Archive for June 2010
30
Dragon Models Update : Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. N w/Winterketten Tracks Smart Kit – Built Up Model Photos
0 Comments | Posted by Dean in 3. General Model News
I’m a little bit late in getting these up, but as they say, better late than never. These are photos of the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. N with Winterketten tracks announced by Dragon at the Shizuoka Model show six weeks ago. That’s a nice looking kit.
Comparing these photos it’s clear to see what the real reason for having shurzen on a Sturmgeshutz was. It allows you to stuff on half a dozen more troops.
ON SALE from noon 30.06.10 till noon 01.07.10
Masterbox : Road To The Rear – Normally $34.95 – Sale Price $25.95
One only – first up, best dressed, email us for details
.
Kit No. 35046
Miniart has earned themselves a well deserved reputation when it comes to the quality of their 1/35 scale plastic figure kits, and this set is no exception. The animation of the figures in this set isn’t as exciting as some of their other sets with the ubiquitous ”standing around” look, but they’re very well done and the detail is very good.
The sculpting is very good with good folds to the uniforms, though a little understated, lacking in the smaller folds and creases. They do however have nicely detailed faces and hands, some very good uniform details, including moulded on gorgets, and separate skirts for the greatcoats.
The mouldings are very good with minimal cleanup, the fit as on most figures using seperate legs requires a little filler in and cleanup to completely eliminate the joins once assembled but nothing major. Assembly instructions and a painting guide are provided on the reverse of the box, with assembly being very simple and straight forward.
Two of the figures are wearing the motorcycle rider’s greatcoat, the other three wear M40 field uniforms and all five wear marching boots. Four have a moulded on gorget “dog-chain” which identified the wearer as Feldgendarmerie so that limits the use of these four figures unless these are carved off. The driver gets an overseas cap, the officer a peaked cap, and the other three helmets which will all need the vent holes added.
Equipment is limited to two mapcases, two MP40 triple mag pouches, two Kar98K triple ammo pouches, a gasmask container, and a short shovel in its carrier. Weapons included are a holstered P08 Luger, two Kar 98K rifles, and an MP40 sub-machine gun.
Also included is a rectangular post and six sign boards of varying sizes which all have one pointed end, and printed as part of the instructions there are twelve assorted signs which can be cut out and attached to these. These are all in German with no English translation which might make them confusing for those who don’t have the means to translate them.
The hands in this set are a little different as many of them are separate hands and most of those separate hands are moulded to something else. The figure holding the sign for example has both hands moulded to the sign, another one holds a stop sign, one holds an axe, and two hold identity papers or similar.
This is one of Miniart’s slightly older sets ( and by that a I mean a few years old as opposed to a few decades ), and the sculpting isn’t quite as good as I’ve seen on some of their newest sets, but it is still very good and on an equal with any other figure set produced in this manner. This isn’t the most exciting action oriented set but it does provide a lot of useful diorama scenarios as well as a driver who can be used in pretty much any vehicle setting.
Click thumbnails to enlarge images.
Kit No. 35078
Miniart has certainly raised the bar when it comes to the quality of 1/35 scale plastic figure kits, and this set of a British/Commonwealth tank crew, which is one of their newest, provides you with some very nice figures indeed, not to mention filling a long absent niche in 1/35 scale plastic figure sets.
The sculpting is excellent with good folds to the uniforms, very nicely detailed faces and hands, extremely good uniform fittings, including moulded on pistol lanyards, and good poses. The mouldings are very good with minimal cleanup, the fit as on most figures using seperate legs requires a little filler in and cleanup to completely eliminate the joins once assembled but nothing major.
Assembly instructions and a painting guide are provided on the reverse of the box, with assembly of course being very simple ,with only the base figures to put together without any weapons or equipment other than holstered pistols.
All four wear the denim tank suit that was also worn by other armoured vehicle crews, as well as Engineers and Artillery crews so you aren’t limited to using these soley as a tank crew. Three of the figures come with berets, two of which are moulded on. The other two have separate tanker helmets, and one figure also wears the long leather jerkin. The jerkin is very well done but could use a little undercut relief scribed in around the bottom of the skirt. The uniforms and pistol holsters date them to 1944 onwards so these would be suitable in any ETO scene after the landings at Normandy.
All five figures come with a holstered pistol, four of which are the drop-leg style with a long thigh strap and a leg belt, the fifth being the usual Mk I style holster with the flap cover, and just mounts directly to the web belt. The four open style holsters have the ammo loops on the front and a nicely done pistol butt, although it does seem a little thin to me. There are also four small ammo pouches included. One figure also has a compass moulded into one hand and comes with a separate mapboard.
