By Dekker Zimmerman
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Mfg.: Zvezda German L-4500 Mauler Kit #: 3603 Subject: German L-4500 Maultier Scale: 1/35th Parts: 426 Type of kit: German heavy halftrack L 4500 R Maultier This kit is a represents a mid WWII German heavy transport vehicle The Maultier or “Mule” was rushed into service as its predecessor was under powered. The track system was taken from the Panzer II tank and worked well in the eastern front and other conflicts where a bigger track was needed. Daimler built over 1486 of these vehicles. The first thing you see when the kit is opened is lots and lots of very small, very detailed parts! The kit is molded in a desert tan and has very detailed suspension, engine, frame and running gear. The parts for the trucks bed are molded to simulate wood grain and this is done very well and to scale. The track is a link by length system and the fine detail on each link is unbelievable! The kit also has parts to simulate the fabric tarp covering the bed and once painted will look like a real tarp, wrinkles and all. Ther is no flash on the runners and the molding is top notch. The front tires are molded in 3 piece assembly. The kits instructions are in five different languages, including English. On the first page is a brief history of the vehicle. Parts are laid out in clear step by step drawings. A new feature is the sub assembly’s are shaded in gray so the modeler will know what goes where in the final assembly. Paint call outs are in Testors Model Master and decals are given for one version. This kit is very nice and will be a great build for modelers who like all the small details.
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By Dekker Zimmerman
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Review Mfg.: Fine Molds Kit #: FM 29 Subject: Type 3 “GHI-NU” Japanese WWII medium tank Scale: 1/35th Parts: 203 Type of kit: Imperial Japanese army WWII medium tank
This kit is a represents a Japanese tank from 1944 The CHI-NU was a late produced tank in WWII and used an artillery gun as its main weapon to challenge the U.S. Sherman tank. The kit is the first of its kind in 1/35th scale and has a detailed gun system including the breach. There is an option to have the cupola hatch open so you can see the guns detail. There are some parts molded in clear styrene that include the light covers and cupola site glass. The main gun is in two pieces for a hollow tube but you can upgrade it to an aluminum barrel, sold separately. The tracks are the band style as link by link might be problematic with such small tread sizes. All the runners are flash free and crisply molded. The kit is molded in a tan color and has very clear instructions that include English. An extra nice touch in the lower sponson covers that hide the open hole under the track detail. There is a large section on the instructions for the color scheme. Color call outs match Tamiya and Humbrol brands. Decals give you a choice of three different variants. This kit seems to fill an area most model companies forget about as not many Japanese WWII tank kits exist. Modelers will be delighted with this release.
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By Dekker Zimmerman
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Review Mfg.: Great Wall Hobby Kit #: L3516 Subject: German 3.7 Flak43 halftrack Scale: 1/35th Parts: over 400 Type of kit: 3.7cm Flak43 auf schwere Wehrmacht Schlepper This kit is a represents a mid WWII German mobile flak gun By the middle of WWII the German Wehrmacht was faced with the loss of their air superiority and they needed new vehicles for defense from the Allied air attacks. The Germans needed a fast, mobile platform they could protect the armored columns with. Many vehicles were tried and eventually the halftrack was used. Only 820 of this version were built, not near enough to turn the Allied supremacy. The kit has many complex parts molded in single pieces. A one piece frame and cab are molded this way. The parts are very thin and have a great “scale” look. There is a complete drivers compartment and gun mechanism with many super detailed parts including some in Photo-etch metal. The tracks are link by link and superbly detailed. Great Wall Hobby has extensively used slide-molding techniques on this kit that allowed hollow molding of the main gun and many other parts needing extra detail. Ammunition is also supplied in miniature. The instructions give a brief history of the vehicle and are written in Chinese and English. The assembly drawings are very clear and well laid out. The use of exterior “knock out pins” on the plastic sprue is a welcome sight as the model parts will not have those pesky round dimples in them. The kit has a separate color sheet for the painting and decaling of the one version and denotes Gunze brand paint. This will be a exciting build for armor modelers of all skill levels.
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Mini Art Soviet Command car
By: Roger Cole
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In the early 1940s the automobile company American Bantam produced an early prototype all wheel drive ¼ ton truck for the United States Army. Called the BRC, for Bantam Reconnaissance Car, it was one of the earliest designs that led to the Jeep. Unfortunately Bantam was deemed unable to produce the vehicle in the numbers required so the contract was give to Willys and Ford. The 1500 units Bantam had made were given under Lend/Lease to the United Kingdom and the USSR. The Ukrainian company MiniArt has produced this vehicle in three different kits. Each kit has a different set of “crew.” Kit 35014 has an American MP unit, kit 35050 has a British crew, and the subject of this review, kit 35048, is labeled a ‘Soviet Command Car w/Crew.” Technically since the American army never used this vehicle only the British and Soviet versions are accurate, though the MP crew of 35014 will be welcomed by Allied modelers. The kit consists of two sprues of light gray plastic for the vehicle itself, one sprue for the five figures, and one clear sprue for windshield and headlights. The plastic is somewhat soft, almost rubbery. The molding of the pieces is good, nice and crisp, with some flash in a few areas. There are a number of fairly prominent knock out marks that look to be in areas where most won’t show when the kit is completed. One area where these knock out marks will need to be dealt with is under the hood. The kit comes with a decent seven piece engine and radiator that if you decide to leave the hood up to show off you will need to sand down the marks. The kit’s main body is in one piece, like the Tamiya Jeep and opposed to the Italeri version that comes in several pieces. The chassis and suspension is nicely detailed, consisting of some 29 parts. Some of these are a bit fiddly, so care will be needed. Many fine points that could be molded onto the body have been made separate for greater detail. Overall this kit is more detailed than the Italeri Jeep, and at least as detailed as the Tamiya. What really brings attention to this kit is the five Soviet figures it comes with. These consist of a driver, two officers, one apparently of higher rank, an armed guard, and a women who it appears is some kind of Soviet MP. The figures are at least as detailed as DML kits. The heads, and headgear, are separate pieces to aid in painting. The woman is the typical western stereotype of a soviet female, she’s a big girl that looks to be able to handle herself. Also included are a rifle and three sub machineguns, although only one of the SMGs is shown being used. I don’t enough about Soviet arms or uniforms to know how accurate these are but they look right to me. The instructions are clear, though the drawings are somewhat small. One page shows the box art and drawings of the sprues. These sprue drawings are important, as the sprues themselves do not have part numbers on them. You may need to constantly refer back the sprue drawings to know exactly which piece is which. Assembly is in 22 steps which sounds much more complicated than it really is. The last page shows the assembled figures with color notations similar to DML’s box art of their figures. One detail I’m really glad to see MiniArt do is to include paint numbers for Vallejo, Testors, Tamiya, Humbrol, Revell, and Mr. Color. This certainly beats DML, who ignore Vallejo, Tamiya, and Humbrol, or Tamiya who ignore ever body but their own. Overall I find this to be an interesting addition to my stash. By itself the kit can make a small diorama or it can be combined with another Soviet vehicle at a crossroads to give the women a reason to be directing traffic. The only downsides to the kit is no part numbers on the sprues, and some confusion as to which parts go where, which with such a relatively simple kit isn’t a big deal.
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Hasegawas 1/32nd scale F-104 Marineflieger
By Matt Quiroz
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plane that looked fast while sitting still, it was the F-104 or as it is
more commonly known, the Starfighter. With its sleek needle like fuselage it
easily looked capable of its top rated speed of Mach 2 +. The F-104G was the
European built variant of the Starfighter and differed in a number of ways
from its predecessor, the “C”, the most notable being the larger tail. Other
changes included substantially strengthening the airframe to allow for
improved low level operations, the addition of an improved F-15A NASARR
fire control system(North American Search and Ranging Radar), an additional
hard point under each wing to allow for an improved weapons load of up to
4,000 pounds and all weather avionics. The F-104 was equipped with the C-2
ejection seat initially, but due to numerous failures during high sink
rates, the seat was changed to the Martin-Baker GQ-7(A). The “G” became the
definitive Starfighter in terms of numbers and accepted into service. The
Starfighter went on to serve in the air forces of no less than fifteen
countries and was finally retired from service when the Italian Air Force
flew them for the last time during the summer of 2004. Total numbers
produced were 2578, with just 296 seeing service in the USAF, making up only
two fighter squadrons. It is a pleasant surprise to see this kit back on the market after being without it for awhile. The F-104 is one of my favorite planes and to have a quality mold of one in 1/32 is an added bonus. While the molding is older for Hasegawa, meaning raised panel lines, the quality is still evident in the kit. It features the bigger chord tail which is the most prominent external difference on the plane and is easily seen when looking at the plane in profile. Panel lines, while raised, are well done and consistent. There are a few added bonuses included; namely resin main gear doors and wheels with the wheels being the correct wider version and the gear doors having the prominent bulge for the tires. There was a minor bit of flash on my sample, but it will clean up easily with a few passes from a sanding stick. The main landing gear is re-enforced with a pre-bent length of copper wire that is trapped between the two halves to help keep the landing gear legs from “splaying” out over time. Cockpit detail is adequate with raised buttons and knobs on the side consoles as well as the instrument panel, but the seat is incorrect for a German “G” variant. The kit “Bang seat” is the earlier C-2 variant and should be a Martin-Baker GQ-7(A) which is a totally different looking seat. All is not lost though as a couple of folks offer resin replacement seats. AMS Resin (http://mysite.verizon.net/resqt29j/) is one and the other is CAM Resin offered through Johns Models http://www.johnsmodels.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=CAM Other companies that produced items for this kit featuring the earlier C-2 seat are Verlinden and True Details. Black Box made a resin cockpit, unfortunately out of production, that might be found with a little searching. I imagine you could mix and match to get where you needed to be, or one could simply build it out of the box. Whatever the choice, there are options available. A nice inclusion is the defrost ducting around the canopy which isn’t found on the 1/48 offerings of Starfighter. The builder has the option of posing the M-61 Vulcan cannon bay opened or closed. This same can be said for the radar in the nose of the aircraft as well as the ability to display the full J-79 engine along with the speed brakes. Personally, to this builder anyway, this takes away from the sleek look of the plane, so mine will be buttoned up as it were, but the option is there should somebody wish to do so. Weapons choices are limited to two Aim 9 Sidewinders. You have the option of mounting them on the belly of the plane in step 15 or swapping out the wing tip tanks and installing them in step 17. No under wing pylons are provided. A pilot figure is included, but it is pretty basic in appearance. Construction takes place over seventeen steps with easy to follow instructions and paint call outs provided for Mr. Color paints. Markings are provided for two aircraft. · MFG1 Marinefleiger 22+71 Neutral gray over silver · MFG2 Marinefleiger 26+88 Neutral gray over silver Even though this is an older kit in new trimmings with some added goodies, it is still a wonderful kit with just a few short comings. Decal choices are limited, but there are aftermarket items available. If you are a fan of the Starfighter, and want one in a larger scale, then this just might be the one for you as it is the best Starfighter kit in this scale. Thanks to Dragon models for the review sample.
