AFV 108 Cover.

qxp_Issue 26 cover 08/08/2019 12:02 Page 1

108
SEPT/OCT 2019 • £6.95 UK $15.99
www.mengafvmodeller.com
September/October 2019

OKA
2B1
Meng AFV Modeller

BUILDING
RUSSIA’S 2B1 OKA
ATOMIC CANNON
AFV-108 sept/oct 2019.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 12/08/2019 12:10 Page 222
AFV-108 sept/oct 2019.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 12/08/2019 12:10 Page 1

CONTENTS
2 Atomic
Karel Sutt undertakes the daunting task of building his own
1:35 2B1 OKA Self-propelled Atomic Cannon.

10 Diamond Geezer
Pascal Bausset builds the Merit M19 Diamond T transporter

18 T-29E3
Takom’s Heavyweight modelled by Sean Lynch in striking winter camouflage.

26 Wee Wiesel
Chris Leeman upgrades the tiny AFV Club Wiesel 1A1 Mk.20
as operated in Afghanistan.

32 Mine Masher
Miniart’s new BMR-1 modelled by Zack Sex .

38 Panzerkampfwagen IV Part 26
The Editor continues detailing Trumpeter’s 1:16 kit.

48 Keeping Track
New releases.

56 Lancia 3Ro
Rafal Lebioda builds the IBG kit of the standard Italian truck of WW2.

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1
ISSN 2059-4305
 When I first saw a photo of the 2B1 OKA self-propelled gun I knew
I had to build one. Having searched for a manufacturer producing
a 1:35 scale kit of the OKA I was faced with two problems. None
of the mainstream plastic kit manufacturers had released my
dream subject yet. Only a Lithuanian manufacturer W-model have
released the OKA in 1:72 scale and this scale is too small for my
taste. Then as regards to reference material on this vehicle
Internet sources are scarce and trying to find a book or detailed
photos is like to looking for a needle in a haystack. I spent
considerable time searching for photos and other information
about the 2B1 OKA hoping to find references for both the exterior
and interior but in vain. A couple of photos that I found were taken
from more than 15 m distance so lack the detail I needed. These
two obstacles couldn't stop my determination to tackle this
project. As the first step into the information wasteland I decided
2
to visit Saint Petersburg where one of the four produced OKAs is
displayed in Artillery Museum and take my own photos. Building a
model from scratch calls for a lot more research material than
assembling a kit. In this case I should like to thank two of the
Museum staff members Sergei Vladimirovic Efimov and Andrei
Vladimirovic Gromov without their help I couldn't realize my
project. By the way I asked Andrei what OKA means in this case
and he explained that is simply named after one of the Russia’s
rivers. As the base for that project I bought Trumpeter’s 2A3
Kondensator kit. Both nuclear monsters are fairly similar chiefly in
chassis parts. I was able to use road wheels, drive sprockets, idler
wheels, lower part of the hull, crane and partly the fenders with
superstructure as well but the rest it means approximately 80%
had to be converted or scratchbuilt.
Who says size doesn’t matter?
Karel Sutt takes on a big project
of the Soviet monster-gun

A prototype of the 2B1 system was unveiled in 1957, and In total,

four 2B1 Oka self-propelled guns were assembled. Three years after
the demonstration in Red Square (1957) on the order of the Council
of Ministers, the 4 prototypes of 2B1 Oka were removed from
service. The rate of fire of the 2B1 “Oka” with 420mm cal. gun
according to technical specifications was 12 rounds per hour. Its 20
meter barrel allowed it to fire its 750kg rounds up to 45km. The
development of new tactical ballistic missiles was one of the reasons
why the OKA project was canceled in 1960 before ever actually being
put into regular army service. In spite of that the OKA project left an
indelible and impressive legacy in the history of artillery.

3
 Construction began with the supports for road wheel shock
absorbers which are intended for half of the rear road wheels. For
that task I used a thicker plastic plate. For machining the plates I
used a Dremel tool with a round milling cutter. The missing wheels
shock absorbers I had to produce. Part of them I sculpted from a
plastic block like the original and my former PANZERSHOP 2A3
resin kit provided me the rest from resin remainders
Travel lock with its base had to be completedly converted. The
same for the travel lock’s clamp. The original 2A3 cabin is quite
different shape of OKA's. That meant cutting it into pieces and
adding new scratchbuilt parts.
The gun barrel with breechblock was a chapter in itself. For the
barrel I used an electrical conduit plastic pipe of 16mm diameter
and the thickness of the barrel I depicted with a short piece of
steel pipe inserted into the muzzle end. The inner diameter of the
steel pipe my friend turned for me was 12mm which corresponds
with 420mm calibre in 1:35 scale. A trunnion block including the
breechblock I sculpted with huge quantity of Milliput and for the
parts between the trunnion and breechblock I utilized various
scrap parts found in my workshop drawers. The transporting cart
for the nuclear projectile I completedly scratchbuilt to my own
design. As regards shape and size, one of my step-grandchild’s
little toy skateboard seemed to me appropriate for that so I used
this as a basis. The rocket projectile as I found out in the museum
is 364cm long making it 10.5cm in 1:35 I divided the length
between a piece of brass pipe and a lead fishing weight of a
suitable spheroid shape. I don't have to emphasize fact that for
everything I converted and scratchbuilt I used large quantities of
Tamiya Putty and Den Braven superglue.

misalignment

Resin parts from my

Two parts of the sprocket wheels
must be adjusted due to teeth
misalignment. I enlarged the
hole for connecting pin.
scrapyard was milling to the
request shape of upper
shock absorbers supports
later connected with those
on the previous picture.
Semi-finished product for back shock absorbers'
supports. The correct shape was machined with
a real time-saver Dremel tool.

After observation photos I found
OKA road wheels suspension
consists of 22 shock absorbers
compared with Kondensator's 10.
The lack of shock absorbers for
road wheels suspension I fixed
with resin ones and the rest was
scratchbuilt. The origin those resin grooved with a punch.
was surplus came from another
Panzershop's 2A3 kit.
The mould seam needs removing
from the road wheels.
Hole has been clogged with a
proper plastic rod, puttied and
For more realistic result as per the
reality the Friul tracks need to be
drilled through.
Whenever possible try to
cannibalize old kit parts.
Covers for the rear road
wheels hubs were
reshaping from Panzer IV
wheels. You'll be surprised
how often anything from
Germany vehicles can be
modified and re-detailed to
fit your needs.
First and foremost was the
painting black of the
interior as the grey colour
would be clearly visible
through the air intakes on
the finished model.

4
 Control levers made of
I remodeled fender's superstructure to replace unwanted to the correct To remove fender's brass wire and The gun barrel support
shape. Plastic sheets were used for this operation. superstructure I sawed it off. superglue. I hung them frame I completely
to let superglue form a remade, beginning by
droplet with gravity and cutting up the original
create a little bulb. parts.

I removed part of the

barrel’s support device
and left only two
bearing housings.
Sections of the 88 Flak
ammunition box were
Happily some parts of the support frame could be reused to used when reshaped
construct the new frame. Once I had completed the parts in the upper part of the
new correct shape I added weld beads. barrel's support.

The power distribution

cabinet hinge was made The first step in adapting the 2A3 Testing how to fit the new back side Because access to the
from plastic scrap like cabin was to cut off one of the with two fan grilles and left side interior becomes
stretched styrene rods to sides. with rest of the cabin. restricted I had to paint
the desired thickness. interior fittings and walls
before assembly.

Painted driver and operator seats Bending clips over a drill for Hydraulic distribution devices
including equipment around are attaching a distribution device. attached with new clips.
installed in the 'cockpit'.

As the first step for new trunnion

block I used a saw to separate the
gun barrel.
5
 The materials prepared for reshaping the trunnion Starting to rework the trunnion block The roughly shaped dried block Test fitting the roughly shaped
block. by wrapping all trunnion block with prepared for further sculpting block in position on its mounts.
Milliput. and shaping.

Lead wires were used for piping on the equilibrators.

The OKA’s massive equilibrators were built up from The equilibrator tube was grooved
several sections of brass tubing. using a saw blade, a strange
technique but it worked.

The gigantic gun barrel is made from

household uPVC pipe with a section of metal
tube inserted into the end and machined to the
correct scale internal diameter. The
Kondensator (the Trumpeter kit version) barrel
is much smaller than the OKA
The raw shape of the OKA breech was
formed by making a mould using a little
wooden block as a pattern to make a Miliput
block from which the breech was shaped. I
used assorted tools at hand to saw, file,
carve and sculpt the breechblock step by
step.

Almost ready for paint...some

final dry-fits before applying
primer show the various
materials used for the
scratchbuilt parts.