There are two sets of googles provided for use with the helmets and a third pair moulded to the beret of the figure with the moustache. These all have solid plastic lenses so you will need to drill them out and fabricate your own clear lenses if you are so inclined. One of the beret wearing figures also has a headset strap moulded across his beret with separate headphone muffs, while one of the helmeted figures also gets the earpieces but no headstrap. You will of course need to add your own wires for both.
Once again Miniart have shown that the well sculpted faces and uniforms normally associated with resin figures are possible in plastic kits and this set is another very good one. Although titled as a ”British” tank crew these figures can easily be adapted to pretty much any commonwealth armour in the ETO post D-Day, as well as artillery crews, so if you have a Sherman, Firefly, Churchill, Cromwell or similar that needs a crew then these are definitely worth getting.
Click thumbnails to enlarge images.
ON SALE from noon 29.06.10 till noon 30.06.10
Tamiya Cromwell Mk IV Tank – Normally $59.95 – Sale Price $49.95
One only – first up, best dressed, email us for details
.
German tanks advancing through an open dale in France in 1940. It’s interesting to see the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. D alongside the smaller Pz.Kpfw. II and Pz.Kpfw. 38(t).
28
Kit Review : Dragon Sd.Kfz. 166 Stu.Pz.IV “Brummbar” Mid Production w/Zimmerit 2-IN-1
0 Comments | Posted by Dean in 4. All Reviews
Kit No. 6500
The Sturmpanzer IV was never actually known during the war as the “Brummbar”, that came later on. But that aside the Sturmpanzer IV was one of that small breed of assault guns that fell somewhere between the Sturmgeschutz and the Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger. It mounted a 150mm gun in a superstructure mounted on a Pz.Kpfw. IV chassis and used a four man crew ( increasing to five in the late version ) but suffered from being overweight, underpowered and underarmed. This version from Dragon is a Mid-Production version produced from December 1943 to mid-1944 and as such would have received a factory application of Zimmerit, so Dragon has included moulded on Zimmerit in this kit.
This kit comes in a tray and lid type box on twelve medium to large sized sprues, and another seven small sprues. All the sprues together with the separate hull tub, casement and engine deck are moulded in light grey. There is also two small clear sprues, one photo-etched brass fret, one length of picture frame wire for making the cables, one small bag of magic tracks, two photo-etched sets of shurzen, two DS vinyl single length tracks, a sheet of decals, and the instructions. The instructions can be a little confusing and require a bit of attention be paid to make sure everything goes where it should. You also get the 2-IN-1 option with the choice to build this as a command version so decide which version you’re building first and check the instructions thoroughly.
The moulding, as we’ve come to expect from Dragon, is extremely good with nice clean parts and sharp detail. Much use is made by Dragon these days of slide moulding to eliminate mould seams and give the greatest level of depth and detail. Cleanup is therefore pretty much limited to the location points with the sprues though there are some large injector pin knockout marks on some of the larger inner surfaces.
The lower hull is a slide-moulded one-piece tub which includes detail such as bolt head detail on the bottom and fine zimmerit reproduction on the sides. The suspension pairs have the spring and spring arms moulded as one piece so these would be quite difficult to articulate if you wanted to do so as it would require almost a complete rebuild of the suspension assembly.
The roadwheels are made of two halves with a separate hub, each and both they and the return rollers feature the CONTINENTAU brand name on the sidewalls. This allows Dragon to get around the CONTINENTAL trademark and the modeller to remove the last upright on th “U” to turn it into the correct name if desired. There are two optional sets of Idlers, one that represents the earlier cast version, the other the later pressed steel which include two photo-etched inner rings.
The tracks are Dragon’s DS ( Dragon Styrene ) vinyl one piece tracks and although these are very good looking tracks they do still lack the proper sag along the top run that is seen on German tank tracks. Personally I still prefer the individual link tracks for the right fit and the right look.
The upper hull is made up of the large forward casement together with the rear engine deck and separate fenders which attach to the lower hull assembly. The tools have moulded on clamps that still look very good, and the tow cables are made up using moulded eyes together with the included picture frame wire which results in very good looking cables. The separate engine deck includes separate hatches with photo-etched internal louvers and some very nice, delicate detail on the rear plate.