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Moebus Frankenstien
Review by Matt Quiroz
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If you know anything about horror movies, then you know that Frankenstein is the man! Well, several men put together as one man, but you get the idea. With Mobeus’ newest release of this iconic figure this modeler was rather pleased when I opened the box. What greeted me was a nice seven piece base and all of 25 flash free pieces for the figure itself. The first thing you will notice when you pick up the box is the weight. You can thank the seven piece base for most of that as it is nice and sturdy. The wood grain texture that is molded in is convincing and will look the part once painted and weathered. The same goes for the stone wall sections. I see some Maus Werx vegetation items in Franky’s future! The figure is well molded and bears a remarkable likeness to Boris Karloff, the man who brought this legendary creature to life on the screen even without saying an entire word. Now that is acting! Test fitting some of the pieces together revealed that the fit was just as good as the molding. I have heard of some complaints about the hairline across the front of the head, but after comparing the part to the box art, which happens to be a still shot from the movie, I think it looks fine. Your mileage may vary. Pressing the head halves together showed no appreciable seams to deal with. The joint line is very faint and should be easy to deal with using some careful sanding and/or filing. The legs, arms and head are trapped between the front and rear parts of the upper torso. The seams for both of these are virtually invisible once pressed together. They should readily disappear once a little glue is applied to the joint. If the kit is to mimic the box art, then Franky should be gripping the door with his left hand in a reverse grip. The way it is out of the box, the mounting pin is off and as such has his hand merely hanging at his side. It is in a natural position so it could be left as is or fixed. Fixing it is a simple matter of cutting off the mounting pin on the hand and rotating his hand 90 degrees out. Parts fit on everything I have tried have been excellent. I can safely guess, that the remaining few pieces I haven’t tried yet will fit just as well. There is a nice historical account about the movie and those involved in its production listed on the front page of the instructions. Speaking of instructions, they are well laid out, in color, and have plenty of text to support the pictures. Remember when all there were was text? My, how times have changed. Painting suggestions are listed on the bottom of page 2 along with a color photo of the completed kit as a reference. I am very pleased with all the new releases that Mobeus has brought us. I have recently acquired a Dark Horse Bride of Frankenstein figure that will go extremely well with this kit. I have purchased all of the kits recently released and look forward to the others that the company has in store for us later. If you have never built one of these, you owe it to yourself to try one. They are a refreshing walk down memory lane to the days of going to the theater to see the latest and greatest horror movie to hit the screen. While the original was well before my time, it is still one my favorites. They also allow for a chance to play with the paint pallet and best of all…..there aren’t any decals…..
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Revell 1/48th P-39 Airacobra
Mfg.: Revel
Subject: P-39 Airacobra
Scale: 1/48th
Parts: 71
Type of kit: WWII single seat fighter
This kit represents a P-39Q or a P-400 version of the Airacobra. Designed by
Bell Aircraft in 1936 this aircraft had an unconventional mid engine design
and a forward opening door for the pilot to get in and out of. By having a
mid engine the aircraft could house a large cannon in the nose.
The kit is a reissue of a classic Revell 1/48th scale model and still has great
appeal.
The kit is well molded and has raised panel lines. Extra attention was given
to the cockpit area with a very accurate instrument panel. The kit also includes
extra ground crew figures for a diorama type scene. The right side of the
fuselage has a cut away panel to show off the mid engine detail. Gun detail in
the nose is also included in the kit. The right door is molded separately for a
open view of the cockpit. The canopy glass is well molded and crystal clear
with separate door glass. Two markings are given in the kit, one for P-39Q
42-19551, Devastating D, 49th fighter squadron, 15th fighter group, Canton
Island, 1943 and P-400, Hells Bells, BW-151, 347th FG, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Color and decal call outs are given in very detailed instructions along with
a short history of the aircraft. The kit is great for all skill levels and should
build up to a nice detailed replica of the Bell Airacobra.
Great Wall Hobby
Kit # L3511
sWS 60cm Infrared searchlight carrier “UHU”
MSRP about $84
The Schwere Wehrmachtschlepper (sWS) was a simple 5 ton, low-speed,
half-track designed to replace the Sd.Kfz.6, Sd.Kfz.11 and similar types. The
initial unarmored cargo version was produced by Büssing-NAG from December
1943 until the end of the war with a total of 825 produced; production continued
post-war by Tatra in Czechoslovakia. The sWS was powered by a 6 cylinder,
water-cooled Maybach HL42TRKMS gasoline engine generating 100 horsepower
which gave it a top speed of 17.0 mph on good roads with a load capacity of about
8,800 lb.
There is no documentation that the IR equipped sWS was produced on the
drawing board or otherwise. This configuration probably gained some credit from
the old HO scale metal sWS produced by ROCO. With its futuristic look the sWS IR
would look at home posed next to a KV2 walking tank by MIG Productions, any of
the Dust series of sci-fi equipment or even some SF3D offerings if one was so inclined.
The kit has 403 parts in a light tan plastic with an additional 472 individual
parts making up the tracks in the same colored plastic. The kit also includes 11 clear
and 67 photo-etched parts. Decals, instructions and a color painting guide round out
the offering. The quality of the molding is excellent, featuring clean crisp details with
little or no flash and or pin marks. There are the usual seam lines that need removed
and as some of the parts are extremely small and fine the builder will need to be careful
when removing these from the sprues and also during assembly. Overall a nice kit with
some serious possibilities for Sci-fi builders, or just straight out of the box.
Mini Art Dingo
The Daimler Dingo was arguably one of the finest armored fighting vehicles
built in Britain during WWII. It was a small two-man armored car that was well
protected for its size with 30 mm of armor at the front and the engine being located
at the rear. An interesting feature of the Dingo was its transmission; a pre-selector
gearbox and fluid flywheel gave it five speeds in either forward or reverse. Original
Mk-I versions had four-wheel steering; but this feature was dropped in the Mk II
variant due to inexperienced drivers having difficulty in controlling the vehicle.
The Dingo was first used by the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of
France by the 1st Armored Division and 4th Northumberland Fusiliers. The Dingo
was so successful that replacements weren’t sought until 1952 with the production
of the Daimler Ferret. In the mid-1970s the Dingo was still being used by Cyprus,
Portugal and Sri Lanka. * *According to Wiki.
MiniArt has done it again; this time with a nice rendition of the venerable
Daimler Dingo Mk II. According to the box top there are 212 parts molded on six
medium gray sprues. This includes two figures to man your scout car, as well as
a small fret of photo-etch brass. Molding is well done with crisp detail found
throughout. The lower hull of the vehicle is made up of four separate pieces which
might be cause for concern if they are not properly aligned. There is nothing I hate
worse than have one of my car kits suddenly go from a 4 wheeler to a teetering 3
wheeler. Interior details such as control lines and boxes are molded into the
sidewalls of the hull. There was one small knockout mark I noticed, but based
on its location, it shouldn’t be visible once assembled.
Assembly takes place over 50 steps. Yes you read that correctly, 50. Kickoff
is with the hull assembly in step one and it just gets more involved from there.
The instructions are pretty “busy” and as such the builder would do well to take
their time and study them carefully as they go. I would guess that there wouldn’t
be any building on the fly with this kit. There are a lot of parts, and little parts
at that. I found no flash or serious amounts of knock out pin marks on my kit.
Sprue attachment points are small and should clean up easily once removed.
The figures and assorted weapons are especially well done.
Painting options are pretty simple; dark green or dark gray. Paint call
outs are provided for Vallejo, Testors, Tamiya, Humbrol, Revell, and Mr.Color
brands. The painting guide is in color which is helpful. Marking options
provide for three vehicles, not two as stated on Hobby Link Japan’s site.
· “B” Squadron, 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry, Tunisia, North Africa,
1943 (Dark Green)
· sPz Abt 503, Summer 1944, France (Dark Gray)
· Regimental HQ, Royal Canadian Dragoons, 1st Canadian Corps.,
UK. Spring 1943 (Dark Green)
For a small kit, this thing is loaded with detail. Compared with my
old Tamiya kit sitting on the shelf, there is no comparison.
Matts MDK report:
12 September came around and I found myself heading north towards Denver
to help out with a Make-n-Take program that Tom Grossman was running at
NDK (Nan Desu Kan) For those not in the know, NDK is an annual event similar
to an IPMS national event in that it draws hordes of folks from across the nation
who come to attend. THAT, is where the similarity’s end. Almost to the person,
they are wearing a costume of their favorite super hero, villain, anime character,
video game character and a host of, umm, shall we say “other “type costumes.
There was an abundance of eye candy to take in. I’ll leave it at that. Fellow
CIPMSer’s in attendance were Jeff and Jared Conrad, Dan Archibeque, Tom
Grossman, and yours truly. This was my first time at this event and it was an
eye opening, and head turning/scratching experience. I planned on taking
several pictures of the event to share with the club, but my camera met and
untimely death with the end result being a destroyed LCD screen so I couldn’t
see anything of what was being photographed. The single picture I did take
shows just one or two of the attendees, and a whole lot of floor in between them.
Suffice to say, it was an interesting way and place to spend the day.
The Make-n-Take was kind of light on attendance from past builds I have
worked, but it was still just as fun to help the crowd build and paint their kits
and then watch them take them over to be displayed in the model room. Our
kits this year were some super deform Gundam kits that came three to a box.
They went together quickly, and when painted up, looked very, um…. dare I
say cute? Must have been all the anime’ costumes running around the building. ;o)
We also had a Klingon D7 Bird of Prey that I saw a couple of guys build. I spent
about 4 or so hours on site, but between helping and wandering around to take
in all of the sites, sounds, and sometimes smells …:o( the time went by rather
quickly. With the Make-n-Take doors closed at 1pm, I helped in cleaning up,
packed up my gear and headed for the door. What greeted me was a mob of
costumed characters and a steady rainfall which made the 2 block walk to the
truck not quite a pleasant, but doable. Now that I know what to expect from
this event, I can better plan for next year. It looks to be a whole lot of fun, but
no, I am not dressing up for it. ;o)
Something to add to my NDK report. I took a silver and a gold for my efforts in
the model contest that was held in conjunction with NDK.
