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Type 82 German Pkw.K1 Kübelwagen - Eastern Front (SS-020) 1:35 MENG via Creative Models Ltd Hitler and Nazi Germany have a strong connection to the Volkswagen Beetle, as it was their wish (read: demand) to have a “people’s car” that could be bought cheaply and run affordably by the workers to mobilise the masses. Volkswagen literally means people’s car, and the design of the vehicle was carried out by Ferdinand Porsche of post war sports car fame. The original Beetle was very similar to the one we all know from the 50s onward, although there were some differences that become quite obvious when viewed side-by-side. The design-work of the Beetle was used largely in the creation of the militarised light transport, which started as the Typ.62, and morphed into the Typ.82 after the kinks were ironed out following testing during the invasion of Poland. The minimum speed was reduced to match the 4mph pace of marching soldiers, the already adequate off-road performance of this two-wheel drive car was improved further by the installation of a limited-slip differential, changes to hub gearing and the suspension, which coupled with the light weight of the vehicle itself gave it excellent off-road characteristics comparable with a 4x4 of the time. The design went into full-scale production almost unchanged from the revised specification, and stayed that way throughout the war, with only small changes such as a more powerful 1.3L engine and a larger dash to set the post 1943 vehicles apart from the earlier production cars. It was well-liked, reliable and capable, with over 50,000 made during the war. The amphibious Schwimmwagen was developed from the Typ.82, using much of the running gear of the 4x4 Command Car, but very little of the bodywork, as its shape was unsuited to travelling through water. After the war, the basics of the Kübelwagen were recycled as the angular Typ.181 in military service, known as the Trekker in the UK, and The Thing in the US. The Kit This is a new tool from MENG in 2024, and has expanded to three boxings based on the same base sprues. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with a satin finish and a painting of the Kübelwagen in front of a snowy backdrop “somewhere on the Eastern Front”. Inside are three sprues in light grey styrene, two clear sprues wrapped in self-cling plastic, a bag of five flexible black tyres, decal sheet, and instruction booklet printed in colour, with painting profiles on the rearmost pages. Detail is excellent, and although it isn’t a full chassis model, the undersides of the engine and axles are depicted, and parts for a soft-top roof are also included for cold-weather situations. Construction begins with the floorpan, which superbly detailed, and is fitted with rear chassis rails, axle and transmission, adding four more structures to the area before installing the rear floor and arches over the top of the rear axle. The sump of the engine is mated with twin exhausts and mufflers, locating it on a raised box at the rear of the vehicle between the arches. The front axle is assembled with a steering linkage under the front floorpan with arches moulded-in, mating it with the main floorpan, then fitting a chassis protector along with a transmission-tunnel cover underneath. Righting the floor, a set of duckboards are installed in the foot wells after painting them a wooden colour, followed by the gear lever, handbrake, foot pedals and the steering column that locks into position through the firewall. Although the engine isn’t included, the boot is made from a firewall and two sloped sides that are mounted on the arches and are then joined by the body sides, which have extra thickness and detail added to the sills before installation. The sloped bonnet has a fuel tank applied to the underside before it is glued to the front of the vehicle, adding rear body panels and the boot flap with moulded-in handle to the rear. The rear is detailed with a chunky bumper, rear lights, convoy light and number plate holder, adding a stand-off bar with supports to the bumper. The instrument binnacle is suspended between a pair of dash bars with a single dial applied as a decal, flexing it into position over the steering column fitted earlier. A pair of crew seats are made with separate lower frames, siting them within reach of the dash, installing a bench seat in the rear for passengers, flexing a tyre over a hub and mounting it on the bonnet on a recessed cone, with a filler nozzle next to it in another depression. The front wheel hubs are unique and made from two parts, as they are handed to match their axles, but both have a flexible tyre push-fitted over the flanges around the edges. The rear wheels are interchangeable and are also formed from two parts plus a flexible tyre, mounting each one in its appropriate arch, and adding a sump-protector under the engine. Righting the model allows fitting of the headlights with a choice of slotted lenses, or covered alternatives, both with different rear housings, and joined by a convoy light with separate base on the left side of the bonnet. There are four sockets moulded into the floor to accept the buttstock of a Kar98 rifle, which are inserted in a gaggle between and behind the front seats, adding a cover over the rear of the vehicle. The barrels of the rifles are held in place by a tubular cross-brace that has four loops moulded in, and is mounted on the B-pillars between the front and rear door cut-outs. Another bumper bar with brackets is attached to the front, and four simple square doors with moulded-in handles fill the spaces down the side of the body, slipping a clear windscreen into its frame and adding two wiper-motor covers before attaching it to brackets at either end of the scuttle panel, cutting off a pair of pegs on the top edge of the frame. The soft top is moulded with creases and folds in a complete part that is detailed on all exterior sides thanks to slide-moulding. The interior is smooth, but once the side and rear windows are installed, little will be seen within, so a coat of the same colour as the exterior should hide that fact away. A pair of clamps are mounted in recesses on the bonnet, sited higher on the slope than the spare tyre, gluing a pair of rabbit-ear indicator stalks to the A-pillars, the left bracket also holding a circular wing mirror for the driver. The driver’s side also has a shovel mounted behind the arch, with an option to shave away the bracket that holds the blade in place, replacing it with a separate bracket to add a little realism. A Jerry can with moulded-in bracket is made from two halves, adding the three-handles to the top, and painting a white cross on the body that indicates that it carries water. This is attached to the left over the rear arch to complete the model. Markings There are three decal options included on the small sheet, all wearing different schemes, one of which is under new management in Olive Drab with American markings. From the box you can build one of the following: Communications Unti, 7th Panzer Division, Kursk, 1943 12th SS Panzer Division, Hitlerjugend, France, 1944 Vehicle captured and used by US Forces, Italy, 1943 Decals are by Meng’s usual partners in China, with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Kübelwagen was almost ubiquitous in German use during WWII, and is certainly a staple of WWII movie light transport vehicles. This new boxing of the latest tooling is well-detailed, available at a pocket-friendly price, and should be a straight-forward build, allowing the modeller to allocate time to the painting and weathering of the kit. Highly recommended. Currently out of stock at Creative Models Ltd, but check back soon Review sample courtesy of

Dune Spice Harvester (SS-020) 1:500(?) Meng via Creative Models Ltd Dune’s legacy began in the 1960s as a long-running series of books by Frank Herbert, and several attempts have been made to realise the initial book in movie form, with varying levels of success. David Lynch made a decent, if simplified attempt at it in the 1980s, although it was a flawed movie with irritating voice-overs (from my point of view, at least), while a three-part TV movie in 2000 was considered a reasonable adaptation, but I haven’t seen that one. This latest expedition into the deserts of Arrakis benefits from the availability of realistic Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) that can be used to enhance the scope and scale of the saga as it deserves, without looking false. It also benefitted from a massive budget and an acclaimed director, not to mention a cast of many famous actors, although David Lynch’s version also had some famous faces, including a young Patrick Stewart as Gurney Halleck before his Star Trek days. The new film has been split into two episodes to portray as much of the book’s content as possible in an effort to retain the important aspects of the original story, and part 2 has been out now for a couple of months, rounding off the original story, allegedly, with the possibility of more to come if it has made enough money for the studio, which I expect it has by now. I haven’t seen the second part yet, so no spoilers please! The Spice Harvester is an essential part of the mining of the spice Melange from the deserts of Arrakis, and they are essentially factories on tracks that are dropped by their carriers onto parts of the desert where spice has been detected, in order to extract it. The noise of the Spice Harvesting attracts the giants worms that are native to Arrakis, as they are drawn toward repetitive vibrations, and when they get there, woe betide anyone or anything that remains on the sand. Each harvester is protected by a group of spotters in Ornithopters that keep an eye out for incoming worms, as their appearance is almost inevitable. When one is spotted, the carrier craft swoops in, picks up the factory and airlifts it to safety. In theory. We see what happens to a Spice Harvester when the carrier arrives too late in the first film, although all the crew survive thanks to Duke Leto Atreides happening by with a flight of Ornithopters. The Kit We reviewed the box-scale kit of this unusual vehicle some months ago, and as part of the conclusion I recall stating that a larger scale kit of this would be more unlikely than larger scale models of the more exciting and dynamic Ornithopters. Let it not be said that won’t acknowledge being wrong, because I was, and happy to be so if I’m honest. The scale is rumoured to be 1:500, but don’t quote me on that, but the kit builds up to 200x133x57mm. It arrives in a sleek top-opening box in the black-themed Dune colours, and inside are six sprues and two hull halves in olive drab styrene, plus three bags of tracked treads that total sixty-four in all. There is a small decal sheet on this larger edition with three decals, and a colour instruction booklet with profiles for the single official colour scheme on the rear interior cover. Detail is excellent, as is normal with MENG, and has been increased with the increase in size of the kit, although looking back at the smaller kit, that too is quite well-detailed. Construction begins with the lower hull, which has the four side wall detail panels installed along with dozens of detail parts. The roof is a separate part that is also detailed with equipment before it is lowered into position over the lower hull along with two recessed axles that mount the bogies later. The mining mechanism is built from eight cranked trunks that are linked by a pivot at the centre of a long fairing so that they can conform to the ground below. The completed mining appendage is inserted into a recess under the belly, detailing the fairing and surrounding area with additional parts, followed by four bogies that fit to each end of the axles within the hull. The tracks are built in pairs of four that are suspended on a long axle with a bobbin in the centre that snap-fits onto the ends of the bogies, making up eight sets of tracks in all. At the rear of the factory vehicle are a series of five mechanisms in a row that resemble two-part heat-exchangers, all clipped into the rear of the roof or aft bulkhead in line. At the front are a trio of antennae on the roof of what appears to be the command deck that is sited in the right half of the front of the vehicle in a raised area. Markings The Spice Harvester as it appears in the film is a drab brown that is referred to as Sand Yellow in the MENG/AK and Acrysion codes, but is akin to RAF Dark Earth on this reviewer’s screen, which has been calibrated recently, although it is old. From the box you can build the following: The decals are printed in China in a single colour, and are perfectly adequate for the task in hand. Conclusion If you wanted to be cruel, you could liken the design to a tracked tissue box, but as Sci-Fi modellers, we’ll ignore those cruel people. Detail is excellent, the size is sufficient to make it worthwhile to add some weathering to your project, and it won’t get overlooked in the cabinet for being too small. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

3T Cargo Truck 3.6-36S Early Prod PmQ-Type (35445) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Opel was Germany’s largest truck producer during the 1930s, and their Blitz line of trucks played a large part in transporting Germany and their military around Europe, with over 130,000 of all variants made before the end of WWII. The name Blitz was given to the vehicle after a competition to find its new name, with a stylised S logo that resembled half of the SS badge, but also became the Opel logo that remains today. By the mid-30s there was a growing range of body-styles and load capacities available, replacing the locally produced engines with General Motors units nearer the outbreak of war, after GM bought Opel. This led to a 3.6T load-carrying option, which became almost ubiquitous in Wehrmacht service, but the new engines made it easier for the Allies to press captured Blitzes into service with a few tweaks, thanks to some familiarity with the motor. Unfortunately, due to its common usage, the Opel brand and its trucks were somewhat tainted by the War Crimes carried out by the Nazis and the SS, building them at the factories using forced labour, transporting prisoners to death camps, and even as a ‘gas van’ to carry out the heinous act itself. The rest of the Wehrmacht used the type for more typical roles of transport and carriage of men and matériel to, around and from the battlefield. They were typically painted in the colours of their operators, but the wooden load bed was sometimes seen in green. Following WWII production restarted, and it wasn’t until 1952 that a complete new design was used instead of the old pre-war Blitz. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt, and just part of a growing line of variants. The kit arrives in a standard top-opening MiniArt box, and inside are twenty-five sprues in grey styrene of differing sizes, a clear sprue, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a card envelope, a decal sheet, and instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the front and rearmost pages. MiniArt have a habit of creating highly detailed kits that include interiors to the cab, engine and under the chassis, that are augmented by the sensible addition of PE parts where scale thickness will benefit. This is common practice for them now, and there’s no reason to expect anything else. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, drilling four holes for later use, and spacing them apart by adding four cross-braces between them, with another three and a two-part fuel tank in the second fit, applying two spare tyres that are made of two halves, attached via the separate hub by a wedge-shaped bracket that is locked in place by a large wingnut, and a fitting a towing shackle at the rear. Flipping the chassis over, a protective cowling is fixed between the moulded-in front leaf-springs, adding two L-shaped brackets on each of the chassis sides, a pair of leaf-springs on the rear, and two hooks at the ends of the chassis rails. An interlude sees the engine built from a four-part block, festooning it with ancillaries, intake and exhaust manifold, the transmission housing that is built from seven parts and mated to the rear of the block, serpentine belt and fan to the front, dropping it into the front of the chassis, and mounting a stowage box on the left rail near the spare tyre. On the opposite side, a pair of Jerry cans is made from two halves with a PE seamline trapped in the centre, adding triple handles and a filler cap on top, then securing it in a three-part frame, held in place by two PE straps. Two more hooks are fixed to the front of the chassis, with a horn between them, and a two-part exhaust that stretches from the end of the manifold to the rear of the vehicle, turning left and exiting to one side, with a long muffler that hides the joint between the two parts. A scrap diagram shows where the downpipe should fit in relation to the engine and chassis. A substantial axle is mounted under the front leaf-springs, stretching a drive-shaft between the rear of the transmission and the rear axle with differential bulge, making it from two halves. A couple of small parts are added to the sides of the chassis near the front, and the radiator is built from three layers, plus feeder hoses, mounting it in the front on two pegs, a small PE bracket in the centre, and noting the location of both feeder hoses that supply hot water to and colder water from the radiator. Building the cab starts with the dash, adding instrument backs and other small parts to the rear, plus a dash-pot, an oil-can, and the steering column, flipping it over to install the steering-wheel and a lever, applying four dial decals after detail painting. The floor has eight small tab removed around the sides, turning it over the apply the foot pedals, handbrake and gear levers into position arranged around the left seat, then making two engine cowling side panels that have the lowest end of the A-pillar moulded-in, using alternate parts for one decal option, then gluing them to the floor, trapping the dash and the radiator cowling with separate logos between them, and placing a bench cushion over the hole in the floor. The cab rear has the back cushion glued to it along with a pair of vents, and a small rear window in the centre, mating it to the growing cab assembly along with the roof panel that has the windscreen frame moulded into it, slipping a clear screen in from outside. Four decal options have a warning triangle mounted on a PE bracket in the centre front of the roof, while one has a fairing behind it, the rest removing two small rivet marks from further back. Turning the assembly over, the front arches with moulded-in running boards are fitted after drilling out some holes and removing raised location marks on the curved top-sides. PE brackets for the headlamps, adding more within the engine bay, and windscreen wipers are created either from PE parts, or styrene alternatives if you prefer, making a pair of headlamps from styrene backs and clear lenses, plus optional PE slit covers for wartime use, attaching to the arches on the PE brackets fitted earlier. The cab doors have open or closed window options plus a choice of open or closed quarter-lights installed in the frame, adding a door card, handle, winder and lever to the insides, plus handle, drip-guard from PE, and a long-stemmed wing mirror for the driver’s side. Before they are put in position, a three-part jack is fixed to the co-driver’s step, and of course they can be posed in open, closed or any position in between. The bonnet can be posed open or closed too, starting with the tapering fixed centre section, leaving the rest until later in the build. The cab is dropped into place over the engine, mounting a pair of supports in the rear of the chassis. The closed engine cowling is made from two L-shaped segments with louvres moulded-in, plus separate clasps at the bottom edge, or the same cowling parts can be used tilted up along the centreline, utilising different open versions of the clasps, and supplying a support rod from wire of your own stock on either or both sides, depending on whether you decide to prop both sides open. A framework is created from three parts that is placed within the outer frame of the load bed under the floor panel, which has copious planking and wood texture detail moulded-in, as does the header board, adding PE tie-downs after cutting off the moulded-in styrene versions. The bed sides have strengthening ribs added into recesses down the sides, fitting horizontal batons on the inner sides, and building the tail-gate for open or closed fitting as you prefer. A set of six cross-members are laid on the batons to create benches for passengers, one at each end of the bed, and doubles in the central section, meaning that passengers would have to clamber over the others to get further into the bay. The rear arches have short supports inserted into recesses that lock them in position under the bed, adding a pair of stowage boxes that are made and glued under the rear of the bed, mounting a PE bracket and number plate holder upon it, and fixing a light further up. A Notek convoy light is fitted to the rear lip of the bed, with another bracket on the opposite corner that has just a styrene light glued to it. Additional parts are fitted to the bed sides, fitting the locking mechanism appropriate to your choice of open or closed tailgate. A set of stacked tilt-supports are gathered up and strapped together with four PE brackets, attaching them to locations on the front of the bed, leaning on the headboard. Two pairs of wheels are required next, making the single front pair from two tyre halves around the hub, and the rear tyres are each made from two tyre halves each, but have different hub parts, and a three-part jointing lamination between them. The wheels are installed on their axles, and a bumper with number plate is fixed to the front of the chassis, returning to the front axle to add a steering linkage and bar with the aid of a scrap diagram. Two decal options have a small search lamp attached on a PE bracket on the left A pillar, and one option has a pair of PE straps mounted on pips on the roof to receive a rolled-up tarpaulin that you must make from your own supplies. Two more decal options have a convoy lamp fitted to the bumper, while some have standard poles made from your own wire with PE frames at the top, and three option has width-indicator lollipops that are fitted to the front arches on two types of PE base in slightly different locations. The model is completed by fitting the load bed to the chassis by aligning the pins and holes one the two surfaces. Markings There are six decal options included on the small sheet, with a variety of schemes, some of which are camouflages. From the box you can build one of the following: Unidentified Luftwaffe Unit, Probably France, 1940 Nachtjagdgeschwader 1, Luftwaffe, Summer 1940 15. infanterie-Division, Coastal Defence Sector A1, Netherlands, Summer 1942 4. Panzer Division, Eastern Front, Winter 1941 2. Panzer Division, Eastern Front, Summer 1943 Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503, Normandy, France, Summer 1944 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Open Blitz played an important role in transporting the German Reich around, and this kit is of excellent quality and detail that should be an out-of-the-box build for most modellers due to the high standard. Review sample courtesy of