The casement again is a separate slide moulded part and is covered in very nice moulded zimmerit. The roof plate is a also a separate part and includes very bolt head and hinge details. The rear access hatches, commander’s hatches, and the loader’s gun shield and hatch covers are all separate parts, and the hatches include very good internal detail. The loader also gets an excellent slide-moulded Gen2 MG34 machine gun that includes a separate receiver cover. The commander’s hatch has the bullet deflectors in front of it as well as a full scissors telescope with its internal mount. The sliding periscope cover is moulded in the open position so you get no choices there, and the rails on this need the undercut detail scribed in.
The gun barrel is a single slide moulded piece and comes with a very well detailed breech, as well as a section of floor with tread plate to mount it on, that gives you a moderate degree of interior to be seen if you choose to leave any of the hatches open. Though with the hatches on the rear of the casement open the lack of any other interior is quite evident. Nice as the barrel is the size of it does also make the lack of rifling quite apparent too. The large ball shaped mantlet is also slide-molded and includes a very fine weld bead where the tube joins the ball.
The shurzen that is included is optional and you’ll need to open up the holes in the hull for the mounting arms if you choose to use it. The skirts are provided in photo etch sections, with the mounting arms, rails and hangers all moulded in plastic, so the rails look a little thicker than they should do but the skirts look very good, having a much more scale thickness appearance than injection moulded versions.
The decals and painting guide provide options for four vehicles – Stu.Pz.Abt.216., Italy 1944 ( Command Vehicle ) : Stu.Pz.Abt.216., Italy 1944 : Stu.Pz.Abt.216., s.H.Pz.Jg.Rgt.656, Ponyri 1943 : Pz.Div. “Schleisen”, Frankfurt 1945.
This is a first rate kit that can be built straight from the box into a beautiful model. It probably isn’t for beginners due to the high number of parts, but this is a very nice looking kit and the zimmerit is very well done and looks the part, so the finished result is well worth the time and effort to get there.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.
ON SALE from noon 28.06.10 till noon 29.06.10
Masterbox U.S. Machine Gunners – Normally $16.95 – Sale Price $11.95
Two only – first up, best dressed, email us for details
.
28
This Would Make An Interesting Scratchbuild For A Small Diorama
0 Comments | Posted by Dean in Other
A mock-up T34 with German troops practicing catching a lift.
The first one looks to be on rails where-as this one is on a car or truck chassis.
27
Kit Review : Tamiya German Soldiers With Bicycles
0 Comments | Posted by Dean in 4. All Reviews
Kit No. 35240
As far as I’m aware this is the only 1/35 scale plastic kit of German troops riding bicycles around, which is rather surprising considering how often you see them in war time photos, even if they were probably just cycling around some nice country lanes in France. In fact, like buses, bicycles were widely used, but we see neither with any decent form of representation in kit form.
This set comes in the usual small open ended Tamiya box, on three sprues moulded in darkish grey, two which are both the same holding the bikes and two figures, the other holding two optional figures, as you actually get four figures in this set, which is not something mentioned anywhere on the box. They are the usual Tamiya quality of finish, no flash, and clear sharp mouldings, though there are some heavier than usual mould seams to remove. At 50mm tall these scale out at 175cm tall ( 5 foot 9 ), which is an improvement over some Tamiya kits which are often criticised for having figures who were too small.
The bikes are each made up of six parts and overall are very well done with nice clean, sharply moulded parts which are quite delicate in places. One major downside is that the front wheel is moulded as part of the bike so if you want it to be shown turned you will need to cut it free and reposition it, though this is a very, very simple thing to do. As nice as these are there is still room for improvement though and the inexpensive Lion Roar Photo-Etch set really makes these bikes look brilliant.
Two of the four figures are standing figures which are both the same and both moulded as an almost complete figure with just one arm to add. The other two figures are the more usual six piece ones posed in riding positions. Three wear the M43 field uniform, though the two standing ones have the wrong number of buttons, with low boots and gaiters, while the fourth wears the M40 blouse with marching boots. Whilst the detail is sharp the folds and creases are a little heavy, lacking the smaller, more delicate folds and falls. The two riding figures also come with moulded on Kar 98K ammunition pouches which are a little lacking in depth definition and a little bit wrong in the lower edge profile.
The faces and hands are well done, with three of the figures having bare heads and the other the option of a helmet or an M43 field cap. The hair on the bareheaded figures isn’t terrible but could use a little better definition and all three do suffer from having a prominent mould seam running ear to ear across the centre of the head. The boots on the riding figures also lack sole detail, which should ideally be added as the soles are visible, particularly on the raised leg.
