A second set of civilian figures on the way from Masterbox, and just as welcome as the first, especially if it is going to include that goat.

1/35 civilians, masterbox East European Civilians

A new set of civilian figures on the way from Masterbox, and a long overdue set in plastic kit form as 1/35 civies are thin on the ground in any medium, and almost non-existant in plastic. I’m not sure if this is still going to come with the cow originally shown in earlier WIP shots, or if the cow has been replaced with the two additional male figures - the old man and the boy. Some urban figures would still be nice, especially waiters for a Parisian Cafe, market sellers, women and children etc.

1/35 civilian figures, masterbox west european civilians

Cyber-Hobby follows up their 8.8cm FlaK 37 on a Pz.Kpfw.IV chassis with the little brother version, a Pz.Kpfw.I mounting the gun from a Strumgeschutz III Ausf. G. This one appears to be more accurate than the 8.8cm Pz.Kpfw. IV, though the artwork doesn’t indicate if they’ve incorporated the scrunched suspension seen on photos.

panzer I with 7.5cm gun, Panzerjäger IB mit 7.5cm StuK 40 L/48

DML always manage to make these things look so wantable in these photos. That is one niiiiice looking kit, even if I am predispoded toward liking StuGs of any sort.

DML Sturmgeschutz III Ausf. F/8 Late with Winterketten Tracks, Dragon Stug III F8, Sturmegeschutz F8

Officially a Panzerfahre Fahrendeck mit Genpanzerter Landwasserschlepper Prototype Nr.II ( Kit number 6669 ),  this takes DMLs recently announced LWS II Prototype a step further by adding a pontoon style barge used to transport tanks up to the Pz.Kpfw.IV across water. Note that this one also has a slightly different commander’s cabin. Looks like you’ll need to add the second LWS II to complete the scene. This ugly little sucker is suddenly starting to grow on me.

Click images to enlarge

dml lws II with barge, dragon models 6669, landwasserschlepper landing barge, Panzerfahre Fahrendeck mit Genpanzerter Landwasserschlepper Prototype Nr.II

We now have the Alliance Modelworks ( AM-Works ) 8.8 cm FlaK 37 (Sf) auf Fgst Zgkw 18t conversion, for mounting an 8.8cm FlaK 37 to an Sd.Kfz.9 FAMO, in stock. I’m aiming to have an in-box review of this up this week and will also be doing a build log as soon as I get a DML FlaK 37 in, as well as a few other parts I want to add to the base FAMO as well ( and figured this was the ideal time to do it ).

Website only price is $199.95 plus shipping.

( contact us for details )

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8.8 cm FlaK 37 (Sf) auf Fgst Zgkw 18t conversion, Alliance Modelworks, AM-Works 88mm FlaK "FAMO"

Are the unsung heroes.

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Now there’s a different subject, I rather like that. Masterbox appear to be doing a lot more sets that combine figures from opposing sides together in little vignettes.

“ACCIDENT”

Masterbox Accident

Just a quick addendum to the below. I’ve had a comments block added to the community pages so that people can use it as a sort of chat area. It’s not perfect and I’m still pursuing the idea of a simple forum but it’s a start.

You can use this for things like looking for a particular part for a kit, looking for a club or contact in a particular area, “ie Looking For Other Modellers in Waikikamukau, preferably female between 18 and 25 ” and suchlike.

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We’ve added a new resource page which you’ll now find on the top right. This page is open to any New Zealand modelling related, community oriented, information that readers of this site wish to share. You’re welcome to add your own personal details if you’re looking to find other modellers in your town/area, club details can be added for various groups looking to gather in new members, or it can be used for any non-profit announcments.

Right now it is in its infancy and I’m open to suggestions for how this might evolve, but the key theme to it right now is just a resource to help modellers from throughout New Zealand connect with one another.

I’m expecting it to take time to grow, currently although we get 10,000-12,000 visits a month 65% of those are from overseas and we have waaaaaay more readers than commenters so I’m sure it’ll take time for people to come in from the shadows. But it’s there for people to use and I hope people will.

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When you compare what models we have available now to the models that were available  thirty years ago it would seem that we are in a golden age. The variety, the quality, the affordability, all have increased, some a little, some markedly. People will criticise manufacturers like DML for only making World War Two subjects, and primarily German ones, but you can’t deny that they have come great strides in a short ammount of time to set not only a new benchmark in quality, but in doing so have raised the bar quite high.

And others have followed. Even Tamiya has upped their game, and manufacturers like Bronco and AFV Club also put out very high quality products. Miniart and Masterbox have set new levels in figure animation, and certainly between the new DML figures and the latest offerings from Miniart the quality is approaching levels originally only found in resin. There seems to be more manufacturers now than ever before.

So why does it feel like a dying hobby ? I don’t know about the rest of the country but in the past couple of years the number of Hobby Shops that I have known of in Auckland and the surrounding areas has dropped from fifteen to eight ( I don’t count places like Toyworld that have a dozen models on a corner shelf ). One of those only deals in diecast cars and another only in boats. One has a focus more on trains and two others more on RC stuff. Only two come to mind as a dedicated model shops and one of those was up for lease a year ago.

The hobby shop in Glen Eden that my grandfather always dragged me to is now a Stihl Shop, the big toy chain that used to be in all the malls has now gone and few of the Toyworlds carry models anymore. There’s not a single hobby shop in West Auckland anymore. In other parts of Auckland I may be missing some no doubt, but I don’t know of any truely model dedicated stores apart from the two I already mentioned. The rest of the country I can’t speak of but from what I hear it seems to be a similar situation in most areas.