Silver for the Froghopper MkII and a Gold for my BoTL-1 ship. My awards were
certificates, and a couple of small model kits. One of them is a super deform
gundam the other is a ship from Thunderbirds! Both are pretty cool looking.
Moebius – The Mummy
Rob Schmitt
In 1932, Boris Karloff starred in Universal Pictures The Mummy where he portrayed the
ancient Egyptian priest Imhotep who is revived when an expedition finds his mummy and
accidentally reads an ancient life-giving spell. Although Karloff’s mummy is only on the
screen for two minutes, his amazing makeup and incredible performance made The Mummy
an iconic horror character; just as he did in Universal Pictures 1931 Frankenstein.
Fast forward to 2009 where Frank Winspur and Moebius Models has released a 1/8 scale
rendition of the classic monster. Molded in light grey, this big kit comes complete with a
base, wall, cobra, mummy and sarcophagus. The detail is amazing; all the way from the
sarcophagus lid to the likeness of Boris Karloff. The box art was done by famous monster
artist Basil Gogos who’s remarkable portraits of movie monsters appeared on the covers
of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine in the 1960s and 70s..
The first thing that strikes you is the size of the box: a “monstrous” 12.5 x 9.75 x 5.25
inches! Inside you will find 43 pieces cast in light grey styrene. The casting is crisp
throughout with no visible flash. A nice touch is the 4-page color reference sheet by
Jeff Bond and Dave Metzner. The design is very reminiscent of Janus' long out of
production “Im-Ho-Tep” and comparing the two really shows the detail.
shows the detail.
Assembling the kit is a snap. The sarcophagus lid is two pieces and practically puts
itself together. The inner and outer sarcophagus base is another matter – 10 pieces.
The Mummy is nicely detailed in 10 main pieces with numerous bandages that hang off.
The only noticeable gaps were on the head behind the ears and the back of the
shoulders, but this was easily remedied with a little putty.
The
cobra assembly is 6 pieces and the seams are nicely hidden on the belly
and after a little putty and primer, it’s time to start painting the kit.
The original movie was filmed in black and white so you can use your imagination
when painting. I did some research on King Tutankhamen’s tomb and decided to
use it as a painting reference.
First up is the Mummy. I base coated the body with Sand Yellow using Model
Air paints by Acrylicos Vallejo and my trusty Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. The Model
Air paints are specifically designed for airbrushing and use a very fine pigment that
give you an even and smooth finish. The Eclipse is an extremely flexible and versatile
airbrush; allowing me to spray anything from fine lines up to a 2-inch pattern. I layered
Ochre and Sandy Brown over the bandages to give them a weathered look and
once dry, I oil washed them with Burnt Sienna for some depth. I then drybrushed
Yellow to pull out some of the detail on the raised edges. The head and hands
were base coated Sandy Brown and then dry brushed with Yellow. A light coat
of Gold Yellow completed the effect of leathered skin.
Next it was time to tackle the base. The wall and stones were base coated Sand
and then shades of Ochre and Sand Yellow were used to break up the color.
Chips in the wall were painted Gold Yellow and the heiroglyphics on the back of
the wall were painted with reds, yellows and browns and then misted with Sand to
give them a faded look.
The sarcophogas interior was base coated with a mixture of Dark Earth and
German Gray. Drybrushing Rust and Golden Brown brought out the texture
and then I tied it all together with Wood and Golden Brown. The exterior
was primed with Gloss Black and then base coated with Gold. Using reference
photos of King Tutankhamen’s sarcophogas, various shades of reds, blues, and
browns were used to bring out the fine detail. Once competed, a clear matte
finish was sprayed over the entire sarcophogus to give it a weathered and faded look.
Using an Egyptian Cobra as reference, I base coated the snake with Green Brown
and then sprayed stripes of Olive Green and Dark Yellow. The cobra’s belly was
painted Light Brown and drybrushed Gold Yellow.
Finally it was time to put the whole thing together. After placing the wall and sarcophagus
on the base, I added some real sand by mixing white glue with water and sprinkling
sand over the mixture. Once set, I applied another coat of the glue/water mixture to seal
the sand. To finish the effect, I sprayed Sand (go figure) over the entire base.
I have to admit - I haven’t had this much fun putting together a model since I was a kid.
Although this was a fairly simple build, the attention to detail has to be seen to be believed.
Congratulations to Frank Winspur and Moebius Models on another fine kit. This one is
sure to become a fan favorite!
Mfg.: Dragon Models #6300
Subject: Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. H
Scale: 1/35th
Parts: over 690
Type of kit: Late production German WWII armored fighting vehicle.
This kit is the latest version of Dragons Panzer IV series.
The Panzer IV was one of the German armies most produced armored tanks.
The kit represents the late production (H) version with the long barrel used
in 1943-44 on the eastern and western fronts.
The kit has a small assortment of photo-etch parts for the engine deck and
metal side skirt armor. It includes extra parts to “up armor” the hull and
sides. Link by link Magic Tracks are included and with the tiny size of the
links it is amazing how much detail they have thanks to slide molding.
All parts are flash free and crisply molded. This is almost expected of Dragons
armor kits. The box is packed even though the kit is in the “smart kit” series
and should be less to build then the standard kits. The kit has real wire for
tow cables, a modified slide molded front machine gun and slide molded
main gun with Rifling on it’s inside. Dragon also gives clear molded vision
“periscopes”, a must for realism.
The instructions are well drawn and show the parts not needed for this version.
Color call outs are easy to understand and there are decals for 5 different
markings in 5 different schemes including a 2nd and 3rd division marked tanks.
People will be buying multiples of this kit as the variations in markings and
optional parts will keep it interesting.
Overall this kit looks like an exciting build and will be interesting in any of
the five paint schemes.
Mfg.: ICM 48802
Subject: Spitfire LF.IXE
Scale: 1/48th
Parts: over 100
Type of kit: Russian marked WWII British Spitfire.
This kit represents a Russian version of the famous British Spitfire given to the
Soviet Union during WWII in the lend lease deal of the Allied powers. The
Soviets were given many types of equipment to help put pressure on the German
powers on the eastern front.
This is a late version of the Spitfire with a pointed tail and clipped wings. These
were in short supply during WWII but very effective weapons.
The kit is well molded and has recessed panel lines. Extra attention was given to
the cockpit area with a very accurate instrument panel. The kit also includes full
engine detail of the famous Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The canopy glass is thinly
molded so the aircraft can be built with the open canopy. The kit also comes with
a set of ground crew figures that are finely detailed and a rare thing in 1/48th scale
kits. Rivets have been kept to a minimum and add a nice touch to the airframe.
The parts are well molded and flash free. The decals are very nice and well printed.
The kit has an assortment of bombs that are a option.
Overall a great kit for beginners and experts. The kit markings are for Lt. Col. V.A.
Matsiyevich, 26 GIAP, Leningrad, 1945 and have color callouts plus decal locations
on the bottom of the box.
Mfg.: Dragon Models #7085
Subject: U.S.S. Hornet
Scale: 1/700
Parts: over 320
Type of kit: Late WWII aircraft carrier with air wing.
The kit represents a one of the most famous aircraft carriers of WWII, the U.S.S. Hornet.
One of twenty-four Essex class aircraft carriers, the CV-12 was named Kearsarge
when her keel was laid at Newport News on August 3, 1942. After the first carrier
HORNET (CV-8) was sunk at the Battle of Santa Cruz in October 1942, the Navy
changed the name of CV-12 to HORNET to carry on the name of her predecessor
The kit has a cut hull so one can model it waterline or full hull. This feature gives
waterline modelers less grief of cutting the hull them selves and is also a plus for
younger modelers. There is a good amount of photo-etch metal parts including the
elevator undersides and railings. The aircraft are molded in clear plastic; a plus as
it enables the modeler to have clear canopy glass, and includes Hellcats and Helldivers.
The ship represents the 1945 configuration late in the war with extra radars on the
superstructure. Decals are also provided for the ship and all the aircraft and are finely
printed. The instructions are clear and precise.
The ship has tons of parts including a basic detailed hangar area and should be visible
through the hangar doors on the sides.
Overall a very nice kit and will be a great addition to a WWII pacific fleet collection as
this late version has not been in this much detail before.
