Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
A themed issue
commemorating the
75th Anniversary of
these decisive World
War Two battles
100
PA
GE
ISSUE
El Alamein
Special Panzer
The short barrelled Panzer IV
British M3 Grant
The General in North Africa
Sturmpanzer II Bison
D.A.K. Panzerkampwagen II (Sf)
Ausf.F1(F) in action
31st March 2017
MODELLING GROUP
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34 Desert Gossip
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Marmon-Herrington in service with the Afrika Korps
in Libya 1942 by Robert Blokker
48
40 Second-hand Swallow
Chris Lloyd-Staples presents his 1/35
www.facebook.com/MilitaryModelling Tasca Sherman II
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62
62 Italiano
Stand Easy...
Self-Propelled 68
W
Automotive elcome to a Special version of
in North Africa Military Modelling Volume 47,
Italian Italeri Semovente Issue 4 which on this occasion
M40 da 75/18 focusses on the 75th Anniversary of the
by Mark Bannerman Battles of El Alamein. As we all know,
it was a crucial, tide-turning campaign
68 Matildas which saw the Allies suddenly step from
last Waltz the back foot to the front. Traditionally an
Tamiyas 1/48 Queen of the Desert, AFV Special slot, I thought it would make
the Matilda II by Chris Meddings a change to concentrate on a particular
event and, with 100 pages to play with, I
74 Dirty Diana have taken advantage of the extra space
7.62cm FK 296(r) auf 5t Zugkraftwagen 74 to present you with 13 quality articles by
Sd.Kfz.6 Diana by a range of authors, some familiar and a
Ivan Momcilovic Momcha couple new. I realise that this may seem a
little early to some with regard to the dates
80 British Tank Commander of the two Battles of El Alamein but, all
Sovereign 2000 miniatures 1/9th scale being well, I also may be able to create a
resin bust by Adrian Hopwood second special in the slot that was once
occupied by the Euromilitaire Special this
82 Sturmpanzer II Bison coming November.
The 15cm sIG 33 Auf Fahrgestell
Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf) Even with a mag this size there is so
by Ivan Momcilovic Momcha much more I wanted to include such as
the artillery, the multiple soft-skins and
diverse range of armoured cars, half-tracks
and light vehicles that were involved in the
82 colossal toing and froing conflict which,
by the time it had come to an end, had
lasted for nearly three years. In that time,
the Axis forces had dominated the bulk of
Europe and North Africa and by the end
80 were retreating and defending on all fronts.
It really was one of the most important
theatres of war during the Second World
War and the sacrifice made by British,
Australian, New Zealand, South African,
Indian and Greek troops, not to mention
the equally high losses for the German and
Italian forces, should never be overlooked.
Regular Features
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The Battles of
Divisions being ordered to pierce the 8th Army lines
between the El Alamein box and Deir el Abyad. The
90th Light would then turn north to the coast, trapping
El Alamein
all Allied forces while the Panzer Divisions would attack
XIII Corps from the rear. Two Italian divisions would
follow the 90th Light into the El Alamein box while
the Italian XX Corps would attack the Qattara box. The
133rd Armoured Division Littoria and several German
reconnaissance units would cover the right flank. All
was set, but the battle did not begin well for Rommel
Turning the tide in the North African desert because the 90th Light were 15 miles short of their
start point and the 21st Panzer was stranded in the
desert without fuel.
ABOVE: One of the most effective
artillery pieces in the British Army
The first Battle of El Alamein
inventory was the Ordnance QF (July 1-27, 1942)
25-pounder seen here during the
opening barrage of the Second Battle El Alamein was little more than a railway station on Rommel attacks
of El Alamein on October 23, 1942. the coast of Northern Egypt. Ten miles to the south The Axis attack began at 0300hrs on July 1, when the
was the low Ruweisat Ridge which was an excellent 90th Light advanced east only to discover that they had
observation position and a further 20 miles south travelled too far north which exposed them to the guns
was the Qattara Depression. This natural terrain was of 1st South African Division. The 15th and 21st Panzer
the British Armys line of defence and, if Rommel Divisions had fared no better; a fierce sandstorm and
wanted to outflank them, he would have to travel attacks by the RAF had hindered their progress. The
across the Sahara. This area had been surveyed divisions managed to advance to Deir el Shein where
as a key defensive position long before the war they were halted by 18th Indian Infantry, supported
began and part of the region was already prepared by nine Matildas, 23 25-pdrs and 16 anti-tank guns.
with boxes of dug-outs surrounded by minefields With the element of surprise erased, the German
and barbed wire. Three boxes were created, the attack began at 1000hrs and it took them the whole
strongest of them at El Alamein, another part-built day to overrun the defenders who had bravely bought
BELOW: The Italian forces featured at Bab el Qattara and a third close to the Qattara Auchinleck enough time to bolster his defences at
prominently during both battles of El Depression at Naq Abu Dweis. Ruweisat. Meanwhile, the 90th Light had negotiated
Alamein. This pair is serving with the
Bersaglieri (Light Infantry Marksmen) Gen. Auchinleck (C-in-C Middle East Command) the El Alamein box but was now pinned down under a
during the First Battle of El Alamein. was confident that he could halt Rommel at El barrage from the South Africans.
The next day, the 90th Light again tried to make
progress against the South Africans but failed, forcing
Rommel to re-position his panzer units to the east
of Ruweisat in support of the infantry. Under the
command of Brig. Waller, the Royal Artillery of 10th
Indian Infantry Division held their ground on Ruweisat,
buying further time before 4th and 22nd Armoured
Brigades arrived to take on the 15th and 22nd Panzer.
This extra armour enabled the Allies to further reinforce
Ruweisat that night and further attacks from the air
kept the Axis forces at bay.
On July 3, the attack continued, bolstered to the
south by the Italian XX Motorised Corps while the
Italian X Corps held El Mreir. The panzer divisions were
down to 26 tanks (from 55) and no closer to breaking
www.militarymodelling.com 11
History
LEFT: Making use of any vehicle you could lay your hands
was no more prevalent than during the North African
Campaign. This is an example of a captured Ford F15
converted by the Germans to carry a 2cm Flak 30 cannon.
www.o5m6.de
www.militarymodelling.com
History
www.militarymodelling.com 15
History
which carried out four attacks against Thompsons defence, Rommel had positioned a Panzergrenadier
Post. The fighting was brutal and close quarter but Regiment to strengthen the Trieste Division with over
the Australians never gave an inch. 100 German and 65 Italian tanks at his disposal.
On November 1, Rommel continued to hit the The operation began with the RAF bombing the
Australians with everything he had but they would area around Tel el Aqqaqir and Sidi Abd el Rahman
not budge. It was more bad news for Rommel when for almost seven hours followed by a four and half
two more supply ships were sunk off Tobruk and the hour-long barrage. The 151st and 152nd Infantry set
only fuel being received was being flown in from out at 0105hrs on November 2 and, in contrast to
Crete. Rommel was planning for a retreat with the 90 previous efforts, had achieved their objectives on
tanks he had left compared to the Allies 800 plus. time and with minimal loss. The 28th (Maori) achieved
its objectives on the right-hand side of the main
attack while 133rd Lorried achieved the same on
Operation Supercharge (Phase 4) the left. Meanwhile, 9th Armoured set out from El
This phase of the battle was designed to destroy Alamein railway station at 2000hrs on November
enemy armour by forcing them out into the open 1 with 130 tanks and, by the time it had arrived at
and disrupting and destroying enemy supplies. The the start line of the operation, it was down to 94.
ABOVE: Montgomery accepts the objective of Operation Supercharge was Tel el Aqqaqir, At 0615hrs, slightly behind schedule, the three
surrender of Gen. Wilhelm von Thoma located three miles northwest of the Kidney shaped regiments of 9th Armoured began their advance.
on November 4, 1942. area positioned on the Rahman lateral track. With the sun at their backs, the Allied tanks were
The operation would be performed by the 2nd New visible to the defending German guns and Italian
Zealand Division under the command of Lt. Gen cannons. As the attack unfolded, a number of German
Sir Freyberg. The division would also have the 151st tanks managed to slip between the advancing
(Durham) Brigade (50th Division), 152nd (Seaford and Warwickshire and Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, causing
Camerons) Brigade (51st Division), 133rd Royal Sussex many casualties. The Axis guns also began to account
Lorried Infantry Brigade and 9th Armoured Brigade under for a number of Allied tanks but momentum was on
its command, in addition to its own 5th New Zealand their side and in a short space of time approximately 35
Infantry Brigade and 28th (Maori) Infantry Battalion. enemy guns had been destroyed and a large number
The plan, which was very similar to Lightfoot, was of prisoners taken. However, this had come at great
for 151st and 152nd Infantry to advance and clear a cost and 9th Armoured were down to just 24 tanks
path through the minefields for the supporting 8th (many more were recoverable) by the end of the action
and 50th RTR. Through these paths, the 9th Armoured, and 230 crew had been killed.
BELOW: The Commanding Officer of backed up by a heavy barrage, would crack open the The 9th Armoured was almost wiped out trying to
the 8th Army in North Africa, Gen.
Bernard Montgomery surveys the Axis defence followed by 1st Armoured Division which achieve its objective and once the dust had settled
battlefield from a M3 Grant. would push on and attack Rommels reserves. In the gap it needed to create for 1st Armoured to pass
through was still not there. When 1st Armoured began
to deploy, it collected the remains of 9th Armoured
while behind, 2nd Armoured Brigade arrived and, a
few hours later, 8th Armoured Brigade joined the
fray and, as one, the British armour advanced in a
south westerly direction. Further heavy fighting soon
followed and, at 1100hrs, the remnants of the 15th
and 21st Panzer and the Littorio Divisions carried out a
counter-attack against 1st Armoured and what was left
of 9th Armoured. Well dug in and with a wall of anti-tank
guns supported by artillery and good air support, the
Axis counter failed and 100 enemy tanks lay strewn
across the desert.
