Model Military February 2023

FREE 180 metres of
masking tape! COMET TANK CLOSE-UP History and

References
ISSUE 202
February 2023
THE BATTLE OF
73Trumpeter
EASTING1:16
M1A1 Abrams
ISSUE
202
February 2023
£5.25
NORTHERN
Italeri 1:35 Crusader Mk. II DEFENDER
INSIDE: Tamiya’s 1:35 A34 Comet British Cruiser Tank - PREVIEWED
Incoming n Small Scale n Book Reviews n 1:48 scale n and more...
Contents - Issue 202 February 2023
REGULARS
46 p 4 NEWS
What’s new in the world of military
modelling
p 54 INCOMING
Accessories, conversions, decals and
more.
p 56 SMALL SCALE
News and new releases in 1:72 and smaller
p 58 BOOKS
Military and modelling in print
p 60 1:48 SCALE
The latest news and reviews in Quarter
Inch Scale with Luke Pitt
p 65 NEXT ISSUE
What to look forward to next time
p 66 LAST POST
Project Convergence 22: California Here
We Come
38 FEATURES
p 6 THINK TANK
Comet Tank Close Up by Zack Sex
p 14 KIT PREVIEW
Magic Factory 1:35 Iron Dome Air Defence
p 16 KIT PREVIEW
Tamiya 1:35 A34 Comet Tank
p 22 THE BATTLE OF 73 EASTING

Part One
Alireza Beigi builds Trumpeter’s 1:16 M1A1
Abrams
p 36 KIT PREVIEW
Dragon 1:35 Pz.Bef.Wg Panther w/ Zimmerit
p 38 REFERENCE
Crusader Mk.I Walk Around by Brett Green
COVER
p 46 NORTHERN DEFENDER FEATURE
Italeri 1:35 Crusader Mk.II by Jim Turner
22
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ISSN 1749-8864
February 2023 - Model Military International 3

Newsline - February 2023
GECKO MODELS’ 1:35

MODERN US SOLDIER
COMBAT
WEAPONS SET
Gecko Models is to release a 1:35 scale Modern US
Soldier Combat Weapons Set.
This set will be useful to
modellers with an interest in a
wide range of current conflicts.
Thanks to Gecko Models for

the information and images
VESPID MODELS 1:72 www.gecko-models.com
BRITISH CENTURION GECKO MODELS’ 1:35

TANK MK5/1 MBT MODERN MILITARY
Vespid Models has announced their next kit release - a British Centurion Tank
SAND BARRIER
Mk5/1 MBT in 1:72nd scale.
New tooling of the British
Centurion Tank Mk5/1 MBT
will be released in two Gecko Models is to release this diorama
categories - ordinary and accessory, intended to appeal to modellers
deluxe editions. of modern military subjects.
This will be Kit No. These simple metal grid cubes, which have
VSV720007. a strong fabric lining, are filled with sand in
The kit is due for release late this year. situ to provide blast protection etc.
A resin mantlet cover will be included with the deluxe edition. 6 different sizes of gabion are provided.
Thanks to Vespid Models for the information and images. Thanks to Gecko Models for the information and images www.gecko-models.com
NEW LIFECOLOR PAINTS

LifeColor has released three new paint sets, now in stock, available from www.airbrushes.com
4 Model Military International - February 2023

Think Tank - Comet Tank in Service and in Detail
A Comet B variant in the markings of Berlin
squadron of the Royal Tank Regiment as depicted
by yellow and red TAC sign with the white 50,
these actually markings were not used in this
manner in the Berlin parade at the end of the war
and maybe the museum’s presentation idea .
A COMET’S TALE
The recent release of a 1:35 A34 Comet tank by Tamiya gives us an
opportunity to examine this late war British Cruiser tank in some detail.
Zack Sex brings us a timely walkaround of a number of surviving examples.
T
he year is 1945. Having Polsten cannons ) are exploiting was the first and only division to bridge head. On the 12 April at
crossed the Rhine into a secure bridge head and are be completely outfitted with the two o’clock in the afternoon the
Germany proper the British pouring into the northern German Comet by war’s end. force broke into the intended area
and American Allies may countryside. Amongst these And so it was as the 11th securing it from light German
have been forgiven for expecting units were new tanks of the 11th Armoured pushed through wooded infantry resistance with troops
greatly reduced German resistance Armoured Division. The 11th had territory along minor roads with receiving support in the form
if not outright surrender but that begun to trade in their Shermans soggy soft ground on either of Comet tanks and armoured
is not to be. German forces in the in Belgium in late 1944 only to side meeting barricades and cars. Suddenly at 5 o’clock in the
east desperately fight to delay the be interrupted by the German Panzerfaust ambushes. Despite evening this force was surprised by
vast Red Army offensives while in Ardennes offensive. Now after this, the Comets made good the appearance in the distance of
the west smaller pockets of mixed helping defeat Wehrmacht and progress from Wesel to Essel (240 distinctive shape of a Tiger I.
armour and infantry fight on in the Waffen SS units in Hitler’s last kms) in a few days. According to Lieutenant John
ad hoc battle groups which the failed major offensive in the west, From Essel, the 4th Commandos Langdon in command of one of the
Germans now excel in. the 11th Armoured had finally and Shropshire Light Infantry were A squadron Comets "I had given
By 25 March, Churchill tanks, got their hands on Britain’s latest attached to the 11th. They crossed an order for a brew...I then heard
Shermans and LVT-4s Water Cruiser tank in the form of A34 the Aller river to take wooded the terrifying sound of an AP shot
Buffalos (some armed with 20mm Comet. The 11th Armoured Division high ground and expand its next whistle past me. I shouted to the

The simple robust road wheels are not unlike those of the then current Russian T-34 85
which like the Comet also used the Christie suspension system.
Detail shot of the right hand side upper tracks and front idler, again like the T-34 the Comet
had it drive sprocket at the rear unlike the US Sherman and then current US designs.
The Comet tank used wider 18 inch tracks than the earlier Cromwell and those familiar
with the later Centurion tracks will note the evolutionary lineage.
crew, who scrambled back into the the Tiger only to see the monster
tank". Langdon’s Comet returned begin to slowly turn it’s turret to
fire but the Comet’s round bounced face his tank, Harding’s gun crew
off the Tiger’s front mantle, and he quickly fired a second AP round
was forced to withdraw as quickly into the side of F01 setting it a
as possible. The attacking vehicle blaze. The five German tank crew
was none other than the famous of Kampfgruppe Schulze were able
Tiger F01, well known to German to make good their escape, some
tank modellers with an early turret however with light burns.
and late hull. The Tiger promptly Thus it was that the 11 Amoured
knocked out an armoured car Division fought its way through
and then preceded to destroy a Germany until the end of World
neighbouring Comet tank with War II, its Comets finally having the
a series of accurate shots. First honour of representing the British
blood may have gone to Tiger F01 army in the Berlin Victory Parade in The driver’s entry and exit hatch was unique to the cruiser series of the time including the
but retaliation would not be long July 1945. Cromwell, Centaur and Charioteer tank destroyer this system was dropped with the Centurion.
on coming. Lt. Langdon’s report of
a Tiger was received with a degree DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
of scepticism at headquarters but The A34 Comet occupies an
the next morning of 13 of April the interesting position not only in the
same Tiger F01 reappeared and evolution of British Cruiser tank
engaged and knocked out a pair of design but also being the stepping
six pounder guns. In response of stone for the post war Centurion
this action, C squadron Comets of design. It was a clear evolution of
the 11th were ordered to out flank the earlier Cromwell tank which
the lone Tiger. while a fine and reliable vehicle
A seasoned veteran in the was not up to scratch in terms
form of Sergeant Harding was in of fire power. The Cromwell’s
command of the Comet at the front 6-pounder was not going to cut it
of the column. He spotted Tiger when the opposition was fielding
F01 in a static position on a main all manner of 75mm and 88mm
road in the area, from where it had anti-tank guns on their Panthers
engaged the Shropshires. and Tigers respectively. The first
Coming to a sudden halt, weapon chosen for the Comet
A detailed shot of the Comet’s driver’s station including the speedometer, oil pressure
Harding’s Comet fired an AP was a modified 75mm gun but this
gauge and open viewing portal.
round into the exposed flank of choice gave way to a modified x

A good detail shot of the opened driver’s portal. Of note is its chambered construction A detailed shot of the radio operator’s Besa 7.92mm machine gun, this British adaptation
adding to strength of armour under fire, its locking mechanism and the indication of of the Czechoslovakian ZB-53 was used extensively in British armoured car and tank
armour thickness. designs. The Besa normally was fed with a 225 round metal link belt.
Detailed shot of the front of the radio operator’s section of the Comet of note are the large A nice detail shot of right hand side of the turret with its distinctive mantlet construction
lifting eyes on the lower and upper hull, protective brackets around the lights and Berlin designed specifically to allow the fitting of the large 17 pounder gun, also of note are the
badge on the well beaten front mud guard. six smoke grenade launchers and Royal Tank Regiment emblem with its WWI tank design
and “Fear Naught” motto.
The front end of a slightly less showy Comet.

This is the second of Bovington’s two
displaying the markings of 3rd RTR of the
29th Armoured Brigade of the 11th Armoured
Division with its emblem of the charging bull.

A detail shot of the manlet cover as essential during operations as protection against rain, A view of Spud from the radio operator’s position showing to good effect the side stowage
snow and cold, of note are the very fine rids along the top of the cover. The Tamiya kit has box, mantlet cover and commander’s main gun sight in the form of the metal house-
a fine representation of this feature. shaped frame work.
Left side view of the Comet running gear including the four return rollers added due to the A side view of Spud minus its smoke grenade launcher normally associated with the
weight of the larger 18inch tracks . According to David Fletcher in the tank museum, “you Comet type B variant such as this variant.
could manage without them perfectly well”.
Right side front shot of the road wheels, front idler and a pair of the return rollers. Of note Detail shot of the side of rear turret stowage bin, spare tracks and one of the rear mounted
are the hinge details on the driver’s hatch and straight forward construction of the front fire extinguishers.
mud guard section.
x 17 pounder similar to that used be remedied by the inclusion or saw off the much depleted POST WAR SERVICE
in the Sherman Firefly but with of standard 17 pounder armed German forces whose armour In the years after World War
a shorter barrel and utilising a Fireflies and Challenger tank and air force by 1945 were a mere Two, Comet tanks were sold to a
shorter cartridge case. This gun, destroyers with Comet units, as shadow of their former selves. With small number of nations including
while a major improvement over these heavy hitters were designed the war’s end in September 1945, Finland, South Africa, Burma,
the 6 pounder, was tested against to take on Germany’s big cats. more than 1,200 A34s had been Cuba and Ireland. Finland received
Panther tank frontal armour and Ultimately it was the combination produced. Comet production would 41 Comets along with 38 larger
proved incapable of penetrating of armoured units whether using quickly give way to the increasingly 20 pounder armed Charioteers,
it and as we have seen earlier the Comets, Fireflies, Churchills or successful and long serving Finnish Comets served until the
frontal armour of the Tiger. simple Shermans and RAF air Centurion, but that is a story for 1970s. South African Comets were
In theory this situation would power and or artillery that defeated another day. in use during the 1950s and 60s but x

A useful rear shot of Bovington’s second Comet showing the distinctive fish tail exhaust outlets of the type B variant, the earlier type A doesn’t have these but has a Normandy curved
exhaust cover above the rear engine deck instead.
x were replaced in front line service military parades as recently as 2021. of four Comets in 1959 and 1960 the open turret ring.
by the locally modified Centurion Little is known about Cuba’s 15 respectively as they were cheap Undoubtedly the Comet tank
known as the Olifant. A small Comets purchased during the reign and reliable, however faulty came too late to play a major role
number of South African Comets of Fulgencio Batista that were left explosive rounds for the main in the defeat of Nazi Germany
were converted into ARVs and tow without spares or ammunition after guns limited the type to anti-tank but it still remains an outstanding
vehicles. These served on SADF Castro’s take over in 1958 and were missions for the last stage of their example of British World War Two
bases into the 1980s. quickly replaced with T-34 85s and Irish service. One Irish Comet tank Cruiser tank design and played an
Burmese or Myanmar Comets SU-100s. had its turret removed and a Bofors important role in the development
could still be seen in ceremonial Ireland purchased two batches 90mm recoilless rifle mounted in of the Centurion tank series. n
Detail shot of the rear mounted infantry telephone box A detail shot of the left-hand side smoke generator A good study of the smoke cartridge launcher or firing
now empty. This piece of equipment is vital in combined cartridge launcher below the left side fishtail exhaust device. This would be fairly straightforward to make in this
operations particularly in Urban combat. outlet. Thank you Michael Keenan for pointing this out. open position using bits of etch scrap.

