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Top quality, highly detailed, easy to assemble white metal kits

Crossley Airfield
Crash Tender

Bedford OWST
Tipper Truck
901 Humber Scout Car £6.95 996 Ford WOT2H 15cwt. GS Truck £11.95 062 Marder III Ausf. H £13.50 A22 Pak 40 Crew - Winter £2.95
902 US M8 Greyhound £10.50 997 U.S. M3A3 (Stuart V) Light Tank £11.95 063 Commer Q25 25cwt G.S. Truck £13.50 A23 Flak 38 Crew - Winter £2.95
903 Austin 5cwt Light Utility £9.50 998 Vickers A9, Cruiser Tank Mk.1 £11.95 064 Austin K2/YF 2-ton G.S. £13.50 A24 U.S. Softskin Crew 1944 £2.95
905 US M20 armoured Utility £10.50 999 Tatra T-57K Kubelwagen £9.50 065 Bedford MWD 15cwt 4 x 2 G.S. £12.50 A25 Russian Gun Crew £2.95
906 Cromwell MK IVD £11.95 1000 German MG-Doppelwagen (type 36) £20.95 066 Fiat A.S. 37 Second series. £12.50 A26 US 105mm Gun Crew £2.95
907 Humber Light Recon Car Mk 3 £6.95 001 M4A2 - Mid production £11.95 067 A34 Cruiser Tank, Comet £13.50 A27 Afrika Korps Tank Commanders £2.95
908 US M18 Hellcat £11.95 002 Sd.Kfz. 252 Ammunition Carrier £11.95 068 R.A.F. Instrument Truck £13.50 A28 Flak 38 Trailer Sd.Ah.51 £2.95
911 Centaur AA Mk II £11.95 003 A10 Mk 1A Cruiser Tank Mk IIA £11.95 069 Bedford MWD Late Production £12.50 A29 Panzer III/IV Fuel Trailer £3.95
912 US M39 Armoured Utility £11.95 004 UNIC P-107 with 2cm Flak 38 £15.95 070 U.S. M3 halftrack APC £12.50 A30 leFH 18/40 Crew - shirtsleeves £2.95
913 Panzer II Ausf. D £10.95 005 A10 Close Support w/desert option £11.95 071 U.S. M3A1 halftrack APC £12.50 A31 Flak 30/38 Ammo Trailer £3.95
914 Panzer II Flamm £10.95 006 Hillman 5cwt Light Utility £9.50 072 Bedford MWC Water Tanker £12.95 A32 German Softskin Crew £2.95
917 Panzer II Ausf. L ‘Luchs’ £11.95 007 Daimler Armoured Car Mk II £11.95 073 Fiat TL37 Artillery Tractor £12.95 A33 Stug Ammo Trailer Sd.Ah.32 £3.95
918 Light Tank Mk VII ‘Tetrarch’ £11.95 008 Panzer IV Ausf. H £13.50 074 R.A.F. Fire Tender £13.50 A34 Cargo Trailer Sd.Ah.32/1 £3.95
921 Tetrarch ICS £11.95 009 M4A3 Sherman - Mid Production £11.95 075 15cm. Grille Ausf. H £13.50 A35 7.5cm FK Crew - shirtsleeves £2.95
922 Auto Union Horch Kfz. 69 £11.95 010 German Cavalry Boxed Set £16.95 076 Bedford MWR Radio Truck £12.95 A36 U.S.Ammo Trailer M8 £3.95
924 Cromwell Mk VIIw £11.95 011 A13 Mk1 Cruiser Tank MkIII £12.50 077 TL37 Tractor - original series £12.95 A37 U.S. Anti-tank Gun Crew £2.95
925 Daimler Armoured Car Mk I £11.95 012 Citroen Type 23 1.5 Ton Truck £11.95 078 VW Typ 82 Kubelwagen Kfz.1 £10.50 A38 German SP Gun Crew - Summer £2.95
927 Daimler Armoured Car Mk I CS £11.95 013 B IV Panzerjaeger “Wanze” £10.95 079 VW Typ 82 Radio Car Kfz. 2 £10.50 A39 BEF Softskin Crew £2.95
928 Carrier, Universal Mk I £9.50 014 Cromwell Mk VIII F £11.95 080 Ford Auxiliary Towing Vehicle £13.95 A40 Panzer Crew 1940 £2.95
929 Carrier, Medium MG No 3, Mk I £9.50 015 Cruiser Mk IV (A13 Mk II) £12.50 081 Light Tank Mk VIA £11.95 A41 Light Flak Crew £2.95
930 Adler MG-Kw Scout Car Kfz.13 £10.95 016 Sd. Kfz. 10/4 with 2.0cm Flak 38 £15.95 082 Light Tank Mk VIB £11.95 A42 T-34 Stowage Set £2.95
931 15cm siG 33/1 Ausf. M ‘Grille’ £12.50 017 Commer Q2 15cwt. 4 x 2 Van £12.50 083 German Heavy Field Wagon Hf.2 £12.95 A43 Russian Tank Riders - Greatcoats £2.95
932 Adler Fu-Kw Radio Car Kfz.14 £10.95 018 le FH 18/2 auf. GwII Wespe £12.50 084 Humber 8cwt. Radio Truck £12.95 A44 Afrika Korps halftrack Crew £2.95
933 Carrier, Armoured OP No 1, Mk II £9.50 019 T-34 Flakvierling £15.95 085 Austin Auxiliary Towing vehicle £13.95 A45 BEF Lorried Infantry £2.95
934 US M4A3(76) Sherman £11.95 020 Cruiser Mk IVA / IVA C.S. £12.50 086 Morris 8cwt Radio Truck £12.95 A46 8th Army Tank Commanders £2.95
935 Marder III Pz Jag38(t) Ausf. M £12.50 021 U.S. M4A1 76 (W) £11.95 087 Bedford OYD 3-ton G.S. £13.95 A47 German Officers Standing £2.95
936 US Sherman M4A3(75)W £11.95 022 Komsomolyets Artillery Tractor £10.95 088 Light Tank Mk. VIC £11.95 A48 MG 34 & 42 - Tank AA mounts £2.95
937 Dodge 3/4 ton Weapons Carrier £11.95 023 A9 Close Support - Desert Option £11.95 089 Bedford/Scammell Combo £13.95 A49 Panzer Commanders - Winter £2.95
938 U.S. M10 Tank Destroyer £12.50 024 Marmon Herrington Mk II Arm’d/Car £11.95 090 Italian L6-40 Light Tank £11.95 A50 Panzer I/II Fuel Trailer £2.95
940 Russian M4A2 (76) W Sherman £11.95 025 Unic P-107 G.S. £11.95 091 M4 Tankdozer £15.95 A51 US 250 gal Water trailer £2.95
941 Stug. III Ausf. B £11.95 026 Valentine Mk XI £12.50 092 Renault AGC 1.5ton Truck £13.95 A52 SS Panzergrenadiers £2.95
942 Achilles IIc 17pdr Tank Destroyer £12.50 027 Standard 12hp Light Utility £10.95 093 Austin K30/YC 30cwt. G.S. £13.95 A53 SS Panzergrenadiers - seated £2.95
943 Dodge 3/4 ton Command Car £11.95 028 Sturminfanteriegeschutz 33B £12.50 094 Crossley Q 3-ton 4x4 Flatbed £15.95 A54 SS Cavalry Trooper £2.95
944 Panzer III Ausf. F £11.95 029 Commer Q15 15cwt GS £12.50 095 Bedford OXD 30cwt. G.S. £13.95 A55 B.E.F. Infantry - standing £2.95
945 Stug III Ausf. A £11.95 030 Panzer III Ausf. M £11.95 096 Italian Semovente Da 47/32 £13.95 A56 U.S. Small-arms £2.95
946 Morris 5cwt Light Utility £9.50 031 Valentine Mk VIII or IX £12.50 097 Crossley Airfield Crash Tender £19.95 A57 sIG 33 Crew £2.95
948 Steyr 1500A 4x4 Light Truck £11.95 032 Sherman V (M4A4) £11.95 A58 B.E.F. Drivers £2.95
949 Panzer III Ausf. G £11.95 033 Dodge 1.5ton 6x6 Truck £12.50 > > > NEW ITEMS < < < A59 U.S. Infantry - walking £2.95
950 Stug III Ausf. C/D £11.95 034 le.SPW UNIC P-107 £11.95 098 Bedford OWST Tipper Truck £13.95 A60 German Infantry - walking £2.95
951 Mercedes-Benz le Pkw 170VK £9.50 035 Valentine Mk II £12.50 A61 U.S. BAR Teams - walking £2.95
952 Tiger 1 Ausf. E - Late Production £16.95 036 Commer Q4 3-ton G.S. Lorry £13.50 MISSING NUMBERS DELETED A62 U.S. 1 ton Cargo Trailer £3.95
953 17pdr. Firefly Mk 1C - Hybrid £11.95 037 Sherman Firefly Mk. VC £12.50 A63 German Drivers £2.95
954 Phanomen Granit 1500A Kfz. 70 £11.95 038 Marmon Herrington “Breda” £13.50 A64 Wartime NFS Firemen £3.95
955 Marder II Pak 36( r ) £12.50 039 Adler 3Gd. m.Pkw. Kfz.11 £11.95 A65 German Cavalry Officer £2.95
956 U.S. M4 (105) Sherman £11.95 040 Valentine Mk III/V £12.50 A66 German Draught Horses £2.95
957 Morris CS8 15cwt GS Truck £11.95 041 Adler Light Gun Tractor Kfz.12 £11.95 A1 German Tank Commanders 1939 £2.95 A67 U.S. Drivers £2.95
958 Panzer IV Ausf. D £13.50 042 R.A.F. De-icer van £13.50 A2 British Tank Commanders 1944 £2.95 A68 Squaddies £2.95
959 U.S. M36 Tank Destroyer £13.50 043 Russian T-60A Light Tank £11.95 A3 German Tank Riders 1944 £2.95 A69 British Army Officer £2.95
960 Panzer III Ausf. H £11.95 044 Covenanter Mk.1 £12.50 A4 Allied MGs - vehicle mounts £2.95 A70 German Radio Team £2.95
961 Mercedes 170 Radio Car Kfz. 2 £9.50 045 Marmon Herrington w/Pak 35/36 £13.50 A5 German Bedrolls & Jerry Cans £2.95 A71 Italian Tank Commanders £2.95
962 T-34 Model 1943 £12.50 046 Commer Q2 30cwt G.S. £12.50 A6 Russian DShK M1938 HMG £2.95 A72 A.R.P. Wardens £2.95
963 Stug III Ausf. F £11.95 047 Flakpanzer 38(t) £15.95 A7 US Tank Commanders 1944 £2.95 A73 Wartime Bobbies £2.95
964 Humber FWD 8cwt GS Truck £11.95 048 Sherman ARV Mk.1 £13.50 A8 US AFV Crew 1944 £2.95 A74 Italian Tank Crew £2.95
965 B IV C Heavy Demolition Vehicle £10.50 049 Sherman V - early £12.50 A9 German Tank Commanders 1944 £2.95 A75 Wartime Bobbies Set 2 £2.95
967 Morris PU 8cwt GS Truck £11.95 050 Commer Q2 tractor and trailer set £16.95 A10 Russian Tank Commanders 1943 £2.95 A76 R.A.F. Drivers £2.95
968 OT-34 Flamethrower £12.50 051 Valentine 25pdr. Bishop £13.50 A11 German Tank Riders Winter 1944 £2.95
969 Russian SU-76i Tank Destroyer £11.95 052 Russian T-60 Model 41 £11.95 A12 Russian Tank Riders 1943 £2.95 >>> NEW ITEMS <<<
970 Panzer IV Ausf. E £13.50 053 T8E1 Stuart Recce £11.95 A13 German Small-arms 1944 £2.95 A77 WAAFs/ATS Girls £2.95
971 Sd. Kfz. 250/1 ‘Alte’ £11.95 054 Fiat AS37 Light Truck £12.50 A14 Carrier Crew, British £2.95 A78 RAF Crash Tender Crew £3.95
972 Morris C4 Mk II 15cwt GS Truck £11.95 055 M5 halftrack APC £12.50 A15 Carrier Crew, Russian £2.95 A79 British Airborne Trailer £3.95
973 Stug III Ausf. E £11.95 056 Pak Tractor T-60(r) £11.95 A16 British Tank Riders 1944 £2.95 A80 Airborne Trailer - sheeted £3.95
974 Mercedes Light Repair Vehicle Kfz. 2/4 £9.50 057 US M9A1 Recce halftrack £12.50 A17 US Tank Riders 1944 £2.95
975 Panzer III Ausf. J £11.95 058 Austin K3 3-ton GS £13.50 A18 German S.P Gun Crew - Winter £2.95
976 U.S. M5 Stuart Light Tank £11.95 059 Panzer IV Ausf. J £13.50 A19 MG 34 & 42 - halftrack Mounts £2.95
977 Sd.Kfz. 253 Artillery Command APC £11.95 060 US M5A1 halftrack APC £12.50 A20 German AFV detail set £2.95
978 Ford WOT2C 15cwt 4x2 Infantry Truck £11.95 061 US M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage £12.50 A21 Pak 43 Crew - Winter £2.95 G2 German 7.5 cm Pak 40 £6.45
979 Dodge 3/4 ton Ambulance WC-54 £11.95 G3 German 2.0 cm Flak 38 £6.45
980 M4 Sherman - Mid Production £11.95 MMS Models represent the current state-of-the-art in white metal casting G4 Russian 76.2mm ZIS-3 £7.45
981 Morris Umbauwagen Kfz.12 £11.95 G5 U.S. 105mm Howitzer M2 £7.95
982 Sd.Kfz.250/9 Recce Vehicle £11.95 Four expanding ranges feature the vehicles, guns and troops of World War Two, G6 Russian 57mm ZIS-2 £7.45
983 le. Artillerieschlepper UNIC P-107 £11.95 all in constant 1:76 (20mm) scale. G7 German 10.5cm leFH 18/40 £7.95
984 US M5A1 Light Tank £11.95 G8 German 7.5cm FK 7M85 £7.95
985 Panzer IV Ausf. G £13.50 The ‘CLASSIC’ vehicles and ‘GUNpak’ towed gun kits contain full instructions; including general tips, if you’ve G9 U.S. 3in Anti-tank Gun M5 £7.95
986 Ford WOT2D 15cwt GS Van £11.95 never worked with white metal before. Robust and easy to assemble, they are ideally suited to the Wargamer G10 German 3cm Flak 103/38 £6.45
987 UNIC P-107 Pak Tractor U.304(f) £11.95 and yet, have the accuracy and a wealth of detail that gives satisfaction to the serious collector. G11 German 2cm Flakvierling 38 £7.95
988 T-34/85 Model 1943 £12.50 G12 German 3.7cm Pak 35/36 £4.95
989 Morris CS8 Wireless Truck £11.95 The ‘RESTRICTED ISSUE’ range is produced to full ‘CLASSIC’ standards and provides modellers with
G13 German Twin AA MG Mount £4.95
990 Cromwell Mk VIIF £11.95 an opportunity to build conversions of some of the more popular subjects. G14 German 15cm sIG 33 £7.95
991 Sd.Kfz.250/10 le SPW with 3.7cm Pak £11.95 The NEW ‘CIVVY St.’ range of pre and post-war transport models adds an extra dimension. G15 Russian 45mm M1942 Anti-tank gun £4.95
992 Panzer IV Ausf.F £13.50 G16 German 5cm Pak 38 £6.45
993 Sd.Kfz.10 Light Gun Tractor £11.95 Most of the ‘Accessory Pak’ figure sets feature separate arms and weapons, giving a true ‘multi-pose’
G17 Russian 45mm M1937 with limber £4.95
994 Morris C4 MK 1 15cwt Truck £11.95 capability. Other sets provide useful detail and stowage items - all at affordable prices. G18 Italian Breda 20mm - towed £6.45
995 Panzer III Ausf.K Command Tank £11.95 Postage & Packing - UK 15%, Europe 20%, Overseas 25% • Please allow 21 days for delivery G19 Breda 20mm - firing, with crew. £7.95

MMS Models, P.O. Box 626, Folkestone, Kent CT20 9AF

Tel: 07887 623286 • E-Mail: info@mmsmodels.co.uk
For the latest information on NEW RELEASES visit our website: www.mmsmodels.co.uk
 contents
Vol.45 No.10 2015

