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TAKOM’S 1:16 PANZER 1A

 CONTENTS
2 Magach 6B Gal
Sam Dwyer models the new Meng IDF kit

10 Eastwards Ever Eastwards

Tamiya’s new Panzer 38(t) modelled and described by Mark Neville

20 Big One
The Editor goes large with the new Takom Panzer 1

30 Lorraine Schlepper
A rare walkaround of the Sd.Kfz.135 photographed by Alan Ranger

40 Panzerkampfwagen IV Part 30
The Editor continues detailing Trumpeter’s 1:16 kit.

48 Keeping Track
New releases.

50 Snow Leopard
Imad Bounantoun shows how he converted his Finnish Leopard
in Winter Camouflage.

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avoid mistakes AFV Modeller ltd. cannot be liable in any way for errors or ommissions.
 The IDF were the first to use explosive reactive
armour (ERA) operationally in the 1982 Lebanon War,
outfitting their Shot Centurion and Magach M60 tanks
with these distinctive blocky armour packages. At the
time I remember seeing footage of Magach 6B tanks (I
didn’t know what they were at the time) and thinking
they looked pretty mean! Over the years I’ve built the
Magach 6B a few times, the old Esci kit, and of course
several Verlinden Productions resin conversions for the
Tamiya M60A3. When Meng announced their Magach
6B Gal - I new I had to build it!
The 6B Gal differs from the older 6B by having a new
larger ‘doghouse’ gunners sight box, a larger square
section turret basket, compared to the older rounded
M60 basket, fitment of the Gal fire control system and a
raft of smaller detail changes. The Meng kit represents
a Magach that was used well into the new century, 50+
years since the parent M60 vehicle first entered service
(albeit US service). Meng’s’ kit is moulded in crisp tan
plastic, flash free and bursting with detail.

2
1:35
SAM DWYER welcomes a new
ERA of Magach kits from Meng

3
 The hull and turret parts have subtle casting texture and cast
numbers, after reviewing the comprehensive instruction booklet, I
dispense with the build sequence and assemble the main hull and
turret components, and glue the barrel halves together. I set these
aside for the glue to cure and started cleaning up parts. The
engine deck plates in the kit come separate as on the real thing - I
can see someone releasing a resin AVDS-1790-2C and engine
compartment detail set at some point. Clever engineering means
the multi part engine deck is a positive fit, a touch of liquid glue
and it all pops into place. I built up the wheels as the hull parts
dried, the kit comes with the smooth steel type M60 wheels, as
opposed to the ribbed aluminium wheels. Both were seen in IDF
service so if you have some in your spares box it would be cool to
throw them on this kit. I used an old chisel shaped knife blade to
take chunks out of the roadwheel tyres, this was very common on
all tanks with rubber tyres but particularly on IDF tanks. Kit
suspension builds up really quickly, a couple of minor gaps around
hull fittings were filled with Mr Surfacer and cleaned up with a
cotton bud moistened with thinners. The wheels are fitted to the
swing arms with poly caps, so can be removed later for painting
and weathering. The ERA blocks fitted to the lower hull glacis plate
attach as one block and look fantastic.
The upper hull goes together very quickly, Meng cram a lot of
detail into a build that seems to have relatively few parts. Clever
use of slide moulding helps. The inclusion of separate tiny fender
4
bin handles is a particular highlight. No need to hollow the
undersides out, or replace them with resin items. The hull front
ERA package is beautifully detailed and goes on almost as one
piece. Several larger triangle shaped blocks round out the up
armour package on the hull. I left off the clear parts for the drivers’
episcopes at this stage, its easier to add these once the model is
painted and weathered. In Desert Eagle Publications excellent
Magach 6B Gal book there are some images of Magach tanks
with mismatched tracks, I like this feature so built up one run of
the tracks that come in the kit, substituting the other side for Friul
Batash track. I had these built up already from a stalled Merkava
2D project. These tracks fit the kit sprockets perfectly. The kit
tracks build up with the supplied plastic jig over the course of an
hour or so. Whilst scanning through this book, I
noticed that some Magach 6B’s had non skid
texture on the front fender sections and glacis
ERA blocks. I carefully masked off the sections
that needed this texture and sprayed on texture
paint from the hardware store. This is designed to make concrete
steps not as slippery, but is perfect for non slip on IDF tanks. One
last addition to the hull was two small sections of brass strip on
the front fender support, designed to keep the tow cables from
falling off the fender sides.
The flexible mantlet cover is beautifully done.
A miss-match of tracks is seen in some reference images
and adds an interesting touch. The original rubber pad T-
142 track that the M-60s rolled on didn’t last long in the
harsh terrain of the Middle East and the IDF switched
many vehicles to their Merkava track.
Moving to the turret, Meng supply the canvas mantlet bag as a
rubber part, this bridges the gap between the turret shell and the
gun mantlet. I used CA glue to attach this to the turret shell first,
when this had dried I glued the mantlet in, again using CA to seal
the mantlet bag to the back of the mantlet. The fit is perfect and
the folds captured in the rubber parts look great. The gun can’t be
elevated or depressed once the mantlet bag is attached. As with
the hull parts, the ERA blocks on the turret sides fit mostly as one
large piece, with only a few smaller ERA blocks as separate parts.
Meng managed to include the mounting pegs on the backs of the
ERA blocks, which is a prominent feature often left off Magach
kits.
The turret holds a large amount of details that are captured
faithfully. The turret basket is a multi part assembly that includes a
large photo etched brass perforated floor, and mounts solidly to
the rear of the turret. Inside the basket are spare track sections,
cross wind sensor and antenna mounts and other fittings. I fitted
these parts and cut some styrofoam blocks to approximate
stowage within the basket, to be later covered by canvas tarps. I
use Tamiya quick type epoxy putty to build up the turret basket
tarps. After mixing the putty thoroughly, I rolled it out with some
brass tube, similar to how a pastry chef would roll out dough. I use
talc to keep it from sticking to the bench and roller. The tarps were
then draped over the blocks of foam in the basket and pushed into
shape using a wet paint brush. Whilst I had the putty mixed and
rolled flat, I added canvas covers to the 10 round smoke grenade
launchers on the turret front. These were held on with velcro, and
look to often be draped and hanging off, I folded and positioned
the putty to reflect this. The rest of the turret went together mostly
as per the kit instructions, the detail included is really first class. I
added some belted ammo to the MAG58 machine guns using
white metal 7.62mm ammo from Andrea Miniatures, and a 50 cal
liner and ammo to the 50 cal from Arms Corps Models. One last
addition to the turret is some antenna mounting units and turned
brass antennas from Desert Eagle Publications.
5
 As in reality, the IDF armour
colours change considerably
under layers of dust and dirt.

As with all my models I prime the whole thing before applying

camouflage. I pulled the model apart, separating turret and hull
and hull from the wheels, and gave everything a couple of solid
light coats of Tamiya grey primer (you know, the one in the
rattle can). Once dry I painted the gun barrel white with Tamiya
XF2. IDF armour often sports a white stripe on the top of the
gun barrel, this white was masked off, then the whole model
was sprayed with Vallejo Air 71044 Light grey green. This is a
great match for the current IDF camouflage
grey/green/brown/beige. Ive never had a lot of luck
airbrushing Vallejo, but this time it sprayed perfectly,
unthinned, straight from the bottle.

Weathering kicked off by breaking out the hairspray and

giving the whole model a couple of light coats. I use the
cheapest hairspray possible for this. Over this I airbrushed a
thin coat of Mission Models MMP-036 IDF Sand grey 2. Using a
brush moistened in water I scrubbed the lighter shade of grey
off, revealing the darker, fresher IDF grey green. Leaving this to
dry, I hand painted all the small details using Mission Models
colours, black for the fender ends, old rubber for the road
wheel tyres and gun metal for the machine guns. For the tarps
I used Mission Models Olive green, to break up the single
colour camouflage scheme somewhat. Kit decals were applied
over a thin coat of Gunze gloss varnish. To impart a heavily
dusty vehicle, the model got a couple more coats of hairspray,
over which I airbrushed some Tamiya flat earth mixed with a
little flat orange. Out with the water and the ratty old brush and
I scrubbed away at the dirt layer until a nice random patchy dirt
layer was left.