With an idea in mind of how

the missile trolley may have
looked I found a toy skateboard
to have the correct
proportions! Fictional details
were added throughout. Brass
tube, plastic sheet and epoxy
putties were used to create the
missile based on museum

6

To represent worn paint the speckling technique
works best for me. This is when you cover the whole
model with dots and splashes of different coloured
paints, but not classically with a brush in my case.
For this step I used my own method which consists
in randomly airbrushing the whole model through a
piece of net curtain for the first time and then
across a crumped little piece of wire wool. Any
partially permeable barrier for the colours is
suitable. It gave me the required irregular dots. I
used many acrylic colours from the Tamiya range
such as XF64 like a old rust, mix of XF7,XF3,XF2,XF9
like a fresh rust, then other mixes in this order
XF3,XF2,XF9 mix , then XF3,XF4,XF2 mix , then XF8,
then XF2,XF55 mix and finally XF1. As you can see
a degree of imagination for selecting colours
depends on individual taste.
The basic colour was soaked with water and scratched to soften
the hairspray to expose the underlying colours. After drying
completely I sealed the model by airbrushing a layer of Tamiya
X-22 Clear to protect it from further painting and scratching.
A selective wash(black+burnt sienna+red drop)
was applied around all the raised parts and
inside recessed lines. It is important to make the
wash around the small details and to do it
carefully and strictly on the areas required to
avoid darkening the whole model.
I strived to keep certain subassemblies such as
gun, cabin, wheels, tracks separate from the
rest of the model until have had a chance to
paint around, underneath or inside them. I tried
to depict Russian ‘purposefulness over beauty’
in the course of the painting steps so the
surface looks fairly crude. I applied grey Mr
Surfacer 1000 and black MIG Primer 2023 with
an airbrush for the first layer. The first diluted
with Mr. Color Leveling thinner with blue cap a
the second with MIG Thinner 2000.
After the primer coat I airbrushed the overall
model with Vallejo Metal color 77.712 Steel as
the second layer.
Mix of Tamiya XF4 with MIG 932 as the base
colour sprayed over a hairspray layer.
I highlighted the center of the panels with a
mixture of the camo colour and couple of
drops XF-57 Buff.
For worn patches on the breech block I Fading was applied with oil paints of various
used AK088 Worn Effects which provides colours over the model and then blending them
more subtle result than hairspray. with a paintbrush moistened in AK050 Thinner
and dragging the brush downward on the
vertical areas and along the hull.
Two silverly shades pencils Koh-I-Noor 3680/39 darker
and Faber Castell 8200-251 Albrecht Durer adds depth
and highlights to those areas affected by friction.
Scenic Rust effect slightly touched with red and
black oil colours gave more diversification mainly
The application of in the recessed places.
pigments colours on
the road wheels. I
used commercially
offered MIG and
Humbrol pigments
The missile was
and even some
airbrushed with a
pastel chalks.
mixture XF2 Flat
White with drops of
XF55 Deck Tan.
7
 My 1:35 OKA certainly looks impressive when it is complete, particularly due its
large size and uniqueness. I don't know of any other such model in 1:35 scale.
This project was really time-consuming and draining at times but if you have a
little patience and good references the finished self-propelled gun is something
admire. The time from idea to completed project was about 10 months of daily
work. I found my attempts at converting and scratchbuilding very rewarding
and I will continue to develop this area of my modelling skills.

8
9
 DIAMOND
GEEZER
Merit Model’s M19 Diamond T Transporter

modelled by Pascal Bausset

10
Desert Hauler
The M19 Tank Transporter was initially developed by Chicago’s
Diamond T Company after requirement from the British Army to
transport 40 ton tanks on the roads of England for D Day
preparations. It consisted of a 12-ton 6x4 M20 Diamond T Model
980 truck and companion 12-wheel M9 trailer.

The M19 had its combat baptism in North Africa.

The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British
Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air dispatch
and barracks administration.
The tank transporter companies were naturally part of the corps
and took part in the North Africa campaign of WWII. One from
their mission was to retrieve disabled vehicles. It’s one from these
missions I decided to depict with my M19 tank transporter in 1:35
from Merit models, one of the lesser known manufacturers of
injection moulded kits.

The kit from Merit International comes in a huge box that contains:

16 sand yellow plastic sprues

2 small photoetched sheets

1 clear plastic sprue for lights, windows and mirror

1 length of thread for the winch cable

Cab and trailer bed as separate single pieces

Decal sheet for two different trucks, one U.S. and one British in the
E.T.O.

And finally, the vinyl tyres, 11pieces for the truck and 26 pieces for
the trailer.

11
 Worthy of Merit?
A very well detailed 24 page instruction booklet comes with a
large two sided colour poster with colour chart and marking
location gives comprehensive instructions for painting your truck.
After finishing the construction two of these M19 kits, I can say
that the plans are very nicely done without any mistakes.
Moulding of all plastic and vinyl parts is of a high standard; all
parts fit well together, no need for adjustments and no moulding
shrinks.
Concerning the accuracy from the model, all dimensions look right
and details are nicely reproduced with complete engine, full
winch…what’s not to like?
Well, only two negative points concerning the wheels. Compared
with real truck the wheels appear a little too thin (overall exterior
diameter is correct).
The second negative point is for the trailer wheels track width.
According to the TM 9-2800 documents (September 1943), the
real M9 trailer has a track width of 108 inches (2743mm) or
78.37mm in 1/35 scale. It is only 70.50mm on the Merit model,
8mm; that’s a big difference! Unfortunately it is hardly an easy fix,
you would need to completely rebuild the trailer; I chose not to
surprisingly! This issue is clearly visible comparing finished model
with real trailer pictures.
12
Construction notes
As this is a large and expensive kit I thought it would be useful to
point out a few elements to help you get good results should you
decide to add this impressive beast to your collection.
Stage 1&2 We begin the construction with the nicely detailed
Hercules engine. Many very small parts need extra care when
cutting them from the sprues. All components from the engine are
well reproduced, for a perfect look you just need to add all the fuel
and electric lines. I didn’t go for the extra details as my hood was
to be displayed closed.
Stage 3&4 The main chassis is assembled here, take care to
glue it straight! The behind the radiator needs to be filed with
plasticard (see image below) and the front grille (E84) is glued later
during the late painting stages. Parts C26 and 27 should be glued
later as there is no location for placing them correctly on the
chassis.
Stage 5,6&7 The leaf springs are added to the chassis after the
completion of the axles and fixed in place at the same time, you
can adjust them correctly to have a level ‘sit’ (on a flat surface.)
I assembled all the wheel rims and added the tyres later after their
preparation (sanding the light moulding lines and weathering). The
rims were temporarily put in place for adjustments.
Stage 8,9&10
In stage 8 you can now add parts C26 & 27. Towing hooks, lights
are added later.
Now it’s time to use the big and beautiful photo-etched parts for As
the anti-skid surfaces. Using my photo-etch folding tool for
beginning to bend the plates I then finished the final rounded edge
of the fuel tanks (PEA3) using a plastic rod along the bending
tool’s jaw.
Some varnish was applied to the large photo etch parts before the
final paint, I find this helps key the paint avoiding bright-brass
spots at the weathering stage. The kit instructions are only for
building a T981 Diamond (those with front winch fitted), but
making a T980 (without front winch) is easy. For this don’t use the
left return roller B60 (only two are necessary) and modify the front
bumper simply closing the holes.
The winch is assembled at stage 10. This a little kit in itself, I built after completion, we can’t see too many details inside the cab,
it and glued it in place later after painting and weathering the paint-job is simply done, just paint the seat in a lighter shade,
completely. I replaced the kit’s thread with something more and add some black on the dashboard dials and steering wheel.
accurate (found in the spares box), length of this cable on the Windows are added at this stage, rear view mirrors and wipers are
drum is more important for the T981 than for the T980. fragile and added after painting and weathering the whole model.
Assembling all the sub-assemblies is done after painting and
Stage 11&12 weathering separately.
Ballast body is assembled straight as per the instructions. I just
replace the rear little plastic chains with more realistic metal ones Stage 16 to 18
As in reality I have added ballast weights. For a truck towing a Construction of the trailer is straight forward as per the
loaded M9 trailer in normal circumstances 7 tons (53 weights) are instructions. When assembling the four shock blocks (parts J8+J3)
installed in the body. Ballast weights are produced by Accurate and the two loading ramps (K6+K18) it is advisable to paint the
Armour (I bought the parts separately kindly suppled by Derek inner parts K6 & J8 before gluing the upper part, almost
Hansen, AA’s owner, many thanks to him). Ballast weights are impossible to do once assembled. An air tank (situated underside)
painted flat black before fixing them in place. is missing, but it is not visible when kit is finished, so I didn’t add it.
The pipes of the air brake system is also missing and can be
Stage 13, 14&15 added without too much fuss if you’re super detailing the trailer.
It’s time to assemble and paint the crew cab, interior is well
detailed. I painted the entire cab using a deep Olive Drab shade.

13
 Stage 19 to 23
In stage 19 tyres are skipped added later after weathering
them and painting the rims.
In stage 20 the front part of the trailer dolly (part H5) can
be upgraded by adding the two air hoses (using soldering
wire) and a hose guard (made using a 0.5 mm brass rod)
See the photo at the bottom of the page.The drawbar
(H17) is painted separately and added later.
In stage 21, I glued in position the two trunnion beams
(G2) with the completed rims without the tires that I add
later for adjusting the trailer rear suspension and wheels
height.
In stage 22 & 23 the construction of the trailer suspension
needs some care for a good fit of all the wheels
(important, all wheels need to touch the ground!). I first
glued in place the assembled parts K7+K21 and details,
wheels were dry fitted and removed for painting.