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manual for modellers. £17.99
The Modeller’s Guide:
Superdetailing, Painting and
Weathering Aircraft of WWII.
With airfield accessories, ordnance &
diorama. Intended for both beginners
and advanced modellers as it covers
a wide variety of modelling tasks.
178 pages, full colour. £18.95
The Weathering Magazine 12. Styles.
We will see a comparison in how to
face the same model from two different
angles and check that both results are
equal in quality. £8.99
Landscapes of War.
The Greatest Guide-Dioramas by
Rodrigo Hernandez Cabos. £17.99
Tankograd In Detail:
Fast Track 11 Warrior FV510 TES(H)
British Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
In action photographs and a detailed
walkaround, English text. 63 colour
photographs. 40 pages. £10.99
Tank Art 4.
The layout graphics will be a further
evolution of the current TA style, and
the two all-new Technique chapters are
focused on Technique Proficiency, and
Winter Whitewash finishes in all three
major scales of 1/72, 1/48 and 1/35
as it relates to German Armor.
Green 41.BTR-60 in Detail.
Vehicles covered are: BTR-60PA,
BTR-60PB, BTR-60PB-PU-12 and BTR- Single book £2.50, two
60PB-R145BM by Frantisek Koran.
385 colour photos and manual drawings, or more books £4.50.
120 pages, soft cover. £21.99
Panzer Aces 49.
Panzer Aces Armour Modelling
Magazine number 49. WW1 Special.
64 Pages, Colour Illustrations. £10.99
Nuts & Bolts 34.
Sd.Kfz.7 - 8 ton Zugkraftwagen Krauss.
One of the most interesting military
vehicle developments of the German
Reichswehr and Wehrmacht was
without doubt the halftrack tractors.
Paperback. Black, white and colour
photos, line drawings. £25.15
U.S. DODGE.
The Development and Deployment of
Dodge Military Trucks 1940-1970.
U.S. Dodge will be presented in a
two-book set packaged in an attractive,
matching slipcase. Book 1 of the set is
496 pages and contains over
850 images.
Price-to be confirmed.
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 14
Panzerhaubitze 2000 A1/A2 German
Up-armoured Self-Propelled Howitzer.
In action photographs and a detailed
walkaround. Illustrated with 82 colour
photographs. English Text, 40 pages.
£10.99
Major Credit cards accepted and cheques payable to:
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UK Postage:
Overseas Airmail: please allow 15% of order value.
The Weathering Magazine 11.
The only modeling magazine in the
world devoted entirely to painting and
the effects of weathering. Featuring
for the first time a very special and
attractive subject for a lot of modelers
- the year is 1945. Paperback,
68 pages, full colour. £8.99
Tankograd 3024
Constant Enforcer 79.
US Army and NATO-Allies fight for the
‘Fulda Gap’ A focal point during the Cold
War was situated along the inner German
border in the area between Hesse
and Thuringia. 99 colour photographs,
27 b&w photographs and 4 graphics.
English. 64 pages. £13.99
Encyclopedia
of Ai c aft Modelling
Aircraft
Techniques 1: Cockpits.
The definitive encyclopedia of model
aircraft performed by the world famous
modeler Diego Quijano and a selection
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led by Mig Jimenez. 123 pages,
full colour. £21.99
Der Tiger Volume 1.
Schwere Panzerabteilung 501.
A pictorial documentation of the
German Heavy Tank Battalions 1942-
1945.Hardback, 128 pages, Black
and White photographs. £24.99
 Bookworld are the proud distributors of Tankograd Publications in the U.K.
Tankograd
British Military Trucks of World
War One. £34.99
Panzerkampfwagen T 34 - 747 (r)
- Soviet T-34 in Wehrmacht Service.
£43.99
British Military Trucks in Wehrmacht
Service. £34.99
British Military Trucks of World War Two.
£34.99 SOLD OUT
K‹BELWAGEN on all Frontlines. £34.99
Panzer-Abteilung 208 - I. Panzer
Regiment FELDHERRNHALLE. £34.99
German Panzers and Allied Artillery.
£34.99
Tankograd in Detail:
DANA Czech Howitzer. £19.99
Tankograd in Detail: DRAGON WAGON
Tank Transporter. £19.99
Tankograd in Detail: LEOPARD 2
MAINTENANCE. £19.99
LEOPARD 2 Main Battle Tank -
International Service and Variants
PART 2. £40.99
Encyclopedia of Modern U.S. Military
Tactical Vehicles. £45.99
IDF - Modern Israeli Army Tracked
Armoured Vehicles. £45.99
TYAGATSHI - Soviet Full-Tracked Artillery
Tractors of WW2 in Red Army and
Wehrmacht Service. £34.99
From Normandy to Beltring -
Photographs taken at the War & Peace
Show REDUCED PRICE. £5.99
Tankograd Gazette £13.99
The Tankograd Gazette No. 13
The Tankograd Gazette No. 14
The Tankograd Gazette No. 15
The Tankograd Gazette No. 16
1000 series £21.99
1001 A7V - First of the Panzers
(OUT OF PRINT)
1002 STURMTRUPPEN -
Elite Stormtroopers
1003 BEUTE-TANKS - Vol. 1
1004 BEUTE-TANKS - Vol. 2
1005 GRABENKRIEG - Vol. 1
Trench Warfare
1006 GRABENKRIEG - Vol. 2
Trench Warfare
1007 PANZER-KRAFTWAGEN -
Armoured Cars
1008 World War One Special No. 1008
FELDLUFTSCHIFFER - Balloon Corps
SOVIET Special £13.99
2004 Soviet Tank Transporters
2005 MAZ-537G in detail
2006 PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank
2007 Soviet Trucks of WWII
2008 Russian Army on Parade
2009 T-62 MBT in Soviet Army Service
2010 Aerosan - Aero-Sleighs
AMERICAN Special £13.99
3002 US Armored/Gun Trucks in Iraq
3004 Armored HEMTT
3005 Brothers of HEMTT - PLS/VLS
3006 REFORGER 1969-78 Part 1
3007 REFORGER 1979-84 Part 2
3008 REFORGER 1985-93 Part 3
3009 M1 Abrams TUSK
3010 M939 5-ton Truck Family
3011 MRAP - Ambush Protected
Vehicles
3012 USAREUR 1992 - 2005
3013 M809 5-ton Truck Family
3014 M88 Armored Recovery Vehicle
3015 U.S. Army Germany 1945-69
3016 LVTP7-AAVP7A1
3017 MASSTER-MERDC-DUALTEX
Camouflage
3018 M520 Goer - M561 Gama Goat
3019 1st Armored Division
3020 NUCLEAR WINTER FTX Exercises
3021 M60, M60A1, M728
3022 The M60A2 / M60A3 / M60A3
TTS MBTs and the M60A1 AVLB in
Service with the US Army
3023 Cold War Warrior M1/IPM1
Abrams
3024 Constant Enforcer 79 US
Army and NATO-Allies fight for the
‘Fulda Gap’
WEHRMACHT Special £13.99
4005 Panzerkampfwagen III
4006 Panzerkampfwagen IV
4007 Sturmgeschütz III
4009 Panzerkampfwagen I
4010 Panzerspähwagen 6/8-Rad
Sd.Kfz. 231/232
4011 Kettenkrad
5039 Boxer Multirole Armoured Vehicle
4012 Panzer 38 (t)
4013 Panzerattrappen - Dummy Tanks
4014 Panzerspähwagen 4-Rad Sd.Kfz.
221/222/223
5043 FENNEK Reconnaissance Vehicle
4015 Opel Blitz 3-ton Truck
4016 Panzerkampfwagen II
4017 Einheitsdiesel
4018 Henschel 33
4019 German Armoured Formations
OZAK
4020 Panzerkampfwagen (Somua)
35 S - 739 (f)
Bundeswehr Special £13.99
5002 Early Years of
the Modern German Army
5005 Modern German Army Training
Center
5007 Vehicles of the German Army
Medical Service
5008 Modern German Armoured
Engineer Vehicles
5009 German Army Prime-Movers/
Tractor-Trucks
5010 The German Army in the
Cold War
5011 The M 48 MBT in
German Service
5012 Tanks M 41 and M 47
in German Service
5013 German Army Leopard 1 MBT
- Early years
5014 German Army Leopard 1 MBT
- Late years
5015 BV 206 Husky All-Terrain Vehicle
5016 Tank Destroyers Gun/Missile
5017 Marder Armoured Infantry
Fighting Vehicle
5018 Schützenpanzer AIFV long/short
5019 Mercedes-Benz LG 315 Truck
5020 Bundeswehr on REFORGER
5021 Bundeswehr Anti-Aircraft Gun/
Missile Tanks
5022 Wiesel 1 - Airborne Tank
5023 Panzertruppe 2010
5024 Wiesel 2 - Airborne Tank
5025 Panzerhaubitze 2000 Self-
Propelled Howitzer
5026 German SPHowitzers M7-M44-
M52-M55-M109
5027 MAN Kat I Trucks
5028 Panzerkampf - Cold War Exercise
5029 German Rocket Artillery
5030 LARS2 - MARS Rocket Artillery
5031 GECON-ISAF Desert Camouflage
5032 M 113 in the Bundeswehr -
Part 1
5033 M 113 in the Bundeswehr
- Part 2
5034 M 113 in the Bundeswehr
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5035 M 113 in the Bundeswehr
- Part 4
5036 DINGO 1 Protected Vehicle
5037 DINGO 2 Protected Vehicle
5038 Panzerschlacht - Kecker
Spatz 87
5040 Emma - MAN 630
5041 Graffiti - GECON-ISAF
5042 Graffiti - IFOR-SFOR-EUFOR
5044 JUPITER 7-tonne Truck
5045 EAGLE IV Armoured Car
5046 MARDER 1 A5 / 1 A5A1 AIFV
5047 UNIMOG U1300L Truck - Part
1 - Development
5048 UNIMOG U1300L Truck - Part
2 - Cargo Truck
5049 UNIMOG U1300L Truck - Part
3 - Variants
5050 The Yak Armoured
Multipurpose Vehicle in
Modern German Army Service
5051 FUCHS The Transportpanzer 1
Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier
in German Army Service Part 1 -
Development and Technology
5052 FUCHS The Transportpanzer
1 Wheeled Armoured Personnel
Carrier in German Army Service Part
2 - Reconnaissance / Engineer /
Command
5053 FUCHS The Transportpanzer
1 Wheeled Armoured Personnel
Carrier in German Army Service Part
3-Ambulance
5054 Fuchs The Transportpanzer
1 Wheeled Armoured Personnel
Carrier in German Army Service Part
4-Battlefield Surveilance
5055 MUNGA
5056 Mine-clearing Vehicles from the
Keiler to the German Route
Clearance System
Tankograd Technical Manual
6000 series £10.99
6001 US M4/M4A1 Sherman
6002 US High Speed Tractors
6003 US DUKW
6005 US Autocar U-7144T & U-8144T
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6006 US Semitrailers for Autocar
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6007 US M7 & M7B1 Priest
6008 US M65 Atomic Annie
6009 US Half Track - Personnel
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6010 US Half Track - Gun Carriers
6011 US Diamond-T 4-ton Truck
6012 US 155mm Howitzers
6013 US M5/M5A1 Stuart
6014 US M8 HMC
6015 US GMC CCKW 353&353
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6016 US 105mm Howitzers
6017 US M25 Tank Transporter
Dragon Wagon
6018 US M19 Tank Transporter
6019 US GMC CCKW Tipper, Gun
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6020 US M29 - M29C Weasel
6021 US M8-M20 Armored Cars
6022 US Caterpillar D7
6023 US GMC - Compressor, Mess,
Radio, Rocket
6024 US M24 Chaffee
6025 US White-Brockway-Corbitt 666
6026 US M32 Tank Recovery Vehicles
6027 US GMC - Wrecker, Tank
Gasoline, COE
6028 US M10 and M10A1 Tank
Destroyers
6029 US M1/M1A1 Heavy Wreckers
6030 US M12, M40, M43 Self-
Propelled Artillery
6031 U.S. WW II Dodge WC51-WC52
Weapons Carrier
6032 U.S. WW II M4A3 Sherman
Medium Tank 75mm/105mm
6033 U.S WWII Dodge 1 1/2 Ton 6X6
6034 U.S WWII & Korea M4A3
Sherman Medium Tank
Tankograd Missions
& Manoeuvres £13.99
7001 GECON-ISAF / German Army in
Afghanistan
7002 BATTLE GRIFFIN / Exercise in
Viking Lands
7003 NATO RESPONSE FORCES
7004 UHLAN EAGLE - British Battle
Group
7005 ESERCITO ITALIANO - Modern
Italian Army
7006 DANSKE HAEREN - Modern
Danish Army
7007 NEDERLANDSE TROEPEN - Dutch
Vehicles
7008 USFK - Modern US Army in Korea
7009 ROKA - Modern Republic of
Korea Army
7010 ACR - Czech Republic Army (1)
7011 ACR - Czech Republic Army (2)
7012 AUSTRALIAN Army 1st Brigade
7013 LANDMACHT - Mod. Royal
Netherlands Army
7014 SOUTHEAST ASIAN ARMY
VEHICLES
7015 IFOR
7016 NORGE - Modern Norwegian
Army Vehicles
7017 Task Force KANDAHAR
7018 FREE LION 88
7019 EJERCITO DE TIERRA - Spanish
Army
7020 MAGYAR HONVEDSEG -
Hungarian Army
7021 JGSDF - Japanese Army
7022 EXERCITO PORTUGUESE -
Portuguese Army
7023 YUGOSLAV ARMIES - Yugos.
Armour 45-today
7024 DANCON-ISAF Danish ISAF
Battle Group
7025 Polish 10th BRYGADA
PANCERNEJ
7026 EJERCITO ARGENTINO -
Argentine Army
7027 SVENSKA ARMEN - Swedish
Army
7028 ANZAC - New Zealand and
Australian Armies
Tankograd INTERNATIONAL
Special £13.99
8002 Canadian Leopard 2A6M CAN
Main Battle Tank
8003 Swedish CV 90
8004 CV 90 International
8005 Finnish LEOPARDs
8006 TAM - Argentine Medium Tank
Family
8007 Canadian LEOPARD C1 in
Germany
Tankograd BRITISH Special
£13.99
9002 Royal Armoured Engineers
9005 British Armour Evolution
9007 REME Royal Electrical
and Mechanical Engineers
9008 BATUS Training Unit Suffield
9009 British Next Generation Armour
9010 Key Flight - Last Exercise of
BAOR
9011 RECCE - Armoured
Reconnaissance
9012 BAOR in REFORGER
1975 - 1991
9013 SPTA - Salisbury Plain Training
Area
9014 FV432 Carrier Personnel Full
Tracked
9015 FV432 Variants
9016 Modern British Army Tank
Transporters
9017 Task Force Helmand
9018 British Nuclear Artillery
9019 Jackal & Coyote
9020 Challenger 1 MBT
9021 Challenger 2 MBT
9022 Cold War Exercise
SPEARPOINT 80
Tankograd In Detail £10.99
M1 A2 SEP V2 Abrams.
Fast Track 01. £10.99
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 02
SLT 2 Mammut The new German Army
Tank Transporter. £10.99
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 03
M2A3 Bradley The US Army
Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle.
£10.99
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 04
M109A6 Paladin
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 05
M992A2 FAASV
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 06
TYPE 10TK
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 07
Aussie Land Rover Perentie
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 08
M88A2 HERCULES
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 09
RG-31 Mk 5
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 10
Husky VMMD
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 11
Warrior FV510 TES (H) British Infantry
Fighting Vehicle
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 12
Dingo 2 GE A3.3 PatSi German
Protected Patrol Vehicle
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 13
Grantiger Löwe German Camouflage -
Markings - Soldiers
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 14
Panzerhaubitze 2000 A1/A2 German
Up-armoured Self-Propelled Howitzer
Tankograd In Detail : Fast Track 15
Keiler German Mine-Clearing Tank
 FIGURE MODELLING Vol. 1-15

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Briefing

Notice Board TARGE 2015

Taking place on the 21st November
this will be the 29th annual
wargames show presented by
Exhibitors – Kevin Peart at
slenderboy0247@gmail.com
Advertising – Paul Lawday at
paul.gc.lawday@gmail.com
Kirriemuir Wargames Club. Since
Information and diary dates
the move to the new venue at
Websters High School TARGE Ajax 35 Model Contest
The Editor welcomes copy for publication in ‘Notice has expanded to include 20 clubs Sponsored by IPMS Toronto,
Board’. This service is free of charge. Obvious ‘for sale’ and 32 trading spaces. The display IPMS DeHavilland & Peel Scale
notices, either private or trade will not be accepted. and participation games range Modelers, the 35th annual Ajax
These restrictions do not apply to bona-fide museums from modest but perfectly formed Scale Model Contest will be held
and collections or traders wishing to pass on information gems up to the massive table in at J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate,
about the availability of products to readers. 54mm toy soldier scale by Durham 1355 Harwood Ave. N., Ajax,
Wargames Club. Ontario, Canada on Saturday, 24th
Would secretaries of clubs and societies please allow Club secretary Steve Shaw has October, 2014 from 10am to 4pm.
a three-month lead time for time-sensitive notices. sculpted a figure of William Wallace Admission: $5, Model entry $2 per
Please note: under no circumstances will copy be in 28mm which will be given to the model to a maximum of $15 (no
accepted by telephone. All notices must be in writing, first 200 through the door. Steve, limit on models). Telephone Bernie
by letter or e-mail. who was a 15mm sculptor in an Hengst on 705-878-1740, email
earlier incarnation, has enjoyed berniehengst@xplornet.ca or visit
Please send all copy for ‘Notice Board’ direct to the
the jump to 28mm so much that www.ajaxscalemodelcontest.com
Editor at the address listed under ‘Editorial’ on the
he has created a unique figure for
contents page.
TARGE over the past 10-years.
Hot and cold food plus drinks Greek Model Show
will be available all day. The judges IPMS Hellas is proud to announce
for the painting and modelling its 34th Annual Exhibition/Contest,
competitions, who labour tirelessly which is going to be held in the
Memorial Trophy (for the best on our behalf, will be led by Colin Hellinikon Olympic Hockey Centre
Aviation subject), the Great War Jack who has a permanent smile in Athens, between the 1st and the
Trophy (for the best WW1 exhibit) on his face since retirement! 4th of October 2015.
and new for this year, the Mike Members of Perth Independent For this year’s show they are
Taylor Memorial Trophy (for the Modellers and MAFVA are on hand going to allocate extra table space
best Flat or Bas-Relief exhibit). to offer advice and assistance on for two special collections. The
There will be a good mix of modelling and painting vehicles and first will be dedicated to Olympic
trade stands in the foyer and figures whilst members of Crann Airways, with models of all civil
in the main hall, along with a Tara will display arms, armour, aircraft that have sported the
Euro Militaire number of club displays. Lots to clothing and other artefacts mainly ‘Olympic’ livery, and the second will
is here! tempt you into buying that figure, from the Jacobite period. be a tribute to the legendary ‘Jeep’
The time for this year’s show AFV, paints, reference book With free on-site parking visitors in a multitude of military and civilian
has finally come around. The or new tools which you may can enjoy a relaxed day taking in uses alike!
weekend of 19th and 20th have been considering. There is the atmosphere of TARGE 2015 at Additionally, IPMS Hellas is
September sees this world- always plenty to eat and drink their leisure. For further information also hosting and jointly organizing
renowned military modelling available within the Leas Cliff phone 01575-574128 or see two other major events. The
show (now in its 30th year!) Hall facilities, as well as it being kirriemuirwargames.co.uk 16th Star Club Annual Figure
take place at the Leas Cliff Hall a short walk into the centre of Exhibition – Contest and the 3rd
in Folkestone, Kent. As this year Folkestone to the hotels and Games Workshop Annual Fantasy
marks the 200th anniversary restaurants at the end of the day. Bugle Call 2016 Figure & Armies Painting Contest
of the Battle of Waterloo we Don’t forget that for this year, The Bristol branch of the ‘Paintathlon’.
will have a large diorama of we have a selection of prizes, British Model Soldier Society in Finally, on the grounds just in
the battlefield on display. Made including books and kits, which conjunction 
with South West front of the main building there
by enthusiast Phil Timms, will be won according to your Figure Modellers are holding their will be classic motorcycles, Jeeps,
this impressive model is 16 x ticket number, drawn at random, annual show 
Bugle Call 2016 at the trucks and other softskin vehicles,
8ft and features over 3,000 x so be sure to listen out for the Pavilion, North Parade Road, Bath
 as well as groups of re-enactors
20mm scale figures! Staying ticket numbers being called on Saturday 25th June 2016.

One of ancient Greek Hoplites, WW2
with the Napoleonic theme, out across the two days. You of the biggest shows of military soldiers (Germans, US GIs, British
Jason Salkey (Rifleman Harris might win a prize worth the models in the South West there paratroopers, etc.) as well as
in the Sharpe TV series) will be cost of your ticket! Our thanks will be many clubs and societies modern era soldiers (Vietnam, etc.).
present to award the prizes. go to sponsors such as Pen from all over the UK displaying For more details email
The competitions take place & Sword, Casemate Books, their models for the enjoyment of ipms-hellas@windowslive.com
in the lower hall, The Channel Hobby Link Japan, CGS, visitors.

There will also be trade or visit www.ipms-hellas.gr
Suite, and the full details of all Armourfast, Deluxe Materials, stands selling everything from the
the classes can be found on the Sphere Products and Ammo latest figures 
and models to paints,
Euro Militaire website at of Mig Jiminez as well as brushes, tools and books. You can IPMS Philippines Show
www.euromilitaire.co.uk MyTimeMedia Ltd who have also see painting demonstrations Oliver Sia informs us that Bert
Come along and see all kindly donated the prizes from some of the top figure Anido chapter of IPMS Philippines
who will win the coveted Jason Salkey as for this. painters in the hosting clubs.
 is holding its 13th Nationals
Best of Show award Rifleman Harris. So come Refreshments will be available all Scale Model Competition on
for our 30th year. and join day. Admission: Adults £5;
 Children 26th October to 3rd November,
There are also three us at Euro under 12 £2;
 Family ticket £9;
 OAP 2015 at Glorietta 2 Activity Hall,
special trophies to Militaire 2015, £4. For further information please Ayala Malls, Makati City, Manila,
be awarded, The you can buy your contact the following people: Philippines. For more details email
Charles Davis tickets at the door! Traders – Bob Orr at ipmsphilippines@yahoo.com or
boborr@talktalk.net visit http://ipmsphilippines.com/

12 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Watch preview videos
www.YouTube.com/historexagents

AVAILABLE FROM HISTOREX AGENTS, Wellington House,

www.HistorexAgents.com 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent, CT17 9BZ, ENGLAND
Tel: 01304 206720 eMail Sales@HistorexAgents.com
 Website

ABOVE: The entrance to the Leningrad Siege Museum in St. Petersburg.

RIGHT: Uniforms and equipment from the time of the siege make up displays in
the St. Petersburg museum.

www.militarymodelling.com
H
aving just made another
addition to our Museum
section on the website,
News from the Military Modelling website and forum I thought it was opportune to
mention that we have been
steadily growing our series of
If you would like to submit an item for the website email Robin Buckland at
features on military museums.
robin.buckland@mytimemedia.com or come and join our online presence
at militarymodelling.com the world of military modelling at your fingertips The latest one to be featured is
the State Memorial Museum

ABOVE: This German machine gun cart is a good reference as there’s a

new kit on the way from Riich Models.

ABOVE: Artwork in the Leningrad

Siege Museum.

RIGHT: The Atlantic Wall Museum in

Ouistreham, Normandy.

14
 Website

of Leningrad Siege Defense whenever they are available,

and Blockade, in St. Petersburg, along with a good idea of what
Russia. One of our contributors, you can expect find there. There
to both the website and the are some rare exhibits to be
magazine itself, over the years found among the collections
has been USA-based Steve and each feature has resulted
Andreano, and he recently from an actual visit by one of
returned from a family summer our contributors, rather than
holiday cruise in the Baltic, where simply being a repeat of a
A bunker of the Azeville Battery near St. Mere Eglise, Normandy.
one of their ports of call was St. press release about a place we
Petersburg. He managed to visit have not been. If you do visit Amidst all this we continue couple of recent models that
this interesting museum and a museum which we haven’t to have plenty of builds taking have reached completion have
has given us a report on what he covered yet and it is one that place on our forum which you also been the subjects of our
found there, along with photos to you think we would like a report might wish to follow to pick up Photo Features.
give you an idea of what is inside. on, then please get in touch. various hints and tips, while a Robin Buckland
It looks well worth a visit if you
are in the city.
Over the last few years we
have been able to feature a
number of museums from
around the world, some are
well-known others less so.
They include museums in the
UK, France, Belgium, Holland,
Russia, Finland, Malta, the USA
and South Africa. Therefore, if
you are planning a trip then do
have a look through this section
on our website. We provide
details of where to find them,
along with links to websites
A Spitfire in the Malta
Aviation Museum.

ABOVE LEFT & RIGHT: Gary Radford did a lovely LEFT & BELOW: Member Richard Foenander took some
build of the IBG Bedford QLR kit in 1:35 scale. time to complete his blog, but the end result shows
just how much can be added to an old 1:72 scale Airfix
kit in terms of detailing, in this case an RE8.

www.militarymodelling.com 15
 AFV

BA-10M I
ABOVE: The finished model in a winter scene via the magic
of Adobe Photoshop.

’ve long thought that the BA-10 was one of the

more attractive Soviet armoured cars, and a few
years ago, I bought the Zvezda kit with plans
to improve it. The Zvezda kit is not especially well

Soviet Armoured Car

detailed, so I was happy to hear that HobbyBoss
was releasing a new kit. This is a significant
improvement over the Zvezda kit, although it does
have its own issues.
Steve Zaloga builds the HobbyBoss 1:35 scale
BA-10 kit and adds some improvements and extra What variant is it?
detailing along the way. After looking over the HobbyBoss kit, I started to
wonder about what exactly it was supposed to
depict. Although described on the box as a BA-10,
it in fact depicts a BA-10M. The original BA-10 that
entered production in late 1937 was built in only a
very small series before production of the definitive
BA-10A that entered production in January 1938
and lasted through to 1939. Production of the
improved BA-10M started in December 1939 and
lasted through to September 1941. The easiest way
to distinguish the BA-10A from the BA-10M is the
presence of the rectangular fuel tanks above the
rear wheels on the BA-10M. The kit does provide
this feature, but it has a number of other details
from the BA-10A including the rear ZIP tool stowage
box, the higher shackles on the rear plate, the
wrong turret periscopic sight, and Finnish style
shovel stowage. I suspect that many of these
details can be traced back to reliance on the BA-10
preserved at the Parola Museum in Finland, which
does in fact have a mish-mash of BA-10A and BA-
10M details since it is a rebuilt vehicle.

Starting the model

I began with the chassis frame and undercarriage.
A Soviet BA-10A in the usual overall 4BO dark green camouflage colour knocked out by the Finnish This is extremely complex since it shares the
army during the Porlammi encirclement in early September 1941. Photo: SA-kuva. same parts with the HobbyBoss GAZ-AAA truck.

16 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 AFV

The chassis is extremely well detailed, and has a

host of very tiny parts that makes assembly a real
challenge. The axles are not particularly firm in their
mountings, and it is frustrating to spend so much
time on details that will not be seen. My only major
change to the undercarriage was to replace the kit
wheels with Hussar resin items from Air Connection
in Canada (www.airconnection.on.ca). I do not
like vinyl tyres on kits since they run the risk of
eventually splitting. The Hussar wheels (item 35031)
are superb and have excellent tread detail and even
the proper manufacturers’ script on the sidewalls.
Once the chassis is complete, the rest of the
model goes together quickly. The kit includes a
partial driver’s compartment, but nothing at all
in the fighting compartment or turret. I decided
to leave the driver’s door open, so I built an
elementary interior. I added a few items such as a
radio and radio batteries, but in reality, little of this
can be seen. For modellers interested in adding ABOVE: Another view of a Soviet BA-10
interior details, the best source at the moment is from the Porlammi encirclement.
The BA-10A lacked the shelves on the
the Kolomiets book on Soviet medium armoured rear since the bulk of the weight of
cars (Maksim Kolomiets, Srednie broneavtomobili the Overall track was sustained by the
krasnoy armii (Frontovaya Illyustratsiya: 2003), mudguards. Photo: SA-kuva.
or the Polish version which is probably
easier to find outside of Russia (Maksim
Kolomiets, Sowickie samochody pancerne
Vol.1 (Wyd. Militaria: Tank Power
Vol.XIII, No. 229: 2005).
One of the items I picked up
for this project was the Hauler

ABOVE: The kit comes with a basic

interior for the driver’s compartment,
and I added a few details such as the
radio batteries under the dashboard.

LEFT: For modellers thinking about

backdating the HobbyBoss kit to a
BA-10A, note that the ZIP tool stowage
box on the rear is smaller than the
type depicted in the kit as can be seen
on this Finnish BA-10A in action with
the Armoured Detachment of the
Finnish 1st Division during the fighting
near Petrozavodsk in September 1941.
Photo: SA-kuva.