By late afternoon on November 2, 133rd Lorried and
151st Infantry attacked Snipe and Skinflint. Assisted
by a heavy artillery barrage, what few defenders of the
Trieste Division that were left were quickly dispersed
and the area which would form a base for future
operations, was captured, with minimal casualties.
On the night of November 2, Montgomery took
the opportunity to re-organise and refresh his forces
ready for the next stage of the attack. The 5th Indian, 5th
Phase 5
Rommel was now forced to withdraw to Fuka.
Montgomery attacked again at 1745hrs on November
3 when 152nd Infantry, supported by 8th RTR, advanced
two miles south of Tel el Aqqaqir. The objective was the
Rahman track which 5th Indian Infantry Brigade would
attack during the small hours of November 4 and, at
0615hrs, 154th Infantry Brigade would hit Tel el Aqqaqir.
This three pronged attack met with varying resistance By November 7, 1st and 7th Armoured were ABOVE: British soldiers and airmen
show off a couple of souvenirs
so initially the infantry fell short of their objectives and completely static thanks to heavy rain and a lack of including a German sign warning of
were forced to dig in. However, by the time the 5th fuel. The 10th Armoured were in a better position on unexploded ordnance.
Indian began its advance the defensive positions had the coastal road and managed to push on to Mersa
been vacated and the objective was achieved with Matruh, while the infantry cleared the road to the
virtually no casualties. west of Galal. 80 miles west of Mersa Matruh lays
On November 4, it was time to begin chasing Sidi Barrani and it was here that Rommel planned
the enemy down, the plan being for the 1st and 7th to fight a delaying action which would give the
Armoured Divisions to head north while Freybergs remainder of his retreating forces time to travel
2nd New Zealand Division would advance west to an through the passes at Halfya and Sollum. The Axis
escarpment above Fuka. The plan did not begin well forces held Sidi Barrani until late on November
and the New Zealand Division found itself bogged 9 while the New Zealand Division continued to
down in a number of minefields and it was not until push west towards Sollum the following evening.
dark that it reached the Rahman track. At the same time, 4th Light Armoured Brigade
The 1st and 7th Armoured did not advance as quickly were positioned at the foot of Halfya Pass and 7th
as hoped either and their plan to encircle the 90th Light Armoured swung south and prepared to attack Fort
was halted by stiff Axis resistance. The remains of the Capuzzo and Sidi Azeiz. On November 11, the final
21st Panzer held up 1st Armoured up for most of the day day of the battle, 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade
while 7th Armoured was halted by the Ariete Armoured poured into the Halfya Pass and took over 600
Division which was wiped out as a result. Italian prisoners.
November 4 also saw the demise of the Littorio By the end of play on November 11, 1942, the
Armoured and Trieste Motorised Divisions while the Egyptian border area was finally declared clear of
remains of the Bologna and Trento Divisions tried Axis forces and Churchill had finally been presented
desperately to fight their way out of El Alamein. with the victory that he had been craving for so
Again it was obvious to Rommel that all was lost; long. It finally showed the world that the German
many of the Italian units were now abandoned and the war machine could be beaten. The North African
situation for the Axis forces continued to deteriorate Campaign would drag on until May 1943 but this BELOW: Rommel at the head of his
troops, specifically the 15th Panzer
when 1st Armoured steered towards El Daba and 7th really was a major turning point in the Second World Division, after retreating into Libya in
Armoured advanced towards Galal, 15 miles further War for the Allies. November 1942.
west. Only the New Zealanders were prevented from
reaching their objective by the 15th Panzer who caught
the Kiwis tip toeing through a minefield which turned
out to be a dummy.
On November 5, 7th Armoured was ordered to head
for the coastal road at Sidi Haneish and 1st Armoured to
move from a position west of El Daba to Bir Khalda, 80
miles west of the Rahman track and then cut through
the road at Mersa Matruh. Neither move worked,
7th Armoured ended the day 20 miles short and 1st
Armoured ran out of fuel on November 6, 16 miles from
Bir Khalda. At 1100hrs on November 6, two armoured
regiments of 1st Armoured were refuelled, only to run
out again 30 miles southwest of Mersa Matruh.
The 2nd New Zealand Division managed to advance
nearer to Sidi Haneish and 10th Armoured Brigade
arrived west of Galal to take over the airfield and
escarpment at Fuka. The 7th Armoured ran into the
21st Panzer and Voss Reconnaissance Group, 15
miles southwest of Sidi Haneish during the morning
of November 6. The 21st Panzer lost 16 tanks and a
number of guns before making their escape during the
evening towards Mersa Matruh.
www.militarymodelling.com 17
AFV
Special Panzer
Dragon 1/35 8./Pz.Rgt. 8, 15th Panzer Division, Panzer IV f1 (f) by Mark Chisholm
ABOVE: The authors completed model
placed into a North African scenic
Introduction armour for tank on tank engagements the Germans
setting courtesy of Photoshop.
At the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein in could muster. However, the short barrelled Panzer
1942, the legendary Afrika Korps, the force that IV was still being used in the role of infantry support
had been commanded by General Feld Marshal and the latest version was designated the Ausf.
Erwin Rommel as the scourge of the Desert Rats, F1(F) and was marked by the fact that the armour
comprised approximately 443 armoured units. The thickness was increased to 50mm at the front and
15th Panzer Division had been fighting as an integral 30mm on the sidewalls, increasing its weight to
component of the Deutsches Afrikakorps since over 22 tonnes. This necessitated a wider track in
1941. At this time the primary tank remained the order to spread the increased weight over a larger
Panzer III J with the 50mm gun as the only mobile area and therefore slightly altered running gear. This
armoured component able to take on the British subject interested me as it was the last appearance
Matildas with their thick frontal armour. Also at of the Panzer IV in the guise of an infantry support
BELOW: The nearly complete model this time was the appearance of the new Panzer IV tank and the second Battle of El Alamein was
from Dragon, not the photo etch air
intake louvres and fine detail on these special as the British designated the long barrelled largely an infantry battle.
Smart Kits. 75mm armament, which was the most effective
Construction
I chose the Dragon rendering of the Pz IV f1 (f) in
the SmartKit production series number 6315. This
is a very straightforward project that can be nearly
completed using just what is in the box.
Construction as normal starts with the lower hull
and suspension; the model benefits from highly
detailed slide moulded single piece lower hull and
turret. I started adding extra detail consisting of
photo etch to represent the chain that keeps the
front and rear toe pins from being lost.
I recommend being very thorough in the
clean-up; in particular the upper hull parts
which all layer together and interface in a
very precise manner. I found it best to
have all the parts removed from the
sprue and to dry fit all the pieces to
ABOVE LEFT: Details of the armoured visors and crew hatches; these were deliberately posed open and ajar to give the model a feeling of animation. ABOVE RIGHT: The very simple
modification to the standard kit was the addition of a plastic strip to represent the retaining bar (a field modification) to enable external storage of the water carriers (Jerry Cans).
BELOW LEFT: Karaya brass cable was used to substitute the kits springy steel wire. The recovery tow cable is posed as if ready for action by draping it out along the fenders
to affect more rapid battlefield recovery in the event of combat damage or mechanical breakdown. BELOW RIGHT: Super detailing of the tow pins was achieved using photo
etched fine chain to depict this detail.
www.militarymodelling.com 19
AFV
ABOVE LEFT: The many pioneer tools that adorn the German Panzers require detail paint work. I use the Vallejo acrylic colour Chocolate brown as a base colour for some
of the tools applied using a fine brush. ABOVE RIGHT: To begin the weathering steps and overall application of a filter will unify the paint work. I used the Mig Ammo
enamel Brown for Desert Yellow filter and a broad brush to apply the filter.
www.militarymodelling.com 21
AFV
ABOVE LEFT: At this stage I felt the model was to light in tone. In order to create more depth and a shift in tone to better represent the Afrika Corps camouflage colour I
used oil paints that were applied as filters and blended with a very small amount of white spirit. ABOVE RIGHT: I made a mix of burnt umber and shadow brown oil paints
with white spirit as a solvent. Using a fine brush this wash is applied in the shadow detail areas and recesses of the model in order to accent the panels etc.
RIGHT: The lower hull and suspension components are weathered using different mediums. I tend to use
pigments in this case several pigments including Mig Ammo Middle East Dust are
applied dry to the lower hull and fixed with pigment fixer.
ABOVE LEFT: The links are joined together using lengths of supplied copper wire that have been trimmed to the correct size. I use a pair of needle nose pliers in order to
insert the track pins. ABOVE RIGHT: Cyanoacrylate (super glue) is carefully applied to the pin end to fix the pins into position. The super glue will wick into the drilled holes
and only a small amount is necessary.
LEFT: After the super glue has set I use
a pair of fine snips (in this case some
older Tamiya sprue cutters) to trim the
excess track pin wire.
ABOVE: In preparation
for the dust effects, I once
again applied a layer of
chipping fluid via airbrush
to the model.
www.militarymodelling.com 23
AFV
RIGHT: An overall view of the model with completion of the weathering effects.
All that remains are the final assembly of the tracks and some final touches.