Random ‘tapping’ with an AK followed by blending with water

Weathering Pencil... and a fine brush

6
Desert Eagle books; great reference for the
IDF modeller with the author instrumental in
the development of the kit and it’s accuracy.

My go to colour for dust is Vallejo German camouflage beige. This

colour seems to work perfectly for a dust layer, whether its German
WW2 armour or IDF armour. I applied a heavily thinned layer over the
whole model, letting it settle into and around details. AK watercolour
pencils were used to add some extra grime and filth around details. I
just scribbled onto the model various browns and greys, then used a
brush moistened with tap water to blend the additional dust layer in.
Vallejo German camouflage black brown was used to add paint chips
- applied with some sea sponge.

I use a sea sponge for this as it imparts a randomness to the chips

when applied. As a final step of the weathering process I apply oil
stains. I really enjoy this part of the process! Using Tamiya panel line
colours, I flick and spatter the stains all over the engine deck, around
fuel caps and on areas that would logically have fuel or oil stains.
One area that often gets overlooked is underneath the crew served
machine guns. It looks like the tank crews would liberally apply
lubricant when cleaning and servicing the weapons, which of course
dripped down all over the tank. The tracks were painted initially with
Citadel Chaos black (again with using a rattle can) and once dry I
applied several washes using Vallejo and Tamiya acrylics. Tracks were
finished off by applying a metal sheen using a graphite stick, then
attached to the model.

E-Z Line elastic line is ideal for antenna ties

Chaos Black
provides a
tough, fine
base coat of
colour.

The effect of a simple

acrylic wash over the 7
tracks.
8
A final touch is to add a figure - I found
him built up in my spares box, and for the
life of me can’t remember what brand it is.
I think it was from a Korean company that
is no longer around. The figure was
painted with a combination of acrylics and
oil paint, then glued up inside the cupola.

Meng’s Magach 6B Gal is another

welcome release in their IDF range - I am
hoping they release the 1982 version soon.

9
 Eastwards ever Eastwards quoted Laurence Olivier introducing
one of the pivotal campaigns of the Second World War
‘Barbarossa’ in the acclaimed 1970s TV series ‘The World at War’.
Footage of the German Panzers sweeping through the Russian
plains and villages made it hard to believe they could ever be
defeated. A common sight amongst all of the hardware was the
Panzerkampfwagen 38(t). Around 1400 units were produced in
total until 1942 and many of these used by German forces after
the annexation of Czechoslovakia, the (t) stands for ‘Tschechisch’,
the German word for Czech. The Czechoslovak military
designation was LT vz. 38 (Lehký tank vzor 38-Light Tank model
38) with the dependable running gear used also later by Germany
for ‘Marder’ models and also components used in the
development of the famous ‘Hetzer’ tank destroyer.
Modellers in 1:35 have been well served over the years with the
38(t) and it’s derivatives; Italeri in the 1970s, Tristar’s excellent
10
range and of course Tamiya with recent(ish) Marder and Hetzer
kits as well as a 1:48 38(t). So now at long last we’ve a Tamiya
release of the Ausf.E/F version in 1:35 to complete the family.
Tamiya have always offered modellers a comfort zone; you know
exactly what you’re going to get with superb ‘buildability’, decent
levels of detail and a swift enjoyable project. Out of the many
beautifully designed and detailed ‘mega-kits’ we receive samples
of at AFV Modeller I always feel myself drawn to the simplicity of
the Tamiya kits...
A plan began to hatch as I thumbed through the sprues realising
this kit wouldn’t take too long to build, remembering the film
footage and a flicking through a few books I jotted down a few
rough sketches remembering a Dio Dump Russian rural building
I’d picked up at Scale Model Challenge in Holland and some
figures from a Stalingrad set, and we’re off!
11
 If you want to open the front vision blocks there’s no
hinges included, referring to a couple of photos I gave a
simple representation with some plastic stock.

The hull ZB-53 MG is posable on it’s ball-mount, the

muzzle was drilled and opened up with a 10A
scalpel blade (same goes for the co-ax MG) The
mould seam is tricky to remove.

The internal hatch pad

looked a little two-
dimensional and was
given some shape with A couple of photos I came
Tamiya putty. across show tow-cables
wrapped around the rear hooks.
Karaya soft copper cable of an
appropriate size was used.

A couple of cable
conduits were
added with plastic
rod softened with Link and length tracks certainly
liquid cement. cut down on assembly time. The
detail is satisfactory and fit is good
with the ‘sag’ ready moulded. I
usually fit tracks before painting
but not sure how successful
keeping them separate for
painting would be?
The perforated stowage
box was improved with re-
drilling the holes to
sharpen them up. Some Areas of the
plastic strip was used to mudguards were
give a more natural look to thinned from
the retaining straps of the behind and
jerry cans. crushed with
pliers.

Wheels have sharp

detail and appear
accurate. I took a
couple of ‘nicks’ out
of the rubber tyres
as often seen.

Tamiya don’t fix it if it’s not broken. Their instructions still set the
industry standard with the familiar appearance and logical layout
throughout. The hull is the first stage of construction and is
assembled from separate plates; something to make you shudder
in the old days in the hands of some of the small Eastern
European manufacturers, not here. The fit and design is perfect
with full rivet detail all-round. The leaf spring suspension units and
wheel assembly is again simple (such is the nature of the vehicle
design) just take a little time to align the roadwheels. Link and
length tracks aren’t to everyone’s taste but in this scenario (on
groundwork with dirt and mud) I was more than happy to use
them. This kit literally falls together in true Tamiya fashion, a few
leisurely sessions with only the most basic of tools and you’re
12 ready for paint. The fit is beautiful, even areas that look like they
could be a fiddle (the multi-part cupola for example) just click into
place. The turret shows some great rivet detail and there’s basic
cupola and breech detail if you don’t use the figure and leave the
hatch open as I have. Speaking of the figure, as we’ve come to
expect of recent Tamiya armour kits, it’s really rather good relying
on 3D scanning technology, the pose and detail are spot-on. All of
the usual old-school rules apply should you want to go overboard
with detail; photoetch would improve some of the finer clamps and
clasps and the mudguards and stowage bins would certainly beat-
up well from photoetch...but then it becomes a different beast and
you may be better starting with one of the Tristar kits (now offered
under the Hobby Boss brand) if it’s ultra-detail you’re after, and a
more lengthy project of course.
 I find an angled base adds
some interest and keeps the
groundwork tight. Blue
modelling foam has a much
tighter grain than regular
expanded polystyrene and can
be carved and shaped with
ease. To prevent both the
building and the tank from
‘floating’ I carved appropriate
trenches in the foam. Note the
worn pathway to the door
also.

The scene I pictured was the 19th Panzer division moving through
rural Russia around Minsk in the summer of 1941. With the village
population making themselves scarce until the panzers pass through,
the crews take some rest and gather any food they might find...eggs,
milk or potatoes. Figuring the dog may be foraging for the same
things he prays on the German love of canines and patiently waits for
any scraps. The dog was thinned down a little to show his ribs, he With such a small
comes from a Reality in Scale set (as does the potato sack and bowl). scene an elevated base
certainly looks better,
Dio Dump’s typically Russian ‘Zubkov’ this was added later
(ref DDO45) is finely cast in plaster and from thick, regular
the few parts assemble quickly. polystyrene.

Stalingrad’s figures are some of the best out there. Often

based on period photographs they have a character and
realism second to none with beautiful sculpting and casting.
These two (ref. S-3173 and S-3174) are available individually or
as part of a larger set designed to work with a Panzer III but I
managed to make them fit into my scene quite happily.

An important element of any vignette or diorama

is the composition and focus of the ‘actors’. This
is a simple triangle arrangement; the dog and
seated crewman are focussing on each other
while the other crewman focusses on the dog,
his leaning pose and wry smile add to the
relaxed atmosphere. Is he thinking of his family
pet back home? Maybe.