Marking, painting & weathering

I first painted whole truck and trailer in Olive

Drab Vallejo primer. Chassis and trailer
undersides stay this colour. When the base
colour is dry, I sprayed a coat of Worn Effect
(AK Interactive) and then the final coat in
Desert Pink (UA230) from Lifecolor for the
truck and Portland stone (UA64) Lifecolor for
the trailer. Despite these two shades the
difference between them is barely
noticeable. Then began the long chipping
process using dish washing sponge scourers
and water I worked carefully to obtain a
used but not totally destroyed look.
Now decals from the beautiful set from Star
Decal for British M19 tank transporter in
North Africa are applied before the
weathering stage. I chose the most colourful
truck, the one from 8th Army, RASC, 372nd
Tank Transporter Company in the Western
Desert in 1942.
When done, I applied a wash with ‘Track
Wash’ from AK, adding a darker pin wash
around the raised details. I also add some
streaking here and there in logical places.
For a muddy appearance, a heavy coat of
pigment covers the chassis and undersides
of the truck and trailer. I fixed these
pigments with Pigment Binder from Vallejo.

14
The vinyl tyres need the moulding One benefit of separate vinyl tyres is that they can be
seam removing, a little tedious! weathered separately and added to the rims later.
Pigment was added and removed leaving a variety
across all the tyres for a realistic touch.

Air recognition
markings are also
weathered to suit the
rest of the finish.

Completing weathering of all of the

sub assemblies before final
assembly is recommended.

The classic windscreen wiper ‘sweep’ achieved

with masking tape cut with a circle template.

15
 The AEC MkII used as load for the M9
trailer was built back in 2014. The full
build feature and walk-around reference
was published back in AFV Modeller
Issue 75. When the M9 trailer was
totally finished, I just fixed the armoured
car in place using Micro Kristal Klear. I
then begin attaching it on the flat bed.
For this, I used the Accurate Armour tie-
bar set. The kit comes with nicely
moulded resin parts and a length of
chain. Using the supplied instructions it
is easy to builds the four tie sets. All
were painted and weathered before
attaching to the AEC and trailer.

It was now time for the satisfying process of

bringing the sub-assemblies together and
adding the smaller details. the ballast body is
completed with an oil drum and a length of
chain found in the spares box. The truck’s front
windshield and side windows received a light
coat of Gulf war sand pigment (MIG prod) before
removing the masking tape.The front bumper is
painted separately, white and red stripes are
painted as they are not included in the decal
sheet. A light chipping is done is done to this,
the final step.

Conclusion

Despite the dimension inaccuracy, the Merit M19

tank transporter is a very nicely detailed kit, easy
to build for such a big model. It makes a great
addition to any Allied military vehicle collection.

16
Kits used:

Merit international US M19 tank transporter with hard

top cab ref 63501

Mini-Art AEC Mk2 ref 35155

Accurate Armour Tank Transporter Tie Set#1

WW2/Post War ref A153

Star decal M19 Diamond Tank transporter#1, Middle

East and Western Desert. Ref 35-963

17
 World of Tanks (WoT) is a very popular multiplayer online video game
that has been around for 8 years (not counting development time). The player
can choose tanks from different nations as well as whether they want to play
light, medium, heavy, tank destroyers or self-propelled gun lines within that
nation. Each line consists of 10 tiers of vehicles. The vehicles are focused
around WWII, with lines starting from about 10 years prior to the war and
going to about 15 to 20 years after the war.

So why bring up WoT in an article about a model? Well, WoT’s massive

success has had influence on the armour modelling hobby and vice versa. I
remember when the game first came online promo codes from WoT were
being included with some Trumpeter kits. The smart assumption being that
people who build model tanks would probably want to play a game that has
some of their popular tanks in it (such as Sherman’s, Tigers and T34’s to name
a few). I personally play the game from time to time and know several other
armour modelers who play it as well. I have seen as the graphics modelling of
the game has improved over the years, several of the vehicles in the games
rendering look suspiciously like some famous armour model builds.

Sean M. Lynch creates his

own fictional Super
Heavyweight Champion

18
19
 Let’s talk about the Tier system in the game. Since there are 10
tiers, the game often has to fill in spots with tanks that were at
most only test vehicles or very limited production. Also, since
some nations in WWII used heavy tanks (Russian and Germany
come to mind) other countries like the USA did not. However, the
USA did research heavy tanks and even had limited production of
some and test vehicles of others. The game uses these types of
vehicles to fill in the gaps between the tiers (like going from T34-
85 to T44 to T54). This allows nations like the USA that didn’t field
heavy tanks in battle to use them in the game.
As the game has become popular, model manufacturers have
been keen to capitalize on its success, thus coming full circle from
when the game gave promo codes in Trumpeter kits. I have seen
Italeri re-release kits with the WoT logo on them. While for many
years WWII German armour fans got all of the experimental tanks
they could ask for in main stream plastic, other nations did not.
Then Dragon’s Black Label line started to produce several popular
tanks from the game (as well as tanks from similar games such
War Thunder) that were experimental or limited production. These
include the USA M6 Heavy Tank and T57 as well as the M103
Heavy Tank (while this was fielded, it was limited to around 200 or
so vehicles).

This image show the quality of

the detail on the lower hull.
No fit issues were observed.

One of the best and most

popular Heavy tanks in the game Recently, both Hobby Boss and Takom came
at tier 7 is the USA Heavy Tank out with the T29E1 and T29E3 respectively. I
T29. USA armour fans had went with the Takom kit primarily because it
been asking for a kit of this is the most upgraded version from the game.
ever since the abundance of
experimental German
heavy armour started
hitting the shelves.

The tracks posed no

issues. They consist of
varying sections and
individual links. A jig is
provided to aid the
builder in assembling
them.

The turret, like the hull

has excellent detail
and good fit. Only the
I strongly suspect that most of these rare vehicles rear plate and front
plates needed some
wouldn’t have seen the light of day from a major filling. Takom does
manufacturer if it weren’t for the game. provided an option for
a canvass gun
mantlet dust cover.
The Takom T29E3 is a kit that goes together easily. It
appears to be very accurate in details when compared
to photos of the surviving test vehicles. I cannot
comment on dimensional accuracy versus scale
drawings, but it does appear to be at least reasonably
accurate when compared to a couple of scaled
measurements from photographs. I only found a
couple of spots that needed to be filled in with putty,
other than that the fit was excellent. A jig is provided to
help with assembly of the tracks.

20
The T29E3 relatively quick build, perhaps
even a weekend build. The parts count
isn’t too high and with very little putty work
needed it is cut, glue and let dry.

The T29 is a large tank. The

T26 was a little brother to the
T29. Here you can see the
difference between the two
models (The T26 is from
Tamiya).

Base coat is Mr. Color OD 2. This was

sealed with a gloss coat and markings
were added. The stars were all painted
using masks. The rest of the markings are
dry transfers or wet decals taken from
various sources. Yes, I included my mark of
excellence on the barrel (I only have one
because I am average at the game).

The T29 was just a trial vehicle and as

such never saw combat or any regular
service. As such it was just painted in
standard OD. However, I wanted to do
something different with the paint
scheme, perhaps more of a 1946 type
setting or some sort of extended trials
version. Working under those scenarios
allowed for some freedom in the painting
of the vehicle. Here I looked to the game
for inspiration. The game offers options
for camouflage in different settings and
differing patterns. One of my favourites
for the USA line is a winter camouflage of
patterns of white over the OD.
21

One of several screen grabs I took from the game and printed for my
reference for painting of my favourite winter scheme from the game.
Vallejo Chipping fluid was applied by airbrush to high wear areas. Tamiya
white with a very small touch of light grey was then airbrushed onto the
model. Once dry the masks were removed to show the results. Some paint
did get under the masks, but I was ok with this as I assumed the paint job
A stiff wide brush dipped in warm water was used to chip off
some of the white paint.
I often like to use oil paints to add shadows and or highlights to the base
paint. The camouflage pattern and white paint didn’t lend to the use of
highlights so only shadows were used. A dark grey oil from AK Interactive
was painted into areas of shadow as well as edges. In this picture only the
portion of the hull close to the lower edge of the photo has had the oil
added.
22
Printouts were made of the T29 in the desired camouflage from screenshots in
the garage of the game. These were used as a guide as to were to place my
masks. The desired outlines were drawn with a sharp pencil on to painters tape
and then cut out using a hobby knife. These were then applied to the
appropriate locations.
The same process was followed for the hull. I had originally glued the hatches
open, but carefully unattached them so I could more readily paint the camo on
to the hatches. The wheels would be left solid OD.
wouldn’t be perfect on the theoretical real one anyway. The registration
decals came off with the tape when it was removed, so the remnants were
carefully scraped off, the OD touched up and new decals were applied.
I wasn’t content with the amount of chipping achieved. I decided to add
more using Vallejo Brown Violet and a fine point brush. The chipping and
scratches were added to edges and other areas of wear and tear. Another
coat of gloss varnish was applied to seal the paint in preparation for the next
The excess oil paint has been removed using cotton swabs after being
allowed to dry for around 30 minutes. The difference between the treated
and untreated areas is clearly evident. The unfortunate effect of using
oils is that they will need a few days to fully dry before proceeding.
 The rusting mufflers were created in a few stages. They were first painted
Tamiya red brown and coated in Vallejo chipping fluid. This was followed by
a coat of Tamiya OD that was chipped as before, leaving very little of the
OD. A coating of AK Interactive rust streaks and light rust was applied and
then the excess wiped off once dry. Various rust toned pigments were then
stippled on with black pigment being used to finish the tonal variation in
the rust. The black was also used to create soot stains on the tail pipe and
the area of the fender just below the tail pipe.
A pin wash of dark brown was applied to all the details of the model
once the oil paint had dried The chipping and the shadow treatments
are making the details of the model really stand out.