A detailed examination of the Comet Tank Commander’s searchlight, wiring handle and Detailed study of the left hand side of the Comet turret’s mantle cover of note are the
fitting, again a fairly straightforward set up to super detail if necessary. welding and texture on the turret surface.
Nice detail shot of the radio operator’s side swinging access hatch. Close up of the left-hand side of the Comet turret with its various welded and surface casting
detail, the surface texture could probably best be achieved with Tamiya super thin glue
lightly applied and then surface distressed with a firm oil painting brush in a vertical pattern.
A fine study of one of the Irish

defence forces Comets during
maintenance. This Comet is a
type A without the pair of fish
tail exhaust outlets.

A detail shot of the Irish defence forces Comet one of at least two retained in the Curragh The rear plate of a Comet A is identifiable by the lack of fish tail exhaust outlets and
camp in Kildare. This one has been restored to running condition and is an early type A normally by the presence of the Normandy curved exhaust cover missing here. Of note are
variant, one of eight obtained from Britain after WW2. the empty brackets for the rear smoke cartridge launchers.
A great shot of the front of the Comet tank engine bay, showing the two air filter units feeding Detail shot of the rear engine bay area showing the central engine coolant tank and
into the centrally mounted Rolls-Royce Meteor Mark lll V12 petrol engine, which Leyland positioned behind it in the lower position the top of the Z5 constant mesh transmission unit.
motors restricted to giving a maximum road speed of 32 mph to save tracks and wear.
A common fate of old tanks, this ex -Finnish Comet

spent most of its final years on an anti-tank range
being used as target practice for the like of RPGs or
the indigenous 55 S 55 hollow charge launchers. Of
note are the small penetrations all the turret and hull.

The front of the same vehicle looks fairly undamaged but is still a fine study for rust A rear three quarters shot of the wrecked Finnish Comet with missing road wheels, burnt
effects and faded paint work. Of note is Paul Kunkels getting himself into a photo or too off tires and collapsed running board.
much to be expected.
Rear shot of the gutted Finnish Comet its engine entirely empty, of note is the travel lock Further up the hill through the grounds of Parola Tank Museum you will find a better
for the main gun missing its top section. preserved example of a Finnish Army Comet, a vehicle that would have been Finland’s first
western vehicle purchased after World War Two.
A good detail shot of a surviving Finnish A34 with its Ps number as

found on all Finnish armoured vehicles. In the background we can
just make out a former Soviet T-28 multi turreted tank, a legacy from a
turbulent time in Finland’s fight for survival against its larger neighbour.

KIT PREVIEW Magic Factory Iron Dome Air Defence System • Item No. 2001
The Editor gets

an early look
at the debut The main supporting structure.
military / artillery
release from
Magic Factory
– the Israeli
Iron Dome
Air Defence One half of a firing array.
System
IRON UMBRELLA
I
ron Dome is a mobile all- IN THE BOX laid on the plastic part with the Rockets are included.
weather air defence system Magic Factory’s 1:35 scale Iron markings facing down. The decal
developed by Rafael Advanced Dome kit comprises 208 parts in may then be adjusted and rubbed
Defence Systems and Israel dark yellow coloured plastic, one with a damp cotton bud to remove
Aerospace Industries. fret of around 40 photo-etched excess moisture and to help the
The system is designed to parts, eight metal tubes of three decal to seal on the surface. Finally,
intercept and destroy short-range different sizes, a roll of wire, two the pink carrier film may be lifted
rockets and artillery shells fired decal sheets and two female crew and removed after 24 hours.
from distances of 4 kilometres to figures made up from six grey A second decal sheet is
70 kilometres away and whose resin pieces. included. These appear to be
trajectory would take them to A number of options are conventional waterside decals.
an Israeli populated area. From available and you should make The package is rounded out with
Moulding quality is very good.
2011 to 2021, the United States your decision before commencing two nicely sculpted female resin
contributed a total of US$1.6 billion construction. crew figures.
to the Iron Dome defence system, The kit may be built as the They are conventionally cast in
with another US$1 billion approved Israeli or US version, and it may grey resin.
by the US Congress in 2022. be finished in operational or
Iron Dome was declared transport modes. The parts cannot CONCLUSION
operational and initially deployed be moved after assembly – you’ll Magic Factory’s 1:35 scale Iron
on 27 March 2011 near Beersheba. need to use alternative parts or Dome is a high quality kit of an
On 7 April 2011, the system different positions for your choice interesting and as yet neglected
successfully intercepted a rocket of configuration. The instructions subject.
launched from Gaza for the first clearly point out what is required The inclusion of photo-etched The photo-etched fret.
time. On 10 March 2012, The for each options. Familiarise and metal parts as well as the two
Jerusalem Post reported that yourself with the instructions before resin crew figures is welcome.
the system shot down 90% of you start. I look forward to seeing what
rockets launched from Gaza that The quality of the plastic is very Magic Factory has in store for us
would have landed in populated good – smooth in texture and next! n
areas. In late 2012 Israel said that boasting fine detail. Interesting decals with removeable carrier
it hoped to increase the range of There are a number of ejector Thanks to Magic Factory film after application.
Iron Dome's interceptions, from pin circles but they all seem to for the sample
a maximum of 70 kilometres to be on the inner surfaces of parts www.magicfactory.ltd/#/home
250 kilometres and make it more where they will not be seen when
versatile so that it could intercept the model is complete.
rockets coming from two directions The platform is built up in Two casual
crew figures
simultaneously. flatpack fashion with separate parts
are included.
In November 2012, official for the floor and sides.
statements indicated that it had Assembly looks pretty
A conventional decal sheet is also included.
intercepted over 400 rockets. By straightforward. The Missile Firing
late October 2014, the Iron Dome Unit is made up from four identical
systems had intercepted over 1,200 layers.
rockets. Coiled wire is provided for the
In addition to their land-based Datalink Antenna Assembly tower.
deployment, it was reported in Two Interceptor Missiles are also
2017 that Iron Dome batteries included.
would in future be deployed at Decals are supplied for the
sea on Sa'ar 6-class corvettes, to Missile Firing Units. These are not
protect off-shore gas platforms in conventional waterslide decals.
conjunction with Israel's Barak 8 Instead, the decals are immersed
missile system. in water for one minute then
Multimedia parts.
Resin casting
is perfect.
KIT PREVIEW Tamiya 1:35 A34 Comet British Cruiser Tank • Kit No. 35380
COMING TO A H OB BY
S H O P N E AR YO U !
e Ed itor ge ts his ha nd s on Ta miya’s latest 1:35 scale
Th
h arm our su bject - the A3 4 Co met British Cruiser Tank.
Britis
T
he Comet tank or Tank, turret. This gun was effective service in January 1945 and Crisp surface detail is present
Cruiser, Comet I (A34) was against late-war German tanks, remained in British service until throughout including convincing
a British cruiser tank that including the Panther at medium 1958. In some cases, Comets sold cast and rolled armour plate texture
first saw use near the end range, and the Tiger. to other countries continued to where appropriate
of the Second World War, during The Comet rendered the Cruiser operate into the 1980s. Weld beads are subtle, and tie-
the Western Allied invasion of Mk VIII Challenger obsolete, and downs are moulded directly to the
Germany. led to the development of the IN THE BOX hull and turret.
The Comet was developed Centurion tank. When firing APDS Tamiya’s 1:35 scale A34 Comet The wheel axles are separate
from the earlier Cromwell tank rounds, the 77 mm HV was superior British Cruiser Tank comprises parts.
and mounted the new 17 pdr High in armour penetration capability around 320 parts on six olive The lower hull is made up from
Velocity (HV) (3 inch; 76.2 mm – to the 75 mm KwK 42 gun of the coloured sprues, five parts in clear a “flat pack” arrangement of
sometimes referred to as "77 mm") equivalent Axis tank, the Panther. and markings for two vehicles. separate floor, skins, sides and
gun, in a lower profile, partly-cast The Comet entered active This is an all-new model. two reinforcing bulkheads. The hull

Y
hatches are separate parts but I am and individual links delivering a in one piece with a separate CONCLUSION
not sure if they can easily be posed convincing full run. muzzle brake half. Tamiya brings their easy-building
open. Assembly will tell! The top run features subtle sag The mantlet is moulded with the philosophy to this popular subject.
The engine grille is solid but it between the return rollers. fabric cover. The moulded texture Tamiya's 1:35 scale A34 Comet
should look good after painting and The clear sprue includes light looks great. is a well detailed model with crew
a dark wash. lenses, lights and a vision block. Markings are supplied for two figures that lifts it into the category
Two styles of engine cowls are The turret is a multi-part vehicles in overall SCC15 British of instant vignette. n
included - the split "Normandy" assembly. It includes hanging spare Olive Drab. These are boith based
version of the full length cover. track lengths and stowage on in North Western Europe in 1945. Purchased by the reviewer
Tracks are Tamiya's excellent link the sides - a nice touchThe turret The package is rounded out with Tamiya kits are distributed in
and length style with a combination hatches may be posed open or two casual crew figures posed in the UK by The Hobby Company
of long runs for the top and closed. the turret. Limited www.hobbyco.net
bottom, multiple link sections The 17Pdr gun barrel is moulded They are wearing Pixie Suits.

KIT PREVIEW Tamiya 1:35 A34 Comet British Cruiser Tank • Kit No. 35380

ft
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NEW from the ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series
How to Build...
TAMIYA’S 1:48 LOCKHEED P-38F/G
LIGHTNING
By Marcus Nicholls
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an iconic US fighter from the Second World War.
Its twin Allison V12 engines were mounted in booms to free-up the nose so it
could house a fearsome array of four M2 Browning machine guns and a 20mm
cannon. The twin-boom airframe became a sight feared by enemies wherever it
served, with good reason.
In 2019, after several years of painstaking research, Tamiya released an all-new
kit of this sleek aircraft and it has taken its place proudly in the 1:48 Aircraft Series
as No.120 in the range.
In this new ‘How To Build’ book, Tamiya Model Magazine’s Editor, Marcus
Nicholls, presents no less than four built-up examples of Tamiya’s fantastic
model; one Lightning each from Brett Green and Spencer Pollard, plus two from
Marcus Nicholls.
The second of Marcus’s models incorporates resin and photo-etched super-detail
sets from Eduard, showing how they can be used within the build to take the
detail to an even higher level. New photos of the other models show how Brett
Green and Spencer Pollard built and painted the models in their own styles.
The book includes four complete builds, covering the following topics:
n Adding photo-etched parts
NOW IN
n Using resin upgrade components
n Extending the nose undercarriage leg
n Upgrading the cockpit detail
n Weathering the airframe
n Alternative decal sets Only
£15.95
plus p&p
STOCK
Also available
Order online at www.doolittlemedia.com or on 01525 222573

FEATURE ARTICLE Trumpeter 1:16 M1A1 AIM • Kit No. 0926
THE BATTLE O
Alireza Beigi tackles Trumpeter’s big 1:16 scale
M1A1 Abrams in the Battle of 73 Easting
T
he Battle of 73 Easting of the offensive. The battle was man reconnaissance and security the berm on the borders between
was a decisive tank battle described by the Military Channel element assigned to VII Corps. Saudi Arabia and Iraq which was
fought on 26 February 1991 as "the last great tank battle of the It consisted of three ground the initial Iraqi defensive positions
during the Persian Gulf 20th century. squadrons (1st, 2nd and 3rd), and performed reconnaissance and
War between American-British The Battle of 73 Easting refers an aviation (attack helicopter) counter reconnaissance missions
armoured forces and those of narrowly to the violent armoured squadron (4th), and a support prior to the 2nd ACR's actions. This
the Iraqi Republican Guard. The combat action that took place in squadron. Each ground squadron generally includes destroying or
battle took place several hours the final hours of 2nd Armoured was made up of three cavalry repelling the Iraqis' reconnaissance
after the Battle of Al Busayyah. It Cavalry Regiment s covering force troops, a tank company, a self- elements and denying their
was named for a UTM north-south operation in the zone of Second propelled howitzer battery, and a commander any observation of
coordinate line (an "Easting", Squadron and in the northern third headquarters troop. Each troop friendly forces. The corps' main
measured in kilometres and of the Third Squadron zone. comprised 120 soldiers, 12–13 M3 body consisted of the American
readable on GPS receivers) in the The main U.S. unit in the battle Bradley fighting vehicles and nine 2nd Armoured Division (Forward),
featureless desert that was used as was the 2nd Armoured Cavalry M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks. 1st Armoured Division (1st AD), 3rd
a phase line to measure progress Regiment (2nd ACR), a 4,500- Task Force 1-41 Infantry breached Armoured Division (3rd AD), 1st