Our hobby isn’t a race. Most of us build models to slow down from
life’s day to day trials and tribulations but at the same time it’s
nice to properly ‘finish’ a project rather than be over-ambitious and
have multiple lengthy projects on the shelf of shame gathering
dust. I’ve enjoyed a few projects with a tight base and just a
suggestion of a building along with a couple of figures; very
manageable in very little time if using commercial figures and
buildings of which we are spoilt for choice for in this golden era. A
couple of my favourite manufacturers that keep our hobby so
absorbing are Dio Dump (www.diodump.com) and Stalingrad
(www.stalingrad.diorama.com both have very active Facebook
pages also if that’s your thing). Another excellent range of diorama
accessories is available from Reality in Scale
(www.realityinscale.com) which is where the dog, barrel and
potato sack comes from. A final few accessories are the tank’s
stowage which (from memory) ended up in my spares box from a
Neomega set designed for Panzer IIIs (not brilliant but fitting the
bill for my quick project principle) mainly the fascines (bundles of
wood to fill ditches and allow crossing often seen in Russia) and of
course, the arbitrary bucket.
With a few dry mock-ups I’d found a composition I was satisfied
would work and I could begin to start priming ready for paint,
important especially with the plaster building where an automotive

13
 Mission Models black primer
is a good starting point with a
super-smooth finish and good
‘bite’ to the plastic (I’ve also
found it fine for resin and
photoetch). Their primers
have a different formula to
the top coats in the range
and must be thinned with
Mission’s own thinner.

Now, dunkelgrau. It’s dark, very dark; you only

need to look at any of the many original colour
images of Barbarossa to see this. In fact, in many
cases the tyres of vehicles appear lighter than the
paintwork once they have some ingrained dust.

One thing’s for sure, the German forces didn’t

paint vehicles light blue as we sometimes see
modellers replicating! Nicer to show weathering
effects but a little ‘pretty’ for my tastes.

The contrast of the heavy coating of dust and dirt

against the grey was what I wanted to achieve so
Mission’s Dunkelgrau was airbrushed overall
leaving the black primer showing in shadowed
areas. This effect completely disappeared with
the subsequent weathering! The kit decals were
also applied at this stage depicting the much
photographed 19th Panzer Division with the large
red turret numbers.

I like to apply weathering as it would

occur naturally, in layers. Again, referring
to colour images there is an overall dust
coating strongest on the running gear
and vertical surfaces. My starting point
for this is a coating of hairspray or
Chipping Fluid over the base grey to
provide an unstable clear layer. Over this
I airbrushed AK German Sand Beige
which after around 15 minutes was
scrubbed and scratched using warm
water and old stiff-bristled brushes
giving sharp-edged random shapes
where the dust has been scuffed away
over time. Next I applied old mud build-
up with the excellent Vallejo ‘Mud and
Grass’ from their Environment range.

Time now for another layer of heavier more recent dust. I like water- Weathering in progress;
based paint for dust because of it’s chalky, flat finish. I’ve previously we can start to see the
used Designers’ Gouache for this but find the Wilder ‘Aqua’ range very effects of the filters and
washes starting to lift the
effective and convenient. ‘Dry Dust’ was put to use simply flooded on
detail.
with a brush mixed with water to various intensities.

Now it was time to go back in with some of the base grey to ‘remove’
the dirt from raised detail and edges, mainly areas of crew contact
around the cupola and turret and also the drivers hatch and front panel.
This was done by simply dry-brushing the grey acrylic colour very gently
and gradually. My next step was to start adding some tonal variation and
depth to the detail with some filters and pin-washes.

These terms have become regular modelling terms but if you’re

unfamiliar they can either be purchased as ready to use from the bottle
or created yourself. You can use acrylics thinned with water or here, as
I’ve used water-based dust colours, enamel thinners (or turpentine) and
oil colours. I tend to work on a small area at a time, filters were made
with heavily thinned Yellow Ochre flooded onto the model with a square
or larger bush (I prefer a sign-writers brush with long bristles to hold the
mixture). Before the filter dries I apply the dark pin-wash around details
using heavily thinned Burnt Umber and Black gently touched in place
14 with a fine pointed brush.
Almost there. I haven’t paid attention
to the rear engine deck knowing the
stowage would cover this area. Details
are now painted in, I’ve taken some
artistic licence with the hatch pad
giving it a red-brown leather look to
contrast against the grey (same goes
for the jerry can retaining straps)

Uschi Van Der Rosten polishing

powder was used on the MG
barrels to give a pleasing metallic
finish. The same ‘steel’ powder
was used on the inner contact
surface of the tracks.

The turret numbers were toned

down a little with a light dry-
brushing of the base grey.

The tracks were base-coated in a

mix of Lifecolor ‘Rubber Track’ and
red-brown. A slurry of pigment
powder and thinners was flooded The exhaust muffler was given a
over the outer track surfaces and stipple with liquid cement when
scrubbed away once dry leaving assembled and coloured with rust
pigment in the recesses. Contact tones from Lifecolor’s Liquid
surfaces were given a metallic Pigments, finished with a rub of a
sheen with a soft pencil. finger. A soft pencil was used to add
various scuffs and scratches.

With the 38(t) finished it was time to

tackle the scene and create a small
slice of the Russian Steppe.

15
 From memory, I first read about this technique first by
renowned figure modeller Calvin Tan. Knowing I’ll never
reach his degree of dedication and finishing I’ll take the idea
as a bit of a cheat and shortcut (back again to saving time!).
The method of a black undercoat with an airbrushed white
in a ‘directional light’ certainly gives a good guide and start
to the shading and highlighting process of not only figures
but any element of your diorama.
Thin washes of acrylic colours are built-up allowing the
white and black to dictate the tone to some degree.
Of course this is aided by great casting and sculpting
as with these Stalingrad figures. Well defined facial
features also help the lazy (or lesser skilled) painter
achieve decent results; don’t worry about detailing eye
balls, washes of the right flesh tones will bring your
figures to life as the colour flows into the details.

The internet provides the modeller

with instant reference, a quick
search for ‘old wooden barrel’
showed greens and greys were the
way to go especially for one used
as a water butt. The fine grain detail
of the resin casting made washes
and some dry brushing all that was A hungry hound returning home to find his
required for a realistic finish. A owners missing will make friends with anyone
small disc of dark coloured card if there’s a few scraps of food involved! I
topped with a layer of AK’s ‘Still carved into the resin casting to thin him out
Water’ liquid resin gave a somewhat around the rib cage, a dot of thick
suggestion of water, ideal for CA glue gave him a smooth, wet nose.
washing potatoes! Although visually very small the dog is actually
the main focus of the scene.

Another time saver I find is to work on all of the elements of a vignette

at once in the painting stage. Mounting each piece on a cocktail stick
(either into a drilled hole or with a small piece of Blu-tac) means you
can work with all of the items depending on what you have mixed in
your colour pallet. We’re fans of Lifecolor acrylics for brush painting as
they dry very matt and have fine and strong pigments. Vallejo are also
classic brush painting acrylics with specific ‘figure’ ranges out now also
from AK Interactive also performing well.

Only the bucket needed special treatment with two colours from
Vallejo’s Metal Color range sponged on to give a mottled galvanised
effect which was enhanced further with a polishing powder from Uschi.

16
 I was really looking forward to painting the building, the initial
coat of automotive primer (from a spray can) showed lots of
fine detail and woodgrain. Another quick internet search
showed lots of colour images of typical Russian buildings
made from timber. Like many of the fences (unfortunately!)
around my garden the wood is old and has a grey
appearance with algae and dampness showing as tones of
green and yellow. The primer grey gave a great start and I
simply applied layer upon layer of washes in various tones
concentrating stronger green tones around the lower
portions. Vallejo’s Slimy Grime Dark was effective here and
little touches like rust stains around nails and hinges all add
to the weathering.

The ornate soffits could well have been picked out in some
brighter colours as is often seen but I felt that may draw the
viewer’s eye from the main focus of the scene.