You do get plenty of spare equipment with these as besides the two Kar 98k rifles you get four bread bags, two helmets, six canteens, six gas mask containers, two mess tins and two short shovels in carriers with attached bayonets. The rifles and equipment are all sharply moulded with good detail.
These are a very nice little addition that adds a bit of interesting character to a diorama. The figures can use a little improved on and the bikes really will benefit with the addition of a Photo-etch set, but even straight from the box they still make up into a very nice looking set.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.
Kit No. 35510
Miniart do an extensive range of full, partial, and destroyed buildings in vacuum formed plastic mouldings as well as a number of diorama bases that accomodate one or two of said buildings. This kit is one of their simpler offerings and one of the few complete and intact buildings, portraying a small stone and tile village house, ostensibly set in France, though it could be used in many European settings.
The building kit consists of forty three vacuum formed parts for the building plus two matching grey spures and one small white sprue of injection moulded building accessories, and two more grey sprues that contain street lamps and guttering pipes. All this builds up into a small four walled building with two windows and a door on one side, two windows on the reverse side, a single window at one end and a chimney at the other, with an internal fireplace included for the chimney.
The building accessory sprues contain parts such as the doors and doorframes, window frames, window shutters, wall mounted lanterns, and sections of fence, and are all very nicely moulded and require minimal clean-up, with the scrolled ironwork panels requiring the most attention. The lamp and pipe sprues have a bit of flashing and require a bit more clean-up but otherwise are still nicely detailed.
Assembly of the building is very straight forward with the instructions, which are printed on high grade glossy paper, being clear and easy to follow. There is a degree of skill required in assembling the building parts as the pieces need to be removed by scribing and snapping, rather than cutting, to get clean edges, and once they are glued together they require a bit of filler and clean up to eliminate all sign of the joint line. Experience working with vacu-formed kits would definitely be an advantage.
A collection of fifteen French commercial posters is included, printed on the rear of the instructions, which can be cut out and attached to the building if desired, though personally I’m not sure how useful commercial posters are on a private house but they are there none-the-less and if not used with this kit will make useful additions to the spares box.
This is a very nice little building that can really add a whole new dimension to a diorama. One of the things I particularly like about this particular building kit is that it represents a full building, and doesn’t represent a bomb damaged building as so many building kits do. Once you’re perfected the technique for cutting the parts from the backing this is a simple, easy kit to build and looks very nice once completed.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge images.
27
Dear Mister Manufacturer, I Would Like A 1/35 Scale Bus Please
0 Comments | Posted by Dean in 5. Articles
One of the things that the Wehrmacht used to move troops around, especially in the early years, was buses. You couldn’t really expect your troops to all walk from Berlin to Paris, and trucks were more suited to carrying heavy loads of equipment, so buses were the ideal option, and there’s plenty of wartime photos of buses in use in every theatre of the war.
So I would really like a decent 1/35 scale bus with a full interior, preferably to include twenty to thirty seated troops with all their gear stowed on the roof. Seems like a simple enough request. And if you want to throw in an optional radio command interior as well I won’t complain. Oh yes, and a complete engine. Not that I’m being demanding but hey it’s like going to see Santa, he can only down-grade your request but if you aim low you can’t then go back and say “well you agreed to the PS3 too easily so how about I add in a 60 inch Plasma to play it on ?”
Actually I don’t think a bus is a completely stupid request. The old Ironside one is still around but it needs a lot of work, so I figure someone out there must be willing to take the punt on a decent Wehrmacht bus that can be used as either a troop transport, a command base, of a mobile canteen. I’d buy all three, and probaly several of each.
I’d like to think I’m not the wierd odd one out that likes the one thing nobody else likes. I’d like to think that just as there are plenty of people out there who would build a World War One tank if a decent one were avaialable ( and before you go pointing your stubby little digets at the Ermar keep in mind I did specify “decent” ), that there are also plenty of people out there who would build the obscure pre-war and early war vehicles, the support softskins and the ancilary vehicles that sort of helped it all happen but never got the limelight. I just think no manufacturer has ever really taken the punt on the fringe support vehicles of World War Two.
So when you’ve made me my bus I’ll have a armoured 1935 vintage artillery tractor and a Magirus Achtradfahrzeug please.
ON SALE from noon 27.06.10 till noon 28.06.10
Italeri Bofors 40mm Anti Aircraft Gun – Normally $52.95 – Sale Price $39.95
One only – first up, best dressed, email us for details
.
26
This Is Why You Should Always Leave Sufficient Following Space
0 Comments | Posted by Dean in Other
Hope he was insured.
