the bags as
needed, as there are a lot of very confusing sprues and that minimizes
confusion. Note that the kit ships with bags within bags, and some dissimilar
items may be packaged together in a larger bag.
Addressing the kits one at a time, the Sd.Kfz. 251/1
Ausf. D is based on their earlier Sd.Kfz. 11 series kits and combines the
running gear of the latter with a new hull and interior set. The model thus
combines 94 parts from the Sd.Kfz. 11 with another 136 new parts and 22 weapons
from another set to create this kit.
Compared with the DML kits, the parts breakdown and
layout of the AFV Club kit is totally different. It has the hull come in three
basic parts (sides with road wheel mounts and top) and a stock set of base
parts for the center of the hull (belly and floor) rather than the separate
lower chassis favored by DML. Details are pretty similar, other than how they
are formed from smaller pieces. The hinges for the dismount compartment doors
are somewhat thicker than the DML ones, but as these work and the others do not
it was more a case of "overengineering" for durability.
The model comes with single-piece vinyl tracks, which
will be well received in some areas. They are handed with one track being one
link longer than the other to compensate for the torsion bar layout. But it
also comes with the complete single-link version of the same track. This seems
a bit puzzling, as the D models came out much later and most are shown with
later style tracks; considering AFV Club makes four different types, one would
have thought they would have provided different sets. While the single-piece
are quite mediocre, the single-links are gorgeous and even come with a black
"rubber" pad and an oxidized manganese brown colored shoe.
The PaK 40 gun is another amazing piece of
craftsmanship by AFV Club, comprising some 158 parts on its own. Most are new
but the tools and some minutiae come from the le FH 18 series kits. The tiniest
details are replicated on this weapon, and it comes with rubber tires for the
carriage. A pair of stamped eight-spoke wheels are provided for it.
Lastly the kit provides one sprue from the ammunition
kit to go with the 7.5 cm PaK 40 gun. This provides eight full rounds (2 each
of four different projectile types), four empty casings, six packing tubes and
three packing crates.
The stock halftrack kit markings are provided and
cover markings for five different vehicles: 2nd SS Panzer Division, July 1944
(e.g. France); 1st Ski-Jaeger Division, Russia 1944; U/I unit, Eastern Front
1944; 27th SS Panzergrenadier Division, Warsaw 1944-1945; and U/I unit, Eastern
Front 1943. Five different sets of license plates are provided, but the sheet
looks short. No decals are provided for either the PaK 40 or the ammunition
set.
Overall, this kit appears to be one of the best
bargains offered, but as the boxtop indicates there are only going to be 3000
released (ergo the "S" or "Special Kit" tag in its factory
control number.) If you want one, I suggest you hurry!
Thanks to Miin Herng Tseung of AFV Club for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on November 22, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6207;
Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. B DAK Version;
597 parts (545 in grey styrene, 27 etched brass, 25 in clear styrene);
Price around $27.98.
Advantages: very nicely done kit, separate hatches at all
openings, several different options permit a dead match for specific vehicles,
choice of styrene or etched brass parts; includes parts for well-known 21st
Panzer Division command tank.
Disadvantages: very tiny individual track links will not be popular with some modelers.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all light armor, Afrika Korps and German armor fans.
F I R S T L O O K.
Dragon has been really cranking out kits lately, albeit many of them being
modifications of earlier releases with new parts and options. This is one such kit,
as it now takes their nice little Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. B kit and provides the options
to build it as one of the famous "Afrika Korps" ones.
A 36
B 46
C 164 x 2
D 15
E 14
E 11 (N)
F 26
F 13 (N)
I 1
N 12 x 2 (N)
W 22 clear (new)
6063 31
As opposed to the original kit (No. 6186) that came
with a total of nine plastic sprues, the new version has been slightly retooled
and comes with 12 and includes figure set No. 6063, along with two new sprues
of parts, two sprues of "jerry" cans, and another fret of etched
brass. The figures provide a compliment to the model as there are four figures
in the more casual dress found in North Africa. This set provides two figures
in pith helmets and two with soft caps, all in casual poses with mess tins or
canteens. A field stove and ration containers are provided. A puppy is
also included for diorama potential.
Also new to this kit is a set of clear styrene vision blocks and block frames,
which are used to provide the basis for the vision port mounts and also the locks
for opening the external vision ports (recall it was a bit hot in Africa and many
vehicles traveled around "unbuttoned" whenever possible to avoid
cooking the crew - German films clearly show them frying eggs on fenders!)
All of the previous kit options on exhausts and view
port covers have been retained, and this one also provides six complete
"jerry" cans with an optional etched brass "seam" that is
cleverly designed to be trapped between the halves of the can during assembly
(parts N1 and N2 with MB2).
As before, the kit includes 288 single track links,
which are not going to be popular with some modelers as they are very, very
small - each one is about 3 mm x 7 mm. If you do not have a fine sprue nipper
or keyhole type razor saw, getting these off the sprues will be difficult. I
recommend the following procedure. Before cutting them off the sprue, cut open
the end bars of the sprue to take the tension off the parts. This way, as you
trim the parts, they are not compressed upon themselves but instead come free.
You wind up with fewer broken and damaged parts this way. Also, they do have a
pin-and-notch system for assembly, at least, so assembly should be much easier
than you would think once you have them off the sprue.
Most of the etched brass parts deal with the rear of
the hull and are used with the smoke candles. This isn't so bad, as there are
also some options where brass parts can be used to replace styrene ones, which
is one of the best ideas that DML has come up with in a long time.
The model offers two different paint schemes. The
famous one (Red R) is from the 21st Panzer Division 1941-42 and the other is
grey (the instructions state "Field Grey" but suspect they meant
Panzergrau, which is NOT the same color) from the 5th Panzer Division, Tripoli,
1941. Something tells me either they meant to say either the 5th Light Division
or the 15th Panzer Division, and not the 5th; that division was in Russia at
the time.
Again, this is a really nice effort by DML and provides plenty of options.
Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on November 19, 2004)
Kit Review: Academy 1/35 Scale Optional Parts Series No. 1374; U.S. M9 Dozer Blade Set;
57 parts in olive drab styrene;
Price US $2.49.
Advantages: well-done accessory for any M60 series tank; clean, neat moldings
include the new headlights required by this modification.
Disadvantages: no information or parts provided for hooking the mechanism
up to the tank (operating mechanisms, not mounting hardware).
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all US armor fans, M60 fans, and "picks and shovels" fans.
Engineer equipment is something that doesn't get the coverage it probably deserves
in the modeling world. Anyone who has ever worked around combat arms units knows that without
engineer support most units would have a hard time of getting around - either crossing
water obstacles, negotiating narrow roads (if there are any at all) or clearing the debris of
war that often clogs up the way ahead.
In World War II, after experimenting with armored
bulldozers, the US Army found the easiest solution to its problems was to
simply mount a bulldozer blade on a standard M4 Medium Tank and use it where
needed. This had several advantages. One, the bulldozer operator was no longer
at the mercy of the enemy and was protected from any snipers or infantry in the
vicinity. Two, the tank had sufficient gearing and power to ensure most
obstacles could be cleared away or filled in; firing scrapes for tanks in the
defense or artillery pits could also be dug in short order. And three, if the
bulldozer found the enemy, a big gun gave the bulldozer the chance to carry out
the modern mantra: "Fight crime - shoot back!"
The first blade assembly, the M1, was designed in mid
1943 for use on the M4 series tanks fitted with the vertical volute (VVSS)
suspension system. Later, a slightly broader one, the M1A1, was created for use
with either the expanded VVSS suspension ("E9") or the wider
horizontal volute (HVSS or "E8") suspension. While few tanks were
dedicated as engineer assets, many units used them as normal route clearing
vehicles. A total of 1.957 M1 kits were made during WWII
In Korea, the USMC fitted the M1A1 blade or the more
compact M2 blade to M4A3 (105) howitzer tanks and used them as multipurpose
machines on the battlefield.
Others followed after the war. The M3 blade was
designed for the M47, the M8 series for the M48 family of tanks, and the M9 for
the M60 series tanks. The M9 was identical to the M8 series except for the
mounting fittings that connected the blade and its associated control hardware
to the front of the tank. The M8s differed in where the hydraulic lines for
operating the blades attached to the hull; early models attached to the top
right rear of the tank, and later models ran their lines down an armored cover
to a connector at the left bottom rear of the hull. The M9 used the same system
as the late M8 series blades.
Academy released a kit of what it originally dubbed an
"M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle" but later redesignated as an M60A1
RISE with M9 Dozer Blade. That was correct, and now they have released the
blade assembly separately for use on any M60 kit. The parts are very neatly
done, with all ejection pin markings either concealed or "standing
proud" to allow for easy removal. If the modeler is careful, the finished
product will even operate correctly as its prototype.
The kit also includes the "stalk" mounted
headlight assemblies necessary to "see" over the top of the blade in
travel position.
While what parts are included are very well done and
accurate, there are some omissions which are sure to bug modelers. One is the
travel lock assembly, which is a glacis-width bar that carries safety hooks
that the driver can engage to ensure the blade remains in its travel position
while moving. The other is the hydraulic takeoff from the rear of the hull for
operating the blade, and all of those parts - armored fitting box, armored
cover run, and any flexible lines to hook up to the blade assembly - are
missing. Also missing is the control cable that goes into the driver's
compartment via one of his viewers (in order to operate the system from his
position.)
Alas, references are scarce on the specifics so anyone
who wants to super-detail the blade assembly will have to do some running
around. But what the modeler gets is better than most resin kits, and one
cannot argue about the price.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on November 12, 2004)
Kit Review: "Motorworks" (21st Century Toys) "Ultimate Soldier 32X"
series Kit No. 22002; M4 Sherman Tank;
15 parts (3 major subassemblies, 6 separate "detail" parts, 2 vinyl figures;
2 screws; 2 vinyl tracks);
Price $14.95, only sold via Wal-Mart.
Advantages: Perfect "first model kit" for a young child,
solid enough for "play value" as well as detailed enough for
many collectors; also available as a "built-up" version.
Disadvantages: Not a true "kit"; where was stuff like this when we were little?
Rating: (under 8) Highly Recommended (over 8) Recommended.
Recommendation: for kids and many adults alike.
While many iconoclasts spend their time bashing this
or that kit for missing one or two details, or whining as a kit of their
favorite subject has a "horrible" 2 mm error in its length, one thing
which should be observed by all of us is this: where are the "starter"
or "entry" level kits today that we can start our children on?
Many of us - no ages mentioned - began in the 1950s
with a wealth of then-new kits that beckoned to us from store shelves, even
down at the neighborhood "Mom and Pop" grocery. Aurora kits for 49
cents to a mighty one dollar of everything under the sun, Revell matching them
stride for stride, and Airfix coming out with - wait for it - common scale
kits! Anyone of us with a dollar from a favorite aunt or several weeks
allowance could pick up some of these styrene beauties and slap them together
in an afternoon (hey, who needed paint?)
My first armor kit was an Aurora M46 Patton the year
it came out. I never did get the little caps on right so the wheels never
worked, but hey, it had four guys that came with it and it was a TANK, so who
cared? I can't recall how many Tootsietoy trucks it blew up before becoming a
victim in its own right.
But as kits got more expensive - and kit reviewers
like me showed up to start raining on the manufacturers' parade - kits got more
and more accurate but more and more complex. It's one thing to give a kid a
model with about 100 parts or less and a simple method of construction, and
another to give him a kit with 700 parts that 50% of adults cannot correctly
assemble. With that high a cost to hours spent on the hobby or hours spent
versus frustration level, it's easy to see why kids are less and less
interested in modeling as a hobby.
I spotted these models in a Wal-Mart last year but did
not manage to get one before they sold out. This year I saw the same kits back
again and picked one up to see what it presents to the younger modeler. I was
quite surprised at what I found.
First off, this is essentially the same offering as
21st Century Toys (a Chinese import company exclusively under contract with
Wal-Mart) makes as a completed model in a "window" box with the
figures in their "action" poses. All this "kit" does is
provide in a semi-knocked down form so that "dad and lad" can put it
together. Not a bad concept, that.
The model is not bad either. It represents a standard
production early hull M4 tank with early turret and the M34A1 gun mount, albeit
fitted with late-model ("upswept") return roller brackets, T48 rubber
chevron tracks, and applique armor on the hull and turret. That beats the old
Revell kit, that looked like a Sherman but had nothing in common with any
specific prototype.
No sponson liners are included, so it is at least as
good as any of the Tamiya modern M4 series kits.
The model measures 181mm long x 82.5 mm wide x 84mm to
the top of the commander's hatch, which makes it about 1/32 scale. That's
better than the old Tamiya 1/30-something kit.
What you get when you open the box are a bunch of bags
of parts or assemblies. The hull, turret and belly pan are shipped as nearly
complete but separately bagged. Each is painted (albeit in a hurry) and
complete as is, less a handful of small detail parts for the lower hull.
"Assembly" consists of snapping the six extra parts in place,
slipping on the tracks, snapping the hull sections together, and then using the
two screws to hold them together. My own example had a stiff-fitting turret and
an underscale (and off-axis) hollow bore to the main gun.
Some license has been taken. The hull hatches are
overside and rectangular, mostly to ensure the crew figures will fit in them.
Tools are molded onto the hull and quite high in relief, but at least in the
right places.
The model has been painted in the European camouflage
used by most of the 1st Army Group tanks with black stripes over olive drab.
The crew figures come painted as well, and consist of a seated driver with
tanker's helmet and a standing commander figure with steel pot. Both the
figures and the "kit" stowed on the tank have been washed in black so
they are essentially partially weathered. The model does come with 10 packs, 2
crates, 2 oil cans, 2 gas cans, 2 spare wheels, 3 sections of track, and 3
helmets as extra "kit" stowed on the tank. Markings consist of
generic stars.
The tracks and wheels roll, the turret traverses and
the gun elevates and depresses, the hull and turret hatch both open, as do the
ejection port door and the engine air intake access hatch (the front one, not
the one over the engine itself).
Overall this is actually a pretty impressive model,
given its limitations. There are a lot more in this family; I am not sure how
big it gets, but I have seen the usual Tiger I and 88mm kits, plus others such
as a US halftrack, M24 Chaffee, Wirbelwind and Moebelwagen, Sd.Kfz. 7 8 ton
halftrack, and even an early model Pzkw. III. If you want to get kids
interested in armor and armor modeling, this seems to be a painless way to go.
(But you HAVE to go to Wal-Mart, as they seem to have a "done deal"
on distribution in the US.)
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on November 11, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6248;
Sd.Kfz. 251/22 Ausf. D;
986 parts (952 in grey styrene, 12 etched brass, 8 clear styrene, 7 grey vinyl,
4 turned brass rounds, 2 silver paper stickers, turned aluminum barrel);
Price estimated at $34-38. Advantages: state-of-the-air, modern kit of this popular
halftrack conversion; tailored changes included in kit; many options for the
modeler. Disadvantages: up against established and
competing products, teensy track parts not popular with some modelers. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all German and halftrack fans. F I R S T L O O K. The Germans were the first major
military power to see the direct value of specialized self-propelled weapons to
support mechanized infantry, and as such had a large number of conversion
weapons dedicated to provide that type of support. One of the first was the
simple mounting of the PaK 36 3.7 cm antitank gun on a strengthen forward roof
section of the basic Sd.Kfz. 251 halftrack infantry carrier. Later, close
support versions of the 250 and 250 fitted with the 7.5 cm L/24 infantry
howitzer became available. But later on in the war, when the Germans found
themselves being subjected to mass Soviet tank attacks, the solution needed was
effective mobile antitank gun firepower. As such, once again the 251 halftrack
was called upon to answer, and the solution was to mount a standard 7.5 cm L/46
PaK 40 cannon on a special mount in the dismount section compartment of a
Sd.Kfz. 251/1 carrier. While the gun did not have much traverse, it did provide
instant firepower for troops that were spending more and more of their time on
defense. DML has now adapted
their recent Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. D carrier (Kit No. 6233) by providing it with
the upper end of their brand-new PaK 40 kit (No. 6249) and the figures from set
No. 6064 (as well as three new figures) to create a kit of the popular Sd.Kfz.
251/22 conversion. Thanks to "mix and match" this is a simple task, with the kit
using the C, D, E and H common 251 series sprues, the A, B and W sprues from the
standard 251 Ausf. D kit, sprues B, C, and D plus the MA brass fret from the PaK
40 kit, two brand new sprues (L and T) with the dedicated "Stroke 22" parts, the
#6064 figure sprue, and the EZ Track set introduced in Kit 6233. Two of the new figures come on the
L sprue but one other is a vinyl figure, which as DML has suggested makes it
easier to get him into the driver's compartment seat due to his ability to
"flex." (So far I have not heard from anyone about how well this works; I
haven't done figures in some time for a number of reasons and have not had a
chance to try them out.) The
lower section (the 251 parts) are excellent and the new parts provide for the
sturdy platform used for mounting the gun in the dismount compartment. Two hoods
are now included (A9/A10 or L16) so you have a choice of early or late model 251
D model hulls, as are two different upper hulls (A1 or L24). While the hull
parts are interchangeable, the hood parts are not, so you have to ensure that
you use the right set. You
also have a choice between the early style tracks (on the sprues) or the EZ
Track which is provided as separate parts. (Nearly half the parts in this kit -
480 - are track links from the two sets. Note that there are injector pin marks
on the EZ Track but not the regular track, so it's up to the modeler which one
he chooses. The former looks better but the latter is much easier to assemble.)
Note that if you want to use
the driver figure you have to install him early in the building process; the
directions recommend Step 7 when the cowl panel (Step 6) is installed. If you do
not, at Step 15 you have to mount the gun carriage turntable and that
effectively prevents any options on installation. As noted in the review I did on the PaK 40, you have
several options with the gun including three choices of muzzle brake, servicing
panels and breech block. (NB:
Terry Ashley from PMMS indicates that mensuration of the PaK 40 kit shows the
ground mount trails are 13 mm too long, a major goof if true, and one which
seems odd for DML to make. I checked my references and found nothing to disagree
with his observations, but considering that the PaK 40 was notoriously heavy and
hard to manipulate in combat, it is possible that DML researchers found some odd
variant to use or a "restored" version made easier to move by fixing that
problem. I can't say for sure. At least with this kit it is not a problem, as
none of the carriage components are used.) DML provides four different finish options, none of which
are identified: one Panzer brown vehicle and three in Panzer brown/green/red
brown schemes, including one in the ever-popular "Ambush" scheme. Three decal
sheets are included: the one from the PaK 40 kit, a license and unit markings
sheet, and a separate special insignia sheet. While I personally think this is a great kit with a large
number of options and is certainly state of the art, I do get concerned when
there are now three kits on the market competing with each other (AFV Club,
Tamiya and DML) for a narrower section of the market than with some other
subjects. I for one do appreciate competition, but with only a set number of
kits coming out each year I always hope to see someone do different subjects no
one else has done, rather than everyone doing the same kits. I am sure there is
a limited market for LCM(3) kits, for example, and while there seems to be no
limit on the number of Tiger and Panther kits that can be released and sell
well, a narrow market kit such as this may not either get the recognition it
deserves or good enough sales to promote continuation. (For example, still
missing are some of the specialized versions, such as the MG 151 FlaK Drilling,
the flamethrower variant, the engineer variant with footbridges, etc.) Overall this is a very nicely done
kit and representative of the current DML standard. Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on November 7,
2004)
Book Review: Wings and Wheels Publications Present Vehicle
Line No. 9; ZIL-157/157K Variants in Detail by Frantisek Koran and Jan Martinec;
Wings and Wheels Publications, Prague, Czech Republic, 2004; 120 pp. with about 400 color photos; Price L16.99 (about US $30.50); ISBN
80-86416-36-4. Advantages: Clear, sharp photos make this
book a must for building the current line of ZIL-157 kits from Trumpeter; good
coverage of the SA-2 GUIDELINE, its launcher and transporter. Disadvantages: finding a source for this book is a bit
harder than some other lines. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: for all softskin and Soviet
era fans, as well as surface-to-air missile buffs. The Soviet Union was a pretty forward thinking place in
regard to tanks and SP guns, but woefully backward in the area of trucks and
transportation in general. When they received the first series of US trucks
under Lend Lease in 1942, they were amazed at both the sophistication of
American trucks and their reliability and ruggedness. Their own standard medium
truck, the ZIS-5, was a 4 x 2 design with brakes only on the rear wheels and
noted for only limited off-road capability. The GMC CCKW and Studebaker US6 with
their 6 x 6 configurations and reliable drivelines and brakes were a shock. After the war, the Soviet truck
industry built its own version of the two American trucks as the ZIS-151. This
truck remained in production from 1948 to 1957 (changing names from ZIS -
"Stalin" Factory - to ZIL - "Likhachev" Factory - after 1953) when the ZIL-157
took its place. This truck was an improved version, with its main distinction
being the large, single tires in place of the smaller, narrower ones that were
paired on the rear drive axles of the ZIL-151. These also had adjustible tire
pressure to both overcome flats as well as increase flotation in soft terrain.
Later, an automatic control was provided that did this automatically. The
ZIL-157 was in production from 1958 to 1961; the improved K model from 1961 to
1964, various other improved models later taking its place. The last variant,
the ZIL-157KD, was in production from 1976 to 1982. Most of these were export
models (the USSR having changed over to the ZIL-131 in the meantime.) The ZIL-157 was basically a 3 metric
ton cargo truck meaning it had a cross-country cargo rating of 3,000 kilograms
or about 6,615 lbs. On paved roads this could surge to as much as 7,500
kilograms plus a trailer, but for the most part the vehicle was not strained
that heavily. It had a crew of two and could carry a normal load of 12-16
soldiers in the rear cargo body thanks to folding seats. The vehicle was
provided with a self-recovery winch. Numerous variants were built, the most common being the
so-called "BBV" (Box Body Vehicle) versions and the ZIL-157V model tractor for
use with a semitrailer. WWP
produces great photo studies of former Soviet equipment that was used or was
present in Czechoslovakia, and this book is no exception. It provides the
following detailed coverage: 36 pages on the base model ZIL-157/ZIL-157K; 9
pages on the ZIL-157V tractor; 18 pages on the PR-11B missile transporter
semitrailer; 26 pages on the V-750 (SA-2) missile and its launcher; 8 pages on a
BBV variant; 6 pages on the P-15 (FLAT FACE) radar variant; 6 pages on a BBV
used as a simulator for 9M14 (AT-3) training; and two pages on a locally built
snowplow variant. As with all
books of this sort, the pictures are large, crisp, and in color, with "sort of"
English text (grammar can get, um, interesting.) But the authors differentiate
between detail differences and make the books eminently worthwhile, especially
if modeling the subject. The
section on the SA-2 is not too useful for the missile and the various versions,
but it has great shots of the launcher, including open access hatches showing
the internal parts of the launcher and how the layout of the components works
out. If anyone wanted to make a dynamite model of the Trumpeter kit, this is a
must for reference. Likewise the
other major kit, the semitrailer transporter. Although the book does not show
the loading process (the missile on its transporter rail is swivelled so it can
slide rear end first onto an empty launcher rail) there is a good deal of
coverage of the turntable and the various bits and fittings that should permit
an average modeler to show one being loaded with little trouble. Overall, these books are good value
and in many cases very much provide what is the only reference for modelers of a
specific subject.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on November 7,
2004)
Book Review: Osprey Modelling No. 13: Modelling US Army Tank
Destroyers of WWII by Steven J. Zaloga, consulting editor Robert Oehler; Osprey
Publishing, Botley, Oxfordshire, England, 2004; 80 pp.
with color photos and illustrations; Price about US
$18.95; ISBN 1-84176-799-9. Advantages: Very clear text and good photo coverage provide
a wealth of details and information of interest to any armor modeler; provides
good information on specific subject kits. Disadvantages: Like all modelers' guides, fixed at a point
in time to the kits then available. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: To all armor modelers, and
all modelers in general. Guide
books to modeling are a problem of sorts, as they have to stake out a section of
turf and then define it. The bugaboo is that just as you have described one
series or class of kits, new ones come out that supplant or replace the current
entries, thus limiting the value of the book as a whole. Happily, with the continuing line of
good works from well-known armor modeler Steve Zaloga, this is rarely a problem,
as about 95% of the techniques he shares and discusses are of use to any armor
model, and many of them are even "cross-discipline" and pertain to other
modeling genres as well (aircraft, ships, cars, figures, sci-fi, and especially
model railroading). This book
focuses on WWII US tank destroyers, a colorful and interesting class of
ultimately flawed vehicles and guns. When tanks came about in WWI, nobody
thought much about them as reliability was so low. But in the 1930s, when tanks
began to emerge as a new threat on the battlefield, there was a bit of
reactionary aversion to them by the "traditional" combat arms: infantry,
artillery, cavalry. In the US Army, as a result there was a rise of the tank
destroyer, either a gun or lightly armed, highly mobile vehicle that could kill
tanks before they could cause great destruction. Based on forced modeling - and
a heavy dose of branch biases by the aforementioned three branches - tank
destroyers were "demonstrably superior" to tanks during the 1941 Louisiana
Maneuvers. As such, they were adopted for the US Army and battalions were
created in short order. The
reality was that what the Army wound up with was either weak or ineffective
towed weapons or tank-like vehicles that could not really battle other tanks.
After high losses and much sacrifice during the war, the tank destroyer concept
was quietly dropped after the war was over. From a modeling standpoint, however, it created some
neat-looking vehicles that are fun to model, as they have open tops and busy
interiors. Steve turns his attention in this book to four basic subjects: a 1/35
scale M36 90mm GMC in a winter camouflage, based on the new Academy kit; a 1/72
Extratech kit of the M10 3" GMC; a 1/35 scale model of the M18 Hellcat based on
the AFV Club kit; and a 1/35 conversion of the same AFV Club M18 into the M39
Armored Utility Vehicle for towing the M5 3" Antitank gun. But in passing, Steve
also comments on most of the available kits of tank destroyers, and provides
inside into the Dodge-based M6 37mm GMC, the halftrack mounted M3 75mm GMC, and
the M36B1 90mm GMC on the M4A3 chassis. Unlike some of the other Osprey authors - or many other
modeling authors in general - Steve is able to show clear, concise photos and
text of what he does and how he does it. He explains his techniques, shows how
it is done (and the interim steps of what the effect or part looks like in
transition) and also the finished result. Too many "authors" seem more intent on
bragging about their achievements and showing only a finished effort, usually
badly. The editors of such publications should use books like this one as their
reference standard of "how to do it" to ensure a better product. While Steve is a consultant to
several manufacturers - providing advice, plans and references where needed - he
has no affiliation with any manufacturer on a paid basis, and thus bad kits or
kits with errors are called out and highlighted. This includes comparisons of
the three available M10 3" GMC kits - Academy, AFV Club, and Tamiya - and
demonstrably shows which one is most accurate (and ergo the best one to begin a
modeling project.) Overall this
is an excellent book for the money, and even if you do not build armor, you can
find many, many useful tips and hints within its covers.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on November 7,
2004)
Book Review: "Weapons of War" Series; The Ram Volume 2:
Development and Variants by Paul Roberts; Service Publications, Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada, 2004; 24 pp. with B&W photos and one
painting diagram; Price CDN $9.95; ISBN 1-894581-19-9
http://www.servicepub.com
Advantages: Continues coverage of a popular if underreported
armored vehicle series; photos are fresh and new, as is text. Disadvantages: No kit of this vehicle to model! Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: to all fans of Canadian or Allied WWII
Armor, or "Shermaholics". Some
time ago Service Publications released the first volume in this series, which
covered the development and some of the general points of interest on the
Canadian derivative of the US M3 Medium Tank, the Ram. In this book, Paul
Roberts, well-known Canadian modeler and current president of the Armor Modeling
and Preservation Society, continues the text on this interesting if
under-modeled vehicle. Backed up
with a large number of fresh photos from the collection of historian and modeler
Barry Beldam, the book covers the development and combat use - such as it was -
of the Ram in service. It points out that the Ram used as much as was practical
from its "parent" - the M3 - but changed most of the major components to suit
Canadian views of what a proper tank needed. The Mark II, the main production
version of the tank, used a 6-lb gun in place of the US tank's M5 37mm gun, but
adopted the gyrostabilizer used by that weapon and the later M6 37mm gun. The
hull evolved over the production run, eventually losing the satellite turret on
the left front side of the hull and the antiquated side doors, but retained the
same componentry. Alas, it had too small a turret ring to permit an upgrade to
the US M3 75mm gun later in its career, and that doomed the tank to nearly sit
on the sidelines of the war in Europe. However, the tank was used by Canadian regiments for
training in England, and was also the "volunteer" for some projects such as the
development of the LCM series of landing craft. The tank was successfully
carried by the LCM(1) version developed by Britain, and even proved the safety
of tank gunnery from the craft while afloat. Alas, it also showed that this only
worked well in still water, and thus the LCMs had to wait for larger size and
more flotation reserve to be used as "water taxis" for tanks. The tanks were also adapted to fit
specialist functions, and this is what gave them their combat debut and service.
Having a reliable chassis, the tank was used as a stripped-down version with a
dummy gun as an artillery OP; a plotting board and suitable comms gear was
fitted, and it was used as an armored forward observation post with good
success. The tank was also
stripped of its turret and all internal components for use as a "Kangaroo." But
as this work shows, the "Kangaroos" were more than just spartan: NO provision
was made for the infantry's carriage other than a big open hole in the top of
the hull (the former turret race). No storage for kit inside the hull was
provided, nor were any seats fitted. One must wonder if "riding" in such a
vehicle was really better than walking! Other variants included the RAM ARV Mk. I and one prototype
Mk. II, and a Ram Kangaroo fitted with a flamethrower. Overall, this book is a nice
addition to any collector of US "Shermania" (from the M3 and M4 Medium Tank
family) as well as a good inclusion on Canadian armor and its part in the war.