A final and effective touch was sponging some Vallejo Moss

and Lichen which replicates the acid-yellow colour very well
and ties the building to the colours in the grasses used.

There’s a lot of products available these days to take the guess

work out of groundwork and allow even beginners to vignettes
and dioramas get realistic results. Observations of nature around
us every day are a great help (depending where in the world you
are of course!) Here I’ve simply given two liberal coats of AK
Interactive’s ‘Dry Mud’ diorama effect textured paste to which I
added two styles of their grass tufts to give a dried out summer
look to the scene. The tank and other elements were embedded
into the earth texture to avoid anything floating. To add some
finesse I planted some dried foliage that I’d kept from a bunch of
flowers and dusted a little lighter pigment on the worn path to
the door. Very simple and done in around an hour.

I mentioned earlier that small scenes like this always seem to

present better on an elevated base. No denying a beautifully
finished wooden base will frame a model very nicely but a
method I’ve pinched from the Editor over the years is to carefully
cut black mounting board and use a regular polystyrene block
cut to shape. Some decent double sided tape will hold the black
frame in place providing a light and neat base.

If you’ve already picked this kit up

and you’re paying attention you’ll
be wondering why I haven’t fitted
the photoetched mesh Tamiya
kindly provide for the engine
intake. I will get round to it, I
promise...

17
 Tamiya’s 38(t) will please fans of the
brand who are looking for a fuss-free
construction and decent levels of
detail. Add to that some off-the-shelf
materials and figures and you’ll have a
very relaxing and rewarding little
project which is great fun to paint and
weather.

18
19
 BIG
ONE
TAKOM’S 1:16 PANZER 1A
Its hard to convey the presence that this tiny tank has on your workbench in this
scale. In 1:35 scale its never been a vehicle that I felt had much to offer me, yet
scaled up its a very different beast. No doubt its compact size even in this scale
will give it wide appeal. Various unused parts on the sprues also hint at other
possible Panzer 1 versions in the pipeline which would be very welcome. As you
will see there is nothing to quibble about with the kit with perhaps the exception of
the inside of the turret where the huge hatch when open shows only too clearly the
lack of the pair of MG breaches and sighting scope.

MODELLED BY DAVID PARKER

20
21
 Photoetched exhaust covers
are provided in the kit.

Front tow hooks were left

separate at this point as I
had not made a decision
about fitting the tow rope.

ABER photoetched tool clasps are time-consuming to

assemble but significantly improve the appearance of
the tool stowage.

Construction of the kit runs very smoothly despite the efforts of the
instructions which seem to have you assemble most of the kit with
inverted views in the instruction diagrams. The running gear, like
most is a little tedious but this is as much to do with the design of
the real suspension. The individual link tracks with separate pins
are simple to clean up and assemble and look great. A word of
warning about the plastic which I found offered very little
resistance to my liquid cement of choice, Mr Cement S. Apply
sparingly or you will have liquid plastic. This caused me a problem
in assembling the hull superstructure where the external plates
are glued onto an internal frame. Some pooled glue between the
two panels caused me some sinkage on the outside of one of the
panels. All the hull and turret visors are moulded separately and
can be positioned open or closed but the big Driver’s visor is

22
The Driver’s vision block frame missing from the kit was constructed from It has to be fitted inside the hull before the upper and lower hulls are glued
plastic card. together. I later fitted a block of clear perspex behind the frame.

All the hatches in the kit suffer from pin marks but I managed to lose one of the fender clips which Pooled glue caused some sinkage which I had to
also I had a sink mark on the turret hatch right flew out of my tweezers during installation so I had fill before painting could start.
under the bolt detail. to make a replacement.

missing the internal frame which holds a pair of vision blocks,
something that is clearly visible if the visor is open. I used some
plastic card to construct the missing internal parts. The insides of
the hatches are detailed but that is the limit of the interior detail
which is a bit of a shame given the large size of the turret hatch
especially. Improvements that I chose to make are fairly limited.
Whilst I would have liked to upgrade the MG13 barrels, in fact they
have been very nicely moulded so I simply cleaned up the
muzzles and removed a pin mark from the tip of each barrel. The
vehicle tools are well detailed but come with moulded on clasps. I
decided to replace all of these with ABER photoetched clasps for
an improved look. I also added separate straps to the fire
extinguisher.

The Panzer 1 seemed an obvious candidate for crew figures and I searched my
references for some inspiration before settling on a small photo of an Afrika Korps crew in
a Panzer 1B which I used as a basis for my figures. I used the 1:16 AFV Modeller
mannequins to establish the poses and Magic Sculp epoxy putty was used to build up
the clothing over the mannequin.
23
 A North African campaign vehicle offers plenty of scope for
interesting finishes. Initial deliveries of vehicles into the theatre
arrived still in their European camouflage of dark grey which was
far from ideal. Crews would apply their own improvised mud
camouflage and in due course proper painted finishes were
applied although these were often mottled or hatched finishes
with the original unit markings or turret numbers preserved
resulting in some interesting high contrast effects. Some of the
few archive images of the Panzer 1A in service in North Africa
show them arriving in Panzer Grey and also in sand camouflage
with the large turret numbers still on their grey base and it was
this effect that I wanted to recreate. As part of this I was keen to
Painting gets underway with an overall coat of Mission Models Panzer Grey
MMP-014.
The other vehicle markings were also brush painted and everything was
sealed with a coat of satin varnish.
I usually use real wood for the tool handles at this scale but this time I chose
to paint a woodgrain effect, leaving the spade separate at this point to
24 access the axe.
maintain the high contrast between the two colours, sticking with
the dark colour of the grey which is so often artificially lightened
by modellers. Mission Models Panzer Grey captures this look
perfectly and although there can be some leeway in the choice of
sand camouflage I also used another Mission Models colour,
Sandgrau for this. I tried to consider how the vehicle would be
used by the crew with the hull roof and engine decks getting a lot
of wear along with the bow which is low enough to serve as
mounting point onto the vehicle. The sandgrau applied over a
coat of hairspray was sprayed irregularly with just a light dusting
over areas of high wear and just a loose irregular coverage for the
sides of the hull and running gear.
A quick test of the kit decals showed that they would be problematic and the
big turret numbers made no allowance for the visors or the distortions caused
by the taper of the turret so I chose to paint the numbers instead.
The wire cutter handles were painted in the mottled brown finish and
varnished before being glued into position.
Areas of high wear were sprayed with hairspray, the markings were masked
with putty and the top coat of Mission Models MMP-016 Sandgrau was
applied. I deliberately varied the coverage with areas of high wear like the
decks getting a light dusting.
1 2

2 1 Masks are removed from the numbers

and markings and different densities of
Sandgrau can be seen.

2 Warm water and a soft brush was used

to soften the underlying hairspray and
remove the top layer of paint to expose the
grey in areas of heavy wear. These in
progress images show how the hull roof
area has been cleaned off to expose the full
intensity of the underlying grey.

3 The worn areas on the bow were also

Note Covid-19 public health restrictions
have limited my ability to record step by
step coverage of the painting process.
enhanced with some brush painted chips
and scuffs showing the effects of boots
climbing onto the deck and some wear
around the transmission inspection plate.
Drybrushing with grey can help to enhance
the hairspray effects where needed.

No dark pin washes are used anywhere to pick

4 5
out the detail using instead the chosen dust
colour Lifecolor UA 742 ‘Lime Mortar’. Small
accumulations of dust can be seen around the
bolts and other raised details.

4 Dust is applied using washes and is allowed to

collect in areas like up against the hull where it
meets the track guards. On the front edge of the
trackguards where there is more contact the
pure grey is exposed using drybrushing to bring
out the raised diamond pattern.

5 The cleaned effect is varied with areas around

the tools that are unlikely to be walked upon
keeping a more dusty appearance.
25
 6 7

6 A build up of dust around the base of the turret was created

using successive washes of the Lifecolor Lime Mortar. Blending
away the edges using a damp soft brush before the wash has
dried gives a convincing dusty look.

7 The same technique is applied on the turret hatch. The

headpad was painted black and stippled to add texture.
A dilute dust wash was applied and mostly lifted off
leaving just a trace. Drybrushed dark brown was
used to suggest wear in the centre and around
the edges of the pad. Small scuffs were
added with a fine brush.