Paper Zimerit
By Matt Quiroz
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Zimmerritt, (Zim) that anti magnetic paste the Germans plastered (literally) all over their tanks has been replicated on our models in several different ways over the years. Putties, resin, and photo etch are just a few that come to mind. Well, the good folks at Monroe Perdu recently sent their offering on the gooey stuff for a review and a test run. It is a unique approach to the sticky paste if nothing else. Its laser cut paper. You read correctly, laser cut paper. The package arrived sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard to protect it from the gentle hands of the mail service and it did its job well as my sample was in tip top shape with no wrinkles, or bends to be found. I opened the envelope and found a nice letter with some information on the product, and a nice instruction sheet for applying it to my test subject. In this case, Tamiya’s offering of the Panther G, kit #35170. I clipped out the related kit parts that the Zim would be applied to and cleaned all mating surfaces to ensure I would have a good fit. The instructions recommended that the surface be primed to allow for better adhesion of the thinned white glue and the paper. I whole heartedly complied and painted the needed areas with a good coat of primer red from White Ensign Models. After a few minutes drying time, I cut out my paper zim pieces and laid them out according to the instruction sequence. I started with the hull sides. The instructions say that there will need to be some minor trimming at the front of the piece. I test fit my piece and found this to be true. I sliced off about a 1/32” of material and everything line up nicely. The cut-outs provided for the tool locations and side skirt attachment points lined up perfectly. I continued working my way around the hull until I had all of the associated pieces attached. Everything fit well for the most part, except for the machine gun portion and I’ll talk about that a little later. Now that the hull was complete, I moved on to the turret. I began with the turret sides then around the front to the mantlet and finally the opposite side of the turret and the rear. The mantlet proved to be a tough egg to crack; especially the curved side pieces. These took longer to install than the entire hull alone. I had to tack them in place with a small amount of glue, and let that set up first. I then brushed on a liberal amount of glue/water to soften the paper and allow it to curve. I had to continue prodding it with a toothpick and tweezers to get it into position, but patience prevailed and they are in place. Once dried completely, I will trim them up a little with a fresh blade to better match the surrounding detail. The bottom front piece for the turret went on without any difficulty. The next item presented a bit of problem as well; the barrel shroud piece. I had to use the same procedure for this as the curved sides. Tack in place, let set up, and then apply copious amounts of water and glue to get it to conform to the curve. There is just a small gap at the base which should be easy to fill once everything is dried completely. The last items I added were the small hatch on the back of the turret and the stowage boxes on the rear of the hull. Fit was perfect with all of them. In my build I decided to leave the stowage boxes off for a different look, hence them not showing on the completed model. I talked about the fit of the machine gun piece earlier. I tried the same procedure as before to get it to lie down. It worked to a degree, but there was no getting it to cooperate fully with my attempts. There are some extra pieces provided as spares and I may try and slice one of those up to get a better fit once it has dried overnight. As it sits now, it doesn’t look all that great, but it might be me, and not the product. I had some minor issues at the corners as can be seen in the pictures, but I was able to trim those pieces down once all had dried. I probably could have and should have trimmed them down more prior to installation, so lesson learned here on my part. Overall this is a very nice set. It looks to be in scale and is pretty easy albeit a bit lengthy, to apply. The instructions say to use thinned white glue (PVA), but it can be installed using full strength white glue as well. By putting on a primer first there is a good bond created between the paper and the primer. The paper can be cut to show battle damage either before of after applying them. It is easier to do so before hand…I speak from experience as I tried both. The bond between the paper and the primer was that good. The product can be painted with any type of paint and takes weathering well. One small drawback is that the paper tends to absorb the paint much like a sponge. There is a half bottle of Model Master Dark Yellow on this model, even with the primer in place, it still absorbed that much. Not a game ender, but something the builder should be aware of. The pieces come on a single sheet with a diagram showing what pieces go where plus a couple of extras for touch ups. The attachment points are very small and there are only 2 per piece, so removing the pieces is a snap with a sharp blade or extremely fine scissors. I was extremely happy with the performance of the product, save for the MG portion, but that is about it and I can handle that easy enough. If you are looking for an alternative to PE, and resin Zimmeritt, you might want to give this a try. Thanks to Monroe Perdu Studios for the review sample.
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By Matt Quiroz There has been so much written about the 109 series of aircraft I highly doubt I could write anything that isn’t already known, or hasn’t been written about before so I will dispense with the history lesson and talk about the model. I have built some of UM’s offerings of military vehicles, but this is a first for me in regards to an aircraft kit. On first glance the kit looks a little rough, but no more than others I have laid eyes on. There are traces of flash on about 90% of the sprues, but it is not extreme and should clean up easily enough with a few passes of a sanding stick, or the back edge of a model knife. While most kits begin assembly with the cockpit or “office” as it is sometimes called, this one begins with the healthily detailed engine, with the cockpit following at step seven. The entire build takes place over 46..yes, forty six steps. Unused parts are shaded out on the instruction sheet. There is a brief history of the place written in English, German, and Ukrainian. Parts are molded in a light gray styrene on eleven sprues that feels fairly soft (I was able to scratch it with my finger nail) Panel lines are recessed and are consistent over the entire model. Wheel well detail is molded into the bottom of upper wing pieces. A portion of the cockpit side-wall detail is molded into the fuselage halves and the result is a couple of small sink holes on the side of the fuselage exterior, but should also fill easily enough. Separate slats and flaps are provided as well as two different tails and their corresponding horizontal stabilizers. The tail attaches at a natural panel line so there should be no seam to dress. A nice touch. I believe the choices allow for an early and late variant, but I can’t be 100% sure on this. There are separate engine cowlings that can be posed closed or opened to show off the highly detailed engine. There is a wide selection of ordinance to hang under this plane. You are offered a choice of using a single SD250 semi armor piercing bomb, a single AB250 sub munitions dispenser, a multiple SC50 general purpose bomb dispenser with four bombs mounted, or the same multiple dispenser with four AB50 bombs. Decals are provided for each of the bombs mentioned. You are also given the option to use either of the two different centerline fuel tanks instead. But wait, there’s more. You can also install the under-wing cannons if you are so inclined. Bottom line is that the builder has a few options available to them. Sounds promising so far eh? Well, there are some hiccups to deal with. The wingtips are separate pieces which I can’t understand why when just about everybody else these days are molding them as an integral part of the wing. The multi piece nose assembly looks to be problematic as there is a lot going on here, and to get the fit right will require an extra set of hands or two. The biggest disappointment for me was the canopy and other clear parts. They are fogged/frosted (take your pick) and will require some work to bring it them up to standard. However, replacement ones can be found at Squadron. I also wish there was a little more info in the instructions on the tail choices, and weapons load out. Just a personal nit-pick. I had to search the net to find the info on the bombs… The decals look nice but feature a pretty fair amount of decal film around the edges which sends me an alarm when I see this. However, they are opaque and well registered. There are only two marking options provided;
Paint call outs are for Humbrol colors and are featured on a color sheet. Overall this isn’t a bad looking kit. It features a fair amount of flash, a highly detailed engine, a lot of parts, decent looking decals, a plethora of weapons to choose from, a color painting guide, and easy to follow instructions. But that being said, there are a couple of minor glitches such as the clear parts, and lack of info on the tail choices but if one can handle/address these, they could be rewarded with a decent looking representation of this fine fighter. Thanks to UM for the review sample.
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By Matt Quiroz When I saw this item arrive for review on Armorama I had to take a swing at it. I cut my shooting teeth one of these as a kid and later on in the Army, although the Army gave me an M-21 to shoot instead, it is pretty much this rifle only tweaked somewhat. A little background on the real weapon first; The M-1, was basically a
modernized version of the highly successful M1 Garand of the Second World
War and Korea era. The M-14, however, was refined and utilized a detachable
20-shot magazine in place of the Enbloc 7-shot clip found on the Garand. It
was officially known as the Rifle, M14. It was capable of both full and
semi-automatic fire, but was more commonly fired in the semi-automatic mode
as the weapon was extremely light to fire fully automatic. Having this dual
firing capability, the M-14 became just the second American-designed rifle
to have this feature behind the World War Two-era Browning Automatic Rifle
(BAR). As you can see, the weapon has had a long and distinguished career. The box features a top cover design that has a picture of the built up model on the face and could be used to store the model during the build. The instruction sheet is a single sheet roughly 5x8 inches in size with a parts diagram on one side and the assembly instructions on the opposite. Assembly is carried out over a total of three steps. There are no decals. The painting instructions are straight forward and consist of a whopping four colors called out in Aqueos Hobby Color, Mr. Color, and Model Master coding: · Gold · Flat Black · Red Brown · Clear Red (For use on the tip of the ammo to simulate the tracer color) Dragon describes some of the features on the kit as Parts count is thirty nine and includes a metal recoil spring, and two springs for the trigger assembly. All the parts are molded in color and are exceptionally well done as I only found a hint of a mold line on my sample that will be hidden once built. Well done! Four rounds of 7.62x51mm (.308) ammo are included with room for two of them to be “loaded” into the twenty round magazine while the other two are left out for display. This is a simple yet well designed kit that should build quickly and easily. It could be further detailed with some dry brushing to hi-light the metal parts areas, and the hand guard. Or it could be built strictly out of the box with no paint (save the ammo) and still look convincing. The only thing missing is the sling and given the size of this kit it wouldn’t be hard to fabricate one from some surgical tape, lead foil or other material. Once complete I will display this proudly with my other Sniper items on my wall. Thanks to Dragon for the review sample.
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Recognizing the limitations of the earlier Su-9 and Su-11, the Sukhoi OKB quickly began the development of a heavily revised and more capable aircraft. A variety of development aircraft evolved, including the T-49, which shared the fuselage of the Su-9 (including its single engine), but used cheek-mounted intakes to leave the nose clear for a large Radom for the 'Oriol-D' (Eagle) radar, and the T-5, essentially a heavily modified Su-11 with a widened rear fuselage containing two Tumansky R-11 engines. The program was cancelled due to a lack of engine performance. Bottom line up front; this kit is not for the weak of heart of the first time airplane builder, or first time model builder for that matter. If you are like me, in that ugly aircraft peaks your interest, and have the skills and determination to build this thing, then this kit is one for you. Amodel has a knack for releasing kits of planes that few if any other manufacturers would. I for one had never seen or heard of this particular plane, but a few minutes online revealed a fair amount of info, listed above albeit paired down. The kit is molded in very light gray styrene, bordering on almost white, consisting of 53 parts on six sprues with one clear sprue containing the one piece canopy. However, not all fifty three parts are used and those that aren’t, are shaded out on the inside page of the instruction sheet. I’ll break this down by good points and bad. I’ll start with the bad. Keep in mind these are my opinions as to what I think are bad. Your mileage may vary. Parts are somewhat clunky and will need cleaning to better enhance their appearance. Construction begins with the bang seat and is made up of multiple pieces then mounted to the cockpit floor. This is actually good but, the floor of the cockpit is trapped between the sidewalls of the cockpit and the whole subassembly fits between the fuselage halves. I use the word “fits” here loosely. There are no locating tabs or pins on this kit so the builder will, and should add their own to ease in construction. For the purpose of my review, I didn’t, but merely taped things together to get a general idea of how the kit was going to, or in this case, not going to, fit together. As you can see by the photos it is going to take some substantial amount of clean up work to bring things together. Gaps are prevalent and will need good prep work and filler in a lot of places. The plastic is soft which can be a two edged sword. Clean up of attachment points will be easy, but so will the removal of detail. There are only a few panel lines that cross the centerline, so damage shouldn’t be too bad. Parts fit is pretty bad right out of the box due to the flash and seam lines. I made a few tentative passes with a sanding stick to try to get a better fit, the results aren’t spectacular, but it did help a little. The exhaust can does not fit between the fuselage sides at all. Either the mounting slot (partial at that) will need to be deepened or the can will need to be reduced in diameter to close the fuselage halves up. The picture says it all. The fit of the upper and lower wings has some pretty good gaps at the leading edge. These might be negated by reducing the mating surfaces prior to gluing or filled with plastic and or putty later. There is more on the bad list, but I think the above makes my point. It is going to take some work…well, a lot of work. Now, not to dwell on the bad side of things, here are some good things I saw about the kit. While the cockpit is pretty shaky on the fit, it lends itself to being well detailed for the scale. There are lumps, bumps and boxes in there that will benefit from a good paint job, and some extra decals from the spares box will help add a little life to the office. The ejection seat is well done and should look good under some paint. There is a decent amount of upper wing detail molded in for the wheel wells, albeit a bit shallow, a little detail is better than none... The canopy while somewhat scratched on my sample, is still usable with the help of some polishing and a dip in some Future (Kleer). There are vents, lumps and bumps on the exterior that are added separately. I prefer these rather than ones that are molded on as they can be thinned, and scaled more easily without risking damaging the surrounding area on the fuselage. The landing gear doors feature detail on the inside of them rather than just being the shape of the door. I didn’t find any sink marks…period. Decals are opaque and while only one marking option is given it includes data markings. It’s a subject that is new (As far as I know) and………………it’s ugly as sin. Is it something that can be built? Yes. Will it be easy? Definitely not, but it is doable given time, patience, and modeling skills. There is a brief history provided in English and Russian I believe. Even as difficult as this kit appears out of the box, I still intend to try and build it….just because it’s ugly. Thanks to Amodel for the review sample.