M1A1 Abrams with stowage on board.
Iraqi T-72 destroyed by 120mm Sabot.
OF 73 EASTING
Infantry Division (1st ID), and the shifted to the east and ahead
PART 1
ground assault called "Operation engagements until 25 February.
British 1st Armoured Division. of the advancing 1st Infantry Desert Sabre", VII Corps raced The primary battle was
The job of the 2nd ACR was to Division as it moved north from its east from Saudi Arabia into Iraq in conducted by 2nd ACR's three
cross the border and advance east initial objectives. The regiment's a wide, sweeping manoeuvre later squadrons of about 4,000 soldiers,
as a forward scouting element, mission was to strip away enemy described by Schwarzkopf as a along with the 1st Infantry
led by cavalry scouts in lightly security forces, clear the way of “Hail Mary”. The Corps had two Division's two leading brigades
armoured M3A1 Bradleys with significant defenses and locate goals: to cut off Iraqi retreat from (2nd Armoured Division (FWD),
highly advanced thermals to detect the Republican Guard's defensive Kuwait, and to destroy five elite which attacked and destroyed the
enemy positions. Following closely positions so they could be engaged Republican Guard divisions near Iraqi 18th Mechanized Brigade
behind were M1A1 Abrams tanks by the full weight of the armoured the Iraq–Kuwait border that might and 37th Armoured Brigade of
covering them from the rear, ready forces and artillery of the 1st attack the Arab and Marine units the Tawakalna Division, each
to move forward and engage the Infantry Division moving into Kuwait to the south. consisting of between 2,500 and
enemy. Originally advancing ahead On the night of 23/24 February, Initial Iraqi resistance was light and 3,000 personnel. n
of the 3rd Armoured Division in accordance with General scattered after the breach, and
until late on 25 February, they Norman Schwarzkopf's plan for the the 2nd ACR fought only minor

U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat, fighter squadron 211(VF-211) in flight over burning oil Kuwaiti oil wells during operation desert storm
Abandoned Iraqi Type 69 tank

Iraqi T-72 ‘Saddam’ main battle tank destroyed during Operation Desert Storm
The Battle of 73 Easting was

a decisive tank battle fought
on 26 February 1991 during
the Persian Gulf War between
American-British armoured
forces and those of the Iraqi
Republican Guard.
The Corps had two goals:

to cut off Iraqi retreat from
Kuwait, and to destroy five elite
Republican Guard divisions near
the Iraq–Kuwait border… Captured Iraqi type-69

IN THE BOX
The two turret parts are packed into their own box. As you can see and as you can see by the size of my hand, this is a big kit!
Nice anti-slip texture and nice moulded details.
There is no interior detail in this kit.
The underside is a bit underdetailed so I added some weld beads in this area. The big parts fit together reasonably well. All the join lines are going to be underneath anyway.
It is about 480 millimetres from end to end.
The next part of the hull is the upper whole section. The side skirts are all moulded in one piece on each side.

The last part in the box is a lower hill section. As you can see this is another big piece of plastic. It’s really thick as a substantial lump and has some good detail moulded to the outside.
There is not much on the bottom though. The detail on this one is fairly basic. I did a quick test fit to check that how those two parts actually fit together…
looks like a very nice fit.
Some nice detail on the wheels but its looks like a little bit Sprue D contains the two stowage bins either side of the turret. The machine gun, the muzzle brake for the end of the main
soft - could be a little sharper. The actual tyres for these are gun and also the anti-slip texture on the storage bins are on
moulded separately this sprue too. I can’t really see any problems.
Sprue E contains the two parts for the actual barrel and some It’s a shame that Trumpeter supplies the barrel in two halves. Sprue L contains parts for the tracks. There are ten track
of the plates for the top deck. These have all got anti-slip It would be better if they made it in a one-piece barrel on a sprues included in the kit.
texture moulded on. separate sprue.
Last up in box is the photo

etched fret. We have got
some grilles for the upper
deck and a few for the floor
of the storage bins. The
photo etch is fairly thick but
seems like it is a nicely with
some nice bold detail.
The clear parts are fairly

clear and do not look too
As you can see we have the lower pads and the upper bad - just general clean
pads and we have got the actual track links with the up with those. I’m sure
guide horns at the top. They are assembled pretty that will be decent.
much the same as the 1:35 scale model kits.
Next are the tyres - there are three packs of these in a box. The other one is part of the actual main gun and And finally, we have the rear storage basket for the turret. This is all moulded
They are like a very soft plastic. this is all moulded in one piece. Again there is in one piece. It is quite chunky but it looks quite nicely moulded.
no internal detail. The detail is a little bit soft.

CONSTRUCTION
I started the build
process with the After a couple of days
tracks. The tracks I finished both tracks.
are made up from
lower pads, upper
pads and the
actual track links
with the guide
horns at the top.
I used REVELL
Contacta
Professional glue
to glue the lower
pads and the upper
pads. Assembling
the tracks was the The tracks have to be weathered and damaged as well.
longest process
because you have
to glue around 78
track links to the
upper and lower
pads!
Next step, I started gluing the running wheels into The running gear assembly done.
the vinyl. I used REVELL Contacta Professional
glue for this job.

To glue the tank barrel, I used Tamiya Extra Thin cement.
The tank gun’s barrel unit is made up from eleven parts.
After I glued the barrel I saw some gaps and seam lines. To fix this I used REVELL Putty.
I still do not understand why Trumpeter did not provide one-piece gun barrel in this scale.
Two holes in the

turret were made
with my Tamiya
pin vise.
Trumpeter
provided two I chose the left one and then I
kinds of turret roof glued them to the turret using
armour plates. Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement.
The upper and lower turret parts are screwed together. I used a Phillips head screwdriver for this job.

After that I turned my attention to the rear basket of the tank. Next I used Tamiya Photo Etch Scissors to cut the Tamiya’s Diamond File #400 cleaned and fixed the edges.
Trumpeter provides some photo-etch. I used an OLFA Art knife excess photo-etch that remained on the edges.
AK-1 to cut them from the frames.
I glued the photo-etched parts to the rear basket using super glue. The APU assembly was I glued thee APUs to the rear basket with REVELL Contacta Professional glue and let it dry
done now too. completely.
The rear basket, two stowage bins either side of the turret, and smoke dischargers were now added to the turret.

The Abrams cupola hatch includes eight grey plastic parts and six clear
parts too.
Hobby Color H-94 Clear

Green was used to paint the
periscope, hatch clear parts
and the clear rangefinder.
Tamiya masking tape masked the clear parts of the cupola hatches and rangefinder.

The M2 machine gun does not have good holes in the cooling I used a Tamiya pin vise to improve the holes in the barrel support
jacket.
M2 heavy machine gun and 7.62mm machine gun ready for painting and weathering.
I attached the forward lights

to the model. I noticed some
gaps around them so to filled
them with Mr. Surfacer 500.
Next I had to cut excess rectangular plastic and replace it with photo-etch.

Trumpeter provides photo-etch for the engine areas and around the both skirts. I glued them in place with super glue.
Rear hull details includes six grey plastic and one photo-etched parts. After that I glued plastic parts in place with Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement and the photo-etched part
with super glue. Rear hull details are almost complete.
The upper and lower hulls were joined together by screw and After that I filled the screw holes with super glue. My Dremel rotary tool was used to sand the super glue to make a
fitted very well. smooth surface after the super glue had dried completely. Do not forget
to protect your eyes when you work high-speed rotary tools.
The rear hull before it was glued to the rear of the model.

Modelspec
Trumpeter 1:16 M1A1 AIM Kit No. 0926
Tools and Materials Used:
- Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement
- Revell Contacta Professional Cement
- Super Glue
- REVELL Putty.
- Tamiya pin vise
- Sanding Sticks – Various Sizes and Grits
- Four-sided screwdriver
- Tamiya 18mm Masking Tape
- OLFA Art knife AK-1
- Tamiya Photo Etch Scissors
- Tamiya Diamond File #400
- Mr.Surfacer 500
- Dremel rotary tool
Paints and Finishing Products:
Vehicle:
- Hobby Color clear green
- Hobby Color Clear red
- AMMO MIG Track’s primer
- AMMO MIG Desert Sand primer
- AMMO MIG Rust tracks
- AMMO MIG Light compost ghost grey
- AMMO MIG Dust
- AMMO MIG rubber and tires
- AMMO MIG odourless thinner
- AMMO MIG grey primer
- AMMO MIG NATO brown
- AMMO MIG NATO green
- AMMO MIG US Modern vehicle color
- AMMO MIG Black pigment
- AMMO MIG Acrylic thinner
- AMMO MIG Old rust
- AMMO MIG Rust tracks
- AMMO MIG Silver
- AMMO MIG steel
- AMMO MIG US Modern streaking grime
- AMMO MIG US modern washes
- AK interactive Rain Marks for NATO Tanks
- AK interactive streaking grime
- AK interactive light dust deposit
- AK Interactive gun metal pencil
- AK interactive chipping color pencil
- Mr. Mark Setter
- Mr. Mark Softer
- Tamiya X-22 gloss clear
- Tamiya XF-59 desert yellow
- Tamiya XF-57 buff
- Tamiya XF-2 white
- Winsor & Newton Raw umber oil color
- Vallejo light slate grey
- Vallejo pigment binder
- Vallejo 71119
- Vallejo 73109
- Vallejo 73104
- Vallejo 73818
- Vallejo 73817
- Vallejo 73813
- Vallejo 73821
- Vallejo 70822
- Vallejo 70941
- Vallejo 70944
- Vallejo 70990
- Vallejo matt varnish
3 Good fit; nice anti-slip textures; very good

detail.
7 It’s a shame in a kit like this you get a
barrel in two halves. It would be better if
they had made it as a one-piece barrel in
a separate sprue; some parts are fairly
quite chunky
Rating

NEXT TIME
Next time Ali paints and
weathers his Abrams

KIT PREVIEW Dragon 1:35 Pz.Bef.Wg Panther w/ Zimmerit • Kit No. 6965 ‘39-’45 series
3D printed parts are included.
Andy King is
pleased to see
the return of
individual Magic
Track links on
Dragon’s 1:35
scale Pz.Bef.
Wg Panther The turret shell.
with Zimmerit.
MAGIC TRACK REDUX

T
he Pz.Bef.Wg (Panzer the original torsion rod suspension unidentified units, the closest you
Befehl Wagen) Panther so if you want to set your model get to a time frame is the overall
is a command version of on an uneven diorama base these dark yellow Panther that was Cast texture on the mantlet.
the Panther D that Dragon would be useful. in Italy during 1944. Decals are
re-released in 2021 and only Looking through the instruction printed by Cartograf and look to be
differs from the standard tank and these are still the photographic very good quality.
with the inclusion of fittings for type, the reproduction of which is Recent years have seen newer
the extra aerials associated with not brilliant as it is not clear where kits of Panthers from the likes
command vehicles. some parts go. Line drawings of Takom, Meng and Rye Field
The kit itself actually dates from would be far better and clearer. Models, some of which include
the early 2000s and has appeared in The star antenna included for full interiors so price-wise they
various forms ever since. In the box the rear engine deck comes as an give the Dragon Panthers a real
you get sixteen sprues moulded in etched part that goes on top of run for their money. However I feel
grey polystyrene, one clear sprue the aerial rod but unfortunately the this kit (and others in the re-tooled
for all the periscopes, two small instructions give no clue as to how Panther family) are still up there
sheets of etched metal, one of the etched star actually unfolds. quality-wise regardless of age as
which includes the mesh grenade My best guess would be to remove Dragon did WW2 German armour
screens for the air intakes on the the star from the fret it comes very well, it all depends what you
engine deck, a length of chain for on, roll it around a fine drill bit want from a kit as some folk can’t Nice road wheel detail.
the pistol ports on the turret, metal then bend the five antenna strips be bothered with full interiors while
side skirts and a decal sheet. outward. Personally I would replace others love them.
Also included this time around the whole assembly with plastic On a personal level I’m very glad
are some 3D printed parts and rod anyway as the five strips were to see that Dragon are starting
thankfully (for this reviewer anyway) round in profile and not flat. to re-introduce the ‘Magic Track’
the individual ‘Magic’ track links As I mentioned above there are individual links again as I never
are back, gone are the DS Vinyl four 3D printed parts included, two did like the DS Vinyl stuff, however
rubber band things. As usual are for the drive sprocket hubs I still think they should still be
moulding quality is very good with (parts RP1), one is a plug that fits included as some modellers hate Subtle Zimmerit texture on the rear hull plate.
little to no flash on parts and the in the gun mantlet (RP2) and the individual links so having both
detail is excellent although be other is the star antenna base on types included would satisfy
advised that the track links have the engine deck (RP3). everybody - or so I’d like to think.
two raised mould-pin marks in the Painting options are given Highly recommended! n
centre. The Zimmerit texture is for four vehicles; one in overall
very well done and the pattern is ‘dunkelgelb’ or dark yellow while Many thanks to The Hobby
one found on Panthers built in the the other three are dark yellow Company Limited for the review
Demag factory. I have to say that with a green disruptive pattern sample www.hobbyco.net
Dragons first attempts at moulded over the top. All options are from Kit history is via Scalemates.
on Zimmerit were pretty over done
but since then their technique was
Zimmerit looks good.
very much refined and will be hard
to beat doing it yourself with putty
and rollers. No interior detail is
included and the main gun is in two
halves (before Dragon perfected
their slide-moulding technology) so
care will be needed during clean-
up to avoid ‘flat spots’. As is usual
with Dragon kits you get a lot of
parts included that are marked as
not for use, some of which include The kit’s photo-etched fret. Markings are supplied for three vehicles. Magic tracks – individual links.