ABOVE: The final touch I used Mig ammo streaking rust effects both out of the bottle and also slightly
diluted with thinner. The exhaust and some of the pioneer tools received a light application of this wash.
www.militarymodelling.com 25
AFV
BELOW: The lower hull was built as per the instructions. I affixed the wheels without using glue so that I could reach the rubber on the wheels when it was time to paint.
The Model
I have had the Tamiya Grant in my collection of
unbuilt models for many years and, although it is
inaccurate, I managed to accumulate a plethora of
add-ons and after-market offerings to correct the
model. Then Academy announced the release of a
M3 Grant. I made the purchase and realized that the
Academy offering also had quite a few inaccuracies
although not to the extent of the Tamiya model.
The most significant Academy deficiency was the
size of the roadwheel bogies. Fortunately, Academy
re-released the M3 Grant, however, this time with
a set of revised bogies and a few other details to
correct the original release most of which had to
do with interior layout. I purchased both the original
and the revised kits and chose to work with the
updated version. The newer Academy offering, kit
13228, of the Grant is moulded in light grey styrene,
with nine parts trees, including a MiniArt sprue with
five figures from their British Tank Crew release.
The real bonus on the Academy model is the highly
detailed interior that is provided. Almost half of the
model parts are dedicated to the interior. If you are
an interior lover, this is an amazing model with loads
of options.
The construction was relatively straightforward
and I followed the instructions. A few details that
I really liked along the way in the assembly were
the fine casting numbers, the very nicely detailed
rivets, the excellent fit of the parts, little flash and
casting texture. Although the parts in the Academy
kit are very nice, I did have an aftermarket ABM
Grant update which I decided to use - not because
of any issues in the Academy kit but because I had
it and was anxious to use it. The ABM series is out
of production but can still be found on E-bay. Again,
I would have been happy to work with the Academy included in the model are not correct as they are the ABOVE: A damaged Grant in North
Africa. Careful examination under the
turret and details that are included but I figured that padded type. The Grant typically sported the T54E1 dust will reveal the outline contouring
I would use the ABM as I would probably never use type tracks and, although I have the set of plastic the darker camouflage pattern.
it otherwise. tracks from Bronco, I opted to use the DML DS set (Photo source unknown)
I did not deck out the interior as much as included in the DML British Sherman MK III model.
instructed and only used the basics. I was not I really do like these tracks. The DS type tracks are
planning on opening any hatches so spending an made of a rubbery plastic and provide excellent BELOW: The idle and sprocket were not
glued until the very end of the painting
enormous of time on the interior was not worth detail. It removes the painstaking exercise of putting process. The ABM resin replacement
the time. However, if one were planning to open together 168 separate tracks that can come in two for the turret and bins.
up the side and top hatches, the visual into the
tank from the side and above is quite wide
so well worth doing the interior for that
purpose. The model could be built in a
few evenings although it took me five
years to complete it! The vinyl tracks
www.militarymodelling.com 27
AFV
www.militarymodelling.com 29
AFV
point because I would save that for the last step before
the weathering. Once the basecoat was thoroughly
dry, it was time for the camouflage pattern. I started
by drawing out the pattern in Vallejo White 70951. I
kept the line thin and, because of the liquid nature of
Vallejo paints, it was necessary to go over the lines
with a second coat. With the pattern drawn out (and
apologies for no step-by-step photos on this part),
I then painted in the brown using Vallejo Chocolate
Brown 70872. I tried as much as possible to emulate
the tone of the colours of the Bovington Grant. This
required two layers of brown being painted inside the
white lines to eliminate all of the streaks. The brown
was painted within the white boundaries leaving a thin
and consistent white line still showing. This does take
time so patience is really important. With the white
outline and solid brown camouflage pattern painted
in, I then used a Faber-Castell artist Pen (size B) to
draw in a black line separating the white and brown.
It is a bit tricky and very hard to keep it consistent
with the white and black lines having the same width.
ABOVE: The Bovington Grant in a four-colour camouflage scheme.
Although the scheme on the Bovington Grant is very
RIGHT: Two coats of the base colour were necessary. straight and consistent, wartime photos actually show
One needs to ensure all of
the primer is covered these lines to be far more jagged and haphazard when
because there are many crevices that an painted on with some areas having no black lines at
airbrush cannot reach on a first passing.
all. This scheme was applied in the field by the crew
with crude brushes so I realized that having super
straight and very consistent lines was not quite an
accurate representation of what I could see in the
wartime photographs. I did make every effort to
keep the lines consistent but I was not over-zealous
trying to make these white and black lines exactly
perfect. Once the brown, black and white were
down, I did do some touch ups to ensure that
there were no errors or omissions.
I added some transfers from a spares
box to depict a Grant serving with the 22
Armoured Brigade which would have had
the 7th Armoured Division Red Jerboa. Units
were 2 R Gloucester Hussars, 3 CLY and 4 CLY
with Arms-of Service of 40, 86 and 67 respectively.
My thanks to Military Modelling colleague Ken
Holland for this info. Once the transfers were on, a
applications of Tamiya primer in preparation for the light misting of Tamiya Buff XF-57 mixed with 70%
base coat. For the basecoat, I used Tamiya acrylics, Tamiya thinners was applied to the whole vehicle
mixing a 70/30 solution of Desert Yellow XF-59 and to remove some of the starkness between very
Tamiya White XF-2. This mix was further diluted with opposing colours. Tamiya Buff is almost a must
30% Tamiya thinners and 20% Tamiya Gloss and when doing desert vehicles as it really does provide
sprayed on the model in two even coats. There are a very convincing first thin layer of dust. This
loads of crevices on the model so you need to ensure application also helped tone down the glossy finish
good coverage. The tracks had not been installed at this on the transfers. This was followed by a few filters
three specifically for this project three brown
ABOVE: For the basecoat, I used Tamiya
acrylics in a 70/30 solution of Desert toned Humbrol paints and each one was applied in
Yellow XF-59 and Tamiya White XF-2. succession, each mixed with 90% Testors thinners
BELOW: The rubber on the
and separately applied with the widest paintbrush
roadwheels and idlers were to the entire model. This is a very quick process
painted in Vallejo Grey Black. and, once thoroughly dry, I applied a controlled
wash using a mix of Raw Umber Newton oil paints
mixed with 50/50 Testors enamel thinners. This
dark wash, combined with the filters, helped
to enhance the surface details such as partition
lines, panels and rivets and also muted the
overall tone of the base.
To help bring out some highlights
on the vehicle, two light
drybrushes were applied using
a restrained approach - the
first with Humbrol 93 neat
and the second with Humbrol 94
mixed with 30% Titanium White Winsor Newton oil ABOVE: The model after the first round of application.
paints. This really is a very light application and hardly ABOVE RIGHT: The two colours I used for the
noticeable but makes a significant difference at the camouflage: Vallejo White 70951 for the outline
end of the weathering process. I then repeated and Vallejo Chocolate Brown 70872
for the secondary camouflage pattern.
the process of applying a few pinwashes using
Rembrandt Sepia oil paints mixed with Testors
thinners and applied onto all seam and rivet lines.
The tracks were cleaned up in soap and water
to remove any greasy deposits as a result of the
production. I sprayed the tracks in primer, then
Tamiya Black and then misted in Tamiya Buff. As
I was going to heavily weather the tracks with
pastels, I was not anxious to do much detailing on
the tracks. I then used the wet technique of diluting
a mix of brown and black pastels with Tamiya
thinners and applying the mixture along seams. I
find this really helps bring out the shadows. The
model was then dusted in various light earth colour
pastels and tried to create the effect of blotchy to
emulate the wartime photos in my references. In
moderation, applying pigments is a very effective
means of bringing the model to another level of
realism. The best way to proceed is to apply small
amounts at a time and to work in sections until it
looks correct. The pastels were applied with a soft
round brush and placed in those areas that would
typically have more dust and dirt accumulation.
Most often, pastels applied to models become
susceptible to handling. To remedy this and make
the pastels more permanent, Tamiya thinners with a
drop of Tamiya Buff was applied by spraying the mix
through an airbrush at a very low dpi setting. This
ABOVE: Touch-ups were necessary and this took the better part of a few evenings to complete.
really helped the pastels to adhere to the surface
of the vehicle. This process was repeated at least BELOW: The model base coated and camouflage complete.
six times each time alternating the colours of the
pastels from light to dark to light using shades of
yellow, off-white and light brown.
Wartime photographs of Grants typically show
these with a mounting array of tarpaulins, bags and
equipment. I found a slew of equipment through
my spares box - Verlinden, Cromwell Models and
Accurate Armour. These were primed and then
hand brushed in Humbrol enamels
using khaki and brown colour paints.
Each piece of equipment was
painted a different colour to keep
it all from looking too uniform. I
like to use Humbrol enamels for
equipment because it is almost
a guaranteed that the paint
will dry flat which is desirable
for webbing and canvas. The
equipment was then given
various washes in greens and
browns from the Humbrol paint
series and then dry-brushed with
www.militarymodelling.com 31
AFV
Conclusion
Although the model itself seems to get a lot of
criticism, I thought it was an excellent model
well thought out, superbly designed and
the best rendition of a Grant out there!
The model is basically dimensionally
accurate; it includes an extensive interior,
the assembly is not difficult and painting
the model was the absolute joy of the entire
project. Although I did have several etch sets for it, I
did not make use of any (may have to save for a Lee)
because there were very few parts that needed to ABOVE: The model is
brushed down in various
be replaced. The only downside are the rubber tracks light earth-coloured pastels
included in the kit which are inaccurate and need to and my purpose is to create
a blotchy effect to emulate
be replaced. This kit is definitely recommended. dusty surfaces as shown
on tank surfaces in wartime
desert photos. I repeat the
Recommended Reading process of applying pastels
then spray Tamiya thinners
Classic AFV No 2 Lee and Grant by Ken Jones and with a drop of Tamiya Buff
at a very low dpi setting to
Peter Chamberlain (Airfix Book 1977) help the pastels adhere to
ISBN 0 85059 269 0 the surface of the model.