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Panzerzestorer Panther
Fine Cast Models.
By Matt Quiroz
While not a new kit on the market, this conversion set
by FCM is definitely an interesting one. While helping
out my friend Mike clean out his stash of models, I
laid eyes upon one very cool and interesting looking
kit, the Panzerzestorer Panther by Fine Cast Models.
A "what-if" armored vehicle based on the well-proven
Mk.V Panther. Think Kampfpanzer ’46. The design
featured the engine and transmission being moved to
the front of the vehicle and the vehicle being up-gunned
to mount a 128mm cannon. It resembles something like a
Jagdpanther hybrid.
The conversion consists of eight resin pieces including
the upper hull cast in a medium gray resin, that seemed
somewhat brittle, a white metal commander’s hatch and a
turned aluminum barrel for the 128mm main gun. I test
fit the upper hull to the Tamiya lower hull and the fit
was pretty good even with the pour blocks still attached.
The pour blocks were substantial on my kit and it took
some time to get the parts removed using both a Dremel
saw and a #11 blade.
I did a lot of trimming and test fitting to get the best
possible mate between the rear plate and the upper hull/
lower hull.
The fit afterwards revealed that it would
require a fair amount of putty work where the upper hull
meets the rear plate but looked manageable enough. The
front lower hull plate fits nicely and has some nice
looking weld line details.
I discovered a very minor
warp in the upper hull during this test fitting. It’s
less than a millimeter front to rear and straightened
out under slight finger pressure and should straighten
out when glued.
Overall, the castings are crisp and have only the
slightest amount of flash on them. I could not determine
if the fender like pieces molded on the upper hull were
actually that or part of the casting blocks. They were
chipped on both ends and on both sides so I decided I
would remove them as they would be easy to replace with
sheet styrene if in fact they are fenders. Both front
side skirts were warped on my kit, but could be
straightened by applying some heat with a hair dryer
or hot water or new ones could be fashioned from sheet
styrene. The beautiful turned aluminum barrel is too
big to fit the corresponding hole in the mantlet meaning
this will need to be drilled out slightly to accept
the barrel.
The biggest disappointment for me were the instructions.
They are written in German and from what I can tell there
is a brief history about the vehicle, design and intent
maybe, along with some suggested aftermarket items like
Fruilmodellismo metal tracks and others items. There are
parts call outs for both the kit parts and the Tamiya
parts needed for the build but the pictures are dark,
all two of them, and it is hard to see the details they
are trying to point out on the completed model. Since
there are so few parts, it shouldn’t be too hard to
figure out where to place them. Haing clearer pictures
as a reference would be a big help in parts placement.
I test fit all of the major components and determined
it will take some work but this conversion is doable
provided the builder has some patience and solid modeling
skills. Also, I would suggest a good respirator as there
is a lot of resin dust kicked up when removing parts and
filing things down to fit better. The resin is odorless
but resin dust odorless or not is not a good thing. A very unique conversion with some nicely detailed parts.
Patience and care will be helpful in removing substantial
pour blocks of the upper hull pieces and some minor fit
issues with the gun. Be prepared for sticker shock at
almost $90 USD. The set could benefit from better
instructions and no decals or painting guidance are
provided but, being as it is a vehicle that never saw
daylight, the builder has some artistic freedom here.
Bronco CV3/35
By Matt Quiroz
Bronco Models CV3/35 Tankette Series II (Late Production)
A brief history- The L3/35 was developed from imported British Carden
–Lloyd Marks VI’s (designated CV29 in Italian service, CV
stood for Carro Veloce, or “fast tank”). It was built as
the CV-33 in1933 then refitted as the CV-35 in 1935 and finally
renamed the L3/35 in 1938. The L3/35 was a lightly armored two
man vehicle typically armed with two tandem machine guns.
There were only slight differences between the L3/33 and the
L3/35. About 2500 of the L3 vehicles were built in different
models and variants. They were sold to Afghanistan, Albania,
Austria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, and
Nationalist Spain. The Chinese nationalist government imported
a total of 94 CV35’s for the 200th Armored Division in their
fight against the Japanese invasion during WWII. One of these
tankettes is currently on display at the Beijing Military Museum.
The kit-
This is Bronco Models second version of this Italian
tankette making for an interesting addition to your armor
collection. Parts are molded in desert sand styrene on five sprues
with one small clear sprue containing the headlight lenses. A
small fret of photo-etch and decals round out the kit. For such
a small kit, it features oodles of detail and extras. Read, you
pretty much get a full interior. Construction is carried out over
nineteen steps and is well thought out and easy to follow. Generic
paint call outs are used through out, i.e. flat black, flat white,
tire black etc.
Construction starts with the hull interior, with the
driver's station and gunner’s seats being installed on the floor,
along with what appears to be the fuel tank serving as the rear
of the driver's seat. Glad I didn’t drive one of these. What
follows is the well rendered transmission with finely molded
detail that includes the shifting links and drive shafts.
Other than some random electrical lines, I can’t think of
anything else that one could add. It is very well done and with
the amount of detail molded in will look exceptional with some
paint and weathering applied to it. The engine is next and again, the detailing is well done from
the individual spark plugs to the super-conductor looking
radiator that comes with the plumbing to and from the engine.
The engine mounts to the floor at the rear of the vehicle and
is separated by a firewall. Again, the only thing missing are
maybe a fuel and/or oil lines and some wires.
Steps eight thru twelve focuses on the complex
suspension which consists of the road wheels, return rollers,
and drive sprockets which are fitted to the lower hull along
with some of the pioneer tools and mufflers. The track is
molded in link and length sections reminiscent of the way Revell
Germany does their 1/72 scale armor kits. The upper hull has
separately molded crew and engine access hatches that feature
the locking handles in PE giving the builder some options for
adding crew figures or use in a diorama etc. The small but well
detailed machine guns provide a choice of either short or long
barreled versions and feature the receivers too. Finally
assembly is dropping the small upper hull over the lower hull
in step nineteen.
Decals- Markings are provided for four CV L3/35 vehicles: • 1149 Company, 7th Tank Bn/200 Armored Div, Chinese Army,
Xiangtan, Hunan, China, 1938 (Overall red brown in color) • 1st Cav Div (Hungarian), Eastern Front, Croatia, 1943
(Camouflaged in Earth/Green/Dark Brown) • 7th Prinz Eugen Div, Waffen SS, Bosnia, 1944
(Camouflaged in Brown/Medium Green/ Sand) • Italian 'Ariete' Div, North Africa, 1941
(Overall Sand color)
Conclusion For its diminutive size this is a very impressive kit
considering all of the detail that fits inside that tiny hull.
If you're stricken with AMS, you won't yearn for detail in
this kit.
Coming soon: Centauro Paint up.
Review and build
Mfg.: Trumpeter #00384
Subject: German E100 super heavy tank
Scale: 1/35th
Parts: 102
Type of kit: Injection molded Theoretical German super tank from the last years of WWII
This kit is modeled after a late produced German secret tank project in late 1945. The only
evidence of the project was a half finished chassis based on the earlier “Maus” 100 ton tank
captured at the end of WWII by British ground troops. The turret and gun only existed on
paper. The tank was to be used as a urban building destroyer to be used on the Russian front.
The kit represents a Henchel type turret like the king tiger and has a infra-red spotting scope
on the turret. This IR scope was being tested late in WWII by the German army. The gun is
a muzzle-less large caliber gun bigger then the king tigers 88mm. There is a set of photo-etch
grill screens for the engine deck. The parts are well molded and instructions are clear and go
step by step. This kit has less pieces than most armor kits and will make for a easy and fun
build in a week end or two.
Modelers will be amazed at the size of this tank even when they place it next to a king tiger.
With the nice box art, small number of parts, minimal decaling and unique subject matter
this will be a big selling kit.
Trumpeter E100 build up part 1.
Well I started the build of the Trumpeter E-100 and with the low parts count it has been
a quick build. I decided to add zimmerit to the model to add some interest and practice
on application. Who says this is wrong as the real tank only had the chassis built.
I used the Tamiya zimmerit applicator tool and Squadron putty. The putty was smoothed
on with a Squadron putty knife and quickly raked out. The putty started to dry and skin
over as I raked but this added to the look of the zimmerit as it had chips in it on the real
tanks. Once the area dried a few minutes I could patch up any flaws and clean out the
mounting holes. I added a short length of real chain on the rear of the turrets escape hatch.
I rebuilt the periscope covers on the front as the kits were not fitting.
More fun to come in part 2.
Trumpeter E-100 Build part 2, paint.
After giving the whole tank a primer coat I used Tamiya XF-60 dark yellow as a base coat
and then added a bit of XF-64 red brown for a shadow color, highly thinned. I then added
white to make a highlight and added this to all the topside forms.
I thin proceeded with XF-67 nato green and again added dark shadows and then lighter
highlights. Next was the XF-64 red brown and more shadow and hi-light. Below is the
progress. Notice the zimmerit texture is almost lost in the paint just like it should be.
This will be brought back during the wash phase. More soon!
11/18/08
It is finished!
I finished the E-100 just in time for the IPMS Phoenix show where it took a first.
Here are the final build photos.
Here is the tank with a coat of Future gloss and the decals applied. I used some
decals from the DML 505th Tiger 1 kit.