17
 AFV
ABOVE: A column of Soviet BA-10M
on the way to the front in the summer
of 1941. The BA-10M in Soviet service
in the summer of 1941 tended to have
few if any tactical markings.
BELOW: A BA-10A captured by
the Finnish army in the Omelia
encirclement battle in late July 1941.
Notice that it lacks the licence plate
holder on the front bumper provided
in the HobbyBoss kit. Photo: SA-kuva.
18
ABOVE: The mountings for the headlight are too tiny to
support the weight of the headlights, so I beefed them up
by adding a sprue rod.
BELOW: A detail view of one of the BA-10M captured near
Kyyrolan showing interior details of the driver’s door. Also
notice the shovel stowage below the door, not on the hull
side as shown in the HobbyBoss kit. Photo: SA-kuva.
photo-etched set of ‘Overall’ mud/snow tracks
(item HLU35045). These fit over the two rear
wheels to provide better traction. I didn’t intend
to mount them on the wheels, but to show them
in the stowed position on the rear to add a bit of
interest to this area. I decided to solder the tracks
together since I would have to bend them to fit
on the rear. Under these circumstances, I was
worried that epoxy or cyanoacrylate glues would
not be sufficiently strong. The Hauler
tracks consist of the track pads plus
a spine consisting of the guide
teeth and the attachment panel.
The spine has to be carefully
folded from the flat photo-
etched piece, but the Hauler
photo-etch is well designed
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
 AFV

ABOVE: A nice study of a BA-10A from the Omelia battles. The BA-10A lacked the side fuel tanks, and there was no armoured cover over the hull machine gun. Photo: SA-kuva.

with grooves to make it easier to get the proper

bends. After forming the spines, I ‘silvered’ the
track pads while still on the fret to make it easier
to handle the approximately 50 small track plates.
Silvering is basically painting a thin coat of solder
on the piece after it has been treated with flux.
After putting liquid flux on the bottom of the spine
piece, I carefully began soldering the track pads to
the spine, one at a time, and then cutting the pads
free from the fret. This makes it easier to handle the
small pads rather than first cutting them off the fret.
For modellers not interested in this process,
the Overall tracks can be omitted. However, I have
noticed on recent MiniArt adverts for some of their
future GAZ-AAA truck releases that they have

ABOVE: I soldered the Hauler Overall tracks rather

than gluing them to give them more durability
when bending them to fit the rear deck.

BELOW: A rear view of one of the Omelia BA-10A

showing the Overall tracks stowed on the rear.
Photo: SA-kuva.

19
 AFV
A 1:35 scale plan
of the Overall
track shelving.
TOP: A rare view showing details of the
rear end of a burned-out Soviet BA-10M
with good details of the shelves for the
Overall tracks as well as the attachment
clips and re-positioned shackles.
Photo: SA-kuva.
RIGHT: One of the more interesting
markings options for the BA-10A
is this captured Finnish example
put into service with the Armoured
Detachment of the Finnish 1st Division
during the fighting near Petrozavodsk
in September 1941. The blue and white
national Hakaristi insignia is painted
backwards from the usual style. It was
left in the original Soviet green and
brown camouflage. Photo: SA-kuva.
20
been showing Overall track with the kits, so maybe
we will be getting some vinyl or plastic snow tracks.
When the side fuel tanks were added on the BA-
10M, it complicated the stowage of the Overall tracks
since they usually rested on the mudguards above the
rear wheels, a space now occupied by the new tanks.
As a result, three stamped sheet metal shelves were
added to the rear for Overall track stowage. Details of
these shelves are rare, but I have included a photo
here showing them as well as a set of working
drawings for my shelves. Be aware that the
drawings here are a bit rough and that the
curved joint with the rear hull is not perfect.
The addition of the shelves also forced the
re-positioning of the rear tow shackles (parts
ABOVE: This view of the rear shows the added Overall track
shelves as well as a few other small changes. Note that the
Finnish mounting for the shovel has been removed and the
holes filled in.
T4 and S26) to a point lower on the rear hull. Also, the
ZIP tool stowage box (S18) should be omitted and the
holes filled in. The kit shows the shovel stowed on
the left hull side above the fuel tanks which is okay for
modified Finnish vehicles, but not for Soviet ones. The
mounting plate and holes should be corrected. The
shovel on Soviet vehicles was actually stowed on the
lower front left hull side beside the spare tyre with the
shovel blade pointing towards the rear.
The Russian firm Magic Models has a nice upgrade
set for the BA-10 (item MM3555) that includes the
45mm gun barrel, two DT machine gun barrels, and
the claxon/horn. I didn’t use the horn, mainly because it
was quite heavy and I couldn’t figure out a way to glue
it to the mount in a fashion sturdy enough to survive
painting. I also only used one of the two sets of DT
machine gun barrels, as the machine gun in the turret
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
 AFV
A Soviet BA-10M captured by the Finnish army
during the fighting near Kyyrolan in late August
1941. This provides a nice view of the armoured
covers over the radiator in the open position.
Photo: SA-kuva.

ABOVE: Another view of the Overall track shelves as

well as the small attachment clips on the back of the
fuel tanks and the repositioned shackles.

BELOW: One of the more obscure

campaigns of the Red Army in
1941 was a joint occupation of
Iran by the Soviet and British
armies to open up Lend-Lease
routes. This is a very dusty
Red Army BA-10M with the
white air-identification
invasion cross painted on
the roof.
ABOVE: The turret roof had an array of small bolts not present on the kit and I
added these using a Waldron punch-and-die set. ABOVE RIGHT: I replaced the turret
panoramic periscopic sight with the more common later style.

RIGHT: I added canvas covers to the fronts of headlight using epoxy putty.

www.militarymodelling.com 21
 AFV

LEFT: A Soviet BA-10M in a 2-colour white/dark green

winter camouflage finish.

is barely exposed and I didn’t want to waste all the fine

detail on the turned brass barrels. A more economical
approach to the turret machine gun is the Aber set of
Degtaryev DT, DP barrels (item 35 L-99) which only
includes the forward part of the barrel that can be
seen. I replaced the periscope on the roof as well as
the kit shows the previous type. I added canvas covers
for the front headlights from epoxy putty as this seems
like it was common practice.

ABOVE: A Soviet BA-10M seen in Stalingrad in October

1942 with tactical numbers painted on the side fuel tanks.

RIGHT: The kit comes with a photo-etched bumper, but

it is a bit of a challenge to get it to bend into the proper
shape. Annealing the part over a candle flame while still
on the fret makes it softer and easier to bend.

BELOW: The kit omits the small pistol port to the outside
of the hull machine gun.

22 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 AFV

Painting and finishing ABOVE: A Finnish BA-10M in winter-whitewash near Nurmoylitsy in February 1942 with a plain blue
Hakaristi insignia on the turret. Photo: SA-kuva.

I decided to paint my BA-10M in a winter finish. I BELOW RIGHT: To speed the process of hairspray chipping, I soak the model using strips of paper
started by painting the model in overall dark green. towel soaked in water.
I wanted a somewhat lighter shade of green to
avoid too sharp a contrast between the white and
green surfaces, so I lightened up some Tamiya RAF
Dark Green XF-81 with Yellow Green XF-4. Once this
was dry, I applied a layer of lacquer clear gloss to
act as a barrier for hairspray weathering. I find that
without the barrier, it’s too easy to rub past the top

BELOW: Another camouflaged Finnish BA-10A near

Petroskoi in October 1941 with the large national Hakaristi
in blue and white on the turret. Photo: SA-kuva.

23
 AFV

ABOVE: The Evolution Soviet

armoured crewman after painting.

and bottom layers directly to the plastic. Once this

had dried, I airbrushed on some liquid hairspray.
I use ordinary supermarket hairspray rather
than the dedicated hobby brands. In the
US, Pantene has small ‘travel size’ bottles
of hairspray that is easy to use in an
airbrush rather than trying to decant it
from an aerosol can. One this is dry to
the touch, I applied an irregular finish
of Tamiya Flat White XF-2 over the
vehicle. Once this is dry to the touch, I
moved the model to a plastic work-pad
and soaked some strips of paper towel in
water. I draped these on the various bits of
The finished model after painting. the model to soften off the paint. I usually start
chipping at the surface using a pointed wooden
toothpick, and once the surface begins to erode, I
switch to a small piece of steel wool. I use the fine
steel wool used for wood finishing, not the coarse
material used for scrubbing pots!
Once I’m satisfied with the results I let
the model dry overnight before adding
additional painting effects such as
dirt and frozen mud. I used a wash
of some Humbrol light earth colours
to duplicate the frozen mud on
the tyres. The air identification
triangle was airbrushed on to
the engine deck, while the
turret numbers are Archer dry
transfers from the spares box.
For a figure, I used the
excellent Evolution Soviet Tankman
(Sergeant) 1940-42 (item EM 35050).
For details on the colouring on this
particular uniform, there is an excellent reference
on the internet:
www.rkka.ru/uniform/files/btv14.htm
The collar tabs and insignia on early-war Soviet
troops are quite intricate, so I used the Magic
Models decals for RKKA Armour Troops.

24 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 AFV

ABOVE: A pair of whitewashed BA-10s of the 1st Separate Armoured Car Battalion of the
Leningrad Front in Shlissenburg in January 1943. The vehicle to the right is a BA-10A and the
one of the left is a BA-10M.

LEFT: A detail view of the Hauler Overall tracks mounted on the rear of the model.
This adds some visual interest to this part of the model.

BELOW: The finished model on its base.

Conclusion
Overall, the Hobby Boss kit is a major
leap forward in quality compared to the
old Zvezda kit. The corrections are fairly
modest, and are much easier than trying to
backdate the model to a BA-10A.

Availability
The HobbyBoss BA-10 kit (item 83840)
is available in the UK at £24.99 from
Wonderland Models.
www.wonderlandmodels.com

www.militarymodelling.com 25
 Show report

This cast hull M4 Sherman was one of three

with crews in appropriate uniform and stowage
that have been used for film work.

Tankfest 2015
Robin Buckland
T
he final weekend of June provided some
good weather for the The Tank Museum’s
looks at the ‘heavy annual ‘Tankfest’ show at Bovington in
metal’ on display Dorset. As they say about themselves, “not all
museums are quiet”! This proved to be the case
at this year’s with plenty of pyrotechnic bangs and flashes along
Bovington show. with the roar of tank engines as they made their
way around the large arena.
The main entrance to the museum building which was very busy all day.
It was, I think, the biggest crowd I can remember
seeing for the show, with all tickets sold out before
both days so you couldn’t just turn up and buy tickets
at the gate. The crowd surrounding the arena were
treated to another excellent show this year with
some fine displays from the museum collection,
as well as vehicles from the modern British Army
and a few private owners. Coupled with this the
re-enactors put on some excellent Living History
displays and then joined in for the set piece battle
in the arena at the end of each day. On the Saturday
when I was there, all the enthusiasm and hard work
was rewarded with some super weather.
Entry to the show is at each end of the site, and
I went in via the gates from some car parking at
the opposite end to the actual museum buildings.
This brings you in amidst the living history displays
which are on the right as you walk in, and several
rows of trade stands and bouncy castles to the
left. Looking ahead and to the right is the new
Vehicle Conservation Centre, and opposite this on
the left is the main display arena. Beyond both of
these, you find a section of assorted food stands
and then the museum buildings themselves. One
of the benefits you get from buying a ticket for
Tankfest is that this also gives you free access
to the museum for the rest of the year. This is
handy as the interior of the buildings was packed
with visitors and additional trade and exhibition
stands so a good look at some of the exhibits
may have proved a bit tricky. The separate Vehicle
Conservation Hall holds a host of vehicles held in
reserve and left for restoration, and this was open
to public viewing, so you could make your way

26 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Show report

ABOVE: Tiger 131, seen here in the

‘static park’, is always a star attraction.

LEFT: A rare Matilda Mk.I running in

the arena.

BELOW LEFT: For anyone building the

Takom 1:16 scale kits, or the Meng 1:35
scale one, this FT-17 in the museum is
ideal for reference.

BELOW RIGHT: The Whippet is another

of the Museum’s WW1-era tanks and,
with a new kit from Takom recently
released, will provide modellers with
useful references details.

www.militarymodelling.com 27
 Show report

ABOVE LEFT: A Russian encampment

in the Living History area. Their
uniforms and equipment provide great
reference for modellers.

ABOVE RIGHT: A longtime friend and

colleague of mine, Jason Littleford and
his wife, had one of their regular living
history displays at Bovington.

RIGHT: Another popular tank at the

show, the beautifully restored Panzer III
from the museum collection.

BELOW: One visiting vehicle that was

very interesting to see, a working
PzKpfw 38(t).

between the closely parked ranks of AFVs and see
up close some really unique and interesting items
held in the Tank Museum collection.
The great attraction of Tankfest though is the
chance to see a large number of the exhibits from
the museum collection actually being driven in the
arena and taking part in various themed displays
plus a battle re-enactment at the end of the day. The
star of the show for many visitors is Tiger 131, the
only original Tiger I that is kept in working condition,
and which I thought sounded to be running more
sweetly than ever! Another star this year though
was ‘Fury’, one of the Shermans belonging to the
museum that featured in the recent film Fury which
starred Brad Pitt. This had been kept equipped as
was seen in the film and, in company with a couple
of additional Sherman film stars, provided another
exhibit that many were keen to see. Perhaps the
only inconvenience on this for the arena display
was that a camera and tripod had been fitted to
the top of the turret for one of the show sponsors
which rather spoilt the overall impression (magically
removed on our front cover image thanks to
Photoshop! Ed). Nothing major of course, but
something I felt was rather unfortunate.
The British Army gave some great support to the
event, largely from the ATDU (Armour Trials and
Development Unit) that is based as Bovington, as
they brought along Megatron, their uparmoured
Challenger 2, along with an uparmoured Warrior 2,

28 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Show report

LEFT: Luftwaffe tropical uniforms and

equipment on this group of re-enactors
in the Living History display.

ABOVE: Desert camouflage

for this Valentine in the
museum’s collection.

LEFT: Star of the show

perhaps, and star of the
‘silver screen’, this M4A3E8
from the museum featured
extensively in the film Fury.

BELOW: The T-34/85, one of the

most effective tanks ever built,
makes a circuit of the arena.

the Trojan engineer vehicle, Titan Bridgelayer, Coyote,

Jackal, Scimitar 2 and for the first time this year for
the arena, a bar armoured Mastiff patrol vehicle and
the smaller Terrier engineer vehicle (which replaced
the CET – Combat Engineer Tractor, in service). It was
good to see the Mastiff driven around the arena, a
huge machine that proved invaluable in Afghanistan
in particular. The Challenger 2, or ‘Megatron’, gave a
spirited display and is always impressive moving at
speed. Trojan displayed the deployment of a fascine
of a pipe bundle, while Titan also demonstrated the
laying and recovery of its bridge.
The arena display was started by a display of
Leopard tanks, using two ex-Canadian examples
held in the collection and was neatly done with
the first of the loud bangs from some pyrotechnic
gunfire. These performed again in the afternoon.

www.militarymodelling.com
 Show report

RIGHT: As part of a display

scenario, this Royal Navy HC-4
Commando helicopter blew up lots
of dust before disgorging its
troops into the display arena.

BELOW LEFT: Having proved a

useful patrol vehicle in Afghanistan,
the Jackal gave a spirited
performance around the arena.

BELOW RIGHT: This South African

Buffel mine protected vehicle had
been in the collection at Shrivenham
for some years, but has now recently
passed over to the Tank Museum who
had it out on show.

RIGHT: Another recent arrival at the

Tank Museum, an early variant of the
T-72, with the distinctive gill armour
plates on the sides.

BELOW: Megatron, the Challenger

2 from the ATDU (Armour Trials and
Development Unit) based at Bovington
is always an impressive performer.

30 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Show report

ABOVE: This Hurricane, wearing the markings used in the Far East where the red of the
roundels was removed to avoid confusion with Japanese aircraft, made some passes on
the Saturday.

ABOVE RIGHT: Always a popular attraction, a Spitfire in PRU Blue provided a good display.

RIGHT: One of the latest pattern uparmoured Warriors was on show,

this another vehicle with the ATDU based at Bovington Camp.

BELOW: The Trojan engineer vehicle demonstrated lifting a fascine

bundle up and back onto its rear rack.

RIGHT: Always nice to see, the Alvis Saladin from the museum collection.

BELOW: Another visitor from the ATDU, the latest armour fit for the huge Mastiff performed in
the arena for the first time at Tankfest.

www.militarymodelling.com 31
 Show report

ABOVE: Memories of the Cold War-era are brought back into focus with the Chieftain which still makes an impressive sight when on the move.

Other displays included a short ‘battle’ of British

troops, some of which rappelled down a rope
from a Sea King HC4 helicopter, which blew up
something of a dust storm as it hovered over the
arena and in company with examples of Scimitar,
Scimitar 2, Jackal and Coyote. Having mentioned
the Sea King, there were a couple of other flypasts
in the programme, one for a Spitfire in the morning
and while we expected a Dakota and a Mustang
in the afternoon, what actually turned up was the
perfect partner for a Spitfire, the Hawker Hurricane!
Without listing everything that did arena displays,
I will mention the little Matilda Mk.I, so small when
compared to the likes of the huge M103A2 that we
also saw as well as a Centurion gun tank. It was
also a pleasure to see a Centurion BARV displayed
as well. The CVR(T) display was good, with a
Scorpion, Scimitar, Sampson, Sultan and Samaritan
all included. One of the new additions to the
museum collection was on show, an ex-Polish army

ABOVE: The large M103A2 was another of several US tanks on display.

BELOW: One of the well-stowed Shermans comes into the arena with US infantry ready for the afternoon battle display.

32 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Show report

LEFT: A British Army M110 is

another recent addition to the
collection at Bovington, and
another one that has come from
the collection at Shrivenham.

BELOW: The Titan Bridgelayer

came into the arena and
demonstrated its ability to lay
down and pick up a bridge in
quick time.

early model of the T-72, with the small gill armour

panels on each side of the hull. Even a very nicely
restored PzKpfw 38(t) was there, though technical
problems meant we saw little of it on the Saturday.
The arena display was rounded off with a battle
re-enactment, using the three Shermans, and the
Tiger I, Panzer III from the museum plus a privately
owned SdKfz 251 Ausf D half-track. It was set in the
closing stages of the war, with US infantry attacking
the German defenders, a mixture of Fallschirmjäger
and Volksturm. Plenty more bangs and crashes as
the pyrotechnics to accompany this went off. When
vehicles were not moving in and out of the display
arena, the parking area was open for the public
to walk round and get up close to all the display
vehicles and talk to many of the crews.
With large crowds, good weather and plenty
of noise from tanks moving around, Tankfest was
another super event put on by the Tank Museum and
it remains one of my firm favourites of the year.

ABOVE: A Warsaw Pact-era vehicle, the long bodied

Soviet ACRV.

LEFT: An SdKfz 251 Ausf D which has been restored to a

very high standard.

BELOW: Lots of noise and smoke as a group of

Fallschirmjäger defend against US troops and tanks in the
climatic big battle display at the end of the afternoon.

www.militarymodelling.com 33
 AFV
ABOVE: The author’s completed model. LEFT: The original Airfix QLC Petrol Bowser from the RAF
Refuelling set built by the author back in 1981.
Bedford QLT
Ambulance
Steve Guthrie
T
he Bedford QL 3-ton 4x4 was built in greater
numbers that any other British all-wheel drive
converts the Airfix truck during the Second World War. Over
1:76 scale kit into 52,000 were manufactured between 1940 and 1945
and were used for a wide variety of tasks including
a vehicle used by General Service (QLD), troop carrying (QLT), LAA
the 2nd Canadian tractor (QLB), wireless (QLR) and tipper (QLW). It
was also produced at a chassis/cab for specialized
Motor Ambulance bodywork like aircraft refuellers (QLC).
Convoy RCASC. The first small scale kit of a QL was released
by Airfix in the early 1970s in its 1:76 scale RAF
Refuelling set (item A03302). The set included
Box art for the Airfix Bedford QLT and Bedford QLD Trucks in 1:76 scale.
34
a Bedford QLC and an AEC 6x6 0854. In 2008,
IBG Models from Poland released its first kit, a
1:72 scale Bedford QLD GS (item 7201). This was
followed by kits of the QLR Wireless (item 7202),
QLT Troop Carrier (item 7203), QLB LAA Bofors
tractor (item 7204) and QLC Fire Tender (item 7205).
Finally in 2010 came the new Airfix kit in 1:76 scale
(item A03306), consisting of models of the Bedford
QLD GS and the QLT trooper, both versions already
produced by IBG.
The new Airfix kits represent great value, are
accurate in outline and assemble easily. But like
many kits these days, it sometimes seems as though
the moulds are cut by two different people. For
example, the wheel hubs are very well detailed and
fit the flattened effect tyres very well. But the one-
piece jerrycan racks have exaggerated details and
the access steps to the side doors in the body are
simply awful. Nothing a model builder can’t easily
scratchbuild but still. And for those of you old enough
to remember, it seems the old ‘Matchbox Trench
Digger’ came out of retirement to engrave the floor
detail in the body! You get clear windows but they
are horribly thick and are best used as patterns to cut
new window material out of thin clear plastic. You
also get a very complete decal sheet.
Let’s get started
I decided to model a Bedford QLT as used by 2nd
Canadian Motor Ambulance Convoy RCASC to
transport walking wounded during the Normandy
Campaign in 1944. The Canadian Army used the
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
 AFV

‘‘”
The new Airfix kits
represent great value,
are accurate in outline
and assemble easily.

ABOVE: Members of the

Canadian Women’s Army
Corps (CWAC) descending
from a Bedford QLT
“somewhere in the UK”.

RIGHT: Bedford QL cab front

parts from (left to right) the old
Airfix, new Airfix and IBG kits.

QLT as they had nothing like it in terms of dedicated
troop carrying vehicle.
In Step one, drill out that ribbed cylinder at the
very front of the chassis (part A11). I’m not sure
what it is but it looks like some kind of thin metal
guard in photos and not some great solid lump.
And speaking of lumps, you’ll need to reduce the
thickness of the fuel tank brackets on either side
of the chassis. These are made to fit the kit tanks,
which are going to be replaced. The instructions
would have you cement part A28, the lower edge
of the front of the cab, to the chassis at this
point. Thinking I would have a messy seam to fill I
cemented it to the cab front B2. On reflection, this
made mounting the cab to the chassis trickier than
it should have been, so follow the instructions!
The suspension parts are well moulded, if a little
heavy, but assembly is simple and strong (Steps
4-8). For some reason, there is no spring leaf detail
engraved into the front and rear springs. It’s not
ABOVE LEFT: Completed body
showing new side steps, jerrycan rack
and mudflaps. Also visible are the
grab handles and door latch and the
diagonal reinforcements inside the
rear doors.
ABOVE RIGHT: Completed body
showing replaced snap fasteners and
filled ejection pin markings.

www.militarymodelling.com 35
 AFV
ABOVE LEFT: Interior of cab
showing details added from styrene
strip (white) and 10 thou. styrene
rod (black). The foot pedals were
repositioned and the sanding swarf
on the steering wheel were removed
before painting.
ABOVE RIGHT: Cab front showing cut
out grille and new radiator surface,
scratchbuilt side marker lights, thinned
down bridge plate and new radiator
filling cap.
ABOVE: Chassis temporarily on its
wheels showing new fuel tank and
modified mounts.
RIGHT: Another view of the chassis
showing the modified spare tyre rack.
36
very visible on the finished model so I just left them
the way they were. Makes you wonder though,
when every other small scale truck kit has included
that detail.
In Step 9 thin down, or scratchbuild, the spare
tyre mounts at the rear of the chassis. As moulded,
the parts look more like structural steel rather than
truck parts! I scratchbuilt a pair of fuel tanks for Step
10 from thick styrene strip, added a filler pipe from
styrene rod and retaining straps from thin styrene
strip. These can be then be cemented onto the filed
down mounts.
Steps 11-15 concern the assembly of the cab. The
first thing I did was drill out the grille (B2) as I was
going to replace it with mesh. (Polish manufacturer
Part makes a photo-etched set for the IBG Bedford
QLR that includes a grille which may fit the Airfix
kit but I decided to make my own). After opening
up the grille, I added a piece of styrene covered
with textured foil from a cigarette pack to simulate
the radiator matrix. I airbrushed a scrap of window
sheer material with Tamiya Olive Drab XF-62
followed by a coat of clear flat. This both coloured
and stiffened the material making it easier to cut
out a section to fit over the hole in the kit grille. I
attached it with minute droplets of super glue.
The moulded radiator filler cap is just a blob so I
sanded it off, drilled a hole and added a new filler
cap from styrene rod. At the same time, I sanded
down the windscreen frames as they seemed a
bit prominent then thinned down the inside edges
of the front mudguards on part B8 with a round
file and sanding sticks for a more prototypical look.
I also cut off the moulded-on marker lights and
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
 AFV

replaced them with scraps of styrene strip and rod.