StuG.III Ausf.G Feb 1943 Prod. With Winter Tracks (72103) 1:72 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The StuG is a popular German WWII AFV, and the more you learn about it, the more obvious it becomes why. The SturmGeschütz III was based upon the chassis of the Panzer III, but removed the turret and front deck, replacing it with an armoured casemate with a lower profile that mounted a fixed gun with limited traverse. It was originally intended to be used as infantry support, using its (then) superior armour to advance on the enemy as a mobile blockhouse, but it soon found other uses as an ambush predator, and was employed as a tank destroyer, lurking in wait for Allied forces to stumble haplessly into its path, where it could be deadly. With the advances in sloped armour employed by the Soviets, the original low velocity 75mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon was replaced by a higher velocity unit that was also used in the Panzer IV for tank-on-tank combat, extending the type’s viable career to the end of WWII. The earliest prototypes were made of mild steel and based on Panzer III Ausf.B chassis, and whilst they were equipped with guns, they were unsuitable for combat due to the relative softness of the steel that would have led to a swift demise on the battlefield, being withdrawn in '41-42. By this time the StuG III had progressed to the Ausf.G, which was based on the later Panzer III Ausf.M, with a widened upper hull and improvements in armour to increase survivability prospects for the crew. Many of the complicated aspects of the earlier models that made them time-consuming and expensive to produce were removed and simplified by that time, which led to several specific differences in some of the external fitments around the gun, such as the Saukopf mantlet protector. The Ausf.G was the last and most numerous version, and was used until the end of the war with additional armour plates often welded or bolted to the surface to give it enhanced protection from Allied tanks and artillery. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt in their nascent 1:72 armour line, which is bringing high levels of detail to this smaller scale, with MiniArt’s engineers and tool designers applying their skills to a scale that has been neglected to an extent for many years. It represents an example fighting during wintertime, when even tracked vehicles struggle with snow and ice, fitting specialist winter tracks to their road wheels to give them any advantage possible. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are eleven sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a small clear sprue with decals and a Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret in another heat-sealed bag, and the instruction booklet in full colour in portrait A5 format. Detail is excellent, including weld-lines and tread-plate moulded into the exterior of the hull, with plenty of options for personalisation, and new winterised link-and-length tracks to provide good detail without making the building of the tracks too time consuming. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is put together from five parts to create the ‘tub’, then adding a three-part glacis plate at the front, and the exhaust assembly at the rear, accompanied by duct-work and overhanging vents with a PE mesh panel underneath. Various suspension parts are applied to the sides that have the swing arms and axles already moulded-in, followed by six paired return rollers, along with twelve pairs of road wheels, plus two-part idler wheels and drive sprockets, which have an alternative front sprocket face for you to choose from. Once all the wheels are installed on their axles, the tracks can be built, utilising the new tracks, with long lengths on the top and bottom, adding shorter lengths to the diagonal risers, and individual links around the sharper curved sections toward the ends of the runs. There are eight individual links at the rear, and six at the front, plus another between the lower run and its diagonal, each link having three sprue gates in sensibly placed locations. The gun shroud is built from four parts and mounted on a carrier between a pair of trunnions, which is then fitted to a pivot plate and set aside while the casemate front is made from two sections. First however, the fenders are glued to the sides of the hull, locating on three lugs moulded into the sides, drilling holes in the rear for one decal option. The gun shroud is slotted into the casemate, with a mantlet cover slid over the front, after which the lower heavily armoured and bolted lower casemate front has a vision slot and armour cover applied before it is glued to the bottom of the casemate, along with the sides and rear bulkhead, attaching it to the lower hull while the glue cures to ensure everything lines up. A convoy light is glued into the centre of the glacis, then the engine deck is made, fitting two-part sides, and a choice of rear panel that is aligned when the deck is installed on the rear of the hull. Two PE grilles are glued over the outer cooling intakes, and a length of either winter or standard spare track is fitted over the rear bulkhead of the casemate, adding armoured covers over the five vents on the engine deck, with a choice of cast or bolted vents on those at the rear of the deck. A choice of three styles of cupola can be made, each one made from a differing set of parts, based around the commander’s vision blocks and central hatch, adding wire grab handles from your own stock where indicated, then inserting the completed assembly in the cut-out on the roof, adding a periscope forward of the cupola from within the roof. The barrel is moulded as a single tubular section with a hollow muzzle glued to the business end, and sleeve moulded into the front of the saukopf, which is an inverted trapezoid and an optional stowage box on the engine deck for some decal options. PE brackets are added around the vehicle, with pioneer tools built up and fitted where there is space as the build progresses. The gunner’s hatch can be posed closed, or replaced by two separate parts in the open position, adding another scratch-built grab handle from wire, then fitting a drum magazine to the supplied MG34, sliding it through the frontal bullet shield with PE support and another DIY grab handle before putting it in place in front of the gunner’s hatch. Towing eyes are supplied for the tow cable, but you must provide the braided thread or wire to make the cable itself, attaching one to each fender, fixing fire extinguisher, jack block, multi-part jack, barrel cleaning rods etc. to various places, and for some decal variants, two stacks of wheels are mounted on long pins on the rear bulkhead, making the pins from more of your own wire. Two options have a PE railing around the engine deck, which has two more stacks of spare wheels pinned to the rear of the deck. Two options have two PE racks welded to the sides of the casemate, one holding lengths of track, while the other option carries another four pairs of road wheels, more likely as additional armour, as how many spare wheels does a single tank need? Two aerials of 30mm each are also needed to complete the model, fixing a sloped or rectangular stowage box to the rear deck along with more winter track for two options. Markings There are four decal options on the small sheet, all with a base coat of dunkelgelb and a coat of winter white distemper over the top. From the box you can build one of the following: SturmGeschütz-Abteilung 189, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 SturmGeschütz-Abteilung 189, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 SturmGeschütz-Abteilung 270 (ex. StuG.Abt.904), Eastern Front, Spring 1943 SturmGeschütz-Abteilung 270 (ex. StuG.Abt.904), Eastern Front, Spring 1943 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion MiniArt brought their talents to bear on 1:72 scale, releasing a subject they have already researched for their 1:35 scale range, resulting in a highly detailed model with plenty of options for personalisation as part of a broadening range that offers a growing range of variants. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Sd.Kfz.234/4 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 7.5cm (35427) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Armoured cars and their derivatives were a dominant part of German military thinking after WWI, as they were prevented from having tanks or other types of heavy weaponry by the Versailles Treaty, at least until they unilaterally set its terms aside once Mr Hitler was firmly ensconced as the country’s mad dictator. Although it closely resembles the earlier Sd.Kfz.231, the 234 was based upon a more modern ARK chassis, while the 231 was built on the GS chassis. The 232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen was available in 6- or 8-wheeled formats, with the number of wheels appended to the designation, and it was the 8-Rad that the basis for the 234, following on later in 1940 and learning from issues encountered with earlier designs. The new turret was designed by Daimler Benz, while the engine was a Tatra air-cooled diesel unit, powering all eight wheels that were also all steerable. To add to the ease with which the vehicle could be driven, there was an additional driver’s station at the rear of the crew cab, complete with a steering wheel that gave it the capability of reversing out of trouble with similar speed and dexterity as driving forward – a facility that came in very useful in the event of an ambush or stumbling into an enemy position. The 234/2 was the initial variant and the most prevalent, as well as being the best known, probably because of the (comparatively) large 50mm gun in the turret. Oddly, it was replaced less than a year later with an open-turreted /1 variant that mounted a smaller 20mm cannon, and concurrently another variant with a short-barrelled 75mm K51 gun under the /3 designation. This variant was also short-lived, increasing the fire-power substantially with an installation of the powerful Pak 40 as the /4, although the extra weight caused extreme stress to the 234’s chassis and running gear, with fewer than 90 made. All the variants after the /2 were open-topped, leaving the crew exposed to the elements, incoming plunging fire and explosive charges or grenades lobbed in by the enemy. To keep the enemy out of range however, a single MG42 was coaxially mounted with the main gun - a very capable machine gun against troops and lightly armoured targets. The armour built into the vehicle could deflect light-arms and smaller cannon rounds, with 30mm of sloped armour on the turret, and up to 100mm thickness on the mantlet, but at the rear the protection was only 10mm, as was the roof of the /2. Over 100 /2 vehicles were made before it was superseded, and despite being the most well-known, there were around 200 of the later /1 produced, with roughly 90 of each of the other two made before the war ended. The Kit This is a fresh boxing of the new tool from MiniArt, a line of boxings that includes Interior Kits such as this one, and doubtless the remainder of the variants that we’ve spoken about above. We’ve had other kits of the type in this scale from competitors previously, but not for some considerable time, and it’s fair to say that armour modellers with an interest in this genre are very pleased. The kit arrives in a standard-sized top-opening box with a painting of a 234/4 on the battlefield, having just been narrowly missed by incoming fire that has caused the gun crew to hunker down. Inside the box are twenty-four sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on the outer pages on glossy paper, with profiles of the decal options on the inner and outer covers. The detail is excellent, as usual, extending to the Interior and the weapon’s mechanism. The various hatches can also be posed open or closed, although there are fewer of them in this boxing, the model benefitting from PE parts, surface detail that is fully realised with weld seams and exterior structure that are well defined. Construction begins with the lower hull, starting with the narrow bottom section where the drive-shafts and suspensions are located, which is made from three faces, two internal bulkheads, and two steering actuators, one at each end. The hull floor has tread-plate moulded-in and a cut-out ready for the interior, sandwiching it between the two outward sloping sides, drilling out holes in the parts before assembling them, adding a rear bulkhead behind the engine compartment. The two assemblies are mated, fitting the first parts for the suspension to the sides, and a U-shaped stiffener in the centre of the lower portion. The interior starts with the two drivers’ positions, fitting the floor section the floor sections with holes for the pedals, three for the rear driver and four for the main driver at the front, adding linkages down both sides of the engine compartment, and fairings on the left side of the hull, plus a battery compartment and fairing on the right that is built from five parts. The drivers have their steering columns and wheels attached in recesses, the main driver’s being a more comprehensive installation. A two-part seat is fixed to the rails moulded into the floor, with a linkage and gas mask canister to his left, and a two-part shell stowage box fitted to the floor behind his station. The battery rack is wired into a distribution box on the right wall, using wire from your own stock, then inserting the two levers to the driver’s right, noting that the scrap diagram shows that the wires to the battery are braided and thick to cope with the level of current. The rear driver’s station has the same pair of levers fitted, a two-part seat, a five-part dash panel, and a skeletal bulkhead is inserted into a groove on the right side of the hull. The engine is a substantial block, weighing in at 14,825cc, and is a V12 diesel built by Czech manufacturer Tatra, and it is supplied in its entirety in this boxing. The piston banks are each made from four parts, held together by the end-caps, adding extra parts around the underside, and at both ends, utilising a lot of parts that includes the ancillaries, twin cooling fans, fan belt, dynamo, and if you feel brave enough, you can wire up the engine using the extra steps that are labelled for “advanced modellers” that run side-by-side with the main steps. The completed engine is an impressive size, and covered with detail, especially if you continue with the wiring that helps to integrate it with the chassis. A pair of four-part tanks are inserted to the sides of the engine, and another shell stowage box is made from five styrene parts and four PE lugs, with two extra parts for the doors either in the open or closed position, as you see fit. It is fixed in place at an angle on two rails to create the weapon’s pivot, bracketed by a pair of side doors and their locking mechanisms that are installed in either open or closed position if you want to show off your work. The upper hull interior has several appliqué panels, louvres, gas mask canister, the driver’s instrument panel, and other inner structural parts, plus the vision ports applied, adding hinge-points for the driver’s hatch and building three vision ports for later installation, and an optional stowage box for some decal options. The upper hull’s exterior has the engine deck aperture filled with cooling vents that can be posed open or closed by using different parts, with two solid doors at the sides that can also be posed open, locating it in the cut-out in the back of the deck, then adding the rear bulkhead with hatch that has four “milk bottles” that probably contain additional oil on the inner face if posing it open, mating the upper and lower hull assemblies, fitting the vision ports and a hatch with separate hinges and handles in the square cut-out in the glacis plate, again in either open or closed position, as you might have guessed. The fixed bullet-splash shields are attached to the sides of the crew cut-out after fitting two small parts to make an aerial mount near the left-front of the compartment, adding barrel cleaning rods to the exterior of the left side, then fitting the rear barrier that can be flipped up or down to provide working space, draught into the compartment or deflect the heat from the engine deck, which are secured at the top on a pair of turn-buckles. Suspension and steering parts are assembled on the underside of the hull, making up four axles and leaf-springs on each side, replacing left with right-handed hubs on the relevant side. Four triple-handled Jerry cans with PE central weld-flares and filler cap are made and wrapped in PE straps that secure them to the vehicle later, adding armoured panels to the ends of the hull, and spare wheel bracket on the rear. Both sides of the fenders/sponsons have the rear carcasses of the flush stowage boxes installed, adding the external parts such as the jack, mufflers for each of the rear fenders, and another long stowage box and a shorter box for two decal options, finishing the sponsons and their ends with additional parts. The doors can be fitted open or closed by using different parts, with a selection of stowage boxes made up and used for different decal options. The spare wheel is the first to be made, making it from a two-part wheel structure, fitting it to the bracket on the rear of the vehicle, in between the mufflers on either side of the sloped rear of the sponsons. Jerry cans are mounted on both fenders to the sides of the engine deck, plus pioneer tools and a fire extinguisher on the left sponson. Additional detail parts are dotted around the hull, including width-marker lollipops, rear-view mirrors for some markings, headlight, a simple travel lock for the upcoming gun barrel, and an antenna on the bracket to the left of the crew cut-out. The wheels are made from two exterior faces, adding a tapered part that will be seen once the wheels are installed on the four axles. A substantial front bumper is then fixed to the front of the vehicle with a peg in the centre, and a headlamp on the left fender. The main gun is assembled in sections, starting with the base and narrow horse-shoe splinter-shield, both made from three parts each, the latter having a PE centre layer that presses around the barrel, which is next, moulded from a single part with a five-part breech at the rear, followed by the slide, which is fashioned over two steps from several parts, joining the barrel, trapping it between the trunnions, adding elevation mechanisms, then the sight, the centre section of the splinter-shield, a choice of three styles of muzzle-brake, a pair of splinter-shield extensions with various small parts on the rear face, cutting one corner out of each part for one option, then fitting them with support-stays and a PE drip-rail across the top. An MG42 with separate breech top and drum mag is mounted on a pintle-mount that slots into a base that is fitted into the right side of the gun, with a spare magazine box nearby, lowering the completed gun into position in the crew compartment to complete the model. Markings There are four decal options included on the sheet, all of which have a base-coat of dunkelgelb or dark yellow, with a variation of green and red-brown camouflage on all but one of them that is wearing winter distemper, as they were later war after German armour had transitioned away from Panzer Grey. From the box you can build one of the following: Unidentified Unit, December 1944 Unidentified Unit, Germany, Spring 1945 Unidentified Unit, Spring 1945 Korps Pz.Aufkl.Abt. ‘Feldherrnhalle’, Austria, Linz Area, Spring 1945 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The 8-rad armoured car is an appealing subject to a lot of modellers, and the Sd.Kfz.234/4 with its Pak40 is one of the more impressive to look at. The detail is excellent, and now we wait for the next boxing. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-47D-26RA Thunderbolt (48003) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Thunderbolt developed from a series of less-than-successful earlier designs that saw Seversky aviation change to Republic, and the project designation from P-35, to P-43 and P-44, each with its own aggressive sounding name. After a realisation that their work so far wasn't going to cut it in the skies over war-torn Europe, they went back to the drawing board and produced the P-47A that was larger, heavier and sported the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial that would also power the B-26 Marauder, P-61 Black Widow and F4U Corsair. With it they added eight .50cal Browning machine guns aligned along the axis of flight in the wing leading edge. The P-47A was still a small aircraft, and was initially ordered without military equipment to allow faster completion, but it was considered inferior to the competition then available, so an extensive re-design was ordered that resulted in the much larger P-47B, firing up to 100 rounds per second from the eight .50cal wing guns, and with a maximum speed of over 400mph, leaving just the fuel load slightly short of requirements. It first flew mid-1941, and despite being a heavy-weight, its performance was still excellent, and the crash of the prototype didn’t affect the order for over 700 airframes, which were fitted with a more powerful version of the R-2800 and a sliding canopy that made ingress and egress more streamlined, particularly when bailing out of a doomed aircraft. Minor re-designs to early production airframes resulted in a change to the P-47C, which meant that fewer than 200 Bs were made, the C benefitting from improved radio, oxygen systems, and a metal rudder to prevent flutter that had been affecting control at certain points in the performance envelope. A quick way to spot a B is the forward raked aerial mast behind the cockpit, as this was changed to vertical on the C and beyond. The production from a new factory that had been opened to keep up with demand led to the use of the D suffix, although they were initially identical to the C, but the cowling flaps were amended later, making it easier to differentiate. Of course, the later bubble-canopy P-47s were far easier to tell apart from earlier marks, and constant improvement in reliability, performance and fuel load was added along the way. The P-47D-25 carried more fuel for extended range, including piping for jettisonable tanks on the bomb racks for even more fuel. Taking a cue from the British designers, the bubble-top was developed and that improved all-round visibility markedly, although like the bubble-top Spitfires, later models incorporated a fin extension to counter the yaw issues that resulted. Its weight, firepower and seemingly unstoppable character led to the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, which was inevitably shortened to ‘Jug’ and led to many, many off-colour jokes during and after the war. Jokes that are still soldiering on to this day, despite being eligible for a pensioner’s bus pass. The Jug was used extensively in the European theatre as an escort fighter, where it performed well in its ideal high-altitude environment. Later in the war when the Luftwaffe was a spent force, it also went on to become a highly successful ground attack fighter, strafing and bombing targets of opportunity, and eschewing camouflaged paintwork to add some extra speed with a smooth (and shiny) bare metal finish. As well as flying with the US forces, many P-47s were flown by the other Allies, including the British, Russians, and after the war many other countries as the remainder were sold off as war surplus. The Kit This is a reboxing of a brand-new tooling from MiniArt, and is branded an Advanced Kit because it includes an additional sprue of plastic parts, and a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass to increase the level of detail of the kit, including the gun bays, and the ability to open the engine cowlings to display the excellent detail that is hidden away on the Basic Kit. The kit arrives in one of MiniArt’s sturdy top-opening boxes with a dramatic painting of the subject on the front, and profiles of the decal options on one side, reserving the other side for practical details and text. Inside the box are twenty-two sprues in grey styrene, although in our sample many of the sprues were handily still connected by their runners, which simplified photography. There is also a clear sprue, a sheet of PE in a cardboard envelope, two sheets of decals, and the instruction booklet, which is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the front pages, plus detailed painting and decaling information for the weapons and tanks on the back page. Detail is beyond excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt in the last several years, with fine engraved panel lines, recessed rivets, plus raised and recessed features where appropriate, as well as fine detail in the cockpit, wheel bays, plus gun bays in the wings and engine. If you’ve seen their AFV kits you’ll know what to expect, but this is special in this reviewer’s humble opinion. Construction begins with the highly detailed cockpit, starting with a choice of seat style. One option has the seat put together from base, back and two side parts, which have elements of the seatbelts moulded-in, and are finished off by putting the remainder of the lap belts on the seat pan. The other option uses different parts to build the seat without belts, adding the belts from the PE sheet separately. A pair of support are inserted into recesses in the back of the seat, then it is installed on the ribbed floor, which has control column, plus seat-adjuster, and two other levers inserted, after which the rear bulkhead, one of the cockpit sidewalls and the front bulkhead are fitted, trapping the rudder bar with moulded-in pedals between them. The starboard sidewall has an oxygen hose added, and a scrap diagram shows the detail painting as well as the location of the decals that need to be applied. The head cushion is applied to the head armour, then the other sidewall is detailed with four controls and a PE wiring loom, numerous decals and more detail painting, so that it can be inserted along with the instrument panel and auxiliary panel, both of which have decals for the dials, with a choice of two for the main panel. The tail wheel is made up in preparation for closing the fuselage, building a four-part strut that holds the wheel on a one-sided yoke, then adding a small curved bulkhead with sprung bumper at the front. The fuselage halves are further prepared by adding two extra detail parts to the short sill panels that have ribbing moulded-in, and should be painted to match the cockpit. At the rear on the underside, the supercharger fairing is slotted into the starboard fuselage along with the tail gear bay, and at the front, a cooling vent and an insert are added to the underside, fitting another vent to the port fuselage half in the same place. The fuselage can then be closed around the cockpit, adding the aerial mast into a slot in the starboard spine, although whether that will remain there until the end of the building and painting is a moot point, and I’d be tempted to nip it off at the base, gluing the base in to act as a socket for the aerial after the heavy work is over. The engine is created by joining the two highly-detailed banks of pistons together by a keyed peg, adding the push-rod assembly to the front, the ends of which mate with a circular support that is the frame onto which