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So my first armour RFI is here. Paints used were Tamiya and humbrol Matt coat for the varnish. Weathering included hairspray chipping on the muffler and various areas, and some oil paint that streaks were added in. I'd love to hear some feedback on this!

STEEL Seatbelt Sets German WWI, British Late, IJN and Soviet 1:32 Eduard Eduard are continuing their build up of the steel seatbelt range with the release of these four sets. As we have found with the previously released sets, these are also pre-painted and appear to be remarkably flexible, and even with quite rough handling the paint adheres to the metal really well. They are still made from 0.1mm sheet with the resulting etch is thin at around 0.06mm and have the same details printed on them, such as the webbing, stitching, and shadowing. Unlike some sets, all the buckles and clasps are etched as part of the strapping, so there is no fiddly work required to assemble each belt. [32874 – IJN Fighters] – There are six complete sets of belts in total on the single sheet. There are two for Mitsubishi late war, two for Nakajima and two for Kawanishi aircraft. All the lap straps are included but it appears that only the Mitsubishi and Kawanishi aircraft that used a shoulder strap arrangement. [32875 – Soviet WWII Fighters] – There are four complete belts included on the single sheet. Two of the belts are for Yakovlev aircraft and two are for Lavochkin aircraft. The Yakovlev shoulder straps are joined at the top, whilst the Lavochkin are separate, The instructions are nie and clear which set to use. [32878 - Late RAF WWII] – This sheet contains three complete seatbelts, all in a beige colour and with separate lap straps. All three shoulder harnesses are of the same type, naturally, and I believe they are meant to attach to the armoured bulkhead. [32879 – German WWI ] – The single sheet in this set contains enough belts to fit out at least six aircraft, if I have counted them correctly. There are just two variations with shoulder straps, the rest being just lap straps. With these you can detail your Fokkers, Albatros CIII, Hanover CI.II and other multi seat types. Conclusion Whilst many modellers are able to make their own seatbelts if they are not happy with the kit items, even if they are included, there are those who like the ease of using these style belts. The pre-painted look is, perhaps a little clinical, although there is some shading around the straps and clasps, but they can be weathered to your own personal taste. Review sample courtesy of

Hello all. Well, as they say, a picture paints a thousand words, and since I can't think of any words, I'll start with pictures..... Base plan with makeshift road... Probably use some sort of putty to smooth out cardboard. Thinking of putting PVA glue with fine sand for bitumen. I dunno how accurate that would be, but eh... With panther and figures for a test fit. Ground work will be painted a different colour, it was just left over from a desert base, so I used it More info on the panther will be posted when it is finished 100%, will be up in AFV RFI. The plan is to have a dead hedge behind the panther, some ruined building or equipment near the figures. Stuff I was going to use for a dead hedge. Dead grass btw. Stuff I was going to use a grass. Once removed of... err... 'impurities' I will have to apply it somehow.... hmm All for now, and thanks for looking

SC 250 German WWII bombs 1:72 Eduard Brassin The SC250 or Sprengbombe Cylindrisch 250 was a German all purpose high explosive bomb. The bombs weight was 250 Kgs from which the designation refers to. Explosive content was normally 130 kgs of a TNT and amatol mix. The bombs from Eduard in their Brassin range features the bomb in resin, with the details in resin and proto etch. A small sheet of decals provides all the markings. Conclusion This should enhance any model of an aircraft which carries these bombs. Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi guys, this is my first post. I got the idea from a Montex mask kit I saw on Ebay and utilised the masks and decals on the Revell kit and doctored their own decals for a tongue in cheek look. Great site and some stunning creations. Hope to post more of my collection soon, regards Siffo.