The mounting for the bridge plate looks big enough
to use as a towhook, so I filled in the locating notch,
cut the peg off the back, sanded down the plate
and mounted it on the mudguard with a scrap of
styrene. The grille guard had a mould seam I didn’t
feel like removing so I made a new one from a
piece of carefully bent styrene rod. The direction
indicator was shaped from scraps of .005 styrene
and the rear-view mirrors from wire and a piece of
styrene strip. Finally, I added grab handles from fine
wire to the rear of the cab door openings.
Since the model was to have the driver’s side
door open, I added a few details to the cab interior.
Foot pedals, gearlever, transfer case shift, parking
brake and a steering column support were made
from scraps of styrene strip and rod. I was going
to put a figure in the passenger seat with his arm
out the window so I didn’t need side windows but
I made new windscreens and door vents from thin
The cab almost finished showing the new grille, direction indicator, rear-view mirrors and freshly
clear styrene. These were installed at the very end applied markings. The misplaced bridge marking was later re-positioned and hand starting crank
of construction to avoid issues with paint or clear support was painted.

Finished converted figures.

Figures in place in body before top added.

37
 AFV
‘‘”
Views of the author’s completed
1:76 scale model.
Still, experience has
taught me that if you
think something won’t
be seen, it will!
38
coats. The forward facing Red Cross on the front
edge of the roof was made from a punched disc of
styrene and a decal from the spares box.
Steps 16 to 23 describe the construction of the rear
body. I intended to place a number of figures in the
body and, with the canvas top in place, I didn’t know
how much work to do on the body. Still, experience
has taught me that if you think something won’t be
seen, it will! Therefore, as the inside surfaces of the
body sides (A4 & A7) are pocked with ejection pin
markings they were duly filled and sanded. There are
also a number of heavy rivets on the body exterior so
sand these down. However, do not remove the raised
bumps on each body panel just below the top edge.
These are the large snap fasteners used to hold the
side canvas flaps in place when rolled down. I removed
them on one side in my haste and ignorance and then
had to replace them with Tichy Train Group .20 thou.
rivets (item 8017), so save yourself a bit of work! I also
carved off the moulded-on folding jump seats on the
inner surface of the side doors and replaced them with
scratchbuilt ones.
The floor displays engraved plank detail that is
much too deep and wide so I filled them with .10
thou styrene rod. The lower supports for the centre
line seats (A3, A10 & A13) are again much too thick
and heavy and were thinned down with files and
sanding sticks. The back of each centre line seat
has an ejection pin mark so these need to be filled.
At the same time, the seat back struts need to be
thinned down. A photo of the rear body shows
the inside corner of both side benches is cut at an

angle, so I trimmed the corner off the kit parts, (A1
& A2). I also cut off the AA LMG mounting from
the body’s front panel (B4) as vehicles used as
ambulances were not to be armed. I added some
diagonal framing details to the inside of the two rear
entry doors (B25 & B26) and I added grab handles
and side door latches to the body sides from fine
wire. Part B3, which goes below the rear doors,
needs to have the steps trimmed off and set aside,
and the diagonal brace on the right removed and
replaced with thinner styrene strip and a second
one added to the left. Thin down the brackets on the
rear steps, these will be re-attached later.
The side door steps (parts A20), jerrycan racks
(A34 & A35) toolbox (A21) and the mudflaps can all
be consigned to the spares box as all are too thick
and blobby. I studied some photos and plans and
made new ones from thin styrene sheet and strip. I
used two pairs of Armand P. Bayardi resin jerrycans
(item M72/12) in my new racks. The new mudflaps
have stiffener detail added from fine stretched
sprue. Before attaching them, fill in the huge
mounting notches underneath the body.
I debated what to do with the canvas top for
the body. I have seen no photos of a Bedford
QLT operating without the top but I was wary of
replacing the kit parts with epoxy putty or paper. The
model would display a large Red Cross on the top
and a decal was the only way to go so I stuck with
the kit parts. Nevertheless, I did carve and file more
fold detail into the rolled-up sides (parts A8 & A9)
and replaced the retaining straps with thin strips of
Tamiya Masking Tape. I thinned down the edges of
the front flap (B6) and trimmed the climbing rope
from part B18 as I can’t imagine wounded men
being expected to imitate Tarzan in order to embark!
I then re-attached the rear steps but in the swung
forward position to clear the set of stairs I built from
styrene strip and placed at the rear of the truck after
I attached it to the base.
Painting and markings
I airbrushed the model with Tamiya Olive Drab XF-62
lightened with Desert Yellow XF-59. When dry I then
airbrushed on a coat of Future Floor Finish as a clear
gloss protective coat for pin washing using black
oil paint. My experience has been the gloss finish
allows more control of washes than a flat finish. It
also acts as a base for applying decals.
The big Red Cross on the roof is from the Austin
K-2 Ambulance from the Airfix RAF Emergency set
www.militarymodelling.com
AFV
(item AO3304). It’s an old decal so I was concerned
how viable it still was but, after a careful application
‘‘”
of Microscale’s Micro Sol and Micro Set decal
solvents, it settled down nicely. The other Red Cross
markings are from the spares box as is the RCASC
arm of service marking and the census number.
The Allied Star is from Starmer’s Armour who
can also supply the Red Cross markings. The 2nd
Canadian Corps Formation sign is an old item make
I can’t imagine
by Quartermaster supply but is also available from wounded men
Starmer’s Armour.
When the decals were dry, I airbrushed a coat of being expected to
imitate Tarzan in
Modelmaster Acrylic Clear Flat. Normandy was a
dusty environment in the summer of 1944 so the
weathering is mostly MIG European Dust pigment
applied both wet and dry.
order to embark!
The figures are converted from old Milicast,
Matchbox, Airfix and Prieser bits and pieces from my
spares box. They represent the walking wounded and
sick that the Bedford Trooper was tasked to transport
so most would be without kit or weapons or
helmets. I did scratchbuild some crutches and canes
to add to the rear body with the troops.
Products used
Armand P. Bayardi: www.armandbayardi.com
Airfix: www.airfix.com/uk-en
Evergreen Scale Models: www.evergreenscalemodels.com
Starmer’s Armour, 18 Hillside Road, Piddington, Northhants NN7 2DB.
Microscale Industries: www.microscale.com
Testors-Modelmaster: www.testors.com
MIG Productions: migproductions.com
Tichy Train Group: www.tichytraingroup.com
References
Bedford to Berlin and Beyond QL: The Forces’ Favourite 4x4 by Robert Coates,
Fitzjames Press, Croydon, 1994.
Bellona Military Vehicle Data, Numbers 13 and 19, Bellona Publications,
Hemel Hempstead, 1972.
British Military Transport, World War Two by David E. Jane, Almark Publishing,
London, UK, 1978.
Data Book of Wheeled Vehicles, Army Transport 1939-1945, HMSO London, UK, 1983.
Military Modelling, January 1980.
Military Vehicles of World War Two by John Church, Crescent Books, New York, USA, 1982.
The Observer’s Fighting Vehicles Directory, World War II by Bart H. Vanderveen,
Frederick Warne & Co, London, UK, 1989.
World War Two Military Vehicles: Transport & Halftracks by G. N. Georgano,
Osprey, London, UK, 1994.
39
Figures
Egyptian River Boat
Adrian Hopwood explains his flat painting techniques
on a charming piece from Western Miniatures.
I
nterest in flat figures seems to be on the rise
once again, which I do find somewhat pleasing.
We’re seeing more of them at shows and here in
the UK we’re actually getting to see a few more on
sale. All good stuff! However, there’s one company
in Britain that’s been trading for years and years,
and whilst not often seen out at shows nowadays,
you can always see Western Miniatures at the
1 very shallow relief to mark out the basic shapes
40
Bristol BMSS show held every November in the
city of Bath. This range of flats covers a vast array
of subjects from historical, mythical to cartoon and
fantasy – so really something for everyone
(www.westernminiatures.moonfruit.co.uk).
As I particularly like ancient subjects I was rather
attracted to the series of Egyptian subjects focusing
around life on the River Nile. The clever thing with
flats is that they can be simple single figures or, like
this piece, a ready made scene just waiting for the
paint to bring it to life.
All the flats from this company are traditional in
their production – that of being two-sided white
metal castings with the designs engraved in a
of the subject. This allows you to paint either or
both sides of the piece, depending upon which
viewpoint you want to use, or how you’re going
to display the finished piece once the painting has
been done. For example, the other side of this one
shows the river boat from the other side, partially
screening the figure at the front with the ‘hut’
that is placed amidships. If you were producing a
vignette, it would be possible to use two of these
pieces showing the different sides and they would
look different enough from one another (especially
with some different colours used) that the observer
would be fooled into thinking that there were in fact
two completely different pieces… good eh?
This series of Egyptian subjects are around
30mm, so to gain some idea of the size of this
boat, the whole piece is around 170mm (7”) long.
Considering then how cheap these pieces are, it’s
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
 Figures
2

really good value for money and allows the modeller

to produce quite involved scenes and still keep to a
relatively tight budget.
As already mentioned these are all traditional
flats, so they’re made out of a soft white metal
alloy that is easy to clean up and work with. Having
said that, the only cleaning up that’s necessary is
taking off the very small flash line that runs around
the very edge of the model. On my example that
line was minimal and only took a light pass with an
abrasive pad to clear it away.
3
Painting
Photograph 1 shows the flat with a light primer coat
of a sand coloured acrylic; this has been mixed with
some isopropyl alcohol so that the paint grips onto the
surface of the piece and any oils or grease that might
have been left after giving the metal a good scrub in
soapy water is dissolved by the alcohol in the primer.
Over this primer coat I added a couple of coats of flesh-
tone – there’s three reasons for using that colour:
1. It’s bright enough to give a decent base for most
colours if I’m not adding a specific colour as a basecoat.
2. It shows up the engraved detail really well.
3. It happens to be a nice matt finish that absorbs
oil paints well and reduce shine when fully dry.
In Photo 2 this use of the flesh-tone can
be seen on the two figures and the upper
superstructure of the boat. I’ve begun painting the
wooden areas with dark brown, beginning with
a mix of Mars Brown and Mars Black, working in 4
a grain effect by adding more of the Mars Brown
followed by Light Red and some Mars Yellow.
It’s fun to see the hollow effect of the rear deck
take shape as dark paint is used to fool the eye
into there being a recess there in something that
you know perfectly well is flat. This is the whole
point of painting flats – to fool the onlooker that
something is three-dimensional when in actual fact
it is only about 2 or 3mm thick.
With Burnt Umber as the starting point I added
Mars Yellow and Titanium White to build through
mid-tones and highlights. The curtain on the side
window is painted using the excess colours left over
from the wood of the boat, but I also used some of
the light colours from the wickerwork areas to add a
faded and ragged appearance, as though it’s an old
piece of cloth or leather, (Photo 3).
In Photo 4 I don’t seem to have done much;
in fact, all I’ve painted is the disc-like cover to the
curled up stern. I wanted to hint at this being made 5
of a beaten metal, playing with non-metallic colours
to give a textured but reflective surface.
Then we come to Photo 5. I think maybe I should
have taken a few more photos in the gap between
Photos 4 and 5 to be honest, but it’s because
these little flats move quite quickly once your eye
is in that I end up with such leaps and bounds in
the painting process. I’ve painted both figures and
the cargo of produce that they’re carrying, again
forcing the shadows so that the depth of the scene
is enhanced. The use of deeper colours to punch
in the shadows and bright spots of colour to make
the highlights ‘ping’ makes the artist think about
how light (or the lack or it) affects what we look at.
This can be taken back to round figures and is why I
enjoy painting flats – I seem to learn something new
with each flat I paint.

www.militarymodelling.com 41
Figures
Photograph 6 shows a close-up of the forward
7 kneeling figure. There’s not a whole lot of detail on
the engraving, so some of the details have to be
painted into place by the modeller. This is the case
with both figures as although the basic shape of
each figure is there, some of the features need to
be enhanced. I’ve forced highlights on the brow
ridge, top lip, knuckles and arm muscles. The trick
to making things seem further away can be seen
with the loincloth on this figure. The lighter area
around the side of the hips looks closer to us than
the darker area that hangs down from his stomach
and the addition of black in this case grey’s out the
colour a little to make that section of the time not
only in shadow, but further away perspective-wise.
9
8
With Photo 7 you can see the additions to the
figure’s skirt. Instead of the plain white, which
was the starting point, I’ve added very thin lines of
Payne’s Grey to the area and made it look pleated
by adding shadows and mid-tones. The white is
allowed to show thought to create the highlights.
Also in this view I’ve added woodgrain detail to
the steering oar, using a slightly lighter mix so that
it stands out from the rest of the boat, but also
because the wood is at a different angle to the
overhead lighting and the grain will show up in a
different manner.
Also visible in Photos 6 and 7 is the very basic
water effect I painted on; this is quite simple as
the waves of the boat’s wake are formed for you
already, and if you’ve decided on a lighting direction
for the piece, it’s simply a case of painting the
reflections to show that. I used a very pale blue
undercoat for the water, then over this painted
Prussian Blue oils mixed with a little Monastial
Green to create an aqua colour. I then added the
reflections with Titanium White allowing the blue/
green colour a little chance to mix with the white,
then adding a second pass of the white to give the
wave crest effect.
Photographs 8, 9 and 10 show the boat and
crew in full on a black background, and this I feel
shows off the painting to its best degree. There’s
nothing interfering with the subject. However, I
wanted to add this to a little scene, still within a
frame, but to give the boat context.
I’d bought some papyrus a little while back for
some nameplates on an Egyptian subject, and had to
purchase quite a large sheet of the stuff as it was all
I could get at the time. Not a problem as things like
this come in for several projects usually and for what
it cost, a couple of pounds I think, the A4 sheet (or
maybe slightly larger) wasn’t going to break the bank.
I didn’t want to overpower the flat with a colourful
background scene, and therefore mocked up a sepia
style photo on some blank paper. It took a couple of
10

11
13
tries to get the scale and setting right – hence the
mock-ups on the paper – but then I could set about
sketching out the backing on the papyrus.
I used some Burnt Umber oils to paint this, as the
papyrus is not as absorbent as paper, it allows for
small mistakes to be corrected quickly or alterations
to be made. I don’t claim to be an artist, so the
rough, sketchy picture of a couple of pyramids with
a palm tree and a lot of reeds to hide the riverbank
are what resulted from about half-an-hour of
flustered daubing. It’d work I thought, (Photo 11).
Once dry I could set it in place within a suitable frame,
one of distressed looking wood (Photo 12) – and then
pop the little boat and her crew in place – Photo 13.
www.militarymodelling.com
Figures
12
Conclusion
The rewards from painting flats are manifold. It teaches
the artist to force shadows and highlights. It’s relatively
cheap to buy them compared to similarly scaled ‘round’
figures and it’s a quick fix because the painting can be
restricted to one side only.
Yes, the painting can be a lot more involved than
I’ve done here, and examples I’ve seen at Euro
Militaire show this, let alone the more specialised
shows that are held in Germany and Kulmbach that
spring instantly to mind, although I’ve not had the
chance to go there, it is on my ‘to do’ list!
Available from Western Miniatures:
www.westernminiatures.moonfruit.co.uk
43
 Show report

MAFVA Nationals 2015

Robin Buckland reports from this year’s Miniature Armoured Vehicle Association
Nationals held for the last time at Duxford.

O
n Sunday 21st June (Fathers’ Day), along
with many other dads, I had the chance of a
day out to visit the MAFVA Nationals which
were held at the IWM (Imperial War Museum)
site at Duxford in Cambridgeshire. This has been
the home of the IPMS Nationals for a few years
now but sadly this is last one to be held` there. In
the past it had been held in conjunction with the
museum’s Military Vehicle Day, but unfortunately
they chose not to hold the event this year. In the
same way, there was usually a Military Book Fair
held in the building of the US Air Force Museum,
but this is now closed until 2016 as the building
is being refurbished and the cables suspending
aircraft from the roof need replacing. To lower the
aircraft suspended from the ceiling, everything had
to be removed from the building and all of the huge
glazed frontage taken out, leaving only the B-52 and
the B-29 within the building and behind some safety
fencing. So, no vehicle rally and no book fair to

TOP: The US Air Force Museum building is stripped out, with just the B-52 and B-29 remaining within.

ABOVE LEFT: The museum’s M40 was nicely positioned in front of the MAFVA marquee for the day.

ABOVE RIGHT: The South Wales branch of MAFVA was awarded the Gary Williams Memorial Trophy for the Best Club Display.

BELOW: A two-seat Spitfire starts to taxi and provide one lucky customer with a flight experience to long remember.

44 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Show report

add to the attraction this year. Other than the

MAFVA marquee, it was just a ‘normal’ Sunday
for the museum itself.
Being that it is the 50th year of the
association it was great to see Max
Humbleby, expert on the A7V and
MAFVA member number 002, on
hand to present the prizes for
this special anniversary year.
There was also some sadness
though because shortly
before the show we lost the
long-serving President of MAFVA,
Gary Williams, so our condolences to his wife
Heather and the rest of his family. The marquee
was filled with traders around the sides as usual, ABOVE: Best of Show and class
winner for Mark Humphries.
while the centre tables were taken up with the
competition tables just inside the entrance and BELOW: This Jeep Train in
then a marvellous series of displays from the Australia, 1942, won Class
16 for Shaun Symonds.
various clubs and MAFVA branches that regularly
attend and provide some first class model displays.
Among these was our own
www.militarymodelling.com table, and special
thanks to Craig Hiscock for organising it and to
all those members who helped support the
stand over the day.
The traders always form an important part
of the show, although numbers were a bit
down on last year unfortunately, and of course
there were none of the external trade stands
which have in the past been associated with
the Military Vehicle Day. However, it was an
excellent opportunity to see the ranges from
smaller manufacturers such as MMS, Sgts
Mess, Resicast, Milicast, Gramodels, Dan
Taylor Modelworks, Matador, Accurate Armour,
Bull Models plus others from overseas such as
Black Lion and Jan Giesbers from Holland. With
the MAFVA tea tent outside for refreshments, it is
always good to see what models are on sale, along
with paints and other accessories, and a chance to
catch up with old friends.
The standards in the competition classes
was high, and especially in the juniors classes
I thought, and were a joy to see in particular.
A special ‘well done’ to all the junior entrants.
A number of well-known names were among
the prizewinners, and these included a few for
members of our own MM website forum.
Despite the lack of military vehicles on show,
MAFVA were given good support by the Military
Vehicle Wing of the Duxford Aviation Society, who

BELOW: A large scale figure

diorama in the competition
that caught my eye.

ABOVE: The detailed interior in this large scale

Tiger chassis made it an eye-catching model
on one of the club tables.

RIGHT: This Vietnam gun truck was

a class winner for MM contributor
Craig Hiscock.

45
 Show report

ABOVE LEFT: A good Battle of Waterloo 200th Anniversary exhibit on show on one of the club stands in the MAFVA marquee. ABOVE RIGHT: A general view over one of
the competition tables. BELOW: This M123 tractor and M15A2 trailer was a winner in Class 12 from John Paulding.

RIGHT: The damaged Husky on display in one of the hangers.

BELOW: Bloody Omaha was an excellent Junior diorama

by Hector Forster-Toy.

46 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Show report

organised some guided tours of the workshops

and vehicles parked in their adjacent arena, which is
usually out of bounds for the public. It was interesting
to see items like an airborne forces bulldozer being
restored, along with an M3 White Scout Car which was
dismantled right down to the chassis.
With the US Air Force Museum work going on,
the rest of the exhibits have been relocated around
the museum site until they can be replaced in the
refurbished hall. I found this handy, as some are
now in other hangers where the lighting is better
and you can get some better views of some of
the aircraft, though not all. The work on restoration ABOVE: Military Modelling forum members
projects and the movement of aircraft in and out of Richard Wilson, Craig Hiscock and Nigel
Norfolk sitting with our club display table.
the museum buildings always provides something
new to see. I was pleased to see the F-4 Phantom
and the F-111E in one of the hangers and also
there, an example of the modern British Army
Husky patrol vehicle on loan from the MoD. Badly
damaged by an IED in Afghanistan in 2012, it is
currently on loan to the IWM.
One other aspect of any visit to Duxford is that
it always remains a ‘live’ airfield. In addition to ABOVE: Junior Best of Show went to Joe Taylor,
the popular scenic flights available in an old DH with prizes for the juniors presented by Armourfast.
Rapide or a Tiger Moth, these days (for a somewhat RIGHT: The Best of Show award is presented to
higher cost!) you can even get a flight in the back Mark Humphries (right) for his Wrecker.
seat of a two-seat Spitfire, an experience never
to be forgotten I suspect. So we were treated to show both beforehand and on the day itself. I think
seeing Spitfires both taking off and landing, along the final thing to add is a Happy 50th Birthday wish
with Mustang and the B-17 Sally-B as well as the to all those in MAFVA and to announce the date
comings and goings of the Tiger Moths and Rapide. and venue for next year’s show: Sunday 19th June,
No matter where you are, the sound of a Spitfire 2016 at The Burgess Hall, Westwood Road,
just never ceases to be a pleasure. St Ives, Cambridgeshire PE27 6WU.
Well done to Paul Middleton and all the MAFVA www.oneleisure.net/Find-Your-Local-Centre/
team who put so much work into organising the Pages/St-Ives-Indoor.aspx

ABOVE: Members of the South Wales MAFVA accepting the

Gary Williams Memorial Trophy.

BELOW: Paul Middleton (left) gives a special award to Max Humbleby,

MAFVA member number 002.

ABOVE: A colourful Korean

War Sherman.

LEFT: An excellent Hippo

Beach Recovery vehicle
won Class 7 for Dave Allen.

www.militarymodelling.com 47
Diorama
1

Old French
Shutters
Emmanuel Nouaillier explains how to make
authentic weathered and patched-up shutters for
miniature buildings.

2 3

A
s in previous articles where chipping with fluids mixed with a work of micro-
gutters and downpipes, and painting, while bearing in mind to apply varied
more recently, enamel plates shades to represent weather-beaten woodwork as
were featured, here’s another new chapter that well as the remains of old blue paint.
will focus on a singular item – window shutters!
I’m going to deal mainly with derelict wooden Photo 4. These full-size shutters appear to be
shutters, such as those you see on old buildings, frozen in time for decades. This is, without a
and consider the basic commercial items available doubt, a perfect example of what could be fitted
to produce different types ad variations on a theme. to an abandoned building. The wood is chipped,
I will also scratchbuild some other shutters while excessively faded, what remains of the hinges
drawing a parallel to the original items. Working in are heavily corroded, whereas some have actually
different scales, the samples here are described in disappeared. In short everything has an almost
no particular order. dramatic aspect to it.
First, using as a basis some commercial shutters
in 1:35 scale from Add On parts (www.addonparts.
com) to simulate items in various states of disrepair. 4
Demonstrating such works, in fact, are easier in this
scale rather than 1:72 scale, where I’d previously
worked on various façades (Photo 1). The fact remains
that these operations and results are possible on most
of the older types of buildings in all the popular scales.