Thanks to Clive Law of Service
Publications for the review copy.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on November 7,
2004)
Book Review: "Weapons of War" Series; The 6-Pounder
Anti-Tank Gun in Canadian Service by Doug Knight; Service Publications, Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada, 2004; 24 pp. with B&W photos; Price CDN $9.95; ISBN
1-894581-24-5.
http://www.servicepub.com
Advantages: Neat little work on a popular but poorly covered
weapon; good clear photos of various versions of the weapon quite useful. Disadvantages: For the uninitiated a chart-type overview of
which guns have which features would have been helpful! Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all artillery and Commonwealth fans. Last year I began research on a
special project (which, alas, I did not complete) on the US version of the
legendary "Six Pounder" antitank gun - the US M1 - and found out there was a lot
about the little beast that I did not know, and even more about the parent
versions of the gun. Needless to say, when I received this slim volume in the
mail for review I was delighted, as it presents a good deal of clarity on the
subject. I reviewed the previous
publication by Doug Knight - a former Canadian artilleryman - which covered the
"Land Mattress" rocket launcher and found it fascinating. The same is true here
of his treatment of this subject. Both the US and the Commonwealth settled early on in the war
upon the British 6-lb antintank gun as their standard light weapon. The British
2-lb gun and US M3 37mm were both found wanting for all but basic light infantry
support. The Commonwealth used the guns from 1941 onwards, the US from 1942
until the end of the war, and the US still used some of their M1s in Korea as
did the South Koreans. Doug
notes that over the course of the Commonwealth development of the weapon it went
through five versions: Mark I (prototype), Mark II (initial production models),
Mark III (Mark II barrel for mounting in tanks), Mark IV (late models with a
longer barrel and muzzle brake); and Mark V (Mark IV barrel for mounting in
tanks). The US M1 was very similar to the Mark IV except for the muzzle brake
and wheels used on the carriage. Canadian built models had a C preface in their
designations. Due to the amount
of area available for trials firing and development, as well as the fact that
Canada was not under attack, a good deal of development on the 6-pounder took
place in Canada. Three carriages
were developed for the 6-pounder; a Mark I copy of the British design, a Mark II
with improved suspension components, and a Mark III which collapsed for air
drop. Surprisingly, none of them seem to have used the swiveling towing lunette
used by the US Army with the later versions of the M1 to prevent the barrel or
trails from "digging in" when crossing berms or ditches. Nevertheless, the Dominion of Canada
produced 8,000 6-pounder guns and 8,000 replacement barrels, or about 10% of the
entire Commonwealth total production. Armor penetration capability nearly doubled by the end of
the war, after Commonwealth metallurgists had developed a discarding sabot round
for the 6-pounder (from 74mm RHA at 1000 yards to 146mm at 1000 yards.) The gun
had good results, notching the first German Tiger I knocked out in North Africa
(but I digress!) While the US
quickly settled on either the M2 halftrack or the WC-62 Dodge 1 ½ Ton Truck as a
prime mover, apparently the Canadians were not so fortunate, and a bit of
squabbling took place in the effort to select a proper prime mover. Some wanted
the T16 Windsor carrier, others the 6 x 6 3-ton Low Silhouette truck, and others
still either the CMP 60-cwt or Loyd carriers. After five months of testing and
arguments, the government selected the T16 as the winner in April 1944. Most new guns went to the RCA
regiments, infantry units getting "hand-me-downs" as the others got newer or
more powerful weapons like the mighty 17-pounder. Doug also covers the use of the 6-pounder on shipboard or as
the powerful automatic Molins installation in anti-shipping Mosquito XVI
fighter-bombers. Overall, this
is a good little reference work and again sadly points up the fact for those of
us in the modeling community of a lack of a decent 6-pounder. The 35-year-old
Tamiya feeble effort at a Mark IV needs to be retired, and the 25-year-old
Peerless/ITaleri/Zvezda Mark II is better but has seen better days; ditto its M1
clone. But we can hope! Thanks
to Clive Law of Service Publications for the review copy.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on November 7,
2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale Kit No. 6249;
7.5 cm PaK 40 w/Heer Gun Crew; 254 parts (239 in grey
styrene, 6 etched brass, 4 in rubber, 4 turned brass, 1 turned aluminum barrel);
Price not known at this time. Advantages: state-of-the-art kit of this popular AT gun,
many build options. Disadvantages: gun shields not in
brass (see text); no crew weapons included. Rating:
Highly Recommended. Recommendation: to all artillery
fans and German WWII fans. F I R S T L O O
K. Reading over WWII memoirs
from US, Commonwealth and even Soviet soldiers all presents a similar picture:
"...a Kraut 88 knocked out the lead tank...", "...Jerry potted us with an 88
from the woods...", "...the Hitlerists dragged up an 8.8 cm gun but we crushed
it under our tracks and kept going..." One would think 99% of all German
artillery consisted of 88mm guns! In point of fact, most Allied tanks were
knocked out by either the 5 cm PaK 38 or its bigger brother, the 7.5 cm PaK 40.
The latter was probably the best
overall antitank gun of the war, when one compares its size, weight, weight of
shell, penetration, and overall capabilities to other weapons of a similar
nature. It was surely the equal of the Soviet 76.2 mm ZIS-3 in most respects,
and while not as capable as the British 17-lber it was a smaller, lighter and
handier weapon to use on the battlefield. The PaK 40 was capable of dealing with
all Allied tanks at combat ranges with the exception of the Soviet IS-2 at
longer ranges (1000-1500 meters). There are several older kits of this popular weapon around,
but the two main ones - the Italeri and Tamiya ones - are both well over 25
years old and while great kits in their day now somewhat dated. DML has now
provided a new kit, with a wealth of optional parts and a very nicely done set
of detail parts. This is included in the same manner as all other recent DML
"prize" parts, namely fastened to a separate cardboard mask inside the box. The PaK40 kit comes with plenty of
options, including optional etched brass detail parts, four turned brass rounds,
a turned aluminum or plastic barrel, and four soft rubber tires. The kit
provides for options in regard to three different styles of wheels and three
different styles of muzzle brakes (each formed of a casting and a face, with the
casting being hollow molded.) Also, the modeler has optional positions for
shields, trails, suspension arms, breech block, and gun servicing panels. The
gun is fixed, however, so traverse must be set during assembly. The gun shield is interesting,
because unlike recent AFV Club efforts the shield is composed of two injection
molded styrene sections with a brass gun mask (MA1) between them. The edges are
"feathered" to a knife edge, so the modeler winds up with a shield that looks
think but is actually quite sturdy and easy to attach. The kit provides the four German
1941 pattern figures from Kit No. 6190 ("Frozen Battleground 1941") which fit
well with the model, but come with no personal weapons. Still, most modelers who
build German figures should have a good "parts box" if needed and provide them
as they see fit. There are a
number of additional items, such as four turned brass AP rounds, four styrene HE
rounds, two ammo crates and a number of shipping tubes and three expended cases.
The decals are primarily for these parts and provide the necessary stencils in
both black and white. Since guns rarely bear any markings other than stray
"serviced on" decals, there are none included. Two finishes are shown, either
grey or "Panzer brown.". Overall
this is a beauty of a kit and should prove popular with anyone having an idea
for a diorama or an AFV Club Sd.Kfz. 11 or Italeri Opel Blitz looking for a
"job." Thanks to Freddie Leung
of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on November 7,
2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/72 Scale Kit No. 7257;
LCM(3) Landing Craft; 213 parts (112 in grey styrene, 97
in grey cementable vinyl, 2 etched brass, 1 length of nylon string, 1 vacuformed
clear base); Price not available. Advantages: nice, new kit of this popular landing craft in
1/72 scale; crew and infantry figures very nicely detailed; options to go
"scale" or "wargame". Disadvantages: vinyl figures still
not popular with modelers due to painting problems; compromises may not be
appreciated (see text. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: to all wargamers, WWII US and Commonwealth
amphibious warfare fans, and anyone wanting an "instant" diorama. F I R S T L O O K. This seems to be the year of the
LCM(3). The original one was an outgrowth of the "Americanized" version of the
first British purpose-built landing craft, LCM(1), which was designed to land up
to 16 tons of vehicles or cargo on a beach with a slope of 1/43. The American
one was designated to carry either one 15 ton light tank (read M3 or M5 series)
or 30,000 pounds of cargo, or alternatively 100 troops. This evolved into the
larger LCM(3) which was designed to land one 30 ton tank or 60,000 pounds of
cargo on the beach. But while
the original prototypes could deliver a 30 ton tank (M3 Medium type) to the
shore, in practice it was found to be too much of a strain on the hull and as a
result was not generally attempted. A modified version, the LCM(6), could carry
an M4 Medium Tank but had been extended 6 feet to provide it the necessary
flotation reserve to carry the tank in nominal seas. These craft were standardized and both the US and UK used
the same craft during the major landings in Europe. Later, some were carried to
the Rhein on "Dragon Wagons" and used for the crossings there. Each of them had
light armor on the control station and two .50 caliber machine guns on pedestal
mounts for self defense. Both
Trumpeter and Italeri have produced 1/35 scale kits of this craft, and DML has
announced one in 1/35 as well. But this is the first one in widely available
form and literally replaces the older 1/76 scale one from Airfix. DML apparently took a look at what
modelers want and what they use kits like this for, and came to the conclusion
many of them will be used for wargaming. As a result, the kit is a compromise; a
semi-"wargame" ready model with only a limited representation of the lower hull
(e.g. only enough of it so that the complete well deck inside the hull can be
represented.) Purists wanting a "full hull" or wargamers wanting only a
"waterline" version are bout out of luck; if the former was modeled the boat
would need a stand to display, and in the case of the latter the well deck would
have to be nearly flat to fit inside the scale freeboard of the vessel in the
water. If you have no problems
with that, then the model is a very nice representation of the actual vessel. It
provides for either scale (etched brass) or sturdy (styrene) gun shields for the
gunners. The ramp can be displayed up or down, but while moveable will not be
operable without a lot of work. Surprisingly, while rigging thread for the ramp
is provided, no directions are included to show how to rig it. A crew of three and 12 infantry men
are included; these are miniatures of the figures in DML's 1/35 scale 29th
Infantry set and are doubled up for poses (e.g. two each of six.) Each figure
comes with a separate pack and canteen as well. All are made in the new
cementable vinyl used by DML for smaller parts, and as such have had mixed
results from modelers. The figures have exquisite detail but are difficult to
paint well due to the flexing of the vinyl. A selection of 10 US weapons in
styrene are provided for them. The way DML gets around the compromise in the hull molding
is to provide a vacuformed base from a clear plastic for mounting the finished
model. The model nestles down into the base with its bow up on a simulated
beach, so the lack of underwater components becomes a moot point. (Note: the
directions don't give any hints except to color, but I suggest painting the
"water" color from the INSIDE of the base to permit it to retain a shiny
surface, and the "beach" color from the OUTSIDE to keep it suitably flat. Some
drybrushed "foam" should finish the water off to most peoples' satisfaction.)
Three sections of "Rommel's Asparagus" complete the base. Two sets of markings are provided:
one for one at D-Day in 1944 (marked "81" so you have me as to who it was used
by) and one from Iwo Jima for Boat 2 from APA-46, USS Knox. Overall, the model is very nicely
done and if most modelers have no problems with the compromise in the hull
should be very popular. Thanks
to Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on November 7,
2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale Kit No. 6210;
Sd.Kfz. 181 Panzerkampfwagen VI (P); 325 parts (302 in
grey styrene, 16 etched nickel, 4 etched brass, 2 in tan cementable vinyl, 1
section of steel cable); Price not available but
estimated at $32-38. Advantages: Clean, new kit of this
subject with apparent detailed research behind the kit; many models will welcome
vinyl tracks. Disadvantages: only one set of options
available for the only member of this group to see combat; tracks must be fitted
carefully and measured (see text). Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: For all German and heavy
tank fans. F I R S T L O O K. It would seem in many quarters all
you have to do to sell a kit is put "German" and "Tiger" on the box and you have
an instant winner. In real life, such was not the case, but Tigers did garner
good press for their day. What
most fervent Tiger fans also know is that the original tank came from a
competition of two competing VK4501 designs, one from Henschel and one from
Porsche. Both were designed to use a standard turret built for them by Krupp.
While Henschel chose a conventional engine-rear/transmission-front German
layout, Porsche opted for a design with two V-10 engines powering generators and
electric motors for the transmission. While on paper this was a superior system,
in reality the technology of the time was not quite up to the task and the tank
was not accepted. 10 chassis were built and at least 5 did receive turrets, but
only one ever saw combat as a tank. This kit builds that vehicle, the commander's tank of
sPzJgAbt 653 on the Eastern Front in early 1944. It appears to have received
some quick alterations, such as a Pzkw. IV turret stowage bin an dother minor
tweaks to make it combat ready. Since it shared components with the "Elefant"
tank destroyers of the unit, maintaining it was probably not much of a problem.
DML has taken components of its
very well done "Ferdinand" and "Elefant" kits and used them along with several
new sprues to create a model of this unique member of the Tiger family. Sprues
B, E and F are from the earlier kits (mostly suspension bits and the lower hull
and sprues A, C, H and L are new to this model. Also new are a set of single
piece tracks in tan cementable vinyl, etched nickel details and etched brass
engine grilles, and a section of blackened steel cable for modelers who want
"real" cables on the sides of the hull. (Separate plastic tow cable ends and the
aforementioned nickel brackets replace the one-piece styrene cables for those
parts.) Note that the tracks -
which do cement together well with good liquid cements like Testors - are, like
those on the M4A2 before it, very "stretchy" and flexible and while I did not
have a chance to assemble the kit and test them are probably a loose fit. This
is normal as many companies want to ensure that you can install the tracks so
leave them longer than they should (as with Italeri, even while they are too
stiff) or stretchier (Zvezda needs to pay attention to this!) You may have to
clip off one or two of the connection links in order to get a good fit. There
are four overlapping links here, so it may be easier to do than it sounds.
Remember these are "dead" tracks and run along nearly the entire top half of the
road wheels. While the box art
shows zimmerit in place on the tank in action, the kit is smooth, so you will
have to install your own zimmerit. One nice touch is that the inside armored deflector blades
are provided for the radiator intakes on the sides of the engine bay. Ergo, no
"hollow tank" there, but the large rear grille is not so fortunate and modelers
need to ensure something is there as a view block or simply paint the interior
black. Overall this is a
superior kit to the older Italeri one as far as I can see, and should make most
fans happy. Thanks to Freddie
Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on October 30,
2004)
Kit Review: Chesapeake Model Designs 1/35 Scale Cast Resin
Accessories: Kit No. CMD 41;
T-34 Model 1940 Cast Turret; 12 parts (11 in light tan
resin, 1 turned aluminum barrel); Price $18.00. Kit No. CMD 42; T-34 Model 1941 Cast
Turret; 12 parts (11 in light tan resin, 1 turned
aluminum barrel); Price $18.00. Advantages: permits Model 1941s to use the "cool" markings
preferred by many modelers; dead on the money, drop-in replacement for kit
parts. Disadvantages: May only appeal to purists or
die-hard "34" fans. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all Great Patriotic War and T-34 fans.
One of the attempted great myths
of the Soviet tank industry during World War II - "Great Patriotic War" if you
are a Russian - was the reason for the use of cast turrets from late 1941
onwards for T-34 tanks. According to legend - and in a move to enhance the biography
of Aleksander A. Morozov, co-designer of the T-34 and its chief designer from
September 1941 onward - the T-34 only used a rolled homogenous steel armor
turret, assembled by welding, until the great movement to the Urals in October
1941. At that point the specialized rolling press used for making the turrets
was lost in shipment, reportedly shifted onto a siding by accident and
forgotten. Morozov supposedly
rose to the occasion and with his team quickly developed an equally effective
cast turret in a matter of a few minutes, permitting T-34 production to quickly
resume and permit the stopping of the Germans before Moscow. Well, it sounds good on paper, but
now there is too much photographic and documental evidence to let that myth live
on. When the T-34 was created, and production begin to gear up, a second source
of turrets was needed as the rolled and welded turrets were taking too long to
produce. As a result, the Kharkov factory created a second turret design made
from a single casting that would meet the needs of the production lines. This turret was identical in shape
to the first one but slightly thicker in its major dimensions - 52 mm vice 45
mm. This was to compensate for the fact that the rolled plate gained thickness
when slanted, whereas the cast armor had to be of the correct thickness when
cast. Overall, ballistic resistance was slightly better, due to the fact there
were no weld beams to crack when the turret was hit. This turret entered service in 1940 on the T-34 Model 1940
and originally mounted the 76mm L-11 gun made in Leningrad. In 1941, that gun
was taken out of production, and while Leningrad began to make the slightly
superior 76mm F-32 gun for its tanks, this gun was not offered to Kharkov for
use in the T-34. The solution was to adopt the 76mm F-34, a longer and much more
powerful gun, which made the T-34 Model 1941 the best tank in the world until
early 1942. Eventually due to
the "needs of the front" the cast turrets fully replaced the welded ones, as
each cast turret cut a large number of hours out of the time required to produce
a T-34 tank. The cast concept was used for the later Models 1942 and 1943, as
well as the T-34-85 Models 1944 and 1945. A number of tanks were later produced
with a pressed steel turret developed in Chelyabinsk, but that was not of the
same concept as the welded turret. CMD has now taken the two great T-34 kits from DML into
consideration and produced a cast version of the turret for use on the DML kits,
This is a "drop fit" replacement, as CMD wisely noted if the original was done
right there is no need to fully replace parts in resin "because we can,"
something other after-market companies should keep in mind. Both kits are nearly identical in
composition, the only difference being that they provide a perfect replacement
gun barrel tube in turned aluminum for this specific kit. (Since CMD sells the
barrels separately for about $8 each, figure the turret really only costs you
$10 which is a bargain.) Each
new turret kit provides the following replacement parts: turret shell, turret
race, trunnions, side vision device covers, and both the internal and external
periscope sections. The rest of the parts must come from the kit - internal
parts (seats and gun breech), hatch, commander's viewer, lift rings, and
mantelet. The directions are a bit confusing here, as they show either an early
model of what CMD wanted to do or the parts to be taken from the kit. The resin
turrets have their roofs and rear plates cast in place, so they are not part of
the selection of parts that must come from the kit. While some people may squawk about not getting a resin
mantelet, you don't really need one if you put the DML ones together right! They
are NOT smoothly finished items but ones welded and bolted together from small
parts and look it. (There is even a massive seam under the recoil cradle
external cover on the Model 1941 - what would IPMS judges think?). The main reason to switch to the
cast turret for the Model 1941 is that since this variant was produced well into
1942 it is also the one that is most likely to bear the fancier early war
markings T-34s began to sport soon after the war began in earnest. Many of the
Model 1940s were knocked out early in the war, and thus do not have the same
chances. These turrets may also
be used to upgrade Zvezda Model 1942 and Mirage/Maquette/RPM Model 1940/1941
kits, but you will have a lot of work to do in order to get their parts to fit
these turrets. I personally do not recommend them for use with any of the Tamiya
kits due to their age and the amount of work it would require to backdate those
kits. But for those who do like
the cast turret over the welded one, you now have an excellent alternative for
your "34.". Thanks to Bill Miley
of CMD for the review samples.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on October 25,
2004)
Book Review: Squadron/Signal
Armor Walk Around Number 4 (5704); M2/M3 Half-Track by Jim Mesko; color by Don
Greer and David Gebhardt, illustrated by Darren Glenn; Squadron/Signal
Publications, Carrollton, Texas 2004; 80 pp. with color
and B&W photos; Price about $14.95. (ISBN0-89747-480-5.) Advantages:
covers most of the key modeling points of the vehicles where needed; very handy
from a super-detailer's point of view. Disadvantages: no
kits out there worthy of this type of correction! Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all WWII US and halftrack fans. Modelers today are living in a true
"golden age" of reference works, and most of them are now in mainstream
circulation which makes it easier to find the "right" book at the right time.
The basic breakout for where to go works this way: if you need a history of the
creation of the vehicle and how it came to be, the New Vanguard line from Osprey
covers most of the pertinent details; for "in action" the reasonably priced
paperbacks from Concord and Squadron/Signal's "In Action" series cover the
gamut; but for modeling "nuts and bolts" (that series is fine for German items)
the most accessible are the "Allies and Axis" series from Ampersand and the
"Walk Around" series from Squadron/Signal. This is the fourth armor publication in that series, and the
third one from the capable hands of Jim Mesko. Jim had previously done their
issues on Shermans and US Army tank destroyers, and this volume follows the same
format. Based on surviving and restored vehicles, the book provides coverage of
the M2 and M2A1, M3 and M3A1, M4 81mm mortar carrier, M5 and M9 series, M16 AAMG
carriage, and the basic Israeli APC conversion as used in the 1967 War. The book is not a be-all-end-all of
US Army halftrack vehicles and their sub-modifications - anyone wanting that
level of detail should seek out the very detailed and thorough R. P. Hunnicutt
"Half Track" book. But it provides very good closeup details of the engine,
axles, transmission, wheels, tracks, running gear, interior, fittings, and
differences between the four primary US Army combat carrier variants, which
comprise most of the book (52 pages). It also covers as a result of that the
M2HB mountings and details, as well as those for the pintle mounted .30 caliber
M1919A4 machine guns used in the armored personnel carrier variants. The M4 mortar carrier is covered
along with the differences between M4 and M4A1, as well as the mortar itself.
The M16 is covered along with
the M45 series of Maxson turrets, and also items like the 200 round ammunition
cans for the guns on that vehicle. The Israeli vehicle is covered from the point of showing how
it differentiates from straight American vehicles in its fittings, engine,
exhausts, and also armaments. Overall this is another good effort from Jim, and one which
any American vehicle modeler will want in his library. Alas, we still do not
have a good basic US halftrack kit to work on and build up to this level of
detail.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on October 25,
2004)
Kit Review: Zvezda 1/35 Scale Kit No. 3577; BMD-2 Russian
Airborne Fighting Vehicle; 166 parts (150 in olive
styrene, 17 in clear styrene, 4 in grey vinyl); Price
about $24-28. Advantages: more complete than Eastern
Express kits; more positive "lock" to suspension arms makes assembly easier. Disadvantages: Zvezda's vinyl tracks are "iffy" fits. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all modern armor and Soviet/Russian
fans. F I R S T L O O K. This is the third and latest kit of
the by now well-known Soviet BMD series airborne fighting vehicles. The others
were reviewed previously by me and were from SKIF (BMD-1P) and from Eastern
Express (BTR-D and 2S9 "Nona-S"). So that now makes a total of seven BMD series
kits now available to the modeling public - a BMD-1P from SKIF, a BMD-1P and
BMD-2 from Zvezda, and a BMD-1P, BMD-2, BTR-D and 2S9 from Eastern Express. This kit is the most advanced of the
three companies, and has very well done detail parts in most areas. Like the
SKIF kit, as it is done from "flat" molds it is a flat kit requiring the hull be
assembled from seven parts - belly, sides, roof, rear and two machine gun ports.
(EE provides a Western-style "tub" hull.) Beyond that, all three kits have
nearly identical assembly techniques and parts breakdown. But this kit has very
well defined "D" mounts for the suspension, so assembly will be much more
positive than the sloppy fit on the SKIF kit. The drivers are also the best
detailed. Zvedza also includes a
set of clear parts for the vision devices - something that SKIF in particular
should have thought of! - but they have to be inserted during assembly, ergo the
model must be painted prior to assembly and that is something many modelers
avoid. This somewhat negates the value of the parts, but on the other hand it
does not leave any gaping holes to fill later. The model has optional position hatches, but makes no
pretense at an interior and the rear troop hatch only cements down to a flat
plastic surface (e.g. no interior access). This isn't bad, as most modelers do
have vehicles with at most a drive. Unlike the SKIF kit, and in common with the EE kits, no fret
of etched brass is included. But unlike the EE kits, the parts that should have
been included from etched brass are provided here in plastic. That's not so bad
for some sections like the rear grilles (which are very fine mesh and hard to do
correctly) but makes for thicker than desirable ones like the headlight guards.
One minor plus of this kit is
that since the wheel and missile section parts are doubled up (two sprues to
provide all parts) you get two complete AT-4 missile launchers and guidance
sets. This permits their use on one of the other's kits to upgrade them. The turret is nicely done and
matches the "toy tank" appearance of the one-man turret with 30mm 2A42 cannon of
the original. It appears accurate and has a goodly number of detail parts to
complete it (41 parts in all for a turret about the size of a 1/72 Tiger I). What is totally up in the air is the
fact that unlike the other two companies Zvedza provides four sections of grey
vinyl tracks to make up the tracks, and in most kits their tracks are tighter
than a well-tuned guitar string and about as easy to install. Both of the others
used single-link styrene which, in the case of the SKIF one, was the best thing
about the kit. While I have not assembled the kit yet, based on past experience
(bowstring taut IS-2 tracks and ones on the T-26 that snapped the idlers
completely off the model) I pass it along as a word of warning. Five sets of markings are included:
vehicle 187 in three-color camo (probably the first regiment of a division, 3rd
battalion, 8th company); vehicle 876 of a 3rd battalion; vehicle 394 (probably
the 3rd regiment, 3rd battalion, 9th company); vehicle 339 from the IFOR
brigade; and vehicle 117 with VDV markings. (The colors are keyed to the chart
below the markings layout.) All
three companies' kits offer different takes on the same subject: Eastern Express
is probably the most accurate but may be a tougher build; Zvezda should be the
easiest build but the tracks may be a bear to install; and SKIF offers the most
features but also needs the most corrections to make into an acceptable
model.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on October 24,
2004)
Kit Review: Sweet Aviation Model Division 1/144 Scale Kit
No. 11; Royal Navy Wildcat VI and Flight Deck Set; 44
parts (28 in duck egg blue styrene, 15 parts in grey styrene, 1 in clear
styrene); Price 9.99 pounds Sterling. Advantages: er, nothing else on earth like it; Wildcat VI
looks to be pretty accurate. Disadvantages: um, not for
dog fanciers! Rating: Highly Recommended (as a change of
pace!). Recommendation: for all Wildcat fans and anyone
with a sense of humor. There are
times some item of whimsey comes along and just strikes the fancy. About 28
years ago the first "egg" planes came out - small kits of famous aircraft that
were ovate in shape and used a "Leggs" size plastic egg for a fuselage. I still
have a DC-10 in the bright United colors of the era kicking around someplace, as
they were cute and attractive divertimentoes from normal modeling. (One of my
friends once said it was the type of modeling his dad would have called "Go to
Hell" modeling. If you don't like it, well then you can go to Hell!) Other oddities pop up from time to
time, such as distorted small figures of famous actors and monsters. But this
one was something I recently found on the shelf at Hannants and was compelled to
pick up just for fun. The model
(the company or individual responsible seems to be FujitaYukinisa from Shizuoka,
Japan, and the kit was produced in 2003) is a new kit of an FM-2 (Wildcat VI)
fighter in 1/144 scale and is an amazing kit in its own right, but while it
consists of new molds appears (from the comments in D&S No. 30) to have
nothing in common with the Revell 1/144 scale F4F-4 kit. It comes with the
correct 9-cylinder engine for this model with tall tail, short cowling and
beautifully done scribing. Even the canopy appears to be in scale, something
rare for this size of model. The undercarriage consists of 7 parts and is also
neatly done. The kit also
includes a set of decals for four RN Wildcat VI fighters in two basic schemes -
gray and green over duck egg blue and solid blue. A section of decking 10 cm x
11 cm (which has a feature to join it to other sections to provide for a larger
area) is also nicely done with tie-down points represented, and two chocks are
included. But there the kit
makes a bit of a diversion. It also includes a complete deck crew and pilot made
up of...Japanime cats! The box art (from an artist named Yuki) looks more
appropriate to "Pokemon" than a WWII fighter, but the idea is whimsy if there
ever was one. The "crew" includes a pilot, two LSOs, one launch officer, two
plane handlers, one announcer (!) and one idler sleeping on the cowling. To make
it easy to paint them, each of the cats comes with decal eyes to make detailing
them easy. The "announcer" also comes with a dickey and "Union Jack" bow tie.
The same company also makes
several Japanese aircraft, of which a Zero and a Kate (I think) were also
available at Hannants. All of them also come with cats. I'm not quite sure what the point of
all this is, but the idea is different and the model itself is very good. It is
a change of pace. And if you
don't believe that, you can go to Hell!
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on October 24,
2004)
Kit Review: Tamiya 1/35 Scale Military Miniature Kit No.
35265; U.S. M113A2 Armored Personnel Carrier Desert
Version; 222 in sand colored styrene parts, 14 in black
vinyl, 2 in grey vinyl; Price between $33-37. Advantages: plenty of external "kit" for stowage Disadvantages: reuse of 30-year-old molds of early model
vehicles is getting to be a very bad habit with this manufacturer; initial
errors not correct; technology has passed this basic kit by Rating: Recommended with resevations Recommendation: for all modern US modelers and fans of
Operation Iraqi Freedom Someday
I hope that Tamiya will give the rest of the modeling fraternity the same
consideration it has provided its German clientele in redoing its older kits and
making them worth the prices they charge. Alas, they still do not and trust that
many modelers will buy their products for the name alone and not notice the
quality does not match the reputation. Such is the case with this kit, the basic variant of which
came out with a full interior in 1974 and was for that time what one could have
easily called a "Kit of the Year." It was a model of a standard US Army M113
(gasoline powered with a nicely done Chrysler 361 cid V-8 engine) and a
relatively complete interior for the time, as well as five figures in "action"
positions. But as time wore on
and tastes became more sophisticated, the kit began to show its age. The tracks
were seen to have no detailing on their insides, and were too thick and not
properly duplicated. The axles were fixed, so the model only could sit level.
That was not surprising as the original kit was motorized outside of the US and
had to take a standard Tamiya motor pack and batteries. As a result, the idler
wheels were also not correct as reliability of the motorization parts were more
essential. The M113 had a short
life with the US Army as it was quickly replaced with the Detroit Diesel 6-53
series V-6 diesel engine series and used in that method for most of Vietnam and
the postwar years. The redesigned M113A2 fixed many of the other problems and
added new items such as smoke grenade launchers. The latest variant, the M113A3,
added external armored fuel tanks as well (which may be retrofitted to older
vehicles, but most of the ones sporting the tanks now are rebuilt to A3
standards at depots.) But while
the "Papa Chuck" - the nickname the infantry gave the vehicle from the NATO
phonetic alphabet characters for APC of "Alpha Papa Charlie" - changed, the
Tamiya kit did not. The only changes Tamiya made over the run of this kit and
its variants was to (a) change the interior when provided, such as with the
M106A1 and (b) add new parts sprues and double or triple the price of the kit.
This is an "Option b" kit and shows it. First off, it retains all of the flaws of the old 1974 kit
(and three of the sprues and the lower hull reflect that date) and the original
track sets. Therefore the model is not an M113A2, but just an M113 with some
add-on parts. The engine deck and vent area are wrong and have to be changed, as
well as the exhausts and other items. Many of the kit's details are now crude in
comparison with modern items, such as the hatches (Tamiya did add an improved
.50 caliber M2HB machine gun to replace the obsolete original effort but that is
about the limit of major upgrades). The main changes in this kit are 121 parts on two new
sprues W and V with the Operation Iraqi Freedom kit parts, mostly consisting of
ALCE ("Alice" packs, ammo and water cans, and various packs like camouflage sets
and other items carried externally on the vehicle. The interior sprues are long
gone, so anyone wanting to show the model opened up will need an interior from
an older kit and a lot of work, or a conversion kit or upgrade set. Two new
figures and a puppy are included, but the figures are not as crisp as many other
recent Tamiya efforts which is a bit surprising on a new dedicated sprue. Markings are included for
what appear to be two M113A2 and two M113A3 vehicles: an M113A3 in Iraq, March
2003 (3d FSB, 3ID); an M113A3 in Iraq, April 2003 (1st BDE 3ID); M113A2 in Iraq,
2-7 Infantry (3ID) in April 2003; and an M113A2 with "crow's nest" in Bosnia,
1996 (1AD). I am quite
disappointed with Tamiya's continuing failure to upgrade older kits. (I also
note I got this one out of suspicion that they had done exactly what they did,
and got it on deep discount for about half-price at the 2004 IPMS Region II
show.) If you want a REAL
M113A2 kit, Academy makes a state-of-the-art one that is far better and offers a
choice of tracks (one-piece vinyl or link-and-length, both state of the art)
along with a correct interior, correct engine deck, and other details. It's
better to get that kit, Tamiya's separate set of Operation Iraqi Freedom
details, and add-on decals than to purchase one needed as much work as this one
to be accurate.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Sunday, August 29, 2004 (Originally written on August 21, 2004)
Kit Review: Maquette 1/35 Scale Kit No. MQ-35003; PK-43
Russian Field Kitchen. 64 parts (62 in light grey
styrene and 2 in dark grey styrene). Price $6.49. Advantages: interesting, off-beat kit can dress up either a
diorama or a cargo truck; comes with Soviet "meramite" cans and other details.
Disadvantages: somewhat crude molding will mean extra
work to get a clean model when assembled. Rating:
Recommended. Recommendation: for all Soviet WWII fans.