VK 45.02 Vorne HobbyBoss 1/35 I wasn't originally going to do a wip for this build as I didn't have any clear idea as to how I was going to build it. I've had it sitting in the stash for a while now and decided I should get it done but I didn't really want to do the Panzer grey scheme from the box. As this is effectively a paper panzer, any operational scheme would be a what-if so most late war schemes would be usable, but I wanted to do something a bit different. I'd got it in mind to do miss-matched hull and turret colours to show something cobbled together at the end of the war but after flicking through a few old magazines, I saw a couple of builds done in a rusty raw steel finish and thought this would suit the angular hull and show off all the armour plate joints and weld beads. I'm still intending to do the turret in a different scheme, probably Dunkelgelb, maybe with a faded green ambush camo, and I'll be painting a few panels and other fittings in red primer but, for now, I've been concentrating on the lower hull. After the hull was built up, I filled the holes for the tool clamps although I will be fitting the brackets for the tow cable (this is meant to represent a part finished hull that's been left to rust in the corner of a workshop). I added a bit of texture to the hull plates with Mr Surfacer along with a few missing weld beads and the cables for the lights. I also had to raise the turret ring with a strip of plasticard as otherwise the turret sat too low and wouldn't fully rotate. The whole thing was then given a patchy coat of black mixed with a little X-22 clear to act as a combined primer, basecoat and pre-shade This was followed by a raw steel mix made up from Tamiya XF-16 aluminium, XF-19 sky grey, XF-69 NATO black and XF-82 ocean grey. After the shot was taken, I misted over thinned XF-54 dark sea grey to tone down the metallic look a bit. To start the weathering, I sponged on some Vallejo 907 pale grey blue to represent mill scale on the surface, followed by a heavy sponging of Lifecolor 701 dark rust shadow from their rust & dust set. I also thinned the dark rust to a wash and used it as a filter over some of the panels I then added lighter rust tones with the other colours from the Lifecolor set. These were mainly added as washes on a damp surface and allowed to run and pool More washes were added including some Vallejo colours. I'll continue to build up the tones with thin colour washes and I'll start to add in some dirt and dust. The tow cable brackets will be added later and painted in red primer as will the driver's vision slit. The front MG mount will, I think, be Dunkelgelb, which will look like a retro-fitted piece and help tie the hull and turret together. Andy

ok - this will be my WIP for the 1/35 Italeria DEMAG D7 (Sd.K7Z 10/5) mounting a 50mm pak 38. Kit + eduard PE + Resin wheels (first time) looks nice in the box.... will be done a unknown German unit, Russia 1944 in Schwarzgrau/Dunkelb scheme..... photos to follow

Hello everyone. This is my latest aircraft, the Heinkel 177 by Revell. I installed micro RC motors in it so the propellers can spin. You can check WIP on my blog http://gasperpodbregarminiatures.blogspot.si/, all in all, here is the finished result: I hope you guys like it. Cheers!

Finished this evening, Revell's awesome Heinkel He-177 A-6/R-1 One of my favourite aircraft from WW2, i know it wasn't the resounding success that the Luftwaffe thought it would be but it looks epic and has always fascinated me since i was a child. The A-6 could be considered a prototype in that it was only developed as an armaments test aircraft for air to ground and anti-shipping missiles, while also allowing for different rear turret designs to be tested. I believe that im right in saying that only 6 test machines produced in this variant One of the most enjoyable builds i think I've ever had, its a fantastic kit with great details, everything fits, great decals and goes together without any real issues. Just noticed that i haven't put the wing light in... ah well, one last task then im done lol

I'm usually a firm Cold War man (with a fair bit of modern), but recently I've been getting rather interested in the last days of the Reich and the aircraft that they were producing: I love the idea that while these apocalyptic battles were going on closer and closer to Berlin, Nazi scientists worked feverishly using untapped technologies to create devastating new superweapons to unleash on the allies...well, you get the idea! So I ended up buying the 1/72 kit of an aircraft that's actually been thrown into the limelight recently with the Zoukei-Mura 1/32 kit. It's been in my stash for a couple of months now but with halloween approaching, I thought that it would be a good time to build this undoubtedly sinister looking aircraft. Lovely box art showing the Go229 in action: Nicely detailed fuselage: Cockpit parts in place and given a quick blast of rattlecan Humbrol Dark Sea Grey Wings clamped and drying: Instrument panel painted and decaled: Seat basecoated in Tamiya XF-61 Dark Grey, painted in Vallejo Model Air American Blue, harness straps and headrest done in XF-60 Dark Yellow, buckles done in XF-56 Metallic Grey, then the whole thing washed in Citadel Devlan Mud Off camera, I also gave the cockpit area a wash and did the rails and picked out the details in Metallic Grey Until next time!