I went to specialist magazine store not so long ago, they had seventeen different magazines for model railroad enthusiasts, a couple of which were local. They had three model magazines, none of which was local. There were more magazines for RC aeroplanes than for models. Borders which has the best selection of books of any bookshop has a huge history section on all aspects of wars of the twentieth century, but not a single one is a reference book for modelling.

Is all this because we don’t buy them if they’re there, or do we not buy them because they aren’t there to buy ? Is it the chicken or the egg ? Or perhaps the average builder doesn’t read about modelling but rather just builds them. Or has NZ taken to the internet so much so now that we get it all from Amazon and Ebay ?

There’s obviously still plenty of modellers around but I’d hardly call it a thriving industry. I’d actually love to know just how many people in the country call it their hobby. And by that I mean people who do it regularly as a pastime. I never will know of course but don’t you think it would be interesting to know. Maybe when the business is big enough and strong enough I’ll host some kind of model expo like they do in the U.S. and see how many people come.

I’d really like to believe that with all this great stuff coming out that the hobby is in a growth phase, but honestly, at least here in New Zealand it looks to be dying to me.

I blame Playstation.

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No real surprise I suppose with Bronco having their own Valentine Tank kit on the way very soon. Hopefully these are as good as their Matilda tracks.

bronco 3536, Bronco ab3536, Bronco valentine tracks

Lots of mud and what appears to be the remnants of a winter whitewash.

sdkfz 251 colour photo

Well school holidays are over so I guess I better get back to doing a few more reviews. I’m going to concentrate on some older kits and some of the more obscure ones for a few weeks as I’ve found many of these are kits which are hard to find reviews on. Most of the newer sruff is well covered these days so I thought I’d take some time to address a few of the older ones that are still around but don’t have many ( or any ) reviews of them available.

I’ll also fire up some progress shots of the Opel shortly. I didn’t end up being as modified as I thought it would be. Reference photos of DAK truck/flak conversions tended to show that where-ever practical the truck’s cargo bed remained relatively intact, presumably so that it could be converted back to carrying cargo with the removal of the weapon system, so I decided to keep the bed pretty much as is and just added mounting blocks for the mortar base and feet, as well as ammo stowage doubling as seating. So in the end it’s a roofless cabbed Opel with a mortar in the back. It seemed like it would be a lot more involved than that when I started.

Next up is adding zimmerit to a Pz.Kpfw. IV that will end up donating it’s turret to a Panther body and its chassis to a field modified flakpanzer. I’m mainly going to be doing this as a way to try a few different types of putty to see if I can find one that isn’t too messy to work with and doesn’t involve a huge deal of time and effort.

If there’s anything else people think this site needs feel free to sound off.

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THE FOLLOWING IS BOUGHT TO YOU BY CURMUDGEONLY OLD MAN RANTS

( WARNING : Curmudgeonly Old Man Rants contain no added sugar and are seldom fully thought through in advance. They should not be viewed by any persons who drive out of tune diesel vans with “Save The Coromandel” bumper stickers )

Today National announced a backdown on the Mining of State Parks. Fair enough, I don’t really have an opinion either way, but if you were to believe the media it was because they were swayed by the will of the people. All that highlights is the clear indication yet again that the great majority of our media reporting has about as much substance as what comes out of by butt after my morning coffee each day.

The Land-Rights-For-Gay-Whales crowd certainly did their mandatory placard waving and got their desired airtime, but anyone with half a brain knows that the squeaky wheel does not represent the will of the people. The will of the people is, always has been, and always will be “whatever”. Most of the population just didn’t care. I didn’t see throngs of millions choking the street to parliament. The throngs were at home wondering what was for dinner.

But it does media ratings no harm to be seen to be siding with the populist vote, even if they have to actually create an impression that there is a populist vote with which to side themselves before they can then side with it.

And so it is with internet modellers ( you were wondering when I was going to get to the point weren’t you ? ). Manufacturer A announces a particular model and the forums come alive with the “it’s all about me” crowd declaring that they don’t like it, they won’t buy one, Manufacturer A has obviously lost the plot and should burn in hell if they do not immediately produce what Mr. Allaboutme does want. Meanwhile Mr. Whatever goes out, sees it in the shops, buys it, or doesn’t. It’s just another kit in a box to him.

And Manufacturer A promptly ignores them and goes about their business. Because they know that for every Mr Allaboutme there are a hundred others happy in their own little world who really don’t care and will buy what they want, when they want it. Strange as it may seem many, many modellers spend their time modelling with a blissful ignorance of what happens in internetland.

The reality is that a few dozen people on a few dozen forums making a whole heap of noise isn’t going to sway a manufacturer’s decision on what they chose to build. The internet is a void for voices to go unheard but like the tofu-hugging swamp mossie campaigner having an outlet that makes you think your voice will carry further than it does makes you feel like someone is listening. You can even actually convince yourself that they are. They probably aren’t.

But still people seem to think that they should listen to the squeaky wheel. Politicians do it after all. Don’t they ? The media says they do ? Maybe they do listen. Afterall they do have to reapply for their job every three years. Maybe they just offered you a lemon or a grapefruit and didn’t mention you didn’t have to have either.

But whether politicians listen to the squeaky wheel or not Model manufacturers don’t. They don’t have to listen.

If you don’t like something they release leave it for those who do and carry on waiting and hoping for what it is you DO want. But for god’s sake just shut up about it.

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