Here I applied a enamel flat black wash and then when dry shot it with dull coat.
This is the track, painted dk. brown on the left and weathered with MIG pigments
on the right. I used 3 colors and recoment if you use these be VERY carefull not to
get any on the rug as it will not come out easy! I applied them dry.
Here is the track weathered with the left one dry brushed with dull steel.
After a dry brush and some pastel colors like dk. gray in the pannels this is the result.
Before and
after.
And the reward at the 2008 Model Zona show in Phoenix 2008.
Mfg.: Dragon Models #6475
Subject: Pz.Sfl.IVb
Scale: 1/35th
Parts: over 800
Type of kit: Experimental German WWII armored fighting vehicle.
This kit is a new mold German experimental self propelled mortar
The Pz.SlfIVb was an German WWII vehicle used in 1944 and was
produced in just a small handful before being canceled. It was
surpassed by vehicles like the Hummel. Most were sent to the
Russian front never to be seen again.
The kit is loaded with over 800 parts and fills the box. There are
a few parts that are from the Panzer IV kit but not many as this
version had so many modifications. The firs thing to notice is
the extensive use of “slide molding” where parts can be made
hollow. This by far is the most extensive use of this technique
in a Dragon model kit. The other advancement is the very, very
fine weld marks on the plate armor, they are nice! The real vehicle
is open top so Dragon had to include a large interior with ammo
racks and powder charge stowage, this makes up most the large
parts count. Link by link Magic Tracks are included and with the
tiny size of the links it is amazing how much detail they have thanks
to slide molding. All parts are flash free and crisply molded.
The kit is in the “smart kit” series so many parts are molded in one
piece like the turret and chassis. The kit has a small fret of photo
etch and a number of clear parts. Dragon has given this somewhat
obscure vehicle a great presentation.
The instructions are well drawn and show the parts not needed for
this version and the parts not needed for construction. Color call
outs are simple as there were only about 6 of these vehicles made
but gives you two versions with different turret art. Modelers will
be thrilled to see this version vehicle and will appreciate the extra
work Dragon has put in on this kit.
Overall this kit looks like a fun kit to build.
Mfg.: Hasegawa #08879
Subject: P-40E Warhawk
Scale: 1/32nd
Parts: over 200
Type of kit: early production P-40E WWII aircraft
This kit represents an early version of the P-40E with cylindrical exhaust pipes.
The kit markings are for the “Texas Longhorn” plus the “Flying tigers”
and include the early 1942 American stars with out bars.
This is the next 1/32nd WWII aircraft Hasegawa has produced in a long line of
new tool aircraft. Hasegawa has increased the innovations in every kit and this
is no exception. Hasegawa keeps raising the bar when it comes to 1/32nd scale aircraft.
The kit is broken up into sub assemblies so other versions of the aircraft can be marketed.
Extra attention was given to the cockpit area with a very accurate instrument panel and
curved floor / fuel tank. Hasegawa has kept the kit fairly simple and the instructions
are straight forward. The canopy glass is thinly molded so the aircraft can be built
with the open canopy. The kit also comes with a pilot figure in a USAAF flight suit.
Rivets have been kept to a minimum and add a nice touch to the airframe. The parts
are well molded and flash free. The decals are very nice and well printed. The kit has
a detailed oil cooler interior as this can be seen through the aircrafts “mouth”. Fuel
tanks are also supplied.
Overall a good kit for beginners and experts. The kit has two different markings,
“Texas Longhorn” USAAF 9th FS / 49th FG Lt. John D. Landers, New Guinea 1942
and “flying Tiger” USAAF 76th FS / 23 FG Maj. Edward F. Rector, China, July 1942.
With the endless variety of paint schemes the P-40 E had this kit will continue to
sell as a release of a P-40K has been announced as this is written.
Review
Mfg.: Vintage Fighter Series 2404
Subject: P-47D-25 Thunderbolt
Scale: 1/24th
Parts: unpublished, about 400
Type of kit: Injection molded WWII radial engine fighter
This kit is a welcome surprise as there have not been any new tool
large scale P-47 kits as of about 1968.
This has been changed as three different companies have released
large new tool P-74s. The largest of these is the Vintage Fighters
Series 1/24th scale P-47D-25. The model represents one of the most
important fighters of WWII. The type 25 was used by many of the
op aces of WWII and due to its survivability they lived to tell about
their encounters. The P-47 was a huge aircraft and with four .50 Caliber
machine guns and P&W Wasp R2800 radial engine it also was the
most powerful.
The kit is in a huge box as the kit in this scale is very large. The box
shows the different schemes that come in the kit, six in all, and has
nice box art. Upon opening the box the size of the kit is apparent
with two fuselage halves measuring over a foot and that’s not even
with the tail or cowling on yet! The parts and well molded without
any flash and are broken down into separate components so other
versions of the aircraft can be offered at a later date. The kit gives
plenty of options like early and late cockpit floors, different styles
of propellers, different weapons and pose-able flying surfaces
(rudder etc.). There is a giant decal sheet to hold all six different
decal markings. Having all six in one kit is a good idea as this
company knows not many aftermarket decal companies will be
willing to print such large sheets. The surface detail is finely
scribed with light rivet detail.
The instructions are clear and precise with step by step directions.
The colors are given in Federal Standard, FS numbers, so modelers
can match them to the paint manufacturer of their choice.
This kit looks to be a benchmark in model kit tooling as a kit this
large is prone to warping, but none was found on this kit. It takes
guts to tool a kit this size and with complex detail but they will
soon sell out guarantied as it is a well molded, accurately detailed
model of the great P-47D Thunderbolt.
Review
Mfg.: Trumpeter #02247
Subject: F8F-1 Bearcat
Scale: 1/32nd
Parts: 366
Type of kit: Injection molded post WWII radial engine fighter
This kit is represents an early version of Grumman’s famous post war piston engine
fighter made to replace the very successful Hellcat fighter. The introduction was too
late to be effective in the last months of the war but production continued to a little
over 700 aircraft. The Bearcat was powered by an improved version of the Wasp
R-2800 engine giving the aircraft great climb and maneuverability.
The kit is an early version of the Bearcat and is a first in 1/32nd scale. Included in
the kit is the multi piece R-2800 engine and is a kit in itself. Lines and rivets are well
represented and the detail is sharp. The model has a clear front cowl to show off the
Wasp engine and has a clear instrument panel that fits in a photo-etch metal panel.
The photo-etch parts also include seat belts and other fine details. The instructions
are clear and a color profile sheet is given for painting and decal placement.
Options include folding wind tips, open or closed canopy and removable engine panels.
Detailed machine guns are also included for the wings along with detailed gun bays.
The kit also has two different markings included, VF-19 (1947) and NAS Ohio (1951).
There are more options to the modeler as many Bearcats were purchased by air race
teams to fly in the Bendix trophy and Reno air races. This opens the paint schemes
up to unlimited possibilities.
Modelers will be happy to finally see this aircraft in this scale and Bearcat fans will
enjoy a very detailed model of this world famous fighter. Trumpeter has released
what will surely be a great selling kit and with other late versions on the way this
will continue to be a big success.
Review
Mfg.: Mini Art #36004
Subject: Poland 1944 diorama
Scale: 1/35th
Parts: over 300
Type of kit: Vac-u-form diorama base and building ruins with injected molded
gun and crew.
This kit is a new idea in dioramas in it has a vac-u-form base and building ruins.
This makes it easier to paint than plaster or resin.
The kit represents a Russian mobile gun crew in the rubble of destroyed buildings
somewhere in Poland 1944.
The kit has a 8”x10” base, corner of a destroyed building, Light Russian mobile gun,
five figures and building debris. The figures are very well molded and can be posed
in many positions. The gun has many parts to bring out the detail including spent
shells. The parts are flash free and well molded. The instructions are easy to follow
with number call-outs. There is a comprehensive color guide on the instructions
showing six different manufactures of paint and their stock numbers.
This looks like a easy introduction to diorama modeling and will be useful to the
advanced modeler as well. The” diorama in a box” is a great idea in modeling.
Review
Mfg.: Dragon Models #6315
Subject: Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. F1(F)
Scale: 1/35th
Parts: over 690
Type of kit: Mid production German WWII armored fighting vehicle.
This kit is a new version of Dragons earlier release of the late (G) model.
The Panzer IV was one of the German armies most produced armored tanks. The kit
represents the mid production (f) version with the short barrel used mid war 1942-3
on the eastern front.
The kit has a small assortment of photo-etch parts for the engine deck. Link by link
Magic Tracks are included and with the tiny size of the links it is amazing how much
detail they have thanks to slide molding. All parts are flash free and crisply molded.
This is almost expected of Dragons armor kits. The box is packed even though the
kit is in the “smart kit” series and should be less to build then the standard kits.
The kit has real wire for tow cables, a modified slide molded front machine gun and
slide molded main gun with Rifling on the inside . Dragon also gives clear molded
vision “periscopes”, a must for realism.
The instructions are well drawn and show the parts not needed for this version.
Color call outs are easy to understand and there are decals for 8 different markings
in 8 different schemes including a captured Russian marked tank. People will be
buying multiples of this kit as the variations in markings and optional parts will
keep it interesting.
Overall this kit looks like an exciting build and will be interesting in any of the
eight paint schemes.
Review by Dekker Zimmerman
Mfg.: Hasegawa #JT94
Subject: Focke-Wulf Fw190-A-8
Scale: 1/48th
Parts: over 82
Type of kit: Late German WWII fighter aircraft
This kit represents a mid version of the Fw-190. The kit markings are for
“Red 19” belonging to Ernst Schroder in 1944 and “Black double chevron”
of Major Kurt Buhiglen in June 1944.
There are many versions of the Fw-190 and some would say “why another one”.
Well the Luftwaffe fans would argue there were no two Fw-190s that were alike
and this is true as most were custom painted by there pilots and ground crews .
This is why model companies like Hasegawa make so many releases of
Luftwaffe models as they know the will sell and once you know the differences
in the versions you can see how different they really are.
The kit is up to Hasegawa’s fine molding and is free of flash. The artwork and
high quality boxing/packaging are top rate. There are two different canopies
included, one standard and one “blown”. The instructions are clear and include
a good history of the aircraft. Special attention was given to the markings to be
accurate and the American boxing has the Swastikas included. They even give
you the reduction ratio of the drawings so you can enlarge them to make them
1/48th scale. The instructions also tell you the modifications you can do to
accurately depict the kit to an A-8 version. The kit builds up fast and easy and
that’s good as there are plenty more versions to build.