M3 Medium Tank (Grant & Lee) by Dave Doyle, RIGHT: A black and white
Squadron Series, Walkaround Series image in wartime quality
M3 Lee/Grant in Action - Squadron/Signal (Courtesy of Photoshop)
Publications No. 33
www.militarymodelling.com 33
AFV
Desert Gossip
Marmon-Herrington in service with the Afrika Korps History
in Libya, 1942 by Robert Blokker One thing I always thought was interesting when
reading about the Afrika Korps and its actions in
Northern Africa, was the vast amount of captured
vehicles it put to use in its ranks. Because of
shortages and long supply lines, everything had its
use and published pictures often show columns
of vehicles of different origin and plumage. These
ranged from American halftracks to British light trucks
working alongside the workhorses of the German
war machine. The original markings were either
painted over or just covered over in a basic DAK
livery. Allied vehicles under new command could be
found in all echelons up to Rommels Staff which had
several captured machines. The most well-known
were probably Max and Moritz; a pair of AEC
Dorchesters captured during the African Campaign.
The re-use of these vehicles makes for some
interesting diorama subjects and, with that as
inspiration, I decided to build a Marmon-Herrington.
It doesnt get more diverse than a South African
designed vehicle, used by the British, under the
new Management of the Germans.
Often overlooked; the amount of stuff soldiers take around with them. New size of the side doors.
Point of no return. Drill holes to enlarge the door. Cut the excess out.
The kit
IBGs 1/35 Panzerspahwagen Marmon-Herrington
(e), Kit No.35024 served as the basis for this project.
I found a few pictures of this type online. What was
interesting was that the German crew seemed to have
used it for some time. It had damaged fenders and the
doors that protected the radiator were missing. The
vehicle was also fitted with a makeshift wire antenna
on the roof and a telescopic antenna on the side.
The IBG kit is very nice and features both engine
and interior. Overall, the dimensions and details are
accurate. There were only a few things that were
incorrect or missing. On the interior side, the most
obvious were the ribs to which the armour plates
were welded, a detail that is well visible with such a
big hole in the roof. I fixed this by making the ribs out
of evergreen styrene. The IBG MH still comes with
www.militarymodelling.com 35
AFV
the British wireless and I figured that if they took the and size. The kit doors are rectangular and should
time to add the antennas to the vehicle they probably be square that is as wide as they are high. So I took
swapped the radio sets as well. My choice of radio measurements and enlarged the door openings, cut
came from Plusmodels Easy line range, an EL020 the original doors in half and made inserts to widen
German wireless station WWII with accumulator. The them to the required width. I also fashioned some door
interior was further detailed with scratchbuilt storage locks on the inside of the doors. The legs of the roof
boxes, a rack for the telescopic masts wirespools antenna were made out of styrene and the telescopic
and a lot of personal kit of the crew. mast came from an old Verlinden set. Last but not
The biggest mistake they made on the exterior was least, I fashioned some Jerry can racks and storage
BELOW: Close up of the chips and scuffs. the vehicles access doors. They are the wrong shape boxes. I used fishing wire to make the antenna wire.
mixed black oil paint with Van Dyke Brown to create crew was trying to see what to do with that bit of new ABOVE: Views of the painted details.
a dirty Black Brown colour. The chips with this oil intelligence. The figures were assembled straight out
paint mix were also added by sponge on smaller of the box and painting was again done with Humbrol
sections than the light chip colour. When that was paints. A wet on wet technique followed; I started with
dry, I added scratches in both the lighter Sand the darkest colour and I painted up to the highlights. The
colour and the Black/Brown oil paint with a 10/0 wet on wet technique allows for relatively quick painting
brush. After everything was cured, I hit the vehicle and smooth blends. The skin colour was built up out
with some Tamiya XF-70 matt lacquer from a rattle of Humbrol 70, Humbrol 63 and Humbrol 147 which BELOW: Pigments sponged, brushed
can for the next step. was mixed between the steps to six different coloured and spattered.
One thing the desert provides in copious
amounts is dust. The stuff will get everywhere. To
simulate this, I made a pigment wash out of the
first series MIG pigments with the colour alkaline
dust (MIG00054) and turpentine. I applied it as
a generous pinwash to both the interior and the
exterior of the vehicle to give the impression that
the dust had settled in the nooks and crannies. The
lower part got the same pigment wash applied with
the sponge to give a mottled appearance, which
was toned down by brushing off the excess with
an old stiff bristled brush. The wheels were treated
the same way and, when dry, I wiped most of the
pigments off with a moist piece of tissue paper,
just leaving pigments in the ridges and
treads of the tyres.
The figures
Along with the IBG Marmon-
Herrington I also got myself
the Masterbox Deutsche
Afrika Korps Kit No.3559. I
liked the interaction between
the vehicles crew and the
Bedouin. It was like he was telling
them about something he just
encountered in the desert and the
www.militarymodelling.com 37
AFV
The Diorama
The soldiers and the Bedouin created a visually
interesting story, the only additional thing it needed
was an interesting backdrop. So, it was time to
build myself some groundwork. I wanted some
decent sized rocks behind the vehicle so I started
to explore the various methods of creating rock,
from using bark to charcoal to pouring them with
plaster. I settled on the latter and bought some
rock moulds from Woodland Scenics; a very useful
product with quick results. Aside from the rocks, I
also saved the leftover plaster from the mould as
it was a great source for smaller rocks. It was now
time to determine the size of the base and cut that
out of green styrofoam. I marked the locations of
the newly formed rock formations and the wheel
ruts with a marker then continued to start forming
the landscape by cutting and sanding the foam. This
gave the impression that the rocks were actually
poking out of the sand. I made a sloping angle in the
foam from the base of the rock to ground level to
simulate sand that has been blown towards the rock
giving it a more natural transition. The wheel ruts in
RIGHT: Close up of rock face.
turn were cut out a bit wider to allow the Spackle to
BELOW: The officer painted up. move around naturally later on.
One of the things I like to do is a smooth finish
layers. The uniforms were painted in the same manner. I on the bases edges. So out of 1mm thick styrene
wanted the soldiers to be part of a communications unit I crafted a tub, that followed the contours of the
so some time went into researching what waffenfarbe groundwork, complete with rocks and ruts and
the unit had for their shoulder boards. Yellow piping was glued the whole base into that.
added where necessary. Then it was time to cover the whole thing up; I
The Bedouin figure had his own treatment. I again use Spackle for this, the kind you use to fill
painted him mostly in light bright colours to offset seams between plasterboards. This is available at
him against the vehicle, the DAK Soldiers and the any DIY Store. It comes ready to use in a small
groundworks. The headgear and trousers were tub and dries really fast to a rock hard state. The
painted white with the djellabah a bright blue. whole base received a nice thin layer of around
1mm. As I said before, the wheel ruts were cut a
RIGHT: The Bedouin little wider than necessary but were filled evenly
and his steed.
with the rest of the base. At this stage, you need
to work quite fast as the window in which you
can effectively work the Spackle is limited. On top
of the fresh Spackle, I sprinkled birdcage sand.
It gives a nice texture to the groundwork and
prevents the Spackle from sticking to everything
you push in it. Then the vehicle got pushed into its
final place. I took it off the base again and rolled
the ruts with a spare wheel. Because the wheel
ruts are deeper and wider, the Spackle moves
pretty much like real ground producing the ridge
created by the wheels pushing the sand aside.
With an old figure, I stamped footprints around
the vehicle as if the crew had been walking there.
The donkey also got its place at this stage. I made
sure that the Spackle reached all the way to the
edges of the styrene tub so that it looked like
somebody had cut out a square of WW2 Libya
and lifted it out of the ground.
Finishing
With all the
painting done, it
was just a matter of
gluing everything to
the base with white glue
and gluing the figures to the
vehicle. I placed the diorama on
a nice wooden base and gave it a
space in the display cabinet.
www.militarymodelling.com 39
AFV
Second-hand
Swallow
Chris Lloyd-Staples
ABOVE: The authors completed model placed into a scenic
setting courtesy of Photoshop.
The Allied army
made a stand at
before being repainted and allocated to units. Once like an easy build became steadily more complex El Alamein, halting
in the hands of individual units, the vehicles were as the project evolved!
often further modified at unit level or according to the The stimulus for the model came from the book Rommels advance...
preferences of individual commanders. Codename Swallow, British Sherman Tanks at
Alamein, by Dennis Oliver (2006). This slim book
contains countless details of the colour schemes
Planning the model and markings employed, along with details of the
The request from the editor to make this model units allocated the M4A1 and M4A2 vehicles. I
came at a time when Id already gathered the basic was really torn as to which vehicle to represent
kit and the numerous accessories in preparation but I eventually went for the Queens Bays, using
for an informal competition with two friends markings from the Bison Decals sheet 35061 and
(Chuck Aleshire and John Charvat) at the AMPS meticulously following the official painting diagrams
Nationals in Danbury, CT. However, what seemed in Mike Starmers excellent reference book Alamein LEFT: Stowage packs, MG on turret.
www.militarymodelling.com 41
AFV
To the model
The Tasca Sherman II is a superb kit and can be
made with complete confidence in all parts of
the assembly, leading to a near perfect model.