Takom are following up their 21cm Krupp Morser with the 42cm 'Big Bertha' siege howitzer Andy

This October AFV Club are releasing a great 1/35 Bussing NAG L4500A German Kfz 100 with a Bilstein 3T Plastic Model Kit to add to your collection. This great kit includes new injected crane parts, fantastic detailing and some precision photo-etch parts! Well worth a look! For full details, please see our newsletter here.

Leopard 2A6/A6M 1:35 Revell The Leopard 2 is the successor to the earlier Leopard Main Battle Tank (MBT), and was developed in the 70s, entering service just before the turn of the decade. The original had a vertical turret front, while later editions had an improved angled armour applied to the front that gives the tank a more aggressive look and provides much better protection. It has all the trappings of a modern MBT, including stabilised main gun for firing on the move, thermal imaging and composite armour. The original Leopard 2 entered service in 1979, but has been through a number of upgrades through its service life and is currently at version 2A7+. The 2A6 is still current however, and likely to be so for some considerable time. It sports the Rheinmetall 120mm smoothbore gun and MG3 machine guns for close-in defence, and has the by-now familiar arrow-head front to the turret, as well as a number of more subtle upgrades that follow on from the 2A5. Sales of the Leopard 2 have been good overseas because of its reputation, and Canada, Turkey, Spain and most of the Nordic countries use it as well as many other smaller operators. The Kit The box is Revell's usual black end opening box with a painting of the Leopard wearing European camouflage while a disembodied head of a real leopard roars behind it. After the Puma's box art, I'm beginning to wonder whether they've hired a motorcycle airbrush artist to do their box top paintings. Inside are seven sprues in Revell's green styrene, which I wish they'd move away from personally. There are also four spruelets of wobbly black styrene/rubber, plus four runs of track in the same material, and a clear sheet of acetate that is marked as "window sheet" on the instructions. A short length of wire is taped to the instruction booklet, and the end is quite sharp – I managed to stab my finger tip when re-boxing this kit, so watch you don't shed any blood when handling it. The decal sheet is hidden away in the centre of the booklet, and is protected by a sheet of thin greaseproof paper. Looking past the dreary green styrene, the kit is clearly a modern tooling, and has some nice detail on the outer hull, including patches of anti-slip coating on the main surfaces. The large circular cooling fans on the rear decking are particularly nicely done as separate parts, and should look well once painted. The odd layout of the track could cause some problems however, as each track is made up from two halves that must be glued together before they can be added to the tank. The hull is built up from separate sides, which are held in alignment by two bulkheads that sit in the central are of the chassis. This should make construction a lot easier than wrangling lots of parts with no way of telling if you have the angles right. It would be wise to dry-fit the top of the hull to this assembly before the glue fully cures though, just in case any minor easement is required. After this, seven roadwheel axles are added to each side into keyed slots in the side of the hull, with additional drive and idler axles as well as extra suspension detail that is glued into place on the side of the hull. The roadhwheels are fitted to the axles in pairs, and have their rubber tyres moulded in place, as do the four return rollers on each side. The idler wheels are smaller than the roadwheels, and the drive sprockets are built from two separate parts each. If you have chosen to build the A6M variant, an additional applique armour part is added to the underside of the tank, which improves its mine resistance, hence the M designation. As mentioned earlier, the tracks are of the rubber-band type, although detail is nicely done, and if you can live with the curving of the tracks around the drive and idler wheels they should suffice perfectly well. Each length is made from two sections, which have a generous four-link overlap and two pins on each link to strengthen the join. They are supposed to be glued with ordinary plastic adhesive, and you are recommended to clamp them together and wait until they are properly cured before handling them. The pins protrude through the track pads on the outer face, so hiding them under the fenders and against the ground would be advisable once you have attached them to the vehicle, so that they don't show after painting. The rear bulkhead of the vehicle has a large radiator grille running along the full width, which is a little lacklustre, but should suffice for most purposes. Under it hang the two flexible mudguards that are made from the same plastic as the tracks, and various shackles, hitches, panels and the rear light clusters are added at this point. The top deck is supplied as a single part, and simply drops onto the lower hull, which should hopefully align neatly if you have been diligent with its construction. The two large cooling fan grilles are added, as is a small insert that must be specific to this version on the right side of the rear deck. Some pioneer tools are added to the rear deck, and the towing ropes are made up from flexible plastic rope attached to styrene towing eyes. If you're not happy with a moulding seam running down your