IPMS/USA Reviews

This is a Photo etch set for Tamiya Centurion Mk III 1.35 Model kit to replace the side skirts.

The set contains the following sets:

• 2 x photoetch sheet
• 1 instruction sheet

This photoetch set replaces plastic molded side skirts provided with the Tamiya kit which improves the finish kit a lot.

The parts are very easy to attach and form with no issues encountered during the complete build.

Summary

This is a great set for adding additional details for the side skirts to the very old kit from Tamiya. I would recommend this set to everyone who has this kit.

Thanks go to Eduard for providing this set to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.

Prolific military author Alan Ranger introduces his Camera On series with a book on the German 5-ton Sd.Kfz.6 Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen ("Medium Tractor") utility halftrack. The Camera On series can best be described as photographic compilations, filled mostly with images recently made available from private collections.

The attractive, slightly oversized volume contains a short introduction of this relatively rare German halftrack, and then quickly moves into a chronological expose of the vehicle as it was employed throughout the war by the Wehrmacht. In terms of towing capacity, the Sd.Kfz.6 was sandwiched between the (slightly smaller) Sd.Kfz. 11 and (larger, ubiquitous) Sd.Kfz.7, resulting is very short manufacturing run. The type's real only claim to fame is that it was the first German halftrack to sport interleaved wheels - a standard that would be used throughout the remaining halftrack marks.

The Panzer 38 was a Czechoslovakian tank designed and built prior to World War 2. After Germany occupied the country, the tank was used successfully against the allies. World War Toonsis a "humorous first-person shooter and tankcombat game set in a whimsical, cartoon-inspiredworld".

Meng has been expanding into the "egg" scale models over the last few years, and they are EGGzactly what the doctor ordered as a break from the complex builds most of us put ourselves through. Need I mention they are perfect for kids to put together?

The two plastic sprues, instruction book, and decals are contained within a clear plastic bag, inside a sturdy end-opening box.

Background

The Buk missile system, Russian: "beech tree", is a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the Soviet Union and its successor, the Russian Federation. The Buk system is designed to counter cruise missiles, smart bombs, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Buk-M1-2 transporter erector launcher and radar (TELAR) vehicle uses the GM-569 chassis designed and produced by JSC MMZ (Mytishchi). TELAR superstructure is a turret containing the fire control radar at the front and a launcher with four ready-to-fire missiles on top. Each TELAR is operated by a crew of four and is equipped with chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protection.

Meng Kit

The kit futures movable suspension, workable tracks, movable missile launcher, and vinyl hoses. A track assembly jig is provided. The box says a PE painting mask for road wheels is provided, but it was not in the review kit sample. The many hatches on the vehicle can be posed open, but there is no interior detail provided with the kit. The kit is 263.6 mm long and 98.9 mm wide.

Osprey's New Vanguard series is a well-established line of books featuring full color artworks, exploded and cutaway diagrams, and black and white photographs and diagrams. They can be a good resource for model makers, wargamers, or military history enthusiasts. I actually find that when I read them, they tend to inspire me to want to build a model of one or more of the subjects, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you feel about your current stash level.

This book begins by detailing Italy's use of armored cars well before the first world war. In 1911, Italy armored and armed a couple of Fiat trucks and used them in their war with the Ottoman Empire in present-day Libya. This was the first use of armored cars in war. Following World War I, and their participation in the Spanish Civil War, Italy saw the importance of the armored car for reconnaissance and infantry support, and they began to develop a series of armored vehicles for their police force, which were immediately put to use by their army.