An alternative starting point would have been the
Dragon El Alamein Sherman but, as a personal
preference, I really rate the Tasca/Asuka kits.
Assembly is very easy, although it is essential
to carefully follow the numbering of parts. If
something doesnt fit, you have made a mistake!
I found this to my cost when assembling the air
cleaners and realised I had mistaken parts F7 and
F19, which look similar..
for the tools, the ones in the Tasca kit are superb
and highly accurate, though they lack some of the
brackets and all of the straps needed to hold them
in place. I opted to use the WW2 U.S. M4 Series
Sherman Pioneer Tools (F018) by Formations, since
I had them and they saved time on this project.
With no deadline to meet, Id prefer to add paper
straps to the tools in the kit. While working on these
aspects of the model, it struck me that anyone
could have a thousand pictures of Shermans but not
one showing a particular detail of a tool fitting.
Making tracks
The one-piece tracks in the kit are excellent, with
great detail and only the faintest trace of a mould
seam. As this tiny mould line would be impossible
to remove, I foolishly decided to try aftermarket
replacements. Amongst the best available are the
Bronco T51 tracks and I used these. They fit with no
difficulty, although the sprockets need some minor
sanding on the inner surfaces in order for the end-
connectors to fit inside. In retrospect, the extremely
tedious construction of individual track links has little
ABOVE: Rear deck before painting. BELOW: Tools on rear plate. You need to drill out a starting handle
benefit on US tanks which use so-called live track hole in rear plate.
and there is virtually no track sag at all. To make
ABOVE: Details
on rear plate
before painting.
43
AFV
ABOVE LEFT: Turret bin catches and other details. ABOVE RIGHT: Details on MG and turret bin.
ABOVE: One hatch on turret. BELOW: Suspension is excellent and can articulate.
against the whole idea of the vehicles being Hairspray ABOVE: Stowed hatch and wheel details.
identical!!). The camouflage colour was specified After an overall coat of Olive Green, which helped to
as Dark Green, with black, very dark brown or slate spot any flaws in construction, the model was left to
being acceptable alternatives. Most illustrations fully dry before being given a coat of hairspray and
suggest that black was used and I chose grey-black then an overall coat of Desert Pink. After waiting a
from the Vallejo range, as it is better than using a short while, the areas of high wear were wetted and
pure black and Vallejo paints are easy to apply by then scrubbed with a rough sponge. The dampened
hand. Having settled on the colours, the painting hairspray loosened the topcoat, allowing patches of
sequence was the next issue. the pink to come away from the green beneath. My
ABOVE LEFT: Scratched turret. Red square is B squadron in the senior regiment in a brigade. ABOVE RIGHT: Tools on the right hand side.
first attempt at this technique was quite satisfactory I experienced strange blistering of the paint as I
but I quickly realised that I had left the hairspray for applied the wet decals and only now do I realise the
too long, meaning that removing the surface colour reason.. the hairspray layer was getting wetted by
was much more difficult than it should have been. the decal solutions. Clearly something to be aware of.
The pattern of the black camouflage was carefully
copied from Mike Starmers book, though these
diagrams can also be found on the internet. I Weathering
marked the areas with white outlines, then painted The desert environment can be very harsh and the
in the grey-black using a brush. In areas, I allowed a scraping of gritty boots can play havoc with paint
trace of the mark-out in white to remain surfaces. On the other hand, these tanks were
visible. The weathering of the black relatively newly painted and had not been exposed
coat was done in Desert Pink, as if to the elements, including rain, since arriving in
the black had worn off and revealed theatre. As a result, rust stains and downward rain
the layer beneath. The belly of the streaks would not be appropriate but the tanks
front transmission armour, plus the were looking quite worn after a short period of
underside of the gun barrel, were time. Simulating this, I made good use of pastels,
painted white as per regulations grime colours and dry brushing in order to carefully
ABOVE: Clips on bin for countershading a replicate a vehicle that had been in the desert for a
shown to good effect.
camouflage technique to hide few months.
RIGHT: The commander shadows by painting those areas Detail painting takes a long time but is ultimately
figure under construction. in a lighter colour. satisfying. This covers tools and little parts, the
The decals were applied in the tracks, the tyres and then simulating bare metal
usual way with Johnsons Klear on worn edges - a long task. It is important to
applied beforehand and matt varnish imagine which parts of the vehicle will experience
afterwards. With the turret decals metal rubbing together, such as on the edges of
ABOVE LEFT: Good view of side scratching from hairspray method. Tow cable is made from tristing copper wire strands. ABOVE RIGHT: Good shot of bin clips and antenna bases.
the road-wheels where they chafe against the end- with Hornet heads. The Tamiya figures are not the
connectors of the tracks. Similarly, as the crew most detailed but with the sharp tip of a new blade,
clamber up the glacis, this is an area prone to the features of the uniform can be brought out.
abrasion and the turret roof is often grimy from dirty They needed cap badges to represent the Bays and
boots. Meanwhile, hatches are rarely stepped on, so a search in Dick Taylors The Men Inside the Metal,
they are relatively clean. All of these things need to vol.2 provided the detail for this. The figures were
be considered when applying the final weathering. painted in a mixture of media, with acrylic base
Tools are often painted by the subcontractor who coats and detail in oils and enamels.
made them and when the vehicle is repainted, they
are often sprayed in situ. In truth, tools are rarely
bare metal and bare wood. I therefore painted mine Finishing touches
unrealistically but they do add a touch of colour. The .50cal machine gun in the kit is exquisite
Im not at all happy with the dark wood, however, and some tiny details are all that is required to ABOVE: Driver and worn area up the galcis.
and a quick check in your garden shed will reveal make this a model in its own right. Most of the
that wooden handles are very pale, often greyish Shermans in the El Alamein period had a variety BELOW: The driver from rear.
and never a rich mahogany colour. I think my tools of stowage fixed to the houseboat rails each
will get a repaint in the future. side. This often consisted of an enormous canvas
sheet on one side, designed to cover over the
tank and typically five British 37 pattern large
And so to the crew packs suspended on the other side. Lack of time
I was attracted to the cavalry regiments as they prevented me from adding these details but
tended to resist the introduction of the black beret, they can be added later. Overall, the Swallow
and kept their own headgear for as long as possible. from Tasca is an outstanding kit and, despite my
After trying out various figures, I eventually went additions, can realistically be made straight from
with two figures from the Tamiya Matilda, though the box with great accuracy.
www.militarymodelling.com 47
Aviation
ABOVE: Port and Starboard side walls fitted in position with red shaded area showing where detail has been removed ready
for the pre-painted photo-etched panel. RIGHT: The replacement CO2 cylinder guard with added detail.
www.militarymodelling.com 49
Aviation
ABOVE: Cockpit and engine bay primed in Halfords grey primer and pre shade in Tamiya Flat Black.
ABOVE & BELOW: The fuselage has been joined and detail is starting to be added to the engine bay.
BELOW: The engine block with extra cables, wires and
pipes added and then painted flat black.
Painting
Before any painting could take place I masked all ABOVE: Wing sections fitted together and fixed
in place. When they were eased into place there was
the exposed parts to prevent any over spray. The a very satisfying and pleasing click you just knew from
cockpit glazing was added and masked using the the sound there was no need to take them off again.
set provided in the kit. This area was then sprayed
in the RML-2 Grau. After this had dried I applied BELOW: Engine bay and cockpit masked off and undercoated with Halfords Primer.
an undercoat before adding black pre-shading. The Before the primer was applied the glazed area was painted in RLM02 Grey.
areas that were to be yellow and white were then
painted in. When these had dried they were masked
off so the top colour could be applied. The first thing
I did was to spray the underside and part of the
starboard wing with Mr Hobby RLM-78 Hellblau.
This was then masked off and the lower section
of the wing was sprayed with RLM-65 Hellblau.
Moving on to the top colours, I decided it would
be easier to paint the European
style starboard wing and then
mask it off prior to applying the
Sandgelb. The wing was first painted in RLM- 2
Grau and then the splinter camouflage was masked BELOW: The black pre shading added.
and the remainder sprayed in RLM-71 Dunkelgrn.
The remainder of the upper surface was then
sprayed with Vallejo 71.034 Sandy Brown (RLM-79
Sandgelb). When all this was dry the
masking was removed from the yellow
and white recognition areas and the whole thing
given several coats of Johnsons Kleer.
As already stated the aircraft I wanted to depict was
a Bf-109E-7 Trop. S9+DR. The only set of decals I
could find in 1/32 is made by Rising Decals
RD32005 Unusual Emils Pt II.
www.risingdecals.com.
I found the decals to be very thin and had a BELOW: The white desert identification markings added to the fuselage and
tendency to buckle up while applying them. I did try wing tips along with the yellow underside of the engine bay.
using Micro Soft and Micro Sol system but to my
horror the decal broke up. Fortunately
there are two identical sheets in
the set and the damaged decal was
repeated but not used on the other sheet.
With the aid of a soft brush and plenty
of water I managed to get the decals
in place. After 24 hours I gave the whole
aircraft another coat of the Johnsons Kleer
and placed it in a large plastic container to prevent
and dust from settling on the surface.
www.militarymodelling.com 51
Aviation
BELOW & RIGHT: The decals in place, I found them to be very thin
and they did not like the Micro Soft/Set treatment. Luckily for me the
DR part of the decal was duplicated so all was not lost. In the end I
resorted to plenty of water to get them in place.
Monty
Monty, as I like to refer to him, (just as my late
Father did having served in the 8th Army,) was born
in London on November 17, 1887. Following his
education he went to the Royal Military Academy
at Sandhurst where he was commissioned into the
Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1908.