The Soviet soldier in WWII -
"The Great Patriotic War" from their point of view - was often seen as a mythic
warrior who could go for days without food in order to smash the Nazi. Well, not
quite, and even Soviet "politruks" knew that soldiers work better with good food
and a hot meal can't hurt. As a result, they, just like every other army, had
mobile stoves and kit for providing troops with a good meal. This one - the Polevaya Kukhnya 43
or Mobile Field Kitchen Model 1943 - was typical. Mounted on a 1.5 metric ton
trailer chassis, it had a big copper kettle of 250 liters capacity (about 66
gallons) heated by a wood fire and able to provide for a company or battalion
mess. Most meals prepared would be simple - porridge, stew or borshch (beet
soup) - but as that was what many peasants were used to, it was better than
nothing. This kit is not a bad
little model, being mostly new molds with only the wheels borrowed from the
evergreen Italeri ZIS-3 gun clones out there. The body consists of a stove
section and a limber box section with an area in between for firewood (10
sections of that are included in the kit), as well as an optional choice of
smokestack (one section march order, two sections cooking order). It also comes
with OVM (outer vehicle materials) in the form of an axe, a hatchet and a shovel
(wood's gotta come from somewhere!) and four "Meramite" type food cans. The
concept for these date from Napoleon who felt that men fought better with a hot
meal inside them. The model
has landing gear so it can be displayed in either march order or cooking order.
In march order, items such as this were either hooked up to a standard limber
for horse drayage or to a standardized cargo truck such as either a
GAZ-AA/AAA or ZiS-5. The latter choices are now given a boost, as cargo trucks
with nothing to do are pretty dull subjects! The moldings are about typical for Maquette - thicker than
one would hope with flash and tough fits. There are also no wheel hubs per se,
so you will have to come up with some. However, this can be worked out and a
nice model can be made. No markings are included nor painting instructions. Most
vehicles of the period were painted overall Soviet Army protective green, so at
least that part is not hard. Overall this is an offbeat but useful little kit, and one
cannot complain of it being overpriced.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on August 21,
2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models
Limited 1/72 Armor Series Kit No. 7232; Leopard 2A6. 128 parts (124 in grey styrene, 2 black vinyl, 1 section
wire, 1 screw). Price US$8.95. Advantages: very nice, clean kit of this modern tank; great
level of detail with optional position parts as well. Disadvantages: some parts may be tricky to fill, molded on
tools spoil the fine details provided elsewhere. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all modern armor fans. Small scale is now one of the most
active areas of armor modeling, and new kits of a wide variety of subjects
beyond the usual WWII ones are now common. This is DML's offering of the new
spaceship-like German Leopard 2A6, and it appears to be a very nicely done kit.
The kit actually builds up as
either a 2A5 with the short 120mm gun and basic side armor panels or the more
exotic A6 with the long gun and modified skirt panels. Both are included in the
kit. The modeler has an option for all three entrance hatches (open or closed)
as well as the "flipper" armor on the turret sides. The directions do not
indicate this, but they are separate parts and it is not hard for even a
moderately experienced modeler to make the adjustments. However, note that parts
C4/5/6 appear to be a Hoffmann main gun simulator device for training and not a
smoke grenade or flare launcher system (e.g. these can be left off.) The tools come molded on to the
engine deck, which is a shame, as DML took great pains elsewhere providing very
nicely done details. The mirrors are near scale in size, for an example. The tank comes with three sets of
markings, all of which use the standard NATO tri-color scheme of
black/brown/dark green. Overall this is a nice little kit and will look good with
the Challenger 2s and M1A2 kits already out there. Thanks to Freddie Leung of Dragon for the review
sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on August 21,
2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/72 Scale Armor Series
Kit No. 7230; PzBeobWg V Ausf. G. 112 parts (105 in
grey styrene, 2 screws, 2 in black vinyl, 2 in diecast metal, 1 section of
wire). Price US$8.95. Advantages: first mass-production kit of this vehicle in
this scale; very nice small details. Disadvantages:
diecast hull will make it difficult to cleanly assemble the kit. Rating: Recommended. Recommendation: For all German Panther and WWII fans. DML continues apace with new small
scale releases, and this is the first time that I can recall that this version
of the Panther has been released in this scale as a mass production kit. The Germans used tanks for
maneuver and suppression of enemy strong points, but they really relied for the
first four years of the war on artillery and aviation to destroy key enemy
targets, However, dedicated vehicles used for artillery forward observers or
aviation forward controllers were usually isolated fairly quickly and picked off
by the opponents. Therefore, the Germans decided early on to go to a series
production tank, stripped of its main gun and provided with the extra radio sets
necessary, as to be less conspicuous as well as have the ability to move with
armored formations. These tanks existed for the Pzkw. III, Pzkw. IV, and Pzkw. V
(Panther) series tanks. In
1943 Rheinmetall converted a single Panther to the prototype of the
Panzerbeobachtungswagen V Panther, or armored observation vehicle. This vehicle
lost its main gun; a dummy was fitted along with an MG 34 in the front of the
turret, and a long-base optical rangefinder was discretely mounted with the
heads behind armored flaps at the edges of this new plate. In 1944-45 the
Germans apparently converted 40 more vehicles to this configuration during
rebuilding but they were rarely encountered on the battlefield. DML has now created a 1/72 version
of this tank, using their late G hull, and done a nice job on the plastic parts
for the conversion. The modeler also does have a wide variety of options for the
tow cables as well - four are provided in styrene as well as the heads for three
more and a length of wire to make them. An engine module is provided for the
rear deck, but no etched parts are included in the way of screening. Screws hold
the model's hull together, with one cleverly hidden under the forward machine
gun position and the other under the engine module. The hull is alas diecast, which makes smooth assembly
somewhat more difficult in order to get a clean fit. DML has tried to minimize
the impact on the modeler - making some parts single-piece assemblies such as
the spare track links and nearly snap-in fender skirts - but it would still have
been easier for the modeler to make all the parts out of plastic. Two finishing schemes are
provided, one for an artillery regiment with the "Hitlerjungend" division in
Hungary and the other a generic vehicle in Germany, both 1945. Overall this is a nice kit, but
the diecast metal is still a problem for less experienced modelers. Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for
the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on August 21,
2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 scale '39-'45 Series
No. 6218; Sd.Kfz. 265 kleine Panzerbefehlswagen. 465
parts (437 in grey styrene, 25 etched brass, 3 clear styrene). Price estimated at US $27.98. Advantages: clear, crisp, state of the art version of this
little vehicle; crew a bonus. Disadvantages:
single-link track not likely to appeal to all modelers in this scale. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: to all early war and German armor fans. F I R S T L O O K. The Germans learn from their mistakes, as a general rule,
and when they create something new out of whole cloth they look to the past for
guidance. In the First World War, tanks were generally unable to communicate
with each other with the exception of visual signals, e.g lights, flags or even
a semaphore system of wig-wag signals used by the British. But the French
grasped the basics and created an armored radio command tank on the FT-17
platform, the T.S.F. When the
Germans went to create their new tank force in the 1930s, they realized early on
that it had to be a radio-equipped force to be most effective on the
battlefield. Not only would it need to have a radio in every tank for
short-range control and coordination, but they would also need longer-range sets
to keep commanders in touch on a much larger battlefield than those fought over
in past wars. But even then, only a receiver would fit in the first tank, the
tiny Pzkw. I. As a result, a specialized model had to be created to carry both a
transmitter and receiver so that a commander could control his tanks on the
battlefield. In 1935, between
6 and 15 early model Ausf. A tanks were converted to become the kleine
Panzerbefehlswagen or Sd.Kfz. 265 - small Armored Command Wagon. As time
progressed, a special longer chassis was used, eventually becoming the hull for
the Ausf. B version of the "battle" tank. A total of 184 of these were produced
between 1935-1937. Later, when larger tanks came into service and the Pzkw. I
series was judged obsolete, they were converted to fill other functions as an
armored ambulance, a mobile command post or a mobile observation post. DML's kit uses the hull of their
nice new Pzkw. I kit but with two new sprues added (J and K) providing the 34
parts needed to convert it to a command vehicle. It provides parts for both the
early split-hatch model and the later rectangular cupola. It also has more
optional position hatches and a choice of view port styles. The only thing I did
not see in the kit was a blanking plate for the machine gun mount as used in
later vehicles. The kit only has one part (K15) for this and that is the gun
mount itself. The model also
comes with the old StuG III crew set from DML (#6029) so the modeler has a set
of figures as well. Note that both the early "crash helmet beret" and the later
sidecaps are also included in this kit. The headset bands are now part of the
etched brass fret ("MA Parts") so there is no more steel fret for this kit. The only squawk I ever hear over
kits like this have to do with the itty-bitty single links for the tracks, which
can be tedious to assemble. Still, this tank used "dead" tracks made of cast
steel links, and it is the only way to get them to look right. The kit comes with five different
marking schemes - an exercise one in Germany in 1938 which is actually somewhat
gaudy, and four solid Panzergrau ones - one of which is an ambulance with the
4th Panzer Division in France 1940. Overall this is a nice little kit and one that begs for an
interior, so I am sure the after-market boys will be modifying their old Italeri
kits to fit. Thanks to Freddie
Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on August 21,
2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45 Series
No. 6246; Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. C Rivetted Version. 511
parts (449 in grey styrene, 54 in etched brass, 8 in vinyl). Price estimated at US$34-37. Advantages: what the 30-year-old Tamiya kit SHOULD have
looked like; very nice set of options to make a showpiece out of the box. Disadvantages: vinyl driver figure may not be popular with
painters; fine brass parts may be beyond desire of some modelers to use; small
two-piece track links get mixed comments from many modelers. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all German and halftrack fans. F I R S T L O O K. The Ausf. C variant of the
well-known German 3-ton halftrack family (mittlere Schuetzenpanzerwagen) entered
production in 1940 and became the first true mass -production version of the
vehicle, being produced by six different factories - Hanomag (the designer),
MNH, Schichau, Wumag, Weserhuette, and Borgward. Both riveted hull and welded
hull versions were produced until late 1943, when the ballistically superior
(and simpler) all-welded Ausf. D went into production. While less common than
the welded variant, it was nevertheless a standardized vehicle. When the Tamiya Sd.Kfz. 251/1
Ausf. C halftrack kit came out in late 1973, many modelers rejoiced that a
decent kit of this vehicle - complete with a nice new set of dismount figures -
was going to finally be available. And for the time, had there been any interest
in it, the 251 would have gone head on head with the famous Tamiya "88" kit for
Kit of the Year honors. But
the bloom wore off the rose pretty fast. First off, it did not take too long
before most serious modelers suddenly realized this kit was nearly a scale foot
too narrow. Second, all of the big tall strapping German infantry scaled out at
between 5'2" and 5'4", not very strapping; they also turned out to be quite
stocky. Also, as research continued, it turned out to have been based on several
prototypes, most notably the rusted-out C hulk at APG, which were not standard
vehicles. DML have now
released their version of that vehicle, the C model with the early riveted hull,
and it is quite a difference. It is essentially the earlier welded hull kit with
some minor differences - a new H sprue of the major riveted components of the
hull, a new MA brass fret that includes hinges for the view ports in the
interior, and the German Panzerjaegers - Eastern Front 1944 (#6058) figure set
included as well. The kit
therefore has a wealth of details and comes with everything but the engine for
the drive line. This version apparently uses the wooden seats, so those are the
ones shown in the directions. There are supplemental instructions for the view
port details, so I recommend that if you do want to use the brass parts you stop
at step 9 and carry out the work prior to assemblying the hull. (The
supplemental directions only tell you how to assemble the brass, but not which
step to do that in.) If you're REALLY REALLY good you can probably even get them
to work! The vinyl driver
figure may elicit some groans when modelers see him. However, according to
Freddie Leung of DML this is now made from the newer "glueable" vinyl that can
be assembled with normal model cements. The reason he cites is that this is the
only way to make it easier to get the figures painted AFTER the model is done
and then installed in their normal places; hard plastic figures do not flex and
therefore would have to normally be installed prior to cementing the hull halves
together. Since the directions no longer call out for ACC cement, I assume this
to be the case. Also, there are two extra jackets and a pair of shoes made from
vinyl as well. The two-part
single link tracks are not popular with some modelers, but I have talked to
others that call this particular set a snap. If you use a thicker gel-type
plastic cement like Vollmer Superzement S-30 or Tamiya Orange Cap they can be
made to operate as well as assemble fairly quickly. Only one finishing option is included - for a vehicle from
the 6th Panzer Division in Russia - but decals are provided from a new master
sheet and the license plate set seen in the previous kit, so any sort of option
is possible if you have a photo reference to use. Overall, this is another very nice effort and a good deal
for the money. Thanks to
Freddie Leung of DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on August 21,
2004)
Product Review: Echelon Fine Details 1/35 Scale Decal
Sheets: TM35004, United States Marine Corps Operation Iraqi Freedom M1A1HA (Heavy Common) Abrams; six complete vehicle marking sets.
Price US$14.50. United States Marine Corps Operation Iraqi Freedom M1A1HA
(Heavy Common) Abrams (Part 2); six complete vehicle marking sets. Price US$14.50. Advantages:
gorgeous, well-done sheets with COMPLETE marking data and information. Disadvantages: relatively high prices may scare off some
buyers. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all USMC and OIF fans. For many years now armor modelers
have noticed a great sloughing off of their interests by waterslide decal
manufacturers. Alas for those companies, in the interim there have been a number
of great dry transfer manufacturers like Archer Fine Transfers that have stepped
up to the plate and cleaned up. Many modelers have now become firm converts to
dry transfer markings as a result. Nevertheless, there is still a market out there for wet
(waterslide) transfers (decals) and new companies are coming in to meet that
need. This one, Echelon, is from Singapore, which only goes to show the
internationality of the hobby. These sheets are each 125 x 192 mm (about 5" x 7½") but are
crammed with a great deal of markings and information stencils. Each one
provides specific markings for six individual vehicles, all from the USMC 1st
Marine Expeditionary Force, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sheet 004 covers six sand painted
tanks - "Big PITO," "Saddamizer," Sinister Minister,", "Kitten Rescue," "4
Play,". and "Hard Licker." The first three are from 2nd Tanks and the last three
from 1st Tanks. "Hard Licker" is also noted as mounting a mine plow set. Each
tank has good call-outs on where markings go as well as the markings used on its
APU (auxiliary power unit) and other elements. The decal sheet even includes the
greenish plastic bagged shipping documents now seen on many US items in place of
the old-fashioned paint stencils. Sheet 006 covers four European tri-colored tanks and two
Forest Green tanks. It should be noted that many of the Marine tanks were simply
rolled out of stocks that were pre-positioned for Europe and used in Iraq, and
ergo were not painted sand prior to arrival. Some had half-hearted attempts at
sand paint, but overall it makes the Marine tanks more interesting from a
modeler's standpoint than the Army ones when it comes to painting and marking.
The four tricolor tanks are "Hermes/Cut Vaseline," "Valhalla," "Angry American,"
and "Lazy-Eye/Kuler Blynd," all from the 1st Tanks. The other two are "Protest
This" and "Nightmare's Witness" from Task Force Tarawa and 1st Tanks. As with
the other sheet, all of the stencils and warning decals for the APU and other
sections of the tanks are included. Due to the fact that the company had to work from
photographs they do note that most vehicle serials were not available and they
did not get an accurate accounting of serial to bumper code or name
(understandable given the dust and kit carried by most tanks in Iraq.) Overall these are great sheets,
and now if you are not yet a user of dry transfers you have an excellent set of
waterslide decals to use to personalize your M1A1 model. Thanks to Peter Brown for the
review samples.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Sunday, August 29, 2004 (Originally written on July 31, 2004)
Kit Review: Academy 1/35
Scale Kit No. 1384; U.S. Machine Gun Set; 102 parts in dark silver grey
styrene. Price $7.00. Advantages: Absolutely gorgeous kit of its chosen subjects,
providing enough parts in one box to upgrade one to four models; included
accessories and positionable parts a plus. Disadvantages: air cooled M3 type .50 caliber weapons an
odd choice. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all modelers using US pattern Browning
machine guns. This has to be
one of the best selling kits on the market, or Academy has not been bright
enough to send a sufficient number to the US. It has taken me over a year to
finally find and pick up a set of these weapons, and while the wait has been
frustrating the kit is worth all of the word of mouth about it. US weapons have fared poorly with
model manufacturers over the years, as in the early days "play value" meant that
the machine guns had to be (a) simple and (b) sturdy. When kits began to become
more sophisticated with the release of the first Tamiya Military Miniatures
series kits in 1968, however, nobody made much of a change in their machine guns
except to make the barrels thinner. Most of the Browning M1921 series guns - the
M2 or "Ma Deuce" being the most common with a heavy barrel - suddenly found
themselves without controls such as handles and in possession of a conical heat
shield around the barrel/breech junction. The M1917A4 - the lighter .30 caliber
versions - fared as badly, with no handles on most iterations or a stumpy or too
thick barrel. They also far too often came with their mounts molded in place.
Later, as modelers complained
about poor or inaccurate details, the details began to improve. M2s came with
twin grips, and some even came with cocking handles; the .30s came with separate
mounts, but most of them were still inaccurate. Resin and white metal
manufacturers soon took over the market for accurate auxiliary armaments. This kit was the second of its
type to come out - Skybow had released its .50 caliber gun and vehicle mount
first - but was immediately cited for doing far more to get things right and
also to provide more guns in one package than the resin kits. What the kit provides are two
complete M1917A4 .30 caliber Brownings, two of the M2 (M3) type aerial guns with
perforated barrel jackets, and two M2HB .50 caliber guns with a variety of
options. The .30s come with
both the ground mount, a fixed turret pylon mount, and the "rocker" mount
options (one of each) as well as a folded tripod and seven ammo cans. Due to
some confusion in the directions (these are steps 4 and 5a/b) you must pay
attention to what you want and how you want the guns to look. The M3 style .50s come with short,
simple mounts and separate "butterfly" triggers, grips, and charging handles.
These are covered in Step 3. The M2HB types have several options for various periods -
barrels with quick change/carrying handles, barrels without them, and barrels
with the recent addition of the flash hider. There are two of each in this case,
so you have lots of choices. They also come with two different style mount
cradles (simple and complex), separate feed covers, charging handles,
"butterflies" and grips, two kinds of ammunition trays, and a ground mount
tripod or fixed vehicle mounts. Six ammunition cans are included. Academy also includes a set of
decals in both white and yellow for the ammo cans, so that it is as complete a
kit as one could want, and at this price is a good deal. Ammo belts are
included, and the box art does indicate which ones are WWII period and which
ones are postwar. Overall this
is one of the best products going of this type, and had they had a category for
it this year at AMPS 2004 would certainly have won a Gold Medal for "Injection
Molded Accessory of the Year for 2003."
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on July 31,
2004)
Kit Review: Trumpter
1/35 Scale Kit No. 01003; Soviet ZIL-157K Military Truck. 355 parts (334 in olive drab styrene, 11 in clear styrene,
7 in black vinyl, 1 length of cotton thread, 1 section of wire, 1 section of
fine brass chain). Retail price $36.95. Advantages: First kit in this scale of this vehicle; very
nicely done with complete engine and interior; scale thickness to parts. Disadvantages: scale thickness to parts may make some very
hard to remove and install. Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all Soviet, Warsaw Pact, Third
World and softskin fans. F I R S T L O O K
The Soviets were very
embarrassed when the Second World War started and they realized how woeful their
automotive industry really was in comparison with the rest of the world. The
best trucks they had at the time - the GAZ-AA/AAA and ZiS-5 - were copies of
foreign trucks from the early 1930s and not very sophisticated. Most only had
brakes on their rear wheels, and the only reason they were in production as they
were not technically demanding. When the Soviets became an official ally of the USA, and
the famous "Lend-Lease" agreement was signed, they were stunned to see the
quality of the vehicles provided to them by the US. The light Willys MB "Jeep"
was superior to the clunky converted cars like the GAZ M-1 and the six-wheel
trucks - the GMC CCKW, Studebaker US6, and International M-5-6 - all had three
driven axles, transfer cases, and brakes on all six wheels. They were also very
reliable and rugged. While the
Soviet industry did not produce any really equivalent trucks during the war,
once the war was over they took a look at creating their own versions of this
class of truck. Using the two most prevalent - the GMC and Studebaker models -
they created a synthesized and "Sovietized" version of the trucks at the
"Stalin" automotive factory (ZiS) which initially had only two axles as had all
previous Soviet medium cargo trucks (ZiS-150). But that was seen as not capable
enough , and so a three axle version, the ZiS-151, entered production in April
1948, remaining on the production lines until1958. (When Stalin fell from favor
in the 1950s, the ZiS factory was renamed for I. A. Likhachev - ZIL.) This used
a ten-wheel three-axle chassis with a closed steel cab and open cargo body with
folding troop seats. It was rated as a 2 ½ ton truck but could be loaded to 4 ½
tons for road travel. It was powered by a 5.5 liter straight six engine
producing 95 HP in its original form. Trucks with a winch were dubbed ZiS-151A.
As time progressed, and the
ZiL-151 was seen as becoming obsolete, a new updated version was created and
placed into production in 1958 as the ZiL-157. This used parts and components
from the closely related BTR-152 series of armored personnel carriers, based on
the ZiS-151 (and of course, that was converted back into a common chassis for
both the ZIL-157 and BTR-152!) The main difference was that the ZIL-157 used the
large single wheels and tires from the BTR with their adjustable tire pressure
feature for better traction in soft ground. Later, in 1961 the truck received a
new transmission and was redesignated as the ZIL-157K. Other variants followed:
ZIL-157KG, with electronic suppressors for use with communications gear;
ZIL-157KYe, with two fuel tanks; ZIL-157KEh, export model for countries with
humid climates; ZIL-157KYu, export model for countries with tropical climates;
ZIL-157GT, a truck with electronic suppression and fitted out for tropical
climates; and ZIL157KV, a tractor for use with semitrailers (like the SA-2 and
SCUD B transporters). The trucks used the same engine with an upgrade to 109 HP.
The final models produced were the ZIL-157KD with the vehicle later being
replaced on the production lines by the more compact and more modern ZIL-131
series. A Chinese knock-off of
the ZIL-157, the CA-30, entered production in the mid 1960s. More than any other truck, the
ZIL-157V personified the Soviet Union during the heart of the "Cold War" and
showed up very frequently on American TV screens in all parts of the world. As
such, it was also used in a myriad of body styles from the radio van versions
(KUNG in Russian) to mobile cranes and support equipment. For years, NATO ran a
book called the "Box Body Vehicle Identification Guide" that showed drawings of
every known version of Soviet trucks; more than half of those in the Guide in
the 1980s were ZIL-157 variants. Trumpeter released a series of four kits last year based on
the ZIL-157 and its Chinese clone, the CA-30 –a cargo variant and an SA-2
transporter of each one. This is the Soviet ZIL-157V cargo variant, and it is an
amazing kit when one realizes how many parts have been wedged into the box. The model comes with the open
cargo body and a very neatly done three-piece canvas cover (with grommets
included so that they can be drilled out for installing tiedowns, a nice touch).
The doors and hood sections are positionable as is the tail gate, and a section
of chain is also included to use for lowered supports for that platform. The
model has a very detailed engine, as well as very detailed chassis and
driveline. Even the mounting pads for the cargo body (parts G20 and G21) are
included as separate parts. ;The front axle cane be made to steer. The directions do
not indicate it, but as with most Soviet vehicles (copied from US designs) the
front windscreen sections can be opened, but the braces and locks are not
included in the kit. Seats are also positionable. Many parts are provided but
there is no direction provided as to how to improvement, such as an oil cooler
on the radiator (part B10) or the air tank system. (This model properly needs a
lot of wiring and lining, and I suggest if you can find a copy of the "Russian
Motorbooks" issue on the ZiS/ZIL-151/157 you pick it up if you want to really
make this model pop!) The kit
comes with a reasonably good if basic decal sheet, but only provides basic
Soviet era markings (two number/two number/two letter registration plates) and a
pair of Guards badges. This is sort of a shame, as it is a really great kit and
as it was used by just about everyone not buying US trucks in the 1960s could
really be painted up nicely into a Third World scheme. Overall, this is a great kit that
can stand alone or really perk up a diorama.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on July 28,
2004)
Kit Review: DML 1/144 Scale "Panzer Corps" kits: Kit No. 14503, German Railway Gun
28 cm K5(e) "Leopold" with Artillery Crew. 77 parts (45
in in grey styrene, 24 in grey PVC plastic, 7 in etched brass, and 1 turned
aluminum gun barrel). Price not known. Kit No. 14504, German Railway Gun
28 cm K5(e) "Leopold" with Artillery Crew. 79 parts (47
in in grey styrene, 24 in grey PVC plastic, 7 in etched brass, and 1 turned
aluminum gun barrel). Price not known. Advantages: First kits of this gun in this scale; very nice
details and turned barrel is a plus. Disadvantages:
Some fudging on scale (see text), some PVC parts may not be popular with
modelers. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all German fans and those wishing to
find a model railway compatible series of military items. F I R S T L O O K. DML has led the parade so far with their new series of
1/144 scale armor kits, and the latest pair are these two interpretations of the
famous 28 cm K5(e) "Leopold", better known to most Americans as "Anzio Annie"
and currently resident here at the Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
This is a much more useful and
"buildable" model of the big gun, as in this scale it works out to about 6" long
(180 mm). Fiddly bits such as handrails come molded to the sides of the main
carriage and the end sections or bogies, so they are not a problem for assembly.
They are very thin and do not look visually offensive, so most modelers will be
happy with them. The gun also
comes with a small sheet of etched brass (see through grille work, too!) and a
turned aluminum gun barrel, which is about the size of a 1/35 scale 76mm gun.
The gun can be made to elevate
with some care. However, while it comes with a really nicely done crew and even
six complete rounds (included three "fluted" projectiles) they are all made from
PVC vinyl. I am sure many modelers will complain about this, as it is hard to
paint them due to "flex" in the plastic. However, in a sidebar conversation
Freddie Leung of DML noted that they had to switch to this material in some
cases to get the "right" level of detail in a figure, and these do have
beautiful details. He also stated that the plastic is of the "glueable" type and
can be attached using standard model cements. The choice of the grey plastic was
to minimize painting here (no pun intended) due to the "flexing and flaking"
problem. The kits only differ
in that 14503 comes with two sections of straight track with end caps and 14504
come with two switches (one LH and one RH) with four end caps. As noted in the
"Disadvantages" the model fudges a bit on scale; correct gauge (4'8 ½" or 1435
mm) would be just at 10 mm and the model has 9 mm track. This is more useful in
the long run, as 9mm is the standard track gauge for US (and European) N Gauge
model railway equipment. However, the wheels for the gun's bogies are fixed and
do not rotate, so it would take some work to add working bogies and couplers to
the model. It does mean that standard European N Gauge engines and wagons (of
the right period, of course!) can be used and displayed with the model. A very nice decal sheet comes with
the kits for "Leopold" and provides both white and black versions of the data,
as the "straight" model is shown in grey and the "switch" model is show with a
sand-and-brown finish. Overall
these are very nice little kits, and should please both very small scale
modelers as well as model railroaders looking for something COMPLETELY different
on their layouts! Thanks to
Freddie Leung of DML for the review samples.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on July 28,
2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/72 Scale Armor Series
Kit No. 7210; Bergepanzer Tiger I, sPzAbt 508 Italy 1944. 67 parts (62 in grey styrene, 2 in black vinyl, 2 in etched
brass, 1 section of wire). Price $8.95 Advantages: "Out of the box" kit of this vehicle in this
scale, nice details like zimmerit molded on and brass exhaust guards. Disadvantages: NOT a Bergetiger! Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: To all small-scale German and especially
Tiger I fans. I know from hard experience when one is
around noted German armor expert Tom Jentz and makes a faux pas, such as calling
a Tiger II Ausf. B a "Royal Tiger" or a "Henschel Tiger" the eyerolling is
enough to make Groucho Marx swoon in envy. This is one of those vehicles which
will cause Tom eyestrain, but at least he has done some research and exposed the
myth of this tank. In 1944,
the Germans in Italy were having a problem clearing mine fields. The
problem was that they were using explosives to clearing them but none of
the other tanks were sturdy enough to both close with mines and withstand the
shock of detonation when an antitank mine detonated. The solution as taken by
schwerer Panzerabteilung 508 was to use a Tiger I and dismount the main gun from
the tank. On the back of the turret, the Germans fitted a manual winch and hoist
that could be used to lower the explosive charge into place; the Tiger was more
than up to the blast of the charge when detonated (this assumes that the brave
engineers got inside the tank BEFORE they detonated the charge, though!) The name, according to Tom, that
the Germans applied to this tank was "Umgebaute Tiger I fuer Minenraeumen" or
"Converted Tiger I for Mine Clearing." Further, only one of the tanks was
reportedly thus converted (other reports earlier mentioned three, but
considering they needed every tank this doesn't seem quite right when only 1,385
Tiger Is were built and it was the only tank that could assuredly kill any
Allied vehicle in Italy). When
discovered, none of the US or Commonwealth forces quite understood what it was
for (one humorous photo even showed a pair of soldiers recovering a bicycle with
the hoist) and so it passed on into legend as the "Bergepanzer Tiger."
Considering that it could not have done much more than pull the engine hatch off
a fellow Tiger, that always seemed a bit farfetched, and with Tom's additional
research it should put paid to the myth. On the other hand, it has always been a popular conversion
subject for modelers, and now DML has released a version of it in 1/72 with
their new Tiger I with zimmerit chassis. The complete zimmerit tank kit comes in
the box, with the only addition of a new "B" sprue with the winch and hoist
components as well as the blanked-off mantelet. One interesting twist is that there were some complaints
with the original release of the Tiger I kit about the fit of the road wheels on
the suspension. In response, DML has added a set of pre-interleaved road wheels
to the kit! These consist of two parts, the "inners" and the "outers," molded in
interconnected sets and provided in the kit partially assembled. Likewise, the
kit's drivers come completely assembled as well. All the modeler has to do is
slide them onto the axles (that part has not changed, but as they are molded
onto the lower hull they are all pre-aligned). Unless you are still into "carpet
crawlers" this isn't such a bad idea in this scale, as it makes life easier and
still permits the modeler to paint the parts relatively easily before
installation. Decals are
provided for the one known example of the vehicle. Overall, this should be popular with "Tiger fans," but
hopefully that silly myth gets put to rest for once and for all as to what it
is! Thanks to Freddie Leung of
DML for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on July 28, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/72 Scale Armor Series
Kit No. 7222; Challenger 2 KFOR. 109 parts (103 in grey
styrene, 4 in black vinyl). Price $8.95. Advantages: "Straight" C2 compliments the earlier kit of
the "TELIC" one from Iraq; nicely done kit. Disadvantages: Perhaps one kit with multiple parts would
have been a better choice. Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: For all modern armor and UK armour
fans. DML continues to build
up its "stud" of small scale armor kits, and following on the recent release
last year of the "Operation TELIC" Challenger 2 with all of the modifications
made for Iraq is the "straight" model as was used in the UK and Kosovo with the
British component of the KFOR peacekeeping mission. The model comes with its three main components - upper and
lower hull and upper section of the turret - partitioned off in a sectionalized
plastic bag. These are the specific parts for the earlier model of the C2 and as
such are unique to the kit. The other two sprues of parts are the same ones as
used in the "TELIC" kit and have some discards on each one. The kit comes with the short
"sawtooth" skirts mostly attached to the upper hull, with only the last section
separate. The rest of the kit is identical with the previous one, complete with
screw holes and their "covers" (rear engine deck bits and driver's hatch) but no
screws. The turret hatches are positionable and the gun can be elevated once
installed. There is no way unless the modeler uses a drill and scrap plastic,
however, to open up the big TOGS sight over the gun barrel. Markings are included for
two vehicles of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, one with KFOR and one during
exercise "Ulan Eagle 99". Overall this should be a popular kit, as it is a big sleek
tank and impressive in this scale. Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review
sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on July 19, 2004)
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45 Series
Kit No. 6206; Sd.Kfz. 251/6 Ausf. C Command Vehicle. 568 parts (546 in grey styrene, 14 in PVC vinyl, 7 in
etched nickel, 1 in etched brass). Price estimated at
US $32-34. Advantages: Bright, new kit of a variant
only available in an obsolete kit; great job of rendering details. Disadvantage: PVC figures will not be popular with figure
modelers. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all German and radio equipment fans.