8 Tracks were sprayed in a dull grey/brown mixed by

adding some brown to the Panzer Grey that was left over
after spraying the hull. They were given a wash of the dust colour
acrylic. Contact areas of the track and inside the track teeth were
drybrushed with Vallejo Steel and this was followed by a pigment
wash. Pigments were mixed with White Spirits to form a very thin
slurry that was applied all over the tracks. When this had dried the
tracks were brushed over with a stiff brush leaving a realistic dusty
residue in the recesses of the tracks.
26
 9 Fuel spills on the engine deck were kept
to a minimum and rather than being wet
puddles in such a dusty atmosphere they
would absorb the dust for a dry
appearance. These were built up using a
number of similar tones in rings for the
smaller splashes.
9
10 The exhausts are mostly covered
with a protective shroud. The exposed
parts were painted the same colour as
the tracks and some very subtle pink rust
effects. I noticed many years ago on a
running preserved Panzer II how the exhaust
muffler was corroded at the end closest to
the engine so I added some heat damage
to the shroud in the same way. I exposed
the grey by drybrushing and then some very
subtle rust colours. Finally I used a fine
brush to paint rust around the edges of

10
some of the perforations.

8 27
28
Figures and final touches
Before painting the Commander I added some stippled texture
to his greatcoat using Mr Surfacer to enhance the woollen
appearance. The dark brown colour of the coat was difficult to
capture and I had a couple of goes at before I was happy. The
Driver’s striking green jacket is based on a preserved original
jacket. Both figures were painted using Lifecolor acrylics with
some oil washes used on the flesh areas too. Before the
figures were fitted I went back to the running gear of the tank
to add some dust encrusted oil stains to the lubrication
points and reflecting the heavy wear and tear caused by
the harsh desert conditions.

The big One was a big hit with me and it appears

many other modellers have been seduced into
1:16 scale by this tiny tank.

The pair of Afrika Korps crew figures are available to

29
purchase through the AFV Modeller webshop:
www.afvmodeller.com
 The U.S. Artillery Museum’s Sd.Kfz.135/1 is
the most complete and original example of
only two surviving vehicles. One of the
original 30 Alkett manufactured units it was
captured in North Africa.
Forty 15cm howitzers mounted on the
French 37L chassis were built, others
mounted PaK 40s and 10.5cm howitzers.

30
Note the casting numbers
on the idler and the split-
pins through the
castellated nuts on the
roadwheels.

More foundry casting

marks including the ‘Croix
de Lorraine’.

Although the recoil spade is missing the frame is

still intact. Note the heavy welding.

Note the distinctive conical

nuts used throughout.

31
 The armour plate is rather thin, only designed to
protect the crew from small-arms or ---. Note
again the heavy weld beads.

The driver’s compartment (above)

has a full-width opening hatch.
The engine is mid-mounted.

32
It can’t have been much fun for the crew
when this thing fired!

Although missing some optics the sighting

mechanism is surprisingly intact. Note the
weld rendering the gun breech inactive.

33
 The main wiring for the radio sets
is still present, the post to the left
is the antenna mount.

Note the stamp on the breech;

presuming 1933 is the year of
manufacture by Rheinmetall.

34
The floor allows for maximum gun
elevation although it only had five
degrees horizontal movement.

The simple rear door

must have made for
difficult access. Note
the holders for the
ranging poles.

35
 1 12 !
a g e s
p k
bac
sof t k
boo
 Panzerkampfwagen
David Parker builds Trumpeter’s 1:16 kit
Part thirty sees the fifth anniversary of the project rather
disturbingly, yet there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel
with the finalisation of one of the most complex parts of the build,
the turret traverse motor. The final details on the motor system
were added and focus then shifted to the gun elevation control.
This is a separate system that snuggly wraps around the traverse
control and in fact Trumpeter chose to mould both as one piece.
Further small details were added like the two cover plates on the base of the
motor housings.
On the handwheel handle I started to add the trigger for the main gun using
scrap brass strip and tiny bits of carved plastic.
Under the handwheel I added the actuating bar for the trigger which runs
through the domed centre cover and pivots on the far side. Only the visible
parts of the trigger bar mechanism were modelled.
40
Part Thirty
The elevation control arm is mounted to one of the pair of
brackets that supports the mounting of the main gun and this of
course also required some considerable revision. Finally for this
installment I started to work on creating a new telescopic gun
sight as the kit version was commi
On the motor mount I also added the two sets of bolted flanges on opposing
sides of the ring
On the opposite side of the handle the small strut was also carved from
plastic.
Not strictly part of the traverse mechanism is the emergency trigger which is
part of a backup system if the main electrical firing circuit fails. This does not
have a fixed position in the tank but on one preserved example it is fixed to
the turret motor housing.
I turned my attention to the much simpler elevation control which is entirely The worm gear housing has to locate onto the main gun frame which
separate from the traverse system. Here the main shapes have been created although it is wrong, gives a good guide to the shape and eventual position.
with Graham Trotter using his lathe to turn the handwheel and its knob for A curved recess was cut into the worm gear to match the radius of the gear
me. housing.

2 1

I reconstructed the gear frame using the kit gear housing to get the correct The angled main gun frame bracket was reworked by removing the outside
scale thickness and to reduce the size of the cut out. Weld beads were then ribs all around and creating the correct shape to the front curve 1.The angled
added using Magic Sculp. cut 2 was also removed.

Once I was happy with the main shapes I began to add the smaller details, The same assembly seen from the opposite side, note that the handwheel
weld beads and bolt heads. shaft is not perpendicular to the worm gear shaft.

Another dry run test using a spare gear frame from another example of the More importantly a test with the gun mount and the traverse mechanism, its
kit. a tight arrangement but happily it all fitted. 41
 Above Viewed from overhead you can see the angled arrangement of the
elevation handwheel in relation to the axis of the gun.

Above Right Final touches for the traverse mechanism included these
casting numbers on the housing added using Archer Surface Detail Transfers.

Right Reinforcing ribs were added to the elevation handwheel, and the weld
bead added on the other side of the same handwheel.

I get a lot of requests for copies of the

corrected parts that I make so now I
build these parts so that copies can be
made from them in resin.

This tends to make things more

complicated in terms of testing for fit
when parts are not firmly glued
together and this picture gives an
indication of that with all the separate
parts ( except for one missing
handwheel knob ) ready to be primed in
42 preparation for casting.
 After attempting to build my own chain drive I realised that it would be more
suited to being produced as either photoetched parts or by 3D printing. Don
Campbell proffered his considerable CAD skills to model the chainset for me
and the printed part was copied in resin. The centre web was carefully
I assembled a resin copy of my master parts allowing me to handle the whole removed before the chainset was fitted onto the turret traverse. Remarkably
complex assembly as one piece at last after months of balancing a collection the new parts fitted beautifully and are a great finishing touch to this
of loose parts. One significant addition was the new chain drive assembly. incredibly complex part of the project.

Further work on the gear frame with bolt detail added to the top of the frame Weld bead detail was applied to the joints of the gun mount brace.
and the gun mount brace was corrected with the reinforced brackets 3.