The metal parts of the tools were painted in the same manner as the machine guns. The wood
handles were painted with a mix of Vallejo Old Wood and Leather Brown. The wood was then
coated with Burnt Sienna oil and the excess removed after being allowed to dry for awhile.
Note that in this picture I had forgot to paint the crow bar, but this would be remedied later on.

All the machine gun barrels were base painted with a mix
of Vallejo black, black-grey and natural steel. A graphite
pencil was ground up using sand paper and the grindings
were then brushed onto the machine guns to give them a
final metallic sheen. The same technique and colours
were used for the metal parts of the tools. The graphite
pencil was also used to add metallic highlights to sharp
edges and the inner lip of the hatches.

The tow cable and metal parts of the
tracks were initially painted the same
metal color, with a touch more black grey
added, as the machine guns. These were
then given various shades of rust washes.
Once the rust washes had dried, the
excess was wiped off. Graphite was then
used to add back metallic highlights. The
rubber on the tracks and hatch head pads
is a mix of Vallejo Black and Black-Grey.
The headlights were initially painted silver. A hole
punch was used to cut out the appropriate size
“lenses” from UV reflective coating for home
windows. This is sticky on one side and has a
silver tone to it. The kit supplied plastic lenses
were installed over this. This arrangement gives a
nice reflection from the lenses.

All of the painting was

now done prior to any
weathering.

23
 It is always nice when you can add figures to any vehicle. I tried
using Andra miniatures face painting set for this crew. The set kind
gives a step by step on what to do. I found it to be very user friendly
and am happy with the results. The commander figure is from Alpine
Miniatures while the others are from Tamiya. Replacement heads
were used for the driver and the figure with his hands crossed.

24
With the painting and figures completed it was time to decide
how to weather the vehicle. I wanted to do something different
from the standard mud and dust accumulation. I decided to go
with snow accumulation instead of mud. I have found many
photos of clean tanks with just snow built up in the suspension.
The snow is made from micro balloons mixed with water, white
glue and some gloss. After the snow was applied some moisture
streaks were added as well as some fuel stains to complete the
project.

25

The Wiesel was born out of the German Army’s requirement for a
light, air-transportable armoured fighting vehicle. It more
specifically was required to be a lightly armoured weapons carrier
that could fit into common NATO aircraft and could also be air
dropped. Prototypes were developed in 1975 by Porsche but due
to lack of funds the Bundeswehr dropped the project in 1978.
Porsche continued development though due to interest expressed
by other countries in the vehicle. In 1985 the Bundeswehr placed
an order for 343 vehicles with vehicles starting to entering service
in the late 1980’s. Versions of the Wiesel 1 included
26
1:35
reconnaissance, fire support (armed with a 20mm Rheinmetal
autocannon), anti-tank (armed with TOW missiles) and a remote
controlled version used for route clearance. Production of the
Wiesel 1 ended in 1993 in favour of the larger Wiesel Mk 2.
Weighing in at 2.75 metric tons (for the fire support vehicle), it was
powered by an Audi 5 cylinder turbo-diesel engine which gave it a
top speed of 70 km p/h and a range of 200 kms. The Wiesel 1 has
seen active service in Somalia, the Balkans and Afghanistan with
the German Army.
CHRIS LEEMAN DETAILS
AFV CLUB’S TINY WIESEL
1A1 MK.20

27
 TINY TANK TWEAKS
The AFV Club kit (No.AF35S-03) was
originally released in 1996. It is a very nice
model with sharp detail, rubber band
tracks and a small nickel photo-etched fret.
Unfortunately for me it is based on the
early version of the vehicle and as I wanted
to the Afghan based vehicle in 2009 I
would need to make some changes,
especially in regards to the tracks and
drive sprocket. Luckily Djiti’s Productions
make a set of correct tracks and drive
sprockets (No. 35022). So I purchased this
set, the Eduard etched set (No.35291) and
a turned barrel from Schatton Modelbau to
help with this project. Interestingly AFV
Club have re-released this kit with updated
parts to allow you to build an up to date
version. Of course this came out not long
after I finished this model.
28
Construction of the model was generally
easy. For a kit that is now over 20 years old
it holds up well against modern kits in
regards to detail and easy of construction.
A lot of the extra work I did was more
about enhancing detail than actually
correcting or replacing it.
When I joined the upper and lower hull
together there was a bit of a join line that
required some minor filling and sanding to
remove. I replaced all of the kits grab
handles with steel and brass wire of
various gauges. The front “box” bow plate
was replaced with 15 thou card only
because I messed up the kit part. The tops
of the convoy lights on the front fenders
where cut off. This was replaces with
plastic rod cut to size and mounted them
on the base. The wire frames where then
added, taken from the Eduard set. I also
added power leads for these lights from
fine lead wire. The front headlights were
drilled out and the replaced with excellent
replacements from MV lenses. Power leads
were also added using lead wire.
The rear tow point was a little under
detailed so I sanded new towing eyes from
30 thou card and added some missing bolt
detail. The NATO rear convoy guidance
cross was enhanced. The moulded on
details were removed and the cross wires
were replaced with thin wire. A power lead
was also added from lead wire, detailed
with lead foil tie downs. The aerials were
replaced with bases made from
hypodermic needles cut to size and thin
brass wire used for the main body of the
aerials.
Next Djiti tracks and drive sprockets were
added. The detail on these resin parts is
very nice and certainly add to the look of
the model. I did encounter an issue with
the tracks though. Each track consists of a
top and bottom run, already curved to fit
around the drive sprocket and idler.
Unfortunately on each side the tracks fall a
millimetre or so short of joining up
correctly, leaving a noticeable gap front
and back. At first I thought it was
something I had done, but then I realised
that all the wheels are fixed in position on
the kit (with no form of adjustment) so this
issue is with the track. My take is they have
shrunk slightly when removed from the
moulds. I have spoken to a few other
people and they have said they have
experienced a similar problem. So I fudged
it a little, putting a thin strip of plastic in the
gaps, shaving off the end connectors either
side of the gap and then made new
connectors from plastic card, shaped with
a file and cut to a slightly longer length to
incorporate the gap. It isn’t perfect but
seemed to work and isn’t too noticeable on
the finished model.
The intake vent on the side was cut out
and the Eduard slats added. Behind the
intake grill I added some mesh from my
spares box. I added a cloth “shroud” to the
front of the hull as per my references as
well as a rolled up tarpaulin, both made
from EpoxyRite. These were detailed with
wire, lead foil straps and etched brass
buckles. As I had removed some of the
non-slip texture in places when I was
sanding the main hull, I went over all the
non-slip patches with an excellent product
called from True-Earth called Structure
Paint (Rough casting & Antiskid Plate). This
was simply applied with a old paint brush
that was cut down and the product
stippled on. It adds a very nice in-scale
texture and kept it all looking uniform.
Next came the turret. Most of the
Afghanistan vehicles seemed to have a
dust cover added over the ammo feed
chutes. I added this using EpoxyRite. It’s a
bit rough and I admit I struggled a bit
getting it to look right but I was
reasonably happy. Lifting eyes
where added, made from
twisting fine wire around a drill bit and then
drilling a hole in the location on the turret
and gluing them in. I added some wiring to
the rear of the gun as well as a new crank
handle to one of the ammo feed boxes.
That pretty well sums up the construction,
now onto the painting.
The vehicle I based my model on was
simply in standard NATO three tone
scheme with ISAF markings added. All the
base colours were sprayed free hand using
Tamiya’s NATO colours(NATO Green XF-67,
NATO Brown XF-68 & NATO Black XF-69).
A gloss coat was applied and the markings
added. The ISAF markings came from a
Peddinghaus’ German ISAF Vehicle
Markings Afghanistan set (EP1927) and the
registration numbers and national crosses
came from the kit decals. The small ISAF
markings that appear on both sides of the
hull were hand drawn with a white pencil.
The model was then given a coat of Gunze
Flat Coat.
29
 WIESEL
WEATHERING
I added the light coloured chips and scrapes using
Humbrol Matt Light Green (No. 120) which was
applied with a combination of brushes and sponges.
The same mediums were used to apply the darker
scratches and chips as well, this time using Vallejo
Panzer Ace’s Highlight German Black(N0. 337).
Items like the tarps, lights, rear vision mirrors, tools
etc. were all painted using Humbrol enamels. The
model then received a wash of Windsor and Newton
Van Dyke Brown oils, with the excess either wiped
away or blended with turps and a flat brush. I then
applied some light drybrushing to various areas to
bring out some of the details. The tracks were
painted using Humbrol enamels. Pigments where
added both dry and wet to the entire model,
including the wheels and tracks. In various areas
excess was removed with a moistened flat brush,
and then more dry pigments were used to blend it
back in and create texture, especially on the lower
hull. Streaking effects were added using AK dust
effects liquid (No. 015). Splash and splatter marks
were added using heavily
thinned oils, applied by
running my finger over the
bristles of a loaded brush. The
vision blocks were painted
using Speed Hobby
Chameleon paint (No. PTSP-
0006) which changes colours
depending on what direction
you look at it from.