the cowling panels are added later. The reduction-housing bell is detailed with magnetos and other parts, plus a collet at the centre where the prop-shaft would be. This is joined to the front of the engine as it is mounted to a bulkhead at the rear, again on a keyed ring. The convex firewall at the front of the fuselage is detailed with a ring of fasteners, the cylindrical intakes with PE mesh grilles, or you can utilise the similar less detailed part from the Basic Kit if you plan on leaving the engine covered. There are instructions for advanced modellers to add C-shaped 0.3mm lengths of wire in between the cylinder heads, using lengths of 4.4mm, and referring to the diagrams at the rear that show the location of the rest of the wiring loom that will add further realism to your model. There is a fuselage insert in front of the cockpit, and that has the two-part gunsight with clear lens and PE backup sight and link-plate added to the middle, and it is inserted under the coaming and joined by your choice of firewall that closes the front of the fuselage. The intake trunking at the bottom of the nose cowling is made from five parts and installed in the lower panel, and you have a choice of open or closed top cowling panels by using additional parts. To leave the cowling open, the engine is fitted to the detailed firewall along with the lower cowling and the three sections of cooling gills. the closed option is surrounded by all four cowling segments, and at the rear you have a choice of installing open or closed cooling gills, using different parts to achieve the look you want, sliding the assembly over the completed engine, to which you can add the wiring loom if you are feeling adventurous, using the helpful diagrams near the back of the booklet, which also includes diagrams for wiring the gear bays. The rudder is completed by adding an insert at its widest point (the bottom) to avoid sink marks, and it is mated to the fin on three hinges, allowing deflection if you wish. Under the tail, your choice of bare or canvas-covered wheel assembly is inserted in the bay, with doors on each side, or if you are building your model in flight, a closed pair of doors is supplied as a single part, adding a small outlet lip further forward under the fuselage. The upper wing halves have well-defined ribbing detail for the gear bays moulded-in, which is augmented by fitting two rib sections, front and rear walls, and an additional structure that has a retraction jack pushed through a hole in one of the wall segments. The gun bays and their extensive ammunition stores are supplied in this boxing, using different upper wing panels with the bays opened. The gun bays themselves are built from a mixture of styrene and PE surfaces, making up a four-compartment box into which the gun breeches are inserted, linking them to the outer wall with ammo feed chutes, and placing the ammunition boxes with open tops into the upper wing from within. The closed bay option is shown with just the barrel stubs that have hollow muzzles projecting from the leading edge, while both options install the wingtip lights and a pitot probe in the starboard wing. A scrap diagram of the lower wing shows the location of the flashed-over holes that you can drill out for rocket tubes or pylons, then the flaps are made from two sides, plus a pair of hinges, and these are glued into the trailing edge of the wing with the ailerons, then the lower wing can be glued to the upper, along with two inserts at the tip and to the rear of the gear bay, which includes a flush landing light. Three PE bay edge strips are installed over the open gun bays, adding a PE indicator and PE bay prop to hold the styrene panels at the correct angle, the gun bay hinging forward, the ammo bay hinging aft. The same process is then carried out in mirror-image for the other wing, omitting the pitot probe and landing light, after which the wheels and their struts are made up, each wheel made from two halves plus a choice of three hub types, and two styles of tyres are also provided, one without a flat-spot, the other under load on the ground, leaving it to your taste. The struts are detailed with separate compressed or relaxed oleo scissor-links plus stencil decals, and they are mated with their wheels, plus the captive gear bay doors, the lower door made from two layers, again to avoid sink-marks. The wings are glued to the fuselage with a stepped joint making for a stronger bond, and the elevator panels are each slotted into the tail, and have separate flying surfaces that can be posed deflected, each one a single part. If you are building your model with the gear down, the inner gear bay doors are fitted to the fuselage, which contains the inner edge of the main gear bays, so remember to paint those areas while you are doing the bays. If you plan on making an in-flight model, there are two single parts that depict the closed main bays, or you can insert the two struts with their wheels for the grounded aircraft. The four centreline supports are fitted between the main bays for some decal options, then the model can be flipped over to stand on its own wheels so that the canopy can be installed, gluing the windscreen at the front, and deciding whether to pose the blown canopy open or closed. The prop is also fitted, and this is made up from two parts glued perpendicular to each other, each holding two blades in opposition, and the spinner fitted into the front section with a PE square base-plate. The Jug could carry quite a load, whether it was extra fuel, rockets or bombs, and all these are included in the box, starting with the two-part pylons, which can be depicted as empty by inserting a cover over the business end. You have a choice of four styles of tank, a 108gal compressed paper tank with a ribbed nose and tail, a 200gal wide and flat tank, the third 150gal streamlined tank with flat mating surface, and the last one slightly smaller at 75gal. All but the third option has a pair of sway-braces between them and the pylon, which fit into slots in the pylons. They are built in pairs to fit under the wings, but the first two options can also be used solo on the centreline support. The bombs use the same pylons, and can be built in 1,000lb, 500lb or 250lb variants, each one made from two halves for the body and two parts for the square tails or thinner, more scale thickness PE fins if you prefer, and mated to the pylon by a pair of sway-braces that varies depending on size. The final option is a pair of three-tubed rocket pods, which are made from two halves, plus inserts front and rear, which have their mounts moulded-in, and attach directly to holes drilled earlier under the wings. A large diagram shows the correct location for all the pylons and their loads, and you are advised that drop-tanks weren’t carried under the wings with the rocket packs, which seems sensible. No-one likes to fly home with their wings blown off, after all. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, and a page near the rear of the booklet shows the location of all the many stencils on a set of grey-scale profiles to avoid cluttering the main profiles. From the box you can build one of the following: 66th Fighter Sqn., 57th Fighter Group, 12th Air Force, Grosetto, Italy, 1944 – Pilot: Lt. Joseph ‘Joe’ Angelone 61st Fighter Sqn., 56th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, Boxted Air Base, June 1944 – Pilot: Capt. Donavan Smith 405th Fighter Sqn., 371st Fighter Group, 9th Air Force, Metz Airdrome, France, early 1945 – Pilot: 1st Lt. James M Davis Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion There are a few other kits of this fighter on the market in this scale of course, but I have a feeling that this is becoming the de facto standard, especially as the breadth of variants widens. The detail is exceptional and even improves on the alleged ‘Basic Kit’ that preceded it. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

German Elite Gun Crew (35467) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd German artillery crews were assigned a gun to operate during WWII, training as a group to encourage camaraderie and a cohesive working group. There were dozens of different types of artillery pieces used by the Wehrmacht an SS during that period, although most modellers would likely think of the Pak40 consciously or otherwise. This set of crew figures depicts the crew of a Pak40, but could be adapted to work with other types, providing the numbers matched up, or extra figures could be assigned to make good. Inside the figure-sized box are six sprues containing four crew figures, and the parts for each figure are found on separate sprues for ease of identification. Parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built. Two crewmen are handling shells that are found on their sprues, one prepping the next round, while the other is feeding a round into the breech, the remaining two crew are crouched behind the splinter-shield, spotting and adjusting the aim and range of the gun, one of whom appears to be sitting on a seat. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. The two accessory sprues include all the equipment typically carried by soldiers, such as Kar98 rifles, MP40 SMGs, pistols in and out of holsters, ammo pouches, map cases, binoculars, gas mask canisters, water bottlers, bayonets, Stahlhelm helmets without covers (the figures’ helmets have covers), entrenching tools and other pouches of differing types. There are plenty of accessories to go around, with more besides that can be added to your spares box or used elsewhere. Conclusion As usual with MiniArt figures their sculpting is exceptional with crisp detail and sensible parts breakdown plus extras to add some detail to their vicinity if you use them in a diorama. The will fit perfectly with the MiniArt Pak40 kit, but will adapt to other uses with some care. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Junkers-Larsen JL.6 Military Service (48013) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The design process that led to the Junkers F13 was begun while WWI was still raging, and it was an unconventional and advanced design for the time, when most aircraft were still wood and canvas biplanes that were strengthened by the use of copious rigging wires that created excess drag, making them slow and delicate. The J13 as it was initially called first flew in 1919, and reached maturity during a time that Germany was prevented from having an air-force, and the market was flooded with military surplus aircraft that could be quickly and cheaply converted into rudimentary airliners or transports. It had a few cards up its sleeve however, such as its all-metal monoplane construction that was far easier to protect from the deleterious effects of weather, especially in humid or damp climates. Through careful design and extensive testing, it had a clean aerodynamic profile that meant a lower power output engine could be utilised to achieve desired speeds, meaning that it could be fitted with different engines from many manufacturers, rather than being saddled with a single high-output and therefore temperamental power-plant. It was crewed by one pilot with a spare seat to his side with a control column, and a further four passenger seats in the rear compartment, utilising the cockpit seat for an extra passenger should the need arise. Its stressed, corrugated duralumin skin and internal bracing made it both light and strong, with the fuselage attached to the top of the wing, which gave the crew and passengers an extra layer of protection in the event of a rough landing that compromised the gear legs. It also had an unusual trimming system that utilised fuel that was pumped between header tanks in the fore and aft of the fuselage to adjust for centre of gravity changes of the aircraft, and its fixed gear was simple to replace with skis or floats if the need arose. Germany was prevented from building any aircraft until 1921, which resulted in initial sales going overseas, even selling to England and America, Germany’s former enemies. It became so popular thanks to its many appealing qualities that within a few years it constituted around 40% of the world’s civilian air-traffic, and was a familiar sight in the skies of many countries around the world. Production continued until 1932, and included license-built examples that were manufactured in Russia and America, with airframes around the world continuing commercial service until the early 50s, whilst civilian operators were less inclined to give up flying them. The American aircraft were built by Junkers-Larsen, and were known as the JL.6, only a few made, with some pressed into military service. The type’s development was mostly centred on the engine type that was mounted in the nose, having several options during its life-time, but there was also a stretched-fuselage variant that could carry more load, and the afore-mentioned float or ski options. More unusual variants were created by users, including a light bomber in China, a bizarre ground-attack aircraft in the US dubbed the JL.12 that mounted thirty downward-firing machine guns to pepper enemy troops below, and Soviet forces pressed some of their aircraft into military service with the Red Army. The aircraft remained popular despite its age, and in the new millennium, a Swiss-German company decided to create a series of replica airframes in the noughties, utilising as much of the original design as possible, but substituting a more modern Pratt & Whitney engine and modern precision instruments where the improvement would be worth the change. The design was based upon original blueprints and a laser-scan of an original airframe to confirm their accuracy, but at $2.5m per example, there won’t be too many gracing the skies any time soon. The Kit A reboxing with new parts of a brand-new tooling from MiniArt, depicting the grandfather of the Ju.52 that utilised many of the same technologies and engineering techniques that were pioneered in this small aircraft. The kit arrives in a standard MiniArt top-opening box with a painting of the subject-matter on the top, and the decal option profiles on one of the sides. Inside the box are twelve sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that has a cover printed in colour, with a full set of profiles on the front and rear pages, also in colour. Detail is up to MiniArt’s current standards, and examining the sprues reveals a huge quantity of detail that extends across the entire exterior, covering the model with finely rendered corrugations and lines of raised rivets, and where appropriate, these corrugations also extend to the interior. The cockpit is well-rendered, and sits behind a replica of the BMW IIIa six-cylinder engine, with a radiator at the front, while the passenger compartment has a humped floor just like the real thing to accommodate the wing spars running under it. Construction begins with the starboard rear fuselage, which has a window and two bulkheads fitted, setting it aside whilst building the cockpit on its faceted floor. The two control columns are detailed with a lamination of two PE layers that represent the control cables, fitting a bow-tie wheel at the top of each one, and setting them in place through rectangular holes in the floor, mounting rudder pedals in front, and making up two “arm chair” seats from two styrene parts and PE lap-belts, setting those aside while the unusually-shaped instrument panel is further detailed with levers and controls, plus a few PE parts, adding another PE lever between the columns along with a styrene part. The panel is decaled extensively after painting, and is fitted to a bulkhead via a C-shaped stand-off bracket that locates on two pins. This too is put aside, mounting the starboard fuselage half to the cruciform fuselage floor after drilling out a few holes, and fitting two optional boxes in place if you plan on building your model with the wings mounted for flight. The forward section of the fuselage has three window panes added and is fixed to the rear part, using raised guides in the floor to ensure the assembly is straight and true. The cockpit is fitted next, and will be useful to help align the sides, fixing the two seats in place, then adding the instrument panel on its bulkhead. Another bulkhead is made to separate the cockpit from the passengers, adding a window and two tied-back curtains, plus a pair of wedge-shaped strengtheners into slots at the sides. Two more individual seats with lap-belts are made and inserted in the floor as the front row, building a four-part bench seat/sofa that also has PE seatbelts added, gluing it to a stylised Z-shaped bulkhead, and fitting that into the rear of the passenger compartment, using the guides to ensure it is correctly aligned. A handle is inserted into a hole in the side door, fixing another to the door on the opposite side later. The six-cylinder in-line BMW engine is based upon a two-part block, into which the individual cylinders are slotted, adding a prop-axle and generator, then completing the tops of the cylinder heads, cooling tubing, wiring loom, air-intake and exhaust manifold to the sides, ending the manifold with a vertical horn if you plan on leaving the cowling open. Engine mounts are installed on both sides of the bay, lowering the completed engine into position between them, fitting the radiator after gluing the rear and a PE cross-brace to it, and a choice of two fixed aft cowling panels that have differing surface features, depending on which decal option you have chosen. The opposite side of the fuselage is made from two almost identical (but handed) parts, although a separate door is included, fitting the windows, a door handle and rail, and drilling two small holes in the rear section close to the wing root. The completed parts are then brought in and glued to the floor, creating a cowling for the engine bay from a choice of two styles of top parts, and common side cowlings, with a further option of a PE strap around the cowling if you wish. The cowling open option isn’t discussed any further in the instructions, which is odd. The roof is fitted on the fuselage after adding a circular light to the inside and drilling a small hole nearby. A pair of s PE stirrups are fixed to the lower edge of the side cowling, and a pair of clear windscreens are installed in front of the cockpit, as this variant didn’t have an enclosed cockpit. At the rear, the elevator is made from upper and lower halves, the upper half having the entire flying surfaces moulded-in to achieve a slim trailing edge, mounting it on the open rear of the fuselage behind the roof panel. A combined tail fin and rudder is slotted into the top of the elevator to complete the empennage. There are two short C-beams provided for the inner wing upper panels, which are only utilised if the wings are to be built ready for flight, fitting into a recess under the short inner wing panels, then gluing them into place either side of the fuselage. At this stage the decision must be made whether to mount the wings, or leave them off for transport, using either three parts to create the joint for the mounted option, or an open rib with a socket glued behind it that will be seen in the wingless option, depending on your choice. You preferred insert is glued into the ends of the inner panels, adding a pair of intakes under the belly, fitting a PE crew step under the port trailing-edge, the tail-skid under the rear, and a PE actuator tab in a recess on the rudder. More PE or styrene grab-handles are fitted to the rear fuselage for ground-handling, and around the square back windows to ease access to the door over the wing. The outer wing panels are stiffened by adding two ribs to the grooves moulded into the inner surfaces, and slotting a full-span spar lengthways into the grooves in the ribs, cutting the inner ends off if you are leaving the wings off the airframe. The wing underside is glued over the spar, and once the glue is cured, the two-part ailerons can be built and fitted into the cut-outs in the trailing edges. They are put to the side for a while so that the landing gear can be made, which is based upon a K-shaped axle, which has a pair of V-shaped supports glued near the ends, finishing the assembly with a pair of two-part wheels, or using two-part tyres with PE spokes spaced apart by a hollow bearing in the centre, and mounting the completed gear in the recesses under the belly between the wings. The supports are handed, so be careful when putting them together to ensure the correct parts are used. The wings are completed by fitting PE actuators at the inner ends of the ailerons, after which they can either be slipped into their slots in the inner wing panels and glued, or depicted stowed nearby in whatever fashion you choose. A choice of long or short aerial mast is slotted into the roof behind the cockpit, and a choice of two propellers is supplied for you to complete the build. Markings There are three decal options on the large sheet, all of which are in the service of disparate institutions and the two in Army Air Service are without the usual camouflage of a wartime military aircraft. From the box you can build one of the following: US Army Air Service, 1920s US Air Mail Service, 1920s Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, Early 1920s Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s a stunning model of this low volume example of an unusual, yet popular aircraft, and I’m still hoping for a float-plane version in due course. Detail is superb, and the construction process should be straight forward. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Pipeline Set (35652) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd If you’re a diorama creator, or have the intention of becoming one, this set of pipeline parts should be great news for anyone wishing to add pipes, manifolds, valves or other such plumbing-related items to their work, whether it’s a simple pipe up the side of a building, a more complex arrangement, or a veritable spaghetti junction of pipelines like those found in some factories. The set arrives in a figure-sized end-opening box, and inside are four identical sprues of parts in grey styrene, full of parts that can be used in your model/diorama. The rear of the box has a set of instructions for creating one such tangle of piping, consisting of varying straight lengths, 90° bends, valves on T-shaped sections with large bolted flanges, and T-junctions. There are four lengths of 4.5mm diameter solid pipe per sprue, in lengths of 120mm, 50mm, 30mm and 20mm, all of which can be cut shorter to meet your requirements. Each sprue also includes two solid T-junctions, four solid 90° bends, two valve T-junctions that are slightly bulged to accommodate the valve gear within, and a choice of two bell-housings or open valves under an operating wheel to open and close the valves. Seventeen flanges can be used as joints between valves, bends and T-junctions, plus two flat plates for use with the exposed valve heads. In total, the set contains parts as follows: 4 x Solid 120mm pipe 4 x Solid 50mm pipe 4 x Solid 30mm pipe 4 x Solid 20mm pipe 8 x Solid T-junctions 8 x hollow valve T-Junctions 8 x Valve Top Bell Housings 8 x Flat Valve Top Covers 8 x Open-Sided Valves 12 x Operating Wheels 68 x Bolted Flanges The various junctions and bends have a raised part code on their sides, and the flanges are bolted on both sides with crisp detail. If you intend to leave any pipes open, drilling the ends out with an appropriately sized bit will give the impression of a hollow part, marking the centre with a pin or bradawl to ensure the hole is dead-centre. The diameter of the pipes scale out at 157mm or 6” if you’re an Imperial length user, which was and still is a common size of piping. Conclusion A handy addition to your diorama arsenal, or you could use them as cargo on your next transport model. The list of uses is limited to your imagination. Highly recommended. This set has been so popular that Creative are currently out of stock. Check back soon for a restock. Review sample courtesy of