Photo 2. Selected from the Add On parts set of

shutters, these three main items are finely moulded
in grey resin and will be used to obtain old and ‘tired’
shutters. From the simplest option, which consists
of applying an aggressive weathering technique to
represent peeled paint, to a ‘beat-up’ option, with
trimmings, replaced of hinges and so on.

Photo 3. Depending on the required results, it’s

not necessary to go very far in ‘mechanical’ ageing
works (with the scalpel or engraving tool). Suitable
ageing can used to imitate shutters that haven’t
been cared for or properly maintained for a long
time. This is where I used the traditional method of

48 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Diorama

5 6

7 8

Photos 5 & 6. In this age of digital photography, it’s

easy to take many close-ups of most salient details 9
and try to reproduce these effects in miniature.

Photo 7. On the first set of shutters I trimmed the

edges with the help of a sharp blade to simulate
where the wood had been affected by bad weather.
Cut erratically for a natural result and to give as
realistic an appearance as possible. I also re-worked
the metal fittings by removing one in the lower
left corner, representing the mounting holes in the
shutter with a fine needle where the fixing bolts or
nails had dropped out.

Photo 8. The shutters once painted and aged rather

like the first one seen in photo 1. Note the rust
remaining on the wood where the missing fitting
would have lain for years, as well as the subtle
streaks reproduced using the AK 013 wash.

Photo 9. I worked in the same vein on these

shutters, but removed a hinge, and split the moulded
part in two for a more dynamic effect, as I wanted
to imitate dislodged shutters. This meant partially
reproducing a part of the anchor from the hinge in
the wall using a small section of Evergreen strip.

www.militarymodelling.com 49
Diorama

10 11

12 13

Photo 10. Of course, such an awry situation is worth

14 checking in the opening first to ensure that it fits in.

Photo 11. It’s not difficult to make your own

shutters. I use plastic card of different thickness
(according to the scale of course), with the wood
grain engraved. Regarding hinges, I use several
commercial products from Grandt Line, Tichy and
more recently Vector Cut for the largest variations
possible. Of course, it’s very easy to create your
own hinges with Evergreen strips and nuts/bolts
from Aber, Grandt Line, etc.

Photos 12 & 13. Perfect illustrations of two

examples made from 1mm plastic card and it’s as
simple as this, and both were inspired by actual
examples seen on real buildings.

Photo 14. Focus on these full-size worn out

old shutters, from which the paint has almost
disappeared. Without a doubt the first original
situation, which lead me to imitate such equipment,
but in 1:72 scale this time. Without copying it 100%,
I simply attempted to scratchbuild something similar
using this as an example.

50 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Diorama
15

16

Photo 15. These are made from 0.5mm plastic

card, with a finely engraved wood grain pattern and
several metal fittings added from small sections
of 0.12mm plastic card. The hinges are from the
Grandt Line range.

Photo 16. The shutters once aged and installed

in the opening of an abandoned building. Years
ago, I weathered this item by using washes, dry-
brushing and micro-painting to give the woodwork
a decrepit appearance.

Photo 17. Shutters can also feature rough and

ready temporary repairs to them as witness this
interesting full-size example. It’s a very good idea to
reproduce this in miniature form, using items from
the Add On parts range.

Photo 18. Some liberties have been taken where

the re-enforcing bracket comes from Vector
Cut – cardboard laser cut – and small nuts from
Grandt Line. The thin metal plates were cut from
0.12mm thick plastic card into which I’d previously
embossed the rivets. The sections of disintegrated
chipboard, are represented by a base of engraved
‘plank’ (0.8mm thick) onto which I stuck a piece of
plastic card of the same dimensions, but previously
cropped to reproduce the damaged wooden layer.

17 18

51
Diorama
19
Photo 19. Another example of something
unusual – this shutter has been cut from a large
old advertising panel with the original lettering
still visible. However, the icing on the cake for the
modeller is that it’s mounted with the letters upside
down and is thus something we perhaps could not
readily imagine reproducing in miniature. Truth is
stranger than fiction! I used this full-size example as
the basis for making one in 1:72 scale.
Photo 20. After defining the dimensions, the plastic
card was textured as usual with an engraving point
and a fine metallic brush. I made the hinge from
0.12mm plastic card and the rivets were embossed
with a fine needle.
20 21
22 23
24 25
Photo 21. To imitate the upside down letters, I
tapped into my stock of dry transfers. (Contrary to
what you may think sheets of dry transfers featuring
simple alphabets are still available from Woodland
Scenics and Decadry among others).
Photo 22. The ‘shutter’ once made was quickly
coloured using several tones of enamel paint much
diluted with thinner and applied with a small No.2
brush; whereas the hinges were carefully painted
with a mixture of Humbrol 70 and 33 enamels
treated to look like very dark grainy rust.
Photo 23. After the paint had completely dried, two
coats of ‘Scratches Effects’ Chipping Fluid from
Ammo were applied with a flat brush, before a coat
of acrylic red paint was brushed, almost dry, onto
the surface, from top to bottom.
Photo 24. After wetting the surface the paint was
‘chipped’ with a very fine metal needle and a small
sharp knife blade.
Photo 25. The letters were applied then ‘melted’ in
and aged followed by a light sanding, only on the
characters, which takes real care, then trimmed
more precisely with the fine needle or knife to
create subtle ‘dry’ chips. Next, I improved the
overall aspect by adding some microchips of red
acrylic with a sponge, or a very fine brush, on
 Diorama

26 27

some rust streaks coming from the hinges can be

simulated with ‘Rust Streaks’ from AK Interactive
28 and will add the last touch to this very small item.

Photo 27. The shutter displayed on a fingertip

ready for fitting into the window opening of an
abandoned workshop.

Photos 28 & 29. Reality offers many other situations

in the same vein, with variations of bleached wood,
old peeled paintwork and ageing lettering of all kinds.
These situations are always interesting to reproduce in
miniature whenever possible…

Photo 30. Many years ago these shutters were

used for one of my first small vignettes to test my
simple micropainting skills.

30

the letters to unify everything. The hinges were

prepared and chipped separately using an old fine
No.1 brush with its bristles cut off at mid-length.

Photo 26. To finish, the edges were underlined

with a mixture of Vallejo acrylic Ivory and Stone
Grey brushed almost dry to emphasize the aged
wood effect. To improve the general appearance,

29

www.militarymodelling.com 53
 Hints and tips

A flat plastic food storage container

with a peel-off lid is the ideal basis
for a wet palette.

A stay-wet palette
Paul Brent Adams
A
crylic paint has a reputation for being fast
drying, but this is not always an advantage,
explains what a especially if it dries out before you finish the
stay-wet palette job in hand. The answer is a wet palette, which will
keep the acrylics moist, and usable, while you work
for acrylic paints is and also between painting sessions.
and shows how to I had seen these palettes mentioned a number
of times in books on acrylic painting, but it was
make one. only recently that I actually made myself one. The
experiment proved a success, and I would now
strongly recommend it to anyone using acrylics. It
will also save you money, as your paint supply will
last far longer.
A ready-made ‘wet palette’, also called a ‘stay-
wet palette’, can be bought in an art shop, or
a large, flat, plastic food storage container. This is
large enough to hold several colours, which can be
mixed together, or left separate. A shallow container
is best because access is easier. It is also going to
be more stable, and less likely to get knocked over.
The lid needs to be a good fit, but easily removable
without a struggle that might result in the wet
paints inside running together. Some containers
have lids that are held in place by plastic or wire
clips. This makes them easy to remove, but they
are not usually as airtight as those with peel-off lids,
although they will still do the job reasonably well.
Obviously, after using the container for paints, do
not re-use it for food. Even with modern, non-toxic
paints, it is best to keep the container exclusively

‘‘”
you can make your own and most of the items
needed can be found in the average kitchen.
If you already have these items to hand, your
palette will cost nothing. But even if you have to
visit the supermarket and buy everything, it is
...even if you have to still a very cheap painting accessory.
The wet palette is simply a container with a lid,
visit the supermarket something to keep the paint moist, and a mixing
surface. Basically, all that is needed is a suitable
and buy everything, plastic container, with a sealable, airtight lid. I chose
for use with paints.
Instructions on making a wet palette usually
recommend placing several layers of damp
blotting paper in the bottom of the container.
However, blotting paper is difficult to find these
days – I speak from experience! Instead, I used
paper kitchen towels – a single roll will last for
ages – and two or three sheets folded in half
proved sufficient. Wet the paper. It should be
damp, but not soaking wet.

it is still a very cheap

painting accessory.

The close fitting peel-off lid will keep

acrylic paints moist and useable
between painting sessions.

54 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

 Hints and tips

LEFT: All the materials needed for a wet

palette; a plastic container with a tight
fitting lid, a roll of paper towels, and a
roll of baking or greaseproof paper.

BELOW: The wet palette in use, with a

water jar in the corner.

Alternatives could include a large, flat sponge or soft

tissue paper. Whatever you use, plain white paper is
best. You do not want ink from a printed design, or dye
from coloured paper contaminating the paint. It is also
easier to correctly judge paint colours against a white
background than a coloured one.
On top of the damp paper you need something
that will allow the moisture to soak though and keep
the paint workable, but which will not disintegrate
because it is wet. Again, raid the kitchen, this time
for a roll of greaseproof paper. This is a strong,
semi-transparent paper, similar to tracing paper,
which can also be used. Do not use wax paper, as
this is waterproof. Another type of kitchen paper
is cooking or baking paper (also called cooking or
baking parchment), which is intended to actually go
inside an oven. This is similar to greaseproof paper,
and it seems to work just as well.
The palette is now finished, and ready for use.
Acrylic paints will remain useable for days, even
weeks. They do not dry out, even in the heat of
summer. As you work, lay the lid over the top of
the palette to help keep the paints moist. Replace
the lid firmly when you finish a painting session.
However do not leave the moist paints in the palette
for too long, or you may find that they have gone
mouldy. Again, I speak from experience.
Re-dampen the paper wad in the bottom of the
palette if it starts to dry out, or replace it with fresh
paper, and clean water. The greaseproof paper can
be replaced whenever required. A typical 30-metre
roll of paper will probably last for years.
I also place my water pot in the corner of the wet
palette, as this both keeps it handy and reduces the
chances of a spill. However, this does reduce the
usable space for mixing paints.
Art shops, and art or craft departments in other
shops, sell a wide range of mediums that are
intended to be mixed with acrylic paints. Among
these is a retarding medium, which slows down
the drying time of the paint. At least one brand
offers both a retarding medium, and a slow (or slow
The paper towels remain wet,
drying) medium, which also slows down the drying while the baking paper on top
time. However, a wet palette is much cheaper, and provides a firm, mixing surface.
does not need to be mixed into the paint.

www.militarymodelling.com 55
 AFV reviews
Small Scale Scene
Robin Buckland’s monthly column for military vehicle modellers.
W
e continue to see
a regular stream of
new kits coming on
to the market with ever more
detail included in them, while
still leaving room for those
after-market accessories which
a variety of other companies
produce to add even finer
detailing, especially in etched-
brass. Having said that, there
seems to be a regular inclusion
of etched-metal parts in kits
from major manufacturers, such
as Dragon and most recently,
Trumpeter. We also seem to be
seeing an ever-growing list of
modern/Cold War vehicles as
well, and in some cases with
interior detailing, such as the
recent BTR-80 and BMP 2 from
Trumpeter. After many years
when modern subjects were
rather neglected, rather like
WW1, now we see a growing
number of releases and made to
the latest standards which are
excellent. Each month it seems
there is news of something else
to look forward to.
Heller
The 1:72 scale M4A2 from Heller
was first released back in 2013,
though was not particularly easy
to find here in the UK. My thanks
therefore go to Heller who have
sent through this one, one of
two 1:72 scale Sherman kits they
have in their range. It features
the welded hull M4A2 Sherman
and includes a number of options
on how to build it. These options
make it a ‘modellers’ kit rather than
the simplified wargamers style
that we regularly see these days.
There are three options
provided for in the colours and
markings guide, and all are
56
ABOVE: Box art for the Armourfast Stummel. BELOW: Parts sprue for the
Armourfast Stummel, you get two of these in the box.
vehicles in different parts of the
French 2nd Armoured Division.
There is the 3-piece bolted
transmission cover and two
different styles of cast ones.
Then there are optional pattern
drive sprockets, roadwheels and
idlers, plus a choice of engine
deck parts. Make your selection
early on and do keep an eye
on the instructions for notes
on which parts go with which
marking option and for where
holes need to be drilled out in
certain places. Hatches can all
be fitted open or closed on both
the hull and the turret. There is
a choice of two sets of tracks in
this kit. They are one-piece black
vinyl items and you have a choice
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
ABOVE LEFT: Box art for the Heller
1:72 scale M4A2 Sherman.
ABOVE RIGHT: The completed model
of Heller’s 1:72 scale M4A2 Sherman.
of the plain rubber block type or
the steel chevron pattern. There
are also a few items of stowage
that you can fit, including a
couple of steel helmets, packs, a
small oil drum and jerrycan.
Overall this is neatly done,
and clearly a well thought out
kit by the Heller design team.
Instructions are nice and clear
and it comes neatly packaged in
a fold top box. It shares a number
of parts with their M4 D-Day
Sherman though no wading
trunking is included with this one,
but there are other parts choices
instead. With thanks to Heller
who kindly provided our sample.
Armourfast
One of the most recent
releases from Armourfast is
the 75mm gun armed support
version of the SdKfz 251/9
Ausf C Stummel. A neat and
simple 1:72 wargamers kit with
two complete kits in the box.
Assembly instructions are an
exploded diagram on the back of
the box. Interior detail inside the
hull is very basic but it makes
up quickly and easily, and there
is room to add more detail if
you want to. For the wargames
market it is aimed at, that space
allows figures to be placed
inside for the gaming table.
Track and running gear are one-
piece units that are very simple
to fit. Once they are built and
painted these will look good on
a gaming table and are a useful
addition to the Armourfast
range. With two complete
models in the box, good value
for money too. Our thanks to
Armourfast for the sample, it is
available via their website at
http://armourfast.com/

The Mid-Devon Models 1:76 scale
Land-Rover TACR1 built and primed.
Mid-Devon Models
This is a new name to us in the
column as under the ownership
of Paul Metcalfe, Mid-Devon
Models have taken on all the
RAF related models that were
in the BW Models range, now
that Barry has retired and sold on
his range. Others are now in the
hands of Matador Models, but
the RAF vehicles rest with the
new name of Mid-Devon Models
where they are being re-moulded/
updated and put back on sale.
As an example to look at now I
have a TACR1 Rapid Intervention
Vehicle, a Land-Rover series 2 or
3 based Crash Truck. First built
in the early 1970s, these were
used by all three services, Army,
Royal Navy and RAF. In most
cases they were coloured bright
red common for emergency
equipment, though a fair number
of RAF examples were painted
in dark green, ready to support
units such as the Harrier Force in
advanced dispersal points during
the Cold War-era. These vehicles
were only withdrawn from
service in the mid-1990s.
The model is cast in white metal
as per the old BW Models range.
The one-piece chassis and front
wings then have the seats, a radio,
dashboard and steering wheel to
fit in the cab before you add the
roof, side windows and back panel
of the enclosed cab. Optional
radiator grilles are provided to allow
for Series 2a or Series 3 based
examples to be built. If you want to
fit the bonnet open, there is even
an engine block piece that can be
put in place. Before finishing this
section off, you can use some
clear plastic sheet to ‘glaze’ the
cab windows. The rear body has
two large box structures to fit at
the back, one on each side, and in
between a water tank and a seat
at the back. Other detail fittings
www.militarymodelling.com
include fire extinguishers, hose
trays, beacon, bell and ladders.
Being metal it needs to be given
a coat of primer before applying
your chosen paint scheme. The
instructions do include an exploded
assembly diagram as well as a set
of step-by-step instructions. The
end result is an interesting looking
Land-Rover model and one that
would go well alongside the new
Airfix Harrier kits.
This, and the other models in
the range, are available from Mid
Devon Models, 1 The Orchard,
Ham Place, Tiverton, Devon EX16
6PW. Contact on 01884 255403
or 07791 075238 or via email at
advisorp@btinternet.com
Zvezda
The BMPT, also known as the
‘Terminator’, is essentially an
urban combat vehicle to be used
in support of tanks, particularly
when faced with threats in an
urban environment. Based on the
T-72 chassis it is armed with twin
30mm cannons, four 9M120
Ataka anti-tank missile launchers,
two belted 30mm grenade
launchers (300 rounds in each
one) and one PKTM 7.62 machine
gun. Developed as a result of
experience in Afghanistan and
Chechnya, it is more heavily
armoured than the older BMP-1
and -2, and the 30mm cannon
have a greater elevation than can
be achieved by an accompanying
MBT, very useful in the urban
environment. So an interesting
design, though while it was
tested it wasn’t taken up by the
Russian Army, who are exploring
the new T-15 AFV on the modern
Armata family chassis. It is in
service though with Kazakhstan.
Zvezda have done a nice
job with this one in 1:35 scale,
rather as they did with their
Box art for the Trumpeter BMP-2 which also includes interior detailing.
T-90 not long ago. It is certainly
an interesting looking vehicle
and one born from combat
experience. There are a lot of
parts, including a very ‘busy’
turret with the 30mm cannon
and the missile launchers, with
reactive armour clocks on the
hull and panels along the sides.
On the rear of both sides, and at
the back of the hull there are bar
armour panels. As for the track,
that has a novel approach with
link and length segments but,
a bit more unusually, separate
strips of the central guide teeth
to fit onto each section. It looks
like it should work well, though
I haven’t tried it myself yet. All
the parts are cleanly moulded
and well detailed. This will build
into a quite interesting looking
modern AFV. Two camouflage
patterns are suggested, and both
are examples seen worn on the
BMPT at Russian Arms Fairs as
they look to find customers for
export orders. The Zvezda range
is imported to the UK by The
Hobby Company who kindly
provided our sample.
Trumpeter
There have been kits of both
the BMP-1 and BMP-2 released
in the past, but this new 1:35
scale one from Trumpeter is
certainly my favourite to date
by far. Why? Because it has
interior detail for the turret
and turret basket as well
as the driver’s position and
the crew compartment inside
the hull. The only items not
featured are the engine
AFV reviews
and transmission. What this
does allow for is to have the
two rooftop hatches at the rear
of the hull, along with the two
access doors in the rear hull
plate, all opened up leaving the
interior plain to view. For the
adventurous, you might even
want to go for a diorama with a
knocked out, or perhaps burnt out
example, with debris around it
and all the hatches and doors left
open from when the crew had
abandoned it. Therefore, there’s
great potential beyond just
making it up as the straight kit.
When you open the box you do
find it very full of parts sprues, with
the upper and lower hull sections,
with a few smaller details, in a
compartment at one end of the
box, a packing feature commonly
found in kits from Trumpeter. The
lower hull with the running gear
and suspension is neatly done and
good to see there are ‘backs’ to the
roadwheels while there are even
some small etched-brass plates to
add detail to the centre of the idlers
as well. Tracks are the one-piece
vinyl style which will please some
though not others, who will prefer
to replace them with individual link
alternatives I suspect.
Inside the hull there are the
internal panels for the side walls,
along with detailing parts for the
firing ports. Bench seats in the
Zvezda’s Terminator built.
57
 AFV reviews
Revell’s 1:72 scale
Boxer FüFz A1 built.
rear troop compartment, along
with their individual viewing
devices in the roof, the battery
compartment/fuel/and stowage
bin between the two bench
seats. Talking of fuel, the two
rear doors are detailed inside
and out, giving that distinctive
bulbous look to them, and with
the filler caps provided for the
inside face on each. Bulkheads
separate the crew from the
engine compartments and the
driver’s position with seat etc.,
is on the left-hand side of the
engine compartment. To add to
this you get a very well detailed
turret which includes the turret
basket as well. A much larger
turret than the earlier BMP-1 and
with two crew positions. I like the
fact that the extra details such as
the sights will be plainly visible if
you compete the model with the
hatches open. Etched-metal parts
include the mesh for the engine
cover intakes while the additional
armour around the turret are
separate plastic components. The
other thing I like to see these days
is the inclusion of clear parts for
the various vision blocks.
Another good feature in this kit
are the colour guides, as they have
been prepared for Trumpeter by
Ammo of Mig Jiminez and there
are 11 very different colour and
marking options suggested. These
vary from overall green or overall
sand to a variety of multi-coloured
disruptive camouflage patterns. I
suspect for some modellers this
may make choosing which one
to go for more difficult, although
it may also encourage some to
go out and get another one to
try out one of the others as well!
This one is in the shops now, and
thanks to Pocketbond who are
the importers.
Revell
The GTK Boxer is a large 8-wheel
armoured vehicle in service with
the German Army and Revell
58
have already released the basic
troop carrier version in 1:72 scale.
Now they have started on the
variants, in this case the GTK
Boxer FüFz A1 and the kit benefits
from the design of the original as
the different variants simply use a
different pod or ‘Mission Module’
which is fitted to a standard
chassis. So, the 8-wheel chassis
along with the forward body
containing the engine and driver’s
position is the same as the
previous APC. The difference lies
in the rear mission pad, which in
this instance is for the Command
and Communications variant. It
is used as a mobile command
centre at Battalion level with
secure communications facilities
and battle situation displays. For
self-protection it is equipped
with a remote weapons station
on the roof with a 12.7mm MG
and carries smoke dischargers
as well.
Moulded in a dark green
plastic this is a neatly done
model, and having built the APC
variant before this will assemble
very nicely, without any issues.
It even includes clear parts for
the driver’s vision devices while
each of the eight wheels is made
up from three parts; what I’ll
describe as ‘slices’, which helps
give the characteristic deep tread
pattern on each one. The Mission
Module is largely the same as
with the APC but the roof panel
is new with the extra lumps and
bumps of equipment boxes giving
it a quite different look. Two multi-
colour disruptive camouflage and
marking options are provided for,
one in Germany in 2015 and the
other from 2012 with a vehicle
serving in Afghanistan. This
makes for another good kit to add
to Revell’s small scale range of
modern AFVs. Thanks to Revell
for our sample. Revell model kits
are available from all good toy
and model retailers. For further
information visit www.revell.de/
en or facebook.com/Revell
Academy’s new kit of the M60A2 should be available here in the UK by the time
you read this.
Academy
I was fortunate recently to see
an advance sample of one of
their new releases. They have
previously done the M60 hull so
now they have taken the logical
step and produced the new turret
to make it into the slightly more
unconventional looking M60A2,
the ‘Starship’, fitted with the
152mm gun. It was intended as
an interim design between the
M60A1, what might be described
as a conventional tank design,
and the then planned MBT 70, a
design that never actually went
into production. The M60A2 had a
new, low profile turret though still
with the commander’s cupola that
raised it slightly, and was armed
with a 152mm gun similar to that
mounted in the M551 Sheridan,
capable of firing conventional
ammunition and the MGM-51
Shillelagh anti-tank missile. While
they were useful in proving
some of the features that were
incorporated into future designs,
the M60A2 didn’t last long in
service and many had their turrets
scrapped, and their hulls upgraded
to M60A3 variants or converted to
bridgelayers (AVLB).
The lower hull is a single-piece
moulding, along the same lines
as the full-size tank which had
a one-piece steel casting. There
are then a lot of parts to fit to it
for the top part of the sides, the
suspension arms, and the rest of
the running gear, which includes
the quite distinctive look to the
aluminium roadwheels. The track
is made up from solid moulded
parts in a link-and-length style, a
method which I think works very
well. The big difference of course
comes with the all-new turret,
which also includes etched-metal
mesh elements for the two large
stowage baskets that feature on
the rear sides of the turret. As
well as the unusual profile to the
turret, which has been captured
very nicely, there is the short gun
tube of the 152mm gun and on
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
the left-hand side, the large Xenon
searchlight. Clear plastic is supplied
for the glass cover and they have
provided a template so you can cut
it out to the correct size. With the
hull and turret there is a lot to this
kit while the unusual look the turret
gives to the whole thing, a good
talking point for any collection of
post-WW2 armour models.
Just the one colour scheme is
catered for, and this carries the
multi-colour MERDC scheme of
Tan/Green/Black/Cream. Not in
colour but I like the fact they have
included profiles of front, back,
both sides and the top so you
get all the views you need to be
able to reproduce the complete
scheme. So often in kits you
only get shown one side and you
pretty much have to guess how
the pattern goes on the opposite
side. My thanks to Pocketbond
who are the importers for
Academy kits in the UK.
Gramodels
A nicely done 1:76 scale resin
model of the Terrapin, as used by
79th Armoured Division in NW
Europe, is now available. A 4-ton
amphibian, the Terrapin was built
by Morris Commercial motors
to help make up for a shortage
of the US built DUKW. Powered
by two engines, one to drive the
wheels on each side, it used ‘skid’
steering. It wasn’t a particularly
successful design, but it was used
in NW Europe, especially around
the Scheldt, and several hundred
were built. Another problem with
it was because the engines were
mounted in the centre of the hull,
the cargo compartment was split
in two, making it impossible to
carry larger loads.
With the correct pattern lower
hull this has come out nicely and
even includes the erected tilt for
the driver’s position. If you don’t
want to fit that, then you need to
add the roll bars that were used
to protect the two crew positions.