30
The figures were resin items from Jaguar(No 63056). These were
built straight from the box with no modification except adding their
boom mikes on their helmets. This was just wire and plastic-card.
They were painted with a combination of oils, enamels and
acrylics. The armoured vest on the front and the back pack are
resin items from the Black Dog German Bundeswehr Equipment
Accessories Set (No. T35055). I added some straps and buckles
to the backpack and both painted with enamels and oils. The
personal weapons are from Trumpeter. Slings were added from
lead foil.I mounted the model on a simple wooden base more
because it’s so small I didn’t want to risk damaging it when I
picked it up.
So that’s it, a fun project of a
cool looking little modern
vehicle.
31
 Soviet forces deployed a number of mine
clearing tanks to Afghanistan, this is my
take on one the main variants utilising
Miniart's recent early BMR 1 kit release As
part of their release of the six SU- 122/54
variants Miniart has brought out two
versions of the gun tanks, one tow variant
and are now in the process of releasing
three different versions of the later BMR 1
mine clearing tank, or more precisely
BMRs with the various mine rollers used
throughout service in Afghanistan.
Having already built a SUU 122/54 I was
really keen to build Miniart's BMR 1 the first
variant which comes with a KMT-5M mine
32
1:35
roller system ,which is now also available
as a separate kit, later releases feature a
chunky KMT 7 and the smaller more
nimble KMT 9. I remember about more
than thirty years ago pouring over blurred
and grainy images of these odd shaped
monsters coming out of Afghanistan and
thinking that they mirrored what the Israelis
were doing with their old Centurion
conversions in Lebanon. The Soviets had
gone into Afghanistan in Christmas 1979 in
what must have seemed like a fairly easy
operation but very soon the Afghans were
fighting back and Russian troops were
dying in ambushes, rocket attacks , mine
and IED attacks.The Soviets needed
vehicles to clear roads ahead of their
convoys and patrols and old recovery
vehicles and converted tank destroyers
were about to get a new lease of life. The
BMR 1/SUU 122/54 hull bears more than a
passing resemblance to the earlier ISU 152
or even the German Jagdpanther with
plenty of crew space. The BMR has a
plated section where the main gun was
mounted and most importantly heavy belly
anti-mine armour. An up armoured BTR 60
or 70 14.5mm machine gun turret is
positioned on the roof of the casemate
with spare tracks carried on the sides and
KMT attachment points on the front of
upper and lower hull. At this point it is
worth mentioning that the BMR 1 was not
the only Soviet mine clearing conversion
produced during their drawn out campaign.
The BTS 4 ARV was also altered with the
addition of an open topped machine gun
position or turret on the snorkel cupola
along with KMT attachment points these
vehicles were fairly numerous with a
number being passed on to Afghan DRA
MINE MINIART’S BMR-1
IN AFGHANISTAN

MASHER

M O D E L L E D BY ZAC K S E X
forces. Another interesting variant was the
BMR 2 which saw an armoured case mate
produced especially for adding to adapted
T55 hulls for use with the later KMT 9 mine
roller. More recently the BMR 1 and 2
models saw action again clearing various
types of mines in Eastern Ukraine and
Ukrainian forces. These later variants in
Ukrainian service offer the modeller some
very interesting colour schemes and are
well documented in good colour shots
available on the web compared to the
numerous low quality black and white
images from the Afghan era , but more on
all that later.

33
 Miniart marvel
Having opened the Miniart box the first
thing you'll immediately notice is that it's
packed solid with sprue frames, as are
most of their kits but fear not with no
interior the area of main construction is the
lower hull and suspension. Unlike the
earlier SU 122/54 the BMR 1 uses the later
style T72 live track, I found it best to glue
these tracks in sections, to keep shape
and form. The upper hull casemate takes
careful alignment when glueing but goes
together extremely nicely. Miniart grab
handles and mini fittings are quite delicate
and require careful removal and gentle
sanding. Their engine deck etch is an work
of art in itself and with a little air brush
34
misting come up in very fine detail, be sure
to damage them a little for wear and tear.
Having constructed the actual vehicle I set
about building the beautifully detailed KMT
5 mine roller which quite frankly is a vast
improvement on earlier Trumpeter and
Academy offerings,complete with chain
and delicately detailed fittings.
Having completed the construction of the
kit I set about examining any photo
references on the BMR in Afghanistan.
Many vehicles had ammunition boxes,
tarps and crew stowage tied on to the
sides of their vehicles as tank crews the
world over are prone to do. One thing to
remember on Afghan based BMRs is the
mounting of spare Ural truck tires or T55
wheels on top of the uparmoured machine
gun turret, I have also seen one with a
spare wheel tied to the rear. While the T55
wheels were obviously spares carried
during mine clearing operations, the large
tires may have been used when pushing
other tanks Heaven only knows? I decided
on a T55 wheel on my turret , a foul
weather cover above the driver's hatch ,as
spotted in a old Afghan veteran's photos
and some scratch built 7.62mm
ammunition boxes tied to the right hand
side of the case mate superstructure,with
their all important tie wires.
mucky pup
A fair lick of paint As I mentioned earlier colour
references are a little scarce for the BMR in Afghanistan
there two exceptions I could find. One was a series of
shots from the Web of a very worn and wrecked BMR 1
hull outside Kandahar which has the remains of Sand
camouflage with little patches of green, while the other
was a colour shot taken with two crew men and an
empty KMT frame work taken some time in the mid
80s. The KMT structure in this photo was a dirty sand
while the vehicle was a mid green. To get the ball rolling
I primed the lot with Humbrol sand acrylic that I have a
fondness for, I then air brushed clouds of Tamiya acrylic
green over areas of the hull but I was determined to
add patches of distressed and worn paint work, chips
and scrapes as you would expect on such a hard used
vehicle.

35
 The distressed and worn back areas around the extensive weld
seams would be enhanced with dried dirt and sand and mud
splatters. This was recreated using Mig productions sand
pigments painted on in a watery mix or splashed on and then
rubbed away till pleasing or realistic. Over these areas I applied
broad washes using oils heavily diluted with spirits, while in some
areas I applied more concentrated pin washes and 6B pencil
rubbing.
My own personal favourite is gently scraping back some of
the paint work to reveal the original acrylic sand. I then
let this little lot dry followed by some air brushing, the
engine grills and exhaust outlet were then given a
Tamiya matt black/brown mix blasting and most
importantly a heavy misting of Tamiya deck tan
on the sides, rear and rollers of the kit with
light misting of the upper hull.
36
The Miniart BMR 1 was more involved
than I actually remembered until I sat
down to think about it, because I
enjoyed it a lot I suppose, on the rear
deck I added a Miniarm Soviet figure
that Mick Jordan gave me I have to say
it was a joy to paint and added a nice
human element to the composition.
Am I going to build the next two BMRs I
hear you say? Hell yes I can't wait..
especially that late one used in Ukraine.
37
 Panzerkampfwagen
David Parker builds Trumpeter’s 1:16 kit
This installment sees the completion and installation of the radio
equipment into the hull, something I had long been looking
forward to. In order to do that there were some loose ends to tidy
up in terms of the radio covers and the assorted cable plugs for
the radio connections. Indeed it is the complexity of the assorted
cables and connections that presents the modelling challenge and
the huge satisfaction that comes with successfully achieving it.
Situated on the fighting compartment floor is a wooden box which store spare
parts for the gun breech. Fortunately I had good photos of a museum
example from which to work. The box was constructed from plastic card with
the rebated handle made from copper wire.
The box was painted in a dark grey matching the museum example and the
stencilled markings were applied using the markings from the AFV Modeller
decal sheet.
Each radio set has a protective facia cover which plugs onto two studs on
the radio facia once the cables have been unplugged. When not fitted they
are stacked on top of the radio rack, something I wanted to replicate. I
38 began by making the covers out of thin brass sheet which was cut using
scissors into the basic shape. The folded lips were marked with a scalpel
Part Twenty Six
In contrast there was also the dawning realisation that I may have
made quite a large mistake by in effect doubling up on the vehicle
intercom system which was obviously not correct. There then
followed a very intense session at the bench removing the
redundant Z-18 system from the extremely confined space in the
radio operator’s compartment.
‘L’ profile plastic was used to make the mounting frame and the webbing
strap was made using lead foil that had been textured by rolling a file over it.
blade and the corners where they intersect were carefully removed with
precision cutters. The lips were then folded with a hold and fold tool and the
corner joints soldered. The fixing blocks were added from plastic strip and
the pair of domed handle recesses were sanded to shape from plastic.
The covers were primed and I brushed some thinned Mr Surfacer around the The instruction placard was made from plastic sheet and I created some
joint between the handle pressing and the cover to improve the appearance laser printed decals for the text. I created two versions as I had not yet
of them being pressed into the surface. Only the top cover was fully detailed. decided which colour cover would be uppermost.