Modern Holiday Makers & Urban Travellers (38087 & 38095) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Modern folks generally have a passport and take regular foreign holidays as a break from the daily grind, but in the age of social media, everyone’s a star of their own story, taking regular photos of minutiae and sharing them on the internet with their selfie-sticks, duck pouts and posing. I might be showing my age and destain for that sort of thing here a little bit. Not every model we build is from a previous war, or even related to conflict, which has clearly occurred to MiniArt’s designers, who have created these two figure-sets to populate your modern dioramas. Both sets arrive in a figure-sized end opening box, with a painting of the figures on the front, and a split-version of the same artwork on the back that is marked by arrows for part numbers and letter codes that relate to a table with colour swatches, Vallejo, Mr.Color, AK Real Color, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya and colour names to provide suggestions for possible colour schemes. The parts for each figure are found on separate sprues for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. Holiday Makers (38087) This set has two male/female couples posing for photographs with their smartphones. One couple has the gentleman holding the phone, while the lady bends forward at the waist, blowing a kiss to her many followers on ‘The ‘Gram’. The other couple are both posing with their phone on a selfie-stick, a device that was unknown ten years ago, but facilitates taking photos of oneself from a distance, whilst simultaneously irritating everyone else nearby. Urban Travellers (38095) These four figures are all walking as if leaving an airport, bus terminal or meandering down the street, one couple holding cups of full-fat mocha-chino with double latte half-caff, or whatever your modern traveller drinks. They are both dressed in jeans and t-shirts, the lady having a coat and scarf over the top, plus a handbag held in her free hand. The other couple are slightly less hip, the lady carrying her bag over her forearm, wearing a pair of short shorts and a V-neck top, while the gentleman is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, pulling a roller-case behind him and wearing a pair of shades. Conclusion Great sculpting, realistic poses, and modern dress gives these figures a firm place in recent history. Their presence in your next projects will give plenty of that human perspective I’m always on about. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-47D-28RA Thunderbolt Pacific Theatre of Operations (48022) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Thunderbolt developed from a series of less-than-successful earlier designs that saw Seversky aviation change to Republic, and the project designation from P-35, to P-43 and P-44, each with its own aggressive sounding name. After a realisation that their work so far wasn't going to cut it in the skies over war-torn Europe, they went back to the drawing board and produced the P-47A that was larger, heavier and sported the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial that would also power the B-26 Marauder, P-61 Black Widow and F4U Corsair. With it they added eight .50cal Browning machine guns aligned along the axis of flight in the wing leading edge. The P-47A was still a small aircraft, and was initially ordered without military equipment to allow faster completion, but it was considered inferior to the competition then available, so an extensive re-design was ordered that resulted in the much larger P-47B, firing up to 100 rounds per second from the eight .50cal wing guns, and with a maximum speed of over 400mph, leaving just the fuel load slightly short of requirements. It first flew mid-1941, and despite being a heavy-weight, its performance was still excellent, and the crash of the prototype didn’t affect the order for over 700 airframes, which were fitted with a more powerful version of the R-2800 and a sliding canopy that made ingress and egress more streamlined, particularly when bailing out of a doomed aircraft. Minor re-designs to early production airframes resulted in a change to the P-47C, which meant that fewer than 200 Bs were made, the C benefitting from improved radio, oxygen systems, and a metal rudder to prevent flutter that had been affecting control at certain points in the performance envelope. A quick way to spot a B is the forward raked aerial mast behind the cockpit, as this was changed to vertical on the C and beyond. The production from a new factory that had been opened to keep up with demand led to the use of the D suffix, although they were initially identical to the C, but the cowling flaps were amended later, making it easier to differentiate. Of course, the later bubble-canopy P-47s were far easier to tell apart from earlier marks, and constant improvement in reliability, performance and fuel load was added along the way. The P-47D-25 carried more fuel for extended range, including piping for jettisonable tanks on the bomb racks for even more fuel. Taking a cue from the British designers, the bubble-top was developed and that improved all-round visibility markedly, although like the bubble-top Spitfires, later models incorporated a fin extension to counter the yaw issues that resulted. TheP-47D-28RA was the same as the -28RE, just built at the Evansville plant, technically identical to Farmingdale production. Its weight, firepower and seemingly unstoppable character led to the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, which was inevitably shortened to ‘Jug’ and led to many, many off-colour jokes during and after the war. Jokes that are still soldiering on to this day, despite being eligible for a pensioner’s bus pass. The Jug was used extensively in the European theatre (ETO) and Pacific Theatre of Operation (PTO), as an escort fighter, where it performed well in its ideal high-altitude environment. Later in the war when the enemy was a spent force, it also went on to become a highly successful ground attack fighter, strafing and bombing targets of opportunity, and eschewing camouflaged paintwork to add some extra speed with a smooth (and shiny) bare metal finish, with a light coat of clear gloss to keep the airflow smooth. As well as flying with the US forces, many P-47s were flown by the other Allies, including the British, Russians, and after the war many other countries as the remainder were sold off as war surplus. The Kit This is another reboxing of a brand-new tooling from MiniArt, and is labelled a Basic Kit because it doesn’t include Photo-Etch (PE) brass parts and gun bay parts in styrene to increase the level of detail of the kit, but it is far from basic. The kit arrives in one of MiniArt’s sturdy top-opening boxes with a dramatic painting of the subject on the front, and profiles of the decal options on one side, reserving the other side for practical details and text. Inside the box are nineteen sprues in grey styrene, although in our sample many of the sprues were handily still connected by their runners, which simplified photography. There are two sheets of decals, and the instruction booklet, which is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the front and rear pages, plus detailed painting and decaling information for the weapons and tanks around the profiles. Detail is beyond excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt in the last several years, with fine engraved panel lines, recessed rivets, plus raised and recessed features where appropriate, as well as fine detail in the cockpit, wheel bays, and engine, as visible from the front. If you’ve seen their AFV kits you’ll know what to expect, but their nascent line of aircraft kits is special in this reviewer’s humble opinion. Construction begins with the highly detailed cockpit, starting by putting the seat together from base, back and two side parts, which have elements of the seatbelts moulded-in, and are finished off by putting the remainder of the lap belts on the seat pan. A pair of supports are inserted into recesses in the back of the seat, then it is installed on the ribbed floor, which has control column, plus seat-adjuster, and two other levers inserted, after which the rear bulkhead, one of the cockpit sidewalls and the front bulkhead are added, trapping the rudder bar with moulded-in pedals between them. The starboard sidewall has a hose added, and a scrap diagram shows the detail painting as well as the location of the decals that need to be applied. The head cushion is applied to the head armour, then the other sidewall is detailed with four controls, numerous decals and more detail painting, so that it can be inserted along with the instrument and auxiliary panel, both of which have decals for the dials, with a choice of three styles for the main panel. The tail wheel is made up in preparation for closing the fuselage, building a four-part strut that holds the wheel on a one-sided yoke, then adding a small curved bulkhead with sprung bumper at the front, or an alternative assembly can be made from four different parts plus wheel, which is less detailed as the mechanism is hidden by a canvas cover. The fuselage halves are prepared by adding two extra detail parts to the short sill panels that have ribbing and other details moulded-in, and should be painted to match the cockpit. At the rear on the underside, the supercharger fairing is slotted into the starboard fuselage along with the tail gear bay, and at the front, a cooling vent and a belly insert are added to the underside, fitting another vent to the port fuselage half in the same place. The fuselage can then be closed around the cockpit, adding the aerial mast into a slot in the starboard spine, although whether that will remain intact until the end of the building and painting is a moot point, and I’d be tempted to nip it off at the base, gluing the base in to act as a socket for the aerial after most of the handling is over. There is a fuselage insert in front of the cockpit, and that has the two-part gunsight with clear lens added to the centre, and another equipment box on the port side before it is inserted and joined by a firewall that closes the front of the fuselage, and in the same step, the rudder is completed by adding an insert at its widest point (the bottom), to avoid sink marks, and it is mated to the fin on three hinges, allowing deflection if you wish. The engine is created by joining the two highly-detailed banks of pistons together by a keyed peg, adding the push-rod assembly to the front, the ends of which mate with a circular support that is the frame onto which the cowling panels are added later. The reduction-housing bell is detailed with magnetos and other parts, plus a collet at the centre where the prop-shaft would be. This is joined to the front of the engine as it is mounted to a bulkhead at the rear, again on a keyed ring. The intake trunking at the bottom of the nose cowling is made from five parts and is installed in the lower panel, and you have a choice of open or closed vents on the sides of the fuselage by using the appropriate parts. The finished assembly is enclosed by four segments of cowling, and at the rear you have a choice of open or closed cooling gills, using different parts to achieve the look you want. Under the tail, your choice of wheel assembly is inserted in the bay, with doors on each side, or if you are building your model in flight, a closed pair of doors is supplied as a single part, adding a small outlet lip further forward under the fuselage. The upper wing halves have well-defined ribbing detail moulded into the inside, which is augmented by fitting an insert, two rib sections, front and rear walls, and an additional structure that has a retraction jack pushed through a hole in one of the wall segments. The flaps are made from two sides, plus a pair of hinges and these are glued into the trailing edge of the wing with the ailerons, the remaining details of the gear bay, which includes another retraction jack, the gun barrels on a carrier to achieve the correct stepped installation, plus a pitot probe, and the wingtip light, which can be fitted now because the complete tip is moulded into the upper wing so that it can be portrayed as a more scale thickness. A scrap diagram of the lower wing shows the location of the flashed-over holes that you can drill out for pylons, then it can be glued to the upper, along with two inserts at the tip and to the rear of the gear bay, which includes a flush landing light. The same process is then carried out in mirror-image for the other wing, with only one insert, omitting the pitot and landing light, after which the wheels and their struts are made up, each wheel made from two halves plus a choice of three hub types, and two styles of wheels are also provided, one without a flat-spot, the other under load on the ground, leaving it to your taste which you prefer. The struts are detailed with separate oleo scissor-links and stencil decals, then are mated with their wheels, plus the captive gear bay doors, the lower door made from two layers, again to avoid sink-marks. The wings are glued to the fuselage with a stepped joint making for a stronger bond, and the elevator panels are each slotted into the tail, and have separate flying surfaces that can be posed deflected, each one a single part. If you are building your model with the gear down, the inner gear bay doors are fitted to the fuselage, which contains the inner edge of the main gear bays, so remember to paint that while you are doing the bays. The engine assembly is also mated to the firewall, locating on a pair of alignment pins. If you plan on making an in-flight model, there are two single parts that depict the closed main bays, or you can insert the two struts with their wheels for the grounded aircraft. Four centreline sway-braces are fitted between the main bays for some decal options, then the model can be flipped over to stand on its own wheels so that the canopy can be installed, gluing the windscreen at the front, and deciding whether to pose the blown canopy open or closed after fitting a guide across the rear frame. The prop is also fitted, and this is made up from two parts, each carrying two blades in opposition, and the spinner is glued onto the centre. The Jug could carry quite a load, whether it was extra fuel, rockets or bombs, and all these are included in the box, starting with the two-part pylons, which can be depicted as empty by inserting a cover over the business end. You have a choice of four styles of tank, a 108gal compressed paper tank with a ribbed nose and tail, a 200gal wide and flat tank, the third is a 150gal streamlined tank with flat mating surface, and the last one is slightly smaller at 75gal. All but the third option has a pair of sway-braces between them and the pylon, which fit into slots in the pylons. They are built in pairs to fit under the wings, but the first two options can also be used solo on the centreline support. The bombs use the same pylons, and can be built in 1,000lb, 500lb or 250lb variants, each one made from two halves for the body and two parts for the square tail fins, mated to the pylon by a pair of sway-braces that vary depending on bomb size. There is also a smoke generator that looks like a drop-tank with a two-part spout on the rear, which would be used to lay smoke for the Allied troops below to cover their actions, at least temporarily. A large diagram shows the correct location for all the pylons and their loads, but checking your references won’t hurt either. Markings There are three natural metal decal options on the sheet, and the first page shows the location of all the many stencils on a set of grey-scale profiles to avoid cluttering the main profiles. From the box you can build one of the following: 41st Fighter Sqn., 35th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force, Philippines, Luzon 1945 40th Fighter Sqn., 35th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force, Philippines, Luzon 1945 310th Fighter Sqn., 58th Fighter group, 5th Air Force, Philippines, Okinawa 1945 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion There are a few other kits of this rugged fighter on the market in this scale, but this one is rapidly becoming the de facto standard, and we’re waiting (im)patiently for the razorback to arrive. The detail is exceptional, and the moniker “BasicKit” seems unfair given the level on display. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Barrels of Various Sizes & Eras (Four Sets) 1:24 MiniArt via Creative Models lTd Barrels have been in use by humanity for a very long time, initially starting as heat curved wooden planks held in place by iron rings that were shrunk into place, then as pressed metal cylinders, and finally (so far) plastic barrels that are pretty useful, as they're comparatively light when empty, recyclable, can hold liquids that metal barrels can't cope with long-term, and are often more resistant to impact without permanent damage. In addition, they don't use up much in the way of strategic materials and don't rust, so you're onto a winner. Civilians and military have used them extensively in all forms over the years, and wherever there is engineering or storage of large quantities of liquids of any form going on, you'll usually find barrels dotted around. Each of the four sets arrives in a figure-sized end-opening box that has a painting on the front, with instructions, painting guide and a colour chart given in Vallejo, Mr.Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus swatches and colour names to assist with choosing your colours. These refer to the numbers in coloured boxes around the paintings above the chart. Plastic Barrels 100L (24004) This set contains six sprues in grey styrene, plus a small decal sheet. The back of the box shows brief instructions of how to assemble the two halves of the barrels, adding the lid and two lifting handles to the top to complete them. Each sprue contains parts to make one complete barrel, making six in all, and there are colour profiles below the instructions to assist with painting and applications of the decals as you wish. Modern Oil Drums 200L (24008) This set comprises six sprues of grey styrene, with parts to make one barrel on each sprue, totalling six. There are two types of barrel, one with two prominent rings around the centre, and another with those and more smaller ribs around the top and bottom segments. You can make three of each type from separate halves, topping and tailing them with circular lids to complete the task, and painting is shown on the back of the box along with suggested decal placement for those on the included sheet. Fuel & Oil Drums 1930-50s Set 1 German Type (24009) Inside the box are six long sprues in grey styrene plus a small decal sheet. Each sprue contains parts to make one barrel, with two ribs in halves provided to apply to the grooves moulded into the centre section, which also accepts the horizontal filler cap between them. The end caps/lids are featureless, and can be decaled using the drawings below the instructions on the back of the box, along with some suggested colour options, bearing in mind that metal barrels had a hard life, so were often scratched and rusty by the end of it. Plastic Barrels 200L (24011) This set of larger plastic barrels are similar to the ones above, but don’t have handles, so the instructions are even simpler, fitting the two halves of the barrel, plus the lids to finish them off. This type also has a pair of raised ‘this way up’ arrows and a triangular symbol with a 3 in the centre that informs us that they’re made from PVC. In reality they’re polystyrene of course, but that’s beside the point. The painting instructions are on the rear of the box again, and show colour options and locations for the decals included on the sheet. Conclusion 1:24 vehicle kits are no strangers to dioramas, and these four sets will be useful as background dressing or loads for larger vehicles. Detail is excellent, and the inclusion of decals in all four sets adds extra authenticity. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Junkers F13 Early Prod. (48002) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The design process that led to the Junkers F13 was begun while WWI was still raging, and it was an unconventional and advanced design for the time, when most aircraft were still wood and canvas biplanes that were strengthened by the use of copious rigging wires that created excess drag, making them slow and delicate. The J13 as it was initially called first flew in 1919, and reached maturity during a time that Germany was prevented from having an air-force, and the market was flooded with military surplus aircraft that could be quickly and cheaply converted into rudimentary airliners or transports. It had a few cards up its sleeve however, such as its all-metal monoplane construction that was far easier to protect from the deleterious effects of weather, especially in humid or damp climates. Through careful design and extensive testing, it had a clean aerodynamic profile that meant a lower power output engine could be utilised to achieve desired speeds, meaning that it could be fitted with different engines from many manufacturers, rather than being saddled with a single high-output and therefore temperamental power-plant. It was crewed by one pilot with a spare seat to his side with a control column, and a further four passenger seats in the rear compartment, utilising the cockpit seat for an extra passenger should the need arise. Its stressed, corrugated duralumin skin and internal bracing made it both light and strong, with the fuselage attached to the top of the wing, which gave the crew and passengers an extra layer of protection in the event of a rough landing that compromised the gear legs. It also had an unusual trimming system that utilised fuel that was pumped between header tanks in the fore and aft of the fuselage to adjust for centre of gravity changes of the aircraft, and its fixed gear was simple to replace with skis or floats if the need arose. Germany was prevented from building any aircraft until 1921, which resulted in initial sales going overseas, even selling to England and America, Germany’s former enemies. It became so popular thanks to its many appealing qualities that within a few years it constituted around 40% of the world’s civilian air-traffic, and was a familiar sight in the skies of many countries around the world. Production continued until 1932, and included license-built examples that were manufactured in Russia and America, with airframes around the world continuing commercial service until the early 50s, whilst civilian operators were less inclined to give up flying them. The type’s development was mostly centred on the engine type that was mounted in the nose, having several options during its life-time, but there was also a stretched-fuselage variant that could carry more load, and the afore-mentioned float or ski options. More unusual variants were created by users, including a light bomber in China, a bizarre ground-attack aircraft in the US that mounted thirty downward-firing machine guns to pepper enemy troops below, and Soviet forces pressed some of their aircraft into military service with the Red Army. The aircraft remained popular despite its age, and in the new millennium, a Swiss-German company decided to create a series of replica airframes in the noughties, utilising as much of the original design as possible, but substituting a more modern Pratt & Whitney engine and modern precision instruments where the improvement would be worth the change. The design was based upon original blueprints and a laser-scan of an original airframe to confirm their accuracy, but at $2.5m per example, there won’t be too many gracing the skies any time soon. The Kit A brand-new tooling from MiniArt of this grandfather of the Ju.52 that utilised many of the same technologies and engineering techniques that were pioneered in this small aircraft. The kit arrives in a standard MiniArt top-opening box with a painting of the subject-matter on the top, and the decal option profiles on one of the sides. Inside the box are twelve sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that has a cover printed in colour, with a full set of profiles on the front and rear pages, also in colour. Detail is up to MiniArt’s current standards, and examining the sprues reveals a huge quantity of detail that extends across the entire exterior, covering the model with finely rendered corrugations, and where appropriate, these corrugations also extend to the interior. The cockpit is well-rendered, and sits behind a replica of the BMW IIIa six-cylinder engine, with a radiator at the front, while the passenger compartment has a humped floor just like the real thing to accommodate the wing spars under the floor. Construction begins with the starboard rear fuselage, which has a window and two bulkheads fitted, setting it aside whilst building the cockpit on its faceted floor. The two control columns are detailed with a lamination of two PE layers that represent the cables, fitting a bow-tie wheel at the top of each one, and setting them in place through rectangular holes in the floor, mounting rudder pedals in front, and making up two seats from two styrene parts and PE lap-belts, setting those aside while the unusually-shaped instrument panel is further detailed with levers and controls, plus a few PE parts, adding another PE lever between the columns along with a styrene part. The panel is decaled extensively after painting, and is fitted to a bulkhead via a C-shaped stand-off bracket that locates on two recesses. This too is put aside, mounting the starboard fuselage half to the cruciform fuselage floor after drilling out a few holes, and fitting two optional boxes in place if you plan on building your model with the wings mounted for flight. The forward section of the fuselage has three window panes added and is fixed to the rear part, using raised guides in the floor to ensure the assembly is straight and true. The cockpit is fitted next, and will be useful to help align the side, fixing the two seats in place, then adding the instrument panel on its bulkhead. Another bulkhead is made to completely separate the cockpit from the passengers, adding a window and two tied-back curtains, plus a pair of wedge-shaped strengtheners into slots at the sides. Two more individual seats with lap-belts are made and inserted in the floor as the front row, building a four-part bench seat/sofa that also has PE seatbelts added, gluing it to a stylised Z-shaped bulkhead, and fitting that into the rear of the passenger compartment, using the guides to ensure it is correctly aligned. A handle is inserted into a hole in the side door, fixing another to the opening door on the opposite side later. The six-cylinder in-line BMW engine is based upon a two-part block, into which the individual cylinders are slotted, adding