Parts layout for the 1:76 scale
Terrapin from Gramodels.
Brass rod is used to provide the
rudder bar while a metal cast
steering wheel is included rather
than a resin one. Not a complex
build but do refer to archive
photos for help in the assembly.
I have seen the two smaller
intakes fitted facing forward
and back, so just pick which
configuration you want to go for.
As a resin model, some casting
flash to carefully remove with
a craft knife and then assembly
is straightforward, and best
done with super glue and then a
coat of primer prior to painting.
My thanks to Graham Baker of
Gramodels for our sample, to
order, see their website at
www.gramodels.co.uk/
The Plastic Soldier
Company
A recent release in their range
of 1:72 scale wargamers models
is for the early (Alte) version
of the smaller SdKfz 250 half-
track. There are three complete
models in the box and you have
optional parts that allow you to
build them in any of five different
variants. The main parts for the
chassis, wheels and tracks, plus
the upper hull are common to all.
Optional parts are then provided
for the variations in the interior
fittings, or in the case of the
250/9, a roof and turret to mount
over the troop compartment.
So, the five versions you have
to choose from are: the 250/1
basic troop carrier; the 250/7
which carries the 81mm mortar;
the 250/9 2cm armed turret for
the recce version; the 250/10
mounting the 3.7cm PaK 36 with
a cut-down shield; the 250/11 with
a 2.8cm Panzerbusche and the
small wheeled carriage carried
mounted on the back plate. As
well as the seated driver figure
there are a number of other
figures included on each sprue, to
be used for the different versions.
Whichever you select you will have
spares left over for other uses,
and even the unfolded carriage of
www.militarymodelling.com
AFV reviews
The very modern Russian
T15, a 1:72 scale resin kit
from Cromwell Models.
the Panzerbusche is included so
RAF Crash Tender
you can have that as a separate Crew figures
piece. If you don’t build the 250/11 from MMS.
version, then you actually end up
with three of these so something
of a bonus if you want to make
use of it. As ever, the kit(s) goes
together neatly and easily. Thanks
to Will and Anita at the Plastic
Soldier Company for our sample,
it is available via their website at
www.theplasticsoldiercompany.
co.uk/
Cromwell Models
The Russian T-15 Armata is a new
Infantry Fighting Vehicle first seen
on display this year. Using the
same basic chassis (the Armata,
Universal Combat Platform) as
their equally new T-14 tank, the
T-15 is intended to replace the
BMP-2 and the MT-LB series. hull is cast in a single-piece, shown here which should show
The difference is that the engine with excellent detailing if you all you need. Thanks to
is moved to the front and the you compare it to the photos Gordon for our sample, Cromwell
automated turret mounts a 30mm available of the full-size tank. Models are available via the
cannon with a 7.62mm co-axial Simple enough to put together Tracks ‘n’ Troops online store at
mg along with twin Komet-EM and only the moulding plugs www.tracks-n-troops.eu/shop/
anti-tank missiles on each side. along the underside of the tracks
For protection it uses reactive which need to be removed,
armour and the Afghanit active the other parts only require Figures
protection launchers, along with simple clean-up and assembly MMS have released a neatly
smoke grenade dischargers. is straightforward. No assembly cast set of six figures in 1:76
Cromwell have done another guide is provided so do check scale which will enable you
very neat job of this new 1:72 out some reference photos, or to add a good-looking Crash
scale resin model. The main of course, the assembled model Tender Crew to go with the
ABOVE: The three small scale SdKfz 250s built, though not yet painted.
LEFT: Box art for the 1:72 scale SdKfz 250 triple kit from The Plastic
Soldier Company.
59
 AFV reviews

Crossley Crash Tender that

they released a few months
ago (a link to our previous
review of that kit is below)
One is a seated driver but the
rest are all standing, including
one in an asbestos fire suit. In
those days the fire resistant
properties of asbestos were
most important, and the health
issues we now associate with
the material were not really
considered. Also included are
two extra heads in case you
want to have them with side
caps on, rather than the steel
helmet and the beret seen on
a couple of them. Very cleanly
cast, they don’t need much
more than a basic clean up and
then a coat of primer before
painting as required. Thanks
to MMS for our example.
MMS models are available by
regular post at PO Box 626,
Folkestone, Kent CT20 9AF or
via their website at
www.mmsmodels.co.uk/
The two parts frets for the Trumpeter Fennek detailing set by Eduard.

Accessories wipers. As is usual for Eduard, via their website at the contents are well mixed.
Another new 1:35 scale AFV they do provide a clear set of www.eduard.com/ Then apply where you want the
detailing set from Eduard is instructions to who how to A new set of three weathering colours, neat from the jar. After
item 36316, which provides extra assemble elements such as the fluids from AK Interactive is about 10-15 minutes, use a clean
detailing for the recent Trumpeter new ammunition box, where to very neat. ‘Crusted Rust’ are brush, wet with thinners, to
kit of the German Fennek. This fit the various handles, tie downs three shades of rust, a dark, push and blend the colours to
new pack contains two frets and seatbelts, along with which a medium and a light. They get the effect you want. Once it
of etched-brass parts, one of areas of the kit parts need to be are titled as ‘crusted’ rust as is dry, you can go back and add
which is pre-coloured, along with removed in order to fit the new they have a texture to them more layers, using the same or
instructions on where everything etch parts, such as for the lovely when they dry, rather than the other shade to create the
goes on the kit. new instrument panel. All nicely just the colour. The result is it ‘crusted’ effect you want. This is
The star of the show to packaged together, and supplied makes it easy enough to create a very handy set and one I have
me, and I guess also for many in their standard style packets, the layered, or ‘crusted’ rust been rather taken with for being
modellers, are the pre-coloured which also include card stiffeners effects. Helpfully, along with straightforward to use and by
instrument panels for the interior. so the parts don’t get bent and their “How to…” guides that the effects you can achieve. My
The kit is one which features a spoiled while being shipped. are on the website as well as thanks to AK Interactive, who
fitted out interior for the crew With thanks to Eduard models being included in their excellent kindly provided our example.
compartment, but rather than for our sample its available now catalogue, is an SBS (step-by- These are available from a variety
painting the moulded instrument step) illustrated guide on how of stockists of the AK Interactive
panels, this will have you remove to use them. The first thing is range, or direct from them at
the moulded detail and replace it to shake the jar very well, so http://ak-interactive.com/v2/
with these pre-coloured panels,
which look simply superb and
is sure to encourage many to fit
the doors open on the model,
making it easier to see these
great looking upgrades.
Much of the rest of the extra
detail parts in this set are for the
interior, with seat belts for the
crew seats, handles for hatches
etc. Other elements provide
extra detailing for the exterior,
such as a new ammunition box
along with rear mudflaps, various
tie down straps, a new stowage
rack and other smaller detail
fittings which even include the New Crusted Rust Deposits set from
most delicately done windscreen AK Interactive.

60
 AFV reviews

ABOVE LEFT: Box art for the forthcoming 1:35 scale kit of the German If.5 Maschinengewehrwagen 36 from Riich Models. ABOVE RIGHT: AFV Club are doing another
variation on their Büssing Nag truck, this time adding a Bilstein Crane.

News Bronco Models have announced another pushing his as he makes

A good mix in terms of new kits
we can expect to be available
here in the UK soon. In fact,
some may already be with
us by the time you read this!
Riich Models are to release
a 1:35 scale kit of the If.5
Maschinengewehrwagen 36,
which is a horsedrawn limber
and cart carrying a twin MG 34
AA mounting. At the same time,
A new D-Day Royal Marine figure in
1:35 scale due from Diopark.
a PzKpfw Mk.IV, 744(e) (A13)
and UE Trailer along with the
sWS 60cm Infra-red Searchlight
Carrier, ‘Uhu’.
Two really good-looking 1:35
scale figure sets are on the way
from Diopark, and both themed
to the D-Day landings and well-
known photos. One carrying his
bike as he disembarks from the
Landing Craft onto the beach and
his way inland. A couple of sets I
expect to be highly popular.
Among news from Pocketbond,
they are expecting the Russian
SA-8 Gecko, T-62 Mod 1960 Iraq
type, Russian BRDM2 NBC Late
and the huge 2S7 Self-propelled
Gun all in 1:35 scale from
Trumpeter, along with a new one
from AFV Club, the Büssing NAG
L4500A with 3t Bilstein crane.

Bronco’s new German operated PzKpfw Mk.IV, 744(E) The searchlight version of the sWS is due for release by
(A13) and UE trailer. Bronco Models.

Trumpeter’s new Sa-8 Gecko. Iraqi version of the T-62 coming from Trumpeter.
The second
new D-Day
figure also
due from
Diopark.

The Trumpeter late version of the BRDM2 NBC variant is The Soviet 2S7 is set to be huge in 1:35 scale with this
due very soon. new Trumpeter kit.

www.militarymodelling.com 61
 MAFVA

ABOVE: Standard Panzer on Railwagon at Munster. This tank

was one of the pre-production O-series tanks evaluated at
the Munster Panzerschule before the tank was given the
name Leopard. The DB 322 railwagon is displayed with a
kopframpe loading ramp.

LEFT: Interior of the Netherlands National Military Museum.

Good spacing around exhibits allows viewing from different
perspectives, and unusually, many vehicles have open crew
hatches revealing interior arrangements. More vehicles and
aircraft can be seen outside.

The MAFVA column

News and views from the Miniature Armoured Fighting Vehicle Association

John Ham describes the benefits of ‘doing it together’!

RIGHT: A neat Bundeswehr field

hospital diorama in 1:87 – a popular
modelling scale in Continental Europe.

INSET: The LK II Leichter Kampfwagen

was originally designed using a heavy
passenger car chassis, and only two
prototypes were completed by the
end of WW1. The designs were taken
to Sweden where it was built for the
Swedish Army, but with a rotating
turret, and known as the Stridswagn
m21. This is one of the Swedish
cannon armed vehicles.

BELOW: A nicely balanced Operation

Seelöwe diorama seen at Munster.

I
n the UK, we are fortunate that most individuals,
unless they live in a remote area, are able to
access a modelling club. This has the benefit of
being able to collaborate on a face-to-face basis on
shared projects or activities. The camaraderie and
feel-good effect of completing a successful project
is very valuable in helping cement a club together.
This month’s column looks at two MAFVA branches
and their recent projects which fit this description.

62 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015


ABOVE: The Luchs A2 Spahpanzer is a big vehicle needing the independent steering of
its wheels for manoeuvring in tight spaces. Another useful attribute is its amphibious
capability with a pair of propellers at the rear.
BELOW: A view of the Present Arms Model Marquee showing some of the other
supporting club displays.
Cambridge MAFVA members are keen tourists,
and earlier this year visited the model show at the
Deutsches Panzermuseum in Munster. I joined them
on the overnight ferry to Holland. The first stop was
the new Dutch National Military Museum just outside
Utrecht. This is an impressive purpose-built museum
containing weaponry used by Netherlands Armed
Forces since the early 20th Century. From there, it
was a long drive to the Munster museum. Munster
is garrison town to the Bundeswehr Panzertruppen
Schule. The museum exhibits were originally the
instructional collection of the training school, and it is
still housed in the original tank storage sheds. As might
be expected the emphasis is on German armour. There
is also a good collection of Soviet-era vehicles acquired
after German reunification. This emphasis on German
AFVs is reflected in the models displayed by model
clubs at the show, but with Bundeswehr vehicles
being popular. This was a very good trip, enabling costs
to be shared, and allowing the opportunity to view the
equipment used by other Western European armies
for a fairly modest outlay.
Essex MAFVA is a long established branch, and
for many years hosted their Present Arms Show.
ABOVE: Essex MAFVA stand at Present Arms 2015.
In recent years this has been at the Military and
Flying Machines Show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome
south of Upminster. This is a spacious site, and
as the name suggests combines vintage flying
and a military vehicle show – something like the
MAFVA Nationals at IWM Duxford, but without
the museum. The large site has the advantage that
the vehicles on display are not crowded together,
allowing viewing from different angles. Owners
are happy to discuss their vehicles and often
allow closer inspection to visitors having special
interest. Living history and re-enactment groups
add additional interest and colour to the show.
The Essex model marquee is popular with visitors,
and being in the summer school holidays helps
bring families to the event, one of the attractions
being the Armourfast sponsored model make n’
take. This is a successful and enjoyable show so
take your camera to next year’s event for those
reference photos, and experience a nice all-round
day out. For other MAFVA events, see the website
www.mafva.net
John Ham
chairman@mafva.net
MAFVA
ABOVE: An unusual exhibit, this is a
Ford GTB used in the Pacific Theatre by
the USN and Marines. This vehicle was
part of a small batch of six that found
its way to Britain in WW2. Next to it
was an equally unusual bomb carrier
vehicle built on the same chassis,
and used on Pacific airstrips. Both
are owned by Essex Historic Military
Vehicles Association members.
BELOW LEFT: A Fieseler Storch at the
Military and Flying Machines Show
demonstrated how close a WW2 fixed
wing aircraft can get to behaving like a
helicopter with its slow airspeed.
BELOW RIGHT: An Abbot SPG in
the arena at the Military and Flying
Machines Show.
 Books
On Parade
Books, magazines and DVDs reviewed
The Editor welcomes publications for review.
Unless a prior arrangement has been made with
the Editor review samples WILL NOT be returned.
All samples intended for review in ‘On Parade’
should be sent direct to the Editor at the address
listed under ‘Editorial’ on the contents page.
areas the armour protection was
the same and most carried the
same main gun, a new version
with a better gun was available
but few were in the front line.
Following the now familiar
format of the series, the
development and production
histories of both tanks are
described along with their
main characteristics such
as armour thickness and
firepower. What it was like to
be a crewmember on them is
shown using ‘ghosted’ views
giving the crew positions,
cutaway paintings of the
Panzer IV vs Sherman – France turrets and views through their
1944 by Steven J. Zaloga. gunsights. Also included are
Osprey Duel No.70. Published histories of the Panzer-Lehr-
by Osprey Publishing, Oxford. Division which was one of the
ISBN 978-1-4728-0760-1. last formed by the Germans
Price £12.99. and the 2nd Armored Division
www.ospreypublishing.com which was one of the first in
During the fighting to break out the American army. The 2nd
of the bridgehead created after Armored had fought in Tunisia
the D-Day landings, two widely and Sicily while the Panzer-Lehr
used tanks came head to head. contained a mixture of men
They had very different histories. who had seen action with other
Germany’s Panzerkampfwagen units along with new recruits.
IV series had entered production It had also seen service in
and service before the outbreak Hungary and recently fought
of the war. Initially intended to against the British 21st Army
provide support to the Panzer Group in France.
III with a short-barrelled gun it The overall situation of both
became the mainstay of the sides is described before
German tank forces. By 1944 moving on to their actions during
it had been fitted with a better Operation Cobra in late July.
gun and improved armour which Panzer-Lehr was below its official
made it comparable to America’s strength while 2nd Armored
principle tank of the campaign, was in far better shape as well
and indeed the whole war, the as benefiting from support from
M4 Sherman. The M4 Medium heavy bombers and ground
Tank had evolved from earlier attack aircraft. The fighting
designs, and when the first ones involved not only tanks and
came off the production lines in tank destroyers, but also some
1942 they were at least the equal M7 Self-Propelled guns which
of, and in some areas better than, engaged Panzers over direct
the Axis armour they were to sights. The final result was only
face in action. However, the main to be expected as the German
changes made to them by the division was destroyed while the
time they reached France were Americans were able to break
mechanical. Apart from a few through as intended.
64
As well as a well-written and
very informative text including
several unexpected facts, there
are tables showing relative
strengths and losses both claimed
and actual. Photographs are well
chosen and well presented, while
a two-page colour spread painting
illustrates the action at the village
of Saint-Gilles.
Containing much for modellers
as well as giving an insight into
tanks in action, this is every
bit as good a book as we have
come to expect from author and
publisher. I would like to thank
both for producing it and sending
a copy for review.
Peter Brown
Gallipoli – A Ridge Too Far
edited by Ashley Ekins. Exisle
Publishing Limited, ‘Moonrising’,
230 Narone Creek Road,
Wollombi, NSW 2325, Australia.
ISBN 978-1-921966-93-4.
Price £19.95.
www.exislepublishing.com
This is an excellent and unusual
book. Its primary subject matter
is the ultimately unsuccessful
series of Allied offensives
begun in August 1915 against
the Turkish forces at Gallipoli,
carried out in an attempt to
break the military deadlock
that had developed between
the belligerents since the initial
landings on the peninsula in the
April of that year.
In this respect the book is, at
first glance, little different from
the many others that have been
written about this iconic and
controversial campaign. What
significantly separates it from
so many other publications,
however, is the vast range of
perspectives it provides for
the reader to absorb. This is
achieved by having no fewer
than 15 eminent contributors
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
from seven different countries.
In the UK and, particularly, in
Australia and New Zealand, the
conflict has been seen primarily
as a straightforward struggle
against the Turkish forces of
what was then the Ottoman
Empire. Three other nationalities,
however, were also directly
involved: France and India (on
the Allied side) and Germany.
Each of these seven participant
nations has their own standpoint
and set of recollections and
it is in displaying this array
of viewpoints that the book
provides its highly valuable
comprehensive military, political
and social picture of the struggle.
How these varied analyses
came to be assembled into one
publication is also interesting
in itself. It all came about when
Australian military historian,
Professor Robin Prior, chaired
a conference in Canberra in
2010 of international experts on
Gallipoli from all the participating
nations, whose remit at that
gathering was to review, in
particular, the August section
of the campaign from the then
perspective of 95-years. It is
their collective presentations that
form the bulk of this book.
The book itself is split into
four sections. Part 1 sets the
scene from the attackers’ point
of view; Part 2 covers the attacks
themselves; Part 3 recounts
these events from not only the
opposing Ottoman/German
perspectives but also from
those of the much less well
remembered Allied participants
from France and India; Part 4 -
subtitled Legacies - considers
the conflict in the light of the
tortuous history of Western
intervention in the Middle
East from then through to our
present 21st century intractable
and seemingly intensifying
predicaments.
It is this last section in
particular that made me think
very deeply. I recommend you
read it – and the rest of this book
– for yourself. It is penetratingly
thought provoking for everyone
from the specialist historian to
the inquisitive general reader.
The superb text is supplemented
by an excellent selection of
contemporary photos together
with a broad ranging collection of
timetables, statistics and maps
all of admirable clarity.
Fred Ledden