Available in the ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series
HOW TO BUILD...
TAMIYA’S ARMOUR KITS IN 1:35
ALSO AVAILABLE
NEW
HOW TO BUILD...
TAMIYA’S 1:48 LOCKHEED P-38 LIGHTNING
Order online at www.doolittlemedia.com or on 01525 222573

CLOSE-UP Cruiser Tank Mk VI - Crusader Mk I
CRUSADER MK.I
CLOSE UP
AT THE TANK MUSEUM,
PUKAPUNYAL AUSTRALIA

MMI takes a close look at the
details of the Crusader Mk.I
tank on display at the Royal
Australian Armoured Corp’s
Tank Museum at Pukapunyal.

T
he Crusader Mk.I featured
in this photographic essay
is on display at the Royal
Australian Armoured Corp’s
Tank Museum at Pukapunyal,
Victoria.
The 9th Division Cavalry
Regiment was the only Australian
unit to use the Crusader tank in
combat.
However, the Directorate
of Armoured Fighting Vehicle
Production used a Crusader Mk.I
to help design the Australian
Cruiser. This Crusader was later
given to the Armoured Fighting
Vehicle School, Puckapunyal, for
training, and is now the museum
example that we see here.
HISTORY
The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15
Crusader was one of the primary
British cruiser tanks of the early
part Second World War and
perhaps the most important The auxiliary BESA machine gun turret was fitted to the Crusader Mk.I, but was often removed in the field.
British tank of the North African
Campaign. The Crusader's mobility with the presence of Tiger I Tanks DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT "Tank, Cruiser Mk V" and known
made it a favourite of British tank among the Afrika Korps and In 1938, Nuffield Mechanizations in service as "Covenanter" was
crews and once upgraded with the reliability problems due to the and Aero Limited produced their designed. Nuffield were, in 1939,
Ordnance QF 6 pounder main gun harsh desert conditions, led to the A16 design for a heavy cruiser offered the opportunity to take part
made it more than a match for the Crusader being replaced in the tank based on Christie suspension. in the production of Covenanter.
early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks main line of battle by US-supplied Looking for a lighter and cheaper Nuffield, however, preferred to
it faced in combat. Retained in M3 Grant and Sherman medium tank to build, the General Staff work on its own version of the
service because of delays with its tanks. The next British cruiser in requested alternatives. To this end A13—though they still provided
replacement, by late 1942 the lack combat would be the Cromwell the A13 Mk III cruiser tank design design work for the Covenanter's
of armament upgrade combined heavy cruiser. which would enter service as the turret. This new tank was adopted
The armoured headlight housing is fitted to the centre of the glacis plate.
The driver’s armoured box was exposed at the front of the hull. The driver’s open vision slot. This was mounted in a small hinged flap that could be opened
to improve the driver’s view.

Nice detail view of screw heads and the towing point on the left front side. The right front side of the hull, with a nice shot of the track guard hanger.
The rubber-rimmed idler wheel. The main wheels feature distinctive perforated rubber tyres.
as "Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI Crusader", A15 designs used the same main gun, for a coaxial Besa machine shoulder rather than using a geared
under General Staff specification turret. The turret was polygonal— gun and for the sighting telescope. mechanism. This fitted well with the
A15. Although Crusader is often with sides that sloped out then There was no cupola for the British doctrine of firing accurately
referred to as an improved version in again—to give maximum commander who instead had a flat on the move.
of the Covenanter, in fact it was a turret space on the limited turret hatch with the periscope mounted When it was understood that
parallel design. Both tanks were diameter. Early production vehicles through it. there would be delays in the
ordered "off the drawing board" had a "semi-internal" cast gun The main armament, as in other introduction of successor heavy
without building prototypes mantlet, which was quickly British tanks of the period, was cruiser tanks — what became the
first. Despite a later start, the replaced in production by a better balanced so the gunner could Cavalier, Centaur and Cromwell —
pilot model of the Crusader was protected big cast mantlet with control its elevation through a the Crusader was adapted to use
ready six weeks before the first three vertical slits—for the main padded shaft against his right the 6 pounder gun. x
Covenanter.
Unlike earlier "Christie cruisers"
(A13, Marks III and IV and the
Mark V Covenanter) that were
built with 4 road wheels, Crusader
had five road wheels each side
to improve weight distribution in
a tank that weighed almost 20
tons instead of the 14 tons of the
previous cruisers. The 32 in (810
mm)-diameter wheels were of
pressed steel with solid rubber
tyres. The hull sides were built up
of two separated plates with the
suspension arms between them.
It had a different engine from
the Covenanter, different steering
system and a conventional cooling
system with radiators in the engine
compartment. At the left hand side
of the front hull—a place occupied
by the engine radiator in the
Covenanter—was mounted a small
hand-traversed auxiliary turret
armed with a Besa machine gun.
The auxiliary turret was awkward to
use and was often removed in the
field or remained unoccupied.
Both the A13 Mk III and the The drive sprocket.

x NORTH AFRICA
With the Axis forces in North Africa The narrow tracks
having pushed the British back and their flat shoes.
to the Egyptian border and the
remaining British armour being a
mixed force of older tanks with a
few Matildas, tanks were hurriedly
shipped via the Mediterranean
arriving on 12 May 1941. There
were sufficient Crusaders to equip
the 6th Royal Tank Regiment which,
with the 2nd RTR (with older cruiser
tanks), formed the 7th Armoured
Brigade. The rest of the tanks were
Matildas for the 4th Armoured
Brigade giving the 7th Armoured
division only four tank regiments.
Although there was pressure
from London for the reconstituted
Desert Rats to go into action,
outfitting for the desert and Note the hollow guide teeth.
training delayed their first use until
Operation Battleaxe, an attempt to
relieve the siege of Tobruk in June.
As the brigade swept round the The 22nd Armoured Brigade, take part in Operation Crusader of en masse into action against the
flank, the Crusaders were caught effectively an advance force November 1941 which was named British ones and the large numbers
by concealed anti-tank guns and of the 1st Armoured Division, after it. of German anti-tank guns working
lost 11 tanks. The 6th RTR lost which was three inexperienced In Operation Crusader the two offensively with the tanks and
more tanks, to action and defects, Yeomanry units equipped with British Corps were disposed such infantry proved effective. The
in the fighting withdrawal of the Crusaders transferred to North that they could not support each Germans had a few 88 mm guns
next two days. Africa to bring the 7th Armoured other, but it was expected that but were mostly equipped with the
The 7th Brigade was up to three-brigade strength. The as the British outnumbered the PaK 38, a long-barrelled 50 mm
re-equipped with further Crusaders, 8th Hussars was added to the 4th German and Italian forces in tanks, gun, with a range of 1,000 yards.
but as the brigade had been Armoured Brigade but these had to the tank against tank battles would This superiority in quality and
expanded by the addition of 7th be equipped with M3 Stuart light be decided in their favour. However tactical deployment of AT guns was
Hussars there were not sufficient to tanks as there were still insufficient in the resulting encounters, to be a feature of the Afrika Korps
replace the older cruiser tanks. cruisers. The 22nd was able to Rommel did not put his tanks throughout the Desert War. The
Right side muffler cover. The engine deck with the cover slightly askew!
A good shot showing the relationship between the engine deck, the muffler and the pipe. Note the rolled steel texture on the armour plate.

Exhaust manifold pipe detail. Left side muffler cover, viewed from the front.
Crusader's 2 pdr (40 mm) gun was

as effective as the short-barrelled
50 mm of the Panzer III although
it was outranged by the short-
barrelled 75 mm of the Panzer IV.
Although the Crusader was
faster than any tanks it opposed,
its potential was limited by a
relatively light QF 2-pounder
gun, thin armour and mechanical
problems. A particular tactical
limitation was the lack of a high
explosive shell for the main
armament—these existed but were
never supplied. Axis tank forces
developed an extremely effective
method of dealing with attacking
tank forces by retiring behind a
screen of concealed anti-tank
guns. The pursuing tanks could
then be engaged by the artillery.
With the German anti-tank guns
out of range of the tanks' machine
guns and without a high explosive Lower rear hull. Notice the three large louvered vents.
shell to return fire, the tanks were
left with the equally unpalatable
options of withdrawing under fire
or trying to overrun the gun screen.
SHORTCOMINGS
The Crusader proved prone to
catch fire when hit, a problem
that was identified as due to the
ammunition being ignited by hot
metal penetrating the unprotected
racks. The angled underside of
the turret created "shell pockets"
that acted as a lever for lifting
the turret from its mounting when Towing point detail, rear hull. Detail view of one of the stowage Front hull towing point.
struck by a shell. x box latches on the track guard.
Detail view between the hull and turret. Right side view of the auxiliary turret.

Left side view of the turret. Note the riveted construction. Stowage box on the left track guard.
Overall front side view of the turret. Close up view of the mantlet. Note the characteristic cast texture.
Right front view. The front right lifting hook.
x The Crusader proved unreliable further wear. German tanks they were facing crews were better at preventing
in the desert. This started with By the end of 1941, there was were improved types with improved problems, but the reputation of the
their transport from the UK to only one brigade, the 2nd, that was frontal armour which caused the Crusader could not recover.
North Africa. Poor preparation and operating only Crusaders. In March Crusaders' 2-pounder shot to After Montgomery took over
handling caused problems that 1942, US-built Grant medium tanks shatter rather than penetrate. command, the imbalance between
had to be rectified before they arrived: these replaced one in As part of British deception British armour and German was
could be passed to the regiments, three Crusader squadrons. While operations, Crusaders could be redressed by better control and
and ate into the supply of spare the inclusion of the Grant with its issued with "Sunshade" which the addition of more American-
parts. Once in use the sand caused effective 75 mm gun gave better was a metal framework with supplied Grant and Sherman tanks.
erosion in the cooling system and firepower against anti-tank guns canvas covering that disguised the The Crusader was replaced in the
the stresses of hard cross-country and infantry they were slower, tank as a lorry to German aerial main line of battle and used for
travel caused oil leaks in the engine limiting the Crusaders when they reconnaissance. Dummy tanks "light squadrons" trying to flank the
blocks. Since there were few tank had to operate together. From May were also deployed. enemy when it engaged the heavier
transporters or railways in the 1942, the Mark III were delivered. Later in the campaign shipping units. The Australian 9th Infantry
desert, the tanks had to travel long Of the 840 tanks available to the was improved, Nuffields had put Division operated Crusaders for
distances on their tracks causing British, 260 were Crusaders. The an engineering team in Egypt, and reconnaissance and liaison.