I turned my attention to the T.Z.F5f gunsight and with the kit part bearing
scant resemblance to the real thing I looked to the T.Z.F9d that I had
modelled for the King Tiger and realised that I could salvage the front and
rear ends of this as a starting point with a new tube section in between.
Adding the rings to the tube was demanding even after dipping the plastic
strip wrapped around a former into hot water to shape it.
I added the rubber eye cup to the eyepiece and made from a series of
spaced plastic discs which were then drilled out.
43
The project continues in the next Issue
 new releases
KEEPING TRACK
MiniArt 1:35 M3 Lee, Late Production
Granted (excuse the pun) the first of MiniArt’s M3 series have
been available for a good few months now, this is our first look at
any of the kits in the range so please excuse our excitement ! This
range has taken quite some time to get to market from the initial
announcement but good things certainly come to those who wait;
what superb kits these are. MiniArt’s neatly packed boxes are
crammed with sprues, even though this kit isn’t one of the
‘Interior’ versions (which also include full engine detail) there’s a
high number of beautifully moulded parts. The whole kit has a
very ‘flat-pack’ design which allows superb detail on all faces of
the hull parts and accurate renditions of all the M3 versions; for
example the hull floor is in two sections, this later Lee has a floor
48
escape hatch brought in when the side door was deleted. MiniArt
have really done their research. As a nice change from most
builds the hull is completely assembled before the running gear
goes on although I’d be inclined to leave off some of the more
delicate detail until later. The late style suspension and wheels are
stunning right down to photo etched wheel rims, the T-41 track
can be made workable but as you’d expect is certainly the most
tedious stage of assembly with inner and outer pads with
separate end connectors. The turret has delicate casting numbers
and texture with slide-moulded gun barrels and fully detailed
cupola. No less than eight marking options are included, mostly
lend-lease Russian tanks ( the Russians affectionately called the
M3 ‘Coffin for Seven Brothers’). These M3 kits are stunning; not
for a beginner but if you demand accuracy and detail it’s all here
an abundance.
MiniArt 1:35 Grant Mk.I
Sharing much of the Lee kit, the British Grant Mk.I (a Mk.II is also
available) is another superb kit in MiniArt’s M3 family. Our sample
again isn’t the ‘Interior’ version but this is a good one to show off
internal detail with the large side hatches. All of the Grant’s
features are captured with beautiful finesse and a host of options
such as sand shields, stowage boxes, stowage rails (in fine
photoetch), a choice of 75mm barrels complete with dust cover.
The Grant’s characteristic turret shows all the right details and
some real state of the art moulding as do the unique tracks, as
per the Lee kits they’ll take some time to assemble link by link but
the finesse of detail is unsurpassed. For a true out-of-the-box
project MiniArt kindly include a full quota of stowage so commonly
seen on vehicles in North Africa. Again, eight marking options are
included with a wide range of interesting camo schemes to
choose from depending on your painting prowess! Can I use the
term awesome? Awesome!

MiniArt 1:35 Street Fruit Shop

What a great addition this set is to MiniArt’s
Buildings and Accessories range for the diorama
builder. Perfect for any scene over the last twenty-
odd years is this fruit market stall complete with
printed cartons, parasol, pallets and chiller cabinet
with clear moulded sliding doors. With plenty of
finely moulded fruit this will all add great interest
and colour to a modern scene. 49
 Warslug 1:35 British Armoured Car
Hot on the heels of Meng’s ‘RR’ armoured car release (we
featured a full build a couple of issues back) is this brand new
offering from newcomers ‘Warslug’. We say newcomers but
Warslug produce some of the most incredible 1:6 fully- functioning
armour you’ll ever see (not really our genre but look them up on-
line) and it was surprising to see them enter into the kit market.
The kit immediately smacks of quality with the talented Mr.
Rodna’s box art and very comprehensive instruction and
information booklets having a very ‘Tamiya’ feel to them. Of
course the important ingredient is the sprues; the moulding is
superb with fantastic detail as we’ve come to expect from modern
kits, with a full engine bay and interior there’s quite a high parts
count. The early style solid wheels have tyres split into slices
ensuring well defined tread pattern and sidewall lettering, the well-
detailed chassis comes complete with an assembly jig to ensure
everything aligns correctly. Nice touch. The large rear door can be
posed open to show-off the interior and there’s options to fit a
searchlight and Lewis gun, an R.A.F. vehicle based in Iraq, 1923,
with the other finishing option being the Royal Tank Corps vehicle
housed at Bovington Tank Museum. A most splendid debut kit
from Warslug.

Tamiya 1:35 German

Infantry Set

Tamiya have certainly stepped-

up their game in recent years
when it comes to figures in
their legendary ‘Military
Miniatures’ range, reported
with the aid of modern 3D
scanning technology. This set
of five mid-WWII German
troops in relaxed poses would
make a great addition to any
number of vehicle vignettes.
Uniforms are nicely moulded
with suitable recesses to add
the personal equipment to. The
design of the parts avoids the
usual heavy mould seams
which can be tricky to remove
on some figures. Very nice little
50 set.
MiniArt 1:35 B-Type Military Omnibus
You know how it goes, you wait for a superb kit of a Great War
period bus and two come along at once! This is MiniArt’s military
version of their ‘B Type’ bus (a civilian version is also available),
the beautiful box art reveals MiniArt’s usual presentation of a
multitude of small sprues and with superb moulding throughout
and incredibly fine detail. A fully detailed engine is mounted into
the chassis which assembles as the real frame featuring delicate
leaf springs, radiator and differential. A guide is provided in the
very comprehensive instructions to add wiring should you wish.
The cab is complete with all of the driver controls and the bonnet
can be posed hinged open to display all of that detail of the
engine bay. The bus body is just excellent with fantastic detail
MiniArt 1:35 British Military Lorry B-Type
Another release in MiniArt’s new WWI MIlitary Miniatures series
draws on the running-gear of the omnibus above to give us a very
adaptable general purpose lorry with open load bed and cab.
Sharing many parts with the bus there’s again stunning chassis
and engine detail with an option of a covered front ‘screen’ to the
cab again with delicate wood-grain texture (something that not
many manufacturers get right) with a sensible amount of
photoetched parts this is another out-of-the-box build with
throughout and designed so the upper and lower deck are
separate to allow interior painting. The duck-boards, seats and
side panels are so sharp with a delicate wood grain texture. The
mudguards are slide moulded creating a scale thickness on par
with photoetch parts. Speaking of photoetch, a small fret is
included to add to the delicate nature of these vintage vehicles.
MiniArt really are at the cutting edge of moulding and kit design
with a constant stream of exciting subjects on offer as
demonstrated here; not kits for the beginner due to the large
number of delicate parts but the pay-off is stunning detail straight
from the box.
fantastic levels of detail to please even the most demanding of
modellers. The diorama and conversion potential are vast with this
kit which is going to be very popular with modellers of the Great
War period who will be equally excited to see this range expand.
MiniArt have a great website and also a comprehensive catalogue
available as a printed edition or downloadable pdf file: 51
www.miniart-models.com
 M16 Halftrack
Mariusz Motyka
Published by Kagero
Softback format,12 pages plus
A2 plans
ISBN 9788366148758
www.casematepublishers.co.uk
Panzerknacker
Massimiliano Afiero
Published by Kagero
Softback format, 96 pages
ISBN 9788366148260
www.casematepublishers.co.uk
52
The U.S. produced multiple gun motor carriage M16 is a popular modelling subject
in all scales and this is probably one of the most impressive of the ‘Top Drawings’
series from Kagero to date. Not only do we have fully detailed plan drawings in 1:72,
1:48, 1:35 and 1:16 but a huge selection of 3D component close-ups and details of
the vehicle stripped inside-out including running gear, engine and of course the M45
gun mount. This is superb reference for the detailer especially for anyone who has
the 1:16 Trumpeter kit on their to-do list.
German Anti-tank infantry weapons are focussed on in great detail in this new Kagero
release by renowned Italian historical researcher Massimiliano Afiero. The technical
aspect of the Panzerbüchse, Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck are studied and the
training tactics involved with some excellent period images throughout. Complete
translations of the official training manuals (complete with their graphics) make
interesting reading and the research goes as deep as a full listing of all Waffen SS
recipients of the tank destruction badge. Great research and images, recommended to
anyone with an interest in German infantry weapons and tactics.
Tamiya 1:35 M8 Light Armoured Car ‘Greyhound’
Combat Patrol Set
A nice little re-mix here from Tamiya with another outing for their
classic M8 on a ‘Combat Patrol’. The M8 kit appears as per the
original, so a little basic compared to more modern tooled kits but
all well moulded and easy to assemble as per the Tamiya norm.
There’s enough interior included to flesh-out the driver’s
compartment and turret and Tamiya have kindly included a sprue
containing their recent .30 Cal which is a huge improvement over
the original kit’s ring mount and .50 Cal. What’s new are a couple
MiniArt 1:35 T-55 Czechoslovak Production
Continuing to offer the T-55 fan everything they could want in
1:35, MiniArt have added another mega-kit to the range with a
Czechoslovak production vehicle. Sharing much of the stunning
detail of the rest of the range there’s more new parts than you’d
imagine to create an accurate version of this widely used MBT,
this one is ideal for modellers wanting to portray a T-55 in recent
African or Middle-eastern conflicts (eight marking options are
provided). Features include all of the unique pressed steel
of grey sprues of new parts; lots of stowage, jerry cans (both U.S.
and British types for some reason), U.S. oil drums and a new
figure in tanker’s gear lifting a .50 Cal ammo crate (I hope it’s
empty for his sake!). Other ammo crates are included and a nice
sheet of ration boxes to assemble. A new supplement to the
instructions deals with all of the new parts. This is a great set for
the more novice modeller, easy to assemble with lots of
accessories and a decent new figure.
stowage boxes, complete engine deck (with photoetched
screens) and smaller details such as Czech light guards. These T-
55s look fantastic built straight from the box, with individual track
links and fine photoetch included it leaves the modeller more time
to create some battle damage or unique stowage. We’re sure this
won’t be the last of the breed with a Polish. For more in-depth 53
information and detailed images get over to www.miniart-
models.com
 We are always big fans of the Armour PhotoHistory series which bring together a
comprehensive selection of archive images and stunning full colour profiles to offer a valuable
reference aimed squarely at the modeller. The book begins with a look at the development of a
17pounder armed Sherman, the difficulties this presented and the different donor hulls leading
to the Firefly VC and Firefly IC. These two designations are also used to separate the next
section of the book, the photo gallery which forms the majority of the book with 46 pages of
archive images of the Firefly in action. As well as the better known images the book also has
plenty of fresh or less published examples making it well worth having in your reference library.
Sherman Firefly There is almost an overload of potential candidates for modelling subjects. The book includes
some excellent 1:35 all round plans of each type, including the Hybrid hull. Also reproduced are
By Peter Brown the official external and internal stowage diagrams and other images from the official manuals
Published by Model Centrum showing various components like the transmission assembly. Lastly there are the superb 32
Progres colour plates bringing some of the more unusually marked vehicles from the archive section to
life. The colours and quality of the illustrations are fantastic complete with realistic weathering
Softback format, 88 pages they are prefect modelling guides, the only problem being which of the sixteen different vehicles
ISBN 978-83-60672-32-7 you choose to model. With the new Rye Field Models Firefly hitting the shelves any time this
www.casemate.co.uk book is the perfect companion and highly recommended.