Overall a good kit for beginners and experts alike as it is easy to assemble
and finish.
Review by Dekker Zimmerman
Mfg.: Dragon Models #7070
Subject: U.S.S. Boxer LPH-4
Scale: 1/700
Parts: over 320
Type of kit: Support carrier with helicopters.
The kit represents a support carrier from the Vietnam era and has early H-34 type
helicopters.
The kit has a cut hull so one can model it waterline or full hull. I believe all model
ships should have this feature as it gives waterline modelers less grief of cutting
the hull them selves also a plus for younger modelers. There is a good amount
of photo-etch metal parts, but no railings? The helicopters are molded in clear
plastic, again a plus and something all ship model aircraft should have for clear
windows. The ship windows and radars are also molded clear, awesome.
The ship has tons of parts including a basic detailed hanger area. This is hard to
see so they included a clear upper deck that is helpful. Molding is very crisp.
Overall a very nice kit but it does need a paragraph on the history of the ship as
I am sure it is famous for something.
Review by Dekker Zimmerman
Dragon Models
Kit # 6407
Panzermeyer LSSAH Division
Scale; 1/35th
Number of parts: over 260
Type: 4 figure set
Dragon continues with their line of Premium edition figures with this set.
The kit depicts the soldiers uniform from Mariupol 1941 and is finely molded
with some photo etch.
There are slide molded weapons in this kit and that helps from having to drill
out the tiny gun tubes ect.
The kit also comes with a mobile machine gun “wagon” and is also slide molded.
This gun is of an early type and good to see molded. There are separate stick
grenades and modified helmets with simulated padding, also a plus.
Included is a simple construction guide with detailed panting instructions with
Gunze and Testors brand paint callouts. This is helpful as not many shops carry
Gunze in the U.S. The kit is priced right also.
Overall this is a recommended kit.
Review by Dekker Zimmerman
Mfg.: Dragon Models #6469
Subject: Flakpanzer 38(t) “Gepard”
Scale: 1/35th
Parts: over 540
Type of kit: Early German WWII anti aircraft armored vehicle.
This kit is a conversion of Dragons earlier release of the 38(t).
The “Gepard was an anti-aircraft vehicle used early in WWII by Germany. Its gun
was fitted to many armored cars and tanks through the end of WWII.
The kit has a large assortment of photo-etch parts, some pre-formed. This is very
helpful in fitting them onto the model. Link by link Magic Tracks are included and
with the tiny size of the links it is amazing how much detail they have thanks to
slide molding. All parts are flash free and crisply molded. This is almost expected
of Dragons armor kits. The box is packed and when looking at the small size of the
chassis it is hard to imagine all these pieces fitting on this kit. This means not much
is needed after market. The kit also has real wire for tow cables. Dragon also give
clear molded vision “periscopes” a must for realism.
The instructions are well drawn and show the parts not needed for this version.
Color call outs are easy to understand and there are decals for 4 different markings
in 4 different schemes. A big plus it the model has a 2 page history and detail book
about the vehicle. I hope these are going to be in all of there kits from now on.
Overall this kit looks like a lot of to build and one that will keep you busy for a while.
In box review of DML's 1/35th scale awesome King tiger with Zimmerit.
Manufacturer: DML
Type: Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger Henschel turret.
Kit # 6303
Scale: 1/35
Parts count: over 700 with photo etch, brass shells, aluminum barrel, metal tow
cable and magic track.
Special feature: Molded on Zimmerit texture.
This is the first kit in a series from Dragon models that has molded on *zimmerit.
Dragons new "slide mold" technology has made it possible to have this detail
molded on the model and still retain the hand applied look of zimmerit.
The kit also uses this technique to mold holow gun barrels and tow cable ends.
Upon opening the box it is clear why the kit is so heavy as it is packed with parts.
The first thing I noticed is the turret and main chassis and the exquisite texture.
All parts are in plastic bags and there is a special card with the photo-etch, clear parts,
decals, aluminum barrel ,metal shells and cable. This is a great idea as the card keeps
the photo-etch and decals from bending.
The instructions are different in that they show photos of the model parts and not just
drawings. The instructions show the options of metal parts or plastic so you can build
this kit without them. So this is a "dual kit" for beginners to advanced. There are 7 decal
options including a winter camo. Another new twist is the instructions call out Gunze color
numbers as well as Testors Model Master.
Construction look straight forward with the magic tracks taking some time to build but if
you leave the fenders off you will see the advantage of link by link track as you can mold it
to look weighted and sagging between the rollers.
Conclusion:
Dragon has molded this subject many times before but if you don't want to hand apply
zimmerit this is the way to go. The value for the money on this kit is incredible, about
a $50.00 kit. to give you an idea I recently bought the Tamiya T-55 for about $60.00 and
added a aluminum barrel $15.00, link by link track $35.00 and photo-etch $25.00. That's
about $135.00! Even if you don't build armor this is the kit to get you started as it will
build up big and beautiful and you can build almost the whole thing before needing
any paint. If you travel on business take a kit like this with you and get a few tools
at the local hobby shop and make those boring hotel nights enjoyable.
Dragon has already announced a King Tiger with Porsche turret and a Tiger 1 to be
released later this year/next year.
Defiantly a recommended kit.
If you don't like it when finished just get out the soldering iron and put a few "rounds"
in it, paint it black and put it next to your Sherman.
DZ.
*Zimmerit: A cement like paste applied to German tanks to keep magnetic mines from sticking.
Usually raked in a striped or block pattern.
Trumpeter 1/144th scale Kilo Class Russian sub. Dekker Zimmerman
Well this was supposed to be a quick build but it is going slow. I decided to make it waterline to hasten
the build. Christmas day I made all the masts out of brass rod as the kit parts would become flat from
sanding the side seam. The kit is simple and easy to build but has no extras like a windshield so I will
have to build that also. Here is the progress so far.
Update I have finished the sub! The sub was painted overall Testors flat black. I then hi-lighted the panels
with Testors gunship gray. This was sprayed on lightly as the real sub has a coating that will not fade much.
As I was painting I noticed a strange side effect. Dust was attracting to the model as I sprayed at an alarming
rate. The only reason I could find is that as I sprayed across the brass "antenna farm" it was adding static electricity
to the plastic. I decided to ground the model by taping a wire to the hull then to the metal leg of my work bench.
This seemed to work. After the paint was dry I cut a very small very thin piece of plastic for a windshield.
This with the addition of some N-scale figures painted like Russian submariners added life to a otherwise
dull subject. I then mounted it to a wood plaque and was going to add water effects to it but did not have
time before the 07' IPMS Nats in L.A. where it took 2nd place in the modern submarines category.
Half track review by Rodger Cole (photos soon)
During the 1930s the United States Army decided on the need for a tracked, or semi-tracked vehicle to allow infantry and
artillery units to accompany armored units across difficult terrain. Due to the prohibitive cost of fully tracked vehicles a
semi tracked, or half-track design was sought. Among other hopefuls the Army had a tracked drive assembly added to an
existing White M2 scout car. The result was the M2 half-track. While the M2 solved the needs of the artillery for a prime mover
for guns, the infantry needed a vehicle that could carry more men, and have a rear exit door. Lengthening the body of the M2
resulted in one of the most commonly seen US vehicles of World War II.
The M3 series of half-tracks.Tamiya has modeled three variations of this important vehicle. The original kit is the M3A2,
kit number MM 170A on my box but released later with their newer numbering system as 35070, produced in the early 1970s.
Next up is the M16 Multiple Gun Motor carriage, kit 35081 from 1976. Finally there is the M21 81mm Mortar Carrier, kit 35083,
from the same year. Since all three are very similar I’ve chosen to review them all together. The original kit, the M3A2, has been
has been criticized by modelers as being inaccurate. This is only partly justified. It is a relatively accurate model, for its day,
but of a variation of half-track that did not see combat. Recognizing the need to simplify production of the proven M3 series of
vehicles, the army made a number of modifications to that half-track which then became the M3A2. By the time these changes
had been made the army realized they had enough M2 and M3 series vehicles, along with license built M4 and M5 models,
and so the need for the M3A2 disappeared. Why Tamiya chose to model this relatively unknown vehicle is a mystery.
They did realize that many modelers would want to model the more common M3A1 so the instructions include tips on how
to do this. Basically the armored shield to the .50 machine gun mount would have to be cut down somewhat, the ladders
on the sides of the kit have to be removed, and the storage racks on the rear deck. More on these last two items in the section
on the M21.
All three kits are molded in Tamiya’s typical dark green plastic, except for the black rubber tracks and tires. Three sprues,
A, B, and D, are common to all three kits. The kits also include a small piece of clear plastic for the windshield. The decals
are common for Tamiya, relatively heavy carrier film, but well printed. They are rather boring, having just basic US stars,
either the star or the star and circle, unit insignias, and id numbers. No personalized names for any of the vehicles.
The M16 and M21 are given markings for post WWII as well as during the war, but they do not indicate which units they
represent. On the whole I’m disappointed in the decals, and will look for more colorful markings.
The three common sprues include the wheels and tracks, suspension and running gear, and the entire front driver’s
compartment, with driver. More on the driver later. The truck frame is well done, with various springs, exhaust, muffler, etc.
No engine is included, just the lower oil pan. The one really poor item in the kit is the very crudely done idler wheel for
the tracked drive. It is solid and doesn’t look at all like the relatively fragile looking original. I have not done so but according
to Saul Garcia’s review on Track-Link the replacement resin or brass wheels are so fragile the tight Tamiya tracks can damage them.
This is a shame because it’s the tracked drive unit that really makes this vehicle distinctive. More than anything else this is
an area where I hope DML or Trumpeter should be able to improve on Tamiya. Anybody interested in scratch building one
of the more unusual half-track modifications, like the M15 that had a single 37mm AA gun and two .50 machine guns, in a
large turret, can use just these three sprues as a basis for the conversion. Besides the rear compartment each kit has a unique
front bumper. On the M3A2 this is the large roller assembly, used to help the truck not get stuck in ditches.
The M16 has the winch assembly. The M21 has, to me, the most interesting front bumper being the winch assembly, with a
spare tire and extra storage boxes. The spare is plastic, unlike the rubber main tires. These bumpers are interchangeable on
the three kits except on the M3A2 there are some tow hooks that have mounting plates that need to be removed for the other two.