The angled rear armour. Turret antenna mount and isolator.
The British 1st Army landed for Crusaders was the Battle of Allied domination of the air they attached to armoured divisions and
as part of the Allied operations Mareth. The North Africa campaign were largely unneeded and the with XII Corps.* n
in Tunisia; some of its units were finished shortly after. AA troops were disbanded. The
using the Crusader and these saw Crusader gun tractors operated *Historical text courtesy of Wikipedia
action from 24 November. These OTHER USES with 17-pounder regiments
were not solely Crusader regiments After the completion of the North
but mixed Crusader and Valentine African Campaign, the availability
tanks; within each squadron two of better tanks such as the
troops were Crusader IIIs and there Sherman and Cromwell relegated
were Crusader II CS attached to the Crusader to secondary duties
the Squadron HQ. These units such as anti-aircraft mounts or gun
of the 26th Armoured Brigade tractors. In these roles it served for
were used as an independent the remainder of the war.
armoured column, "Blade Force", The Crusader, along with the
with the 78th Infantry Division. The Covenanter, equipped regiments at
operations of Blade Force were home particularly those of the 11th
on terrain different from the desert Armoured Division.
of the earlier campaigns and the A Crusader bulldozer was
fighting took place with smaller developed but not used
numbers of vehicles. These actions operationally. One of these
were similar to what would be seen bulldozer tanks was converted for
later in Europe. removing munitions following a fire
The 1st Army converted to at Royal Ordnance Factory Kirkby.
Shermans during Tunisia, but The Crusader anti-aircraft guns
Crusaders remained in use with the were designed for use in North
8th for longer. The last major action West Europe. However with the Rear turret detail.
The turret spotlight. Rear view of the same spotlight,

FEATURE ARTICLE Italeri 1:35 Scale Crusader Mk. II (6385 and 6579)
NORTHERN
DEFENDER
Jim Turner takes a step back in time to build the
1970s-origin Italeri 1:35 scale Crusader Mk.II.
T
he Italeri 1:35 Scale Crusader Mark III was
first issued way back in 1976 when the
manufacturer was still spelled Italaerei.
At the time it was that rarest of things - a
1:35 scale Second World War British tank.
The kit must have more than paid its way
for Italeri, having been available seemingly
constantly ever since, as well as being licence
produced by Revell. It is currently available
in a Tamiya box in modestly re-tooled form.
Its persistence on model shop shelves is well
justified (actually it has outlived most of those
shelves); the tooling is adequately sharp and
detailed, fit is generally good and the moulds
show remarkably little sign of wear.
Not until 2001 did Italeri add new parts to
offer an earlier model that they described as
a Mark II, although reviewers quickly pointed
out that in fact it had a mixture of late Mark I
and Mark II features. The arrival of the Border
Models Mark II kit (that I had to get) meant that I The lower hull tub.
had an overstock situation that it was necessary
to alleviate by building the Italeri version lurking
in my stash!
The only changes made by Italeri to the Mark
III kit are the completely new 2-pdr main turret
and the addition of the small auxiliary machine-
gun turret.
An unfathomable change was the omission
of the large sand shields. They have been
restored in the latest re-issue of the kit but
I had an original example. This is a major
problem as I could find not a single picture
of Mark II Crusaders in North Africa without
them, despite this only a North African scheme
is included in the kit. Other than in North The upper hull is moulded as a single piece. Nice crisp surface textures on the rear deck.
Africa, Crusaders were only used by UK-based
armoured divisions, none of which saw action
with them; those divisions earmarked for the
Normandy landings having been re-equipped
with Shermans or Cromwells before D-Day.
Fortunately I found excellent photographic
coverage of UK-based Crusader IIs on the
Imperial War Museum web site (iwm.org.uk).
On 29th September 1942 the Foreign
Secretary, Anthony Eden and the C-in-C Home
Forces, General Sir Bernard Paget attended
exercises undertaken by the little-known 42nd
Armoured Division near Malton in Yorkshire. Suspension elements. The rear hull – plenty of bolts here!
British armoured divisions were usually
numbered in a separate series but the 42nd was
converted from an infantry division in November
1941 and retained its original numbering. The
division was disbanded in October 1943 without
ever seeing action, however the exercise was
well photographed with numerous clear colour
images available featuring the two notable
guests with several of the division's Crusader
and Covenanter tanks deployed in a recently
harvested hay field. The tanks are very clean
and tidy and I suspect had been repainted for
the occasion, the only sign of use is the earth Drive sprockets. Road wheels.
and straw clinging to the tracks. At least three
different Crusaders feature in the photoset, all
appear to be identical except for the census
numbers; the particular one that I chose to
represent, T43824, seems to have been the
adopted mount of General Paget.
A feature of early models of the Crusader
was a small auxiliary turret carrying a 7.92mm
BESA machine-gun. These auxiliary turrets were
cramped and found to be of limited value so
were often removed, with a resultant reduction
in crew requirement and the freeing up of
valuable internal space. In this case the turret
is present although no machine-gun is fitted. The kit’s vinyl full-length flexible tracks. Upper turret shell.

Oddly enough despite this the turret does seem
to be manned – although the purpose is not
obvious! The external fuel tank often seen on
Crusaders and other British tanks of that era is
not fitted, range obviously being less of an issue
in Yorkshire than in Libya. Other than for some
other minor details the vehicle appears to be 'as
per kit'.
COLOURS & MARKINGS

The colour pictures unambiguously show that all
vehicles are green, this would almost certainly
have been the standard early war finish of Khaki
Green No.3.
Unlike many British tanks in operational
theatres, there was clearly opportunity to apply
a full set of markings. Centrally positioned on
the hull front is a large red-white-red Royal
Armoured Corps flash surmounted by the
army census number; on the right, outboard
An inner mantlet was fabricated from sections cut from Plastruct styrene tube - a double thickness of 3/8-in (9.38mm)
of the headlamp is the bridge class marking
for the central section and 1:4-in (6.25mm) for the outer sections. The back of the sections was cut away to allow
comprising a yellow number '18' in a yellow them to fit over the pivot and the centre section drilled to fit over the 2-pdr barrel. Smaller holes were drilled in both
ring and in the equivalent position on the left is outer sections, on the left to represent the gunner's sight aperture and on the right to accept the 7.92mm BESA gun
the arm-of-service marking of a white number barrel, both should be horizontally level with the 2-pdr. gun barrel. The black marker pen line on the 2-pdr barrel
'40' on a black square, indicating the vehicle indicates the position of the end of the BESA barrel. The BESA itself is a turned brass item from Lionmarc (LM10014).
belongs to divisional headquarters. Just above
this is the divisional emblem consisting of a
white square with a thick red border, oriented at
45-degrees. The RAC flash is repeated on the
tops of the rear stowage bins and the census
number is repeated on the turret sides.
The inner mantlet assembly was
No photographs show the rear of the tanks primed with Citadel 'Mechanicus
but the census number would typically also Grey' spray before fitting behind
be shown on the rear of the hull, lower left. the outer mantlet. Italeri have rather
All of these except the divisional mark were simplified the shape of the outer
sourced from various spare kit and aftermarket mantlet itself; to at least partially
correct it I built up the right hand
(mostly Star Decals) sheets. The only thing I pivot bulge with laminated plastic
couldn't readily find were yellow numbers for card and Squadron Green Putty.
the bridge class marking, in the end I used The Mark I style vision port plate
some from a Flying Colors 1:72 scale Swedish was filed off and a new one built up
Air Force Numerals sheet, not really the with strips of 10-thou plastic card,
lost rivets were replaced with 1mm
correct font but passable. Fortunately the 42nd
bolt heads from my ever-useful
Armoured Division emblem can be easily made Meng set. For an easier and more
by overlaying squares of white over red solid accurate alternative, Panzer Art do
decal - my source was a fin flash from a 1:32 a complete resin replacement turret
scale Hasegawa Spitfire! The census numbers front (RE35-178) including both
inner and outer mantlets and an
were assembled from stencil style letters and
aluminium 2-pdr barrel but no BESA
numbers from the (sadly now defunct) Archer barrel. The single-blade sighting
Fine Transfers; sets AR77042W and AR77043W vane was replaced by the later
respectively. These are not quite the right style three-blade type constructed from
as they are without serifs but they are the 30- and 10-thou plastic card, 1mm
closest I could get. I didn't add the census Meng bolt heads and for the blades
0.032in brass rod (KS Metals #8160)
number to the rear hull because I ran out of filed flat on two sides.
number 4s! x
A little Squadron Green Putty

was required on a sink hole in
the (retracted) loader's station
periscope. The searchlight
mounting post was replaced
with 0.8mm piano wire (Mantua
Model) that was also used to
form a handle on the searchlight
housing, the electrical cable was
made from fuse wire and a short
section of plastic rod formed
the back end of the bulb holder.
The radio aerials are sections
of guitar string, the smaller one
being a wound string that was
partially unwound to form the
aerial with a wound section
forming the base.

I made only a few upper hull refinements. The spare track links are from the Friul set with retaining bars from 0.032in (0.81mm) brass rod (K&S Metals, #8160) and retaining bar ends from the
Meng bolt head set, 1mm heads at the front and 1mm bolt ends with nuts at the back. Engine deck handles are also replaced by 0.032in brass rod. The jack block retainer on the engine deck
is made from two rectangles of 10-thou (0.25mm) plastic card and yet another 1mm Meng bolt head. The auxiliary fuel tank was not fitted so the locating ridges were sanded off.
x CONSTRUCTION The spare track links carried on the right track The kit supplies the single-bladed sighting
Very little remedial work needed to be done guard are clearly visible in the photographs vane fitted to early vehicles. The particular
as the original Mark III kit was well engineered and differ from the kit arrangement. Four vehicle I was modelling had the later three-
for its time, even if rather simple by modern unarticulated links are contained in a frame bladed type. I fabricated the base from plastic
kit standards, although I found that to be a (moulded on the kit), retained by rods passing card and 1mm Meng bolt heads with 0.81mm
nice change. An absolute necessity for me through the track pin pivot holes. The links are K&S brass rod filed flat to represent the blades.
was to replace the vinyl tracks, the only option from the Friul set and I made the rods from K&S One relatively simple correction that I didn't
available being the Friul Modellismo metal set Metals brass rod, Meng bolt heads simulate make but I wish that I had was to remove the
(ATL-69). A word of caution about these - they the rod ends. The handles on the engine deck stepped profile from the front track guards.
are surprisingly fragile when assembled and hatches were also replaced by the same brass These should be straight and it is a puzzle as to
must be handled with care. Try to keep them rod. Positioned centrally on the engine deck is a why Italeri moulded them as they did. The error
horizontal as a sideways force, even from their retaining bar for a pair of wooden jacking blocks, has been corrected in the Tamiya re-tool, but
own weight, can be enough to strain or even the blocks were often not fitted and the bar then unfortunately I only became aware of it after
tear the pivots. Once fitted the wheels offer sat flush with the deck. This is represented in the model was completed and photographed.
enough support to prevent this. the kit by an unconvincing narrow ridge that I In my defence I only had forty-six years to spot
The most obvious omission from the Mk. II replaced with something more substantial made the problem!
main turret is the lack of any representation of from plastic card and a Meng bolt head.
the inner mantlet. This results in the large slots
in the outer mantlet casting being conspicuously
see-through. I fixed this with some short
sections of Evergreen tube.
Absence of the BESA barrel and mount from
the auxiliary turret leaves a large square hole
behind the gun cradle, I filled this with a partial
blanking plate made from 10-thou (0.25mm)
plastic card. The approximate shape of the
cut-out where the gun would have fitted was
determined from a closeup IWM photo (H24073).
Only a few other minor fixes were made.
I deepened the upper front towing shackle
brackets by building up the top edge with plastic
strip. This allows the shackles themselves to sit
higher and hang more vertically as they appear
in photographs.
The bare brackets also got some bolt heads
from a Meng accessory set - Nuts and Bolts
Set A (SPS-005). The flanges of the lower set
At the hull front end the headlamps had sinkholes that needed attending to with Squadron Green Putty. The bare upper
of brackets have holes for the Mk. III spare
set of towing shackle brackets needed eight 1mm Meng bolt heads each, while the lower set had holes in the bottom
track rack; I filled these with plastic rod of the inboard corners where the spare track bracket of the original Mark III kit was located. These were filled with plastic rod
appropriate diameter and then added a missing and each covered by a 0.8mm Meng bolt head. I found that the upper towing shackles wouldn't sit convincingly on the
bolt head over them. bracket, so I extended the bracket upwards with a small section of Plastruct plastic strip to allow them to sit higher.