a prop-axle and generator, then completing the tops of the cylinder heads, cooling tubing, wiring loom, air-intake and exhaust manifold to the sides, ending the manifold with a vertical horn if you plan on leaving the cowling open. Engine mounts are installed on both sides of the bay, lowering the completed engine into position between them, fitting the radiator after gluing the rear and a PE cross-brace to it, and a choice of two fixed aft cowling panels that have differing features, depending on which decal option you have chosen. The opposite side of the fuselage is made from two almost identical (but handed) parts, although a separate door is included, fitting the windows, a door handle and rail, and drilling a small hole in the rear section close to the wing root. The completed parts are then brought in and glued to the floor, creating a cowling for the engine bay from a choice of two styles of top parts, and common side cowlings, with a further option of a PE strap around the cowling if you wish. The cowling open option isn’t discussed any further in the instructions, which is odd. A folded PE part is available to replace a styrene grab-handle part if you prefer, mounting it on the forward section of the cowling, fitting the roof on the fuselage after adding a circular light to the inside and drilling a small hole nearby. Another styrene or PE grab-handle is fixed to the side cowling, and a pair of clear windscreens are installed in front of the cockpit, as this early production variant didn’t have an enclosed cockpit. At the rear, the elevator is made from upper and lower halves, the upper half having the entire flying surfaces moulded-in to achieve a slim trailing edge, mounting it on the open rear of the fuselage behind the roof panel. The combined tail fin and rudder is slotted into the top of the elevator to complete the empennage. There are two short C-beams provided for the inner wing upper panels, which are only utilised if the wings are to be built ready for flight, fitting into a recess under the short inner wing panels, then gluing them into place either side of the fuselage. At this stage the decision must be made whether to mount the wings, or leave them off for transport, using either three parts to create the joint for the mounted option, or an open rib with a socket glued behind it that will be seen in the wingless option, depending on your choice. You preferred insert is glued into the ends of the inner panels, adding a pair of intakes under the belly, fitting a PE crew step under the port trailing-edge, the tail-skid under the rear, and a PE actuator tab in a recess on the rudder. More PE or styrene grab-handles are fitted to the rear fuselage for ground-handling, and around the square back windows to ease access to the door over the wing. The outer wing panels are stiffened by adding two ribs to the grooves moulded into the inner surfaces, and slotting a full-span spar lengthways into the grooves in the ribs, cutting the inner ends off if you are leaving the wings off the airframe. The wing underside is glued over the spar, and once the glue is cured, the two-part ailerons can be built and fitted into the cut-outs in the trailing edges. They are put to the side for a while so that the landing gear can be made, which is based upon a K-shaped axle, which has a pair of V-shaped supports glued near the ends, finishing the assembly with a pair of two-part wheels, and mounting it in the recesses under the belly between the wings. The supports are handed, so be careful when putting them together to ensure the correct parts are used. The wings are completed by fitting PE actuators at the inner ends of the ailerons, after which they can either be slipped into their slots in the inner wing panels and glued, or depicted stowed nearby in whatever fashion you choose. An aerial mast is slotted into the roof behind the cockpit, and a choice of two propellers is supplied for you to complete the build. Markings There are three decal options on the large sheet, all of which are in different colours that are a change from the usual camouflage or grey shades worn by military aircraft. From the box you can build one of the following: Dz-33/D-154 ‘Reiher’ Aero-Targ Poznan, Chartered from Danziger Luftpost GmbH, 1921 D-188 ‘Dohle’, Junker-Flugzeugwerke AG, 1922 Dz-41 ‘Gustaw’ Danziger Luftpost GmbH, 1923 Note that MiniArt’s instruction design folks forgot to re-title the third decal option on the instruction sheet for our example, so please refer to the details above or their website instead. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s a stunning model of this unusual, yet popular aircraft, and I hope we get a float-plane version in due course. Detail is superb, and the construction process should be straight forward. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

M3A5 Medium Tank (63519) 1:35 I Love Kit via Creative Models Ltd The US Army had been remarkably complacent with regard to tank development in the lead-up to WWII, and approached war with precious few tanks that were hopelessly outclassed. This realisation resulted in a frantic clamour to produce a modern tank that could hold its own in combat, with the M3 Lee coming into service as a stop-gap measure within a year of its first design while the M4 Sherman was in development. As a consequence of its rather rushed introduction, it was known to have a number of fairly serious flaws, but it also had some strengths that (at least in part) made up for them. Its high profile and sponson mounted main gun gave the enemy a large target, but when the 75mm main gun was brought to bear on a target, it was surprisingly powerful and effective, gaining a reputation in North Africa. The Lee was originally fitted with a petrol engine and had a riveted hull, but went through several iterations where the construction method varied between cast and welded, then back to riveted again, and with a diesel engine to remove reliance of petrol, which was more flammable than diesel, an aspect that became critical on penetration by an enemy shell of the engine component. The A3 used twin diesels coupled together to make the GM6046, and the superfluous and vulnerable side doors were welded closed, and later removed entirely, using a welded hull. The A4 was a petrol-engined variant that was used for training in the US, followed by the A5, which reverted to riveted hulls that could become lethal projectiles inside the hull when hit by an enemy round. Fewer than 600 were built, and although they saw service, they were only used by US forces once in active combat, with some vehicles supplied to other countries for their use. It was the last variant of the Grant/Lee to be fielded other than specials, 105mm howitzer equipped Priests, and ARV derivatives. The Kit I Love Kit have created their own line of newly tooled kits of the M3 Grant, starting in 2021 and carrying on with various new boxings in the following two years, plus this new one that is based upon the later M3A5. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of the vehicle on the front, and a cardboard divider in the lower tray to keep the hull parts and other sprues from rattling around during transit. Inside the box are eleven sprues and three individual parts in sand-coloured styrene, eight brown sprues, a clear sprue, a small Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret, decal sheet, an instruction booklet printed in black and white, and a sheet of painting and decaling profiles printed in colour on glossy paper. Detail is good for this exterior kit, although there is no rolled steel armour texture moulded into any of the plates, but there is a very fine sand-cast texture present on the turret parts, which could be improved by using liquid cement and a rough brush to stipple the sand-cast texture a little deeper, and texture could also be added to the main armour panels if you feel the urge, using simple techniques that you can look up on the internet or YouTube. Construction begins with the running gear for a change, making up the bogies from two wheels on a pair of swing-arms each, being careful to orient the Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS) parts correctly, using the scrap diagram to assist you. Six bogies are made in total, with return-rollers in the top of the units, held in place by the front panel that also holds the swing-arms in position. The curved lower glacis is next, adding two bolted flanges to the centre, and inserting a pair of towing eyes with shackles in slots at the sides of the final drive housings. The rear bulkhead has no access doors for this variant, adding horizontal exhausts and more towing eyes with shackles, plus idler wheel axles before it is mated to the rear of the lower hull part, mounting the glacis assembly to the other end. The bogies are fixed three per side on raised plates moulded into the hull, then making the drive sprocket from two parts, and the idler wheels from four parts each so that the tracks can be installed. The track links are made from four parts each that have a total of six sprue-gates to remove, with 77 links per side, and no ejector-pin marks to deal with, thankfully. Once the tracks are in place, the fenders are detailed with PE shackles and light cages, adding the lights with clear lenses, and the rounded-down ends to the rear of each one, locating them on the sides of the hull on two lugs per side. This variant has a machine gun turret on top of the turret, which was a negative aspect that raised its profile and made it an easier target on the battlefield. The turret walls are moulded as one part, sliding a .303 machine gun through a cylindrical mount that is locked in place by a pair of pegs that are slid in from the outside, allowing the gun to elevate if you are careful with the glue. The hatch is a two-part assembly that is glued in place over the top, adding a pair of brackets to the shallow vertical face above the machine gun, and covering the two side-mounted viewing ports with hinge-down covers. The vertical step behind the turret has a viewport with clear slot inserted, fixing two C-shaped PE parts in a small recess on the opposite side, an aerial base on the diagonal, then putting it aside while the turret is built. The mantlet has the barrel and recuperator inserted, pushing a .30cal machine gun through from the inside, clipping it inside the upper turret, then closing it in by gluing in the turret ring, which acts as the trunnions for the pivot point of the main gun. The turret roof has a simple mushroom vent fitted, and the machine gun turret is inserted into the top ring, adding a vision port into the armoured cut-out in the side, dropping it into the hole in the roof later. The engine deck is detailed with pioneer tools, filler caps, PE mesh, grab-handles, and rear light clusters on small vertical panels at the rear that are fixed to the sides of a tapering cooling grille with armour panel protecting the rear. Two hull side panels have hatches with vision ports inserted where the vestigial doors are, drilling a few holes in the upper hull part, then installing the vertical step made earlier, a T-shaped stiffener to the roof, and adding the side panels over the blank sides of the upper hull, then fitting more filler caps, lugs, vents, more hatches and vision ports with clear slots, plus two stowage boxes to be fitted on the sloped sides of the engine deck, which is slotted into position and snugged up against the vertical step behind the turret ring, and another shallow box that sits low on the glacis plate. The turret can be twisted into position at this stage, but it is probably best to install the 75mm gun first. A semi-cylindrical mantlet is clipped vertically into the surround, gluing a plate horizontally across the back to prevent it popping out again, slotting the barrel into the hole in the mantlet, clamping a two-part counter-weight to the muzzle, and adding a small part to the top of the surround, which includes a pivot peg that is locked in position in the starboard hull without glue, the top peg held in place by the two-part roof section, which has a periscope added to one side of the pivot. The completed upper hull is then glued into place on the lower, completing the model. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, but as usual with Trumpeter/HobbyBoss/I Love Kit there is no information offered on the location, period or regiments of the decal options, but the vehicle codes should allow the intrepid modeller to find out the back-story if they feel the need. From the box you can build one of the following: Most of the sheet is printed in white, with just the codes in blue. Registration is therefore not an issue, while colour density and sharpness are perfectly adequate for most modellers, but if you’re a stickler, you could do worse than check your references before proceeding to paint. Conclusion A well detailed exterior kit of the M3A5 that should satisfy many, with a simple build save for the tracks that are perhaps a little over-complicated for some, and will take some time to do justice to. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Modern Café Visitors Set 1 & Set 2 (38085 & 38090) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Cafés are a staple of modern western civilisation, offering tourists and locals alike an opportunity to take a break, drink some coffee or tea that’s probably a bit fancier and certainly more expensive than they make at home, and maybe also indulge in some food that’s equally fancy. If you’re not addicted to Costa or Starbucks, it’s nice to visit an independent café for a little ambience, something out of the ordinary, and hopefully cheerful service at your table. These two figure sets are new from MiniArt, and follow on from their recent WWII themed sets, utilising a few of the furniture sprues and those of the waiters, who appear to be timeless, or ageless. You choose. Each set arrives in a figure-sized end-opening box, and contains two customers, a wrought iron table with a wooden top, matching traditional style chairs, and an attentive waiter, both of whom appear to have auditioned for ‘Allo ‘Allo just prior to posing for the sculpting and painting of the box art. Set 1 also includes some crockery, including mugs, cups and saucers in white styrene. The parts for each figure are found on separate sprues for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. Modern café Visitors Set 1 (38085) This set consists of five sprues in grey styrene, plus one in white, with two sprues dedicated to creating four chairs and two tables, one set spare that gives the café’s external seating a little more capacity. The waiter is proffering a dessert on a tray, with an apron around his waist, and a cloth over his free forearm. The customers are relaxing on their chairs, the lady smiling at something on her phone with her legs crossed, while the gentleman is leaning back in his chair eyeing someone or something while he holds his coffee cup near his mouth, and the other hand is slipped inside his jeans pocket. He’s a triple-threat when it comes to his clothing, as he appears to be wearing jeans, jean jacket, and a jean shirt, although that could be painted another colour for a little variety. Three mugs and three cups and saucers complete the package. Modern café Visitors Set 2 (38090) Provided on four sprues of grey styrene, supplying one pair of chairs and a table, a waiter taking a moment to sample his own beverage whilst resting on a stool, and a couple that are both seated with mugs from their sprue in-hand, sharing a joke together, and jeans make an appearance again, this time the lady is wearing a jean jacket and skirt, plus a pair of sneakers. Markings The figure paintings on the boxes have been sectioned up on the back and given colour and part numbers with arrows to locate them on the sprues, the colour codes cross-referring with a table that gives Vallejo, Mr.Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus swatches and colour names to assist with choosing your colours. These refer to the blue colour numbers on the paintings above the chart, and the instructions for building the furniture can also be found on the back of the box. Conclusion Not every diorama has to take place during past wars, and modern subject matters are just as valid as those from yesteryear. These well-detailed figures will give your work some life, and that human scale I’m always harping on about. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Jerrycans 20L German Type (24002) 1:24 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd There’s no such thing as too much fuel on the battlefield unless the enemy is firing incendiaries. This is especially true if you’re planning a long journey through hostile territory. Driving around with a bowser playing tag isn’t always practical or safe, so canned fuel has been the go-to option since the internal combustion engine and war first met. In civilian usage, a spare can of fuel in the boot, or in the garage is likely to be useful at some point, providing you don’t leave it so long that the fuel goes ‘off’. A particularly efficient fuel can design was of German origin, and became known by the Allies as the Jerry Can, with the design extensively copied, tweaked and propagated around the world over the years. The Kit This set arrives in a figure-sized end-opening box with a painting of the subject matter on the front, and short instructions on the rear. Inside are six identical sprues of grey styrene, a Photo-Etch (PE) fret of brass in a card envelope, and a decal sheet. If you’ve seen MiniArt’s 1:35 Jerry cans, you’ll know what to expect in terms of detail and the build process, but with them being in 1:24, everything is larger, and the detail is crisper. Each can is made from two halves that trap a PE weld-seam between them, mounting a triple-handle and cap on top, and the closure mechanism in brass that allows the cap to flip up and down firmly without losing it, and preventing leakage. There are two designs, one with a simple cross-shaped strengthener stamped into it, the other with a square with diagonal corner lines, both having 20L engraved in one side. Each sprue can make one of each style, so you will have six cans of each type once complete, totalling a dozen. Markings The small sheet of decals provides stencils and branding for the cans in suitably Germanic wording, and a set of profiles gives some suggestions for painting and weathering, cross-referring with a colour chart on the rear of the box that gives codes for Vallejo, Mr.Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus swatches and colour names to assist with choosing your paint. These refer to the green colour numbers on the paintings above the chart. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Whether military or civilian, there are many good reasons why you’d find one or more Jerry can in or near a vehicle, and with 1:24 being the de facto scale for vehicles, they are likely to be useful, especially now that some military subjects are being kitted in 1:24. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Sd.Kfz.234/2 Puma (35414) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Armoured cars and their derivatives were a dominant part of German military thinking after WWI, as they were prevented from having tanks or other types of heavy weaponry by the Versailles Treaty, at least until they unilaterally set its terms aside once Mr Hitler was firmly ensconced as the country’s mad dictator. Although it closely resembles the earlier Sd.Kfz.231, the 234 was based upon a more modern ARK chassis, while the 231 was built on the GS chassis. The 232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen was available in 6- or 8-wheeled formats, with the number of wheels appended to the designation, and it was the 8-Rad that the basis for the 234, following on later in 1940 and learning from issues encountered with earlier designs. The new turret was designed by Daimler Benz, while the engine was a Tatra air-cooled diesel unit, powering all eight wheels that were also all steerable. To add to the ease with which the vehicle could be driven, there was an additional driver’s station at the rear of the crew cab, complete with a steering wheel that gave it the capability of reversing out of trouble with similar speed and dexterity as driving forward – a facility that came in very useful in the event of an ambush or stumbling into an enemy position. The 234/2 was the initial variant and the most prevalent, as well as being the best known, probably because of the (comparatively) large 50mm gun in the turret. Oddly, it was replaced less than a year later with an open-turreted /1 variant that mounted a smaller 20mm cannon, and concurrently another variant with a short-barrelled 75mm K51 gun under the /3 designation. This variant was also short-lived, increasing the fire-power substantially with an installation of the powerful Pak 40, although the extra weight caused extreme stress to the 234’s chassis and running gear. All the variants after the /2 were open-topped, leaving the crew exposed to the elements, incoming plunging fire and explosive charges or grenades lobbed in by the enemy. To keep the enemy out of range however, a single MG42 was coaxially mounted with the main gun - a very capable machine gun against troops and lightly armoured targets. The armour built into the vehicle could deflect light-arms and smaller cannon rounds, with 30mm of sloped armour on the turret, and up to 100mm thickness on the mantlet, but at the rear the protection was only 10mm, as was the roof of the /2. Over 100 /2 vehicles were made before it was superseded, and despite being the most well-known, there were around 200 of the later /1 produced, with roughly 90 of each of the other two made before the war ended. The Kit This is a new boxing of a very recent tooling from those dynamos at MiniArt, the first Interior Kit boxing, and doubtless we’ll soon be seeing the other variants that we’ve spoken about above, some of which we already know are on the way. We’ve had other kits of the type in this scale previously, but not for some considerable time, and it’s fair to say that armour modellers with an interest in this genre are very pleased. The kit arrives in a standard-sized top-opening box with a painting of a 234/2 parked on a street with the engine exposed, following the theme of the kit. Inside the box are twenty-five sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on the outer pages on glossy paper, with profiles of the decal options on the inner and outer covers. The detail is excellent, extending to the full interior for this boxing, following on from the exterior-only version we reviewed recently. The full gamut of hatches can be posed open or closed to expose the details, PE parts, and the surface is fully realised with weld seams and exterior structure well defined. New Interior Sprues Construction begins with the lower hull, starting with the narrow bottom section where the drive-shafts and suspensions are located, which is made from three faces, two internal bulkheads, and two steering actuators, one at each end. The hull floor has tread-plate moulded-in and a cut-out ready for the interior, sandwiching it between the two outward sloping sides, drilling out holes in the parts before assembling them, adding a rear bulkhead behind the engine compartment. The two assemblies are mated, fitting the first parts for the suspension to the sides, and a U-shaped stiffener in the centre of the lower portion. The interior starts with the two drivers’ positions, fitting the floor section after drilling out holes for the pedals, three for the rear driver and four for the main driver at the front, adding linkages down both sides of the engine compartment, and fairings on the left side of the hull, plus a battery compartment and fairing on the right that is built from five parts, fitting a shallow frame in front. The drivers have their steering columns and wheels attached in recesses, the main driver’s being a more comprehensive installation. A two-part seat is fixed to the rails moulded into the floor, with a linkage and gas mask canister to his left, and a five-part shell stowage box fitted to the wall behind his left shoulder. The battery rack is wired into a distribution box on the right wall, using wire from your own stock, then inserting the two levers to the driver’s right, noting that the scrap diagram shows that the wires to the battery are braided and thick to cope with the level of current. The rear driver’s station has the same pair of levers fitted, mounting a seven-part two-box radio rack, another small equipment box to his right, and another six-part ammo stowage box behind his left shoulder, or the front driver’s right shoulder. The rear driver also gets a two-part seat, and an additional lever that’s probably related to taking control from the main driver. A skeletal bulkhead is inserted into a groove on the inside of the hull, fixing a seven-part bulkhead for the engine compartment behind it, which has a circular seat projecting out into the fighting compartment under the turret ring. A folded MP40 on a bracket is fitted above the right-hand side door within easy reach of the rear driver. The engine is a substantial block, weighing in at 14,825cc, and is a V12 diesel manufactured by Czech manufacturer Tatra, and it is supplied in its entirety in this boxing. The piston banks are each made from four parts, held together by the end-caps, adding extra parts around the underside, and at both ends, utilising a lot of parts that