During WW1 he was severely injured and
spent the remainder of the war as a Staff Officer.
In April 1939 he was given command of the 3rd
Division of the Expeditionary Force preceding
the fall of France. In August 1942, he was swiftly
promoted to Commander of the 8th Army, British
and Commonwealth forces fighting in the western
desert. He inspired his forces to victory at El
Alamein which was thought to be a turning point
in the war. Following the war, Monty was made a
Knight of the Garter and Viscount Montgomery of
Alamein. He died on March 24, 1976. I remember
my Father being very honoured at being able to
attend the funeral service.
Montgomery at El Alamein
Field Marshal The components to the kit
Bernard Law prior to assembly.
Montgomery was
one of Britains
most famous
Generals during
WW2, notably
for the victory
at El Alamein by
Malcolm Cuming
54
Figures
ABOVE: Basic flesh tones have been added and blended in. ABOVE RIGHT: Ive begun to build up the facial detail by strengthening the shadows and highlights.
BELOW: Final facial detail has been added to bring out the features of the face.
www.militarymodelling.com 55
Figures
Shirt has been underpainted in a pale khaki tone. The shirt has been detailed in oils.
tone and work from there, I add the varying tones, with a basic flesh mix added. These were blended in
i.e. lighter tones to the forehead, upper cheeks , with a flat brush, removing any excess oils at the same
bridge of the nose and so on, the mid to the rest time to leave a nice thin film of oils to work on. I began
of the face and finally the reddish tone to the lower by building up the lighter areas first, by adding more
cheeks. These are then blended in carefully with a flesh tone with the addition of Titanium White so that I
flat brush, to get a nice graduation of tones. I then could vary the tones as I wanted.
worked on building up the detail on highlights and For the shadows, I added a little more Lamp Black
shadows until I was happy with the results. The to the base colour and worked and blended these
head was put aside to dry and settle overnight. in as necessary. At this point I left it to dry for 24
Then all that was required was to add the finishing hours before returning to the palette to add the
touches using the wet on dry process. finishing touches.
Beret Shirt
For the beret I wanted to give the appearance of The shirt Ive painted is a basic pale khaki colour,
it being dusty from being in the desert, this was although I have seen some black and white photos
accomplished by adding Basic Flesh to Flat Black for of Monty indicating that he is wearing a darker one.
the basecoat. Prior to doing this however, I did paint I opted for the lighter one to give some contrast
the areas that were in deep shadow with Flat Black between the shirt and jumper. I began by blocking it
first, then using the above mentioned mix painted in out with a pale khaki shade, using a mix of Andrea
the rest of the beret. With the oils the same approach English Khaki and Scale 75 Birch. Moving on to
was taken. Lamp Black was chosen for this task, as the oils, I started off by preparing a slightly darker
it dries nice and flat. As before, I painted in the dark shade of khaki by blending together Mars Yellow,
shadows first and then applied a blend of Lamp Black Mars Black, followed by Titanium White to acquire
56
Figures
Jumper
Prior to starting on the jumper itself I painted
both hands in oils, using the same palette
that I used for the flesh tones. At this stage
I also painted the binoculars. For the acrylic
basecoat of the jumper I selected a blend of
Ardennes Green, Red Leather and Birch. I was
toying with the idea of painting the jumper in
oils in two stages, the main section and the
left arm separately. I found myself in a bit of a
predicament as I didnt have anything that I could Grant M3 Turret
securely fit the arm to while it was painted. To add I only have a limited knowledge of tanks, so I ABOVE: The completed kit.
to the problem, if I cemented the arm in position googled a lot of photos and videos of the tank to BELOW: The completed bust section.
prior to adding the oils I wouldnt have it easy when get an idea of what I needed to do. After Id primed
painting the front of the jumper. So after some all the parts for the turret, I decided to paint the
deliberation, I decided to paint a section of the interior section first. Its very basic and some of
jumper first, cement the arm in position, add filler the equipment youd find inside has been omitted
and basecoat as necessary and then carry on. Not as the figure of Monty would obscure it. I began
an ideal way to go about things, but there we are. by painting it a light sand colour and the inner
Initially, I mixed a shade of green, using ring in white as depicted in some of the photos
Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Yellow. First of all I Id seen. For the outside of the turret and the
soaked out as much of the oil by placing the colours flaps I used a deeper shade using Iroko and
on cartridge paper for half an hour. Hopefully this Birch. To add the camouflage pattern, I added
would reduce the shine once painted. I transferred some Ardennes Green to some Iroko and finally
the oils to my palette of greaseproof paper and to take it down a notch, I mixed in some Birch.
began to add some Caput Mortuum, yes thats right, Before finishing off with some oil washes of Burnt
Caput Mortuum - a very unusual name for a shade Umber, I painted in chips and weathering on the
of paint. It is a reddish brown and I have found this Cupola ring and hatches.
extremely useful in blending various shades of Drab The blocked sides were painted black to
Green. Initially I thinned the oils by dipping my brush complete the model.
in Sansodor, to aid getting a nice thin coat over the
acrylic basecoat. Any excess oils were removed with
a flat brush; this will help achieve a matt finish too. Availability
I wanted to keep the highlights subtle, I added This kit is reasonably priced at just
a tiny amount to a little of the base colour that Id 55.00 and can be ordered by
put aside for this purpose, and blended these in as contacting Gordon Mitchell at
required. For the shadows, I used varying shades to gordonmi@hotmail.com.
produce the darker shades for the deep shadows. On a final note, Id like to
To acquire the darker shades I added some more dedicate this article to my
of the Ultramarine Blue and Caput Mortuum to suit late Father who was proud to
and as before carefully blended them in. have been a Desert Rat and
As the trousers were going to be hidden when to have served under Monty.
positioned in the turret of the tank, I didnt go to too And one thing is for sure, he
much time and effort painting them. would have loved to have
Once the jumper had dried, I added a strap to the had this piece in his cabinet,
binoculars, made from electrical tape. taking pride of place.
www.militarymodelling.com 57
Figures
A complex character
Where to start a little history I suppose. Ask
almost anyone and they will probably give you a
glowing report of Erwin Rommel as a respected
general, both in terms of his men and those who
were standing against him in the desert campaigns
during WWII.
Its not unreasonable to go along with these
first hand views of the man and a lot has been
documented to back it up, he is certainly one
of the few German commanders that are
thought of as generally decent and honest.
Rommel was a complex character. His
tenacity to advance his forces and yet at
other option than to withdraw even against
The model
Ill be quick about this, simply because there are
certain parts that I want to focus on.
Photo 1 shows the box art, very nice; several
pictures of a painted piece and a nice version of the
scarf although a tad too Burberry for me.
Nicely packaged too, but disappointment hit
hard when I got the parts out of the wrapping.
Ive laid them out in photo 2 but for a kit that
costs the wrong side of 45, I was less than
impressed with the casting quality a shame
when the sculpting promises so much. Photos
3 and 4 show what Im on about and speak for
themselves. So, a lot of clean up and a little re-
sculpting are necessary.
Rommels favourite uniform was the D.A.K. one
and hes seen in photos with the dusty coloured
tunic quite a lot. I chose to paint that, using Mars
Yellow, Mars Black (to grey out the yellow a little) 3 4
and Titanium White with just a touch of Mars brown
to warm the mix a little. The basics of this are
shown in photo 5, with only the deeper shadows
needing to be added to the armpits, under the collar
flaps and around the seams.
OK so Im rushing things but I really wanted
to get on to the scarf it was going to be both a
headache and some fun.
www.militarymodelling.com 59
Figures
5 6
7 8
Research told me that the scarf was knitted by Painting it was fun; establishing a light
Rommels illegitimate daughter to Walburga Stemmer background, then adding darker red/brown horizontal
their daughters name being Gertrud. Its said that stripes that would form the basis of the pattern
Gertrud knitted the scarf for her father and that it had a shown in photo 6.
plaid pattern. I worked out what I thought the pattern I noted that there were fine diagonal stripes
could be from a couple of the better photos of Rommel across the darker bands and these were painted in
from the time, although its difficult to say exactly first, See photo 7 - with even lighter lines running
what the pattern is because of the way that the folds across the diagonals and also down the length
and rucks in the wool form when its wrapped around of the scarf. I used a very fine brush to add them
Rommels neck and tucked into his tunic. and discovered that the bristles were probably not
meant to be used with oil paints as they developed together a little better. Ive never been keen on
a hook at the tip of the brush. painting tartan patterns and Im sticking with that
Ah, but this came in handy when I the added the feeling even after this foray into knitted neckwear.
darker lines to the pattern. There is an option to paint the scarf as a
At the beginning of planning the layout of the white silk item for those who give the
pattern I noticed that a lot of the lines were actually matter more thought for an easy life.
made up of short diagonal cross-hatches, rather Overall, if I was reviewing this bust
than simple straight lines. The hook on the tip of the I would admit that the initial casting
brush bristles helped me to paint these very fine faults put a dark cloud over the
short lines in, to form what, from a distance, appear project. I know were supposed to
to be solid lines. be modellers but the previous
It was tedious and time consuming but with two or three busts Ive painted
patience the pattern built up and certainly a blind have been a darn sight
man galloping past on a horse at midnight would cheaper to buy and were
agree that the pattern works........if I paid him some of a lot higher quality in
money at least. terms of casting.