I used spare parts from the ABER radio set to make the frame on top of the The covers were painted to match the colours of the radio facias and I
racks which carry the covers. selected the dunkelgelb version as the uppermost for its contrasting colour.
The stacked covers are test fitted in position and then glued together.

I used the stacked covers to shape the strap which secures the covers and The strap was painted and the cover weathered. I also brush painted a serial
made from a strip of pewter and a buckle made from a squre of plastic card number and Waffenamt stamp in the top right corner.
with the centre cut out.

Time to wire up the radios and I installed all the required sockets in position For the cables I changed my original plan to use lead wire and switched to
with holes pre-drilled to accept the cables. I also added the pair of earth using MDC flexible resin ‘rod’ which is moulded in black and has a great
cables 1 between the rack and frame front and back using lead wire. satin finish so does not need painting. 39
 2
The connecting cables were added first and I added the braided Kasten
intercom connection 2 to the turret which runs down the crossbeam upright.
This was left overlong to be trimmed once the radio rack is fixed to the
crossbeam.
With better information about the connector sockets for the transformers I
made a new set including the taller double example to power the Kasten 20
intercom box.
The transformer power sockets were fitted and the power cable added into
the spur 3.
The flexible resin cables are remarkably easy to pose and will assume nice
natural positions. I selected a point on the wiring conduit to tether the cables
40 with a dab of CA used to hold them in place
The bigger power supply cables are added next, notice that the power
connector sockets have been chipped. I finally decided that I could glue the
radio rack into place on the crossbeam. 5 Minute Epoxy glue was used to
ensure a really strong bond. I subsequently changed the power cables for a
slightly thinner diameter cable.
Before glueing the crossbeam into the hull I double checked the whole
assembly for anything that would be difficult to do once it was fixed and I
spotted the locking bar for the toolbox rack. The bar was made from brass
rod and the hinge fittings from modified ABER 1:16 tool clasps.
This cable was then laid across the gearbox to connect up the back of the
Kasten box and the whole crossbeam assembly was finally glued into position
using 5 minute epoxy for added strength.
One of the trickiest cables to connect was the lowest transformer which I had
to turn back through the legs of the transformer frame.
Some careful tweezer work ensured the connection was made. It is worth The next cable was tacked into place on the conduit in the same way leaving
fitting the most demanding connections first and working towards the easiest. just the longest connection to the dunkelgelb-fronted 10WSc which links to
the wall mounted U10a transformer.

I was not comfortable that the cable would reach so I decided to split the run The other end of the cable is butted up and then runs down the side of the
and hide the join beneath a strap that would secure the cables to the conduit. transformer rack.

Once again the benefit of the flexible resin is that it can easily be tucked The strap was made from a strip of pewter that I pre-painted before it was
around the back of the transformer stack. glued into place around the cables and the conduit.

The paint was touched up in situ and the small buckle was added. The lower sections of the cable were then airbrushed to match the build up
of grime, the upper sections were kept cleaner as they would be handled
more. 41
 No sooner had I installed the radios than I came to the reluctant conclusion
that I had made quite a large mistake with the Z18 box installation. Such a
box remains in a preserved Aus.f G but the Z18 was phased out to be
replaced by the Kasten 20 box hanging under the radio sets. In preserved
Ausf.H and Ausf.J vehicles the mounting points for the Z18 remain on the hull
wall leading me to assume that the box and associated cables had simply
been removed in the intervening 70 years. The appealing complex and
42 Working in the narrow space was further hindered now the radios were in
position but I managed to remove the Radio Operator’s seat without a
problem and to pry the other boxes off the wall.
colourful nature of the Z18 arrangement was also a factor in my failure to fully
research its appropriateness in an Autumn 1944 Ausf.H. It is however certain
that both Z18 and Kasten 20 would not co-exist so despite the daunting
prospect of attempting to remove the Z18 box, most of the cables running to
it along with the cable that runs right across the hull to a coms box on the
fuse panel, it had to go!
The cross hull double cable was pulled up with tweezers and pulled out from
under the gearbox. Any crusty remains of CA glue were scraped away
although this was not easy in the confined spaces.
The base plate of the U10a was left tethered by its cable, to be reattached Just two cables are now routed to the Kasten Z23 having been adapted from
later. The majority of the wall mounted cables were removed using a new the previous cable arrangement. You can see the areas of damage on the
scalpel blade to cut them in the corner behind the transformers. wall where the CA glue removal has lifted the paint.

I used a fibreglass pencil to removes some of the weathering stains that In the same way the damaged areas of the hull floor were first brush painted
remained on the wall and touched up the other areas of paint before refitting and then I very carefully airbrushed over them so that you would never know
the U10a transformer on the wall. that the cables had been removed.

Finally I added the coiled cable 4 around the morse key on the transmission and connected it up
to the radio set. This was done using 0.4mm lead wire which was pre-painted before it was fitted 43
into position. The project continues in the next Issue
 new releases
KEEPING TRACK
Meng 1:35 96K6 Pantsir-S1
Another mega-kit from Meng which continues their series of
Russian Air Defence subjects, the Pantsir must rate as one of the
most ambitious ones to date with around 750 parts; that’s a lot for
a kit without track-links! So as you’d expect the box is packed
solid with sprues, so much so it’s difficult to get them back in,
some of the initial stand-out features are the cab moulding, the
enormous chassis rails and the fine railing sections showing-off
Meng’s state of the art moulding technology with some delicate
and very fine detail throughout. Along with the styrene sprues
there’s a pair of large photoetched frets which mainly supply the
mesh walkway sections in manageable sized chunks. Tires are
48
beautifully done in soft vinyl and we’ve the usual decals and clear
parts. Along with four Russian versions there’s an option to build
Iraqi and Syrian Government vehicles with some striking camo
schemes on offer. Models of this magnitude and complexity have
to be planned to allow painting access, this has all been designed
very well allowing large sub-assemblies to be left separate for
painting; the full chassis and engine, cab, crew compartment,
turret base, turret and generator, even the cab interior ‘slides’ in
from the back and has posable doors and roof hatch. The
hydraulic stabilisers can be posed ‘in action’ and the huge
fearsome turret and radar are posable. As with the ‘Buk’ missile
system we built recently this kit appears quite a task before you
get started but Meng’s precision fit and design make assembly an
absolute pleasure. What a show-stopper this will be, straight from
the box, fantastic looking kit all-round.
Meng 1:35 96K6 Pantsir-S1 saggeg wheel set
The kit tires are really well done but if you really want to raise the bar with your Pantsir project these
resin-cast wheels are just stunning! Incorporating a weighted ‘bulge’at the point of ground contact
showing superb sidewall detail with the pouring sprues very easy to remove they’re highly
recommended to those wanting the ultimate detail for the project.

Stalingrad
Drawing inspiration from a well-known piece of film footage from the
Ardennes campaign, Stalingrad have pulled-off this superb set of
crew for your 1:35 King Tiger. The figures fit the Meng kit really well
and have great character and animation with Stalingrad’s renowned
crisp detail and quality casting; these should be a joy to paint and a
great instant vignette. www.stalingrad.diorama.ru

German Self Propelled Guns Number 19 is out in the excellent WWII Photobook series from PeKo which concentrates
on the Battlefield on the German SP guns used throughout WWII. All are featured from the sIG33 ‘Bison’ on
the tiny Panzer I chassis through to the monsterous Sturmtiger. There’s a great mix of
Jon Feenstra vehicles in action on all fronts with the usual large format period images backed-up with
Published by PeKo detailed captions. If you’re an avid collecter of literature on German armour there’s a few
Hardback format, 110 pages familiar shots, some not so and others new to us with everything from factory fresh
Hungarian / English text vehicles to destroyed wrecks. Of particular note are the series of images of sIG33
‘Bison’s and the Selbstfahrlafette (15cm gun mounted on the modified Panzer III chassis
ISBN 9786155583162 49
used in North Africa). Great modelling reference and inspiration as always from this
www.panzerwrecks.com series; highly recommended to fans of German armour.
 Eduard
Tamiya’s new Sheridan kit (as featured on the
cover of the previous issue) is proving very
popular and Eduard have added some sets for
this very kit to their huge catalogue, 36408 is a
photoetched upgrade for the front screen
(designed to detonate RPGs before hitting the
vehicle). More highly detailed weapons have also
been added to the expanding range all featuring
ultra-fine resin weapons and pre-coloured
photoetch slings. 635011 is six PPSh-41 Russian
sub-machine guns and 635012 is a set of eight
Gulf War period M1s. www.eduard.com has all
the latest news.

Armour of the Royal

Hungarian Army
40M Nimród Tank Destroyer
This is a really nicely presented monograph on the ‘Flakpanzer’ of the Hungarian forces
and Armoured AA Gun during WWII. From Swedish origins the tracked and armoured 40mm Bofors gun proved
Attila Bonehardt an effective weapon and now with mainstream kits available of plenty Hungarian
Published by PeKo armoured vehicles of the period this is the perfect reference. Following the common
layout of one large image per landscape page there’s some great reference ranging
Hardback format, 120 pages from factory images (including close-ups and turret interiors) to KO’d vehicles and relics.
ISBN 9786155583148 Production and design information is also included along with technical data and
www.panzerwrecks.com production tables. A good value and well presented one-stop reference on these
interesting vehicles. Our thanks to Panzerwrecks for our PeKo samples.