Why, in the very early days of
the Second World War, were the Germans successful? This is an old question, and
one rarely given realistic discussion. It was not due to their "great" tanks, as
most other nations in 1939-40 had superior tanks to the German efforts. It was
not that their tactics were so brilliant, as many other nations had similar
plans. But it was due to one word - communications - where the Germans excelled
over every other force on the battlefield, or did until the Americans showed up
with better radios and command vehicles. The Germans had conceived a complete family of vehicles
that were fitted with communications to deal with every contingency and cover
every echelon from mechanized infantry squad up to army and theater command
levels. Each had precisely matched radio sets for a specific purpose. Commanders
in France, up against French armor and artillery, simply made direct calls to
artillery units or roving Stukas to deal with the obstacles. The French, unable
to respond at the same rate of speed, were soon blasted off the battlefield.
Ditto the Soviets and the British in North Africa. Nearly all of the German communications at the time were
medium- or high-frequency amplitude modulated (MF or HF AM) signals, produced by
a networked system of communications. The radios varied in power from five watts
for low level (infantry regimental internal communications) through 20 watt tank
radios, 30 watt divisional command radios, 80 watt Panzer division command
radios, and finally high-power sets of 100 to 1,500 watts for higher level
command. Command vehicles were
created for specific purposes, and the first major armored command vehicles were
the Sd.Kfz. 251/3 series and Sd.Kfz. 251/6. Most of the first series produced
used the Ausf. A chassis, as few were built and they were seen as not quite as
suitable for combat as the later B and C models. Production/conversion of these
vehicles ran up until 1943. Each vehicle was provided with a suite of radios matched to
its purpose and echelon, and as a result the crew could maintain communications
for the supported commander and his staff with both subordinate and superior
headquarters. The /6 series was designated for divisional level command and
above (corps, army and army group) use. The Sd.Kfz. 251/6 came with a large number of
communications sets: 1 x Funk f (low-power HF AM set
from 20-21.475 Mhz for inter-vehicle communications) 1
x Fu 6 (medium-power HF/VHF AM set from 27.200-33.300 Mhz for communications
with tanks) 1 x Fu 11 (high-power MF AM set from
0.200-1.200 Mhz for corps and above communications) 1 x
Fu 12 (high-power MF AM set from 1.200-3.000 Mhz for division level combined
arms command and control) 1 x Fu 19 (an auxiliary
command radio set) Some
vehicles, at higher echelons, also were provided with an "Engima" three-rotor
cryptographic machine (whose broken messages were classified ULTRA by the
Allies) for use by senior commanders for direct communications with theater
commands such as OKW or OKH. There is a famous photo of General Heinz Guderian
in his Sd.Kfz. 251/6 command vehicle watching two radio operators break out an
"Enigma" message. For years,
anyone wishing to build a model of the command variant (or convert one to the
lower echelon /3 models) was stuck with the ancient Nitto Sd.Kfz. 251/6 Ausf. B
model, which dated to the early 1970s. This was a dog - motorized, with rubber
band tracks (the motor went in the engine compartment and the two AA batteries
were fitted to a "trailer" that followed it around) and with no details to speak
of inside. The "radios" consisted of a simple two-piece component that fitted in
the back of the right side of the hull. Up until now, no other company had
offered one of these variants, but now DML has created a really decent model of
it. The new kit is based on
DML's recent C model - making it somewhat later than the early campaign
vehicles, most of which as noted were A conversions - but is a gem. Two new
sprues with a total of 83 parts are provided for the interior details and the
radio sets, as well as the "clothes rail" antenna and a mast antenna provided on
the later variants. This latter item comes with an etched brass "crow's foot"
antenna head for it, making it relatively easy (if fragile!) to replicate. The kit retains the A, B. C. D.
and E sprue sets from the earlier /1 kit intact, but adds the new F and G sprues
with the radio and interior bits. They also include a driver (Z) and a set of
two radio operators. These latter will no doubt cause a bit of
unhappiness, as they are made from PVC vinyl and while the directions indicate
they can be assembled with ACC cement, they are going to be hard to clean up and
harder to paint. This is a shame, as they come with three distinctive heads each
(two with sidecaps and different headsets, one wearing what looks to be a
leather Luftwaffe helmet) and would be great if they were styrene. The rest of the kit is the same,
EXCEPT that the model does not come with the internal water tank. Comments
indicate that fans who are really into the German halftracks found out that this
was only used in the ambulance versions of the 251 (Sd.Kfz. 251/8.I and 8.II),
and photos seem to bear this out. DML has therefore corrected the kit - the /6
comes with what appears to be a manpack radio for short-range communications in
that position. The actual command radio console goes from the wimpy two-piece
Nitto effort to some 45 parts, and can be intimidating! (Note: I do not have a
wiring diagram for these sets, but can assure you that they will look better if
"plumbed" with connecting cables, antenna leads, headsets, telegraph keys, or
microphones.) The rest of the
kit is verbatim /1 and has the two-piece track links for the track runs. The
directions are not real helpful with these (they are installed per the
directions in Step 13 as a "stick here" with parts E1 and E11 called out, but no
numbers and only an arrow indicating where they go; it does not call out how
many or which way they face, either.) Note that not all of the Sd.Kfz. 251/6 vehicles mounted the
extendable mast unit at the right rear of the hull, so if you can get research
photos of a specific vehicle it would help. At least one photo exists of what is
reported to be a /6 (note the /3 looks alike externally with the same "clothes
rail" antenna) with no mast and a 2.8 cm Gerlich gun fitted at the front of the
roof! There are two decals
sheets included in the kit (!), one for the suggested finishing options and one
which is a set of license plates and "number jungles" as model railroaders call
them to make up your own plates. The kit provided ones are for command vehicles
from the 11th Panzer Division, 9th Panzer Division, 4th Panzer Division, 24th
Panzer Division, 39th Panzer Division, and one unknown unit. They range from
grey (of the "Barbarossa" 1941 period) to three-color schemes from later in the
war, but no estimated dates or locations are given. Overall, while I wish it had provided a bit more history
and locations for the recommended marking options, the kit itself is amazing and
it should be popular. Unless, of course, you hate wiring and consider anything
with radios "wiggly amps things..." Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review
sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on June 30, 2004)
Product Review: Chesapeake
Model Designs 1/35 scale Accessories; Soviet 76mm F-34 Gun; 1 turned aluminum
barrel. Price $8. Advantages:
right barrel for the new DML Model 1941 kit; matches photos and scale drawings.
Disadvantages: specific product for a specific
function; will require other kits to be used in other situations (e.g. KV-1
Model 1941 or Tamiya, Maquette or Zvedza offerings). Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for replacing all F-34 barrels. Following up on the heels of their very nice L–11 barrel,
CMD now offers the 76mm F-34 "long" barrel in 1/35 scale as well. As noted earlier in both the
article I did for "Military Modelling" (UK) that looked at the development
histories of the Soviet tank guns prior to WWII, the Soviets had decided
initially that the short L-11 gun produced in Leningrad would be the standard
tank gun for medium tanks. This was a 30.5 caliber weapon barely able to fire a
round faster than 612 meters per second, not a good set of numbers for
armor-piercing functions. The
L-11 was a very short barreled weapon on purpose. The Soviets felt that if the
gun barrel overhung the hull it would soon be damaged or cause the tank to get
stuck in a ditch or trees and thus be lost. But it suffered badly in regard to
accuracy due to the fact that the barrel was suspended from its cradle, not
riding on top of it like most guns. As a result, it tended to wobble in the
cradle, preventing any real accuracy beyond a few hundred meters. While it was designed for the KV
tank and was used in the KV Model 1939, the designers from Khar'kov also used
this gun in their T-34 Model 1939 and later in the Model 1940. As a result, it
placed both a strain on production and caused divisiveness among the plants.
Leningrad was told, after a shooting competition, to drop the L-11 in favor of
the Grabin-designed F-32. While only one caliber (e.g. 76mm) longer, this gun
used a cradle under the barrel and was far more accurate. But its top muzzle
velocity was only 613 meters per second, not a major improvement. After weeks of fighting, Leningrad
lost and had to adopt it. But when they did, they demanded all production
support the KV-1 Model 1941 and the Khar'kov designers were out of luck.
Fortunately, as they had no problems with overhang, they were offered the 76mm
F-34 (41.5 calibers long). The
initial version of the F-34 had a muzzle velocity of 662 meters per second, and
later got bumped up to around 800. With the later tungsten cored "arrow" shell
this remained a reasonably potent antitank round up until late 1943-early 1944.
More than 25,00 tanks were fitted with this gun, and the KV had to adopt the
modified ZIS-5 gun based on the F-34 to become at least tolerable on the
battlefield. As with their
L-11, CMD has nailed this gun and purpose-made it to drop-fit right into the DML
kit without a single modification. As such, it's hard to find such a "modeler
friendly" accessory. Other barrels, such as Jordi Rubio, usually need drilling
out to fit, but then again they are "universal" barrels. Note that the F-34
barrel is based on the one found on the Aberdeen Proving Ground T-34 Model 1941
that was the subject of the article mentioned above. ;Thanks to Bill Miley of CMD for
the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on June 26, 2004)
Kit Review: Royal Model Diorama Accessories
1/35 Scale Kits: No. 352, DUKW
(Part 1). 295 parts (259 in 0.005" etched metal, 20 in
0.010" etched metal, 12 in grey-green resin, 3 in clear acetate, 1 length of
steel wire). Price $43.00. No. 353, DUKW (Part 2). 130 parts
(117 in 0.005" etched metal, 212 in grey-green resin, 1 in clear acetate). Price $25.00. No. 365, DUKW Stowage. 20 parts in
grey-green resin. Price $29.00. Advantages: very neatly upgrades the Italeri kit with all
of the bits necessary as well as dress up the cargo bay. Disadvantages: not cheap; will not convert the kit to the
early production version or provide for it. Rating:
Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all US or DUKW
fans. One has to have sympathy
for those that dare. Many modelers wanted a kit of the WWII GMC DUKW amphibian
in 1/35 scale, but for years the big companies met their pleas - and dozens of
surveys - with stony silence. But finally, one company took the bit and produced
a kit to meet the need. But
the company was Italeri, one which peaked as the best model company going in the
late 1970s and early 1980s with kits like their M47 and Leopard 1A4. Since then
they have been willing to do kits no other manufacturer will touch, but the
results have been somewhat erratic. The bottom line is always a driver, and in the case of
Italeri lately it has been trying to get a good, all-purpose kit to the market
that meets the mass market desires but still is good enough and accurate enough
to please more sophisticated tastes. Translation: if you don't do much - or
don't do multimedia - at least do what you do make right. I can imagine their surprise when
they heard some of the reviews on the internet of this kit. The most stunning
one I saw was one that went on for what amounted to five printed letter-size
pages of defects, errors and omissions. But nearly all of them were so petty as
to befog the mind. I served in US Army tactical units for nine years, becoming
intimately familiar with the DA2404 Discrepancy Repot or "gig sheet", which
listed every thing wrong, missing or broken on a specific vehicle. Even the
worst of one of my "hangar queen" Gama Goats at Fort Hood only ran 2 ½ pages.
There's always room for more
details, to be sure; but why would any manufacturer want to produce kits when
there is some oaf out there who will crucify the kit for this sort of petty
failings? Needless to say, for
those who do want more details there are companies that rise to provide them,
and now Royal Model is offering three sets to really dress this kit up. The
first two kits cover the detailing - Part 1 covers the external upper decking of
the vehicle, and Part 2 covers the cargo bay and interior. The stowage
fills up the interior bay. Note that none of these kits do two things: they do not
give the option to convert the kit to the early model vehicle with wheel skirts
and a vertical windshield, nor do they provide parts or "skinning" to convert
the inside of the cargo bay to a visible plywood interior. The latter is a moot
point anyway, if either this stowage set or another from a different company or
the spares box is used. Part 1
upgrades the following areas: windshield, wave-breaker, front deck, air intakes
and exhaust, tie-downs and tie hooks, the external rim around the cargo bay, the
rear engine deck and winch area, and the engine deck. New blades are also
provided for the propeller, but installing them looks to be something of a
challenge! Part 2 upgrades the
following areas: the driver's compartment, air exhausts and grilles behind the
personnel compartment, the interior details of the cargo bay, and the dashboard.
The stowage set consists of
separate and "group" parts, and provides 12 US style "jerry" cans, three 55
gallon drums, four crates, one open crate of potatoes, three rolled canvas
covers, one folded cover, several canteens, small crates and packs, and a
barracks bag. Detailed
directions are included for Parts 1 and 2, but none for the stowage;
nevertheless, the boxtop illustrations show about what colors the items should
be painted as well as the suggested places for stowage inside the cargo bay. Overall, this is a very nice and
complete set. If nothing else, it tells the whiny critics of minutiae to stuff
it. Thanks to Bill Miley of
CMD for the review samples.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit
Review: Royal Model Diorama Accessories 1/35 Scale Kit No. 349; T-55A. 395 parts (377 in etched metal, 18 in grey-green resin).
Price $49.00. Advantages:
pretty much covers all small surface detail to be found on a Polish or Czech
built T-55 or T-55A tank, and most Soviet ones as well. Disadvantages: small size and built-up nature of some
assemblies will not be popular with some modelers. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all fans of the "55". There are always people who claim
that kits do not come with "enough" detail and want to grouse about it. This
part is too thick, that is too bulky, there's no detail on this, and that is out
of scale. People like that are one of the reasons aftermarket manufacturers came
into being, and stay there today. Royal Model is one of the most complete in this area, and
its kits provide more than enough detail to keep even the most fussy detail
dilettante happy. This kit is no exception, and provides an amazing amount of
detail to take the Tamiya T-55/T-55A kit and turn it from super to stunning. The resin parts cover the bulky
items - machine gun boxes for the 12.7mm "Dushka" gun on the post-1972 model
tanks or rebuilds, cleaner viewers and viewing devices, as well as the ones for
the inside of the commander's and driver-mechanic's positions. The "Dushka" cans
are useful, and there are 8 of them in this kit. The rest is all etched metal, used to replace, detail or
build up kit details, and includes about every type of hanger, hinge, snap,
fastener, grille, grid, shield or bracket one could possibly think of to detail
on this kit. As noted, they are more along the lines of the patterns used with
the Polish or Czech built tanks (other than the right rear fan exhaust and the
fact that they do not use the split hatch covers for the main radiator intakes)
but most of them apply to the Soviet tanks as well. (Case in point - no pun
intended - is that parts are included to detail the kit-supplied OPVT storage
tube container that goes up under the extra fuel tanks as well as the Polish ZIP
box that goes on the left side of the turret.) The kit does come with three A4 size very detailed
directions, citing which parts to keep and which to modify/replace on the kit.
Overall, this is a very nice
set and will result in an amazing model if all of the parts, or even just the
main ones are used. Thanks to
Bill Miley of CMD for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit
Review: Royal Model Diorama Accessories 1/35 Scale Kit No. 346. M18 Hellcat Mufflers. 13 parts in
grey resin. Price $16.00. Advantages: essential parts for completing the details on
an M18 or M39 model. Disadvantages: no instructions,
nor even a hint of where it goes and what to do with it. Rating: Recommended, with reservations. Recommendation: for all modelers building an M18 or M39
model. Kit manufacturers are
up against it for a number of reasons. If they make models too simple or leave
off "personality" items that define a specific object, they get complaints. If
they use multimedia to provide everything - often resulting in a really complex
or difficult model to built, let alone extremely expensive - they get
complaints. As a result, they figure the odds and try to arrive at a happy
medium the bookkeepers, the modelers, and the retailers can all live with. When AFV Club and Academy released
their respective kits of the much-awaited M18 Hellcat tank destroyer, neither
one of them provided a set of etched metal engine deck screens for their kits.
The reason for the first was probably a guess that it would be too expensive,
and for the other, the domestic Korean version of the kit had an electric motor
in the rear and thus there was nothing to expose by providing a see-through
grille. The aftermarket boys caught up with that, but even while new grilles
were provided for the kits, there was only an empty engine bay to show for the
efforts. When the vehicle was
in service, there was little to be seen via the rear grille as the engine's
mufflers took up the entire area under the screen. But as the kits provided no
engine bay detail, they also provided no mufflers. The alternatives were to
either buy a complete engine kit - most of which would not be seen, or to built
it - ditto on visibility, or just get a set of mufflers. Royal Model now offers a beautiful
set of just the mufflers for the M18, and from the looks of things it will fit
either kit. However, "looks" is the operative word, as there are no instructions
or even a photo of the mufflers installed to use as a reference! I was extremely disappointed to
see this, as many other Royal Model kits come with excellent instructions and
show precisely what to do and where to do it. In this case, the kit provides the
exhaust collector, twin mufflers, twin reverse pipes with outlet fishtails, and
four twin brackets for mounting. This goes in the rear right under the rear
engine grille, but it does need some sort of indication of where it goes for the
guy who doesn't have access to a museum or an operator's handbook of the
vehicle. Overall, I don't like
giving a nice product a relatively low mark, but they do need to give the
modeler something to work with as not everyone has a huge reference library. Thanks to Bill Miley of CMD for
the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Fruilmodel 1/35 scale track sets: Kit No. ATL-78; M2 Bradley/LVTP-7/MLRS track (early type).
365 parts (180 links in white metal, 180 white metal
bolt heads, 4 white metal drive wheels, and one length of wire). Price $30.00. Kit No. ATL-79; M2
Bradley/LVTP-7/MLRS track (late type "Big Foot"). 365
parts (180 links in white metal, 180 white metal bolt heads, 4 white metal drive
wheels, and one length of wire). Price $30.00.
Advantages: nicely done metal tracks lend "heft" to a model; fit a number of
vehicles beside those listed. Disadvantages: use of
separate bolt heads is novel but will frustrate some modelers. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all American medium armored vehicle
fans. The US Army, like many
other countries, finds things it likes and stays with them over the years. There
are some things that do meet the criteria "if it ain't broke don't fix it." The Army changed over in the early
1950s to families of vehicles sharing engines, component parts, and running
gear. The earliest of them were the FMC designed T18 armored personnel carrier
and T37 light tank, both of which came out right at the very beginning of the
1950s. The APC was first to go into service as the M75, seeing service in Korea
in 1953. The tank took longer, finally being redesigned to produce the M41 light
tank, the M42 twin 40mm SP AA gun, and the M59 APC later in the decade, as well
as the M44 and M52 SP howitzers. All of them shared the same basic parts: a Continenal air
cooled flat 6 engine, transmission and the same 25.5" x 4.5" road wheels and
T91E3 tracks. These were single-pin live tracks with a triangular rubber pad in
the center that could be replaced without replacing the entire track link. They
had a width overall of 21" and a pitch of 6". These tracks served well over the years, and a slightly
modified design was used when FMC created the LVTP-7 in the late 1960s, as well
as with the same company's use of them and parts from the LVTP-7 when creating
the M2/M3 Bradley family of fighting vehicles in 1976. These tracks, obviously a
favorite of the FMC design teams, worked well and were a good match with
vehicles in the 25-30 ton range. As a result of lessons learned during Operation Desert
Storm, the tracks were finally redesigned in the late 1990s and a new larger
track pad was fitted; this was formed in the shape of a rectangle with a tab at
the wide end of the link. This is the track currently fitted to the M2/M3
family. Fruilmodel is now
producing sets of both of these tracks, and they will match up well with the
Tamiya Bradley kits, the Academy and Tamiya LVTP-7/AAV-7 series kits, as well as
the DML MLRS launcher. However, photos are a good idea if trying to match
vehicles as the changeover period appears to be based on wearout and not a firm
date. Likewise, early model vehicles - unless you have photos of one in a
current unit - only used the early style tracks. These kits both provide the now-standard Fruilmodel system
of a length of wire for pins and metal links with hollow cast hinges. The wire
is inserted into the hinges to join links, a touch of ACC cement, a snip with
wire cutters, and off to the next link. While tedious at first, the system is
not that hard to learn, and some tricks do help. By putting a slight kink in the
wire before insertion, friction will hold the nascent hinge pin in place until
cemented down. (There's
another solution: as they are roughly 0.020" size holes, drill them out with an
0.020" drill and use styrene rod to joint them - faster and easier with less
hassle.) Some modelers have
complained that this system is not prototypical, as it leaves a small hole at
the end whereas the actual tracks have bolts or nuts (based on which end you
look at.) As a "shut up" for them, Fruilmodel now includes a matching set of
1/35 scale white metal bolt heads to fill up or seal the open end of the pin
cavity. These are molded laterally to the sprues so they have to be cemented on
flat (you can't "cheat" as with a Grandt Line bolt head and leave a section of
.010" rod from the sprue for mounting in this case.) They also redefine the term
TINY. Overall, these tracks
are nicely done and as far as I know this is the only set of the new so-called
"Big Foot" tracks available for the M2/M3, AAV-7A1 UGS, and MLRS as serving in
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Thanks to Bill Miley of CMD for the review samples.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/72 Armor Series Kit No. 7221; AAV-7A1 USMC
Mogadishu 1993. 98 parts (75 in grey styrene,18 in
black vinyl, 3 steel screws, 2 diecast metal hull sections). Price about $8.95. Advantages:
first mass-market kit of this vehicle in this scale; includes optional parts.
Disadvantages: diecast hull will make assembly more
difficult; interior is barren. Rating: Recommended. Recommendation: For all AMTRAC and USMC fans, as well as
fans of modern armor. F I R S T L O O K. While the new and improved USMC
amphibious armored personnel carrier that went into service in 1972 as the
LVTP-7, started off their career slowly, from their US combat debut in 1985
(Grenada) to the present they have been heavily involved in nearly every US
major operation involving the Marine Corps. Redesignated as the AAV-7 family,
they have remained in constant service for over 30 years now and are still
providing good service. Designed around a more seaworthy hull than their
predecessor, the LVTP-5 series, they were also powered by diesel engines and
shared some parts and component with the US Army's M2 Bradley fighting vehicle
family. This rendered them more cost efficient and easier to modify/upgrade as
new components were developed. While an original A1 version saw a few items
change - mostly involving some work to the bow of the vehicle and changes to
placement of the headlights as external indicators, the vehicles have undergone
constant upgrades. The most significant were done right before Operation Desert
Storm in 1990, when the vehicles received the ability to mount supplemental
armor protection and also an upgraded firepower suite via the "UWS" or upgraded
weapons station. This combined a 40mm grenade launcher and a .50 caliber machine
gun in one turret. While the
LVTP-7/AAV-7 has been well served in HO scale by Trident and in 1/35 by both
Tamiya and Academy, this is the first kit of this vehicle in 1/72 scale. DML has
done a nice job of turning out this big beast (think self-propelled garage and
you have a rough idea of the size and bulk of the vehicle) as part of their
continuing 1/72 series. The
hull is provided as two sections of diecast metal held together with screws.
This makes any modification or correction the modeler desires a bit difficult,
as it is much harder to clean parts made of metal than styrene or attach the
plastic components to it. DML has come up with a partial solution in that some
of the supplemental hull parts are made of styrene (such as the sides with the
road wheel arms and the bow section below the headights). This serves two main
functions: one, it is now far easier to cement the parts on using standard model
cements vice ACC or epoxy, and two, it prevents damage to the fragile road wheel
arms that would come of their being cast in metal due to their location. The kit does provide a number of
options. While the kit comes with directions to install the UWS, the parts for
the commander's hatch for the earlier version with a .50 caliber cupola are
included. (Note that neither supplemental armor or its prominent hull mounting
brackets are part of this kit.)_The wave-breaker can be installed either closed
(part A3) or deployed (A4), as can the water jet drives (A21/22 open, A23/24
closed). The rear ramp
operates, but the top hatches have to be cemented in position either open or
closed. Room has been left for installing an interior but none is provided.
(Note: the screw mounts are more or less discreetly situated on the sides of the
hull and in the bow, but the directions do not tell the modeler how to install
them or when; since two of them are right above the running gear, I suspect it
means leaving the wheels off until you have screwed the hull together. They are
held on by vinyl bearings a la Tamiya, so it should not be a big deal.) Tracks are black vinyl and seem
pretty well done. Surprisingly, even with the amount of shared parts none seems
to be from the M2/M3 series kits. Markings are provided for two vehicles in Somalia during
Operation Restore Hope in 1993; one left in Desert Storm sand and wedge
markings, and one in the NATO tri-color scheme. Overall this should be a nice adjunct to the USMC Abrams,
and with some work a version from OIF with applique armor could be produced. A
more industrious soul could also fashion an interior in it, making it a gem. Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for
the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35
Scale '39-'45 Series Figure Sets: Kit No. 6234, U.S. Army Airborne Normandy 1944 "60th
Anniversary of the Normandy Campaign". 117 parts in
grey styrene. Price about $8.95. Kit No. 6235, U.S. Rangers
Normandy 1944 "60th Anniversary of the Normandy Campaign" Series. 126 parts in grey styrene. Price
about $8.95. Kit No. 6236,
U.S. Infantry 2nd Armored Division Normandy 1944 "60th Anniversary of the
Normandy Campaign" Series. 135 parts in grey styrene.
Price about $8.95. Kit No. 6237, U.S. Army Anti-Tank Team "60th Anniversary of
the Normandy Campaign" Series. 147 parts in grey
styrene., Price about $8.95. Kit No. 6211, U.S. 29th Infantry
Division Omaha Beach D-Day 1944. 151 parts in grey
styrene. Price about $8.95. Advantages: 60th Anniversary kits all come with new sprue
of 48 parts as accessories; 29th ID kit has great poses for diorama artists. Disadvantages: not British; will not yet assemble and paint
themselves(!) Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all D-Day and US WWII fans. Dragon has a nice idea that they
have been using this year - obviously tied into marketing related to the 60th
Anniversary of the D-Day landings and the battle for Normandy - to re-release
some older kits that have been off the market with new parts and at reasonable
prices. The 29th ID kit is new and is another of the latest kits from DML with
six figures per box vice four. The "60th Anniversary" kits are old friends - the Airborne
kit came out as #6010 in 1994, the Rangers as #6021 also in 1994, the 2nd
Armored figures in 1999 as #6120, and the antitank teams as #6149 in 2001. All
are great sets and set the standards that DML has maintained in this area for
over a decade. The main difference with these kits is a new sprue of 48 parts
that adds a lot of accessories and flexibility to the kits, and literally
enhances them and their use. The new sprue - dubbed "M-35Figure-C" - provides the
following parts: four new heads, all complete and all bare; four new helmets,
one with mesh and one with mesh and scrim attached; two German-style "teller"
mines; two pistol holsters; four bayonets; two WWI type (fixed) and two WWII
type (folding) entrenching tools; two M1A1 "airborne" folding stock carbines; an
M1 bazooka with two rounds and a carry sack for three; a BAR with choice of
bipods and handles; three M1 rifles (one regular, one with bayonet, one with
grenade launcher and grenade); two Thompson submachine guns, and one twin and
two single barrel cases. For good measure, two sections of logs are also
provided as props. The totally
new 29th ID set contains six figures in assault poses - one prone, three
kneeling or crouching, and two running. All come in the correct leggin and shoe
dress, however, none is wearing the US beach assault vest created for D-Day. One
is still wearing his chest life preserver, however! They all come with the usual
kit - canteen, bayonet, butt pack, ammo pouches, and small arms (two carbines,
two BARs, and four M1s). The poses will really be popular as they are very well
animated and far from the usual static figure poses. Overall, these are very nice sets
and are sure to be very popular in this anniversary year of D-Day. The only
grouses I have heard so far are "why aren't the Brits receiving the same level
of treatment?" (from British modelers!) and complaints from the extremely lazy
that for all of the great value and detail, why can't they put themselves
together and paint themselves as well! Just goes to show you can't please everyone. Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for
the review samples.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on June 7, 2004)
Kit Review: DML 1-72 Armor Series Kit No. 7203; Sd. Kfz.
181 Ausf. E Tiger I Late Production w/Zimmerit. 99
parts (94 in grey styrene, 2 brass exhaust shrouds, 2 in black vinyl. 1 section
of twisted wire). Price $8.95. Advantages: new kit of a very popular subject; all styrene
kit; first kit in this scale with the zimmerit paste application molded into the
plastic. Disadvantages: some parts simplified, e.g.
tools molded in place, one or two bad seams may be hard to align. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for beginning modelers and small-scale
German armor fans. If you
model German armor, especially the mid-war items that left the factory with the
"Zimmerit" concrete paste on them to attempt to defeat Soviet magnetic mines and
grenades, then you know that for years you have had to do it the hard way. Only
Italeri ever attempted to give modelers the option in 1/35 scale, and their two
kits (Panther Ausf. A and Tiger I Ausf. E) met with mixed results. Part of the
problem was that their kits were provided smooth, and the zimmerit parts had to
be bent to shape and installed to the outer surface. Since they were designed to
carry these parts by the manufacturer, if you built them with it you had a hard
time getting a good fit and good finish; if you left them off, the models were
underscale and looked anemic. DML has now made a shot at this, and their initial effort
is this kit of a Tiger I with the zimmerit paste applied. As such, all parts
come with the surfaces engraved to represent the coating and appear to be very
nicely done. (Realize in real life this coating was only about 3-6 mm thick on
average, which amounts to about 0.04-0.08 mm in this scale.) This is also the
first kit in this scale with any attempt at it, and the initial look is that
they did a great job of it. The zimmerit is represented on the lower hull front, sides,
rear plate, turret sides and mantelet, and upper hull glacis. All of these parts
are new to the earlier "clean" Tiger kit and totally replace them. The only bugaboo may be getting a
good seam at the rear of the turret, but with some judicious use of a good
slow-drying liquid cement like Testor's and a good Xacto knife, the seam should
be easy to conceal. This looks
to be a really straightforward model, and the only complaint I foresee from some
more serious modelers is the fact that the shovel and other small bits are
molded in place on the top of the hull. It does, however, include a scale
thickness steel cable for the tow cables. Two finishes are suggested: s.Pz.Abt. 102 in Normandy, June
1944, and s.Pz.Abt. 101 in Normandy, July 1944. Overall, this is a nice step by DML and one that should be
well received, especially among new modelers not sure as to how to best
replicate zimmerit. It also cries out for drybrushing! Thanks to Freddie Leung for the
review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Dragon Models Limited 1/35 Scale '39-'45 Series
Kit No. 6186; Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. B. 444 parts (414 in
grey styrene, 20 etched brass, 7 etched stainless steel, 3 clear styrene). Price estimated at $24-28. Advantages: very nicely done kit, separate hatches at all
openings, several different options permit a dead match for specific vehicles,
choice of styrene or etched brass parts. Disadvantages:
very tiny individual track links will not be popular with some modelers. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all light armor, early WWII and German
armor fans. F I R S T L O O K. Too many German armor fans tend to
ignore the fact that the Tiger and Panther tanks did not spring from the earth
cut from whole cloth; rather, they were the penultimate designs that saw
production based on nearly a decade of open research and another decade of
covert research that went before them. The tiny Panzerkampfwagen I series, which
was never intended to be used in combat, was the progenitor of all those that
followed it. The German army
was only starting to understand the value of tanks and design useful vehicles
when the termination of World War I, and the crushing impositions of the Treaty
of Versailles, prevented them from any open research in this area. As a result,
the Germans entered into a period of covert research in Sweden and their former
enemy, Russia, who as the fledgling USSR was seen as useful for testing
projected weapons systems away from prying Western eyes. After developmental and research
work throughout the 1920s, after the Nazis came to power in 1933 the first
prototype chassis of a new light tank, to be built essentially for proof of
concept training of a new tank force - "Panzerwaffe" - emerged in the form of
150 "Agricultural tractors" produced by a consortium of German companies. The "tractor" had an armored hull
and a four-road-wheel per side spring suspension mounted low on the outside of
the hull, much of it borrowed from German observations of British Carden-Loyd
designs. It was not until 1934 that the "tractors" began to be produced with a
small one-man turret mounting two machine guns on top of an armored casemate
protecting the driver. The original tanks were first dubbed MG Panzerwagen but
were quickly standardized as Panzerkampwagen I Ausfuerung A." 1,175 of this
model were produced. Later, as
service showed up the shortcomings of the little tank, modifications were made.