tow-ropes, now would be the time to replace it with some braided wire from RB Model or similar. Moving to the glacis plate, spare track links plus the usual hitches and shackles are added, along with the front driving lights and the driver's hatch, which can be left to slide within the hull by careful gluing of the panel inserts to its front and rear. Whether this is worth the effort is moot, unless you plan on installing a driver figure into your Leopard. The fenders are integral to the top hull, and only the side-skirts need to be added. These are made from two basic parts on each side, with the thicker applique armour added over the front two roadwheels and idler, tipped by a triangular shaped block at the very front. The turret is a complex shape, and even the base is made up from three parts, onto which the main gun is built up. The barrel is supplied in two halves, split lengthwise, and has some nice moulded detail, so take care when cleaning up the seam. The barrel is tipped with a hollow muzzle, but this is a little shallow, so might be better drilled out once the glue is dry. The mantlet section that raises with the gun is built up around the large location pin, and this is then added to the underside of the turret, being locked in place by a pair of upstands that permit the barrel to raise and lower. The top of the turret is a larger single piece with only one panel in the rear right added along with the sighting system's lenses. This is added to the bottom of the turret, after which the side panels and bustle are added to complete the main part of the turret's construction. The side panels that bolster the armour of the turret's arrow-head shaped front are installed next, and here there are some quite significant sink-marks. Initially I suspected that they might be flexible panels, but from looking at photos of the real thing, they aren't, so will need filling until they are flat. This could be a bit tricky however, as there are bolt-heads moulded in that portray the mounting points for the applique armour. Once the main construction of the turret is complete, the various small parts are added, along with the two crew access hatches and additional sensors that festoon the commander's hatch. Both hatches have triple-layered doors that are laminated from separate parts, and they look ostensively the same, apart from the square cut-out on the gunner's hatch for the hinge. Triangular mesh baskets are installed on the angled rear corners of the bustle, and these styrene parts would be prime candidates for replacement by aftermarket mesh to give a more realistic appearance. The smoke grenade launchers are fitted to each side of the turret just forward of the baskets, and these are made up from individual barrels attached to a rail with supports moulded in. The gunner's MG3 is also added to the edge of his hatch, and you are told to heat up two 75mm lengths of wire before plunging them into the aerial mounts that were added earlier in the build. Whether super-glue would be a less dangerous option is up to you – just be careful you don't poke yourself with the wire at any stage. It hurts. The turret can then be added to the hull by twisting it into place to lock the wings under the turret-ring flange. A pair of rear-view mirrors are added to the front of the tank, and a small sensor is added to the recuperator bulge on the barrel in the final few steps, and the last part of the build is to decide whether to lock the barrel to the rear for transport, or leave it free with the transport-lock stowed between the two large fan grilles. The painting diagrams are included in the instruction booklet, and as there is only one scheme so far, this is given on the first page, consisting of bronze green, leather brown and tar black, or more correctly NATO green, brown and black. Four choices of markings are provided on the small decal sheet, as follows: 2.Zug/4. Kompanie/PzBtl 203, Augustdorf 1.Zug/3. Kompanie/PzBtl 203, Augustdorf 3.Zug/4. Kompanie/PzLehrBtl 93, Munster 1.Zug/4. Kompanie/PzLehrBtl 93, Munster The decals are in excellent register, have good colour density and minimal carrier film. Of note are the small scissor symbols printed next to some of the unit badges that are fixed to the rear baskets on the turret. This apparently means that you should cut the "paper picture" out an glue it to the baskets, which would result in a slightly unsatisfactory and likely wooly looking result. A better option would be to paint up some scrap styrene and apply the decals to that instead, glue the finished article to the turret baskets instead. Conclusion The Leopard 2 is an impressive and capable tank, and this kit is a good rendition of it on the whole. My only issue with it that will affect most modellers are those prominent sink-marks on the sides of the turret front, but I personally dislike rubber tracks and that dark green styrene that Revell continue to use - I promise I'll stop going on about it eventually, although I can't guarantee an exact date. Ignoring those gripes, and assuming you don't poke out an eye with the antennae, it should build up into an impressive model of this MBT, and with a little research and some scratch-building you could instead portray it as one of the many overseas operators - I would imagine that the Canadian machines would be quite an attractive option, as they loaned a number of them for service in the Middle East, and weren't allowed to make many modifications to them because they were expected to be handed back eventually. Recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