Lifecolor Acrylic Primer Set

AFV Modeller 1:16 Panther Crewman
Designed to fit the recently released Trumpeter 1:16 Panther kits
this new figure is loosely based on the well known photo of the
50 crewman looking out for hostile aircraft on the back of the
Panther turret. www.afvmodeller.com
A new boxed set of coloured primers from Lifecolor which have
been tailored to the armour modeller with sympathetic colours for
a variety of projects. I have tested the ‘Tank interior white’ to see
how well it works, it needs thinning to consistency of milk to spray
and Lifecolor recommend an initial misted coat before you build
up the density. I found the coverage to be excellent and once
applied it can be sanded if required. Very dense and does exactly
what it say on the tin. Our thanks to the UK distributors the
Airbrush Company for the sample. www.airbrushes.com
Accurate Armour 1:35
Husky TSV Heavy with
L57A1 PWS conversion
Scotland’s Accurate Armour are one of the longest established providers
to the hobby of kits, upgrade sets and conversions especially catering to
the needs of Commonwealth vehicle modellers. Their catalogue of modern
British subjects has expanded to cover several sets for Meng’s recent
Husky release. Our sample of the ‘Heavy Husky’ conversion includes re-
modelled seats, communication equipment, a corrected and super-
detailed L57A1 PWS (Protected Weapons Station) with .50 Cal HMG on a
balanced mount, ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) and photo etched
set including the ‘Birdcage’ ECM Antenna. This set also has a revised rear
stowage layout due to the larger overhang of the heavy turret. A new
BOWMAN cover and mounting for the Antenna box is supplied as is the
required shortened swinging rack for the jerry cans. The cast resin parts
are very fine and detailed with minimal clean-up, the ultimate detail for
more experienced modellers. Note that the wheels are not included in this
set, but available separately as is a Recovery Vehicle conversion, check
them out at www.accurate-armour.com

Panzer Concepts 1:35 280mm S.K. L/40 “Bruno” Railgun

Without doubt this is one of those impressive subjects that
modellers will wistfully wish that someone would release a kit of.
Well the wishing has become a reality courtesy of American
company Panzer Concepts. The enormous gun is available in your
choice of three versions, World War One, World War Two or in its
static turntable version. Prepare yourself for a large box of mostly
cast resin parts but with laser cut perspex used to form the long
chassis sides. Along with this is a section of laser cut styrene, a
length of brass tube, a pre-formed section of brass roof and three
lengths of plastic profile. The kit also includes injection moulded
railway tracks produced by Sabre Models. In terms of the sheer
number of parts it is an extremely impressive package and
certainly won’t be a quick weekend build which is why we will be
serialising the building of our sample of the WW1 version,
complete with its striking lozenge camouflage scheme. The whole
kit has been 3D CAD designed based on the original blueprints for
the gun and this allows for some very clear assembly instructions
based on the CAD designs which the modeller needs to
download. Casting quality is excellent and there are some really
clever design features like the pre-cut holes for the rivets on the
chassis sides into which you plug strips of rivet heads. The
massive barrel is split into sections which will already dry fit
together pleasingly and so far with the basics of the chassis
frames rivetted up and the cross bracing assembly underway its
building really nicely! Be prepared as its a large model with a total
length of 26cm all of which makes the $300 price seem like 51
extremely good value for money. www.panzerconcepts.com
 Revell 1:35 Dingo 2 GE A2.3 PatSi
Revell have re-boxed a new version of their ‘Dingo’ containing
new parts to allow the modeller to produce the A2.3 vehicle. With
it’s V-shaped armoured lower hull and Unimog running-gear the
Dingo is one tough vehicle which has proved it’s worth to the
German forces operating with ISAF in Afghanistan. The basis of
this kit first appeared around six years ago so it’s a pretty new
tooling and the grey styrene (as opposed to the dark green of
previous) certainly shows the detail to a much better degree with
everything cleanly moulded throughout. The suspension and
chassis is well detailed and even includes a basic engine although
posable front wheels would have been preferable to add a little
‘life’. The wheels themselves appear a little bland as the actual
vehicle has a simple cover (presumably armoured) and the kit’s
vinyl tyres aren’t the best, more demanding modellers will no
doubt look to what resin replacements are on the market. As we
always say with Revell kits, the budget price allows scope for a
few aftermarket upgrades without breaking the bank. The design
of the assembly will help with painting as the main body and
interior, chassis and running gear and cargo compartment can be
left as sub-assemblies. Two ISAF tan camo schemes and one
three-tone NATO style schemes are offered. A solid kit which
offers good value. Revell Inquiries: ukbranch@revell.de
Website: www.revell.de/en

Einheitsdiesel
The Standard 6x6
cross-country lorry of the Great to see the guys at Nuts and Bolts still going strong with the same team pulling together
Wehrmacht to give German armour enthusiasts their superb one-stop references. Number 42 focusses on
Holger Erdmann the widely used 6x6 Einheitsdiesel in all of it’s various configurations. The usual tried and tested
format provides a wealth of information detailing design and production, usage, variants, unit
Published by Nuts & Bolts make-up and markings packed with technical illustrations and factory images and plans. Rare
Softback format, 209 pages period photos and colour profiles give good modelling inspiration as do the chapters on
www.nuts-bolts.de available kits and a gallery of finished projects. Another superb addition to the series.

Blitz
More French fancies, this time from Blitz with some colourful
characters in the form of some WWI French Navy gunners designed
to crew the 370mm mortar also available from Blitz. Take a look over
at www.blitz-kit.fr to see these guys in position on the superb gun
52 emplacement diorama. All manner of French rarities are offered by
Blitz which make a great change from the norm, top quality resin
figures, conversions and kits of artillery and vehicles.
Challenger II
Dick Taylor
Published by Kagero
Softback format, 86 pages
ISBN 9788365437853
www.casematepublishers.co.uk
As the title of the series suggests ‘Photosniper’ collates some
superb images of the subject in focus, with number 30 it’s the turn
of the British MBT Challenger 2. Starting with design and
development there’s a steady flow of excellent images and easily
accessible information on the Chally and some great shots of the
human element, the crews, who make it all happen with images
From Leningrad to Narva
Kamen Nevevkin
Published by PeKo
Hardback format, 79 pages
ISBN 9786155583186
www.panzerwrecks.com
‘An Illustrated Study of the battles in the Northern Baltic Area
January-September 1944’ is the sub-heading of this new PeKo
release by a leading Bulgarian researcher giving an expert
analysis of the battles fought to end one of the most dramatic
sieges in history. The book offers a really nice ballance of text and
images, the images in particular will be of the most interest to
of exercises, maintenence and combat deployment in the Balkans
and the Gulf. An extensive coverage of variants including Trojan
and Titan offers great modelling reference and descriptions of
export models (along with colour profiles) gives us food for thought
on some alternative finishing and colour schemes. An entertaining
read and reference for modellers of modern British subjects.
Mk.35 Editions
It’s great to see France’s Mk.35 still
expanding their resin figure range
after many years of serving the
diorama builder with subjects not
often covered by more mainstream
manufacturers. Two new civilian
workers are very nicely done, F279 is
carrying some timber and F278 is
taking a break from wielding his syth.
F277 is an Afrikakorps subject laying
a mine in the sand and F280 is a US
casualty ideal for a Normandy scene.
Take a look at www.mk35.com for the
full range and great painting
inspiration.
modellers with most previously unpublished giving a great
selection of Russian and German armour and artillery, some just
begging to be recreated in scale especially some of the Panthers
and some beautifully sharp images of some captured 15cm 53
Panzerwerfer 42s. Very nicely presented and not too ‘heavy’ to
read, worth considering for the images alone.
 War Photographer This is the first volume in a new series presenting rare or unpublished images from the
Tom Cockle WWII era. Each will focus on a particular operation, battle, vehicle or personal collections
of troops involved. Number One is a must for anyone interested in early StuGs (vehicles up
Published by PeKo to and including the F8 version) as it follows an unidentified Sturmartillerist from StuG-
Softback format, 60 pages Abt.189 from his Reich Labour Service, training, Eastern Front combat and finally making
ISBN 9786155583193 it to Officer training. As these shots aren’t ‘official’ PK photographs they offer a unique
www.panzerwrecks.com view of the day-to-day life of the StuG crews with a collection of excellent images in large
format. The Author shares his strong knowledge on the subjects with detailed captions
throughout. A great collection of images offering excellent value, we look forward to
seeing this series develop.