Warrior FV510 TES(H) by
Carl Schulze. Tankograd In
Detail Fast Track 11. Tankograd
Publishing, Verlag Jochen
Vollert, Am Weichselgarten
5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
UK distributor Bookworld
Wholesale, Unit 10 Hodfar
Road, Sandy Lane Industrial
Estate, Stourport-on-Severn,
Worcestershire DY13 9QB.
Price £10.99.
general@bookworldws.co.uk
www.bookworldws.co.uk
Originally intended to fight
against Warsaw Pact forces in
Europe, the Warrior Armoured
Infantry Fighting Vehicle has had
The Forts & Fortifications of
Europe 1815-1945, The Neutral
States – The Netherlands,
Belgium and Switzerland
by J. E. Kaufmann and H.W.
Kaufmann. Pen & Sword
Books Ltd, 47 Church Street,
Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70
2AS. ISBN 978-1-47382-108-8.
Price £25.
enquiries@pen-and-sword.co.uk
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
This book from Pen & Sword is a
companion to another associated
title which covers ‘The Central
States’. As for the defences of
the three main Neutral States
in Belgium, only one was
ultimately successful and that
was for Switzerland. What this
makes clear though is the sheer
work and effort that went into
constructing major defences
around the country, making best
use of the mountains that make
up a significant factor in this part
of Europe. They were designed to
be strong enough that the effort
required to overcome them would
not be worth what they got as
www.militarymodelling.com
to be upgraded for use in modern
conflicts especially for service
in Afghanistan. Extra protection
in the form of Chobham armour
blocks was not enough to protect
the vehicle and its occupants
so bar armour panels and
under hull protection have been
fitted. Optical equipment for
a result of any defeat. The plans
for these extensive fortification
systems are given, along with
detail of individual strong points
and major forts, along with
archive photos and plans of the
various types of bunker.
Perhaps the most interesting
for many will be the bunkers
and fort built in Belgium, and top
among these I think has to be
the story of Fort Eban Emael.
It includes an account of the
landing by German glider troops
on top of the fortress, along with
their use of new shaped charges
to assist with demolishing the
individual casemates. The results
of these were devastating to
those inside. What is also here
though are other defences,
including the obstacles that were
referred to as ‘Belgian Gates’,
and which were to gain more
fame when they were relocated
to the Normandy beaches and
became just one of the types of
barrier used on the beaches in
an effort to obstruct any landings
by Allied forces, though these
obstructions were overcome in
the event of the actual invasion.
Again, the other defensive
positions in Belgium are covered,
and again using archive photos
and plans of the individual
bunkers of the various patterns.
The third element to this book
is the Netherlands, and the plans
to create defensive points in
Holland, particularly around the
cities to hold back the invader.
Again these were overcome by
the actual events, when airborne
troops once more played a part in
bypassing these positions. Their
plan centred on the protection
of ‘Fortress Holland’, making use
the turret and driver has been
improved while extra electronic
countermeasures, protection
for the turret crew and sights
and additional cooling units
have all changed the vehicle’s
appearance. With all these
additions the suspension had
to be strengthened and other
mechanical improvements added.
End result of all this is the
Warrior Theatre Entry Standard
(Herrick). Its appearance has
been changed almost beyond
recognition. A brief description
of the upgrades is provided
but it is the photos that are
the main part of this book. All
of many of their own patterns of
concrete bunkers, and layouts and
plans for many of these are given
in the book. There are also maps
showing the planned defence
lines, along with the armament,
observation bunkers, and even
the roadblocks and defences built
into the waterway system to give
extra protection. It also tells the
story of how they were ultimately
unsuccessful though, as new
tactics such as the use of airborne
forces, and the speed at which
the Panzer Divisions advanced
led to their defeat despite all
the effort that had gone into
preparing the defences.
As for Switzerland, the same
degree of detailed coverage with
maps showing the integrated
defence lines, the details of
armaments and individual
positions, and for a country we
know remained unmolested
during the war, where the policy
of neutrality worked. It may
come as a bit of an eye opener
for many about the sheer volume
of work, and the associated
expense, that Switzerland had
put into creating these extensive
fortifications as well.
This is a book I found quite
fascinating. Many of us will
know the story of Eban Emael,
but probably not much about
the extent that these concrete
bunkers and fortresses had
been used across both Belgium
and Holland. Having the large
number of archive photos,
along with plans for many of
the different pattern bunkers,
this is not only interesting, but
also a mine of information for
modellers as well.
Robin Buckland
Books
are excellent and each has an
informative caption. Coverage
begins with full-page general
views showing the vehicle in
service. Separate sections
then show the hull, driver’s
hatch, wheels and tracks,
electronic counter measures
platform, turret and infantry
compartment in detail using
smaller images.
As much as can be shown
while not compromising
operational security is here.
There is more than enough
material for modellers wanting
to build one of these vehicles.
Peter Brown
The Tank Factory – British
Military Vehicle Development
and the Chobham
Establishment by William
Suttie. Published by The
History Press, The Mill,
Brimscombe Port, Stroud,
Gloucestershire GL5 2QG.
ISBN 978-0-7509-6122-6.
Price £17.99.
www.thehistorypress.co.uk
The author of this new soft
cover book is well placed to
write on this subject as he
worked at the establishment
for many years right through to
its closure in 2002. For many
of us who have travelled the
M3 Motorway regularly over
the years, the bridge from the
main FVRDE (Fighting Vehicle
Research and Development
Establishment) site and the
Longcross test track which
crosses the motorway will be
well known. If you happened
to be passing at just the right
time, you would occasionally
65
 Books
catch a glimpse of something
interesting making the short
trip across.
The first part of the book is the
story of the early development
of tank development. With
the basic rhomboid designs
of WW1 and the late-war
developments of the supply
tanks and the long Mk.VIII, or
‘Liberty’ tanks. It also goes over
the inter-war developments of
the heavier ‘Infantry’ tank, the
lighter ‘Cruiser’, and the even
lighter ‘Tankette’. These are
outlined along with the various
committees and organizations
involved with developing
armoured vehicles, when money
was tight (sounds familiar!) and
there was a degree of rivalry
which pushed back those early
advantages the British had
in tank development, to be
overtaken by new ideas found in
other countries.
When war came development
moved on a pace, though tank
guns were soon found to be
too small. At this time of rapid
expansion, some testing was done
on Chobham Common and the first
of the development sites moved
to be there as well. This grew
as the years went by, with more
buildings and departments in the
MoD site, along with the building
of customised testing facilities on
the Longcross test track. There was
a period of growth and expansion
as other experimental units were
moved in to work alongside those
already at Chertsey. Only after the
site was privatized, with the bulk of
the Chertsey site given to the new
private venture of QinetiQ, it was
soon sold for housing development,
resulting in the closure of the main
site back in 2002.
As well as the story of the
Chertsey site and the politics
surrounding it over the years,
the second half of the book
looks at more detail of the
work they carried out and
the many vehicles that were
developed and/or prototyped.
These included the design and
build of tanks and armoured
cars, along with wheeled load
carriers and the testing of
commercial vehicles destined
for the army. Alongside this
work there was also the testing
of captured equipment. This
started in WW2 but went on
after that with Soviet built
equipment captured in the Gulf
War for example.
66
Sherman in the Pacific War,
1943-45 by Raymond Giuliani.
Published by Histoire &
Collections. Available in the
UK from Casemate UK Ltd, 10
Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1
2EW. ISBN 978-2-35250-283-8.
Price £34.95.
casemate-uk@
casematepublishing.co.uk
www.casematepublishing.co.uk
A new hardback from Histoire
et Collections, and one which I
think will find its way onto many
modellers’ shelves, as it covers
the ever-popular topic of the M4
Sherman tank and to such a great
extent. This contains 350 archive
photos, the majority not having
been published before, along
with 30 colour profiles which
are coupled with archive photos
from which were the original
references and equally good
colour maps for each topic and
which together fill 144-pages with
some superb reference material.
The introduction does just what
it should, explaining the purpose
of the book. Added to that it
naturally includes the list of chapter
headings, all of which are names of
islands, and all shown on a larger
map of the Pacific, thus imitating
Some of the vehicles that
went through their basic
development at Chertsey
(adjacent to Chobham Common)
were the Centurion, Chieftain,
Conqueror, Challenger 1 and 2
as well as Saladin Armoured cars
and the CVR(T) family as well as
various experimental machines,
some of which are illustrated as
well. Some fascinating elements
to these stories, which include
dealings with export customers.
The story told about Chieftains
on trial in Israel at the time of
the Six-Day War certainly made
the island hopping campaign that
typified the war in the Pacific.
Some of the islands featured have
set their names in history and
are well-known, such as Tarawa,
Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa to
name but a few, while others are
less well-known, like Roi-Namur,
Biak, Pavuvu and Cebu. On some
of these ocean ‘stepping stones’
the fighting was sometimes short
but still deadly. Examples used
show garrisons of around 5,000
Japanese soldiers being overcome
in just a few hours yet numbers
of only around 40 being taken
prisoner at the end. In all these
victories the Sherman played a vital
part in providing support for the
infantry that accompanied them.
Not the tarmac or cobbled road
surfaces of North West Europe, but
at best dirt tracks and often just the
rough soils and beach sands found
on these small islands.
It is noticeable that in the earlier
period, many of the Shermans,
both cast and welded hulls, were
relatively bare of stowage or extra
protection. As it moves on though
you see an increasing quantity
of extra armour added such as
track links welded to the hulls
and turrets, to wooden planking
and wire mesh added to the hull
sides, nails welded on top of
catch covers and wood or metal
bars added to partially cover the
roadwheels and lower hull sides.
Even and anti-magnetic paste,
similar to the German zimmerit
was used to defend against
magnetic mines being fixed to the
sides of tanks.
The ground they operated
on, including the beaches,
was rough and a number of
photos show tanks which have
sunk in craters on the beach,
or collapsed a bridge inland.
me smile, but you’ll need to
read the book to find out what it
was. The final chapters looking
at Survivability, Mobility, Fighting
and Subsystem Research plus a
look at ‘Special Devices’ makes
it an interesting history to read.
One of the most famous of the
developments to come from
the site is of course the aptly
named Chobham Armour, which
brought lighter weight with
increased levels of protection to
many armoured vehicles, and
a development we shared with
many of our allies.
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
One or two show a comparison
with the small light tanks
operated by the Japanese, along
with an elderly but effective
40mm anti-tank gun. The
crew worked in inhospitable
conditions against a fanatical
enemy and had to improvise
additional ways to protect their
mounts. Attacks by waves of
fanatical Japanese often led to
placing of charges and mines
on tanks, so defending against
these remained a challenge to
the very end. All the photos
throughout the book are well
captioned and informative. Then
there was also the development
of the Flamethrower versions
of the Sherman, operated in
particular by the 713th Tank
Battalion in 1945. A number
of images show these tanks
in use. The rough and often
soft terrain presented many
difficulties for recovery and
maintenance crews, and there
are number of illustrations of
these scenarios which will be
great inspiration for enthusiasts
of model dioramas.
Any fan of the Sherman tank
will want to get a copy of this for
their bookshelf I have no doubt.
Also, historians of the Pacific
War will find plenty of detail to
interest them, and to see how
successful the Sherman proved
to be in a theatre of war where
many thought conditions to be
unsuitable for their operation.
This book is ample evidence of
how wrong that was. For the
modellers, the sheer number of
excellent clear photos, coupled
with the colour profiles, will find
this a first class reference for so
many little details, mostly added in
the field rather than in the factory.
Robin Buckland
There is always something
intriguing about what goes
on behind the high fences
and security guards of these
government establishments, so
if you want to know what they
actually do, this book will explain in
full detail. Since the closure of the
site and the move of the various
teams elsewhere, a number of
those experimental vehicles have
made their way into the hands of
the Tank Museum at Bovington, so
now they are on public display for
us all to see.
Robin Buckland

Char Leclerc by M. P.
Robinson and Thiery
Guillemain. Published by
Kagero, Lublin, Poland.
UK distributor Bookworld
Wholesale, Unit 10 Hodfar
Road, Sandy Lane Industrial
Estate, Stourport-on-Severn,
Worcestershire DY13 9QB.
ISBN 978-8-64596-35-3.
Price £16.99.
www.kagero.pl
general@bookworldws.co.uk
www.bookworldws.co.uk
France’s Leclerc main battle
tank has had a troubled
history. Despite being
technically advanced with
many innovative features,
it came at the wrong time.
With the end of the Cold War,
the French Army’s need for
them was drastically reduced
leading to only around 400
of the planned production
of 1,400 being built. It was
offered for sale to various
countries but only the
United Arab Emirates bought
them and in the end they
have more than the French
themselves! But even after
25-years in service it remains
an effective tank.
Armour protection on the
‘XL’ as its French crews call
it was designed in modular
form so it could be upgraded
over time as new threats were
countered with new materials.
Its 52-calibre smoothbore
120mm main gun was more
effective than the German
equivalent fitted to Leopard
2 and later Abrams from the
outset. Using an automatic
loader allows it to be better
balanced making it very
accurate as well as reducing
the turret crew to two which
www.militarymodelling.com
saved space and weight.
Hydromatic suspension gives
a stable gun platform and
a smooth ride for the crew.
A powerful diesel engine
with a separately powered
turbocharger delivers more
power than a conventional unit
in a smaller space allowing
it to be shorter than other
tanks of the same generation.
Extensive use of electronics
for vehicle management and
battlefield communications put
it ahead of its time.
After some initial teething
problems it has performed
well enough. Its service
has seen the French Army
transform from conscript to
professional and it has been
in action of a sort in Kosovo
and also in the Lebanon.
Various changes have been
introduced during production
with features retrofitted to
older tanks. Several variants
were planned but the only
one to go into production has
been the recovery vehicle,
and some early production
tanks have had their main
guns removed for use as
towing vehicles.
Its story is described in
the text of this new book
(Kagero Photosniper No.19)
but the main emphasis is
the photograph content.
There are over 300 images
showing tanks from the early
prototypes to current service
vehicles. They are seen on
parade, on exercise field and
being transported by train
as well as serving abroad
with a separate sequence
showing features in close-up
detail including inside the
large stowage bins which
unusually are on the turret.
Emphasis is on the French
versions but there is enough
on the UAE version with its
different engine layout and
detail differences to satisfy
the needs of modellers.
Alongside the photos are a
set of five-view plans in 1:72
scale and 14 large-scale side
views showing a range of
colour schemes.
The end result is lots of
information for modellers and
plenty for tank enthusiasts
interested in this modern AFV.
Peter Brown
Battlefields in Miniature –
Making Realistic and Effective
Terrain for Wargames by Paul
Davies. ISBN 978-1-78159-274-
8. Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47
Church Street, Barnsley, South
Yorkshire S70 2AS. Price £30.
enquiries@pen-and-sword.co.uk
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
In this 287-page, hardback
book, wargames terrain
modeller Paul Davies, author
of numerous magazine articles
on the subject, takes the
reader through the process of
creating a visually appealing,
yet practical terrain over
which miniature battles may
be fought. The techniques
involved in the making of a
basic landscape are explained,
such as terrain cloths and tiles,
custom or sculpted terrain, and
this is followed by a series of
projects showing how this can
be adapted to suit different
periods and/or geographic
locations. There are then
numerous sections on adding
rivers and ponds, islands
cliffs and hills, trees, walls,
fences and screens, hedges,
gates, cultivated fields,
roads, bridges, defences and
buildings. All these projects
have step-by-step instructions
are illustrated with over 400
specially taken colour photos,
taking the reader through the
various stages of construction
to the finished model.
There is no doubt that this
is a practical and useful guide,
both to the specific items
which are featured, but also in
general construction terms. The
book should be well received
by wargamers and diorama
builders alike. Recommended.
Stuart Asquith
Books
Nelson’s Band of Brothers –
Lives & Memorials by Peter
Hore. ISBN 978-1-847832-779-5.
Seaforth Publishing, an imprint
of Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 47
Church Street, Barnsley, South
Yorkshire S70 2AS. Price £25.
enquiries@pen-and-sword.co.uk
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
The biographies that make
up this title were researched
and written by a number
of distinguished historians,
some of whom are actually
descendants of Nelson’s officers
and all are members of the
1805 Club. All the contributions
are under the guidance of
Peter Hore, who since he left
the Royal Navy has been the
associate editor of Warships
International Fleet Review.
Following an introduction
by Admiral Jonathon Bond,
President of the 105 Club,
as well as a map of the UK,
showing the locations of nearly
100 memorials, the text is
divided into three main sections;
The Battle of the Nile in which
the careers of 15 officers are
detailed, Copenhagen and the
Baltic (30), and the Campaign
of Trafalgar (35). The text
closes with sections on North
Americans in Nelson’s Navy
and The Class of Captains. In
support are acknowledgements,
contributors, sources,
bibliography, picture credits and
an index.
This is a nicely presented
and well-produced work,
covering an interesting yet
often ignored subject. A must
for naval buffs generally and
also for those interested in
an important aspect of the
Napoleonic Wars.
Stuart Asquith
67
 Product reviews
Atten-Shun!
The Product Review Column
The Editor welcomes product samples for review. Unless
a prior arrangement has been made with the Editor review
samples WILL NOT be returned.
All product samples intended for review in ‘Atten-Shun!’
should be sent direct to the Editor at the address listed
under ‘Editorial’ on the contents page.
Eduard
Fw 190 A-8/R-2 ProfiPACK
edition in 1:48 scale
This is another of Eduard’s recent
releases in their ProfiPACK series
of models (item 8175). It comprises
an injection-moulded kit of the
Focke Wulf 190, with the addition
of painting masks, a delightful set
of pre-coloured instrument panels
plus cockpit interior detailing.
The Fw 190 A-8/R-2 was a
variant of the fighter made for
the tactic of Sturm to take on
the ever-growing streams of
allied bomber formations over
Germany during the second half
of WW2. The challenge was to
cope with the defensive fire of the
large formations of four-engined
bombers and either bring them
down or cause enough damage to
disrupt their mission. It carried extra
armour protection for the pilot,
which included additional armoured
glass panels on the cockpit hood,
along with a heavy armament of
2 x 20mm cannon in the nose
68
and 2 x 30mm cannon mounted
in the wings. The intention was
to allow the fighter to maintain
the performance of the standard
fighter but with the protection and
firepower to allow them to take on
the bombers. In practice it was a
relatively successful tactic, but the
performance was slightly reduced,
and they eventually did need
additional escorts from Me Bf 109s
to take on the allied fighter escorts
while the heavier Fw 190s took on
the bombers. What they couldn’t
do though was compete with the
continuously growing numbers of
allied bombers coupled with ever-
increasing losses among these
specialist units.
As for the kit, this is one where
I think it is best to start by looking
at the six options you have for
colours and markings, as this will
be your starting point in knowing
which parts you need to use.
Option 1 is for ‘Green 3’, flown
by Hans-Günther von Kornatzki of
Stab/II (Sturm)/JG4 in September
1944. This pilot was considered to
be the ‘father’ of the Sturm tactic
and who had taken command
of the first unit in 1943. Option
2 is for a black-nosed machine,
‘Black 13’, flown by Werner Gerth
of II.(Sturm)/JG 3 ‘Udet’ in July
1944. Among his total score,
22 are recorded as having been
heavy bombers. Next is option C,
which was ‘Black 10’, flown by Karl
Spenst of 8./JG 300, in December
1944. Fourth is option D, ‘Yellow
I, Gloria’, flown by Ewald Preis of
6./JG 300 during October 1944.
Then we have option E, ‘White
11’, an aircraft flown by Walter
Wagner of 5./JG 4, which was shot
down during operation in support
of the Ardennes offensive, and
which the pilot landed virtually
intact so that he was taken POW
while the aircraft was prepared for
test flights in US hands. Finally,
option F is for the same captured
aircraft, but this time in an overall
red colour and US markings while
in the hands of Leo C. Moon
of the 404th FG, 9th USAF in
February/March 1945. As well as
an extensive sheet of transfers for
all these choices, there is a second
transfer sheet which is filled with
the various airframe stencils, and
usefully there is another page in
the instructions which show where
all these go and which ones are
used or not depending on your
chosen scheme.
So, having chosen your
preferred option, that will govern
the selection of parts are given
in the choices throughout the
build sequence. You also have
Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015
the option of showing the access
panels for the 30mm cannon in the
wing roots to be open or closed
depending on how you want to
display the finished model. The
instruction sequence starts with
the cockpit tub, where you will use
all those super coloured instrument
panels. Instruments are moulded
onto the plastic parts but these
need to be removed in order to fit
the replacement panels. Details
here include the main panel as
well as the side consoles, rudder
pedals and the seatbelts. Once
this is ready to be fitted inside the
fuselage halves, you have to select
the correct parts for your chosen
version. Then it moves on to the
lower wing section, which has a
main spar to fit and hold everything
squarely, along with internal details
for the undercarriage bays and the
barrels of the 30mm wing mounted
cannon. The breeches fit into the
upper wing panels before you
join them all together and fit the
completed unit to the fuselage.
Next we start with the nose
section, where the BMW 801D-2
14-cylinder engine is beautifully
done, so that it seems a shame
to cover it up once the cowlings
are in place. A point I liked here
is the inclusion of a template part
to help fit the exhaust pipes in
just the right position, and this is
removed once they are set in place.
Once the engine is installed onto
the support frame, that is added
to the fuselage before you add
all the parts for the cowling. This
is followed by the tailplane and
then the undercarriage. One thing
I should say at this point, there is
excellent guidance given for colours
on all these detail fittings as you go
through each stage. The last few
stages of the build sequence deal
with adding details such as aerials,
the cockpit canopy, covers for the
cannon armament and the propeller
and spinner before its time to add
the colours and markings of your
chosen subject... plus all those
stencils as well!
All in all a very well presented kit
with good quality plastic mouldings
along with some of the clearest
and most detailed assembly
instructions, plus the benefit of
those pre-coloured details for the
cockpit. Eduard have put a lot of
effort into this one, and made a
lovely job of it.
With thanks to Eduard Models
for our sample.
Robin Buckland
www.eduard.com/
 A L
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Product reviews
Meng
Vending Machine and
Dumpster Set in 1:35 scale
Most of the time we see modern
modellers displaying an engine
change or other major operation
involving heavy maintenance it
is shown under field conditions.
But in the real world most of that
sort of work is done under what
the US Army calls ‘Third Shop’ or
depot level maintenance and the
Soviets or Russians call capital
rebuilding. These are generally
large workshops someplace
in either garrison or rear areas
where all tools and facilities are
available for that purpose.
Also common to those
facilities are drink or soda
machines and dumpsters for
discarded parts and boxes. Now
Meng has released a handy kit
of those details which fits the
bill (item SPS-018). They have
provided two types of vending
machines – one with a glass
front showing the remaining
brands of drinks available and
one with a cabinet type where
you select and press a button.
Flex-I-File
Stealth Sanding Frames
At every model show I have
been to I have talked with armour
modellers who all feel they need
to either buy turned metal or cast
resin gun barrels, fuel tanks, or
other rounded parts to ensure
they can get rid of the seams. I
then ask why they didn’t simply
use a Flex-I-File tool. “What’s
that?” they always ask.
The Flex-I-File is a very simple
but effective sanding tool
that has actually been around
since 1968. It consists of an
aluminium frame in a square U
shape with two projecting pins
on the ends that hold a strip
of sandpaper between them.
When used on rounded objects
like gun barrels, fuel tanks,
turret joints, aircraft fuselages,
ship hulls, etc. it flexes with
the round object, removes the
seams but does not flatten
the surface. I have used them
since first discovering them
over 25-years ago and love the
control and ability they provide.
Now Flex-I-File has introduced
a new model – the Stealth.
70
The first one consists of four
shelves with two rows of bottles
or cans in each one – the bottom
three are clear styrene parts and
the top one are grey. No decals
or markings are provided so it
is up to the modeller to ‘brand’
them on his own. The kit does
provide markings for ‘Tropical’
which is the apparent vendor
of the beverages. Note that in
this day and age companies are
fiercely protective of trademarks
so any attempt to use Coke or
Pepsi (or other major brands)
would be met by a demand
for royalties, so Meng wisely
decided to leave it generic. to be galvanized steel with that diorama featuring mechanics
The second machine consists silver-grey finish used on buckets, breaking down an Abrams or
of only three parts – front, base tubs and other items generally Stryker for repairs.
and body. It comes with a large filled with water. The top may be Cookie Sewell
cheery logo on the front but flipped back (since it is lightweight Price £9.99
once again shows no branding of plastic it just has a simple hinge Meng Model, Rui Ye International
the products offered. at the rear and no locks. There are Co., Limited, Flat/Rm. A30, 9/F.,
The dumpster consists of a some ejector pin marks to remove Silvercorp Int’l Tower, 707-713
three-piece body, four castors but happily Meng has designed its Nathan Rd., Mongkok, Hong
and a plastic top. These are quite alignment tabs as ‘no show’ so pin Kong. Tel: +852 9666 9759521-1.
common and are seen in a number and nesting marks do not need to www.meng-model.com
of locations albeit it does look be removed. Available in the UK from Creative
more European than American Overall this is a neat idea and Models Limited
in general design. US ones tend would be a nice addition to a www.creativemodels.co.uk
This is a black aluminium tool
but unlike its straight-armed
predecessor has approximately
the last one inch bent at a
45-degree angle. What this
does is give more ‘reach’ to the
tool to permit sanding larger
objects. For armour modellers
think of something like an M48
or M103 turret and hull and the
ability to get a clean sanded
joint on the parts.
The reason for a set of three
is to provide three different
sanding grits – 320, 400 and
600 – without having to stop and
change strips in mid-work. As this
tool takes the same strips used
by the regular straight-leg ones it
can also be fitted with their 150
and 280 grit strips.
Overall there is not enough
that I can say about this system
and it is one of those “Top Ten
Tools I Cannot Model Without”
as the surveys usually want to
know. But I am still shocked to
find out how many do not know
about them after more than
45-years in production!
Cookie Sewell
www.flex-i-file.com