The first main one was adding a fifth road wheel per side to improve
cross-country mobility and the ride, as well as a more powerful engine. 397 of
these tanks, known as the Pz. Kpfw. I Ausf. B, were built in 1936-37. But while the Germans knew full
well these tiny tanks (the Ausf. B only weighed 5.8 short tons and had 13mm
armor plate) were not what they had in mind for future combat, they did realize
that war is a game of "run what you brung" and the tanks were used in the move
into the Sudetenland, the Anschluss in 1938, and the battles of 1939-1940. By
the time the Germans went into Russia, only 74 Pz.Kpfw. I tanks of all models
were still listed as tanks in service. The hulls were converted to other purposes, such as
ammunition carriers, observation vehicles, and self-propelled guns. But all WWII
German armor tactics originated with the use of these tiny tanks on exercise.
Surprisingly, unlike many
early war or transitional armored vehicles (such as the British Light Mark VI
series) this mini-tank has been better served. Italeri produced a good kit of it
for its time back in the 1970s, and a more recent one has presented the earlier
(and more numerous) Ausf. A version. DML has now released a very nice new kit of
this old favorite that is state-of-the art, and provides for a large number of
"tweaks" and options to build it. The kit contains a total of nine plastic sprues, and since
the upper hull is unto itself (sprue L) it would signify that at least one SP
gun or the command variant will follow. The model also includes a set of etched
brass (the now standard DML "MA" fret) as well as half of kit number 6029, the
early German StuG III crew, with two figures and three heads - two with the
"crash helmet" floppy berets and one with sidecap. The etched stainless steel
fret is the headset headband component from that kit. Molding is top-notch, and the kit
comes with every port or door that can be opened provided as separate parts.
Most have some detail, but there are a number of injection pin marks that have
to be filled. There are a number of options for the kit as well, and an addendum
sheet was included with the review sample for the upper left part of Step 6, as
it calls out which parts can be alternated and with what other parts. The model
comes with two styles of viewports riveted or smooth) and two different rear
plates - one for the original version and one with the mounts for the smoke
candle rack (included). The
kit includes 216 single track links, which are not going to be popular with some
modelers as they are very, very small - each one is about 3 mm x 7 mm. If you do
not have a fine sprue nipper or keyhole type razor saw, getting these off the
sprues will be difficult. I recommend the following procedure. Before cutting
them off the sprue, cut open the end bars of the sprue to take the tension off
the parts. This way, as you trim the parts, they are not compressed upon
themselves but instead come free. You wind up with fewer broken and damaged
parts this way. Also, they do have a pin-and-notch system for assembly, at
least, so assembly should be much easier than you would think once you have them
off the sprue. Most of the
etched brass parts deal with the rear of the hull and are used with the smoke
candles. This isn't so bad, as there are also some options where brass parts can
be used to replace styrene ones, which is one of the best ideas that DML has
come up with in a long time. The model offers a total of six different marking schemes,
but all of the ones provided are only in the Panzergrau paint scheme. The are
for: 7th Panzer Division, France 1940; 4th Panzer Division, France 1940; 1st
Panzer Division, Poland, 1939; Panzerabteilung zbV 40, Denmark, 1940; 14th
Panzer Division, 1941; and 3rd Panzer Division, 1940. None of them are in the
recently discovered (by Tom Jentz and Steve Zaloga) multicolored schemes, but
these can be found with a bit of research and also some extra markings from
companies like Archer Fine Transfers. Overall this is one of the nicest efforts so far from DML,
and is at least as nice as their recent early model T-34s. Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for
the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: DML 1-72 Armor Series Kit No. 7246; Sd. Kfz.
182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret). 152 parts (144 in
grey styrene, 4 etched brass, 2 metal screws, 2 in black vinyl). Price $8.95. Advantages: new kit
of a very popular subject; all styrene kit. Disadvantages: some parts may be confused due to use of the
same sprues with other kits. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: for beginning modelers and
small-scale German armor fans. I am getting a scary feeling that DML has been reading my
reviews and reacting to them, for this is the second kit in as many months that
has shown up with corrections made to the original that make it more
modeler-friendly. DML produced
some nice kits of small-scale armor last year, but as they were converted
directly from their small-scale radio-controlled kits they had diecast metal
hulls, which makes it very tough for the serious modeler to change or modify.
This kit has now been released, and as such has a new all styrene hull (held
together by screws) that replaces the diecast parts. The screws mount through
the bow gunner/radio operator's hatch and left rear side of the engine deck
under the deck.) As such, all axles are cast as part of the belly and are not
adjustable. The rest of the
parts include nicely done hangers on the turret for the extra track link
sections. A very shallow engine bay is also included (recall it must clear the
screw mounts) as well as solid plastic screens for the front intakes on the
engine deck. The turret has two optional position crew hatches and the rear gun
removal hatch. A breech is included for the 88mm gun but no other turret
interior. The wheels appear to
be nicely done, and all injection pin marks are hidden when the suspension is in
place. The tracks are very soft but well detailed in this scale. Four finishes are offered: one for
s.Pz.Abt. 505 in Normandy (the "Charging Knight" scheme, with provisions to
build all the tanks from this unit based on all of the numbers being included in
a "number jungle"), a three color scheme from s.Pz.Abt. 501 in the Ardennes
1944, and anothe with whitewash, and one from s.Pz.Abt. 506 in Germany 1945. Overall, this corrects the one
observation that I made on the original kits, and now means that the kit is
quite useful to the mainstream modeling community. But as they are inexpensive
and do not require a great deal of engineer prowess (and are inexpensive by
today's standards!) as before I recommend them to younger modelers as they
are a great place to start. Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: DML 1-72 Armor Series Kit
No. 7229; M3A2 ODS Bradley. 156 parts (126 in grey
styrene, 22 in black vinyl, 7 in grey vinyl, 1 steel screw). Price $8.95. Advantages: nicely
done kit of current vehicle, lots of options. Disadvantages: only provided with USAREUR paint and marking
scheme. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for OIF and other modern armor fans. There has been so much minor
modification made to US vehicles in recent years that is now getting hard to
keep up with them. In the "old days" it was simple: a "T" prefix meant test or
evaluation models of items; "M" meant it was militarily standardized; an "A"
suffix indicated a major revision or variation of the original item; and "B"
indicated a sub-variation. Ergo, an M32A1B3 meant: standardized vehicle number
32 (M32), first major revision (A1), third sub-variant (B3). What it translated
to was a tank retriever built on an early M4A3 chassis that had been retrofitted
with the HVSS suspension and some other improvements. Nothing is as easy in this day and
age, and we have a plethora of changes to designations that confuse even experts
or service personnel. Note that in the last 24 years we have had the following:
XM-1, M-1, IP M1, M1E1, M1A1, M1A1HA, M1A2, M1A2 SEP, and another M1A1 variant
with a new electronics fit. The Bradley infantry fighting vehicles/cavalry
fighting vehicles have been no different. They went from XM-2 (IFV) and XM-3 (CFV) to M2 and M3, M2A1
and M3A1, M2A2 and M3A2, M2A2 ODS and M3A2 ODS, and now M2A3 OIF and M3A3 OIF.
This kit represents the penultimate M3 variant, and yes, as I found out, the ODS
does mean "Operation Desert Storm." That variant incorporated the lessons
learned from the first trip to Iraq in 1991, and was the one used this time as
well. (The OIF - Operation Iraqi Freedom - machines incorporate what we learned
in 2003.) This kit comes with
a box literally filled with parts. In this scale, it does provide a great deal
of options: all wheels roll, the rear ramp operates, and the gun can be made to
move up or down. The latter comes at a price, as it requires using a vinyl
aerial gunsight connector arm and other sight arm (parts D2 and D4) made out of
black vinyl, but the directions do not indicate if this is "glueable" vinyl as
in the Tamiya kits or not. The
hatches and missile launcher box are poseable but only if glued in place. The kit also comes with a set of
vinyl "kit" for stowage in the bustle rack and side bins for that "lived in"
look. Thermal identification panels are also provided. Only one marking option is given -
1-4 Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division, Germany 2001. This is in the NATO
"tri-color" scheme with German highway warning markers, so you will have to dig
around for other markings if you want to do an OIF ODS Bradley up! Overall, it is a nice kit and a
change from WWII items. Thanks
to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Friday, April 30, 2004 (Originally written on April 29, 2004) Kit Review: Shanghai Dragon 1/35
Scale Korean War Series No. 6810; Chinese Volunteer T-34/85. 403 parts (401 in grey styrene, 1 nylon string, 1 clear
styrene lens). Price about $18-24. Advantages: One of the better DML kits, a sure steal at
these prices; provides the later "spoked" wheels suitable for use on a T-54
conversion Disadvantages: engine radiator exhaust
grille remains a solid piece. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: For all Korean War or T-34
fans. The Soviets ceased
production of the T-34-85 tank for their own needs in early 1946, as they were
then producing the T-44 and gearing up to evaluate what would become the T-54
series of tanks. Nearly 28,000 had been produced, and as such were therefore
suitable for military assistance to "needy" socialist nations. These included
the Peoples' Republic of China, who had pushed the Nationalists off the mainland
in 1949, as well as the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea. The Koreans
received enough T-34-85 tanks to equip three brigades before the war broke out,
but most of them had been lost before Inchon in September 1950. The Peoples' Liberation Army -
under the guise of the "Chinese Peoples' Volunteer Army" providing assistance to
its smaller brother - joined the war in October 1950, but at that time The CPV
did not have organic tanks in its divisions, and as such was at a massive
disadvantage against the UN forces. They were quickly supplied with both IS-2
heavy tanks and T-34-85 medium tanks, but only the T-34s were ever encountered
in action by UN forces. At the
end of the war each Chinese CPV infantry division had a combined tank/SP gun
regiment with 24 T-34-85 tanks and 16 SU-76M guns assigned to it. In early 1953,
the CPV forces had some 278 T-34 tanks, 38 IS-2 tanks, 27 SU-122 guns and 48
SU-76 guns in their inventory. The KPAF had 255 T-34 tanks and 127 SU-76M guns.
DML first offered one one of
these tanks as a separate kit in 1997, and this appears to be a re-release via
its Shanghai Dragon affiliate. It is similar to their other T-34-85 Model 1944
(late) and T-34-85 Model 1960 kits. This kit shares a large number of its parts
with those two kits, as it uses the "select a sprue" system of kit formation.
This particular one includes the following: standard sprues A, B, E, F, H, L and
M, turret sprue G and wheel sets D for kit option "A", and hull top sprue C for
either a type "A" or "B" kit. It would appear that "A" is the Model 1944 series
of T-34-85 tanks and that "B" is the upgraded Model 1960, based on having all
four T-34-85 kits. As is now
the standard for DML, this kit, like its brothers, has the most accurate overall
dimensions and angles for a T-34 kit and also very sharp, crisp molding. Parts
are sectioned in logical joint lines and areas, and the kit is a nearly snap to
build. The wheels for this
tank are the late-war/postwar "spoked" steel wheels with lightening holes, and
are of the "twelve large/twelve small/twelve rib" configuration similar to those
found on early model T-54 tanks as well. The other kits have either the "solid
disk" or "postwar starfish" type wheels, so if you want to do up a "spoked
wheel" T-34-85 this is your base kit. The "L" sprues are the late-model T-34 tracks (suitable for
all T-34-85 series tanks) and as such are single link. But unlike many others,
these require a minimal cleanup and go right together with a thicker plastic
cement in short order. (I use Vollmer Superzement S-30 from Germany as it has
the ease of use of a liquid cement and the holding power of old-fashioned tube
cements.) One major problem on
BT and T-34 series tanks, as with some of the German monstesr, is that they have
two part track sections, consisting of an "a" link and a "b" link, and which
have to be installed in pairs. As I have found out the hard way, the best way to
install them is front to rear; leave the front idler arm loose so that you can
adjust the track span to accept a set of tracks. Therefore, when you get to the
end, you will be able to adjust the track "span" to get a pair of links in to
fit the model. Another of the interminable "Murphy's Law" corollaries is that if
you do not you wind up with only one link distance between two pairs, and will
have to make a "cheater" link sans hinges and details to fit. Like its brethren as well it also
has the solid rear deck cover over the radiator air exhaust louvers (part B15)
which most modelers will have to cut open and use either an after-market brass
set or another part in resin to correct. This is the one failing of DML kits;
admittedly there are far more egregious ones from other manufacturers, but it is
a shame that this is one production shorcut they took. Were it left open like
the Maquette kits and a section of brass or aluminum screening supplied to fill
it, it would make this a near perfect model as is, right out of the box. Markings are included for three
different KPAF tanks as well as one CPV one; the Korean tanks have only a pair
of numbers on the sides of the turret, whereas the Chinese one has two standard
Chinese national marking starts. While there is good evidence of the Korean
markings, I must say I have not seen any shots of T-34s from Korea with the
Chinese stars on them, as being nice and bright they would have made good aiming
marks. They are more likely parade or training markings, but do brighten up a
solid green tank! Note that
there was no difference whatsoever between Soviet service model tanks and these
tanks as supplied to the KPAF and CPV, so that by changing markings you can
build it as any other country's T-34-85 with the same features. Overall, this is another great kit
from DML, and at Shanghai Dragon's lower prices a real steal! NOTE: This particular kit showed
up minus its wheel sprues (D) and with a quick e-mail to Dragon I received
replacement parts in about 10 days. Some people have stated they have had
problems, but this seems to have been a case of everything in the system working
well.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on April 23, 2004)
Book Review: Wings and Wheels Publication Present
Vehicle Line No. 7; T-54/55 Variants in Detail by Frantisek Koran and Frantisek
Sykora; RAK, Prague, December 2003. 192 pp. Price US $38-45. (ISBN
80-86416-325-6) Advantages: beautifully shot and
presented color photo layout of a large number of popular versions of this
well-known and desirable tank family; details from the tank manuals very useful
for modelers. Disadvantages: the authors are not as
good in English as they would like to believe, and some rather interesting
captions result. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: to all Soviet and T-54/T-55 fans and
modelers. This is a really
decent series of books which originated as what the company termed "photo
sniper" books, and the little lion mascot on the cover has now come to symbolize
a really high quality product. This is a very well timed book, as it is released as the
after-market boys really begin to spin up on the modification and supplemental
kits for the excellent Tamiya T-55/T-55A kit. I get more questions personally on
these tanks than any other subject except T-34s, so it is nice to point to a
good reference for modelers to use. The book covers a lot of different vehicles extant in the
Czech and Slovak Republics, and is broken down into sections. First up are 6 pages of T-54 and
T-55 tanks in action, including the infamous invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
Next the book provides 8 pages on confiscated Serbian T-54 and T-55 tanks,
showing their rough condition as well as some of the add-on rubber armor added
to try and deflect RPG fire. 25 pages cover the basic T-54A tank - the production model
from about 1956 that provided a single-axis stabilizer but was one of the first
versions offered for license construction outside of the USSR. The tank is shown
in full color inside and out, and as such will be a boon to anyone with an
engine or interior kit for the Tamiya model. One page of a privately preserved T-54M tank is also shown.
Of interest to me is the fact that the authors point out these tanks use a
different design "drop" tank at the rear, which the authors state is a 300 liter
design and not the standard Soviet 200 liter ("55 gallon drum") version. This is
the same drum as provided in the Lion Roar etched brass kit I recently reviewed
and thus is a hint to anyone wanting to do a late model Czech or Slovak vehicle.
Pages 51-55 discuss the T-54K
commander's model; alas, what they show is a Chinese Type 69-II tank (BZ-121C)
captured in Iraq by the 1st Armored Division and on display in their garrison.
Modelers must note this is NOT a Soviet tank and most of its features are unique
to Chinese armor. The basic
T-55 is shown on 32 pages and covered in great detail. This is where a large
number of cleaned up drawings from the tank's operator's manual are included.
This is followed by 19 pages on the T-55M in its Czech built version, not the
Soviet one. It then follows that section with one of 12 pages on the T-55AM1
Czech upgrade and then 15 more on the T-55AM2 tank. This is followed by another
stating it is on the T-55AM2 "Hammer" but is really the well-known T-55AM2B with
the AT-10 through-the-bore guided missile capability. Finally, the book goes into some
detail on individual components: wheels, the V-55 series engine (those who think
all engines are black or grey need to see this section in particular!), T-54 and
T-55 engine bays, T-55 transmissions, fans, radiators, air filters, ammunition,
fuel tanks (the 200 and 300 liter ones) 8 pages on one of the mine plow sets, 4
pages on a Czech mine clearer, 4 pages on a Czech towed mine plow, and finishes
up with 8 pages on the Czech Praga V-3S TPPA-M82 shop van for maintaining and
repairing T-55 series tanks. Overall, this book probably has nearly 700 good, crisp
color photos of the various T-54 and T-55 variants, and should be in the library
of every modern Soviet and T-54/T-55 fan.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on April 23, 2004)
Book Review: Model Fan
Encyclopedia No. 5: T-34 - Stalin's War-Horse by Przemyslaw Skulski and Jacek
Jackiewicz; AJaKS Military Books, Warsaw, Poland 2003. 84 pp. Price about $25. (ISBN 83-914521-4-X). Model Fan Encyclopedia No. 6: T-34 In Combat - Volume II by
Przemyslaw Skulski, Jacek Jackiewicz and Robert Sawicki; AJaKS Military Books,
Warsaw, Poland 2003. 84 pp. Price about $25. (ISBN
83-914521-5-8). Advantages: nice, new books on the
history of the T-34 and provide amazingly detailed coverage for the modeler. Disadvantages: half of the text is in Polish (direct
translations are supplied), history is focused on Polish use of the T-34 so
Soviet fans may be disappointed. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: to all WWII armor fans,
T-34 fanatics and Soviet and Polish forces fans. I first heard about these books last November at
"Panzerfest 2003" in Livonia, Michigan, when Mark Klutchko of Michigan Discount
Models sold me a copy of No. 5. This year at AMPS 2004 he had No. 6 with him,
and I picked it up straightoff. The title of these books is a bit disconcerting, as they
are NOT related to Japanese or German publications with similar names. The
authors and publishers are all Polish, and they not only wrote and translated
the text into English (something the Russians still have not grasped - books
will sell far better in English or with English split text than in the native
language) but did the excellent drawings of tanks inside. The first volume covers the
development of the T-34 from its inception as a complete makeover of the BT
series tanks in the late 1930s. Half of the book covers the development of the
tank and also includes a section on available T-34 model kits (at the time it
was written). The second half covers a large series of drawings and plans of
T-34 variants, to include the following: the A-20 prototype, the A-32 prototype,
1st version of the A-34 prototype, 2nd version of the A-34 prototype, T-34 Model
1940, T-34 F-34 gun testbed, T-34 Model 1941, T-34 Model 1941 (STZ) in four
variants, and T-34 Model 1941 from Factory No. 112. The book then provides 3/4 views of 33 different variations
on the early tank designs showing evolution and the factories which produced
them, and ends up with nine full color paint and marking schemes for various
tanks. The second volume
expands on the first one, but it is more suited to the history of the Polish 1st
Armored Regiment and 1st Armored Brigade, including a lot of detail provided
over 20 years ago by the late Janusz Magnewski. This covers the first 30 pages
of the book. Following that,
it goes on to provide a continuation of the evolution of the T-34 series. Plans
are provided for the following vehicles: T-34/ZIS-4 gun from Factory No. 183;
T-34 Model 1942 ("hardedge"); T-34 Model 1942 (final variants of Model 1941
tanks); T-34 Model 1943 (with commander's cupola); T-34 Model 1943 with pressed
steel turret from Factory No. 112; T-34 Model 1942 from the ChKZ; T-34 Model
1943 from the ChKZ; T-34 Model 1942 from Factory No. 174; T-34 Model 1942 from
UZTM; and minor prototype vehicles including a Factory No. 112 tank with 85mm
S-53 gun. The book then
provides a wealth of details on T-34 tanks including wheel types and track sets,
and then continues the 3/4 view "cheat sheet" to various models of T-34 with
another 27 tanks identified by model and factory. Lastly is a new section on modeling to update the earlier
one and also 19 color side views and a selection of color photos of the interior
of T-34s showing the colors of the various items found there. Overall, these are great books for
the T-34 fanatic and can be recommended to all.
http://www.discountmodels.com
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on April 19, 2004)
Kit Review: Eastern Express
1/35 scale kit No. 35187; 120mm SPG 2S9 "Nona-S". 372
parts in grey styrene. Price varies between $24-28. Advantages: nicely done exterior kit of standard Soviet and
Russian multipurpose airborne artillery vehicle; one-piece hull is new for
eastern European kits. Disadvantages: some crude parts;
needs photo etch to correctly complete the model. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all Soviet/Russian and airborne fans.
F I R S T L O O K Even from its first days in combat
at Vyazma early in WWII, the Soviet airborne realized that it would need to have
artillery to survive. At that time light 50mm and even 82mm mortars were not
capable of doing the job, and only pitiful antitank means like RPTS and RPTD
rifles were provided for antitank work. After WWII, some attempts were made to
provide the VDV with artillery, but the major weapons fielded - the ASU-57 and
ASU-85 - were either too light and flimsy or too big and bulky to do the job
right. As a point of fact, the ASU-85 was more of an "Air Landing" weapon than
an airdroppable one. When
General Margelov got his wish in 1965 with the development of the BMD-1 airborne
infantry combat vehicle, it soon became apparent that an airborne artillery
piece of some use could be produced for supporting the VDV. Their first effort,
the 122mm 2S2 "Fialka," made the attempt to mount a D-30 howitzer in an open
barbette mounting on a lengthened BMD chassis, but was not a success. Later, in the late 1970s, a new
type of weapon was created. This weapon, dubbed the 2B16 "Nona" in its intial
form, was essentially a long tube breech-loaded mortar. But as it was
breech-loaded, it could also be used to fire heavier projectiles in a
direct-fire mode and thus, thanks to HEAT ammunition, could also be used as an
effective antitank means. A new version was designed to be an SP weapon, using
the BTR-D/2S2 extended BMD chassis, but this time the chassis was fitted with a
high two-man enclosed turret. While Western sources heard of the use of what was
termed a "toy tank" in Afghanistan, it was 1985 before photos of the new vehicle
appeared in the west. The 2S9
"Nona-S" was the first member of this family of weapons to go into service.
Capable of being airdropped, being amphibious, and having a basic load of 25
rounds of mixed ammunition types (HE-FRAG, HEAT, and also a 120mm guided
projectile for use with a laser designator) the 2S9 met all of the needs of the
VDV, and also those of the VMF Naval Infantry, who also adopted the vehicle.
With a range of over 8,850 meters, the weapon meets all basic initial needs of
the VDV. It has been joined by the 2B16 "Nona-B" and the 2S23 "Nona-SVK" on a
BTR-80 chassis. (Note: S - self-propelled; B - towed; SVK - self-propelled,
high-mobility, wheeled.) In
line with its other three BMD based kits (BMD-1, BMD-2, BTR-D) the 2S9 "Nona-S"
shares all but one sprue with the BTR-D airborne APC - common wheel and detail
sprues, and the upper hull details. All are very accurate but very spartan. Like the BTR-D, this kit provides
only the external shell of the 2S9 - no interior and no parts to the 120mm
weapon (it's not a mortar, not a howitzer, and not a gun, so the Soviets simply
called it an "oruzhiye" - a weapon.) Only the external auxiliary fuel tanks are
included (Parts 8M, 9M, 29M and 30M). Construction other than the turret is like the BTR-D. The
one-piece hull tub is new for an eastern European company, and the details show
that this is not a "flat" kit where all parts and details must be built up from
zip. The wheels are well done, and the track links - all 224 of them - are
petite and crisp. I am sure people will squawk about these though as they are
basically about 1/72 scale size parts and will be "airborne" at mostly
inopportune moments if the builder is inattentive! The hatches are absolutely smooth inside, but well done
outside, and the commander's cupola is separate so that it may be mounted as the
modeler chooses. There is a
positive suspension lock on this model to prevent the suspension arms from
sagging during assembly. These are "square pegs" for "square holes" and fit
fine. (NOTE: the suspension on all BMD based chassis is hydropneumatic and can
be raised from 100mm to 480mm of ground clearance.) Decals are included for four different schemes: the 7
November 1988 Red Square parade; one celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the
Soviet/Russian VDV; one from the Russian Naval Infantry's Baltic Flotilla in
August 2001; and one from Soviet days. Based on past experience, with a coat of
Future these decals will work fine. Alas, like the BTR-D the vehicle is missing a number of
external fittings like headlight guards and will need a set of etched brass to
complete it. Overall, this a
great base kit to start with. But this one begs for a resin interior to show off
its quality. Note that "M-Khobbi" magazine selected this model as its "Kit of
the Year" for 2003.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Eastern Express 1/35 scale
kit No. 35188; BTR-D Airborne Links Vehicle. 376 parts
in grey styrene. Price varies between $24-28. Advantages: nicely done exterior kit of standard Soviet and
Russian airborne squad vehicle; one-piece hull is new for eastern European kits.
Disadvantages: some crude parts; needs photo etch to
correctly complete the model. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: for all Soviet/Russian and
airborne fans. F I R S T L O O K. In 1965, when the Soviets felt
that their airborne forces would be cut to pieces if they landed in the rear of
NATO troops with no support, legendary airborne General Margelov created his
"centaur" - the BMD-1 or airborne infantry combat vehicle. Mounting a complete
BMP-1 turret on a very lightweight hull, it created an 8 metric ton vehicle that
could be airdropped, provide room under armor (albeit quite cramped) for six
men, and provide airborne forces with overwhelming firepower against rear
echelon forces. Later, as new
teams and weapons were introduced, it became apparent that they would need a
larger vehicle to carry such systems. These included ATGM systems and MANPADS -
shoulder-fired SAM missiles. The BTR-D was created, based on a 483mm longer
version of the BMD-1 chassis with six road wheels rather than five and a larger
crew compartment without a turret. The new version could now carry up to 12
troops and a driver-mechanic or a smaller number of troops and more kit.
Standard armament consisted of two 7.62mm PKT machine guns, one on either side
of the bow; early production models did not have this system. Two more can be
fired from inside or on top of the fighting compartment. Other armaments include
lighter PKSM machine guns or an AGS-17 grenade launcher. Variants based on this vehicle
include the 1V119 "Robot" artillery fire control vehicle; the BTR-RD antitank
squad vehicle with two 9K111 "Fagot" (AT-4 SPIGOT) ATGM launcher teams, the
BTR-ZD with a ZU-23 twin 23mm mount initially towed by the BTR-D but now mounted
on the roof of the fighting comparment; the BTRD-KShM "Soroka" regiment-brigade
command and control vehicle, the "Shmel" UAV launch and control vehicle; and the
BREhM-D airborne armored repair and recovery vehicle. The BTR-D remains a front-line
vehicle today and still serves in the VDV, participating in combat operations in
Chechnya among other places. Eastern Express has become the third company to jump on the
BMD bandwagon with a release of four kits - BMD-1, BMD-2, BTR-D, and the 2S9
"Nona-S" airborne artillery vehicle. All share common wheel and detail sprues,
and the first two and last two share common hull parts. I have built the SKIF
BMD-1P and have had good reports on the Zvezda one, but the consensus is that
the EE kits are by far the most accurate if the most spartan. The kit provides basically the
external shell of the BTR-D - no machine guns, no crew, no innards. Even the bow
guns are missing, but their ports remain. (This is easy to fix, with just the
nubs of some stretched sprue to represent the flash hiders on the PKTs.)
However, the external auxiliary fuel tanks are provided, so go figure. (Parts
8M, 9M, 29M and 30M). That
being said - and the interior of the SKIF kit being used to redefine "bare
bones" interior as a comparison - the rest is very nicely done. The one-piece
hull tub is new for an eastern European company, and the details show that this
is not a "flat" kit where all parts and details must be built up from zip. The
wheels are well done, and the track links - all 224 of them - are petite and
crisp. I am sure people will squawk about these though as they are basically
about 1/72 scale size parts and will be "airborne" at mostly inopportune moments
if the builder is inattentive! The hatches are absolutely smooth inside, but well done
outside, and the commander's cupola is separate so that it may be mounted as the
modeler chooses. Fit of parts
is not bad. There is a far more positive suspension lock on this model than the
SKIF kit; to prevent the suspension arms from sagging during assembly on that
kit I had to make a jig to rest the hull on during installation of the arms.