PAINTING
For the basic overall colour I used Xtracolor
X816 British Army Khaki Drab enamel diluted
about 2:1 paint: thinner with Humbrol Enamel
Thinners and applied by airbrush.
Those who like to pick out tools and other
details will be frustrated here - everything is
green - even the spare track links, crowbars
and spade. Note that the pipes emerging from
the engine deck are also painted green, not
burnt metal as the kit instructions suggest -
this is clearly visible in the photographs. They
are actually air intake pipes from the external
air filter boxes and not exhaust pipes, so they
don't get very hot. The actual exhaust pipe is
buried behind the rear radiator grille and is not
represented in the kit.
I decided against adding an exhaust stain as
it seemed that the vehicle had only just been
repainted. The only relief from overall green are
the tyres, tracks and glass lamp covers. Sadly
the latter are just solid moulded, I painted the
fronts with Humbrol Matt 56 Aluminium Enamel
to represent the reflector seen through the glass.
The tyres were brush painted with Humbrol Matt Tales of woe at the back end. I rather hastily followed the kit instructions and filed off the mounting plate for the towing
67 Tank Grey Enamel. hook, only to find that it was actually fitted to late Mark IIs like this one, so I replaced it with 10-thou plastic card and 1mm
With all the painting complete, the whole Meng bolt heads. Note the right hand air filter is made of a different colour plastic - this is because I misplaced the original
model and the still unattached wheels received assembly and took one from a Mark III kit. Readers will be pleased to hear that the missing assembly has since been located
an airbrushed coat of Tamiya X-22 Clear Acrylic and the donor kit restored to completeness, and a simple coat of paint restores the illusion of modelling competence.
diluted 50:50 with Tamiya Acrylic Thinner in
preparation for decaling. After the decals were surface was wetted with enamel thinners and similar manner to the wash. The final touch was
applied and left overnight to dry thoroughly a the wash applied to crevices, hinges and rivets to give the whole model a very fine airbrushed
second coat of X-22 sealed them down and gave by touching with the tip of a loaded brush to coat of Humbrol Matt Clear diluted 2:1 with
a uniform surface for the subsequent washes. add some depth to the details. Humbrol Enamel Thinners. I really like this
The upper surfaces showed no sign of The unattached wheels and the lower hull product, it shows no hint of yellowing like many
weathering. I just gave them a light application got a little very heavily thinned Humbrol Matt conventional matt varnishes and dries to a very
of Humbrol Dark Brown Enamel Wash. The 29 Dark Earth Enamel applied by brush in a flat and durable finish. x
The model is seen here primed with Citadel 'Mechanicus Standard Grey' from the spray can before a very simple paint job - an overall airbrush application of the main colour,
Xtracolor X816 British Army Khaki Drab diluted about 2:1 with Humbrol Enamel Thinners.

x TRACKS AND FINAL ASSEMBLY

The Friul Modellismo metal links (Set ATL-69) are
the only game in town regarding replacements
for the vinyl tracks. The new Border Models kit
includes plastic articulated separate links, I have
yet to try them but some reviewers have been
less than impressed with their ease of assembly.
After assembling the Friul links into two runs,
handling them very carefully as noted above,
they were washed, primed with Citadel Chaos
Black from the aerosol can and then airbrushed
with Humbrol Matt 53 Gunmetal Enamel, followed
by light dry brushing of Matt 56 Aluminium on the
ground contact bars and guide horns as well as
on the teeth of the drive sprockets.
Like many modellers I used to finish tracks
in rusty shades but tank crews have stated
that tracks don't really go that rusty except
on outdoor static exhibits, being constantly
polished by contact with the wheels and ground.
The tracks then got a coat of Tamiya X-22 Clear
Acrylic followed by a very heavily diluted wash
of Humbrol Matt 29 Dark Earth Enamel. The
acrylic barrier is particularly important here
as metallic enamels seem to have a different
formulation that is readily dissolved by enamel Grass. The resulting mess was pressed into could have done a little more with the Mark
thinners even when thoroughly dry. the tracks using a small artist's spatula. Apart II parts that look as though they were tooled
After giving the tracks a coat of Humbrol from the track faces mud and debris tends to with minimising costs in mind - an internal
Matt Clear and allowing everything to accumulate under the track guards, especially mantlet at least, and perhaps hollow lamps with
thoroughly dry overnight, the wheels and tracks at the back where it is thrown by the track lifting transparent covers and even link and length
were fitted followed by the splash guards that off the ground. tracks would have been nice. When Tamiya
had been painted separately, and construction issued the Mark III under their own label they did
was complete. FINAL THOUGHTS some minor but worthwhile re-tooling, such as
Finally, to simulate the earth and straw The Italeri Crusader remains one of my favourite upgrading the spotlamp with a clear front cover
packed into the tracks I mixed Humbrol Matt 29 kits, even though it is less refined and much and adding rivet detail to the lower hull sides
Dark Earth Enamel with powdered grey artist's older than the Border Models kit by 44 years and weld beads to the turret roof, as well as
pastel to make a stiff paste, then to represent -yes really! the latter is not without its problems fixing those dodgy front track guards; perhaps
the straw I added a little Warhammer Static and is much more expensive. I think that Italeri they could do something similar to the Mark II! n

“The Italeri Crusader
remains one of my
favourite kits, even
though it is less refined
and much older than the
Border Models kit by 44
years - yes really!”

Incoming
1 MAN ARMY
1:35 SCALE ARMOUR RANGE
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of mask a number of times.
reviewing paint masks sets from Belgium-based Masking and spraying your models markings will
company, 1 Man Army. The masks were for always give a superior result. It’s as simple as
1:32 scale aircraft and were a comprehensive that. The major benefit is they can be chipped
set of airframe stencils and markings for and weathered in a more authentic way as well
various subjects from the WWII era. To say as avoiding potential decal silvering and visible
I was impressed at the level of detail is an carrier film. Issue with cutting masks in the past
understatement. I was blown away. 1 Man Army has been the limitation of how fine they could be
has been able to perfect the cutting process and cut but as mentioned earlier, 1 Man Army has
create paint masks with a level of detail that has cracked the code and opened up a whole new
never been seen in the industry. world for the armour modeller.
Whilst I was impressed with the aircraft range, These types of paint masks really lend
I can’t hide my armour bias and I had hoped themselves to armour modelling, and I have no
they may branch into the field of armour at some doubt that once you try them you will be hooked
point. I am pleased to announce the wait is over as I am.
as I hold the sample sets in my hand today. The sets will be available soon so be sure to
There are 11 sets in the initial release, and keep an eye out for them. Even better, take a
all have been created to use with 1:35 scale look at the website -
armour. The sets cater to most of the major www.1manarmy.be to check out the entire range
modelling subjects. and keep up to date with availability.
The Wehrmacht sets cover the major Division Highly Recommended!
emblems, the basic single colour versions of Workbenchhobbies.com
the Balkenkreuz and Turret numbers in varying Clayton Ockerby
styles and sizes.
The US Armour sets cover Generic US ‘Late’
Serial numbers as well as various Stars and US
markings.
The Soviet set concentrates on various turret
numbers and star markings.
The secret to achieving a successful result is
to spray the paint in fine layers and build the
coverage up slowly. I can personally vouch for
the results and am so impressed with the level
of fine detail that has been achieved with these
sets. They are simply a game-changer.
Whilst the masks are not sold for multiple use,
I have been able to successfully use the same

STAR DECALS
1:35 SCALE DAIMLER ARMOURED CARS
- 1 BRITISH AND BELGIAN SERVICE
- 2 BRITISH COLD WAR SERVICE
After what seems like a lifetime waiting for a 1/35th African Armoured Car Regiment in Kenya during the
plastic kit of a Daimler Armoured Car but which is Mau-Mau era are the first two options. Those for 8th
probably only 50 years, and almost as long since I built King’s Royal Irish Hussars Recce Troop in Korea in
the Accurate Armour resin kit and tried to build a resin 1950-51 come with options for two serial numbers.
and white metal version from someone else for the long- Another option is for an 11th Hussars car in Kuala
defunct “Armored Car” magazine, at last we have them Lumpur, Malaysia in 1954. A car with 17th/21st Lancers
from Gecko. in Palestine 1947-48 has the regiment’s “motto”
Many modellers want alternatives to kit decals so will device. From the 1956 Suez Campaign comes a plain
welcome these two new waterslide sets from Johan sand vehicle from The Life Guards with the distinctive
Lexell’s Star Decals. Both sets cover Mk I cars so will be identification markings for the time. A final sand option is
suitable for kit 35GM0011. from the Royal Horse Guards in Cyprus in 1955 with full
Set 35-C1364 covers late WW2 options in NW Europe. colour badge.
One is for the 1st Belgian Armoured Car Squadron As usual the printing of each individual decal is very clear
with their lion’s head unit marking. Two cover 1st Royal and in perfect register. Alongside the main markings are
Dragoons in Denmark in 1945 with their eagle cap badge others for anti-freeze warnings and first aid boxes.
both with and without the XII Corps marking. Also from Something out of the ordinary with alternatives for
1945 are two cars from 11th Hussars in Berlin, one several vehicles. Prices are US$7.00 and US$9.00
from D Squadron and with C Squadron another during respectively direct or GBP7.99 and GBP10.35 from
the victory parade there in September. A final unusual Hannants, full details including availability can be found
subject is for a car at the RAC Gunnery School with their at www.star-decals.net
cannon badge. Recommended.
Set 35-C1365 offers more variety for the post-war era. Thanks to Johan for sending these sets
Cars in both green and sand serving with the East Peter Brown

A round-up of the latest news and releases in 1:72 and 1:76
DRAGON PANTHER G 3-IN-1

7696 PANTHER G LATE PRODUCTION W/AIR DEFENCE ARMOUR
7697 PANTHER G STEEL WHEELS WITH IR SIGHTS
7698 PANTHER G BEFEHLS PANTHER
The Editor kindly provided me with three of Dragon’s latest 1:72nd Panthers to cast my
eye over. These are part of the new ‘3D’ range that come with printed parts. Times are
changing and oldies like me will remember the excitement of getting kits with turned metal
parts, then resin, and now (I am told) the future is 3D printed.
All these kits share the same sprues, with the only difference being the printed parts and
that the steel-wheeled Panther has a separate sprue for – you have guessed it – the steel
wheels. Therefore, I will look at the basic parts as one, then the printed items individually.
The kit itself is not new as we first saw the sprues in 2003. That said, they have aged
well, and detail is plentiful. Parts come on four sprues with separate upper & lower hulls.
The tracks are one-piece vinyl, but I must say that I am impressed by the level of detail
on them and their flexibility. The plastic parts are moulded very sharply with just a bit
of flash here & there. On my three models, there are no moulding imperfections or pin
marks in visible places on the main parts, but note that there was some shrinkage on
the wheel hubs on the steel wheels. Some of the detail is thick in places, but that is a
common issue in this scale and doesn’t detract in my opinion. In typical Dragon fashion,
we are provided with plenty of spare parts which I am sure your spare parts box will
appreciate. A nice touch is a tub that we are provide with that goes under the engine deck
and depicts the engine fans and top engine detail. Panthers of this timeframe had grilles
over the engine deck screens but Dragon do not provide these.
The lower hull comes as a single tub with the torsion bars molded in place. Fit of parts
so far is very good. The main hull & turret go together beautifully and the wheels fit to the
axles without any modification.
The instruction are clearly drawn and come in five steps only. Multiple painting options are
provided for all versions with the decals being clearly printed and in register.
The printed parts come on a little orange base. All of these items have multiple
attachment points on which the bits are attached.
AIR DEFENCE ARMOUR - KIT NO. 7696

There are six parts provided, comprising of the large, turret top armour, four covers for the
engine grilles and the turret mortar cover. The turret armour has a distinctive ridge around
it which depicts the fact that the real thing was two pieces of spaced armour laid atop the
turret. Be careful removing the parts from their attachment points as some of those points
are the pins with which you attach them to the plastic parts.
IR SIGHTS - KIT NO. 7697

Now these are my favourites!
Ten parts give us the IR bases, searchlights and IR units themselves. We get three IR
units, with one for the commander’s cupola, one for the gun mantlet and another over the
driver’s periscope. It will be fun attaching RP8, the baseplate for the Commander’s sight,
to the cupola as it simply attaches to the rim. I will putting a plastic card step underneath
the make the job easier.
BEFEHLS PANTHER - KIT NO. 7698

These bits come in their own clear plastic protective box and what we have are three
parts. There is the tall, main antenna, a shorter one with the antenna base, and a new
mantlet. The main antenna has 27 (yes, 27!) attachment points so take great care in
removing it. There is some lovely detail on this antenna, which is not flash as I first
thought. That said, I am not sure of the usefulness of this item and, depending on
whether it comes off in one piece, I may replace it with copper wire. The smaller antenna
is buried away inside many of the attachment points so you will have to wade through a
forest to get to it. Mine is bent so I will use the base but replace the antenna with copper
wire. The mantlet however is beautiful and comes with a rough texture and lots of small
detail. Superb!
CONCLUSION
The base kits remain excellent and will give you a trouble-free construction resulting in
an accurate enough Panther G. In the main, I am impressed with the printed parts. You
couldn’t get the finesse on these items in traditional plastic and producing them in resin
would result in flash and moulding seams. I am not looking forward to removing these
items from the attachment points but have a new X-Acto blade already set aside. I don’t
think that the antennas work in this medium, but everything else is top quality.
With that in mind, these kits are not cheap. In the UK they will cost between £25 and £27
which is a lot for a small-scale model. They are very good, but I shall leave it to you to
decide if the price is acceptable.
Thanks to The Hobby Company Limited for the samples www.hobbyco.net
Highly Recommended.
Graham Tetley