Trumpeter
Soviet T-10M Heavy Tank
in 1:35 scale
At the very end of WW2 the
Soviets paraded 52 brand new
tanks at the Victory Parade in
Berlin. These turned out to be the
very first IS-3 heavy tanks and
they impressed and scared the
West. But the IS-3 was a dog
– subject to sudden breakages
and failures, and a cramped
and miserable tank to serve in
for Soviet tankers. After several
different options were tried, an
improved tank, dubbed the IS-5,
was proposed.
During the late 1940s progress
continued on this tank, and after
some false starts an improved
version was offered as the IS-
8. This tank managed to pass
all tests and was accepted for
service, but between the time it
was accepted and the first tanks
rolled out in 1953 Stalin died, so
the new tank was redesignated
the T-10.
The T-10 was essentially an ‘IS-
3 2.0’ with many corrections to
that design but also a lot of pricey
changes and upgrades. Over
the years they were fitted with a
single axis stabilizer (T-10A), a two-
axis stabilizer (T-10B) and finally a
new turret and new gun with new
fire control system (T-10M). The
Soviets had finally their perfected
heavy tank – but...
In the meantime Western
ammunition gun and munitions
development had found easier
ways to defeat this tank, as
it only had monolithic armour
protection. The new sabot (APDS)
and anti-tank (HEAT) rounds and
guided missile warheads could all
defeat its armour from the frontal
60-degree arc, so the tank was no
major threat. With the advent of
the Article 432 (later T-64) tanks on
the horizon, less than 1,600 T-10s
of all types were built.
Oddly enough, the tanks
were built by two factories – the
Leningrad ‘Kirov’ factory and the
www.militarymodelling.com
Chelyabinsk ‘Kirov’ factory (later
Chelyabinsk Tractor Factory after
1958). Production in Leningrad
ceased in 1962 and in Chelyabinsk
in 1966, but both factories - neither
one liked the other’s work - made
slightly different versions of the
same vehicles.
Over 45-years ago Tamiya
released kits of what it called
the ‘T-10 JS-III’ tanks but they
were clearly based on the T-10B
and T-10M tanks. At least four
different versions of this tank were
kitted with different parts and
components in each one (I have
one of each and found that out the
hard way!) but none of them really
represented an accurate T-10 of
any sort.
Some resin kits from
companies like Navigator
and Brigadyr in Russia and
Commander Models in the US
have come out over the interim
period of time, but now two
brand-new kits have been released
at the same time by Meng and
Trumpeter of the final variant, the
T-10M. But both kits are slightly
different, and with the fact that
two different tanks were built
it appears at first glance they
each used a different preserved
vehicle as their source. But
without detailed analysis and
serial numbers it is not possible
to determine which kit represents
which factory!
This kit (item 05546) is the
simpler of the two as it uses
simple single link tracks, one set
of links for the left track and one
for the right. Meng uses three-
piece ones which you either love
or hate based on success, but this
one is old-fashioned if tedious. I
wish they had followed the very
useful track sets in their KV series
of kits with ‘link and length’ with
pre-moulded droop.
Having converted two
Trumpeter IS-3M kits into a
T-10M back in 2008 I did a great
deal of research on the T-10M
and can comment reasonably
well on this kit. It starts out
with the lower hull (as do most
tanks) and all of the suspension
components are separate items.
Six of the roadwheel axles are
fitted with shock absorbers and
fluid reservoirs which is correct.
As Trumpeter apparently is going
to share these moulds with other
kits (the tracked SCUD launcher
already being announced, which
uses a large number of T-10 parts)
separate driver faces are used by
this kit.
The next steps cover the turret,
and give the modeller the option
of either leaving the turret smooth
or adding the bustle bin to the rear
of the turret. This comes with a
separate hatch and details.
Oddly enough the coaxial KPVT
machine gun was moulded in
the middle of the sprue so its
conspicuous flash hider must be
hollowed out by the builder. There
is no mantlet cover (the actual
tanks were fitted with a canvas
cover, which the builder will have
to add from putty if desired) but
all other details appear to be
present. The commander’s cupola
consists of 19 parts and looks
the part; ‘clear’ part fans will be
disappointed as all parts are solid.
The M-62T2S gun barrel comes
in four parts – two halves and two
collar haves. Care will be needed
in smoothing the multi-baffle
muzzle brake but the rest should
be easy with a Flex-I-File. A large
14.5mm ammunition can stores
on the right side of the turret.
Construction of the hull is very
straightforward and all of the weld
lines are present, albeit some may
wish to enhance them. The ‘cages’
over the headlights are nicely done
and should be simple to assemble
and install. Photo-etched parts
are provided for the mudflaps at
each corner.
The only error I have found so
far is that for reasons best known
to themselves Trumpeter shows
the tank fitted with four smoke
canisters; this is not right, as
Product reviews
all of the photos of the ones in
Czechoslovakia were fitted with
two 200-litre auxiliary fuel tanks
carried at the rear (and some had
two extra ones tossed on top
of the first set. The fuel tanks
are carried low and the smoke
canisters mounted high, but you
will have to find a suitable donor.
The Trumpeter IS-3M comes with
the tanks and the mounting racks
which should fit here.
Other minor details are
missing but in most cases
understandable. There is a small
line leading from a side boss on
the rear external fuel tanks (E-
28/29) into the tank at the front
outside corner of the rear engine
deck plate. Both the bosses
for this line are missing. Also
missing are a part of D-shaped
towing clevises on the left side
glacis behind the single headlight.
This tank is fitted with the
grillework over the top of the
exhaust openings (the smaller
outer grilles on the engine deck
with covers PE-D2). Others are not
but the grid pattern inside them is
quite different so the photo-etched
parts should be used.
The KPVT machine gun is
optional – only one in five T-10M
tanks was ever fitted with the
weapon. The one in the kit is very
nicely done, but it is missing the
predictor gun sight fitted to most
of those tanks with this weapon.
Note that the gun requires both an
ammo box and a connector/casing
collector box on opposite sides of
the gun.
Four finishing options are
provided: 95th Heavy Tank
Regiment (TTP), 9th Tank Division,
1st Guards Tank Army, Plzen,
CSSR, August 1968 (dark green
with white ‘cross’ stripes and
diamond markings - either 5-10
/ 37 or 23 / 3-4); Unidentified
Guards Unit (overall green with
Guards badges); Unidentified
tank regiment, Unidentified
Heavy Tank Division (green with
diamond marking and white 202).
A ‘Number Jungle’ sheet with
targeted markings is included.
Overall, other than the curious
errors noted in the review, this is
a very well done and simple build
with less etched-brass than many
recent Trumpeter kits.
Cookie Sewell
Price £44.99
UK distributors Pocketbond,
PO Box 80, Welwyn, AL6 0ND.
71
Product reviews

Takom
WW1 Heavy Tank Mark IV
Tadpole in 1:35 scale
Latest addition to Takom’s range
of British WW1 tanks is the
Mk.IV Tadpole (item TAK02015),
basically a Mk.IV Male tank, but
with long extensions to the rear
end of the sides, and in between
them a platform for mounting
a mortar on. It was intended
to improve the trench crossing
ability of the tank as well as
offering mobile fire support from
the mortar and the crew for it in
turn protected by the armoured
sides. However, it didn’t work
out in practice, as the extensions
to the rear track horns proved
not to be rigid enough, so these
did not apparently go into action.
The bulk of the kit is as
Takom’s previously released
Mk.IV Male kit (item
TAK02008), but what’s new
here are the extended side
panels, additional roadwheels those same side sections, to assemble then the complex detailing, including all those
and the mortar platform to fit making it just a touch easier to multi-part links from the original rivets, are neatly done and look
between those rear track horns. get everything assembled. The kit releases. just right. Certainly a nicely
The roadwheels take a good other significant change over The instructions are nice produced model and one which
deal of cleaning up when you their original Mk.IV release is and clear, but I would suggest will go together to make an
remove them from the sprues, the inclusion of one-piece track building the two sets of side unusual and interesting addition
and of course there are more links, which just clip together, pieces before assembling the to a collection of WW1 tanks.
of them thanks to the extended and of course there are more central hull section, so you can Robin Buckland
side pieces. Though included of them thanks to the longer get everything square and fitting Price £57.99.
on the sprues, you don’t have tail pieces (117 per side). These correctly before the glue sets UK distributors Pocketbond,
to fit the drive chains inside look good and are much easier those plates in place. Overall PO Box 80, Welwyn, AL6 0ND.

Several years ago Tamiya

Flex-I-File
Ninja Hyper Cut Saw
0.1 PRO-R
One tool or set of tools all
modellers have is a ‘razor saw’,
usually a thin stainless steel or
carbide steel blade less than
0.5mm (0.020”) thick for cutting
plastic, brass, or wood. Many
are about 5” long and can be
used with a mitre box. But there
are times that specialty saws
are needed.
Enter the specialty saws,
right now mostly represented
by ‘razor blade’ saws that are
the size of a double-edged razor
blade. These fine-toothed thin
saws (usually about 0.1-0.15mm
thick) are handy for removing
details or fine cuts in plastic or
brass. But the saws are fragile
and prone to blade snapping.
introduced a set of specialty
shaped saw blades which were
essentially a single fret of etched
stainless steel blades in various
shapes. They were thin 0.1mm
blades but short and only had
serrations to hold on to at the rear
of the blade, all of which were
less than 50mm long. This caused
cramping and also made them
somewhat tedious to use as they
would move around in the fingers.
Now Flex-I-File is offering a
new line of ‘Ninja’ saws from
Japan which are handmade and
use stainless steel. They come in
several different blade designs of
which this one has a radius blade.
All have a stiffener on the top of
the blade for durability.
I picked up this one (item ALK03)
at the IPMS USA 2015 Nationals at
the Flex-I-File table and looked over
all of the others that they offered.
I chose this one as it is a tool I

72 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015


HobbyBoss
Russian T-50 Infantry Tank
in 1:35 scale
While Zhosef Kotin was working
to corner the heavy tank sector
in the Red Army he did not forget
about lighter vehicles. He felt that
a good all around replacement for
the ageing T-26 series would also
push the upstart T-34 tank to the
sidelines and therefore put the
competing design teams under
his direction to work on a new
light tank design.
Both teams came up with
similar tank designs, both using
the 45mm tank gun and the new
V-4 diesel engine, a 6-cylinder
design which was essentially half
of the famous V-2 diesel.
The first version, Article 126,
was from S. K. Ginzberg at
Factory No.174 but was rejected
in favour of Article 211 from
SKB-2 under A. S. Yermolayev at
the Leningrad Kirov Factory. The
tank was dubbed Maliy Klim by
some due to its resemblance to
the running gear of the KV-1. But
due to bad timing and the start of
the war locking down production
of main types already in full
production the T-50 tank only
saw about 70 built and of those
only 48 were armed. Some were
upgraded with appliqué armour
(s ehkranami) but most were not.
Only two tanks survive today, one
in Finland and one in Moscow.
personally need as it is very good
for ‘cutting in’ – i.e., cutting into the
middle of a section of plastic. In
my case that is fine for removing
things like hatches, engine decks
and grills, and other parts that are
replaced when either upgrading or
backdating armour models.
www.militarymodelling.com
The T-50 came out in kit form
a number of years ago from
Mirage and was then upgraded
by Techmod with an excellent
sheet of etched-brass including
pre-formed air intake grilles for
the radiator intakes; these were a
unique shape and this made the
Techmod versions of the kit the
one for most serious modellers.
Now HobbyBoss has
released a highly detailed kit
of this unique offshoot of the
Kirov school of armour design
(item 83827). It is typical for
HobbyBoss with a huge number
of two-piece single link tracks,
all of which are about the size
of a medium tank in 1:72 scale.
The separate teeth make their
assembly quite tedious, and
while HobbyBoss gets points for
accuracy it does not lend itself
to the assembly experience for
most modellers!
The saw is extremely sharp
and literally dangerous to
remove from the package by the
blade end – not recommended!
Happily it comes with a 5” long
permanently attached wood
handle and according to the
packing has a blade width of
This version is the production
version and therefore it is likely
HobbyBoss will release the
uparmoured version as well,
probably with the Finnish markings
associated with the Parola survivor.
This also shows in the fact that
step 2 is drilling holes from the
inside of the upper hull for detail
attachment points.
Assembly is quite detailed
with etched-brass rings for the
idlers and all bump stops on the
lower hull as separate parts.
While there are positive locking
features on the roadwheel arms
(wedges) care must be taken in
their alignment.
The kit tracks provide 128 links
per side with only 93 indicated as
needed, but the teeth are so small
it is likely you may need the extras
to replace ones lost to the ‘carpet
monster’! Note that there are four
types of links (two per side); two
0.1mm and a pitch of 0.4mm.
The teeth run around the tip and
end about 7mm from the back
edge of the blade.
Overall while it seems
expensive these blades are
noted as remaining sharp for a
lifetime (if not bent or damaged
Product reviews
of each kind have the bolt head
on the inside and a nut on the
outside (I used a 10 x magnifying
glass and I think that is what it
looked like!) and one track is for
the ‘flat runs’ and the other for the
‘wrap’ sections. For the life of me I
cannot tell them apart!
The section of brass wire is
for lift rings for the engine access
hatch at the rear of the hull. The
only real problem will be using the
kit provided etched-brass grilles
for the air intakes (parts PE 24 and
25) as the kit does not provide a
former for the domed shape. The
best advice I can offer is to take the
kit styrene parts (parts G31 and 32)
and sand them smooth and then
form the brass over them. These
are quite obvious on the original
vehicle and most modellers – no
matter how well they can paint and
finish – would be disappointed with
the results using the styrene ones.
The turret provides a complete
DT machine gun and drum for the
turret – but then not a bit of interior
anywhere else!
Finishing directions provide for
one Soviet vehicle in what appears
to be parade markings with red
stars and white 20 markings.
Overall this is a nicely done if
overwrought kit but I think the
tracks may bore modellers into
putting it back on the shelf which
would be a real shame.
Cookie Sewell
by foolish use) and will work
well with items like the UMM
Micro Mitre Box for cutting
styrene or brass. I am looking
forward to an easy-to-hold and
use cutting-in saw!
Cookie Sewell
www.flex-i-file.com
73
 Product reviews
35-873
35-874
35-875
Star Decals
Decal sets in 1:35 scale
More sets of decals have been
recently released by Star Decals
covering a range of different
periods and nationalities.
35-873 covers Panzerkampfwagen
III serving with PzReg 3 of 2
Panzer Division. Options are for
an Ausf H in 2-colour camouflage
in Germany in 1940, three Ausf
J with different symbols on the
turret rear in Greece in 1941 and
four Ausf J in Russian in 1942 with
a range of coloured symbols on
the turret. Price £5.60.
35-874 is the second set for
AFVs in Hungary in 1945. Two
Tiger II from sSS-PzAbt 501
74
including one named Wildsau, a
Wespe from PzArtRgt 73, a StuG
III and a Munitionsschlepper auf
Hummel from unknown units
and a captured T-34/85 give
plenty of variety. Price £5.60.
35-875 has markings for
three captured American M3
half-tracks in Tunisia in 1943.
One used by Fallschirmjäger
Regiment 5 with the unit’s
‘exclamation mark’ symbol and
large crosses was repainted in
German colours but the others
are in original Olive Drab. A
vehicle used as an ambulance
still has its yellow stars alongside
the large red crosses with
another from 19 Flak Division
has the original markings painted
35-876
35-877
out plus large crosses on sand
backgrounds and a shamrock
marking. Price £5.60.
35-876 is for several Panther D
from 1943. All have variations
on panther’s heads or complete
animals as well as turret
numbers in different colours.
Decals are included for one tank
with PzAbt51, four with PzAbt52,
two for Grossdeutschland’s
Panther Abteilung and another
for an unknown unit. Price £6.99.
35-877 gives markings for Panther
D Befehls tanks with turret codes
I01, I03 and R04 from PzRgt39 in
mid-1943. Price £4.30.
35-878 covers Egyptian T-55
and T-62 from the 1970s in
sand, green and brown colour
schemes. Three T-55A and two
35-878
T-62 Model 1962 can be depicted
with large Arabic turret numbers
and number plates in two parts
for the modeller to show specific
tanks. Price £5.60.
All are in the usual format with
individual decals clearly printed in a
matt finish. Each item is on its own
small section of backing sheet that
may need slight trimming. Vehicle
colours and markings position
details are shown in multi-view
coloured drawings with a useful
‘map’ showing where each decal
is on the sheet. Production
is by Carl’s Stickers, Armnat-
Charoen, Thailand. Many thanks
to Johan Lexell for sending
these sets for review.
Peter Brown
Prices in text
www.star-decals.net
sales@star-decals.net
 Product reviews

Trumpeter
Soviet PL-37 Light Artillery
Wagon in 1:35 scale
With the 20th release of German
rail based subjects Trumpeter
has made a logical switch to tap
into the Soviet World War Two rail
industry with the release of item
00222, Soviet PL-37 Light Artillery
Wagon. With approximately
290 parts plus, carried over 10
sprues cast in grey styrene, four
separate mouldings covering the
armoured turrets and wagon shell,
no clear parts and surprisingly
no etched-metal considering the
price. Trumpeter has supplied
the standard issue five-piece rail
bed which typically breaks down
from cast in ballast with pre-cut
openings for separate sleepers and
rails with corresponding fishplates.
The kit consists
of four main
assemblies, rail bed,
artillery wagon and
two symmetrically
opposed top
mounted armoured
turrets, finished
dimensions are armament, a five-piece cannon
length 425mm based on Soviet 76.2mm Mod
width 90mm. The 1902/30 gun, augmented with
instructions are the hatch and hinge detail. Care
usual clear spacious will be required when removing
exploded diagram part D28 x 2, a very delicate
type broken down horseshoe shaped rail that runs
from 10 stages nearly the circumference of the
carried over a 12- upper turret with multi point
page document. fixings. Secured to the sprue
There are three by seven attachment points, I
finishing options recommend that the heavier
as per painting and accompanying sprue is cut first
marking guide: (1) to relieve any tension within the
overall dark yellow frame, then support the part
with flat black over from underneath with Blu-Tack or
Russian green amoeba pattern; detriment but overall the pin in total, four placed within the the like then remove.
(2) overall dark yellow with marks are kept to a minimum armoured shell of the artillery Trumpeter have possibly
over mottled soft pattern of with many hidden by other parts wagon and one embedded per opened a very interesting door
red brown and dark green; (3) or design of assembly. turret. The second sub-assembly with Soviet rail-themed armour,
overall Russian green with over The build starts with the rail deals with the running gear a rich in variants and subject
silhouette tree pattern in flat bed, generic to all Trumpeter 21-part bogie assembly of side choice not to mention ancillary
black, livery based on Mr. Hobby rail-themed variants, tempting frame, pedestal, load springs, rail transport and equipment.
colours. No decal options are as it may be to start off with the axle box, wheel sets, axles and This release is sure to generate
provided. business end, by design you brake shoes. The third stage interest based on the popularity
This release will be the subject have a purpose built gauge for all provides external details to the of WW2 Soviet armour alone,
of a full build article in a future those wheel sets as and when artillery wagon, handrails, crew augmented with the number of
issue that will include an in required, far easier to rectify fit entry steps, buffers, coupling books and reference material
depth history and operational issues at this stage than finished release gear, towhook, shackle available. Well recommended,
background. units and sub-assemblies. and brake hose. Included is not only for fans of Soviet
Again the overall standard of The first sub-assembly sees the centrally located hexagonal armoured rail variants, but
parts is well defined from clean a baseplate, side frames and armoured commander’s cupola rail enthusiasts alike or those
crisp mouldings, no offering pedestal mounts forming a detailed with hatches and looking to build something a little
of flash will aid assembly with simple chassis to carry the panoramic periscope, this different.
minimal clean up for an overall running gear, next minimal parts leads to the final assembly of Nigel Norfolk
positive fit. Several pin ejector mainly the secondary armament, the forward and aft traversable Price £63.99
marks are evident and with a very basic Maxim 7.62mm armoured embrasures/ UK distributors Pocketbond,
care can be removed without water-cooled machine gun six turrets which include the main PO Box 80, Welwyn, AL6 0ND.

www.militarymodelling.com 75
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 Kompact Kit

Ma
de
EASY TO ASSEMBLE SCALE ALL METAL KITS

in
Superb Metal Models By Armortek

E
ng
lan
d
German

PAK 43 / 41
8.8cm Anti-Tank Gun

• All metal CNC machined and laser cut components

• Working elevation and slew
• Moulded rubber tyres
• Gun sight
• Fasteners
• Over 800 rivet details
• Simple exploded view instructions
• Fully operational trail arms and lock
• Deploying spade and lock mechanism
• Working double transit lock
• Two piece barrel for ease of transport
• Suitable for use with the Armortek 88mm blank firing option
(available separately)

Price £996.00 inc. VAT (+p&p)

Armortek all metal kits are built to last. Constructed primarily of aluminium and steel they All metal
are supplied fully machined for bolt together assembly.
CNC machined
and laser cut
25 PDR. 25 PDR. components

Ammunition Limber Field Gun

• Working rear doors • Working elevation and slew Illustration and graphic design by www.studiomitchell.co.uk
• Moulded rubber tyres • Moulded rubber tyres
• Complete with tow gear • Complete with foldaway ground ring
• Ideal with 25 PDR. Field Gun • Gun sight
• Fasteners • Fasteners
• Over 200 Rivet details • Over 600 rivet details
• Simple exploded • Simple exploded
view instructions view instructions

Price £294.00 inc. VAT (+p&p) Price £498.00 inc. VAT (+ p&p)

FAST DELIVERY
Buy your kit online - www.kompactkit.co.uk
 ULTIMATE 1/6th SCALE ALL METAL KITS

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I N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H

TANKMOD
2015 Model Exhibition in partnership with Armortek.
The Tank Museum - October 10th 2015 10am - 4:30pm
Armortek customers and their models at the
Tank Museum 2013.

Come and see

Tiger 131 and the
Armortek 1/6th scale
model
The Tank Museum will be R
Recognised by Guinness World
inviting exhibitors from across R
Records, Armortek with their
the country to take part in its c
customers will be bringing together
model exhibition. t
the largest collection of 1/6th scale
a
armour tanks in the world in this
Now in its second year, the u
unique world record attempt.
Tank Museum will be joining F event information contact:
For
forces with ARMORTEK for WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT The Tank Museum,
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a day which promises to
Bovington, Dorset, BH20 6JG
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be packed full of amazing
www.tankmuseum.org
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01929 462359
0

Illustration and graphic design by www.studiomitchell.co.uk

Build your very

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The finest Tiger 1 kit to date

Sd.Kfz.181
Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf E

Visit our web site for more details on the Armortek Tiger 131 Kit
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l Rhomboid Rumble!
Painting and weathering Takom’s Mk.IV ‘Male’

l British Life Guard 1815

l Small Scale Scenes Wellington’s finest in model l The Tankman
Armour dioramas in 1:72 scale bust form A poignant moment in history captured

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Broneavto
Building the
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bil 10
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Flat paintin
Egyptian g
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home. Just ask!
Canadian
Miniatures QLT
Bedford Amb
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80 Military Modelling Vol.45 No.10 2015

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9781612003474 | £35.00 | hardback | august 2015

ORDER YOUR COPY NOW FROM CASEMATE UK

www.casematepublishers.co.uk | tel: 01865 241 249 |

82 Military Modelling Vol.45 No. 10 2015