Pilot Figures Ultracast 1:32 There are times when you’ve finished a model aircraft that then screams to be placed in a vignette or diorama. For that you may need a figure to give a bit of life. Ultracast have just released these two, one is rather restricted to a limited number of aircraft whereas the other is a bit more of a generic figure that could be used in all sorts of scenarios. Each of the cream resin figures is contained in a zip lock poly bag with a card header stapled to it. [54015] Actually designed for the Tamiya 1:32 Corsair kits, this figure of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, but could equally be used in a 1:32 P-40 Warhawk of the Flying Tigers unit. The figure is in a seated position and is beautifully sculpted by Mike Good with a lot of detail that will need some very careful painting to make the most of. The figure is separated into torso, head, arms, legs and undone helmet strap. The torso is complete with seatbelts and life vest whilst the head is moulded with the helmet, plus goggles perched on top. The Arms are posed as to be holding he control column in the left hand and the throttles in the right. The face is very well done and does actually look like the real Congressional Medal of Honour holder as seen in the many pictures online. [54016] This figure is more generic, and therefore more versatile. Once again sculpted by Mike Good, and is of a German WWII fighter pilot form the mid to late period. In a standing pose the figure comes with torso and legs moulded together, but with separate arms and heads. I say heads as there is a choice of either one in flying helmet or one peaked cap. Rather un-pc these days, but fine for the period, the figure is shown smoking a cigarette, held in his right hand. The model also has a separate holster. Conclusion Ultracast figures are new to me, but from having a good look at them they really are top quality. Mike Good lives up to his name with some excellent sculpting of the masters. You really need to be up to speed with your figure painting though to give them the paint job they deserve. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

No pictures yet but listed, they are very good resin figures having a few sets in the stash at the moment Also not too expensive. http://www.valkyrie.co.kr/ Soviet Army Tank Crew in Afghanistan - 1980 Era (2 Figures and 1 Bust) VM35014 British Army of the Rhein Tank Crew in Germany (2 Figures and 1 Bust) VM35015 Modern US Army Truck Driver and Support Crew for M977 (2 Figures) VM35016 JGSDF Tank Crew - 2000 Era (2 Figures) VM35017 Modern British Army Tank Crew in Operation Granby 1991 (2 Figures) VM35018 IDF Tank Crew in Yom Kippur War 1973 (2 Figures) VM35019 Egyptian Army Tank Crew in Yom Kippur War 1973 (2 Figures) VM35020 Modern US Army Driver and Support Crew for M1151 Humvee (3 Figures) VM35021 Bundeswehr Tank Crew - 1950 ~ 60 Era (2 Figures) VM35022 Modern IDF APC Crew included Female soldier - 2000 Era (2 Figures)

Hello everybody!!! Now, this is my third tank I've ever done, and, being a very young modeller (not telling shush shush) the standard obviously isn't AMAZING like some of the beautifully constructed kits various other people on the forum have made. Enough of that, here's what I built; Make: Forces Of Valor Scale: 1/72 Model: German Tiger I (WW2 Obviously) Other Specs: 504th Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung Date: Spring 1943, Tunisia. The build was really easy for me, perfect. The painting - Well the kit came with no decals so I just painted normally + heavily weathered with some recently purchased paints as I've just got into modelling - still a beginner + can't really name anything I'm good at but I still like it Yeah so here: On la bookshelf ^ From the front ^ Hope all the fellas like it, my first tank + not up to a standard of ANY kind due to terrible lack of budget, skills and time. I tried my best - still enjoyed making it though - very quick build and I hope to do some more soon Ordered MasterBox WW1 Male Mk1 Tank to get started on next, lets hope I don't destroy the poor kit as much as I did with the Tiger ey?