Book Reviews
DUNKIRCHEN 1940,
THE GERMAN VIEW OF
THE BREN GUN
BY NEIL GRANT
DUNKIRK
BY ROBERT KERSHAW
OSPREY WEAPON 28 OSPREY PUBLISHING
ISBN 978 1 78200 082 2 ISBN 978 1 4728 5437 7
2013 H/B 352PP. £20, 2020
Two Bren gunners won VCs, Australian Leslie Starcevich in Borneo and “...harbour burning from all sides...” and, a “...huge column of smoke
Havildar Umrao Singh in Burma where the Bren was an ideal light machine ascending from ground level....” - observations from Luftwaffe pilots on June
gun for short range jungle fighting. 1, the peak of the Dunkirk evacuation. On the ground there were battles
The origin of the BRno ENfield from the Czech Zb 26 and Zb 30 guns is for the Bergues Fortress, and at the beach dunes’ blockhouses against
well known. There were four marks of WW2 Bren, later marks being simpler French Zouaves. But this book offers much more following soldiers through
and lighter than the Mark I. It was the primary weapon of the infantry the western campaign. There are recollections of live-fire training during
section, riflemen supporting, and carrying the common .303 cartridge Bren Sitzkrieg; motorized troops immobile in Ardennes congestion; blistered feet
magazines. of marching infantry in hot Fuhrerweather; bicycle units crossing Belgium
Used by British and Commonwealth soldiers in all theatres, Brens were also and Holland; the shock of RAF attacks; Stuka sorties on refugee columns;
manufactured in Canada, Australia and India. 7.92mm Mauser ammunition Kradschutzen motorcycle vanguards; Pak and Flak crews facing Matildas
Brens equipped Nationalist Chinese, Soviet troops and partisan forces. at Arras; Guderian’s 2nd Panzer reaching the Channel in 11 days; the SS
The quick change barrel, simplicity and reliability made them well regarded POW massacres; German assault pioneers forcing canal lines and rivers in
support weapons. Post WWII, the adoption of the 7.62 NATO round and the rubber dinghies; the thwarted Ist Panzer Division attack on Dunkirk; fighting
desire for a GPMG led to the L4 Bren series. British rear guards; the abrupt Belgian surrender with hindering prisoner
Brens served with British troops in Korea, Malaya, Kenya, Suez, Indonesia, hordes; Kriegsmarine S-boat attacks on Dunkirk evacuation routes.
Falklands, and the 1990 Gulf War. The author debates the causes
Other conflicts were the Middle East and disagreements at Hitler’s
Arab-Israeli Wars, Congo, Indo- Felsennest HQ behind the
Pakistan Wars, Nigeria. Brens on controversial May 24 Panzer halt
Motley and Lakeman AA mounts order. There are page-turning
were added to AFVs, and the Bren descriptions of the Lys crossing, the
(Universal) Carrier provided mobility. battles for Boulogne where Panzer
The writer’s narrative is the IVs fought British destroyers, and
user experience with personal the Calais street-fighting. By June 4,
recollections. There are information Wehrmacht Armies crowded around
inserts on tripods, Bren tools, Dunkirk were already extricating
ammunition, firing, and unusual for Fall Rot. Dunkirk surrendered 3
Brens, and a cutaway Mark III. days later after the last evacuation
My sample was a digital reprint ships departed.
with less vibrant artwork, so if you A popular subject in print and film,
want a title, grab it on release. the writer avoids retelling familiar
Nonetheless, a good package of storylines and stays focused on the
text, photos and artwork. Landser’s battlefront experience. An
Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the exceptionally good read,
sample www.ospreypublishing.com Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the
Recommended. sample www.ospreypublishing.com
John Ham Recommended.
John Ham

THE CHINESE CIVIL CHOBHAM ARMOUR,
COLD WAR BRITISH AMOURED
WAR 1945-49
BY MICHAEL LYNCH
VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT
BY WILLIAM SUTTIE
OSPREY ESSENTIAL HISTORIES OSPREY PUBLISHING
ISBN 978 1 4728 5314 1 ISBN 978 1 4728 5526 8
2022 H/B. 320PP. £35. 2022
There is an unlikely photo of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek toasting Readers expecting a recipe for Chobham Armour to recreate in their garden
each other at banquet in 1946. Chiang was on a roll. With Communist shed may be disappointed. This book, authored by a senior Chertsey
collaboration the Japanese were defeated, Chiang’s Nationalist Revolutionary designer, charts the armour projects that crossed their drawing boards.
Army controlled most of China and was on good terms with the US. Three Divided into four parts, MBT development – from Centurion to Challenger
years later Mao announced the new Republic of China from Beijing and 2, and variants - is half the book, strong on design, and Chertsey’s
Chiang had fled to Taiwan. What went wrong? On resumption of the civil war, collaborations with industry, Royal Ordnance Factories, and international
after initial set-backs, Mao switched his attacks to Manchuria where the NRA partnerships, and modified by feedback from ATDU and ITDU trials units,
occupied former Japanese held Manchuguo and captured Harbin; his PLA BAOR and battlefield experience. Continually assessing Soviet tank threats,
generals transformed it into a modern army from its guerrilla roots. design studies were always forward-looking, planning commencing on
In Chiang’s “strongpoint offensive” of 1947 against PLA bases, Mao’s mid-life upgrades and re-work programmes as first production vehicles left
Yanan soviet was captured though Mao escaped after forewarning by assembly lines. Research examined unmanned turrets, driver-in-turret tanks.
a NRA commander. Counterattacks against overstretched NRA armies Future concept strategies like Future MBT, AFV for the eighties, MBT80
led to Communist Liaoshen autumn 1948 campaign capturing railway might look 15-20 years ahead with constant requirements for smaller,
junctions of Jinzhou, Changchun and Shenyang, and the winter campaign cheaper AFVs with greater lethality and crew protection.
north of the Huaihai River against Xuzhou threatening the Nationalist New materials and new technologies went into aluminium armour in CVR(T)
Goumindang government capital vehicles and Chobham armour; the development path of new vehicles
Nanjing. A simultaneous winter wound through mock-ups, prototypes, subsystem test rigs for armour,
push netted Tianjin and prestigious running gear, engines and transmissions, gun and fire control systems,
Beijing, it falling in January 1949. autoloaders, crew ergonomics. Know-
Other besieged cities in the how from concept, demonstrators and
Nationalist southern heartlands fell, trials vehicles like Contentious, stealth
Nangking, Shanghai, Xian, and tank SID could feed into future builds.
after the symbolic Yanzi crossing, Part 2 covers medium and light tracked
Guangzhou, Chongching. Tibet and vehicles, CVR(T), APCs - FV432 and
Xinjiang were occupied. FV510 Warrior; Part 3, wheeled AFV
This book is a revised version of development - Saladin, Saracen, Ferret
Osprey ESS 61, 2010. Though the and Fox. Part 4 is other AFVs - FV180
main battles are here, there is a Combat Engineer Tractor, Saxon, and
substantial socio-political element, Vickers MBTs.
necessary to explain the complex Appendices contain a complete list of
twists and turns of this bloody civil FV numbers, tracked and soft-skin, and
war, which still encroaches on an extremely comprehensive data set.
events today. An essential reference source for every
Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the Cold War armour enthusiast’s library.
sample www.ospreypublishing.com Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the
Recommended. sample www.ospreypublishing.com
John Ham Recommended.
John Ham

1:48 Scale – A round-up of the latest news and releases
INDIVIDUALITY IN
MODEL BUILDING
I
don’t know about you, but I always like For my latest project I’ve decided to add two you have to have overthink a problem that
to bring some sort of individuality to my simple conversions to give a sense of scale you’re working on.
models. From my standpoint, I can generally to the piece. Now you have to ask yourself, The other curve ball that comes into play is
pick a particular piece by either its paint or how much is a enough? I’ll be honest here; I what you feel for a particular project. For my
build style and in some cases its presentation struggle with this. As a hobbyist, I find the last part, I started a project early this year that I
and roughly guess who made it. I like that, part of the build process to be the hardest. I have loved for a good number of years but
as it gives a glimpse to some degree into the keep asking myself the same question time world events have now somewhat tarnished
maker’s soul. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, and time again - have I done it all and you my view. Will the project ever get completed?
that sounds deep but it’s not. For me, I can’t may to ask yourself what is this all you speak Given the time I’ve spent on it I hope so,
for the life of me build a stock standard kit out of tiger? The answer for me is it as good as but the geopolitical situation may inhibit that
of the box. I think I know why. It’s because I 1:35 scale or is it good enough? somewhat to the point it may never get built
want some sort of individuality for my models. The other question that comes into play is how but hey, I had fun getting there, and that's all
We all have a limited skill set and mine are much time can I invest in a project? For me, that really matters at the end of the day. It's all
many. For instance, I can’t sculpt a 1:48 figure a three-month period is all I can really take. I about the journey, not the destination.
head for love nor money, so I leave it to the just get bored with any subject after that time.
guys who can. I’ve discussed this before, but, having too Anyway, I’m late for my bus
As most of you know I’m addicted to 1:48 much free time can be a blessing but also a Luke Pitt
scale and adding figures to all my builds. curse. The more time you have, the more time
HEAVY HOBBY
1:48 SCALE
WWII GERMAN TIGER1 INITIAL VERSION MIRROR TRACKS
ITEM NO. PT48005
As the heading says, this product is a set of handed tracks for an early Tiger I. The set comes
in a light cardboard box. Inside, the tracks are packaged in two separate zip lock plastic bags.
There are a total of 210 links printed in a pinkish brown resin. The links are crisp in detail, the
guide horns are hollow, and you can even make out the casting numbers on the individual
links with an Optivisor and some good lighting. They look good, really good!
Now here is the important part - these links just click together without any fuss or trouble at all
and in no time I had a complete run with no clean up needed at all. I think it took me around
15 minutes to do one complete side. Absolutely outstanding!
I really like this set and this modeller suggests if you want to give your Kitty some nice new
shoes, go out and get yourself this set - you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks to Heavy Hobby for the sample http://www.heavyhobby.com/en/
Highly Recommended.
Alan Wells
QUICK TRACKS
1:48 SCALE
PANTHER TRACKS
ITEM NO. T-48002
I have heard some
outstanding reports about
these Quick Tracks as
mentioned last month with
their T-55 tracks. These are
really good - astounding really.
200 tracks are supplied with
six spares and they are quite
outstanding prints. They
go together easily and are
wonderfully thin in profile.
They fit the Tamiya and
Suyata sprockets like a glove.
The telltale open guide teeth
are reproduced to perfection.
I really can’t fault them. You might be tempted to say to yourself do we
need another set of tracks for the Panther?, and that’s a valid point.
Over the years I’ve reviewed a number of sets for the Panther and
in my opinion, these are the best. I say that because of the fidelity of
detail and more importantly the ease of assembly.
Unlike other clickable tracks that I have reviewed in the past where you
angle the link, with these you simply line them up on a flat surface and
press down from the top with a flat applicator, in my case a filed flat
tooth pick. But the real game changer for me was the way they hold
their sag once you put them together. They are flexible but kind of stiff
as well which makes that reproducing that beautiful curve you often see
between the front drive sprocket and the rear idler on the Panther so
easy to achieve. the detail on these is both finer and indeed crisper that
the Tamiya or Suyata examples and are simply better.
Thanks to Quick Wheel for the sample https://quickwheelstore.com
Highly Recommended.
Luke Pitt
FC MODEL TREND
1:48 SCALE
GERMAN SOLDIERS SEATED
ITEM NO. 48525
In this set you get four seated figures printed in a medium grey resin
protected in a robust plastic blister pack with artwork of the contents
and details on a double-sided card.
These figures are quite interesting with three subjects wearing M43
caps and one figure wearing a steel helmet. They all appear to be
wearing late war tunics, possibly the late war Denim summer variety as
the rendered tunic looks somewhat light in bulk to my eyes, but I will
stand corrected on that. All are depicted wearing Jackboots, Y straps
and K98 style ammo pouches. They wear no other field equipment.
The poses are very casual and might I add very realistic, with great
anatomical accuracy, even if the details, in my opinion appear to be a In conclusion, suitably painted up these figures would look great and
little soft. add an interesting element to many Wehrmacht vehicles and trucks.
Care must be taken in removing the subjects from the print branches as Thanks to FC Model Trend for the sample www.fcmodeltrend.com
the resin is quite brittle and it is easy to damage some of the fine print, Highly Recommended.
especially the cap peaks and the helmet rims. Alan Wells