These are "square pegs" for "square holes" and fit fine. (NOTE: the suspension
on all BMD based chassis is hydropneumatic and can be raised from 100mm to 480mm
of ground clearance. The SKIF kit was a bit too good about permitting you to
represent that.) Decals are
included for five different schemes: the 7 November 1988 Red Square parade; an
ambulance version in Chechnya, 2001; a straight VDV machine in the Belarussian
MD in the 1980s; a regular VDV vehicle in Chechnya in 2001, and a peacekeeping
vehicle in UN white in Kosovo, 2001. The vehicle is missing a number of external fittings like
headlight guards and will need a set of etched brass to complete it. That was
one plus for the SKIF kit. Overall, this a great base kit to start with. But it will
need some TLC to become a star.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on April 18, 2004)
Product Review: P.S.P Models
Ltd Scale White Head Light Optics; Set No. 3524, 5mm Diameter; 10 lenses. Price $7. Advantages: cast resin
and metal lenses come with glass casting grid lines inside; very useful for
1930s-1940s headlights. Disadvantages: new company; not
as light reflective as MV Lenses. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: for all people needing
scale commercial type headlights for trucks, cars or early armored vehicles. Steve Zaloga and I were discussing
the new DML T-34 Model 1940 kit and the one thing we noted about it was that it
would be difficult to replace the kit's headlight lenses with MV Lenses as they
are all smooth and unscored. Since the T-34 of that vintage had commercial
headlights - with a very obvious grid pattern in them - it was nearly a forceout
to have to use the kit lenses and try and get a good reflective surface behind
them. This product line -
which is based on sizes by millimeters rather than matching up with specific
headlight sizes in scale - is a new one to me but one that appears to be very
handy. All of the products on display at AMPS 2004 were either gridded out like
the review sets or smooth with what appeared to be a bulb in the center of the
lens. The lenses have a very nicely done grid pattern and overall - since 10 are
on a fret and the resin for the lens material is applied to them on the frets -
pretty well done, with only one out of 20 lenses noted as being incompletely
cast. This is probably the
most useful of the sets I saw, as the 5mm size is just about right for a 7" or
175mm light in 1/35 scale. (Other useful sizes would be 2.5mm for 3 ½" or 90mm,
3mm for 4" or 100mm.) Overall,
these seem to be good little items but so far I have no idea who is offering
them in the US as the gentleman selling them had no sign at his stand. The
address for the company is: P. S. P. Models Ltd. Unit 19B, Applin's Farm,
Farrington, Dorset DT1 8RA, UK.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Model Kasten 1/35 Scale
"Working" Track Set SK-38: T-26 Light Tank; approximately 350 parts in light
brown styrene. Price estimated at $27-35. Advantages: very nice plastic track set that replaces the
useless Zvezda track set. Disadvantages: use of two
pins per link on short-pitch track guaranteed to frustrate most modelers. Rating: Recommended. Recommendation: for anyone with a Zvedza T-26 kit. There is a point of diminishing
returns in the battle between manufacturers in the "Anything You Can Do I Can Do
Better" (and apologies to the musical "Annie Get Your Gun" for that one.) Model
Kasten started the rage in replacement track sets with its very neatly done
scale tracks (which were usually too accurate and required a lot of filing,
fussing and modification to fit kits designed for motorized operation) and were
followed by many others, such as AFV Club, Skybow, MB Models, DML, and
Fruilmodelismo. As a result, M-K went back to the drawing board and redesigned
their track sets to work. That's a nice idea, but what
it entails is the fact that each track link, instead of a single plastic part,
now consists of a link and two pins that have to be cemented to the ends to hold
it in place. This makes for a very tedious business, and most models (at least
the ones M-K does not provide drivers for) will have to still have them filed,
sanded and fussed with to take the new track sets. To
give them credit for trying to make it easier, M-K provide an assembly jig and
the pins come on separate individual sprues, so that a set of about 10 links can
be popped together in about 15 minutes. But these are rather fragile, so even
though M-K cheerily notes on the directions that the track may be made operable
and they provide axles to make it work on the model, this seems a bit
optimistic. But there are only
three sets out there now for the T-26, and since Zvezda's tracks are too stiff
and way too short (at least two links, and any attempt to mount them either
means rotating the idlers too far forward or snapping parts off the model) one
of the three must be used. The RPM/Maquette tracks are too bulky and require a
lot of filing (such as guide teeth on each link), Fruil need to be put together
with wire which a number of modelers hate, and these are the two-pins-per link
ones. Your choice.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Shanghai Lion Roar Art
Model Company 1/35 scale etched brass set No. LE 35011; Russian T-55A for Tamiya
kit #35257. 131 parts on two frets. Retail price about $16. Advantages: nice, useful set with most major items needed
to detail a T-55 well designed and ready to go. Disadvantages: built-up fuel tanks appear to be a royal
pain in the neck to assemble. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation: for any T-55 kit. Brass or etched metal sets have
become step 2 in upgrading or "superdetailing" most modern model kits, with step
1 being better tracks as a rule of thumb. Currently the "class leader" has been
Eduard, followed closely by Aber and Show Modeling with smaller companies like
Royal Model coming on strong. Based on their prolific output of materials, the
"aiming stake" here has to be Eduard. Lion Roar is a new company from the Peoples' Republic of
China, and as such is literally another country heard from in this area. This
set was offered by Baseline Hobbies at their stand at AMPS 2004, and as such was
a bit of a surprise as these sets arrived unheralded. These are brass parts and come on
two frets, one of 63 mm x 146 mm and the other 78 mm by 115 mm. The parts are
well rendered and include most of the basic items people want, such as fender
braces, radiator intake/exhaust grilles, and new hasps and hinges for the
various stowage bins. Also included are a new splash board and mounts, details
for the gun mantelet cover and turret bits, but at least half of the material is
devoted to built-up fuel drums. Now I admit that fuel drums are the bane of many modelers
as they are very difficult to assemble without nearly impossible cracks to fill
around the ends or seams that tend to flatten the object if sanded smooth. But
the solution used by most companies is a cast resin drum, and these are very
busy objects. One fuel tank (these are the 200 liter "drop tanks" not the 95
liter side panniers) consists of 21 brass parts (plus a length of microrod the
modeler must supply) including a shell that has to be rolled to size. The results appear a bit odd, as
there are no filler caps provided for on the ends of the tanks and the ridges on
the drums are built up from a set of 12 rings. While the rest of the parts seem quite nice and handy, this
feature does not. Still, as inexpensive as the set is, even if they are left on
the fret or only the strapping is used the set is still a good
buy.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Maquette 1/35 scale Kit
No. MQ-32512; T-34 Model 1941. 429 parts (427 in
varying shades of grey styrene, 1 length of nylon string, 1 section of nylon
mesh). Price varies from $24-28. Advantages: one-stop shopping kit includes extra parts and
wheel sets for the parts box; also includes parts for a Model 1940 tank so the
modeler has a choice. Disadvantages: based on the older
"Rudy" T-34-85 kit with the same basic problems of that kit regarding dimensions
and angles; transmission is incorrect for this tank. Rating: Recommended. Recommendation: for Soviet and T-34 fans. I have been a big fan of T-34s for
a long time, and at the end of 2002 did a long research and study of T-34s in
order to produce a model of a T-34 Model 1941 (June 1941 construction) for an
article that appeared in "Military Modeling." As it would figure, the Murphy's
Law corollary about "If you scratchbuild or convert it somebody will release a
kit" has come true. There are now two kits of Model 1940s on the market - one
from DML and one from Maquette - and this new kit of the Model 1941 from
Maquette; DML is to follow with their own Model 1941 later this year. The hallmarks of the early Model
1941s are: solid disk wheels with "cheater" holes in the tire rims; a two man
turret - either cast or welded - with the F-34 76mm gun; four 33.5 liter
rectangular auxiliary fuel tanks on the front sides of the hull; a low storage
bin at the right rear and a tall storage bin at the left front; two small
objects on the rear fenders; lateral (vertical) grille fins on the radiator
intake grilles vice longitudinal ones; multipiece welded tow hook mounts; and
twin 7" headlights. There are other smaller detail differences but those are the
main ones. What Maquette has
done - and similar to what DML did - is take their extant T-34-85 kit and use
new parts to change it to the earlier model. To this end, the "Rudy" kit now has
some 109 new parts added to it - 86 for the conversion of the T-34-85 to the
T-34 Model 1941 and 23 for the V-2 engine and transmission kit sold separately
as an accessory. The right parts are provided to build into a T-34 Model 1941 OR
Model 1940, as a small bag with fine detail parts was included in the box. While the basic "Rudy" parts were
produced in yeoman style - not great, but not useless - the new parts are fairly
crude in their production techniques but most appear to be close to scale in
size and shape. Translation: plan on a lot of filing and fiddling to get them to
fit. The turret is the welded type as found in the DML Model 1940, but here it
consists of some 9 basic parts vice 4 - turret, race, lower rear, front, side
armor braces/patches, side view ports, and rear plate. Both the L-11 and F-34
gun mantelet and barrel assemblies are included, but the breech is that of the
F-34 and not the L-11. New
grille sections are provided for the engine deck, along with an open section
rear radiator exhaust grille (the only thing I consistently grouse about with
DML T-34s) and a section of metallic nylon netting for the openings. I would
personally replace that with aluminum mesh, but it does come with the insert in
the kit. No grousers, jacks or
spare track links are included for fender stowage, but the fuel tanks are
included. A new hull rear plate with new exhaust shrouds and the rectangular
hatch is also included. The
tracks are unfortunately for a short-run of Model 1940 T-34 tanks, and thus
incorrect for a Model 1941. These will have to be replaced with links such as
those found in the DML Model1940 kit, which are correct, or a set from Fruil or
Model-Kasten. If you build the kit as a Model 1940, they work fine for
October-November 1940 production. The V-2 engine is fine, but the transmission represents the
later 5-speed model used to replace the awful 4-speed of the early production
T-34 tanks. If you use it, just cement the rear access hatch in the closed
position. Decals are included
for three tanks with very simple markings on "protective green" backgrounds. Unlike the DML kit, there are some
side benefits to this kit. One of them is that it comes with the original "Rudy"
kit's wheels, which are very late production T-34 wheels with solid tires and
the "twelve" wheel - twelve fins, twelve big holes, twelve small holes - which
make them suitable for use on a T-44 or T-54. Overall, this kit is not bad, but it does tend to get
overshadowed by the DML kit which is more accurate and much nicer in
quality.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Book Review: Allied-Axis: The Photo
Journal of the Second World War; Issue 12 (2003). 96
pp. No ISBN number Issue 13 (2004). 96 pp. No ISBN number. Both published by
Ampersand Publishing, Delray Beach, Florida. Price
$15.95 each. Advantages: big, clear photos of subjects,
keyed for the most part to recent plastic kit releases; wide variety of archives
researched and used. Disadvantages: some misidentified
photos; some photos familiar to all from NARA or other heavily used sources. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: to all WWII fans. I have become a fan of this
series, as in a number of cases the authors have provided good coverage - or at
the very least big, clear, uncropped versions of well-known photos - that are
extremely useful in modeling their subjects. In some cases, A-A is the only
source for some subjects, and as such merits inclusion in the reference library
of anyone modeling WWII armor (albeit mostly US and German subjects - some
archives are harder to access, such as the old Soviet State Archives in Russia.)
Issue 12 provides coverage of
five subjects. First is the Sturmtiger self-propelled heavy mortar (45 photos)
that concentrate on its interior and also the exterior differences between it
and the standard Tiger I chassis. Next is an in-action set of photos covering the
long-wheel-base version combination dump and cargo truck version of the CCKW-353
GMC 2 ½ ton truck, with a wide variety of photos showing these trucks in the
field. 22 large-format show the truck as used with 8 of them covering a
preserved model and its piston and hinging arrangement; as resin conversions are
now out for this variant, this should be very handy in building one. This is followed by part 2 on the
White M3A1 Scout Car in pre-war and wartime US and British service, and a total
of 14 full-page photos show how the vehicle was used by the forces. Next is a section on the M10 and
M36 tank destroyers, now in kit form from two different manufacturers, and it
provides a lot of new photos of both vehicles in service and maintenance. 35
mostly full-page photos cover their use in combat and also a nice shot of a
Jagdpanther knocked out by an M36 with two shots. Lastly is coverage of the lowly Krupp "Boxer" (L 2 H 143) 6
x 4 cargo truck that was the main carrier early in the war for the
Panzergrenadiers. Photos (12) of both the tractor version and the cargo version
are included. Issue 13,
following the same format as all Allied-Axis books, covers five more subjects in
detail. The first subject in
this book is part 2 of the US M3 medium tank ("General Lee") and its use in both
combat and training. 19 full-page photos show them in action or in servicing,
including the British "Warwell" 50-ton bogie fishbelly flat car used to
transport tanks. One shot of great embarrassment (not for Ampersand, but the
victim!) is one of a 32nd Armored Regiment tank (3AD) upside down in Indio,
California, after arguing with the Santa Fe and losing. The markings, 32-2-1,
are not as noted 2nd Battalion I company (as I Company was in the 3rd Battalion)
but 32nd Armored, 2nd Battalion, Tank 1, which at that time was the tank of the
battalion commander. Ouch! Next is a series covering the Panzer 38(t) Skoda-built
light tank that formed the backbone of the early "Blitzkreig" forces. 20 photos
show details of this popular subject. The "Long Tom" and all of its various prime movers get the
next slot with 26 full-page photos, and it shows the guns being towed by such
items as a Caterpillar D8 tractor and the later M4 18-ton High Speed Tractor.
The book also covers the point that there were two different rear body styles
for the M4, the box body with winch/derrick assembly used for the 155mm and 8"
prime movers, and a smaller box body without the winch/derrick for use with 90mm
AA guns. There is even a photo of the 90mm prime mover with add-on wood panels
to carry more ammunition boxes. Note that the text notes most of the switches
between weapons, as they show the M1 (later M59) 155mm gun as well as the M115
8" howitzer that used the same carriage and prime mover. There is a short "beginner's
course" on early and late model Sherman tanks, with 28 full-page photos covering
the variants and some "they didn't do that" models such as late model M4A3 tanks
with HVSS (E8) suspensions and M1A1 guns with no muzzle brakes. Always good for
the Shermahaholic! Last is a
short segment of a popular and widely used weapon that has yet to appear in
plastic - the 40mm M1 Bofors gun, produced under license by nearly everyone
during the war and yet not produced to date as a 1/35 plastic kit. 8 full-page
photos cover this gun in both combat and march order, and give a lot of ideas as
to what to do with that Tamiya GMC kicking around the model room. Overall, these books are a good
investment and provide a good set of reference photos for many new or recent
kits. (Too bad that nobody has a good M4 18-ton or Bofors out!) Thanks to Pat Stansell of
Ampersand for the review copies.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on April 17, 2004)
DML 1/72 scale Armor Series:
Kit No. 7213; M1A1 Abrams with Mine Plow. 154 parts (110 in grey styrene, 28 grey acetal plastic
keepers, 11 in grey vinyl, 2 in black vinyl, 2 steel axles, 1 screw). Price about $8.98. Kit No. 7226;
M2A2 ODS Bradley Iraq 2003. 160 parts (126 in grey
styrene, 22 in black vinyl, 11 in grey vinyl, 1 screw). Price about $8.98. Advantages:
Nice, neat kits of their subjects, and the mine plow is very nicely done. Disadvantages: Abrams betrays its motorized heritage; vinyl
stowage is tough to paint and install. Rating:
(Bradley) Highly Recommended. (Abrams) Recommended. Recommendation: for modern armor fans. DML has now introduced two more
vehicles from Operation Iraqi Freedom, a US Army Bradley and a USMC Abrams with
mine plow. The Bradley is the
better of the two overall and has operating hatches at the rear and on the rear
deck, as well as all of the upgrades used in Iraq and thermal identification
panels. It is a current M2A2 - the "ODS" means "Operation Desert Storm" and
somebody seems to have misidentified it by that term! (OIF is the "inside the
Army" term for the current operation in Iraq.) Details are nicely done but the model comes with a standard
sprue of grey vinyl accessory stowage. I am not sure if this is the "glueable"
vinyl some companies now use in their tracks but it does not appear to be so,
and also will be hard to paint. This is a shame, as the parts cover most of the
bulky junk the Army forced to go on the vehicles - camo nets and poles, duffle
bags, sleeping bags, etc. (The reason appears to be that they can be made solid
and due to different pour/injection viscosities they can create better solid
objects and details in vinyl.) One finishing option is provided but the markings do not
match the box art/photo. The
M1A1 suffers from the common problems of others in this series, namely a
"pregnant" lower hull to clear its original motor fittings and also the solid
bustle rack to avoid problems with thin rodding in this scale. That being said,
it is a nice kit and the mine plow is very nicely done, with the entire frame
and lower spade/teeth assembly done in one piece. It looks the part, but since
the hull has fixed roadwheel arms it will be hard to get the hull to slant "nose
down" as the real ones do thanks to the extra weight. Finish is that of the USMC 1st MEF
with the "come as you are" three-tone NATO scheme and the desert sand
accouterments such as thermal identification panels. It also has the same sprue
of vinyl accessories in the kit. Overall, these are very nicely done little kits, with the
Bradley being close to top rung work. Once you forgive the Abrams for its
motorized beginnings, it is also a very nice and simple kit to assemble. Thanks to Freddie Leung for the
review samples.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
DML 1/35 scale '39-'45 Series Kit No.
6196; German Anti-Tank Team (France 1940). 75 parts in
grey styrene. Price about $6.98. Advantages: Good figures of early war German infantry;
weapons are a nice change. Disadvantages: Somewhat
static poses. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all German fans, especially Blitzkrieg
period. DML has now produced a
set of relatively rare German soldiers from the 1940 period, Until the Germans
found out - as did everyone else, especially the British with their 0.55 caliber
Boys antitank rifle - that antitank rifles could no longer be used as squad or
platoon level tank destroyer assets, they used the Panzerbuesche 39 heavy
antitank rifle. While lighter and introduced in 1939, this was basically not
much different from the WWI vintage 13.2mm heavy antitank/anti-material rifle
and was fitted with 10-round box magazine, two spare magazines mounting on the
sides of the weapon in ready racks. Like sniper teams, the antitank teams operated in teams of
two - a gunner and an assistant gunner/spotter who also carried extra
ammunition. But nearly from the first it was found that these weapons were not
able to penetrate the armor of most tanks (even at that time) and were not good
for much except anti-material operations against softskins. This was one
incentive that led to the development of the much simpler Panzerfaust
rocket-propelled grenades later in the war. DML provides two teams in the box - one on the march and on
in position with the spotter in action. Detail as always is good, and the Pz.B
39s are nicely done as well. Overall this is standard good fare from DML and will liven
up some dioramas for German fans. Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review
sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: DML 1/144 Panzer Corps
Series Kit No. 14501, 54 cm
Moerser "Loki" and Artillery Crew. 47 parts (38 in tan
styrene, 9 etched brass). Price not known Kit No. 14502, 60 cm Moerser
"Odin" and Artillery Crew. 47 parts (38 parts in grey
styrene, 9 etched brass). Price not known. Kit No. 14507, 54 cm Moerser
"Thor" and Pz.Beob.Wg. 111 Ausf. H. 44 parts (26 in
green styrene, 9 in tan styrene, 9 etched brass). Price
not known. Kit No. 14508, 60
cm Moerser "Ziu" and Pz.Beob.Wg. V Ausf. G. 42 parts
(33 in tan styrene, 9 in etched brass). Price not
known. Advantages: only ones
in this scale (!); nicely done and will set wargame armor standards. Disadvantages: very small, and
will require a fine eye to paint! Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: to all armor wargamers and German fans. There is a rise in the number of
1/144 scale armor kits coming out of the far east, and now at least DML and
Doyayusa are making kits in this scale. The latest releases from DML are of the
well-known Karl 040 and 041 series heavy self-propelled mortars, and they are
nicely done little pieces. Little is an operative word here, for the first two each
come with 12 crew figures in varied poses, and all of the figures are only ½"
(12.7 mm) high. They do spice up the monstrous size of the mortars, and are a
very nice and welcome touch. The number of parts to the weapons is not large, as
all tracks and wheels are molded together in one part a la ROCO and thus cut at
least 150 parts or more from a kit's size. The guns are moveable in their
cradles, and the etched brass provides all of the die-hard's details - grills,
shields and surprisingly, what appears to be the rifling for the barrel. (Note
that there are NO instructions in any of the kits for the brass, apparently
whoever wrote the directions assumes if you are historian and not a wargamer you
will use it and "know" where it goes...) The Panzer III and Panther command observation vehicles are
based on earlier releases but are still nicely done and effective if simple
models. The same decal sheet
comes with all four kits - the names are provided for all for in both black and
white, as well as details and numbers for the command tanks. Overall, this is probably the only
way you could build at least four of the six known Karl mortars and still find a
place to display them! Thanks
to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Friday, April 2, 2004 (Originally written on March 27, 2004) Kit Review: DML 1/35 Scale '39-'45
Series Kit No.6208; Sd.Kfz. 182 King Tiger (Henschel
Turret); 593 parts (584 in grey styrene, 8 etched
brass, 1 length of nylon string); Price about $34.95.
Advantages: follows on heels of the earlier "Porsche
turret" version; very complete kit Disadvantages: no
Zimmerit, some parts may not match modelers' expectations ating: Highly Recommended Recommendation: For all German WWII fans F I R S T L O O K You cannot please modelers, no matter what you do. I
learned this years ago when I first started to write articles on modeling and
started to get hit with whines, whinges and in some cases, threats. Yes,
threats: at least one possessed soul demanded I drop what I was doing and write
something about what he wanted to hear, or I was (fill in your favorite epithets
here) and should be (fill in your favorite means of demise here). Such was the list of comments I
got when I reviewed the first in this paring of new kits from DML, which to me
–and the sources I use, namely books by Tom Jentz - seemed perfectly fine. These
kits are state-of-the-art, contain useful brass bits, tons of teensy plastic
bits to give the model a really good level of surface detailing, and single-link
(two part) tracks. The only
really problematic point with this kit is that it needs (for one finishing
option) to have Zimmerit paste installed, and there is only a small sketch
included of what parts have to have it applied. This advice is better than that
in many other kits that I have seen in the past, and the model will look the
better for it. But upon
searching the Internet, I run into tirades about bolt holes being too big, DML
is trying to get too much from their molds, detail x is not right so the model
sucks, single link tracks suck, DML sucks, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Bunk. First off, in reviewing a kit, the goal is to do two
things: one, determine if it is a reasonable replica of what it claims to be;
and two, how hard is it going to be for the average (repeat, average) modeler,
to get it to look like it is supposed to look? Most of the problems our friendly neighborhood
perfectionists see as "unacceptable" are caused by the law of man, nature and
economics. If a company is going to have to come up with $200-250,000 to cut a
set of molds, they want to ensure that they will have something that they can
use for a good long time but will also give them the widest possible opportunity
to get amortization out of the molds. They then have to make decisions: do we
replicate an early modell a late model, or split the difference and "fuzz"
things up? Here DML opted to have most of the parts match the earlier model, and
added a new sprue O to cover the later model's parts. The result, as has been
noted, is that the skirts on sprue K are not quite right. The other problem then arises.
What does the modeler have to do to get a good model out of the kit? Since not
all Tigers sported Zimmerit, and molding it on would then limit the kit to one
single option and one single vehicle, they leave it off, and trust that the
modeler will do what it takes to get Zimmerit on. There are bunches of options -
R &J's excellent "Zimmer-it-Right", thin resin strips, etched brass strips,
or some other remedies found on the discussion groups. But it is up to the
modeler to get it the way he wants it, not the factory to provide options for
every occasion. Likewise,
there are a number of lazy (yes, LAZY) modelers who do not want to take the time
to assemble and paint (or vice versa) single-link tracks. They tend to miss the
point that most of the surveys done by modelers for modelers and used by these
companies said that modelers wanted the option of single-link tracks included
with the kits. Blame your fellow modelers, folks, not the companies. If the model requires "tweaks" it
should be the job of the modeler to get it right, not the company. I said a
number of years ago that's what separates modelers from kit assemblers (for
which the latter wanted my head on a pike.) It's one thing to assemble a kit out
of the box for the fun of it and not expect perfection; it's another to do it
and whine that it does not meet the modeler's goal of perfection. (Hint, folks:
if you still feel that way, companies are now offering pre-painted and
pre-assembled kits; think about them.) This is not to say that if the company blows it completely
and misses most of the vital parts of a kit that they should rate a pass;
witness some of the dogs that have come out such as the early production
Trumpeter kits or the original DML Nashorn kit. But overall we are living in
what has to be a "Silver Age" (if you take the 1950s and 1960s as the "Golden
Age" based on the volume and selection of kits that came out, and not
considering accuracy as paramount) in which most products from Tamiya, Dragon,
Italeri, Revell (Germany), Trumpeter, and Academy built into at least reasonably
accurate replicas of what they are supposed to be, and in most cases very
precise ones. The alternative, of course, is we either all go to scratchbuilding
or prepare for the second coming of Aurora. Suffice it to say this is a nice kit and will please many
modelers. Good ones will correct its stumbles and great ones will make
showpieces out of it. Thanks
to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Academy 1/35 Scale Static
Kit No. 13010. M4A2 Sherman Russian Army. 501 parts 498
in olive drab styrene, 2 in steel grey vinyl, 1 length of vinyl string). Retail price $40. Advantages:
first kit of this tank to reach the market; excellent suspension and lower hull
from proven kits; combines best of earlier kits with new hull and turret. Disadvantages: 76mm gun has "Italeri step" in it; turret
shape is still not quite right (see text); hull rear plate is dead vertical. Rating: Recommended. Recommendation: for all Sherman and Soviet Army fans. F I R S T L O O K About eight years ago I picked up one of the best armor
books ever written out at the Combined Arms Center and School at Fort
Leavenworth. The book, "Commanding the Red Army's Sherman Tanks" by retired
Colonel (HSU) Dmitriy Loza, is a great read and covers a big gap in most Western
reading: what did the Red Army do with the "Lend Lease" tanks they got? Until
the collapse of the USSR, nothing was said and only a few stray pictures, mostly
of British or US tanks in Soviet markings that were knocked out, were seen. This
book showed how the Russians really appreciated the tanks and made the most of
them. Loza was the first Soviet armor commander to drive into Vienna with an
M4A2 76mm VVSS and one of the commanders of the Manchurian operation in a new
M4A2 76mm HVSS tank. With the
photos from his personal collection and the great text, I've always wanted to do
up his command tank. I was pleased to hear that, after the disappointing Italeri
"do it yourself" M4A2 kit, two new kits of the late-model A2 were coming out
this year, one from Academy and one from DML. I spotted this one in the APG
Museum gift shop today and picked it up in a shot. For its good points, the kit now shows that Academy is
seriously committed to doing up the entire M3 and M4 medium tank family, and
like all current manufacturers, has created common sprues for them: To wit: A (55 parts) - VVSS suspension
with early and mid-production track guards, spoked or welded-cover road wheels,
and two types of drivers C (61 parts) - Late production
("47 degree") hull details D (47 parts) - .30 and .50
machine guns, ammo boxes, OVM tools E (32
parts) - 76mm ("T23") turret with oval loader's hatch details F (17 parts) - M4A2 engine deck and exhaust details H (216 parts) - detail sprue with casting details, jerry
cans, spare tracks, wheels and shackles I (33 parts) -
"T23" type 76mm cast turret with oval loader's hatch The kit comes with a lot of
details, such as three-part periscopes, separate sections for the late-model
canvas mantelet shroud, petite hand-holds, and a nice set of machine guns. (The
.50 caliber is nearly as nice as those in the separate set, with a nearly
cylindrical cooling collar around the quick-change fitting - why they don't
simply include one of the sprues from the machine gun kit boggles me, but then
again, this one already had the tools for the OVM on it.) Overall, based on the ease of
assembly of these kits in the past this would be a winner...BUT... I wish that Academy would spend
more time in research and get an accurate kit out on the market, rather than one
which is close but suffers from some silly mistakes. This is, alas, one of those
kits. First off, the M4 and
M4A2 shared a lot of basic hull components and fittings, and one of them was the
fact that they both had an upper rear plate set at 10 degrees from vertical. The
kit comes with the correct shape plate for the A2, but set at 0 degrees - dead
vertical. This is correctable, but will require cutting off the entire rear
plate, shimming the sides out about 1mm or so, and then filling and filing to
get a good fit. Considering how difficult it is to "pull" vertical parts from an
injection mold - and doing it right could have yielded a "universal" M4/M4A2
hull that would only have needed new upper rear plates, this is plain dumb. The kit also keeps the lower
wading trunk parts from the M10 GMC series with this kit; these are parts F10,
F11, and F12, and can be left off. The Soviets do not appear to have ever tried
to wade this tank, and as such I don't believe they ever got the trunking. The turret is not quite right,
either. But before I go on, I have to say that up until now NOBODY has a good,
accurate plastic kit of a late model Sherman cast turret. The darn thing is all
cast and smooth shapes, and very hard to reduce to a mold that pulls out to
leave only two or three parts to replicate it. The ejection/pistol port on the
left rear side is the Achilles' Heel of all injection molded turrets, and this
kit uses a "stick-on" one to replicate it, and that translates as a lot of putty
and fairing to get a good fit. In plastic DML currently has the best, and this would be a
good runner up, but so far the very best and most accurate ones are those from
Chesapeake Model Designs in resin. The kit also - and inexplicably - copies the worst flaw of
the 30-year-old Italeri kit, namely the "stepped" gun barrel. The M1 series 76mm
gun is smoothly tapered from the muzzle cap/muzzle brake all the way back to the
breech. This has a step about one scale foot out in front of the mantelet.
Result: the barrel has to go. The model comes with a set of T51 irreversible rubber block
tracks, which is okay; but Loza's book both points out and shows the Soviets
preferred the T49 triple-cleat cast steel ones for use. If you have the Academy
M12 SP 155mm gun, if you swap tracks with that kit you will wind up with a
decent set of vinyl ones to use. If not, RHPS makes a great set that literally
snaps together and looks nice when installed. The other thing is that the Soviets really believed in
kitting out the tank, and as a result Loza's photos and the jacket cover show
the tanks festooned with many Soviet "Must Have" items, such as unditching logs,
200 liter (55 gallon) fuel drums, extra tracks, etc. but few boxes and
tarpaulins like their American brethern. If you have a few old Soviet tank kits
such as the Tamiya T-34, filching some parts from them would be useful. Decals are included for three
different tanks: one in Berlin in May 1945, one in Germany in 1945 with the
slogan "Vpered K Pobede!" (Forward to Victory!) on its side, and one from Loza's
1st Battalion, 46th Guards Tank Brigade in Vienna, April 1945 (it says Berlin
but the photo and the book say otherwise.) Overall, this kit is a bit of a disappointment, but it does
provide the basis for a good model. It's just a shame that the modeler still has
to go out to get after-market parts to get it right.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on March 20, 2004)
Kit Review: DML 1/35 Scale
Imperial Series Kit No. 9058. StuG III Ausf. G 10.5 cm.
649 parts (590 in grey styrene, 58 in etched brass, 1
turned aluminum barrel). Price estimated at US $33-40
Advantages: crisp, modern kit of the howitzer armed
version of the StuG III; "modelers' choice" of either styrene or brass parts for
many details; lots of leftover bits for the parts box Disadvantage: howitzer cannot be built without the muzzle
brake, contrary to box art; some direction callouts do not seem correct;
single-link tracks not popular with some modelers Rating: Highly Recommended Recommendation: For all WWII German fans F I R S T L O O K There is a certain military way of thinking that, "if all
else fails, get a bigger hammer." The Germans came to find out that was true in
Russia in 1941. Not only did they run up against tanks that their antitank and
tank guns could not defeat, they also found that most of their light artillery
was not effective at dealing with dug-in Soviet infantry. The lightweight 7.5 cm
howitzer rounds used in the early assault guns - only around 13-19 pounds - were
not very effective in blowing away reinforced log bunkers or rousting Soviet
infantry out of buildings. While they switched from the L/24 infantry type gun in the
early Sturmgeschuetz III vehicles to the much more powerful L/48 PaK 40 to deal
with tanks, they decided in 1942 to switch over to mount the 10.5 cm le FH 18 in
a Sturmgeschuetz hull. While work on this commenced in late 1941, it was not
until March 1942 that a prototype was built, and not until October of that year
that the guns went into production. 5 guns were produced on the Ausf. F chassis
and the remaining production - 1,206 vehicles - on the Ausf. G chassis. The Sturmhaubitze 42 or StuH 42 as
the gun was known tracked with the Sturmgeschuetz III series models; they
changed features when the StuG III did, so models could be found with both the
early welded mantelet/recoil mechanism cover as well as the late model
"Saukopfblende" cast "boar's head" version after February 1944. The guns were
seen both with and without their muzzle brakes, but the howitzer barrels were
all threaded for the use of the muzzle brake. Normal allocation was 9 StuH 42 to
a StuG III brigade. DML has
now released a state-of-the-art kit of this "nutcracker" weapon in its Imperial
series, which DML seems to still use for limited production and upscale versions
of its other kits. This one uses several items from older kits - standard Pzkw.