includes the ancillaries, twin cooling fans, fan belt, dynamo, and if you feel brave enough, you can wire up the engine using the extra steps that are labelled for “advanced modellers” that run side-by-side with the main steps. The completed engine is an impressive size, and covered with detail, especially if you continue with the wiring that helps to integrate it with the chassis. A pair of four-part tanks are inserted to the sides of the engine, and another shell stowage box is made from six parts, with two extra parts for the doors either in the open or closed position, as you see fit. It is fixed in place at an angle over an area of tread-plate between the other two shell boxes, and the side doors and their locking mechanisms are installed in either open or closed position if you want to show off your work. The upper hull interior has several appliqué panels, gas mask canister, the driver’s instrument panel, another radio box and other inner structural parts, plus the vision ports applied, adding hinge-points for the driver’s hatch and building two vision ports for later installation, and an optional stowage box for some decal options. The upper hull has the engine deck filled with cooling vents that can be posed open or closed by using different parts, with two solid doors at the sides that can also be posed open, locating it in the cut-out in the back of the deck, then adding the rear bulkhead with hatch that has four “milk bottles” on the inner face if posing it open, mating the upper and lower hull assemblies, fitting the vision ports and a hatch with separate hinges and handles in the square cut-out in the glacis plate, again in either open or closed position, as you might have guessed. Suspension and steering parts are assembled on the underside of the hull, making up four axles and leaf-springs on each side, replacing left with right-handed hubs on the relevant side. Either four or six triple-handled Jerry cans with PE central weld-flares and filler cap are made and wrapped in PE straps that secure them to the vehicle later, making up both sides of the sponsons and installing the rear carcasses of the flush stowage boxes, adding the external parts such as the jack, two mufflers and another stowage box, finishing the sponsons and their ends with additional parts. The doors can be fitted open or closed by using different parts, with a selection of stowage boxes made up and used for different decal options. The spare wheel is the first to be made, making it from either four centre laminations and two exterior faces to create a detailed tread pattern, or using a simpler two-part wheel structure if you prefer, fitting it to the bracket on the rear of the vehicle, in between the mufflers on either side of the sloped rear of the sponsons. More stowage boxes and the requisite number of Jerry cans are mounted on the engine deck, again for the decal options, plus pioneer tools and a fire extinguisher on the left sponson. More detail parts are dotted around the hull, including width-marker lollipops, headlight(s) depending on your chosen decal option, an antenna with PE star-shaped tip for some decal options, then crushing it all while you fit the tyres (I hope I’m joking here), which are made from four laminations and exterior faces, one of the inner parts a tapering hub that will be seen once the wheels are installed on the four axles. The turret is started with the breech of the 50mm gun, fitting the breech halves and twin recuperators on top, the protective cage around the breech, adding sighting gear and the four-part MG42 that slots into the rear of the mantlet, passing through the turret front and held in place by the circular inner mantlet. The turret shell is detailed with equipment, extractor-cage, stowage and other small parts over three steps, the turret floor taking the same number of steps to detail with shallow-backed seats, more radio gear, headset and aiming equipment, fitting the mantlet, turret outer shell and floor together. A two-part periscope is applied to either side of a roof cut-out, with an aerial on the rear edge of the roof, extending the breech with a short peg that supports the cast outer mantlet, which has the muzzle of the MG42 inserted into a small hole to the right. The two circular hatches on the roof are made up with vision blocks, handles and latches, and can be posed opened or closed, showing off the detail or to accommodate any figures you might wish to use. The main gun is moulded as a solid tapering tube with pegs at either end, and a three-part flash-hider fitted to the noisy end, the thick end inserting into the mantlet, all of which are keyed to ensure correct alignment. A pair of triple-barrel smoke grenade launchers are each glued to a PE bracket, and these are mounted on the sides of the turret after adding a styrene L-shaped base to the sides, and some optional PE parts. A circular shell-ejection hatch is fixed to the rear of the turret along with a lifting hook, with another hook on the forward edge of each side, plus a brass-catching bag added under the breech to finish the build, dropping the turret into the ring, which doesn’t have a bayonet lock, so you’ll need to be careful when inverting the model. Markings There are six decal options included on the sheet, all wearing a base coat of dunkelgelb (dark yellow) with a variety of camouflage schemes that expose more or less of the base coat. One option has a patchy coat of winter white distemper, and another has an almost complete overcoat of green. From the box you can build one of the following: Pz.Aufkl.Abt.4, Pz.Gren.Lehr-btl., Pz.Tr.Schule Krampnitz, Germany, Summer 1944 Pz.Aufkl.Abt.2, 2. Panzer-Division, Normandy, Summer 1944 Pz.Aufkl.Abt.130, 130. Panzer-Lehr-Division, France, Summer, 1944 Pz.Aufkl.Abt.20, 20. Panzer-Division, Eastern Front, Summer 1944 Pz.Aufkl.Abt.7, 7. Panzer-Division, Poland, Winter 1945 Stabskp.IPz.Aufkl.Abt.20, 20. Panzer-Division, Czechoslovakia, Spring 1945 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A comprehensive kit of this eight-wheeler armoured car that goes forward just as well as in reverse, complete with an entire interior, and a hull full of detail that extends into the engine compartment. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

3T Cargo Truck 3.6-36S Pritsche-Normal-Type (38079) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Opel was Germany’s largest truck producer during the 1930s, and their Blitz line of trucks played a large part in transporting Germany and their military around Europe, with over 130,000 of all variants made before the end of WWII. The name Blitz was given to the vehicle after a competition to find its new name, with a stylised S logo that resembled half of the SS badge, but also became the Opel logo that remains today. By the mid-30s there was a growing range of body-styles and load capacities available, replacing the locally produced engines with General Motors units nearer the outbreak of war, after GM bought Opel. This led to a 3.6T load-carrying option, which became almost ubiquitous in Wehrmacht service, but the new engines made it easier for the Allies to press captured Blitzes into service with a few tweaks, thanks to some familiarity with the motor. Unfortunately, due to its common usage, the Opel brand and its trucks were somewhat tainted by the War Crimes carried out by the Nazis and the SS, building them at the factories using forced labour, transporting prisoners to death camps, and even as a ‘gas van’ to carry out the heinous act itself. The rest of the Wehrmacht used the type for more typical roles of transport and carriage of men and matériel to, around and from the battlefield. Before and during WWII, many trucks were to be found in civilian hands, performing tasks important to the war effort during the war. Following WWII production restarted for the civilian market, and it wasn’t until 1952 that a complete new design was used instead of the old pre-war Blitz. The Kit This is a new boxing of a brand-new tooling from MiniArt, and the second of a line of variants that will hopefully steer clear of certain subjects. The kit arrives in a standard top-opening MiniArt box, and inside are eighteen sprues in grey styrene of differing sizes, a clear sprue, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a card envelope, a large decal sheet, and an A4 instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the front and rearmost pages. MiniArt have a habit of creating highly detailed kits that include interiors to the cab, engine and under the chassis, that are augmented by the sensible addition of PE parts where scale thickness will benefit. This is common practice for them now, and there’s no reason to expect anything else. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has some small raised marks removed from the main rails, spacing them apart by adding four cross-braces between them, with another three and a fuel tank in the second fit, applying a spare tyre that is made of six layers to achieve the tread pattern, sited on the top of the H-shaped brace, and fitting a towing shackle at the rear. Flipping the chassis over, a protective cowling is fixed between the moulded-in front leaf-springs, adding two L-shaped brackets on the chassis sides, a pair of leaf-springs in the rear, and two hooks at the ends of the chassis rails. An interlude sees the engine built from a four-part block, festooning it with ancillaries, intake and exhaust manifold, the transmission housing that is built from seven parts and mated to the rear of the block, serpentine belt and fan to the front, dropping it into the front of the chassis, and mounting a stowage box on the left rail near the spare tyre. Two more hooks are fixed to the front of the chassis, with a horn between them, and a two-part exhaust that stretches from the end of the manifold to the rear of the vehicle, turning left and exiting to the side, with a long muffler with a circumferential strap that hides the joint between the two parts. A scrap diagram shows where the downpipe should fit in relation to the engine manifold and chassis. A substantial beam axle is mounted under the front leaf-springs, extending a drive-shaft between the rear of the transmission and the rear axle with moulded-in differential bulge, making it from two halves. A couple of small parts are added to the sides of the chassis near the front, and the radiator is built from three layers plus feeder hoses, mounting it in the front on two pegs, a small PE bracket in the centre, and noting the location of both feeder hoses that supply hot water to and cooled water from the radiator. Building the cab starts with the dash, adding instrument backs and other small parts to the rear, plus a dash-pot, an oil-can, and the steering column, flipping it over to install the steering-wheel and a lever, applying four dial decals after detail painting. The floor has eight small pips cut away around the sides, turning it over the apply the foot pedals, handbrake and gear levers into position arranged around the left seat, then making two engine cowling side panels that have the lowest end of the A-pillar moulded-in, using alternate parts for some decal options, then gluing them to the floor, trapping the dash and the radiator cowling with separate logos between them, and placing a bench cushion over the hole in the floor. The cab rear has the back cushion glued to it along with a pair of vents, and a small rear window in the centre, mating it to the growing cab assembly along with the roof panel that has the windscreen frame moulded into it, slipping a clear screen in from outside. One decal option has a warning triangle mounted on a PE bracket in the centre front of the roof, removing two raised rivets from further back. Turning the assembly over, the front arches with moulded-in running boards are fitted after removing raised location marks on the curved top-sides. PE brackets are attached within the engine bay, and windscreen wipers are created either from PE parts, or styrene alternatives if you prefer, making a pair of headlamps from styrene backs and clear lenses, attaching them to the arches using the remaining small raised markers to locate the PE brackets. The cab doors have open or closed window options plus a choice of open or closed quarter-lights installed in the frame, adding a door card, handle, winder and lever to the insides, plus handle, drip-guard from PE, and a long-stemmed wing mirror for the driver’s side, and of course they can be posed in open, closed or any position in between. The bonnet can be posed open or closed too, starting with the tapering fixed centre section, leaving the rest until later in the build. The cab is dropped into place over the engine, adding rabbit-ear indicators to the rear pillar on PE brackets, and mounting a pair of rising supports in the rear of the chassis. The closed engine cowling is made from two L-shaped segments with louvres moulded-in, plus clasps at the bottom edge, or the same cowling parts can be used tilted up along the centreline, utilising different open versions of the clasps, and supplying a support rod from wire of your own stock on either or both sides, depending on whether you decide to prop both sides open. A framework is created from three parts that is placed within the outer frame of the load bed under the floor panel, which has planking and wood texture detail moulded-in, as does the header board that can be made from a single layer for the “basic modellers”, or two for the advanced modeller, which requires a little adjustment of the parts, trimming some details off with a sharp knife, and adding PE tie-downs that differ between open and closed options. The rear arches have short supports inserted into recesses that lock them in position under the bed, making the sides in either Basic or Advanced manner for later installation. A PE bracket and number plate holder are fitted under the rear of the bed, adding a light further up, with another bracket on the opposite corner that has just a styrene light glued to it. Two pairs of wheels are required next, making the single front pair from five tyre layers around the hub, and the rear tyres are each made from five tyre layers each, but have different hub parts, and a three-part jointing lamination between them. The bed is mated with the chassis, the wheels are installed on their axles, and front bumper with number plate is fixed to the front of the chassis, returning to the front axle to add a steering linkage and bar with the aid of a scrap diagram. Completing the model involves choosing whether to fix the sides and tail-gate up or down, attaching locking toggles to the corners, removing the lugs for the open option. Markings There are six decal options in a choice of various bright or subdued colours, with extensive decals on a large sheet. From the box you can build one of the following: Coal Trade Truck, Provinz Schlesien, Late 1930s Regierungs Bezirk Zwickau, Late 1930s The General Inspector of German Road System, Germany, Early 1940s Construction Service, Berlin, 1940s Technical Assistance Truck, Berlin, 1940s Technical Assistance Truck, Hamburg, 1940s Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Open Blitz played an important role in transporting the German Reich and their civilian counterparts around, and this kit is of excellent quality and detail that should be an out-of-the-box build for most modellers due to the high standard. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

StuG III Ausf.G May/June 1943 Prod. (72107) 1:72 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The StuG is a popular German WWII AFV, and the more you learn about it, the more obvious it becomes why. The SturmGeschütz III was based upon the chassis of the Panzer III, but removed the turret and front deck, replacing it with an armoured casemate with a lower profile that mounted a fixed gun with limited traverse. It was originally intended to be used as infantry support, using its (then) superior armour to advance on the enemy as a mobile blockhouse, but it soon found other uses as an ambush predator, and was employed as a tank destroyer, lurking in wait for Allied forces to stumble haplessly into its path, where it could be deadly. With the advances in sloped armour employed by the Soviets, the original low velocity 75mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon was replaced by a higher velocity unit that was also used in the Panzer IV for tank-on-tank combat, extending the type’s viable career to the end of WWII. The earliest prototypes were made of mild steel and based on Panzer III Ausf.B chassis, and whilst they were equipped with guns, they were unsuitable for combat due to the relative softness of the steel that would have led to a swift demise on the battlefield, being withdrawn in '41-42. By this time the StuG III had progressed to the Ausf.G, which was based on the later Panzer III Ausf.M, with a widened upper hull and improvements in armour to increase survivability prospects for the crew. Many of the complicated aspects of the earlier models that made them time-consuming and expensive to produce were removed and simplified by that time, which led to several specific differences in some of the external fitments around the gun, such as the Saukopf mantlet protector. The Ausf.G was the last and most numerous version, and was used until the end of the war with additional armour plates often welded or bolted to the surface to give it enhanced protection from Allied tanks and artillery. The Kit This is a new boxing of the StuG.III from MiniArt in their nascent 1:72 armour line, which is bringing high levels of detail to this smaller scale, with MiniArt’s engineers and tool designers applying their skills to a scale that has been neglected to an extent for many years. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are ten sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a small clear sprue with decals in a separate bag, a Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret in a card envelope, and the instruction booklet in full colour in portrait A5 format. Detail is excellent, including weld-lines and tread-plate moulded into the exterior of the hull, with plenty of options for personalisation, and link-and-length tracks to provide good detail without making the building of the tracks too time consuming. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is put together with five parts creating the ‘tub’, then adding the glacis plate at the front, and the exhaust assembly at the rear, accompanied by duct-work and overhanging vents with a PE mesh panel underneath. Various suspension parts are applied to the sides that have the swing arms and axles already moulded-in with excellent detail evident. Six paired return rollers are made up, along with twelve pairs of road wheels, plus two-part idler wheels and drive sprockets, the latter having an alternative front sprocket face for you to choose from. Once all the wheels are installed on their axles, the tracks can be built, utilising the long lengths on the top and bottom, adding shorter lengths to the diagonal risers, and individual links around the sharper curved sections toward the ends of the runs. There are eight individual links at the rear, and seven at the front, each link having three sprue gates in sensibly placed locations. The upper run has sag engineered into its length that was typical of all Panzer III, and Panzer IV variants. The gun shroud is built from four parts and mounted on a carrier between a pair of trunnions, which is then fitted to a pivot plate and set aside while the casemate front is made from two sections. First however, the fenders are glued to the sides of the hull, locating on three lugs moulded into the sides, with small PE parts fitted to the rear. The gun shroud is slotted into the casemate front, with a mantlet slid over the front, after which the lower heavily armoured and bolted lower casemate front has a vision slot and armour cover applied before it is glued to the bottom of the casemate, along with the sides and rear bulkhead, attaching it to the lower hull while the glue cures to ensure everything lines up. A convoy light is glued into the left fender, then the engine deck is made, fitting two-part sides, and a choice of two styles of single rear panel that is aligned when the deck is installed on the rear of the hull. Two PE grilles are glued over the outer cooling intakes, and a length of spare track is fitted over the rear bulkhead of the casemate, adding armoured covers over the five vents on the engine deck, with a choice of cast or bolted vents on those at the rear of the deck. A choice of three styles of cupola can be made, each one made from a differing set of parts, based around the commander’s common vision blocks and central hatch, adding wire grab handles from your own stock where indicated, then inserting the completed assembly in the cut-out on the roof, adding a periscope forward of the cupola from within the roof. The barrel is moulded as a single tubular section with a hollow muzzle glued to the business end, and a sleeve moulded into the front of the saukopf, which is an inverted trapezoid. PE brackets are added around the vehicle, with pioneer tools built up and fitted where there is space as the build progresses. The gunner’s hatch can be posed closed, or replaced by two separate parts in the open position, adding another scratch-built grab handle from wire, then fitting a drum magazine to the supplied MG34, sliding it through the frontal bullet shield with PE support and another DIY grab handle before putting it in place in front of the gunner’s hatch. Towing eyes are supplied for the tow cable, but you must provide the 2 x 57mm of braided thread or wire to make the cable itself, attaching one to each fender, fixing fire extinguisher, jack block, jack, barrel cleaning rods etc. to various places, and two stacks of wheels are mounted on long pins on the rear bulkhead, making the pins from more of your own wire. Two decals options have stacks of road wheels stowed on the sides of the casemate in PE racks, whilst another two options have similar PE racks to stash lengths of track instead. One option has an addition short rack of track links fitted to the right side of the armoured casemate front, while another has lengths of link draped over the sloped front of the casemate, and optional four-part PE schürzen with four-part supports can be added, using a two-part second layer at crucial points. Two aerials of 30mm each are also needed to complete the model. Markings There are five decal options on the small sheet, with a range of camouflage schemes over the base coat of Dunkelgelb (dark yellow). From the box you can build one of the following: 10th Panzer Division ‘Frundsberg’, 2/StuG.Abt.10 StuG Abt.276, Eastern Front, Autumn, 1943 StuG Abt.277, Eastern Front, Ukraine, Autumn, 1943 10th Panzer Division, ‘Frundsberg’, 8/Pz.Rgt.10, Eastern Front, Ukraine, Spring, 1944 StuG Brig.322, Eastern Front, 1944 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Another excellent, well-detailed 1:72 Stug.III variant from MiniArt, with a wide choice of decal options adding to the appeal. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