This is a 1/72 kit from Special Hobby of the Sack AS 6. The limited amount of information on this plane, but what is there is quite interesting. It was designed by a Bavarian farmer (Arthur Sack) who designs caught the eye of Ernest Udet. The Sack AS 1-5 versions were models and the AS 6 was the first, full size, powered design. It was an amalgamation of various existing parts. The cockpit, pilot seat and landing gear was salvaged from a BF 109B. The engine came from a BF 108. Brakes were donated by an old JU 88. From all that I have read, to say that this flew is generous. Its seems it made some nice hops up into the air that lasted a few seconds, with most of the hops ending in a collapse of one or both of the landing gear when the hop ended. The kit is injection molded with resin details (engine, cockpit side walls, instrument panel, exhausts) and one vacuform canopy. I started this kit a couple of years ago, but got fed up with the filling and sanding that needed to be done. That and whoever designed the injection mold parts of the kit never spoke to the resin designer so most of the resin really doesn’t fit the kit. Also, the instructions are at best suggestive of what goes where so most of the part location decisions are a hunch. One of my resolutions has been to clear out the shelf of doom and finish every kit I have started. This is one of them. I took some early progress pictures and then just stopped. So here are the progress pictures, followed by the finish kit. I need to add some more filler to some of the joints and that has been done. The next step is to try to get the cockpit built up. Both of the resin sidewalls are way too tall for the interior. So they will have to be reduced to fit the inside. Here is one side cut to fit with the other side awaiting trimming to show the difference between the two. The instrument panel is very basic After trimming the side walls they were installed along with the IP. I attempted to put in the seat, but it is way too wide for the cockpit. So after much sanding and trimming, I ended up with this crude situation. I thought about finding a smaller seat replacement or have an attempt at scratchbuilding. However, even though it has a vacuform canopy, not much will be seen through it once it is on. So the canopy was put on. (Why are vacuform canopies so terrifying? Each cut I make I feel I have just ruined it and then what? Hopefully I am getting better at cutting them out and making them fit.) That was the build up until the time I stopped. I got this kit out and finished the darn thing. Once it is built up, it doesn’t look too bad. If you compare the box art to the kit, the artist decided the wings were fabric covered while the kit designers portray them as planks of wood. Anyway, once I restarted the kit, it was fairly enjoyable. It is also a bit weird and I like that. Hope you like the German version of the Flying Pancake. As always, all comments are welcome.

Hey guys! whilst building my Lancaster, i felt that i needed to build something "plastic" so i thought to do a tank of my liking. after having to decide between the tiger, a kv1, the jagdpanther, a hetzer or a Churchill i decided to go with the tiger (planning to do the others next). the kit should arrive tomorrow, is there anything i should know about before going ahead and putting it all together? i have read about people changing tracks and barrels, any particular reason why? and where can i find replacements if i should change them? paying extra is no big deal, as i would rather it look as good as possible thanks for reading and i shall post some images when it arrives thanks -lord

Hello! I have just finished my very first model kit - The german Sturmgeschütz IV from Tamiya. I enjoyed this set very much and it was a fun build. i spent two nights building it, without any problems. the pieces fit well, and the only thing missing is the painting. i will get to painting when i get the money to buy some. Anyways, here are the pictures: Sorry for the bad quality of my camera. Instead of installing the sideplates, i added logs (sticks from a bush) to the right side of the tank. i'm going to make a diorama for this later on, which i want to be in a forrest area. Hope you liked the model kit, as it is the first one i've built. i'm happy with it myself and i hope you are too!