III track links, Pzkw. III series common sprues B and D, StuG III common sprue
B, StuG III Ausf. G kit sprues A and E, Pzkw. III Ausf. J sprue H, and new 10.5
cm StuH 42 sprue K. There is also a turned aluminum gun barrel and two etched
brass frets. One nice feature
of this kit is that the modeler is given an option as to whether or not he
chooses to use styrene detail parts or brass ones; it is not a "mandatory"
choice, so those modelers who do not wish to mess with the etched brass frets
may use simple glue-in plastic parts. It also means that the modeler may use
only those parts that he chooses, such as the engine cooling louver grilles (MA
29 with detail bits MA21 and MA22) and not be forced to use other sections as
well. It has to be pointed out
in advance that the directions are very confusing, as there are a lot of options
on these vehicles and DML has provided for most of them. However, the correct
(or at least approximate based on time of manufacture) combinations are NOT
called out on the directions. Options include a choice of the following:
drivers; lower glacis plates; upper glacis plates; mantelets; canvas mantelet
seal; with/without muzzle brake; and brass or plastic parts for the louvers and
the "Schurtzen" auxiliary armor plate hangers. If you follow the directions and the box art then the gun
barrel is not correct; the directions show you as having the option of
installing the muzzle brake or leaving it off. However, this vehicle was fitted
with the standard le FH 18 barrel, all of which were threaded for muzzle brakes
at the time the StuH 42 went into service. If you leave it off, since the
original had a section about 9-10" long that was threaded ergo the gun barrel
will come up short by that commensurate distance. The interior is very sparse and the gun breech included is
basically a "place holder." If you want it open, you will either have to
scratchbuild a lot or use figures to fill up the hatches. There are two painting options
provided for in the directions. Neither one has a specific unit called out for
it, but one is for Germany in 1945 in a three-color scheme sans muzzle brake;
the other is for a vehicle in the "ambush" scheme used in the Battle of the
Bulge in 1944. Simple black outline number sets are provided along with national
markings. Note that DML
identifies them as "Sd.Kfz. 142 10.5 cm StuG III Ausf. G" vehicles; this is
incorrect, and they should be Sd.Kfz. 142/2 10.5 cm StuH 42. I suggest picking
up one of the Tom Jentz/Hilary Doyle books on this vehicle to get things sorted
out and also to use as a reference for a specific vehicle and its specific level
of trim and parts. Overall,
while somewhat clumsy in presentation, DML has provided nearly all of the parts
in one box to make a great model with a lot of detail and "personality" not
found in some other vehicles. Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on March 12, 2004)
Kit Review: Maquette 1/35 Scale Kit No. 35022: T-34
Wheels and Suspension Set. 124 parts (in various colors
of styrene plastic). Price about $6.98. Advantages: provides correct late model solid tire 12-hole
cast road wheels for use with T-34, T-44 or T-54 tanks Disadvantages: Quality control is somewhat iffy, and
attempts to make parts seem more or less like original castings are not
impressive Rating: Recommended Recommendation: for all Soviet era armor fans I had an interesting series of
exchanges with a gentleman named Geoff Steer about trying to find the correct
wheel set for an early model T-54 tank. He had picked up a Trumpter T-55 series
kit and wanted to know if the wheels from that would work. Having had one, the
answer was no, as Trumpter did not do a good job on its early kits and that one
was a cropper. We next
discussed what had been "Modelers' Trick A" in 1974, or in other words, using
the cast wheels from the Tamiya Model 1943 T-34 kit accessory sprue. Those were
incorrect, as they were too thin, had the wrong arrangement of webs and casting
holes, and to top it off, used the "cheater" rubber rim tires with holes cast in
them to save material. He then
asked about the Maquette set of wheels. Upon further investigation, with some
work these wheels CAN be used on early model T-54 tanks (basically, any T-54
tank but only a very tiny number of T-55s were fitted with these wheels. These wheels are signified by
being cast with 12 spines or webs connecting the hub to the rim, and have 12
large holes and 12 small holes with one of each in each webbed segment. All have
solid tires. They are a bit thin but are broad enough to be useful and few
people will complain about them, especially for the price of the kit. The wheels do suffer from
Maquette's clumsy attempt to "randomize" them by leaving some of the casting
holes plugged; while some wheels show that they were plugged due to a flaw in
casting, the kit overdoes it and as such most of the excess holes will need to
be drilled out. Ditto for the inner casting holes, which are plugged on all
wheels. They also may suffer from the "rain tire" look - being thick they tended
to cool and shrink in the center of the tire, so therefore needing to be filled
in - and some modelers dislike using a lot of putty on such parts. Alert modelers who are "into"
T-34s will recognize these sprues as the suspension parts from the 1996
Maquette/RPM "Rudy" tank kit of a T-34-85 tank. As such, they come with the
complete wheel set, the springs and road wheel arm assemblies, four external
fuel tanks, two smoke pots for the rear of the hull, handrails, the exhausts,
tow hooks, and the wheel hub centers. Overall, this set does give the modeler an option to fit
cast or "spider" wheels to a Tamiya T-55 to backdate the hull to T-54 standards.
Note that if you don't like the work required, there are cast resin wheels out
there that can be used instead, but be careful. While some companies like
Chesapeake Model Design do such parts from scratch, thus creating a "drop fit"
set that will fit on the T-55 chassis, others simply cast up the old Tamiya T-34
parts and pass them off as T-54 wheels. Check a review before you buy!
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: AFV Club 1/35 Scale Kit
No. 35030: M4 Sherman Medium Tank (HVSS) Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension.
140 parts (128 in olive drab styrene, 12 black vinyl).
Retail price US $19.98 Advantages: Very nicely done set for the late model
Shermans or related vehicles; working suspension permits poseable use in
dioramas or scenic bases Disadvantages: vinyl springs
compromise the overall high quality of the kit Rating:
Highly Recommended Recommendation: For all US and
Sherman fans Two of the
hardest kits to find in the US since their release in 2003 have been the Academy
US Machine Gun Set and the AFV Club M4 HVSS suspension kit. The latter is going
to be part of the long-forecast AFV Club M40 155mm SP Gun kit when if finally
comes out. (It should - they have the gun, the suspension and the tracks done!)
The kit is a real jewel and
will provide for an upgrade to any VVSS Sherman suspension or an upgrade to
others, based on the predilections of the modeler. It provides the complete
suspension set needed: drivers, return rollers, idlers, and six complete bogie
assemblies, as well as mounts for the drivers, idlers, and bogie hangers. All
wheels except for the small return rollers are detailed on both sides, which is
where some modelers will want to replace a kit's suspension. The parts are done to the usual
AFV Club high molding standard, but one unfortunate feature is the use of vinyl
springs for the HVSS mounting cups on the suspension. These are made with prongs
that will flex when pressure is applied, but this first forces the modeler to
have to use ACC cement to hold them in and secondly compromises what would
otherwise be a truly magnificent kit. Serious modelers may wish to replace them
with sections of Evergreen styrene tubing, or the springs from the kit which is
having its suspension replaced. (Somehow there is a logic flaw there, but never
mind...) The parts will really
dress up a Sherman or related vehicle with HVSS, and this will also help out in
conversions of other kits such as DML M4A4 tanks to Israeli standards for use by
the IDF. Overall, this is a
nicely done set and should be popular - well, it must be already as it is so
hard to find it!
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Maquette 1/35 Scale Kit
No. 35022: T-34 Wheels and Suspension Set. 124 parts
(in various colors of styrene plastic). Price about
$6.98. Advantages: provides correct late model solid
tire 12-hole cast road wheels for use with T-34, T-44 or T-54 tanks Disadvantages: Quality control is somewhat iffy, and
attempts to make parts seem more or less like original castings are not
impressive Rating: Recommended Recommendation: for all Soviet era armor fans I had an interesting series of
exchanges with a gentleman named Geoff Steer about trying to find the correct
wheel set for an early model T-54 tank. He had picked up a Trumpter T-55 series
kit and wanted to know if the wheels from that would work. Having had one, the
answer was no, as Trumpter did not do a good job on its early kits and that one
was a cropper. We next
discussed what had been "Modelers' Trick A" in 1974, or in other words, using
the cast wheels from the Tamiya Model 1943 T-34 kit accessory sprue. Those were
incorrect, as they were too thin, had the wrong arrangement of webs and casting
holes, and to top it off, used the "cheater" rubber rim tires with holes cast in
them to save material. He then
asked about the Maquette set of wheels. Upon further investigation, with some
work these wheels CAN be used on early model T-54 tanks (basically, any T-54
tank but only a very tiny number of T-55s were fitted with these wheels. These wheels are signified by
being cast with 12 spines or webs connecting the hub to the rim, and have 12
large holes and 12 small holes with one of each in each webbed segment. All have
solid tires. They are a bit thin but are broad enough to be useful and few
people will complain about them, especially for the price of the kit. The wheels do suffer from
Maquette's clumsy attempt to "randomize" them by leaving some of the casting
holes plugged; while some wheels show that they were plugged due to a flaw in
casting, the kit overdoes it and as such most of the excess holes will need to
be drilled out. Ditto for the inner casting holes, which are plugged on all
wheels. They also may suffer from the "rain tire" look - being thick they tended
to cool and shrink in the center of the tire, so therefore needing to be filled
in - and some modelers dislike using a lot of putty on such parts. Alert modelers who are "into"
T-34s will recognize these sprues as the suspension parts from the 1996
Maquette/RPM "Rudy" tank kit of a T-34-85 tank. As such, they come with the
complete wheel set, the springs and road wheel arm assemblies, four external
fuel tanks, two smoke pots for the rear of the hull, handrails, the exhausts,
tow hooks, and the wheel hub centers. Overall, this set does give the modeler an option to fit
cast or "spider" wheels to a Tamiya T-55 to backdate the hull to T-54 standards.
Note that if you don't like the work required, there are cast resin wheels out
there that can be used instead, but be careful. While some companies like
Chesapeake Model Design do such parts from scratch, thus creating a "drop fit"
set that will fit on the T-55 chassis, others simply cast up the old Tamiya T-34
parts and pass them off as T-54 wheels. Check a review before you buy!
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on March 2,
2004) Book Review: "Armeyskaya Seriya 50: BMP: Boyevaya
Mashina Sovetskoy Pekhoty" (Army Series 50: BMP: Soviet Infantry Combat Vehicle)
by Ye. V. Yegers (Editor), translated into Russian by G. B. Brylevskiy; Tornado
Publications, Riga, Latvia, 1998. 52 pp. plus color
covers. Price $10 via East View Publications. Advantages: None. Disadvantages:
Only for non-English speaking native Russian speakers. Rating: Not Recommended. Recommendation: Buy the Osprey/New Vanguard version
instead. I am usually pretty
tolerant of people that borrow a bit here and there when they put a book
together, but have little use for the total theft of intellectual property
rights. This book is another in a long line of examples of fast-buck work from
the former USSR in which someone translates a book from a known author into
Russian, scans in some photos and artwork from books or off the internet, and
then publishes under his own name. At least Mr. Yegers does not claim authorship, which is
good; this particular book is a verbatim copy of the Steve Zaloga/Peter Sarson
New Vanguard Number 12 published in 1994. It adds in some sketches of the BMP
vehicles which, based on the disclaimer at the front of the book, were "freely
accessible on the Internet" as it insinuates the text and photos were.
Unfortunately since I am fluent in my Russian comprehension this work only
qualifies as what Canadian author Barry Beldam refers to as "outright theft."
There are a large number of
reputable Russian authors like Svirin, Baryatinskiy, Shirokorad, Kovshchevskiy
and Kolomiets, but this lot from Riga will not join their ranks by simply
swiping and translating others' materials.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
(Originally written on February 29,
2004) Product Review: Chesapeake Model Designs 1/35
scale Accessories; Soviet 76mm L-11 Gun turned aluminum barrel. Price $8. Advantages: right barrel
for the new DML Model 1940 kit; matches photos and scale drawings Disadvantages: specific product for a specific function;
will require other kits to be used in other situations (e.g. KV Model 1940) Rating: Highly Recommended Recommendation: for replacing all L-11 barrels I recently did two long articles
for "Military Modelling" (UK) that looked at the development histories of the
Soviet tank guns prior to WWII. The Soviets had a basic disagreement over
calibers and sizes of guns, with the conclusion that they would have a light
multipurpose gun (first 37mm, and then later 45mm) and a short howitzer for
direct artillery support roles. The 20-A 45mm gun (also called Tank Gun Model
1932, 1934 or 1937 from time to time) was the choice for the former. For the
latter, things varied greatly. The first gun used was the KT-28, a 16.5 caliber long
weapon used in the T-28 and the T-35. This was soon replaced by the L-10, a gun
built in Leningrad specifically for the tanks built there as well. It was 26.5
calibers long and easy to make, but left a lot to be desired. This was soon
replaced by the slightly longer (30.5 calibers) L-11. The L-11 was a very short barreled
weapon on purpose. The Soviets felt that if the gun barrel overhung the hull it
would soon be damaged or cause the tank to get stuck in a ditch or trees and
thus be lost. But it suffered badly in regard to accuracy due to the fact that
the barrel was suspended from its cradle, not riding on top of it like most
guns. As a result, it tended to wobble in the cradle, preventing any real
accuracy beyond a few hundred meters. While it was designed for the KV tank and was used in the
KV Model 1939, the designers from Khar'kov also used this gun in their T-34
Model 1939 and later in the Model 1940. As a result, it placed both a strain on
production and caused divisiveness among the plants. Leningrad was told, after a
shooting competition, to drop the L-11 in favor of the Grabin-designed F-32.
While only one caliber (e.g. 76mm) longer, this gun used a cradle under the
barrel and was far more accurate. (Note from a modeling standpoint the two
barrels externally look identical.) After weeks of fighting, Leningrad lost and had to adopt
it. But when they did, they demanded all production support the KV-1 Model 1941
and the Khar'kov designers were out of luck. Fortunately, as they had no
problems with overhang, they were offered the 76mm F-34 (41.5 calibers long) and
as a result the T-34 went on to become a legend and the KV-1 to become a flop.
CMD has captured the nice
proportions of this purpose-made gun to drop-fit right into the DML kit without
a single modification. As such, it's hard to find such a "modeler friendly"
accessory. (Note that as soon as the DML Model 1941 is released, CMD plans
to market a new F-34 barrel for that kit as well.) I only wish this barrel had
been released when I had to use a Jordi Rubio L-10 barrel (which it was not or
which required drilling out a LOT of plastic in a T-28 or T-35 to get a fit).
Thanks to Bill Miley of CMD
for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: Hobby Fan 1/35 Scale Resin
Figure Set No. HF-556; U. S. Marine Digital Uniform (1) - Two Figures with Base.
28 parts. Price not known but
estimated at $20-25 US. Advantages: beautifully
sculpted figures and elegant weapons; nicely done base for the two figures Disadvantages: no painting instructions provided makes
finishing problematical! Rating: Highly Recommended Recommendation: for all modern USMC or Operation Iraqi
Freedom fans There is an old
interservice saying that "You can tell a Marine, but you can't tell him much."
The reason - other than the usual interservice banter - is that the Marines are
more likely than any of the other services to go their own way and not worry
about comments. A few years
ago, after a lot of research the Marines introduced a new camouflaged combat
uniform made up of pixilated images on a cloth background to replace the US Army
"woodland camouflage" and "desert camouflage" pattern battle dress uniforms that
the Marines had been forced to adopt by default back in the early 1980s. The new
uniforms had some stylistic changes to pockets, cut and other minor differences,
but the camo pattern was an amazing difference, and many photos of the two
patterns side by side showed that the digital pattern did more to break up the
outline of the wearer - the prime function of a camouflaged uniform - and allow
him to blend into his surroundings. The Marines had enough of these uniforms on hand to issue
them in both woodland and desert schemes and use them during Operation Iraqi
Freedom. They still had a large number of troops wearing the older second desert
pattern (the first was the "chocolate chip" pattern from Operation Desert Storm
in 1991) but some could be seen on TV wearing the new model. Hobby Fan has now released a new
vignette of two heavily loaded Marines covering behind a doorway with all of
their kit on their backs. One has an M4 carbine with accessories like the sight
rail and sight, and the other an M249 SAW light machine gun. Both are wearing a
large rucksack with cover, Kevlar helmets, and the "roughout" boots. I have no clue as to how a modeler
will paint the "digital" cammies in this scale, and since there are no
directions apparently neither did Hobby Fan! The photo shows what would appear
to be the second desert pattern on the figures used for the display. They do not
have the shoulder pockets that the Marines added to the digital cammies, so that
may be a help rather than a hindrance in painting (e.g. use the second desert
scheme instead). Overall the
figures are nice, and the wall base even has neat pockmarks from bullets in it
as well. If you like the Corps or have an idea on an OIF diorama, you might
think about picking up this neat little vignette. Thanks to Miin Herng Tsueng of Hobby Fan for the review
sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: DML 1/35 Scale '39-'45
Series Kit No. 6194; Panzergrenadiers Wiking Division (Hungary 1945). 106 parts. Price varies from
$6.95-8.95
style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"> Advantages: first time that this reviewer has seen the
later war short German parka modeled; nice poses as is typical for DML figures
Disadvantages: figures are limited to winter/cold
weather use Rating: Highly Recommended DML would seem to have access to
just about every German uniform type used in the Second World War, and have been
kind enough for German fans to bring most of them into plastic. Better still,
many of them are easily interchangeable with other parts from other DML kits to
permit a tremendous selection of poses and combinations. This set is based on the end of
the line for the 2nd SS Panzer Division, a unit hammered by both the Soviets and
the Americans, and after the Battle of the Bulge essentially withdrawn to
Hungary to lick its wounds. While the soldiers here appear a bit better equipped
and healthier than I think the originals were, DML (and Ron Volstad, their
"artist of record") have created a nice set of four soldiers marching. All wear
the late-war short parka jacket with hood, but the trousers vary from a snow
camo pair to overalls to camouflage smock. Weapons are mundane (one sprue from set #6005, one from
#6070, and two from #6105) but as they have been top notch all along this is not
a problem. The prime focus is an MG-42 machine gun team so most of these parts
are for extra machine gun ammo boxes. The uniforms are well done, and all of the hoods are molded
separately. Overall, this is
another nice set from DML, but I personally think they should have looked more
forlorn! Thanks to Freddie
Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: DML 1-72 Armor Series Kit
No. 7231; Sd. Kfz. 182 King Tiger (Porsche Turret). 127
parts (123 in grey styrene, 2 in diecast metal, 2 in black vinyl). Price around $8 US Advantages: new
kit of a very popular subject Disadvantages: diecast
hull limits the ability of the builder to modify or adjust the kit Rating: Recommended Recommendation: for beginning modelers and modelers who do
not modify kits out of the box Somebody read the first few reviews I did of this new
series of kits and came to the conclusion that I do not like small scale armor
nor have any respect for it. As usual, and to cite the eminent social critic Mr.
Bugs Bunny, "He don't know me very well, do he?" I started as with most long-time armor buffs with the US
made armor kits - Revell, SNAP, Adams, Monogram and Aurora - back in the 1950s,
and in the early 1960s moved on to ROCO. In the mid 1960s most of us moved on to
1/76 scale (Airfix) kits as they were "real models" with more than 10 parts
(early ROCO was somewhat simpler and cheaper than today for those not aware of
that change) and could be made into nice models. They were also cheap enough to
buy by the case (!) and use for a lot of modifications and scratchbuilding
projects. Comes the 1970s and
in comes the new (revamped) Tamiya line, followed by Italeri, Nichimo, Peerless,
and now a host of 1/35 scale kits. As most of us suffered from the joys of
changing eyesight (and more cash flow) many modelers switched scales at that
time; I went over to the so-called "manly scale" in 1973 (also called
"pipe-fitter's scale" by those who did not change.) Many very nice kits have come out in 1/72 (which basically
knocked out 1/76 - a scale that came about due to Airfix's commitment to British
OO gauge or 4mm, which is 1/76 scale) and many very good modelers still work in
1/72. Revell Germany has now produced some of the finest kits in that scale
going. DML's kits are so far
by and large based on their amazing 1/72 R/C tanks and as such suffer from the
compromises made to get the motor into the model. As such, they have tried to
make sure the models are still well made and accurate, but there are concessions
that have to be made, and anyone who can't understand that does not understand
the term "Scale Modeling." This is NOT to say that the DML models are poor; one just
has to understand up front that the model that comes out of the box with
compromises made to it. Such
is the case with this nice new little kit from DML, which covers the popular
German Tiger II Ausf. B heavy tank. It has a two-piece diecast metal hull
designed to screw together, but no screws are provided (the screws mount through
the bow gunner/radio operator's hatch and left rear side of the engine deck
under the deck.) As such, all axles are cast as part of the belly and are not
adjustable. The hull halves come pre-primed in grey. The rest of the parts are
injection molded and very crisp, and include nicely done hangers on the turret
for the extra track link sections. A very shallow engine bay is also included
(recall it must clear the screw mounts) as well as solid plastic screens for the
front intakes on the engine deck. The turret has two optional position crew
hatches and the rear gun removal hatch. A breech is included for the 88mm gun
but no other turret interior. The wheels appear to be nicely done, and all injection pin
marks are hidden when the suspension is in place. The tracks are very soft but
well detailed in this scale. Two finishes are offered, one for s.Pz.Abt. 503 in Normandy
in a three color scheme and one from s.Pz.Abt. "Feldherrenhalle" in Hungary with
a three-color scheme under whitewash. Overall, the model is not bad, and anyone wanting to build
it right out of the box will be quite happy. But the metal hull means the
mandatory use of either ACC or epoxy, and that can be tiresome. I have recommended in the past
that young modelers would enjoy assembling these kits, and still maintain that
they are a great place to start. But when they have to use ACC glue, that means
that a parent MUST assist them to prevent accidents. Thanks to Freddie Leung for the
review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Kit Review: AFV Club 1/35 Scale Kits
and Accesories: No. 35059; German "Scheuntor" Pak 43/41
8.8 cm Antitank Gun. 288 parts (230 in olive drab
styrene,11 in etched brass, 2 black acetal tubes, 2 brass rods, 2 black vinyl
tires, 1 turned aluminum barrel). Price not given but
estimated at around $40. No. 35073, 8.8 cm Pak 43/41
and 7.5 cm Pak 40 Brass Shield Bolts. 40 turned brass
bolt heads. Price not given but estimated a $10-12. Advantages: First plastic kit of this weapon; amazing level
of detail provided; innovate new methods for packaging Disadvantages: many modelers who hate "fiddly" bits not
going to be happy with gun shield construction Rating:
Highly Recommended Recommendation: to all WWII and
Artillery fans F I R S T L O O K Imagine the frustration of famed
German General Erhard Raus in 1941 when he came face to face with a Soviet KV-1
that turned into a pillbox and kept his division from advancing. He was
horrified at how many troops and weapons had to be sacrificed to knock it out,
and even after repeated damage it survived. Even the vaunted 88 - the 8.8 cm
FlaK 36/37 combination antiaircraft antitank gun - had only penetrated its armor
with 3 out of 10 rounds, and in the end the tank was finished off by an
infantryman who slipped a grenade into one of the 88 penetration holes. The German planners likewise
panicked, as even the new German Tiger I tank with its L/56 8.8 cm gun (based on
the FlaK 36 ballistics) was suddenly seen as not as capable as had been thought.
So a crash program to develop guns capable of dealing with such tanks was
conducted. As is normal, the Germans developed an elegant solution in the
purpose-built PaK 41 heavy antitank gun, but while completely effective it was
too complex to build with any sort of haste. The solution was to cobble up a
faster method of getting the guns to the field. The compromise weapon, now dubbed the PaK 41/43 (both for
years of introduction) used a simplified PaK 41 barrel with a new breech on a
simpler two-wheel carriage that combined a gun shield design copied from the 7.5
cm PaK 40 and the trails of the le FH 18 10.5 cm howitzer. The combination also
used the steel wheels with solid rubber tires from the s FH 18 15 cm howitzer.
Overall the combination did
permit faster production, but of a clumsy and awkward gun. Even with
simplification, the gun only shed about 1000 pounds (500 kg) and still weighed
nearly five tons. It was quite long (the barrel alone was 20 ½ feet long and the
trails had to provide some balance) and cumbersome, with a high center of
gravity. This was not a weapon easily moved anywhere on the battlefield, and one
nearly useless in city fighting. As a result, the German troops sarcastically
dubbed it "Scheuntor" or "the barn door." It was also a very nasty weapon on both ends. While no tank
made during WWII could withstand the rounds fired by the PaK 41, it also used
such large amounts of propellant and fired at such a high velocity (1100 mps or
3700 fps) that the resulting CRACK tended to deafen its gunners with only a few
rounds. 829 PaK 41/43 guns were built, and were encountered on all fronts. A
number of them were captured and preserved, including examples at Aberdeen
Proving Ground and Carlisle Barracks. AFV Club has outdone the job they did on their earlier le
FH 18 kit, and this one is an amazing testament to the moldmaker's art. It
combines state-of-the-art moldmaking with the judicious use of other materials.
The barrel is gorgeous - none of the previous "working" types here - and the
gunshields (there are an accurate four main sections to creat the sandwich
effect necessary) are very nicely done as well. Surprisingly, based on
historical accuracy only one sprue from the le FH 18 kit is needed or provided;
all other molds are new and unique. Most problematic for many modelers will be the gun shield
assembly in Step 6. The modeler either has to use the plastic bolts provided
(parts E45, and there are several extras included due to their tiny size) or to
purchase the aftermarket brass set listed above. But while the directions do
give some hints on how to get the shields together and also bend them to shape,
it will be tricky and require some skill to get a nice, neat assembly. Note that
while a choice is offered for the protective slide for the gun shield (parts G10
in brass or E57 in styrene) there is no choice for the main gunshields. The tires are very nicely done and
are shipped slipped over two of the four wheel halves. AFV Club managed to get
them molded without any seams and only some small teats to cut off to get a nice
smooth tire. They even bear the "Continental" logo. The gun can be presented in either march or firing order,
but you must pay close attention to the directions as some times they are not
too clear on which is which. Three paint schemes are suggested. No markings are
included. Overall this is an
elegant and very nice model of an important gun, and one that will be popular
with German fans. Note that AFV Club will also be releasing a set of styrene
ammunition for this gun (AFV 35072.) Thanks to Miin Herng Tsueng of AFV Club/Hobby Fan for the
review sample.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Saturday, February 28, 2004 (Originally written on February 9,
2004) Kit No. 14001,
Sturmtiger + Demolition Tiger. 18 parts (8 in grey styrene, 8 in etched brass and 2 in
vinyl) and 13 parts (7 in grey styrene, 4 in etched brass and 2 in vinyl). Price not available. Kit No. 14002, German Heavy Tank
Maus + Tiger I Early. 17 parts
(7 in grey styrene, 8 etched brass and 2 in vinyl) and 16 parts (12 in grey
styrene, 4 etched brass and 2 in vinyl). Price not available. Kit No. 14003, German Super Tank E100 + Tiger I Late. 17 parts (9 in grey styrene, 6
etched brass, and 2 in vinyl) and 14 parts (8 in grey styrene, 4 etched brass
and 2 in vinyl). Price not
available. Kit No. 14004, Pz.
38(t) and Pz. IV Ausf. D. 17
parts (10 in grey styrene, 5 etched brass and 2 in vinyl) and 15 parts (7 in
grey styrene, 6 etched brass and 2 in vinyl) Price not available. Advantages: First armor kits in this scale; brass gives
them very fine details; will be a new scale for wargamers. Disadvantages: Use of "airliners'
scale" may not find wide approval; not in an established wargame scale (e.g.
15mm or 1/125, 10mm or 1/180, etc) or model railroading scale (N Gauge or
1/160). Rating: Recommended.
Recommendation: for wargamers
who have not sunk great costs into their armies or are just beginning to
assemble forces. In his heyday
with "Monty Python's Flying Circus" rubbery English actor John Cleese said it
best: "And now for something completely different." DML is now releasing the first of a new line of 1/144 scale
armored vehicles. The first eight (each kit is sold as a related pair, and the
first ones out are German WWII) are now in hand and can be assessed. What they are NOT are kits as
involved as the 1/35 scale DML efforts, or even their 1/72 scale siblings. The
average kit consists of two complete track runs, hull bottom, hull top and
turret (broken down a la ROCO) and a number of small add-on details such as gun
barrels, mufflers, mantelets, etc. The etched brass covers either very fine
details such as mantelets or hatches and engine deck screens. For example, the Panzer 38 (t) kit
comes with a pair of track runs, hull bottom, hull top, turret, mantelet, main
gun, muffler, antenna, stowage bin, and bow machine gun in plastic and an
optional mantelet, bow plate, gun mount, rear deck vent, and stowage bin in
etched brass. The Pzkw. IV Ausf. D comes with a pair of track runs, hull bottom,
fenders, hull top, turret, mantelet, gun, and bow plate in plastic and front and
turret side hatches and engine deck grilles in etched brass. Note that the track
runs are in vinyl and not styrene, to give some flex and options to the builder.
The inference - since the
etched brass is not called out on the directions - is that those modelers who
want more detail can use it, but those who only want "wargame quality can simply
pop these together in short order and ignore the fancier (and more fragile)
details. Each pair comes with
one of two decal sheets - either an early war one with a variety of crosses and
a small number set or a large number set with command codes for later war period
vehicles. There is enough variety to permit making at least one company of each
type of vehicle with no repeats on the sheets, and that also leads to the
wargamers' angle. Simplified
but typical paint schemes are included for each type of vehicle, but again DML
seems to consider that the purist will get a precise fit whereas the wargamer
will be happy with the suggestion. The idea is good, and these should be relatively
reasonable. Each is also brightly packaged in a small box 8" x 4" x 1" or about
the same size as a VHS tape. Inside are two separate plastic inserts with clear
tops; one holds one kit and the other holds the other kit, the etched brass and
the decal sheet taped to the top. A window is provided to examine the latter.
The main question is -
currently what can be done with them? Wargamers do not use the same scales as
either railroad or scale modelers, and as such this is sort of a isolog. 1/144
scale is now a common model aircraft scale - usually called "airliner" scale as
most airline models are made in this scale, but with a large number of military
aircraft now available as well - and so far no other type of kit is available.
If they are going to be used for wargaming, all of the other pieces of kit will
have to follow - artillery, infantry, softskins, buildings, fortifications - or
it may turn into a nice but orphaned series of models. Still, the subjects are appealing
and do not take up much space at all. They may sell well as ROCO 1/87 or HO
scale kits now sell for what 1/35 scale kits went for 15 years ago, and a new
"ground floor" for armor collectors is needed. Thanks to Freddie Leung of DML for the review
samples.