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Contact Details - for companies featured in MMI...
ACCURATE ARMOUR/ DARTMOOR MILITARY MODELS MDC SCHATTON BARRELS
ARMOUR DISTRIBUTION Haylis cottage, Budlake, Broadclyst Model Design Construction, Victoria Place, Industriestrasse 6, 94347 Ascha, Germany
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Tel; 01475 743 955 www.dartmoormilitarymodels.com orders@modeldesignconstruction.com SCHIFFER BOOKS
Fax; 01475 743746 www.modeldesignconstruction.com Schiffer Publishing, 4880 Lower Valley Rd,
www.accurate-armour.com DELUXE MATERIALS Atglen, PA, 19310 USA
www.deluxematerials.co.uk MODELING ARTISAN MORI www.schifferbooks.com
ADALBERTUS info@deluxematerials.com http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~m.a.mori/index_eng.html
Iberyjska 7/49, 02-764, Warsaw, Poland Tel; 01529 455 0340 SCHIFFER BOOKS in UK
adalbertus@adalbertus.com.pl MIG PRODUCTIONS Bushwood Books, No.6 Marksbury Avenue,
www.adalbertus.com.pl DRAGON MODELS (Creative Models in UK) Kew Gardens, Surrey TW9 4JF, UK.
(The Hobby Company in UK) C/ Santiago Rusinol 7, Pral 2a, Tel; 020 8392 8585, 020 8392 9876,
THE AIRBRUSH COMPANY Ltd Dragon Models Ltd, Kong Nam Ind. Building 08750 Molins de Rei, Barcelona, Spain email; info@bushwodbooks.co.uk
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smartmodelling@smart7.fsworld.co.uk info@missionmodels.com, (Swash, Tasca, Gap, Yosci, Royal Model)
GREAT NORTH ROADS sales@missionmodels.com, No.7 Gordons Way, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0LN UK
AMPERSAND PUBLISHING 9a Marcombe Road, Torquay, South Devon, TQ2 6LL orders@missionmodels.com Tel; 01883 734746
(via Historex Agents in UK) Tel; 01803 400436 smartmodelling@smart7.fsworld.co.uk
235 NE 6th Avenue #4 Delray Beach, www.greatnorthroads.co.uk THE ARMORY; M&MODELS
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Harbour Road, Oulton Broad, MODEL WHOLESALE UK LTD SWANN-MORTON
ARCHER Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 2LZ Tel; 01892 533036 Owlerton Green, Sheffield, S6 2BJ
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sales@hannants.co.uk Monroe Perdu Designs, 3168 Renee Court, www.craftknives.com
BADGER AIR-BRUSH COMPANY Simi Valley, CA 93065, USA
9128W Belmont Ave, Franklin Park, IL 60131 HIROBOY (Zero Paints) www.monroeperdu.com TAMIYA JAPAN
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email info@badgerairbrush.com Cheltenham, GL51 0TF Via; www.steelmodels.com www.tamiya.com
(In the UK from www.shesto.co.uk) Tel: 01684 252310 (UK office hours only)
www.hiroboy.com PACIFIC COAST MODELS TAMIYA UK;
BISON DECALS Tel; 001 707 538 4850 THE HOBBY COMPANY LIMITED
Available from www.hannants.co.uk and HISTOREX AGENTS info@pacmodels.com Garforth Place, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes,
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Dover, Kent, CT17 9BZ, UK Tel; 01908 605686 Fax; 01908 605666
BLAST MODELS Tel; 01304 206720 PANZERWRECKS enquiries@hobbyco.net
Via AFV Modeller or www.blast-models.com Fax; 01304 204528. PO Box 164, Heathfield, Sussex TN21 8WA, UK www.hobbyco.net
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info@bookworldws.co.uk www.hlj.com pgms@paragrafix.biz (Historex in UK)
811 Lone Star Drive, O’Fallon, Missouri 63366, USA
CALIBRE 35 HORNBY HOBBIES LTD (Airfix) PLUS MODEL (Creative Models in UK) www.verlinden-productions.com
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CAMMETT www.hornby.com www.plusmodel.cz (Creative Models in UK)
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Mail Order Dept 01455 254450 info@pocketbond.co.uk VLS CORPORATION
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Unit 10 Old Airfield Industrial Estate ICM PSP MODELS LTD (Mission Models in USA) (TRAKZ, WINGZ, CUSTOM DIORAMICS, WARRIORS);
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CLASSIC PUBLICATIONS QUICKBOOST WHITE ENSIGN MODELS
Midland Counties Publications, 4 Watling Drive, ITALERI (The Hobby Company in UK) www.quickboost.net (Toms Model Works)
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Leics UK. LE10 1YF Bologna, Italy SB MODELS Tomsmodelworks@aol.com
Tel; 01455 233 747, Tel; 051 726037 UK distributor for Model Victoria and Royal Model www.whiteensignmodels.com
Fax; 01455 233 737 www.italeri.com P.O. Box 114, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA13 0WY
midlandbooks@compuserve.com Tel/Fax; 01229 430 749 WWII PRODUCTIONS, AUSTRALIA
www.classic-publications.com JUST BASES sales@sbmodels.fsnet.co.uk 12 Prince Street, Waratah, 2298, NSW, Australia
21 Graham Road, Paignton TQ3 1BB www.sbmodels.net Tel; +61 (0)2 4967 3205
CREATIVE MODELS LTD Tel; 01803 558520 Fax; +61 (0)2 4967 3207
(Mig Productions, Vallejo, Accurate Miniatures) www.just-bases.co.uk SBLC ww2prod@optusnet.com.au
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PE16 6TG 4 High Street, Botley, Southampton, SO30 2EA (The Hobby Company in UK)
Tel; 01354 760022 Tel; 01489 781177 SBX MODEL SHOP Promishlennaia Str.,2, Lobnya, Moscow Region,
www.creativemodels.co.uk www.justkitsandmodels.co.uk Norwich Road, Ipswich, IP1 5DN 141730 Russia
info@creativemodels.co.uk Tel; 01473 464311 office@zvezda.org.ru
www.sbxmodelshop.co.uk www.zvezda.org.ru
n Please mention ‘Model Military International’ if you make contact with any of the companies listed above - thanks!

ISSUE No.202 February 2023,
Published 5th January 2023
Editor; Brett Green
Publisher; Alan Harman
Graphic Design; Alex Hall
Advertising; Alan Harman
ONE WAY TICKET Administration; Gordon Angus
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...and much more! February 2023 - Model Military International 65

The Last Post...
PROJECT CONVERGENCE 22:
CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME!
D
uring October and Ranger Regiment operated
November, the 20th alongside US Special Operations
Armoured Brigade Combat Forces to swap tactics, while a
Team (20 ACBT) was in the British Robotics and Autonomous
US to test a range of innovative Systems (RAS) Platoon provided
systems. reconnaissance and logistical
Project Convergence 22, for support.
which the UK was contributing 450 The RAS capability was provided
soldiers, tested around 17 cutting- by the 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire
edge systems and technologies, Regiment (2 YORKS), who have
including some for the first time ‘on recently completed a posting in
the ground’. Cyprus, where they trialled an
This exercise was designed to array of systems to determine their
help make the British Army more effectiveness for future infantry use.
lethal on the battlefield, by cutting The Watchkeeper WK450
down on time and complications in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
what is called the ‘sensor-decider- provided the eyes in the sky while
effector’ chain. a range of other technologies
One of the ways of doing this supported situational awareness
was to speed up the process by and the processing of intelligence
which the M270 Multiple Launch within 20 ACBT headquarters.
Rocket System (MLRS) is fired, by Project Convergence is the
use of automation and sensors on premier US Army experimentation
the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. exercise, seeking to define how
Other methods of increasing the US and international partners,
lethality that were being tested including the UK and Australia, will
in California include combining fight in a multi-domain battlespace.
one of our air defence assets, the More than a singular event,
Giraffe Agile Multi Beam (G-AMB) this is a sustained campaign of
radar, with the network that the learning designed to advance and
Americans use in order to better integrate our allied forces and
coordinate our protection. ensure that we can rapidly and
It is not just all about continuously ‘converge’ effects
equipment; from a human across the battlefield.
perspective. The newly-formed
An experimentation of firsts, the UK hopes to achieve:

a. The first time a UK Giraffe Agile Multi-Beam RADAR (Air Defence
Sensor forming part of Sky Sabre Medium Range Air Defence) has
connected to a US Fire Control Network (normally a US only system).
b. The first time UK Rangers have been deployed alongside US Special
Operations Forces and the 75th Ranger Regiment on Theatre Entry
Exercises – experimenting with the concept of use of the nascent
Army Special Operations Brigade and its’ Ranger Regiment.
c. The first time ZODIAC, a UK decision support system that can help
Commander’s make decisions, has been connected to US ‘sensors’,
feeding information into the network.
d. The first time a US F35 fighter jet has cued fires for a UK GMLRS
missile platform, without the requirement for a person in the loop,
cutting the strike time down from minutes to seconds.
e. The first time the UK have manufactured US parts using 3D printing,
helping them resupply at reach and sharing technical designs of
vehicle and weapon parts.
f. The first time UK HoloLens (augmented reality lenses) have been
used to help sustainers fix equipment supported by a technical
expert over extended distance.
g. WATCHKEEPER UAS flying operationally in a multi-National
construct, tasked by 1st (US) Cavalry Division.
h. Command and Control – 20 ABCT TOC utilising the Mission Partner
Environment, ZODIAC decision support tool and HoloLens to
support decision making.
i. The printing of US parts using a UK 3D printer in support of
expeditionary logistics, and the sharing of blueprints and data that
allows our partners to resupply each other.
j. Augmented Reality Forward Repair being used by the UK and US
combined to use expertise at reach to help a soldier repair forward n

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Model Military February 2023

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FREE 180 metres of

masking tape! COMET TANK CLOSE-UP History and

p 22 THE BATTLE OF 73 EASTING

Tel: (UK) 01525 222573

February 2023 - Model Military International 3

GECKO MODELS’ 1:35

Thanks to Gecko Models for

VESPID MODELS 1:72 www.gecko-models.com

BRITISH CENTURION GECKO MODELS’ 1:35

NEW LIFECOLOR PAINTS

4 Model Military International - February 2023

6 Model Military International - February 2023

February 2023 - Model Military International 7

The front end of a slightly less showy Comet.

8 Model Military International - February 2023

February 2023 - Model Military International 9

10 Model Military International - February 2023

A fine study of one of the Irish

February 2023 - Model Military International 11

A common fate of old tanks, this ex -Finnish Comet

12 Model Military International - February 2023

A good detail shot of a surviving Finnish A34 with its Ps number as

February 2023 - Model Military International 13

The Editor gets

16 Model Military International - February 2023

February 2023 - Model Military International 17

18 Model Military International - February 2023

* Terms and conditions

Order online at www.doolittlemedia.com or on 01525 222573

22 Model Military International - February 2023

Iraqi T-72 destroyed by 120mm Sabot.

February 2023 - Model Military International 23

Abandoned Iraqi Type 69 tank

24 Model Military International - February 2023

The Battle of 73 Easting was

The Corps had two goals:

February 2023 - Model Military International 25

Nice anti-slip texture and nice moulded details.

There is no interior detail in this kit.

It is about 480 millimetres from end to end.

26 Model Military International - February 2023

Last up in box is the photo

The clear parts are fairly

February 2023 - Model Military International 27

28 Model Military International - February 2023

The tank gun’s barrel unit is made up from eleven parts.

Two holes in the

February 2023 - Model Military International 29

30 Model Military International - February 2023

Hobby Color H-94 Clear

February 2023 - Model Military International 31

I attached the forward lights

32 Model Military International - February 2023

February 2023 - Model Military International 33

3 Good fit; nice anti-slip textures; very good

34 Model Military International - February 2023

February 2023 - Model Military International 35

3D printed parts are included.

MAGIC TRACK REDUX

36 Model Military International - February 2023

Order online at www.doolittlemedia.com or on 01525 222573

38 Model Military International - February 2023

February 2023 - Model Military International 39

40 Model Military International - February 2023