IPMS/USA Reviews

This is a new version of many Riich Universal Carrier’s and is the Airborne Version. The Universal carrier was changed to reduce its weight to enable it to be carrier in the Hamilcar Glider. This included removal and reduction of the armor plate and removal of all unnecessary equipment.

I had built the Tamiya Universal carrier many moons ago and I thought that was a great version but this excels in every area and now I must go and buy the other version of the Universal carrier released by rich.

The kit contains

• 7 sprues molded in light grey styrene
• 1 clear sprue
• 3 Photo Etch sheets
• 32 springs
• 1 decal sheet
• 1 instruction booklet.

Construction

The kit is includes a lot of unrequired parts as these are for the standard Universal carrier.

Dragon has once again cobbled together parts from several of their kits to produce a scale representation of an unusual vehicle used by the German Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. This time around it is the Flakpanzer T-34(r), a combination of the Soviet T-34 tank hull, and the four-barreled German 2cm Flakvierling 38. To complete the conversion, the kit includes a selection of extra parts, such as the turret, to produce an accurate replica of this fascinating late-war vehicle. An array of photo-etched parts and Magic track links are also included to enhance the detail.

Among several integrated sets of Model Air paints produced by Vallejo for common AFV camouflage schemes is their U.S. Olive Drab set, consisting of four color paints, an Olive Drab Primer and a clear Satin Varnish.

Opening the box reveals a vacuform tray holding six half-size (quarter ounce) bottles, each one holding slightly less than half as much paint as one of Vallejo’s standard bottles. The assumption is that the paint set would be one-stop shop, with enough paint for (at least) single project, although my experience with Vallejo paints is that this set could easily be stretched across three or four normal-sized 1/35^th scale builds.

A brief disclaimer: Let me confess up front that I am a big fan of Vallejo paints, and I have been using them religiously for over a year now, retiring all of my other paint brands as they ran out. I had some up-front frustrations switching from enamel/lacquer to acrylics, but these issues (described below) were worked out and I now use all three Vallejo acrylic paint brands with ease.

I am very appreciative of Acrylicos Vallejo for sending new products for review, and I am equally appreciative of all the Review Corps crew members who take care of all of the legwork to get materials to reviewers and the completed reviews published for the modeling community. It is a privilege to be part of this manufacturer-modeler group effort.

Description

I am pleased to see more specialized paint sets in the AFV series from Acrylicos Vallejo. Each of these sets is designed to effectively create one of a number of different, accurately-toned paint schemes. The AFV system reviewed here is for US Vietnam–era, olive-drab vehicles, but could easily be adapted to other similar color requirements. Six 8-ml eyedropper bottles of related acrylic, non-toxic colors are packaged in a vacuformed plastic tray in a 7.5 inch x 5 inch cardboard box. A detailed suggested sequence of application is found on the back of the box. I find the packaging convenient for storage and otherwise attempting to stay organized.

Designed for the Aerobonus DMC Logan T-40 USAF Tow Tractor, this latest figure from Aerobonus is a single block of light grey resin that features a complete seated figure. There are no blemishes or bubbles anywhere.

The figure features a driver with a boonie cap, typical of a Vietnam era USAF enlisted personel. The resin is contained in a typical self sealing bag with a card stock backing. There are painting instructions on three pages.

Removal of the figure from the pour blocks wil