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Friday, January 30, 2004 (Originally written on January 29,
2004) Book Review: Service
Publications "Canada: Weapons of War" series: The Land Mattress in Canadian
Service by Doug Knight; Service Publications, Ottawa, Canada 2003. 24 pp. Price CDN$9.95. ISBN 1-894581-18-0. Advantages: Very interesting
little book on a relatively unknown (outside Canada) weapons system; very good
explanation of rocket weapons. Disadvantages: No plans included. Rating: Highly Recommended. Recommendation: For all
Commonwealth and US built halftrack fans. This is another of the excellent Weapons of War series; as
I have noted before they are dedicated Canadian views of weapons systems and
present an operational view of the vehicle or weapon covered. For some odd reason, probably the
novelty of them during the Second World War, it appears none of the major powers
wanted to call "multiple rocket launchers" by that name. The Soviets called them
"Katyusha" (Little Katie) and their formations "Guards Mortar units." The US
Army referred to the launchers as "Calliope" (which described the appearance of
the Sherman tank mounted versions) and the Navy called their anti-submarine ones
"Hedgehogs." The Germans called theirs "Nebelwerfer" (fog caster). And
apparently the Royal Navy referred to their shore bombardment rocket system as
"Mattress." The terms were not effective very long, and essentially wound up as
the service nicknames of the weapons. After a firefight in North Africa was only solved by the
use of an antiaircraft rocket launcher battery interceding on behalf of some
British troops, the surviving officer, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Wardell, tried
to convince the British Army to adopt land based multiple rocket launchers. As
with most instances of bright ideas that work, the School of Artillery turned
him down flat as it did not deem it worthy, and their assessment was it would
take two years to get prototypes built and tested for evaluation. (Translation:
"NIH" - not invented here.) But a Canadian observer, Lieutenant Colonel Eric Harris,
immediately grasped the significance of the weapon and after finding no success
with British officers turned to the Canadian Army. With Harris providing the
incentive, CMHQ proceeded to have two prototype 40-round launchers built for
test and evaluation. The
rocket launchers were made up from stray bits and pieces, but the result was
actually quite good. A crude trailer with 40 tubes was built, providing only a
single fixed elevation for launch. The rockets were cobbled together from a
29-lb Naval bombardment warhead, an RAF 3 inch rocket motor, and an Army
artillery fuse. One item many
people are not aware of is the fact that rockets come with only one charge for
firing - a single motor that cannot be adjusted for time of burn. As a result,
rockets are fired using an elevation setting and a special braking ring or
spoiler on the nose of the rocket warhead to slow it down. (The Russian BM-21
"Grad" with its 122mm rockets still uses that method today, so it is old and
reliable.) The first version of what was dubbed the "Land Mattress" (land for
Army, Mattress from its Naval cover term) was tested in June and July 1944.
After successful testing, a 10-launcher battery using 32-round launchers was
fielded along with 10,000 rockets, all made up from available parts and in spite
of protests by the British artillery authorities. Using men from a light AA
battery, the force set sail for Europe in October 1944. The battery received its baptism
of fire on 31 October when some three salvoes - about 960 rockets - were fired
on German AA gun positions. The battery wound up in action fairly often, and on
10 November the equipment was turned over to a new cadre of artillerymen. They
were replaced on 16 December, and another battery took over on 24 January 1945.
Finally, "production" rocket launchers were issued in March 1945 with a new
30-round launcher being the "standard" model. By that time the original 32-round
ones were pretty much worn out. The 30-round model , dubbed the "Projector, Rocket, Three
Inch, Number 8 Mark 1" or Tillings-Stephens Projector after its makers. It could
fire its rockets over a moderately broad series of ranges in three bands (large
ring, small ring, no ring) with a maximum range of up to 8,250 yards. Time for a
complete salvo was just under 8 seconds. As with all rocket weapons, the Land Mattress suffered from
its voracious appetite for ammunition - a single battery salvo of 10 launchers
consumed 320 rockets, and if three salvoes were fired, the consumption could
reach nearly a thousand rounds a mission. But one salvo could blanket an area
roughly 800 x 800 yards, which is excellent for an area fire weapon such as
this. The weapon achieved a
high degree of effectiveness when used, and only one launcher was destroyed in
action - and that by a Spitfire! One launcher - or projector - survives today with the
Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. Doug Knight is listed as a retired Canadian Army officer
and is obviously very skilled as a "gonner" in his clear and easily
understandable explanation of how the weapon works and what it could do in
action. This is a handy little book, profusely illustrated but alas having no
plans of the "beastie" permitting it to be easily modeled. Still, if you are a
"Redleg" (US artillery term) or fan of interesting weapons, this is a nice read
and worth your effort. Thanks
to Clive Law of Service Publications for the review copy.
http://www.servicepub.com
Cookie Sewell AMPS
Sunday, January 18, 2004 (Originally written on January 17,
2004) Kit Review: DML 1/35
Scale '39-'45 Series No. 6204; Sd.Kfz. 165 Hummel (Early Version). 739 parts (697 in grey styrene, 38
in etched brass, 4 in etched metal). Price not given but most likely around $40. Advantages: Early version with
joint Hummel/Nashorn hull; uses the same new moldings as the Hornisse/Nashorn
kits, includes brass louvers for the sides of the hull, as well as three figures
and two horses (!) Disadvantages: Very complex kit may discourage some
modelers. Rating: Highly
Recommended. Recommendation:
for all German and "Redleg" fans. L O O K The Hummel is arguably one of the more popular non-gun tank
variants of German WWII armored vehicles, and it came in two distinct models.
Approximately the first 100 vehicles built (out of 666 total) were based on the
same Gw III/IV chassis as the Sd. Kfz. 164 "Hornisse" for use in the Summer 1943
offensives in Russia. These were much different than the improved later models
and had different interior arrangements as well as a single "parapet" position
for the driver and a flat simple hatch for the radio operator. The second of the two Hummel kits
from DML has now arrived, and it is as nice as it predecessor (#6150). This is
the early version of the vehicle with the common Hornisse/Nashorn type hull with
the single cab for the driver and only a hatch for the radio operator, as well
as some more changes to replicate the earlier vehicle. Kit #6150 came with the following
sprues: common ones A, B, E, G, H, and Q, and new sprues F, N, and O. The new
kit comes with these sprues: A, B, E, F, G, and MA, and also f, L, N, O, Q, R
and MB as well as the complete kit #6046, 8th SS Cavalry Division "Florian
Geyer". Sprue f indicates it is just the 15 cm FH 18, and may indicate that DML
is contemplating the original towed weapon as a separate release later. The kit
uses the new multi-part hull so it is far more complex than the early and
obsolete version of the kit from the mid 1990s (#6004). This series of molding s far
better replicates the intricacies of the Gw III/IV chassis than the earlier
one-piece hull top kits did, as well as has all of the parts in alignment which
the first versions of the Nashorn and Hummel did not. It again uses the
new-style directions - full-color photographs - which are an improvement on the
old black and white drawings. In them, however, the kit is completely painted so
some details may be hard to see. As is now normal, the tracks are single-link which are best
assembled before installing the top of the hull and the fenders, as even with
the new and improved moldings the fender/track clearance is tight. The gun comes with a total of four
loose projectiles but no charges; the projos are either full caliber or one
fitted with sabot-like driving rings. The figures match the box art, but since the entire set is
included along with a new, specially molded single figure of the gun commander,
you get both of the cavalrymen even though the directions only call for one
figure to be used. This kit
includes a very nice set of etched brass that can be used to replace the side
louvers on the hull. DML has wisely included them as an "extra" and left the
moldings as they are, for many modelers today still prefer to just "slap
plastic" and would be disappointed to have to install as complex a structure as
these grills appear to be. Each grille consists of a backing, three full
louvers, three divider/separators, and eight bolt heads. The kit grilles have to
be removed with a razor saw to mount the brass ones, but it is a very nice touch
to give the modeler his choice of options. The remaining brass covers the hatch
handles, the locking mechanism for the rear doors, and details for the driver's
viewer. The model has three
finishes and sets of markings proffered: PzArtRgt 116, 5th Panzer Division,
Russia 1944 (three color red/green/Panzerbraun); same unit, different scheme;
and PzArtRgt 73, 1st Panzer Division, Greece 1943 in green over Panzerbraun. All
finishes show the aiming stakes painted red and white, which gives some color
"lift" to the rear of the vehicle. DML has now pretty much "atoned" for the problems of the
original kits of the early 1990s, and their current efforts are hard to fault
both for accuracy and value for the money. Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on January 17,
2004) I just received the new
DML catalogue and here is what they are showing for 2004. Some are intriguing --
1/144 scale "double" kits and a lot of new 1/72 and 1/35 entries. 1/144 Scale 14001 Shturmtiger and Demolition Tiger 14002 German Super Tank Maus and Tiger I Early 14003 German Super Tank E-100 and Tiger I Late 14004 Panzer 38(t) and Pzkw. IV Ausf. D 14005 Marder III and Marder III Ausf. M 14006 Challenger 2 OIF (Uparmored) and Warrior OIF 14007 Pzkw. III Ausf. E and Pzkw. II Ausf. B 14008 Hornisse and Pzkw. IV Ausf. F2 14009 Leopard 2A5 and M2 IFOR 14010 Pzkw. III Ausf. G and Pzkw. IV Ausf. F1 14011 Nashorn and Panther G Early Production 14012 M1A1 with Mine Plow and MLRS 14013 Warrior IFOR and Challenger 2 IFOR 14014 Leopard 2A6 and M1A2 14015 Pz.Beob.Wg III Ausf. H and Hummel Early
Production 14016 Marder II and Wespe 14017 M1A1 USMC and AAV-7 14018 Panther G with Night Sights and Panther F 14019 Leopard 1A4 and Leopard 1A5 14020 Merkava I and Merkava II 1/72 Scale 14501 60 cm Morser "Karl" 14502 54 cm Morser "Loki" 14503 28 cm Railway Gun "Leopold" 7201 Sd.Kfz. 184 "Elefant" 7202 Sd.Kfz. 184 "Ferdinand" 7203 Sd.Kfz. 181 Tiger I Late Production with Zimmerit
7204 German 38cm Assault Mortar Sturmtiger 7205 Sd.Kfz. 171 Panther G Early Version 7206 Sd.Kfz. 171 Panther G Late Version 7207 Sd.Kfz. 171 Panther F 7209 Ferdinand Tiger 7210 Demolition Tiger with Zimmerit 7212 Sd.Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther Late Version 7213 M1A1 Abrams with Mine Plow 7215 M1A1 Abrams 3rd Infantry Division (Iraq 2003) 7216 M1A2 Abrams 194th Brigade Task Force 1-70 NTC 7217 M1025 with M2 and M1026 with Mk. 19 7218 M1114 with M2 and M1114 with Mk. 19 (Iraq 2003)
7219 M996 TOW and M1045 TOW 7220 M1097 and M998 7221 AAV-7 7222 Challenger 2 KFOR 7226 M2A2 ODS Bradley 7227 Bergepanzer Tiger (P) 7228 Challenger 2 (Iraq 2003) 7229 M3A2 ODS Bradley 7230 Pz.Beob.Wg V Ausf. G 7231 Sd.Kfz. 182 King Tiger Porsche Turret 7233 AAV-7 (Iraq 2003) 7236 Flakpanzer Coelian 7237 AAV-7 Upgrade 7239 Avenger and M1037 7241 Sd.Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther Early Production with
Zimmerit 7245 M1035 and M1069 1/35 Scale 3534 M1 Panther II Mine Clearing Vehicle (2004) 3535 M1A1 AIM (2004) 6062 M4A2 - Okinawa (2004) 6083 M4A3 (76mm)W (2004) 6107 StuG IV Final Production Version (2004) 6183 M4A3E8 "Thunderbolt VII" (2004) 6185 T-34 76mm in German Army Service (2004) 6186 (SECRET ITEM) 6188 M4A2 76mm Red Army Service (2004) 6192 Sturmgeschuetz Crew Reloading, Russia 1941 (four
figures)(2004) 6194 Panzergrenadiers, 2nd SS "Das
Viking" Division, Hungary 1945 (four figures)(2004) 6196 German Antitank Team France 1940 (four figures
with AT Rifles)(2004) 6198 U.S. Army Support
Weapons Teams (six figures with 75mm RR, M1919A4, and 60mm mortar)(2004) 6199 2nd SAS Regiment (France 1944) (four figures)
(2004) 6205 T-34/76 Model1941(2004) 6206 Sd.Kfz. 251/6 Ausf. C Command Vehicle (2004) 6207 (SECRET ITEM) 6208 Sd.Kfz. 182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret) (2004)
6209 Sd.Kfz. 182 King Tiger (Henschel Turret -
Final Version) (2004) 6210 Ferdinand Tiger (2004)
6211 U.S. 29th Infantry Division (Omaha Beach
D-Day 1944) (six figures)(2004) 6212 British
Infantry(Normandy 1944)(six figures) (2004) 6213 German Command Staff (four figures) (2004) 6214 German Panzer Crew LAH Division (Russia 1943)
(four figures)(2004) 6215 Fallschirmjaeger 8 cm
Mortar Team (Italy 1944) (four figures)(2004) 6216 German 1st Cavalry Division (Russia 1941) (two
figures and two horses)(2004) 6218 (SECRET ITEM)
6221 (SECRET ITEM) 6224 Sd.Kfz. 251/10 3.7 cm PaK (2004) 6226 Bergepanzer Tiger (P) (2004) 6227 Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. A (2004) 9056 Sd.Kfz. 252 Ammo Transporter with Ammo Trailer
(2004) 9058 StuG III Ausf. G 10.5 cm 9059 Jagdpanzer IV A-0 9060 Panther G/M10 "Ersatz" This could be a fun year!
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on January 9,
2004)
Kit Review: DML 1/35
Scale '39-'45 Kit No. 6195; Fallschirmjaeger Regiment 3 (Sicily 1943).
90 parts in grey styrene.
Pprice $7-8.
Advantages: first set of German
paratroops in the lightweight tropical uniform.
Disadvantages: not sure of any specific vehicles for these
figures to complement.
Rating:
Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: For all German and Italian Campaign fans.
DML basically "owns" the
styrene figure market for WWII figures, and the one advantage that this gives
them is the ability to branch out into more esoteric and little-known campaigns
of the war. As a result, they have been able to provide a set of four or more
figures for just about every theater that the Germans fought in during the war.
This set comprises one of the
elite units that fought against the joint US/Commonwealth campaign to take
Sicily in 1943. As such, unlike most German paratroops that fought in smocks and
with special weapons, this regiment was given lightweight tropical tan uniforms
and essentially fought as conventional infantry.
The four figures in the set have a nice combination of
poses, and can be used by themselves or with a vehicle or building to make a
nice vignette. However, right off the top of my head I cannot recall any
specific vehicle kit from DML which is marked for Sicily! (After-market sets and
some research should solve this problem.)
The figures provide one NCO and three privates with sleeves
rolled up and the cut-down jump helmets, four Kar 98K rifles and two MP40
submachine guns. The figures are carrying extra ammo pouches and are pretty well
kitted out for combat.
Overall, it's nice to see something other than the usual
run of SS troops with late-war weapons and camouflage smocks, and this is a nice
change of pace. (It should also be easier to paint that the other figures, too.)
Thanks to Freddie Leung
for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on January 9,
2004) Kit Review: DML 1/35
Scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6092; T-34/76 Model 1940; 415 parts (412 in grey
styrene, 2 clear styrene lenses, 1 section of nylon string). Price around $28-34. Advantages: first good kit of this
seminal vehicle; turret molding is truly amazing, especially the fit; captures
the good looks of this tank; excellent detailing. Disadvantages: due to the fact that the Soviets did not
mark these tanks, nor camouflage them, only one paint scheme - "Protective Green
4BOP" (FS 34102). Rating:
Highly Recommended. Recommendation: for all early war armor and Soviet armor
fans or "34 freaks!" F I R S
T L O O K I am an
unabashed T-34 freak, and loudly admit it. The story behind the creation of the
tank itself, let alone the legendary combat utilization that it received in
WWII, Korea and even up to the present day, cries out for a movie. Ignoring the
fact that making movies about tanks is probably about as well received as a
society to "Save Scorpions, Fire Ants, and Coyotes" would be in Texas, it is
probably only a fond wish. To
provide a bit of background about what makes this tank - the first series
production model of the T-34 - so important, a bit of background is required.
In May 1937 Mikhail I. Koshkin
was sent to take over KB-190 - the tank design section - at Khar'kov Steam
Locomotive Factory No. 183. Until he arrived, the factory produced steam
locomotives on its own and tanks under the guidance of the Leningrad "Kirov"
Factory. At the time Koshkin took over, they were building the BT-7 fast tank,
armed with a 45mm gun and able to operate either on wheels or tracks. Koshkin got bedded down in the
factory (this was during the Purges of 1937, and as a point of reference both
the factory manager and previous chief designer were denounced and summarily
shot) and found he had a good assistant in Aleksandr Morozov, who was in charge
of transmission designs. Koshkin soon received a task to "improve" the BT-7
tank; one improvement going on nearby was that Khar'kov Engine Factory No. 75
was gearing up to produce the BD-2 high-speed diesel engine - what would become
the V-2 diesel, progenitor of over 200,000 tank engines that have followed it.
Koshkin's first task was installing the BD-2 in the BT-7 to create the BT-7M.
But Koshkin was no fan of the
complex transmission design, and also was aware of another proposal to put
sloped armor on the BT-7. This was tested in a tank dubbed the BT-SV-2 but it
came to naught. Another modification was the BT-IS which was to have all-wheel
drive to supplement its tracked drive. This nearly got into production as the
high command liked the concept of wheel and track tanks, but Koshkin wanted it
eliminated. As it would figure, an engineer from Leningrad nearly got it to
work; this poor soul had the unfortunate name of A. Dik. Koshkin managed to keep
Dik so busy he eventually nearly collapsed from stress. With the BT-IS off the table,
Koshkin proposed a new tank dubbed BT-20. He promised a prototype of this tank,
but at the same time gathered his team and announced he wanted a second tank
prototype - one with a fully tracked drive, wide tracks, sloped armor and a 76mm
gun. This tank, the A-32, was built at the same time as the A-20 prototype for
the BT-20 proposal. But the A-20 used the same four road wheel convertible
suspension as the BT-7, even though it shared its hull and turret design with
the A-32. When the new tanks
were shown in September 1939 to the command of the Red Army, Koshkin was proud
of the new A-32; while this tank was clearly superior to the other offerings -
the A-20, BT-7M, and the new KV tank from Leningrad - it was not what the
command wanted. But the new Peoples' Commissar for Medium Industrial Production
(a euphemism for tanks), Vlacheslav Malyshev, loved it and was very emphatic
about it. Even Stalin liked the idea of a powerful, fast and nimble tank, and
while he still preferred the wheel and track concept, he permitted the A-32 to
proceed. However, the
"competition" in the form of Zhosef Kotin from Leningrad was not happy. Kotin
wanted his KV design - named for his wife's godfather, Kliment Voroshilov - to
be the "only tank" for the Red Army. Voroshilov agreed and when both the KV and
improved A-32 were ordered into production in December 1939, Voroshilov pulled a
fast one: he approved that the A-34 version, the improved A-32, go into
production. But there was a
catch. Since the A-32 had passed all of the state tests, and the A-34 had not,
Koshkin had to go back to square one and build 10 prototype tanks before April.
The command in Moscow kept tightening the timeline on Koshkin, and as a result
in early March he was ordered to report to Moscow with the first two T-34 tanks
for a command performance. In a driving snowstorm and the dead of winter,
Koshkin and a small group of technicians drove the two tanks to Moscow, arriving
in the middle of the night and having to quickly put on a demonstration for the
command. Koshkin had caught pneumonia on the drive, and as a result annoyed
Stalin as he coughed badly while explaining the virtues fo the tank. Stalin was
impressed, and the tank was ordered into full production. While Voroshilov and
Kotin tried a couple of other times to dethrone the T-34, when war broke out in
June the T-34 was the only useful tank in production. Mikhail Koshkin died from the
results of pneumonia in September 1940 and never got to see his creation
vindicate itself in combat. The first production tank, the Model 1940, was a
transitional tank from the peacetime VT series to the stripped down and highly
compact and functional T-34 tanks of the war. It came with headlights and a lot
of concepts that were later proven to be poorly thought through, such as its
early and unreliable 4-speed transmission. (The later 5-speed was much more
reliable.) It was armed with two 7.62mm DT machine guns and a 76mm L-11 gun -
ironically produced in Leningrad. This gun - a "powerful" gun for its time but
one blessed with a barrel length of only 30.5 calibers - was a woeful design,
highly inaccurate due to its being suspended from its cradle. When the superior
F-32 gun became available, however, Voroshilov and Kotin ensured that the entire
production run would only be used for the KV-1 and not the T-34. The result was
that the T-34 team was offered a new gun - the 41.5 caliber long F-34, which
became the reason that the Model 1941 T-34 was so highly feared by German
tankers. One myth which
Morozov let out about the T-34 is why the Model 1941 used a cast turret.
Supposedly during the withdrawal from Khar'kov to Nizhniy Tagil the rolling
machine needed to roll the turret armor plate into the components for the welded
turret was lost on a siding, and as a result the factory bravely created a new
design in a matter of days for a cast turret. This is not true, for we know that
Model 1940 tanks had both the welded and the cast turret, as did early Model
1941 tanks. DML has done a
bang-up job of creating the first of the T-34 tanks - the Model 1940, with its
short L-11 gun and underslung cradle giving it the "boar's head" type of
mantelet. Having spent the last six months of 2001 building a T-34 Model 1941
out of a Zvezda Model 1942 and a Tamiya "Model 1942" (Model 1941) I got very
familiar with all of the detail differences in the tanks and the Model 1940.
This kit has nailed every one of the key details spot on. The Model 1940 comes with
headlights (which are not symmetrical due to the machine gun mount) as well as a
single tail light; all are there, and the headlights come with clear lenses to
boot. Vehicle stowage consisted of four 33.5 liter rectangular fuel tanks, two
jacks at the right rear, one or two tow cables on the right side, two sets of
spare track links at the rear of the fenders, and a variety of small bins, with
two irregular ones mounted on the rear mudguards. Depending upon the individual
command, anywhere up to 45 grousers could be carried on the fenders; the kit
only provides about 21, but that is more than sufficient. (They stopped using
most of them when they came up with the "waffle" track, which had more
traction.) All present. The
Model 1940 also had a different driver-mechanic's hatch with three offset
viewers, a concealed hinge, and vertical louvers on its radiator intake and air
intake vents. A single rectangular hatch in the rear provided access to the
engine. All present. The
suspension is the same as that found on the T-34-85 series tanks, but since it
did not change, no problem. The wheels are the original solid disk wheels with
rubber "bandazhi" or tires, perforated with "cheater" holes to save rubber. The
tank also has the early style idler with rubber "bandazhi" and roller drivers.
Track links have faint ejection pin marks on the inner face, but these are
easily removed; the tracks are the original pattern "longitudinal cleat" type
hated by Soviet tankers as it tended to let ice build up and gave no traction in
mud or snow. There are things
one could wish for but with this kit the only thing I would have asked for is an
open rear engine radiator air exhaust grille with an etched metal screen, but
that can wait for another day. The rolled welded turret is an amazing piece of work. Even
dry fitting this yields no seams or cracks. The mantelet is composed of several
pieces but - suprise! - so were the originals. (You can even find a huge seam on
at least one of the actual tanks here at the Ordnance Museum in Aberdeen! So
much for what model railroaders call "it ain't prototype!") The model does offer two finishes
on the back of the full-color directions: either the previously mentioned
"protective green 4BO" scheme or a color scheme used by the 1st Mechanized
Division (not Motor Rifle as it states in the directions, they came much later)
in the summer of 1941. This combines "dark green 4BO" with "dark brown 6K" and
"yellow earth 7K"; one is a dark reddish brown and the other is a brownish tan.
Overall I only wish this kit
had come out two years ago! This is my personal choice for "Kit of the Year" but
then again I am biased towards '34s. Thanks to Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on January 8,
2004)
Kit Review: DML 1/35
scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6189; Sd. Kfz, 182 King Tiger (Porsche Turret).
553 parts (544 in grey styrene, 8
etched brass, 1 section of nylon string).
Price estimated at $34-40.
Advantages: new, clean kit of this popular vehicle with
many of the small details provided in styrene; includes separate grilles for the
engine deck, detailed gun access hatch, and early/late gun barrels.
Disadvantages: no AA machine gun,
some ejection pin marks.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all German heavy tank fans.
F I R S T L O O K
I have to state up front that I am
not a Tiger II fan. This vehicle, to give its due, was BIG; but it was also one
of the biggest dogs ever fielded by the Germans. Consider this: for the same
weight as a modern Abrams or Challenger 2, each of which has a 1500 HP engine
with modern torque converter transmission, the Tiger II limped along on the same
overtaxed 700 HP gasoline engine used in the Panther. Coupled with a relatively
slow speed of only 35 kph on flat ground and a range of just over 100 miles (170
km) it was not a very good offensive weapon. Prone to snapping axles and track
links, the tank was as likely to be a victim of its failings more than it was to
be a victim of enemy action. It was awkward, had serious problems with bridges
and soft ground, and was occasionally even a victim of its own success!
Consider this anecdote from "After
the Battle Then and Now: Battle of the Bulge." A Tiger II crew managed to get to
the top of an icy road in Belgium to discover a US M10 tank destroyer about 300
meters away. The M10 shot at the Tiger II without results, but was totally
ineffective. The Tiger shot back, nearly atomizing the hapless M10, but when it
fired, the blast started the monster going backwards down the same road it had
just carefully negotiated. The driver frantically tried to halt the slide, but
to no avail. When the US troops returned sometime later, they found the
unfortunate Tiger embedded in some Belgian's barn! Pretty poor trade.
But I digress.
DML has now used some of the parts
from its earlier and very nicely done Jagdtiger kits to produce a new kit of the
Sd.Kfz. 182 Tiger Ausf. B or Tiger II. (King Tiger was a Western nickname, not
the German one. Use in a sentence and watch Tom Jentz light up!) This is the
early model with the Porsche turret originally made for the VK4502(P) tank that
was not accepted for production. Only the first 50 out of 485 eventual Tiger II
tanks were fitted with this turret. Personally, I think it is the better looking
of the two, albeit it does limit your modeling options as far as where the tank
was used.
DML has gone out of
its way to provide a number of options with this model, and I appreciate the
fact they give you a choice of either the early or late barrel; one tank with
each barrel is called out on the painting instructions. It also comes with what
are now the usual touches for preparations for those who will add after-market
parts to the kit, such as an engine and interior parts. The top turret hatch and
the rear turret hatch are also nicely detailed on the insides, but there are a
few pesky ejection pin marks that must be removed.
The turret does come with an elementary gun breech and
recoil mechanism assembly. There are a lot of little "fiddly bits" for the
turret such as spare track link hangers. No AA machine gun or mount comes with
the kit, but I believe that there is one in the DML set of German Panzer crewmen
so I guess they expect the modeler to pick up a set to complete the kit.
(Apparently the AA MG was not a "basic issue item" for the Tiger II, or at least
not according to one of the Jentz articles on it.)
The skirts are one piece, but come with the hanger holes
molded into them so they appear nice if installed. They may be a bit thick to
section, so anyone who wants to show "combat damage" may have to think about
etched metal skirting.
The kit
provides for two finishes: one tank from the s.Pz.Abt. 503 in Normandy 1944,
painted in the three color Panzerbraun/green/ red brown scheme, and one from
s.Pz.Abt. "Feldherrenhalle" in Hungary in 1945; this sports a two-color
Panzerbraun/green scheme with a hastily applied whitewash winter camouflage
scheme over it.
Tigers seem to
be the armor modeler's P-51 Mustang as there never seem to be enough kits of
them around! Seriously, this is a really nice kit and with some TLC and a bit of
zimmerit if needed it should be a very nice addition to most modelers' shelves.
Thanks to Freddie Leung for
the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
(Originally written on January 8,
2004)
Kit Review: DML 1/35
scale '39-'45 Series Kit No. 6187; Sd.Kfz. 251 Ausf. C.
556 parts (553 in grey
styrene, 3 in grey vinyl).
Price estimated at around $28-33.
Advantages: Gorgeous new kit of a
popular subject; captures tiniest details in most areas and comes ready for an
after-market engine; includes five figures and optional parts for detailing them
and the vehicle.
Disadvantages: two-part single track links unlikely to be
popular with some modelers; multi-piece hull body may cause some minor problems.
Rating: Highly Recommended.
Recommendation: for all German
armor fans, especially of Panzergrenadiers.
F I R S T L O O K
There are times you can feel sorry for fans of some
modeling subjects when the most common kit going is a real dog. Such was the
case with the 1973 vintage Tamiya Sd. Kfz. 251/1 halftrack kit. While it came
with what seemed to be a good package then - and it was, providing a number of
reasonably well animated Panzergrendiers and optional parts to mount the Pak 36
3.7 cm AT gun on it and make a "stroke10" model out of the kit, it had a host of
problems. The main one was that the hull - for whatever reason - was around 8 mm
too narrow, which amounts to a foot off in 1/35 scale. I recall swearing a blue
streak while vivisecting the hull of a half-assembled one to get the correct
width to it. (It wound up going back in the box until I used it to make a
correct Sd. Kfz. 251 engineer variant with the Ausf. D hull.)
It was also blessed with "dwarf"
figures - not big strapping Saxons or Brandenburgers, but itty bitty 5' tall
Germans. (Nobody cared at the time, for this was the only kit in town! The
ancient Nitto Ausf. B was pretty much a toy.)
Tamiya never fixed the problem with that kit, albeit they
did come out with a correctly proportioned Sd. Kfz. 251/9 series that was used
to make a new "stroke 1" model - but this was the later Ausf. D hull. Most of
the early halftracks used in Russia during Operation Barbarossa were the C
model, so it still left this common vehicle missing. Also, more conversions were
made with the C model than with the D, so it was the base vehicle for most of
the more interesting conversions.
DML has now followed up its nicely done Sd.Kfz. 250 series
halftracs (both the early and late models) with a similarly done version of the
Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. C. This is a state-of-the-art kit and unless you want a
fast build it is time to send the obsolete Tamiya kit packing. It comes with a
driver figure (who appears to be the same one from the 250 series) and a
complete set of No. 6124 "Grossdeutchland" figures, but with the new DML
replacement head and detail sprue and three vinyl parts that represent casual
uniform discards - two uniform blouses and a pair of boots.
The kit has the old-style
black-white-blue directions, but these are pretty clear and the model is not
hard to sort out. The kit comes with everything except the engine, but the
engine access doors are separate so that when the inevitable resin engine kit
comes out - or a separate on from DML, as they did with the 250s - it will drop
into place. Some of the lower hull details are included as well, such as the
fuel tank, battery and transfer case/transmission.
The hull builds up from the chassis pan, nose section, two
lower hull sides, the upper hull and hood section, forward machine gun platform,
lower tail section, and the doors and engine access panels. This is to simplify
getting all of the details together, such as the interior stowage bins behind
the seats. Fenders are in single-piece units but the fender stowage bins are
molded as one and have a single piece door assembly.
The wheels are very nicely molded,
but the tracks are single-link with two parts to each link (link and pad;
careful assembly will yield working tracks.) This is likely to bother some
modelers who do not like "fiddly bits" but I think most will enjoy this level of
detail as part of the kit.
The
rest of the details appear to match the kit's high quality. All of the interior
bits - from what I can see in the old Bellona handbook series on the 251 - are
there or at least the main components are provided. This includes all of the
levers, spare vision blocks, Funk f radio set, rifle racks, and a much thinner
and more scale set of hinges for the rear doors. The doors appear to be made to
work if one is careful, but unlike the roundhouse quality hinges on the Tamiya
kit these are quite delicate and may not. The steering can also be made to work,
or at least will permit posing the front wheels.
Decals and painting are included for two vehicles: a 251/1
from "Grossdeutschland" at Kursk in 1943, and a grey one from the 14th Panzer
Division, Ukraine 1942. The figure painting and assembly instructions are
separate and cover the uniforms for "Grossdeutschland" but not for the other
division.
Note that there are
two optional parts, a section of mine-protection armor plate for the lower front
of the hull and a small part that goes at the rear. These are found on the
figure instruction sheet, not the main directions.
It is likely that this will be the first of the series, and
that DML has 21 more versions of the 251 that can be built if they also expand
to offer an Ausf. D hull as well.
Overall, this should be a popular kit and is a contemporary
kit, well executed.
Thanks to
Freddie Leung for the review sample.
Cookie Sewell
AMPS
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