Lifecolor Shell Case Perfect Metal Set 1

Ideal for all those current tank kits with fully detailed interiors is
this new set of dedicated shell case colours from Lifecolor. The
set offers four different shades of brass all of which manage to
avoid the polished gold effect. Anyone who has ever compared
real brass casings will realise that its a variable and tricky colour
to pin down so a variety of shades is most welcome in trying to
replicate this. Along with these there is a polished steel designed
for replicating modern casings and possibly HE fuses. Lastly the
set provides a lacquered steel finish for German shells with a
greenish tint. Its worth noting that these lacquered shells came in
a variety of shades, something that could be replicated by tinting
the colour.

Mission Models
Acrylic Paints
Mission Models continue to add to their range of acrylic colours
for the modeller and we kick off with three colours from the
American MERDEC camouflage system used in the 1970’s and
1980’s. MMP-129 ‘Earth Yellow Tan’, MMP-130 ‘Earth Red Brown’
54 and MMP-131 ‘Sand’ are your numbers for these colours. For IDF
vehicles MMP-128 ‘IDF Green’ (Current IDF AFVs) offers a deep
olive tone which could also be mixed with the other IDF Sand
Greys in the Mission Models range to recreate the many and
varied shades of this colour. The final three new colours are not
strictly military but MMP-127 ‘Concrete 1 dark’ will have multiple
uses. MMP-125 ‘New Construction Yellow - 1990 to Present’ will
suit your civilian earth mover and MMP-126 ‘Farm Tractor Yellow’
has plenty of uses outside of the farmyard.
www.missionmodelsus.com

35 258
16 141
16 108
35L-267
35L-305
35L-304
35L-282
ABER
Upgrades and barrels a plenty from ABER and we begin by
looking at their new upgrade sets starting with 35 258 which is
designed for the Tamiya BT-7 model 1937. This offers the turret
frame antenna with brass rod parts. Turned brass pistol ports and
turned brass bodies for the jacks. All the fuel cells and the tool
box are offered in photoetch and there are parts to detail the tool
stowage, jack stowage and all the hinge and hatch handle details.
Set 35 253 is designed to upgrade the Tamiya T-55 ‘Enigma’ but
will also fit Trumpeter. This big three fret set offers a long list of
upgrade details including exhaust outlet cover, light brackets,
new hatch liner, hatch locks and periscopes, new mantlet ring,
replacement turret light housings, clasps for the MG ammunition
cans, new brackets for the add on armour packages, details for
the MG mount, optional Polish style engine deck parts, engine
deck screens, fuel drum mounts and straps, fuel cell mount
brackets and latches for the stowage bins. Moving up to 1:16 now
and set 16 141 is a set of the checker pattern front mudflaps as
used by Pz.Abt.501 in Tunisia and designed for the Tamiya kits.
Also for the Tiger 1 is set 16 029 which provides the assorted
clamps for the tow cables and also for the track changing cable.
The set will also work for the King Tiger, providing the same
35 253
16 029 G36
35L-58n
48L-13
35L-299
35L-90
35L-297
clamps, clasps and hooks. Set 16 108 is a generic set of the
German one wing nuts used to secure the engine intake covers on
the Panzer IV for example. These feature a turned brass pin
around which the photoetch is wrapped.
Grilles next set G36 is designed for the Takom Jagdpanther G1
and G2 early kits and the set also includes the chains for the
spare track link stowage. Moving now to replacement gun barrels
where we begin with 35L-267. This enormous 170mm barrel is
designed for the Trumpeter E-100 Jagdpanzer with the
spectacular perforated muzzle brake making it a worthwhile
addition. 35L-305 is a replacement for the Takom Jagdpanther G1
early. 35L-304 is a 75mm single baffle gun to fit the Dragon
Tiger1 H2 kit. Set 35L-58n is an L/48 75mm early model gun for
the Stug. F/8 or early G to fit Tamiya and Dragon kits. 35L-282 is a
105mm M-68 barrel for the US M60 for Takom, Tamiya and
Dragon. Also for the M60 is 35L-297 which is a US M85 .50 Cal
barrel. For your Panzer 1 set 35L-90 offers a pair of MG13 barrels.
For the Takom Polish Concept tank PL-01 35L-299 provides a
replacement muzzle brake. Finally in 1:48 set 48L-13 is a two part
barrel for the Tamiya Porsche King Tiger. 55
 Tamiya 1:35 French Light Tank R35
Fans of French armour will be pleased to see Tamiya expanding
their range with the beautiful little R35. Not the first mainstream kit
in 1:35 but being typically Tamiya we’re offered a very simple and
enjoyable build. The R35 is a tiny tank and Tamiya look to have
broken the assembly down very sensibly while retaining nice detail
throughout (even the hull bottom should you want to show it rolled
over in a roadside ditch!) The hull is the starting point of assembly
with Tamiya’s now favoured separate sides and bottom plate, the
upper and rear hull show some very nice cast texture with
accurate shapes and features. The scissor-style suspension looks
simple to assemble with nice sharp detail although it’s not
designed to articulate but to work with the link and length tracks
which again, are very nicely done especially considering their
diminutive size. The drive sprockets, idlers and road wheels all
look good. The turret just ouses character and is so typically
French of the period, again more delicate cast texture and sharp
detail with a rotating cupola and posable rear hatch with a very
tidy figure included. With such a swift assembly it’s now time to
slow down with the paint scheme! The flamboyant French
camouflage (let’s face it, they invented the word) may need some
careful brush work due to the intricate shapes and hard edge
patterns but should look superb if you can pull it off. Full colour
instructions are given for the two schemes in 1940. Another
Tamiya kit that’s screaming to be built!