German 3T Cargo Truck 3.6-36S Pritsche-Normal-Type Military Service (35442) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Opel was Germany’s largest truck producer during the 1930s, and their Blitz line of trucks played a large part in transporting Germany and their military around Europe, with over 130,000 of all variants made before the end of WWII. The name Blitz was given to the vehicle after a competition to find its new name, with a stylised S logo that resembled half of the SS badge, but also became the Opel logo that remains today. By the mid-30s there was a growing range of body-styles and load capacities available, replacing the locally produced engines with General Motors units nearer the outbreak of war, after GM bought Opel. This led to a 3.6T load-carrying option, which became almost ubiquitous in Wehrmacht service, but the new engines made it easier for the Allies to press captured Blitzes into service with a few tweaks, thanks to some familiarity with the motor. Unfortunately, due to its common usage, the Opel brand and its trucks were somewhat tainted by the War Crimes carried out by the Nazis and the SS, building them at the factories using forced labour, transporting prisoners to death camps, and even as a ‘gas van’ to carry out the heinous act itself. The rest of the Wehrmacht used the type for more typical roles of transport and carriage of men and matériel to, around and from the battlefield. They were typically painted in the colours of their operators, but the wooden load bed was sometimes seen in green. Following WWII production restarted, and it wasn’t until 1952 that a complete new design was used instead of the old pre-war Blitz. The Kit This is a new tool from MiniArt, and the start of a line of variants that will hopefully steer clear of certain subjects. The kit arrives in a standard top-opening MiniArt box, and inside are twenty-one sprues in grey styrene of differing sizes, a clear sprue, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a card envelope, a decal sheet, and instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the front and rearmost pages. MiniArt have a habit of creating highly detailed kits that include interiors to the cab, engine and under the chassis, that are augmented by the sensible addition of PE parts where scale thickness will benefit. This is common practice for them now, and there’s no reason to expect anything else. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has some small raised marks removed from the main rails, spacing them apart by adding four cross-braces between them, with another three and a fuel tank in the second fit, applying a spare tyre that is made of six layers to achieve the tread pattern, sited on the top of the twin brace, and a fitting a towing shackle at the rear. Flipping the chassis over, a protective cowling is fixed between the moulded-in front leaf-springs, adding two L-shaped brackets on the chassis sides, a pair of leaf-springs on the rear, and two hooks at the ends of the chassis rails. An interlude sees the engine built from a four-part block, festooning it with ancillaries, intake and exhaust manifold, the transmission housing that is built from seven parts and mated to the rear of the block, serpentine belt and fan to the front, dropping it into the front of the chassis, and mounting a stowage box on the left rail near the spare tyre. On the opposite side, a Jerry can is made from two halves with a PE seamline trapped in the centre, adding triple handles and a filler cap on top, then securing it in a three-part frame, held in place by two PE straps. Two more hooks are fixed to the front of the chassis, with a horn between them, and a two-part exhaust that stretches from the end of the manifold to the rear of the vehicle, turning left and exiting to the side, with a long muffler that hides the joint between the two parts. A scrap diagram shows where the downpipe should fit in relation to the engine and chassis. A substantial axle is mounted under the front leaf-springs, stretching a drive-shaft between the rear of the transmission and the rear axle with differential bulge, making it from two halves. A couple of small parts are added to the sides of the chassis near the front, and the radiator is built from three layers, plus feeder hoses, mounting it in the front on two pegs, a small PE bracket in the centre, and noting the location of both feeder hoses that supply hot water to and colder water from the radiator. Building the cab starts with the dash, adding instrument backs and other small parts to the rear, plus a dash-pot, an oil-can, and the steering column, flipping it over to install the steering-wheel and a lever, applying four dial decals after detail painting. The floor has eight small notches cut around the sides, turning it over the apply the foot pedals, handbrake and gear levers into position arranged around the left seat, then making two engine cowling side panels that have the lowest end of the A-pillar moulded-in, using alternate parts for one decal option, then gluing them to the floor, trapping the dash and the radiator cowling with separate logos between them, and placing a bench cushion over the hole in the floor. The cab rear has the back cushion glued to it along with a pair of vents, and a small rear window in the centre, mating it to the growing cab assembly along with the roof panel that has the windscreen frame moulded into it, slipping a clear screen in from outside. Two decal options have a warning triangle mounted on a PE bracket in the centre front of the roof, removing two small rivet marks from further back. Turning the assembly over, the front arches with moulded-in running boards are fitted after drilling out some holes and removing raised location marks on the curved top-sides. PE brackets are attached within the engine bay, and windscreen wipers are created either from PE parts, or styrene alternatives if you prefer, making a pair of headlamps from styrene backs and clear lenses, plus optional slit covers for wartime use, attaching to the arches using small raised markers to locate the PE brackets. The cab doors have open or closed window options plus a choice of open or closed quarter-lights installed in the frame, adding a door card, handle, winder and lever to the insides, plus handle, drip-guard from PE, and a long-stemmed wing mirror for the driver’s side. Before they are put in position, a three-part jack is fixed to the co-driver’s step, and of course they can be posed in open, closed or any position in between. The bonnet can be posed open or closed too, starting with the tapering fixed centre section, leaving the rest until later in the build, but adding a convoy light on a PE bracket at the front of the left wheel arch. The cab is dropped into place over the engine, adding rabbit-ear indicators to the rear on PE brackets, and mounting a pair of supports in the rear of the chassis. The closed engine cowling is made from two L-shaped segments with louvres moulded-in, plus clasps at the bottom edge, or the same cowling parts can be used tilted up along the centreline, utilising different open versions of the clasps, and supplying a support rod from wire of your own stock on either or both sides, depending on whether you decide to prop both sides open. A framework is created from three parts that is placed within the outer frame of the load bed under the floor panel, which has copious planking and wood texture detail moulded-in, as does the header board that can be made from a single layer for the “basic” modellers”, or two for the advanced modeller, which requires a little adjustment of the parts, trimming some details off with a sharp knife, and adding PE tie-downs. The rear arches have short supports inserted into recesses that lock them in position under the bed, making the sides in either Basic or Advanced manner for later installation. A pair of stowage boxes are made and glued under the rear of the bed, mounting a PE bracket and number plate holder upon it, and fixing a light further up. A Notek convoy light is fitted to the rear lip of the bed, with another bracket on the opposite corner that has just a styrene light glued to it. Two pairs of wheels are required next, making the single front pair from five tyre layers around the hub, and the rear tyres are each made from five tyre layers each, but have different hub parts, and a three-part jointing lamination between them. The bed is mated with the chassis, the wheels are installed on their axles, and front bumper with number plate is fixed to the front of the chassis, returning to the front axle to add a steering linkage and bar with the aid of a scrap diagram. Completing the model involves choosing whether to fix the sides and tail-gate up or down, attaching locks to the corners, removing the lugs for the open option. Markings There are six decal options included on the small sheet, with a variety of schemes, some of which are two-tone. From the box you can build one of the following: Unidentified Luftwaffe Unit, Poland, 1939 Unidentified Wehrmacht Unit, Poland, 1939 267. Infanterie-Division, France, 1940 Organisation ‘Todt’, 1939-40 31. Infanterie-Division, Rifle Company, Eastern Front, 1940 62nd Separate Motorcycle Battalion, 2nd Ukrainian Front, Red Army, Czechoslovakia, Spring 1945 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Open Blitz played an important role in transporting the German Reich around, and this kit is of excellent quality and detail that should be an out-of-the-box build for most modellers due to the high standard. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Thunderbolt Mk.II Royal Air Force Advanced Kit (48012) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Thunderbolt developed from a series of less-than-successful earlier designs that saw Seversky aviation changing its name to Republic, and the project designation from P-35, to P-43 and P-44, each with its own jingoistic sounding name. After a realisation that their work so far wasn't going to cut it in the skies over war-torn Europe, they went back to the drawing board and produced the P-47A that was larger, heavier and sported the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial that would also power the B-26 Marauder, P-61 Black Widow and F4U Corsair. For firepower they added eight .50cal Browning machine guns aligned along the axis of flight in the wing leading edge, four per wing. The P-47A was still a small aircraft, and was initially ordered without military equipment to allow faster completion, but it was considered inferior to the competition then available, so an extensive re-design was ordered that resulted in the much larger P-47B, firing up to 100 rounds per second from the eight .50cal wing guns, and with a maximum speed of over 400mph, leaving just the fuel load slightly short of requirements. It first flew mid-1941, and despite being a heavy-weight, its performance was excellent, and the unfortunate crash of the prototype didn’t affect the order for over 700 airframes, which were fitted with a more powerful version of the R-2800 and a sliding canopy that made ingress and egress more streamlined, particularly when bailing out of a doomed aircraft. Minor re-designs to early production airframes resulted in a change to the P-47C, which meant that fewer than 200 Bs were made, the C benefitting from improved radio, oxygen systems, and a metal rudder to prevent flutter that had been affecting control at certain points in the performance envelope. A quick way to spot a B is the forward raked aerial mast behind the cockpit, as this was changed to vertical on the C and beyond. Production from a new factory that had been brought on-stream to keep up with demand led to the use of the D suffix, although they were initially identical to the C, but the cowling flaps were amended later, making it easier to differentiate. Of course, the later bubble-canopy P-47s were far easier to tell apart from earlier marks, and constant improvement in reliability, performance and fuel load was added along the way. The P-47D-25 carried more fuel for extended range, including piping for jettisonable tanks on the bomb racks for even more fuel. Taking a cue from the British designers, the bubble-top was developed and that improved all-round visibility markedly, although like the later mark Spitfires, later models incorporated a fin extension to counter the yaw issues that resulted. Its weight, firepower and seemingly unstoppable character led to the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, which was inevitably shortened to ‘Jug’ and led to many, many off-colour jokes during and after the war. Jokes that are still soldiering on to this day, despite being eligible for a pensioner’s bus pass. The Jug was used extensively in the European theatre as an escort fighter, where it performed well in its ideal high-altitude environment. Later in the war when the Luftwaffe was a spent force, it also went on to become a highly successful ground attack fighter, strafing and bombing targets of opportunity, and eschewing camouflaged paintwork to add some extra speed with a smooth (and shiny) bare metal finish. As well as flying with the US forces, many P-47s were flown by the other Allies, including the British, Russians, and after the war many other countries as the remainder were sold off as war surplus. The Thunderbolt Mk.II was the RAF designation applied to a group of sub-variants from two factories, comprising -25/-30-REs from Farmingdale, and -30/-40-RAs built at Evansville. The Kit This is another reboxing of a brand-new tooling from MiniArt, and is labelled an Advanced Kit because it includes an additional sprue of plastic parts, and a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass to increase the level of detail of the kit, including the gun bays, fins for the bombs, and the ability to open the engine cowlings to display the excellent detail that is mostly hidden away on the Basic Kit. The kit arrives in one of MiniArt’s sturdy top-opening boxes with a dramatic painting of the subject on the front, and profiles of the decal options on one side, reserving the other side for practical details and text. Inside the box are twenty-one sprues in grey styrene, although in our sample many of the sprues were handily still connected by their runners, which simplified photography. There is also a clear sprue, a sheet of PE in a cardboard envelope, two sheets of decals, and the instruction booklet, which is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the front and rear pages, plus detailed painting and decaling information for the weapons and tanks on the next page. Detail is beyond excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt in the last several years, with fine engraved panel lines, recessed rivets, plus raised and recessed features where appropriate, as well as fine detail in the cockpit, wheel bays, plus gun bays in the wings and the engine of course. If you’ve seen their AFV kits you’ll know what to expect, but this is special in this reviewer’s humble opinion. Construction begins with the highly detailed cockpit, starting with a choice of seat style. One option has the seat put together from base, back and two side parts, which have elements of the seatbelts moulded-in, and are finished off by putting the remainder of the lap belts on the seat pan. The other option uses new parts to build the seat without belts, adding the parts from the PE sheet separately. A pair of supports are inserted into recesses in the back of the seat, then it is installed on the ribbed floor, which has control column, seat-adjuster, and two other levers inserted, after which the rear bulkhead, one of the cockpit sidewalls and the front bulkhead are fitted, trapping the rudder bar with moulded-in pedals between them. The starboard sidewall has an oxygen hose added, and a scrap diagram shows the detail painting as well as the location of the decals that need to be applied. A cushion is fixed to the head armour, then the other sidewall is detailed with four controls and a PE wiring loom, numerous decals and more detail painting, so that it can be inserted along with the instrument panel and auxiliary panel, both of which have decals for the dials, with a choice of styles for the main panel. The tail wheel is made up in preparation for closing the fuselage, building a four-part strut that holds the wheel on a one-sided yoke, then adding a small curved bulkhead with sprung bumper at the front, or a more simplified three-part assembly that depicts a canvas cover over the mechanism. The fuselage halves are further prepared by adding two extra detail parts to the short sill panels that have ribbing moulded-in, and should be painted to match the cockpit. At the rear on the underside, the supercharger fairing is slotted into the starboard fuselage along with the tail gear bay, and at the front, a cooling vent and an insert are added to the underside, fitting another vent to the port fuselage half in the same place. The fuselage can then be closed around the cockpit, adding the aerial mast into a slot in the starboard spine, although whether that will remain intact until the end of the building and painting is a moot point, and I’d be tempted to nip it off at the base, gluing the base in to act as a socket for the aerial to be pinned after the heavy work is over. The engine is created by joining the two highly-detailed banks of pistons together by a keyed peg, adding exhaust collectors at the rear, the push-rod assembly to the front, the ends of which mate with a circular support that is the frame onto which the cowling panels are added later. The reduction-housing bell is detailed with magnetos and other parts, plus a collet at the centre where the prop-shaft would be. This is joined to the front of the engine as it is mounted to a bulkhead at the rear, again on a keyed ring. The convex firewall at the front of the fuselage is detailed with a ring of fasteners on a PE strip that curves around the edge, and the cylindrical intakes with PE mesh grilles. There is a fuselage insert in front of the cockpit, and that has the two-part gunsight with clear lens, PE backup sight and link-plate added to its mating point, adding more equipment and a PE lip to the coaming before it is inserted under the coaming and joined by your choice of complex or simple firewall that closes the front of the fuselage, the former applicable if you intend to display the contents of the engine bay later. The intake trunking at the bottom of the nose cowling is made from five parts and installed in the lower panel, and you have a choice of open or closed top cowling panels by using additional parts. To leave the cowling open, the engine is fitted to the detailed firewall along with the lower cowling and the three sections of cooling gills. the closed option is surrounded by all four cowling segments, and at the rear you have a choice of installing open or closed cooling gills, using different parts to achieve the look you want, sliding the assembly over the completed engine, to which you can add the wiring loom if you are feeling adventurous, using the helpful diagrams near the back of the booklet, which also includes diagrams for extra wiring in the gear bays. The rudder is completed by adding an insert at its widest point (the bottom) to avoid sink marks, and it is mated to the fin on three hinges, allowing deflection if you wish. Under the tail, your choice of bare or canvas-covered wheel assembly is inserted in the bay, with doors on each side, or if you are building your model in flight, a closed pair of doors is supplied as a single part, adding a small outlet further forward under the fuselage. Note that the closed bay doors can be used effectively as masks by gluing them in place with a relatively weak adhesive for later removal. The upper wing halves have well-defined ribbing detail for the gear bays moulded-in, which is augmented by fitting two rib sections, front and rear walls, and an additional structure that has a retraction jack pushed through a hole in one of the wall segments. The gun bays and their extensive ammunition stores are supplied in this boxing, using different upper wing panels with the bays opened. The gun bays themselves are built from a mixture of styrene and PE surfaces, making up a four-compartment box into which the gun breeches are inserted, linking them to the outer wall with ammo feed chutes, and placing the ammunition boxes with open tops into the upper wing from within. The closed bay option is shown with just the barrel stubs projecting from the leading edge, while both options install the wingtip lights and a pitot probe in the starboard wing. A scrap diagram of the lower wing shows the location of the flashed-over holes that you can drill out for rocket tubes or pylons, then the flaps are made from two sides, plus a pair of hinges, and these are glued into the trailing edge of the wing with the ailerons, then the lower wing can be glued to the upper, along with two inserts at the tip and to the rear of the gear bay, which includes a flush landing light. Three PE edging strips are inserted over the open gun bays, adding a PE indicator and PE prop to hold the styrene panels at the correct angle, the gun bay hinging forward, the ammo bay hinging aft. The same process is then carried out in mirror-image for the other wing, omitting the pitot probe and landing light, after which the wheels and their struts are made up, each wheel made from two halves plus a choice of three hub types, and two styles of tyres are also provided, one without a flat-spot, the other under load on the ground, leaving it to your taste. The struts are detailed with separate compressed or relaxed oleo scissor-links plus stencil decals, and they are mated with their wheels, plus the captive gear bay doors, the lower portion of the door made from two layers, again to avoid sink-marks. The wings are glued to the fuselage with an offset joint making for a stronger bond, and the elevator panels are each slotted into the tail, and have separate flying surfaces that can be posed deflected, each one a single part. If you are building your model with the gear down, the inner gear bay doors are fitted to the fuselage, which contains the inner edge of the main gear bays, so remember to paint that while you are doing the bays. If you plan on making an in-flight model, there are two single parts that depict the closed main bays, or you can insert the two struts with their wheels for the grounded aircraft. The four centreline supports are fitted between the main bays for some decal options, then the model can be flipped over to stand on its own wheels so that the canopy can be installed, gluing the windscreen at the front, and deciding whether to pose the blown canopy open or closed. The prop is also fitted, and this is made up from two parts glued perpendicular to each other, each holding two blades in opposition, and the spinner with PE washer is glued into the front section, using alternative parts with a moulded-in spinner for one decal option. The Jug could carry quite a load, whether it was extra fuel or bombs, and all these are included in the box, starting with the two-part pylons, which can be depicted as empty by inserting a cover over the business end. You have a choice of four styles of tank, a 108gal compressed paper tank with a ribbed nose and tail, a 200gal wide and flat tank, the third 150gal streamlined tank with flat mating surface, and the last one slightly smaller at 75gal. All but the third option has a pair of sway-braces between them and the pylon, which fit into slots in the pylons. They are built in pairs to fit under the wings, but the first two options can also be used solo on the centreline support. The bombs use the same pylons, and can be built in 1,000lb, 500lb or 250lb variants, each one made from two halves for the body and two parts for the square tails or thinner PE fins if you prefer, and mated to the pylon by a pair of sway-braces that varies depending on size. There is also a smoke generator that looks like a drop-tank with a spout on the rear, which would be used to lay smoke for the Allied troops below to cover their actions, at least temporarily. Markings There are three decal options on the main sheet, covering two main schemes, all of which were stationed overseas. From the box you can build one of the following: 30th Sqn., RAF South East Asia Command, India, Jumchar, Autumn 1944 No.73 OTU, RAF Egypt, Spring 1945 79th Sqn., RAF South East Asia Command, India, Wangjing, Spring 1945 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion MiniArt aren’t the only choice in this scale for a Thunderbolt, but I have a feeling that this kit is rapidly becoming the de facto standard, as their selection of variants and detail level widens with each release. The detail is exceptional and even better than the alleged ‘Basic Kit’ that preceded it. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Generator PE-95 with Fuel Tanks (35662) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The PE-95 generator housed a Willys (of Jeep fame) petrol engine that could produce up to 10kw of power for use away from any wired source of power. It was used extensively during WWII, often towed around behind a truck in a Ben Hur trailer, or in the load bed of a truck. Wherever it went, a copious source of fuel would be required to keep the generator running, either in cans or drums, depending on the likely use case, or whatever was available to the operators at the time. The Kit This kit has been seen before as part of a previous boxing of a G503 truck with trailer, and is now available separately for those that want to depict a generator on-site, or in the back of another type of truck. It arrives in a shallow top-opening box, and inside are nine sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, plus a decal sheet, Photo-Etch (PE) fret in a cardboard envelope, and an A5 instruction sheet, printed on both sides. Detail is up to MiniArt’s usual standards, and the inclusion of PE parts goes a long way to enhance the model further. The generator is made from four sides, adding support rods internally, one end having the control panel, the other a recess where the radiator will fit, while both sides are moulded with columns of louvres along their length. The control panel can be posed open or closed, using several dial and stencil decals if they will be seen. The open option involves two PE door sections, the largest of which is the door that pivots up and slides into the housing with a styrene handle that is also found on the closed door option, which uses a styrene door part. PE handles are glued between the columns of louvres on the sides, plus a pair of styrene tie-down loops, and at the opposite end a radiator core is mounted in the centre, and the top cowling has curved edges, and four more PE grab handles, a lifting eye, and a filler cap on the rolled edge. There are two fuel drums included, one with two stiffening ribs moulded around its middle, the other with more ribs on the top and bottom sections, fitting top and bottom end caps, remembering to pose them with the raised writing on the inside, as it’s not appropriate for this situation. A manual pump with dipstick and nozzle is included, making a hose out of wire from your own supplies, drilling a hole in the drum cap to facilitate its use. Four small oil/petrol cans are made from halves with a PE handle and filler cap, plus another pair of rectangular cans made from four parts and a moulded-in wire handle next to the filler cap. Two more similar cans are made from simpler parts that have no framing moulded-in, creating two simple Jerry cans from two halves plus triple handles and filler caps, with another two that have a PE seam insert trapped between the halves, and a choice of a fully styrene filler cap, or one with a PE retainer clip. Four more Jerry cans have stowage rack bases moulded-in, and have PE straps threaded through their triple-handles, and a castellated filler cap to finish them off. A tapering funnel is included in the set to assist with topping up the generator from the fuel containers, which can be left lying around nearby for effect. The final accessory is a large rectangular stowage box made from two parts for the carcass, a small divider that slots in a groove inside, and a separate lid, which has a PE hasp & staple fixture, with a padlock included. Markings There are no colour profiles, but the instructions have colour call-outs in a number code format throughout, which corresponds to a paint chart that gives codes for Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus generic names for completeness. The predominant colour of the generator is olive green, as you could probably guess. The decals are used throughout the build, consisting of stencils, dial, logos and warning notifications. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion MiniArt put the same level of effort into what most companies would consider “accessories” as they do with their full kits. If you have the urge to include a ‘Jenny’ in one of your projects, the detail will help to enhance it. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