The final shots show the finished bust. Im not The sculpting, however,
convinced at the time of writing that the background is good and perhaps for the
colour of the scarf has enough contrast so this might onlooker there is a little bit
well get a couple of very thin washes of a shadow more punch or glamour with
colour put over the whole scarf to make things blend this piece.
www.militarymodelling.com 61
AFV
Italiano Self-Propelled
Automotive in North Africa
Italian Italeri Semovente M40 da 75/18 by Mark Bannerman
ABOVE: The model set in a desert
scene somewhere in North Africa
A superior gun
(Courtesy of Photoshop) The Semovente M40 da 75/18 was the first Italian and other series were later built on the M14/41
self-propelled gun to be produced in series in World and M15/42 chassis. Many of these tanks were
War II. The prototype was tested in early 1941 and pushed into German service in the African and
pushed into operational service later in that year. Italian campaigns.
The first vehicles to participate in active combat The Semovente da 75/18 weighted 14.4 tones,
were assigned to two self-propelled artillery gruppi was crewed by three (commander/gunner, loader
of the Ariete Division. These guns were introduced and driver), sported a Model 35 75/18 howitzer and
in North Africa and were considered superior to typically carried 100 rounds. At the end of the war,
BELOW: The Italeri boxart. The 1/35 both British and German guns. The effectiveness many were sent to Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Greece
model was previously sold by Peerless of their guns was further enhanced by the use for post war military service. In total, approximately
and Esci. Although the mould is 40
years old, it is still an excellent model of a shaped-charge ammunition. The first series 200 of all series combined were produced.
by any standards. were built on the chassis of Carro Armato M13/40
Timeless Italeri
This release from Italeri has been in existence for a
long time and I believe represents the same model
(and moulds) released by Peerless and Esci. Despite
its age, it is still an excellent model holds its own
and is well up to todays standards. Overall, the
detail on the suspension, breach and sight, drive
shaft and rivets are excellent. The model out of the
box would be an easy assembly with little to no fit
issues. The instructions are easy to follow, the parts
fit together very well and the model offers decals to
cover four vehicles (three Italian and one German).
For this project, I decided to take it one step further
using etch, resin and a little scratch building as a
method of honing in on my modelling skills.
Most of the model was built per the instructions,
however in some cases, where the detailing was
better on an aftermarket offering (exhaust pipe,
sidelights, barrel etc.), I left the plastic part off
for the replacement. The model is a very simple
build and I used a variety of parts from the Italeri
Carro Armatto M13/14 to replace missing parts (I
bought the kit from a flea-market) from the Italeri
Semovente offering. Fortunately, many parts for the campaign. Once glued in place, I filled the gap with ABOVE LEFT: I used parts from the Italeri
M13/40 as I was missing some parts for
Italeri Carro Armato and the Italeri Semovente are auto primer and applied copious amounts of liquid glue the Semovente. The running gear was a
interchangeable. With the basic model built up, I to smooth out the primer. Once dry, light sanding with relatively easy affair to assemble.
spent some time gathering close-up museum and fine grit sandpaper smoothed down the connection ABOVE RIGHT: Some parts were
wartime photos of the Semovente on the internet point. I also used some etch from the Royal Models replaced such as the exhausts and
and in magazines and other publications. To start, I after-market offering and while there was really not some of the etch from the Royal Models
aftermarket offering was also used.
used a punch and die set to make 30-40 small rivets much in the way of important etch, I could have done
(Waldron Set using .023 hole and .020 Evergreen without it. Most parts could have been made using
sheet styrene) which were to be attached with sheet styrene. The barrel is an aluminium offering from
liquid glue on the hull where bolts were missing. Aber and it is a super two part offering. This was very
much worth the purchase. The lids on the side boxes
were replaced with sheet styrene and the boxes
Replicating photos themselves were wrapped in the Royal Models etch.
Attaching the front fenders was a little tricky because The exhaust pipes and side lights were also replaced
there was a large gap between the connector point on with the resin offering from the Royal Models set.
the hull and the fender edge. I had purposely sliced off Other replacements included using etch for tie-down
the rear section of the fenders to replicate photos of lugs, etch grill over the engine vent and a few small
the Semovente with short fenders in the North African details on the hull surface.
www.militarymodelling.com
AFV
An Italian tank squad appears to have Rommel (background) in their midst.
Note the tracks welded to the hull and front. (Photo source unknown)
accommodate the last link. This worked and resulted I began the process of putting together the
ModelKasten tracks by clipping these off
in a perfect fit. The other option is to decrease the the sprues with nail clippers.
slack in the top tracks. My suggestion when starting
off with putting the tracks together is to start with
the ground lengths, work your way around the idler
and sprocket and then slowly work your way in with
the top length of tracks (the length that extends over
the return rollers) to allow the flexibility of getting
the length correct as you close the gap. This was
my second or third go with ModelKasten and these
are absolutely superior. In fact, the best tracks I
have yet come across. Finishing touches on the
assembly included using the sprocket wheels from
the Friul track set, drilling a small hole in the inside
front portion of the fenders, reinforcing all etch with a
minute speck of superglue and filling any small voids
and joints between parts with liquid glue to ensure a
sturdy bond.
Desert Colours
The colours of a Semovente depended on the theatre
of operation. Tanks leaving the factory were typically
painted in Grigio Verde Scuro which was a dark grey-
green colour. It can be best described as a medium-
dark green with a distinct grey tone. Desert colours
varied greatly with most receiving the camouflage
paint application in the field. Desert colours varied
from tan-brown with a mottled or spotted green
camo, to Giallo Sabbio (sand) with or without dark
Marrone Rossiccio (brick red-brown) and/or Grigio
Verde Scuro (grey-green). From March 1941 onwards,
Italian tanks were painted in the factory in Khaki
Sahariano, a deep sand-yellow which was completely
suitable for North Africa. As I was modelling a tank
serving in North Africa, I opted for the overall one
colour sand-yellow. Sandstorms and the low quality from a dish scrubbing pad and dipped this into ABOVE: Note how the tracks only
slightly sag between return rollers.
field application of paint would not stand up well to small amounts of Tamiya Dark Grey. After removing
the effects of sand hitting the surface of the tank and excess paint from the sponge, I lightly applied the
as a result; some images of the Semoventes finish sponge onto the tanks surfaces concentrating
may appear to be camouflaged when it is actually on high traffic areas used by tank crews and then
BELOW: I primed the model using two
the result of the base sand colour rubbing off and dabbing the sponge more conservatively on all other light coats of Tamiya grey primer the
revealing the paint underneath. areas of the tank. There is no right or wrong way to best primer on the market in my opinion.
To start the paint process, I cleaned the model
down with soap and water and then primed with
two coats of Tamiya Grey Primer. Once dry,
I sprayed the entire model, including the
tracks, in two thin applications of
a mix of Tamiya Dark Yellow XF-
59 (80%) and White XF-2
(20%) further mixed
with 30% water.
Before starting in
on the weathering,
I brush painted the
tracks using a combination
of Vallejo 822 German Camo
Black Brown and 862 Black Grey which
was followed by brush painting the rubber on the
road wheels using Tamiya NATO Black XF-65. This
took about one evening. There are some areas
where I inadvertently painted on the rubber of the
tyres with track colour and rubber colour onto the
tracks. However, the colours were so similar that
any subsequent weathering would eliminate the
glitches. Once dry, the whole model took a light
airbrushing of heavily diluted Tamiya Buff (ratio
paint to thinner was approximately 1:4). To start the
weathering, I ripped up small sections of sponge
www.militarymodelling.com 65
AFV
Conclusion
This is an old model that was absolutely lovely to
build and weather. It is certainly not a weekend
project but, once completed, it is a very rewarding
model. I do not know whether it is a highly accurate
rendition but compared to wartime photos and a
ABOVE: The pigments helped mute down the stark contrast between the base colour and the grey sponge chipping effect.
www.militarymodelling.com 67
AFV
Assembly starts with the hull tub which goes CA. Then I simply snipped the end off and sanded
together easily and well. We are given two it flat. The long jack handle is simply a rod so I just
cylindrical weights in the newer Tamiya 1/48 kits replaced it with brass rod.
(the older kits in their 1/48 series having die-cast Moving on to the rest of the hull, the exhaust
metal lower hulls) and I elected to use them to give ends are moulded solid so I drilled them out,
the model a little weight. The suspension is next and starting with a .5mm to centre the hole properly
Tamiya have made this nice and simple, in this scale then, using progressively larger bits until the
this results in only a little loss of fidelity. sidewalls were as thin as I could get them, I also
At the rear of the hull I removed the two drilled out the holes in the lifting eyes.
moulded on, solid handles that lock the armoured There are two runs of spare track on the forward
cover of the radiators in place and replaced them mudguards. Regrettably, the metal strip brackets
with scratch replacements. Matildas in the desert that secure them are moulded on and are rather
virtually never used the auxiliary fuel tank so I filled clunky. I carefully cut the brackets off, replaced
the holes for the brackets. Sometimes, they had the missing track detail underneath, then made
a rack in its place with two gallon cans, some fuel new brackets from strips of brass fret from spare
and some water but lacking any 1/48 cans, I left this PE sets. Doing one was a lot of work so, with the
off. On the sides and on top of the hull, I removed other, I only made empty brackets. I also replaced
the tie downs which again are moulded solid. I the rear light and registration plate with styrene
replaced them with stretched sprue. I also removed sheet and brass tube by Albion Alloys.
the shovel, pick handle and crow bar and moulded The headlights are moulded solid in the same tan The shovel comes with a nasty
moulded on bracket. I removed
on straps to correspond with the tie downs and plastic as the rest of the kit. I drilled them out and and replaced it with a strip
the bracket moulded on the blade of the shovel. replaced them with sections of clear sprue from the of thin plastic card.