Vallejo
Spanish manufacturers Vallejo are well known and respected for their pioneering work with acrylic
finishing products and paint ranges and they’ve now diversified with a full range of 1:35 scenics
and diorama accessories. Cast in a very lightweight resin there’s minimal clean-up and you’re
ready to paint, this is a great benefit with the buildings and structures where plaster castings can
be very absorbent when applying colour and often brittle. The finesse of detail is difficult to show
due to the pale colour but be assured the quality is excellent. Garbage bins come in many
shapes and sizes with sets No1 SC212 and No2 SC213 and for modern scenes is set SC209 a
great selection of gas bottles. Jerry cans are essential details and three types are on offer with
Allied versions SC206, German SC207 and IDF with set SC208. Set SC222 provides detailed
German Panzerfausts and cases, set SC221 is ten M2 Browning large ammo boxes and SC226 a
group of vintage cases. A selection of obstacles and road barriers are really nicely done with
54
SC220 a pair of trident tank obstacles, SC228 concrete barriers, SC215 damaged barriers,
SC219 ‘Höckerhindernis’ tank blocks and the Type 38 version with set SC218.
A selection from Vallejo’s excellent ‘ready to go’
vignette bases should be a joy to paint, composed
perfectly to sit a vehicle on they offer super-quick
assembly and excellent detail. SC107 is a sizeable
factory facade and SC108, a French street, is also
large enough to accommodate a heavy tank in 1:35
and SC003 a compact little ruin to suit smaller
vehicles as is the superb Normandy street corner in
set SC004. To compliment any scratchbuilt building
you may have planned are sets SC229 roof tiles and
SC230 a section of damaged roof. SC231 provides a
quantity (couple of hundred at a guess, you don’t
want me to count them out do you?) of coloured
cobble stones and SC232 some of the same but red
bricks, some complete and some damaged. Never
mind the bollards, here’s just the ticket for urban
street poles, SC216 are plain and SC217 have a
wider base, six per set. SC005 is a nice weathered
wall and has detail on both sides and would work
well with SC006 which consists of a village gate (or
workshop entrance?). Roll out the barrels; SC201 are
4 German drums, style 1 and SC202 are style 2 (fine
ribs) SC203 are civilian style WWII and SC205
modern pattern. More modern containers are in set
SC210 (plastic drums) and SC211 contains 2 drums
and a selection of smaller containers. More of a
vintage style wooden barrel are in set SC225 and
finally SC224 WWII German food containers.
www.acrylicosvallejo.com has the full range on show
and you can see just how good everything looks
once painted and weathered, you’ll also find detailed
information on their diorama effect products and
colour ranges. High quality products as always from
Vallejo.
55
56
Rafał Lebioda gives the IBG
Lancia 3Ro a worn desert finish
Recently the Polish manufacturer IBG released an exceptionally tempting new kit - a
replica of one of the most numerous Italian trucks used during the Second World War.
The Lancia 3 RO was one of the main basic vehicles transporting Italian troops and
equipment. There were many different versions, including the armed one on which
howitzers were mounted, also offered by IBG. My project is a standard version of the
vehicle used in North Africa in 1941.

The kit looks very promising: a lot of good quality parts with some very good detail on
show. Before assembly, I read the instructions and collected technical documentation
that can always help in the construction process of any model. The internet is the
modern modeller’s friend with photos to give inspiration and the appearance of the
vehicles in use as well as the technical details.
I decided to leave the tarpaulin frames and benches off leaving space for some
interesting cargo. With all my reference at hand and images in mind of the finished
model I started to cut some plastic...

57
 Italian Stallion
Following the assembly instructions I started to build the engine.
Despite the fact that it consists of many parts, the engine did not
cause any problems. In addition, I made ignition leads and various
wiring from copper wire thus adding a little more realism. I did the
same wiring work in the engine compartment (on the bulkhead).
The next step was to assemble the frame and chassis. The
manufacturer provides a lot of parts here giving a high level of
detail. You also have to be careful when assembling this
complicated construction, any mistakes will cause fit problems
later with the cab and body.
Next in the instructions were the wheels. IBG have made a good
job of these moulding the tire tread and wheel face as one part
with the rear side separate; the parts fit together perfectly, so it is
enough to dry fit and apply a thin ‘weld’ adhesive here. I use Mr.
Hobby Mr. Cement S - the perfect glue for joining these kind of
tight parts.
Then I focused on the assembly of the Driver's cab. I built it so that
it was easy to paint before the final assembly. I painted the interior
of the cabin in green (Field Grey from Mr. Hobby's palette). I made
the seat base and backrest more realistic by putting a thin layer of
tissue over them. I glued this in place with diluted wood glue and
left it to dry. After drying you have a nice texture of wrinkled
material as on the upholstery of this type of seat from the period. I
painted them straight ‘brown’ from the Tamiya acrylic range and
added the usual shading and highlights.

Some simple plumbing and

wiring lifts the levels of detail.

Tissue moistened with

diluted PVA (white wood
glue) adds texture to the
bench seat.
Liquid solvent cement is essential to strong bonds
of the chassis parts, taking care everything is
square to avoid fit problems later. CA ‘super glue’
must be used to attach photoetch.

Photoetch is a welcome touch

for the radiator cover, these parts
are best painted separately.

The five cylinder engine benefits from some simple

wiring, plenty of reference is available on these widely
produced vehicles.
Note the areas given a coat of
Mr Color metallic, this will be
revealed by scraping the top
layers of paint away.

58

As with the bodywork of the truck, Chipping Fluid was also employed
for the worn finish of the engine components and the chassis. Using
multiple colours allows greater depth to the effect, oxidised bare metal
being the base tone for the chassis.
The assembly of the load bed is the next step in construction of
the 3 Ro Lance. I decided to build it in the most simplified version
without a tarpaulin frame or bench seats in a simple load-carrier
truck. More on the load later.
This stage, despite the size of the ’box’, is probably the simplest
of the components of the kit to build. The assembly was carried
out without much difficulty. The rear tail-gate was not glued in
place until I’d decided on the final appearance of the truck and it’s
load. I added wheel arches and four containers at the bottom of
the cargo bed. I also glued the frame to the spare wheel but left
this loose to allow painting, this was added in the final assembly
stage.
Wor n Wor k- ho rs e
Unlike some armoured vehicles this project is painted in stages.
The chassis and running gear are complete as is the cab interior
which needs to be closed-up and masked before the external
paint can be started. In order to achieve the effects of partially
worn away desert yellow colour (H 48), I applied the ‘Hairspray’
chipping technique (hairspray can still be used although some
specific fluids are available). I applied two layers of protective
lacquer to the base colour of Field Green. Then, after drying, I
applied a solid layer of Worn Effect from AK Interactive’s range
with an airbrush. After drying I applied the base colours with an
airbrush - H 341 (Mud) and finally H79 (Sandy Yellow)
from Mr. Hobby.
The finished effect of
worn multiple layers.
59
 When the acrylic colours are touch-dry I moistened the painted surfaces with warm
water and then began ‘scratching’ it with various types of old brushes with stiff bristles.
Additionally I used a toothpick to obtain sharper, controlled scratches.
I worked this way until a satisfactory result was obtained. After these treatments I put the
elements aside to properly dry. Characteristic white crosses are masked from hand-
made templates from self-adhesive tape using the kit decal sheet as a guide. I applied
white paint using an airbrush to allow a slightly weathered look which isn’t a completely
solid white.

Mr Hobby ‘Rough Grey’

weathering paint gives a good
textured base for heavily
rusted components such as
exhaust systems.

60
The next step was to apply a filter. The aim of this stage is to tone-
down any harsh contrasts and add some interest to the surfaces
with tonal variations. Filters are available to use straight from the
bottle or by using heavily diluted paint, I found here Afrikakorps
wash thinned a little gave the tone I was happy with. The same
wash was used to give contrasts around details, further contrasts
around certain details were picked-out by carefully painting select
details with a lightened version of the sand yellow. Some further
and very controlled wear was added with a fine brush and Vallejo
dark brown. A small piece of sponge was also used to apply the
brown, almost dry and very sparingly this gives some very small
and fine random marks.
IBG have made a great job of the wheels, thankfully in plastic and
not soft vinyl I started by airbrushing the base colour of Tamiya XF-
1. Then using a circle drawing template to mask the tyres I applied
the layers of colour to the wheels following the same process as
the body parts. The tyres were then picked-out in my favourite
rubber shade of Mr Hobby ‘Tire Black’. The ingrained dust in the
tyre tread and detail was achieved with pigment powder washed
with white spirit.
The same pigments (earth and sand colours) were applied to the
cargo bed to help with the dusty desert finish. Heavier deposits of
dirt accumulated under the cargo bed and mudguards was
applied with two tones of Mr Hobby weathering pastes (a thick
textured paint) which can be textured with an old brush.

The kit wheels look Pigment powder adds

great painted and to the dusty desert
weathered look.

Mr Hobby weathering paste has a

good texture to simulate heavy dirt
build-up on the undersides.

An extra touch of realism was added to the headlamps

with a bulb rolled from Milliput, all was coated with a
metallic chrome effect paint before adding the lenses.

61
 I wanted to suggest the truck undergoing minor repairs so I
didn't install the side covers, which in the desert conditions were
often removed for better engine ventilation anyway. Half of the
hood was supported by a rod made from fine brass rod.

A truck will always look more interesting with a load of some sort, the
main object here is a BMW R75 motorcycle from Tamiya.
Several crates and the fuel drum add some colour and the engine
block with leaking fluids adds to the story of this hard-worked hauler.
The last step to call my Lancia complete was to apply a coat of Mr.
Hobby's Premium Clear Flat (H series, no. 103).

In the past we would need to look the short-run resin kits of softskin
vehicles such as the Ro3, now in this Golden Age of armour
modelling the choice of mainstream, affordable kits is
vast. IBG did a good job with this one.

62
63