MiniArt 1:35 British

AFV Crew
MiniArt tend to fill gaps in the
market with their excellent figure
sets, such is the case here with a
set of four UK crew for your latest
creation. With good facial features
and finely rendered uniforms these
guys should paint-up beautifully.
Headgear, goggles and intercom
equipment also feature with three
generic standing poses and one
seated driver.

56
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 MBTs like the Russian T-55 and T-72 replenished the
fleet of Finnish armour over time after WWII. As the
T72 and T-55 started to come to the end of their
service lives requirements were formulated for Main
Battle Tank that would equip Finnish armoured
forces into the future. These requirements resulted,
in 2002, with a contract to buy 124 Leopard 2A4
MBTs from German military reserve stocks.

These Tanks were offered for sale by the German

government following the reduction of it’s land
forces caused by political changes in the late 1990s.

58
IMAD BOUANTOUN
converts Meng’s 2A4 to a Finnish Leopard
raditionally, Finland, a country that on one hand stayed

T politically neutral in the years after WWII, but on the

other hand kept close economic relations with the
former Soviet Union, equipped it’s land forces with hardware
from the former Soviet Union’s state defence industry.

The range of wheeled armoured vehicles was supplied by the

Finnish defence industry (Mainly from Sisu and Patria), the
range of tracked armoured vehicles was primarily reserved
from Soviet Union countries’ defence systems that were
delivered in exchange for Finnish commercial goods.
Furthermore, a wide range of main battle tanks (MBT) and
other tracked armoured vehicles were bought from stocks of
the German Democratic Republic (GDR, the former East
Germany) as they were offered for sale by the German
government.

59
 I kicked off this project after having seen some
photos while surfing the Internet about the Finnish
Leopard. And then I made the decision to work on
it as a small vignette rather than a diorama.

First, I started doing my research and made a

plan to get all the stuff I would need. I chose the
Meng leopard 2A4 as it is a very good kit. Indeed,
the fit is perfect, and the kit is engineered in a
beautiful manner. I also got the upgraded PE set
from Voyager to improve some details even

Secondly I made various modifications

from scratch, using styrene sheet and
copper wire, in order to transform the tank
into the Finnish Army version, with help of
my friend, Lukasz Orczyc-Musialek, who
sent me information about the subject.

After I assembled the main kit now it’s

time to start the Finnish modifications
by applying anti-slip on the turret
using Hull Tex from VMS (standard
type).

Top For the right and left light cover I

used 0.4mm copper wire.

Above and Left the turret handles, I

used styrene and 0.5mm copper wire
also bolts from Meng’s set.
60
For the bins and the basket it was not easy to figure out the
dimensions, and with help of many references I finally build
them using styrene and aluminum sheets and 0.4 mm
copper wire.
For the diamond mesh I used mesh from Et model (refEA35-096). I got
this reference from a previous article by David Parker published in AFV
Modeller Issue 84, it helped me a lot with my conversion. For the
antenna I used more from ET model (Nato Vehicles common antennas
set Ref: ER35-027).

To start creating the groundwork a rural

track was shaped using blue foam.

I used (DAS) clay to make the shape of

the earth road.

Below left With the help of some cling-

film I impressed the Leopard’s tracks
while the DAS is still soft.

Below With a few old kit tyres to add

more ruts, the groundwork looks like this
after the putty has dried (24 hours)

Below After 24 hours drying an oil wash was applied on the ground
using a mix of black and raw umber diluted in a ratio 80% odourless
thinner and 20% paint. I applied more than one layer.

AK Wet Ground
effect (AK 8016)
was applied
overall.
61
 I then applied different types of snow on the ground, I started with the
heavy snow on the bank using AK products (Terrain Snow AK8011) and
(Snow microballoons AK8010), later I went to the lower part from the
ground to simulate the frozen ground under the tank using Snow
sprinkles and some drops of Deluxe –BD-33 Sparkles.

To create the vegetation on the ground I have used Sea Foam from
Joefix airbrushed using Tamiya white XF2 and some real foliage from my
garden; I airbrushed them using different layers of Tamiya greys and
then applied very thin dark oil washes. For ice and melting snow effects
on the ground I used transparent liquid resin from the craft market. It
worked very well for me.

I start the painting process by applying a good automotive primer directly from the can and
then I applied as first layer a coat of Tamiya Nato green XF67 followed by a mix. To create the
light green I used 3 Tamiya colours ( Nato green 40% yellow green XF-40 50% and Khaki XF-49
10%) I airbrushed the second layer using this mix, for the third colour I used Nato Black XF 69
from Tamiya.

62
 I prepared a mix of 3 oil colours as you can see in the
picture to apply the filters on the surfaces.

Now it’s time to apply the winter white wash. First, I sprayed the
model with Scratch Effect from Ammo of Mig. I let it settle for 30
minutes, then I started applying the winter wash using Tamiya
white XF2. After approximately another 30 minutes I started with a
brush, water and tweezers to make random scratches. Now it is
very important to pay attention when doing this technique as we
have to keep the scratches reasonable and to scale, also the type
of scratching since the top should be different than the 2 sides of
the tank as you can see in the picture. After about 2 hours I apply
a good coat of satin varnish to protect the paint and prepare the
model for weathering.

After 24 hours from applying my filters now

it’s time to apply the dust and dirt on top of
the tank using North Africa dust and Kursk
soil. I have applied them in some places
where the dust accumulates.

After making sure the mud is well dried, I have

applied different colours of pigments to simulate
dry and wet mud on the lower hull, I fixed them
using Tamiya thinner.

Now it’s time to apply wet mud on the lower hull

using AK wet Ground (AK 8016).I used this to
create a good texture for the mud and its
controllable, as we can remove the access using
brush and some water before it dries.
Now it’s time to apply camo net on the tank, for this I used one from AK by
applying some water it allowed me to get the right shape and I fixed it in
place using a small dot of super glue here and there.

To simulate the wet areas I use wet effect

from Mig production.

63
 To simulate the white camo ‘bandage’ I used Plumber’s joint tape, I have added melted snow on the barrel using Snow Sprinkles
it works perfectly and is very controllable. from AK Interactive’s Diorama Series.

To apply mud on the lower hull, a mix of Fresh mud from AK was As mentioned before I have applied the snow on the tank using
used with some dark pigment powder and some drops of wet Snow sprinkles from AK, and for the water from the melted snow I
effect to simulate the fresh mud. used transparent resin.

Now, time to paint wheels. As you can see in the photo, I have used
different types of paint to paint the wheels, AK Rubber Tires, Mr Color
Metallic and Tamiya Nato Green. As a base for the dirt I used Ammo
North Africa Dust and Kursk Soil.
The final results for the wheels. I used first a mix of
pigments fixing them using Tamiya thinner (NOT
PIGMENTS FIXER), after that I removed the excess
and started to apply random mud effect in some
places. Finally, I applied a mix of wet effect and fuel
stains for a damp appearance.

Tracks also were painted

using Mr Color Aluminium
and AK Rubber Tires, after
that I applied a wash using
dark oil color with mix of
Black and Brown. After
installing them I add some
snow between the treads.

64
Figures are converted and painted by
my friend Alexey Sergeye, they give
some life to the finished vignette.

65
 David Parker’s
e
CREW David
v Parker’s
e
SCHOOL
CR
REW
SCH
HOOL
HOO
OL
Editor of AFV Mode eller Magazine, David Park ker
e
shares his expertisee in getting the best from your
y
tank crew figures in
n this new 112 page book. From
simple techniques tot help paint faces, througgh
simple adaptations s and on to more advanced d
sculpting techniquees.

TECHNIQUE
ES TO BRING YOUR ARMOUR MODEL CREWS TO LIFE
PAIN
NTING • ADAPTATION • CONVERSION • SCULPTING

TECHNIQUE
TECHNIQUES
ES TO BRING YOUR ARMOUR MODEL CREWS
S TO LIFE

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