Obviously each kit has a different rear compartment. The M3A2 has the rear passenger seating area. Since this is a M3A2, and
not the more common M3A1, as I mentioned above, it has scaling ladders molded into the sides and also rear cargo racks.
I have seen some mention on the Internet that what I call scaling ladders are in fact just racks to hang equipment from.
I’ve seen them called both things and I’ll stick to calling them ladders. You can try to remove these but a simpler remedy is to
swap the sides and rear from the M21 with those on the M3A2, and vice versa. Strangely enough the few M21s made had the
ladders and rear racks, although Tamiya chose not to model their kit this way. All you will then have to do is remove some
molded in lines on the inside of the exterior sides, where the floor units line up. This might make it a bit harder to line up the
floors, but it’s doable, and certainly easier than trying to remove the molded in ladders. The M16 has the quad .50 machine
gun with extra ammo cans. Finally the M21 has a very reasonable looking 81mm mortar that can be mounted either in the
truck or in a portable mount. The mortar compartment also has extra storage of mortar rounds, plus some loose rounds,
both in and out of packing containers. For some reason a fine bazooka is also included, with extra rounds for it as well.
All in all the molding on all three kits is good, with little or no flash. There are several larger pin ejector marks on the inside
of the rear compartment sides, but internal storage and such hide them fairly effectively. The non skid floor detail on each kit
is adequate, especially considering the age of the kits. The one really bad thing is the badly detailed idler, as mentioned.
Each kit has a different set of figures, except they all share the same driver. The M21 has another right arm for the driver
included on one of the unique sprues for that kit. This arm makes him look like he’s holding something to his head, or
perhaps plugging his ear from the noise of the mortar. It’s kind of strange though that his left arm is still draped casually
over the window sill. The M16 and M21 also share a figure operating the field radio. The M3A2 has the most interesting
group of soldiers, most of which are in relaxed posses. One figure on the M3A2 is walking stiffly alongside and looks
totally out of place. As Tim Streeter writes on Modeling the US Army, "Frankly he looks like he got kicked out of the
halftrack for eating too many beans" The M16 has a unique driver as well as the common driver from the other kits.
This figure is looking back over his shoulder, probably at an approaching aircraft. Also in this kit is a ¾ figure manning
the guns. You can’t see his lower legs anyway so this is no big deal. Finally the M21 has a two man mortar unit, one man
dropping a round down the barrel, while the other crouches holding his ears. These figures are typical quality for the 70s.
They can be brought up to more current standards if you replace the heads, weapons, and equipment with more modern
offerings. Unfortunately since the heads are molded on you’ll need to get out your small guillotine to remove the heads.
At least they are US figures, which is something. The figure set for the M3A2 has also been released separately as the US
Assault Infantry set. The mortar team is also included in the Gun and Mortar set. Besides the minor issues I’ve mentioned
these are enjoyable kits to have. They can be modified in a number of ways. You can have the doors opened or closed,
windshield cover up or down, and on the M16 have the side flaps up, for traveling, or down for fighting. The basic vehicles
were used by many nations in different wars.
One very useful upgrade kit is Tamiya’s own Allied Accessory kit. This gives a number of options as to the extra storage
that is so distinctive on US halftracks. Other manufacturers also have upgrade kits such as an engine or additional storage.
One easy fix is to replace the machine gun, or guns, from the very good Academy machine gun kit. Now that both DML and
Trumpeter have announced their own versions of these important vehicles these kits will probably be relegated to the
spares box. That said they pose an interesting challenge for people wanting to hone their modeling skills. They can be
an interesting model on your shelf.
M32 review by Rodger Cole (photos soon)
With the announced re-release of the Italeri M32 ARV I though there might be some interest in the original kit. Like most
Italeri kits it has both pros and cons but is generally a good value, as long as you don’t pay too much.
The United States Army saw the need for an armored, fully tracked, recovery vehicle to be used to recover tanks and
other vehicles, sometimes under fire. Originally they went with a modification of the M3 Lee tank, called the M31 ARV,
for armored recovery vehicle. It was with this vehicle that early armored divisions went to war. Later the M4 Sherman
tank was used for this modification, with the resulting vehicle being known as the M-32. There were a number of
variations of the M32, based on which M4 was used for the conversion. This kit actually portrays the M32B1, being
based on the M4A1 cast hull Sherman. According to Steven Zaloga in US Armored Divisions, The European Theater
of Operations 1944-45, the M32 was primarily used in armored divisions formed later in the war, in late 1944.
This kit is ancient. There is no indication of when it was built but my guess is it’s at least 30 years old. Both Italeri
and Testors have released it, with my kit being the Italeri No 203.
Anybody who has looked at any of the Italeri or Testors Sherman based vehicles will probably recognize many of
the aspects of this kit. It has all the good and bad features modelers have come to expect from Italeri.
The kit consists of three sprues of dark green plastic, along with "rubber band" tracks, and a small decal sheet.
The first negative aspect of this kit one notices is the very hard type of plastic Italeri used at this time. This plastic is
very hard to sand and work with, though it can be done. I haven’t been able to find out the type of plastic Italeri is
using on the re-released kit.
Compared to Tamiya Sherman kits the lower part of this kit is the best part. Unlike many Tamiya kits where there
are motorization holes in the lower hull, and absolutely no detail, this kit has no holes, and at least some detail,
though I can’t vouch for how accurate it is. This is spoiled to some extent by having Italeri’s logo and name molded
into the plastic, but at least this can be sanded off. The suspension is articulated so if you are modeling a diorama
on rough terrain you can position the road wheels easily at different heights. The lower hull does have one huge
advantage over Tamiya Shermans in that it has horizontal pieces on it to cover the bottoms of the sponsons.
You don’t have to resort to plastic sheets to hide this area. One really big disappointment in Italeri kits is the tracks.
The fact they are "rubber band" type is all right, but they are molded in a very stiff plastic that is nearly impossible
to deal with. Most modelers will want to replace these with just about any other Sherman type track on the market.
On my earlier Priest kit I had to resort to stapling the ends of the tracks together and then hiding this area.
Otherwise the tracks are so tight they can easily snap off either the idler wheels, or the drive sprockets, or both.
The upper hull represents the cast hull of the M32B1. One major disappointment with the kit is the cast hull as
absolutely no cast texture on it, even though the photo on the box seems to indicate it does. One thing that Italeri
is famous, or infamous for, is how they indicate where pieces are supposed to go by having raised lines molded
into the plastic. This is done in a number of areas on the kit, lower hull, turret, upper hull, etc. Ironically the lines
on the lower hull show where items used in the Priest kit, but not this kit, are supposed to go.
The major difference between this kit and other Italeri Sherman kits is the large a-frame crane, along with
heavy-duty tow hooks, equipment boxes, and spare parts such as road wheels, drive sprockets, and return rollers.
The crane is shown in the instructions as being able to be mounted toward the rear, as in traveling or towing, or
facing forward such as when being used to lift something. The instructions though don’t make very clear exactly
how this crane should be rigged, or positioned except when facing aft. One other piece of equipment is apparently
a kind of track chock, to stop the vehicle from moving when lifting something heavy. This is shown as positioned
on the rear hull area, but for diorama builders there is a photo insert showing it being used under the track.
The drivers and bow gunners hatches have separate handles on the outside, along with periscope covers, but no
interior detail. The same is true for the split hatch on the turret roof. Through the large opening for the machine
gun mount is seen the turret floor, with a very basic grating surface, two seats, two fire extinguishers, a number
of un-named boxes, along with what looks like larger tool boxes. One of the decals is used in this area to show
a first aid kit. All of the doors for the engine and storage boxes are molded in place, along with the gas filler caps,
which limits the detail in these areas.
I am no "rivet counter" but I should point out that this kit doesn’t really represent a true WWII M32, at least as far
as I’ve been able to determine. Cast hull Shermans had two styles of driver/co-driver hatches, small and large.
Since Italeri basically chose to use the hull from their M4A1 kit, which has accurate large hatches for that version,
they used the same hatches on this kit. Unfortunately actual M32B1 ARVs used in WWII had the small style hatch.
If you want to make a truly accurate WWII M32B1 you might consider using the hull from the DML early M4A1.
For myself I just want a M32 that looks like an M32 to all but the most critical viewers. I’ll build it as is. The other
potential inaccuracy is the mounting of two pieces of drive sprocket on the turret. The pictures of M32s I’ve seen
have these sprockets mounted on a rack on the hull side. Other than these two mistakes it appears this kit should
certainly look like a real M32.
The instructions are a major area where this kit is below standards. The history of the vehicle is given in one small
paragraph, in six languages. The instructions show two photos of the completed model, along with two photos of
a real M32, and various drawings showing how to build the kit. While the instructions are clear enough anybody
used to recent Tamiya offerings will find them basic in the extreme. The painting guide consists of calling out for
black, white, gun metal, silver, red, and olive drab, with no indication of which brands or paint numbers to use.
There is only one vehicle portrayed in the kit, with decals consisting of two white US stars, serial numbers, and a
identification number, 21A A-1. 21A would normally mean 21st army but I don’t believe there was such a
formation in WWII. Perhaps it’s supposed to mean 21st army group? There are also several red crosses and white
stencils with most being shown as not being used.
All in all I find this an interesting kit that should be fun to make. It has many applications is dioramas. It can be
shown lifting an engine out of a vehicle, towing a vehicle, or just sitting in a rear area supply and maintenance yard.
It has its faults, but they are out weighed by the fact it’s the only game in town as far as building this important WWII
vehicle other than by converting an existing kit. I am waiting for a review of the re-released kit to see if Italeri has
corrected the poor plastic, the terrible tracks, and the instructions. Time will tell as far as that goes.
I’d like to take this chance to vent my current gripe about Italeri. I have many of their older kits and I feel they are
very good value for the money. They tend to make kits that the "big boys" like Tamiya and DML overlook. They are
also reasonably priced for what you get, sometimes as much as half the price of comparable Tamiya kits. This seems
to be ancient history now. The newer kits, such as the Crusader AA, and re-released kits, such as the M32, are much
higher priced than previous Italeri kits. I got my M32 in a trade, but it’s not uncommon to find them on eBay for about $20.
The released kit is closer to $35. For not much more than that you can get newer DML kits, of better quality and with more
options. All in all I think Italeri might be shooting themselves in the foot with their new pricing structure.