M3 Grant Medium Tank (63520) 1:35 I Love Kit via Creative Models Ltd The US Army had been remarkably complacent with regard to tank development in the lead-up to WWII, and approached war with precious few tanks that were hopelessly outclassed. This realisation resulted in a frantic clamour to produce a modern tank that could hold its own in combat, with the M3 Lee coming into service as a stop-gap measure within a year of its first design while the M4 Sherman was in development. As a consequence of its rather rushed introduction, it was known to have a number of fairly serious flaws, but it also had some strengths that (at least in part) made up for them. Its high profile and sponson mounted main gun gave the enemy a large target, but when the 75mm main gun was brought to bear on a target, it was surprisingly powerful and effective, gaining a reputation in North Africa. A great many examples were exported to the British and Russian forces in the early stages of WWII, and after a great proportion of British armour was left on the beaches of Dunkerque, the need became even greater. The British stipulated some adaptations to improve the vehicle's performance, which most visibly included a new larger turret with a bustle to accommodate radio gear, and a cupola instead of the sub-turret with machine gun mount, which was named the Grant after general Lee's opponent. Due to the pressing need for suitable numbers however, the British did take some unadapted Lees, and the Soviet Union also took delivery of a substantial number of Lee variants, although some ended up at the bottom of the sea thanks to U-Boat action. The Soviets disliked the Lee intensely and gave it a wide berth wherever they could in favour of the more modern and capable T-34, the production of their own tanks ramping up substantially after the initial shock of Operation Barbarossa, which led to the Lee/Grant's retirement from front-line service with them by 1943, while the other Allies continued to use them (mainly in Africa) until the end of the war. The Kit I Love Kit have created their own line of newly tooled kits of the M3 Grant, starting in 2021 and carrying on with various new boxings in the following two years, plus this new one that is based upon the British specification, evidenced by the lack of cupola and machine gun turret on the main turret, the majority of Grant Mk.Is were based upon the M3 design, with a small number on the later M3A2. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of the vehicle on the front, and a cardboard divider in the lower tray to keep the hull parts and other sprues from rattling around during transit. Inside the box are ten sprues and three individual parts in sand-coloured styrene, eight brown sprues, a clear sprue, a small Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret, an instruction booklet printed in black and white, and a sheet of painting and decaling profiles printed in colour on glossy paper. Detail is good for this exterior kit, although there is no rolled steel armour texture moulded into any of the plates, and a very fine sand-cast texture is present on the turret parts, which could be improved by using liquid cement and a rough brush to stipple the sand-cast texture a little deeper, and texture could also be added to the main armour panels if you feel the urge. Construction begins with the running gear for a change, making up the bogies from two wheels on a pair of swing-arms each, being careful to orient the Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS) parts correctly, using the scrap diagram to assist you. Six bogies are made in total, with return-rollers in the top of the units, held in place by the front panel that also holds the swing-arms in position. The curved lower glacis is next, adding two bolted flanges to the centre, and inserting a pair of towing eyes with shackles in slots at the sides of the final drive housings. The rear bulkhead has a pair of access doors with PE hinges fitted into the hatch, adding exhausts and more towing eyes with shackles, plus idler wheel axles before it is mated to the rear of the lower hull part, mounting the glacis assembly to the other end. The bogies are fixed three per side on raised plates moulded into the hull, then making the drive sprocket from two parts, and the idler wheels from four parts each so that the tracks can be installed. The track links are made from four parts each that have a total of six sprue-gates to remove, with 77 links per side, and no ejector-pin marks to deal with, thankfully. Once the tracks are in place, the fenders are detailed with PE shackles and light cages, adding the lights with clear lenses, and the round ends to the rear of each one, locating them on the sides of the hull on two lugs per side. The vertical step behind the turret has a viewport with clear slot inserted, fixing two C-shaped PE parts in a small recess on the opposite side, putting it aside while the turret is built. The mantlet has the barrel inserted, pushing a .30cal machine gun through from the inside, clipping it inside the upper turret, then closing it in by gluing in the lower turret, which acts as the trunnions for the pivot point of the main gun. The turret roof has a simple two-part hatch fitted in a ring, adding two small parts, then dropping it into the hole in the roof, fixing two aerial bases and a rolled PE part into the roof, and two more hatches with clear slots in the cheeks of the turret front. This too is put to the side, while the engine deck is detailed with pioneer tools, a towing cable, PE mesh, and rear light clusters on small vertical panels at the rear, which are linked by a shallow armour panel. Two hull side panels have hatches with vision ports, handles and latches inserted, drilling a few holes in the upper hull part, then installing the vertical step made earlier, a T-shaped stiffener to the roof, and adding the side panels over the blank sides of the upper hull, then fitting filler caps, lugs and more hatches with clear slots, plus two stowage boxes to be fitted on the sloped sides of the engine deck, which is slotted into position and snugged up against the vertical step behind the turret ring. The turret can be twisted into position at this stage, but it is probably best to install the 75mm gun first. A semi-cylindrical mantlet is clipped vertically into the surround, gluing a plate across the back to prevent it popping out again, slotting the barrel into the hole in the mantlet, and adding a small part to the top of the surround, which includes a pivot peg that is locked in position in the starboard hull without glue, the top peg held in place by the two-part roof section, which has a periscope added to one side of the pivot. The completed upper hull is then glued into place on the lower, completing the model. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, but as usual with Trumpeter/HobbyBoss/I Love Kit there is no information offered on the location, period or regiments of the decal options, but the vehicle codes should allow the intrepid modeller to find out the back-story if they feel the need. From the box you can build one of the following: The majority of the sheet is printed in red, with just a few that have two or more colours. Registration, colour density and sharpness are perfectly adequate for most modellers, but if you’re a stickler, you could do worse than check your references before proceeding to paint. Conclusion A well detailed exterior kit of the M3 Grant that should satisfy many, although there are cheaper options. The camouflaged option should be fun to paint, and might benefit from using the new acrylic paint markers that have recently come to market. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

StuG III Ausf.G Feb 1943 Alkett Prod. (72101) 1:72 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The StuG is a popular German WWII AFV, and the more you learn about it, the more obvious it becomes why. The SturmGeschütz III was based upon the chassis of the Panzer III, but removed the turret and front deck, replacing it with an armoured casemate with a lower profile that mounted a fixed gun with limited traverse. It was originally intended to be used as infantry support, using its (then) superior armour to advance on the enemy as a mobile blockhouse, but it soon found other uses as an ambush predator, and was employed as a tank destroyer, lurking in wait for Allied forces to stumble haplessly into its path, where it could be deadly. With the advances in sloped armour employed by the Soviets, the original low velocity 75mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon was replaced by a higher velocity unit that was also used in the Panzer IV for tank-on-tank combat, extending the type’s viable career to the end of WWII. The earliest prototypes were made of mild steel and based on Panzer III Ausf.B chassis, and whilst they were equipped with guns, they were unsuitable for combat due to the relative softness of the steel that would have led to a swift demise on the battlefield, being withdrawn in '41-42. By this time the StuG III had progressed to the Ausf.G, which was based on the later Panzer III Ausf.M, with a widened upper hull and improvements in armour to increase survivability prospects for the crew. Many of the complicated aspects of the earlier models that made them time-consuming and expensive to produce were removed and simplified by that time, which led to several specific differences in some of the external fitments around the gun, such as the Saukopf mantlet protector. The Ausf.G was the last and most numerous version, and was used until the end of the war with additional armour plates often welded or bolted to the surface to give it enhanced protection from Allied tanks and artillery. The Kit This is a new tooling from MiniArt in their nascent 1:72 armour line, which is bringing high levels of detail to this smaller scale, with MiniArt’s engineers and tool designers applying their skills to a scale that has been neglected to an extent for many years. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are nine sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a small clear sprue with decals in a Ziploc bag, a Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret in a card envelope, and the instruction booklet in full colour in portrait A5 format. Detail is excellent, including weld-lines and tread-plate moulded into the exterior of the hull, with plenty of options for personalisation, and link-and-length tracks to provide good detail without making the building of the tracks too time consuming. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is put together with five parts creating the ‘tub’, then adding the three-part glacis plate at the front, and the exhaust assembly at the rear, accompanied by duct-work and overhanging vents with a PE mesh panel underneath. One decal option has a few holes drilled into the rear overhang before installation for use later, then various suspension parts are applied to the sides that have the swing arms and axles already moulded-in. Six paired return rollers are made up, along with twelve pairs of road wheels, plus two-part idler wheels and drive sprockets, which have an alternative front sprocket face for you to choose from. Once all the wheels are installed on their axles, the tracks can be built, utilising the long lengths on the top and bottom, adding shorter lengths to the diagonal risers, and individual links around the sharper curved sections toward the ends of the runs. There are eight individual links at the rear, and six at the front, plus another between the lower and its diagonal, each link having three sprue gates in sensibly placed locations. The gun shroud is built from four parts and mounted on a carrier between a pair of trunnions, which is then fitted to a pivot plate and set aside while the casemate front is made from two sections. First however, the fenders are glued to the sides of the hull, locating on three lugs moulded into the sides. The gun shroud is slotted into the casemate, with a mantlet slid over the front, after which the lower heavily armoured and bolted lower casemate front has a vision slot and armour cover applied before it is glued to the bottom of the casemate, along with the sides and rear bulkhead, attaching it to the lower hull while the glue cures to ensure everything lines up. A convoy light is glued into the centre of the glacis, then the engine deck is made, fitting two-part sides, and a single rear panel that is aligned when the deck is installed on the rear of the hull. Two PE grilles are glued over the outer cooling intakes, and a length of spare track is fitted over the rear bulkhead of the casemate, adding armoured covers over the five vents on the engine deck, with a choice of cast or bolted vents on those at the rear of the deck. A choice of three styles of cupola can be made, each one made from a differing set of parts, based around the commander’s vision blocks and central hatch, adding wire grab handles from your own stock where indicated, then inserting the completed assembly in the cut-out on the roof, adding a periscope forward of the cupola from within the roof. The barrel is moulded as a single tubular section with a hollow muzzle glued to the business end, and sleeve moulded into the front of the saukopf, which is an inverted trapezoid with an optional stowage box on top for one option, and an alternative site on the engine deck for the other decal options. PE brackets are added around the vehicle, with pioneer tools built up and fitted where there is space as the build progresses. The gunner’s hatch can be posed closed, or replaced by two separate parts in the open position, adding another scratch-built grab handle from wire, then fitting a drum magazine to the supplied MG34, sliding it through the frontal bullet shield with PE support and another DIY grab handle before putting it in place in front of the gunner’s hatch. Towing eyes are supplied for the tow cable, but you must provide the braided thread or wire to make the cable itself, attaching one to each fender, fixing fire extinguisher, jack block, jack, barrel cleaning rods etc. to various places, and for one decal variant, two stacks of wheels are mounted on long pins on the rear bulkhead, making the pins from more of your own wire. Option four also has a PE railing around the engine deck, which has a basket to hold two jerry cans, each one made from three parts, and slotted into position at the rear of the deck. Two scrap diagrams show how the forward ends of the railings attach to the back of the casemate, and the other four decal options can have stacks of road wheels stowed on the back of the engine deck on the aft vents, again on pins made from your own wire stocks. Two aerials of 30mm each are also needed to complete the model. Markings There are five decal options on the small sheet, with various schemes ranging from pure panzer grey to dunkelgeb, with camouflage or distemper over the top. From the box you can build one of the following: Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 189, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 21 Luftwaffen-Feld-Division ‘Adler Division’, Staraya Russa Region, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 21 Luftwaffen-Feld-Division ‘Adler Division’, Staraya Russa Region, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung ‘Grossdeutschland’ Okhtryka, Ukraine, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 210, Eastern Front, 1943 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion MiniArt bring their talents to bear on 1:72 scale, releasing a subject they have already researched for their 1:35 scale range, resulting in a highly detailed model with plenty of options for personalisation. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Dune – Paul Atreides Deluxe Edition (AFS-002s) 1:12 MENG via Creative Models Ltd Dune began life in the 1960s as the first book in a long-running series by Frank Herbert, and several attempts have been made to realise the initial book in movie form, with varying levels of success. David Lynch made a decent, if simplified attempt at it in the 1980s, although it was a flawed movie with irritating voice-overs (from my point of view, at least), while a three-part TV movie in 2000 was considered a reasonable adaptation, but I haven’t seen that one. This latest expedition into the deserts of Arrakis benefits from the availability of realistic Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) that can be used to enhance the scope and scale of the saga as it deserves, without it looking false, for the most part. It also benefitted from a massive budget and an acclaimed director, not to mention a cast of many famous actors, although David Lynch’s version also had some famous faces, including a young Patrick Stewart as Gurney Halleck before his Star Trek days. The new film has been split into two episodes to portray as much of the book’s content as possible in an effort to retain as much of the important plot subtleties of the original story as possible, and part 2 has been out now for several months, rounding off the original story, allegedly, with the possibility of more to come if it has made enough money for the studio, which I expect it has by now. I still haven’t seen the second part yet, so no spoilers please! I really must resolve that soon. Paul Atreides is the hero of the piece, and he’s played by a young gentleman by the name of Timothée Chalamet, his first name apparently pronounced the same way as a famous shampoo in the UK, but he prefers the less pretentious Anglicised version. He starts the film as a callow youth, but after the demise of his father at the hands of Doc Yueh/Baron Harkonnen (take your pick, really), he is spirited away from certain death by his mother where he meets up with the local Fremen, and soon is adopted as their leader, where he gets the name Muad'Dib, which is Arakeen for a desert mouse, and the name of one of their moons, which has a mouse-like shape on its face. The Kit This is a new tooling from MENG, and part of the second wave of kits that many people have been waiting for. The initial box-scale kits, whilst well-detailed, were a little on the small size for some of us. This figure kit arrives in a comparatively large satin-finished black-themed box with a painting of Mr Chalamet on the front, looking off into the distance as heroes are wont to do, while his cape flutters in the breeze, although his hair doesn’t. The box is oriented in portrait form thanks to the artwork, and is of a similar size to those of the Ornithopters we’ve reviewed recently. Inside are thirteen sprues in various colours and sizes, two separate face inserts for masked and unmasked options, a four-part stand, and in the Deluxe Edition there is a cloth cape in dark brown material that has been pre-sewn to shape so that all you need to do is slip it over the figure’s shoulders. Detail is excellent as we expect from MENG, and if you are familiar with the Bandai Star Wars figures, the method of construction should be familiar, but if you aren’t, it goes together like an action-figure, with movable joints that mimic the range of motion of a human body. The kit is also push-fit, so you don’t have to use glue unless you want to, or feel it will hold up to more posing (Read: playing) over time. The kit is available in two versions, one without a cape that is coded AFS-002, and the Deluxe Edition with a cloth cape that is coded AFS-002s, with a price differential between them. The work involved in the cape is intricate, including sewing and patterning of the cloth, in addition to the distressing of the material, especially at the lower edges where it is extensively frayed. It’s well worth the extra, as it adds more drama and realism to the model. Construction begins with the head, which offers a choice of two faces, one with a dished lower to accommodate the mask of his Stillsuit when it is pulled up to conserve moisture in the desert, and also shows his eyes with the distinctive blue tint acquired from spending a long time in the deserts of Arrakis. Both face parts have the eyebrows and eyes pre-painted for your ease, to assist you with creating a realistic impression of the actor without too much effort. Strangely, our example was missing one eyebrow on the unmasked option, but it shouldn’t be too hard to replicate with a fine brush or Sharpie. You don’t have to choose one face or the other, as there are sufficient parts to create two full heads, so you can swap and change at will, simply by popping one off and replacing it with the other. The face is mated to the back of the head, which is also moulded in a flesh tone, then the hair is made up from three sections, one part to each side, and another at the back. The masked head has its four-part assembly added into the recess at this stage, while the unmasked option is added around his neck later. The upper torso is made first, with internal structure that holds the various sockets later, and a dog-bone pivot that joins the upper and lower torso, closing the front ‘cod-piece’ after adding the two main pivots for the hips. The torso is topped with a flesh-coloured neck that has ball-pivots at both ends to give the head full mobility. The legs have internal sockets hidden inside the Stillsuit outer surface, with extra panels inserted into recesses on the thighs, adding a knee with joints at the top and bottom, which connects the upper leg to the lower, with another socket that takes the ankle-joint to give the four-part foot a range of mobility, all of which snaps into place with a dull click. The arms are made using a similar process on a smaller scale, adding armour inserts on the shoulders and upper arm in a contrasting styrene. The figure is put together, clicking each limb into position, including the head, with a four-part mask to be used with the unmasked face, which is slipped over the neck before clicking the head into position. Several hand options and props are included on the sprues, including a Crysknife in whitish styrene, a Sand Compactor or thumper that attracts worms, FremKit, Paracompass and Maula Pistol. Different hand positions are included for each of the hand-held extras, using separate thumbs or fingers to allow them to grip the prop convincingly, and these can be swapped and changed thanks to the click-fit nature of assembly. An asymmetrical backpack is also provided, consisting of a prism-shaped toolkit, cylindrical bedroll, main pack and a small covered top section, all stacked on top of each other, and applied to the figure’s back with or without the cape, if your boxing has it. A shoulder strap is provided to give the backpack a realistic reason for staying put, which is made from three parts, and either wrapped around the figure’s shoulder, or threaded through the cape if fitted, using the last diagram as a guide. A vignette stand is included in the box, forming a triangular segment of a rocky part of the desert, which Paul can be placed upon looking wistfully into the far distance with a heroic 1,000 yard stare. The lower base is moulded in black, with a sand-coloured insert slotted over the top, which should simplify painting, inserting an Atreides shield in the flattened front of the raised area. There is also a small slide-out drawer in the opposite side for you to keep the accessories such as hands, weapons etc., while they are not in use. A very thoughtful inclusion. Markings Other than the shield on the base, there aren’t any paint call-outs given, as the kit is intended to be built without it. There’s nothing to stop you breaking out the paints though, adding extra realism to the figure however, and you could also freeze his position and hide the joints with some putty and a little sculpting if you are so minded. For most of us however, it will be a quick build. Conclusion Detail, texture and a likeness to the actor that played Paul Atreides is excellent thanks to LIDAR scanning, and using the same 1:12 scale as Bandai’s Star Wars kits was a sensible idea to provide enough detail without taking up too much space in the cabinet. It’s well-worth the extra for the cape IMHO, but it’s your choice of course. Highly recommended. Standard Boxing without Cape (AFS-002) Deluxe Boxing with Cape (AFS-002s) Review sample courtesy of