I placed the tools and tied them down with thin spares box cut and polished them clear again. For the
strips cut from the foil on a Swann Morton blade Periscopes, I heated a piece of clear sprue then pressed
pack. The bracket for the shovel blade was replaced it flat, while it was still hot, with a pair of tweezers. I
with plasticard. Some of the tools had box brackets then cut squares of the right size, painted the backs
on the end. These are moulded very thickly so I black and placed them in the hollow periscope mounts. BELOW LEFT: The tie down loops were
replaced with stretched sprue and thin
carefully thinned them with a scalpel for thickness The last thing I replaced on the top hull was the foil provided the straps.
of a better scale. The locating pin holes for the tools drivers mirror. This is thick and clunky in the kit so
BELOW RIGHT: The long jack handle
were filled by stretching kit sprue then pushing it I soldered two pieces of rod and a rectangle (cut was replaced with brass rod as it was
in as far as the taper would allow and fixing it with from brass sheet) together to make a replacement. easier than cleaning up the kit part.
ABOVE: The desert Matildas almost never carried the auxiliary fuel tank so I
deleted the slots for the tank holders. RIGHT: I made new straps from scrap
PE fret and left one side empty.
www.militarymodelling.com 69
AFV BELOW: To make the missing periscopes I heated clear
sprue from another kit and flattened it with tweezers
before cutting a suitably sized rectangle out.
71
AFV
! added rust by applying just a little AK interactive
rust wash on the chipping for
a rust stained look.
72
AFV
The Base
Its always a good idea to add a base. Models work
so much better in context than they do on a plain
wooden base and its well worth trying. Ive recently
been building a lot of ship models and I decided to
import the method for seascapes here to make an
undulating desert base.
I started with a section of blue Styrofoam (I get
mine from 4D Modelshop) and carved the waves,
err I mean dunes, into it with a knife. This is a
messy job, keep a vacuum cleaner handy! I then
used artists medium (you can use PVA) to stick
patches of tissue paper onto the foam to give a
smoother surface and to seal it for later. Next, I
crushed up some hard pieces of household filler
powder mixed with brown paint. I mixed this for
another base but it crushes to a fine dust or you can
get rocks from it. Mixed with pigment, it makes
a very nice rocky desert terrain. I pained more
medium onto the top of the tissue and scattered it
with the powdered mix. When that was dry, I tried
the tank for fit and built up more of the dusty mix staked to the ground. I cut strips of white paper and Views of the authors completed
model on its base.
in areas where the track didnt meet the ground to used brass rod for the stakes. I also made some
bring the ground up to the track in effect. I set that stanchions from brass rod, annealed, then twisted
with pigment fixer. to make the loops and barbed wire from .1mm
To finish the base, I added white tape for the copper wire. I painted the stanchions and wire with
lane markers used by the sappers to clear routes Raw Umber to give them an old metal look and the
through the wall of mines and wire constructed project was finished.
to stop the British. They cleared these routes to
allow the armour to pass through and penetrate
the DAK defences at night behind
the massive opening barrage; a
dangerous job requiring brave men.
They marked safe routes with white tape
www.militarymodelling.com 73
AFV
Dirty Diana
7.62cm FK 296(r) auf 5t Zugkraftwagen Sd.Kfz.6 very satisfied with the sprue details. But unfortunately,
it waited in my stash until the moment when Martyn,
Diana by Ivan Momcilovic Momcha Contributing Editor of Military Modelling, asked me to
build the kit for this special issue. I was very happy to
finally put it on my workbench and get started.
ABOVE: A view of the diorama with
scenic backdrop courtesy of Photoshop.
Bronco beauty Construction of the kit went very easily. It was not
I remember when I saw this kit in an announcement difficult to build and all parts fitted nicely. For those
BELOW: The authors completed Sd.Kfz.6
model placed in a diorama. by Bronco Models, I was more than happy to see it who like extra detail, there is an engine provided.
finally in plastic, so I bought it right away when it was With the addition of a few wires, it can look very
on sale in an on-line shop (www.hobbyeasy.com). realistic. The biggest minus is that there are no
Like every BM model, it is highly detailed and I was decals provided for instrument/drivers control panel,
74
AFV
www.militarymodelling.com 75
AFV
6
12 13
14
15
16
www.militarymodelling.com 77
AFV
19
18
20 21
24
22
26
25
www.militarymodelling.com 79
Figures
British Tank
Commander
Sovereign 2000 The Model
miniatures 1/9th As I noted in the review I wrote in Military
Modelling Magazine Vol.47 Issue 2, this probably
showing the bare resin, I think youll probably agree
that the casting looks a lot better than the box art
scale resin bust by isnt the kind of model that will shake the leads you to expect. And, in some ways, thats good
Adrian Hopwood foundations of your modelling world when you see
it on a traders shelf or pictured on a website, but
because if you did purchase this, then on opening
the box youd be very pleased with your acquisition
that shouldnt put you off. better this way round than superb box art masking
Photo 1 backs my statement on this up, I think, a horror of resin being emptied out of the box, eh?
1 in that the box art depiction looks a little bland and In Photos 3 and 4 Ive just added oil paints to
uninspiring. However, looking at the second picture the face and undercoated the beret and already the
model is coming to life. Admittedly, I feel I should
have carved back the eyebrows before doing this
2 but as it is the model is being painted right out of
the box.......perhaps its something to consider if
you decide to get hold of this one.
Ill skip the details on the flesh colours my usual
use of Mars Brown and Titanium White and go to
the painting of the beret and the shirt.
The beret received an undercoat of mid-grey
acrylic (Chaos Black and Kommando Khaki from
Games Workshop) and I also added a spot of Tamiya
Matt medium to let the paint flow a bit more and
give an absolute matt effect to the undercoat. This
will soak up more of the oil in the finishing coats of
paint and look more like cloth. The same was done
with the Khaki Drill colour undercoat for the shirt.
www.militarymodelling.com 81
AFV
Sturmpanzer II
Bison
The 15cm sIG 33 Auf Fahrgestell
Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf)
by Ivan Momcilovic Momcha
www.militarymodelling.com 83
AFV
7 8
9 10
11 12
13
www.militarymodelling.com 85
AFV
16 17
18 19
20 21
Then, using a fine brush and thinner, I blended them, digging deep trenches. The same technique was
repeating the previous moves, from top to bottom. used in the Africa campaign too. I made a base
Vehicles that were/are serving in deserts are not from Styrofoam and positioned it in front of the
just covered with dust and sand. Many photographs trench (Photo 16). Vallejo Sand Paste was put
show that, in some cases, they are covered in over the Styrofoam. I made little sand dunes
heavy mud on lower parts too, where the tracks with a modelling tool and added some rocks
are. For my model I planned a light texturing effect and fuel barrels. Wire holders were homemade.
of dry earth/sand/mud, so I used a Dry Steppe Then I airbrushed almost the whole scene with
splashing effect from Ammo by Mig and thinned it a a Dark Brown colour (Photo 17). Dark Yellow
little with enamel thinner. I only put it on the lower was airbrushed over it; I left some parts darker,
parts, near the road wheels. to keep the contrast (Photo 18). A Sand colour
Building this model and searching for references for the highlights was the final shade for the
on the net, I found a lot of inspiring photos for day (Photo 19). On this picture you can see
a diorama. One of the most common ways to the reaction that happens between light and
stop enemy advancing tanks and vehicles was dark shades of colours if you don`t wait for long
enough between layers. So, after 24 hours, I put a mixture of Light Dust
made another layer of Sand and achieved a much pigment and African sand
lighter effect (Photo 20). At the same time, I made pigment and worked them in
track traces, made filtering with a Green colour on with a fine old brush. The model is
the fuel barrels and painted the rocks. The final step now finished the same as the diorama.
for the diorama was putting a mixture of Sand, Mud Extra equipment is from Value Gear Details
and Dust pigment on it, to get a more authentic and which gave nice detail to the model. The
realistic desert effect (Photo 21). scene without figures can hardly tell the
The diorama is ready for the model, but the story so I have combined an Alpine figure 22
Bison needs a few more final touches. The first of with Doug`s Original figures from Afrika
them involved playing with oils. The same artist, Korps (Photo 22). They were painted using
Oilbrusher Buff was put on the places where I have Scale75 colours, which gave them nice
planned this effect. It is then blended with enamel shades and a matt finish.
thinner, the same as I did for the interior which Big thanks to Hobby Easy for providing
gave a dusty effect. For a more authentic effect, I this model.
www.militarymodelling.com 87
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HOBBYBOSS 1/35 SCALE TAKOM 1/35 SCALE
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BRAND NEW
Set of resin wheels for kits in 1/35 scale.
Our wheels are designed with use of original measurements and pictures. The
original casting method leaves only a tiny trace of casting plug (around 1 mm
wide).
The set contains 14 complete wheels, a spare wheel, a drill and a QuickWheel
painting mask.
FEATURES LIST:
- corrected shape of the steel wheel by adding the grooves inside the rims
- corrected depth of the steel wheel (please note how shallow are the ones
in plastic kits and how deep are the wheels actually on pictures of real
tanks)
- corrected shape and size of the bolts
- added optional stripe in the middle of wheels rubber bandage to imitate
the residue of rubber from vulcanization process, which can be easily
sanded off if not required.
- corrected height and width of the middle hub of the wheel
- added the grease nipples on the middle hub cap and its side (early place
ment and shape)
BK-062 M48 Early pattern wheels + Spare (for Revell & other manfuacturers - added markings on the rubbers
kits). QuickWheel mask included.
www.quickwheelstore.com