German War Colours 1937 - 1944 AK Interactive There is a huge choice when it comes to German armour kits, with almost every manufacturer having a good selection in their portfolio. But what do you paint them with? Now, AK Interactive are well known for their weathering products and are increasing their line of paint. This set has been designed for German Armour from 1937 – 1944, and contains six Wehrmacht colours, • Polizei/Waffen SS grun, • RAL 7021Dunklegrau • RAL 7017 Dunklebraun • RAL 6003 Olivgrun Opt 1 • RAL 6003 Olivgrun Opt 2 • RAL 7028 Dunklegelb According to the blurb on the bottles they can be both brushed or airbrushed which please a lot of modellers. Once the bottles have been shaken very well colour density looks pretty good, but until I’ve used them I cannot definitively state how well they spray or cover. On the back of the box there is a useful colour chart of which colours go together and depict five armoured vehicles/tanks in various schemes. Conclusion This looks to be a very useful and well thought out set of colours from AK Interactive and will prove a boon to both the beginner and expert alike. Without actually trying them though I can only recommend them with from my use of other products in their range. When I get to use them I will amend this review accordingly. Review sample courtesy of

Leopard A3/A4 1:35 Meng Models After WWII, Germany's limited self-defence forces used American AFVs almost exclusively, but the technology was nearing the end of its service-life and considered not sufficient to meet the new threat of the Soviet horde advancing across Europe during the height of the Cold War. Originally starting as a joint project with France, the French eventually went their own way with the AMX-30, while Germany continued on with a Porsche design that became the Leopard 1. Subsequent upgrades to the design were introduced throughout the various batches, with the A3 variant having a welded turret and composite armour, plus a more streamlined mantlet to deflect shot more effectively. The A4 was externally very similar to the A3, but had some systems upgrades, a reduced round count due to the space taken up by the added equipment, plus a night sight for the commander's exclusive use. The A5 was the last variant to see service, and became the definitive version over time, having a larger turret bustle for ammo storage, improved systems and optics, and the ability to carry bolt-on applique armour. Although some "funnies" are still in service, the majority of Leopard 1s are either phased out or in secondary roles with the majority of users, being replaced by the more modern Leopard 2 in many cases. The Kit After kitting the French AMX-30, it's only natural that the Leopard 1 should be their next MBT project, as they both shared some of the same beginnings. The design must have been well advanced when it was announced, as here it is, in one on Meng's by now standard satin finished boxes with a picture of a Leopard on base, and the three colours of the modern German flag across one corner. Inside the box are the two hull components, turret, plus thirteen sprues of various sizes in a medium green styrene, and another six in brown containing individual track links. A set of rubber-band style tracks are also included for the indi-link phobic, a spruelet of poly-caps, two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a length of rope/string, small decal sheet, painting guide and the instruction booklet. Quite a well rounded package, with lots of detail evident on the sprues, including substantial use of slide-moulding to improve detail further. In the bottom of the box is an amazing little piece that is attached to its own little sprue, which is a protective cage for the PZB200 sighting system used on one of the decal options, and is one of the most impressive bits of slide-moulding I've seen so far. Construction is typical of most AFV builds, and starts with adding all the bump-stops and return rollers to the sides of the lower hull, then adding the functional torsion-bar suspension through the holes in the hull, the ends of which lock into sockets on the opposite side. The road wheels are built up next, with each pair trapping a poly-cap between them, as do the drive sprocket and the externally similar idler wheel at the front of the hull. An alternative outer face for the drive sprocket is included for one of the decal options. The wheels push-fit onto the axles, which should make painting and weathering easier, as well as track construction, whichever method you choose. If you prefer the realistic look of the individual links, you will need to make up two runs of 84 links using liquid cement, and wrap them around the road wheels whilst they are still soft, wedging them in place to give the correct amount of sag on the top run. If you haven't yet tried to work with individual links, this kit will be perfect for you, because if you make an unholy mess, you can easily fall back to using the flexible styrene tracks that are also in the box. I believe they can be glued with ordinary styrene glue, but I always opt for the individual links, so can't testify to the strength of the join. The top deck is a single piece, with a cut-out on the engine deck for a grille and PE mesh combination, plus another pair of PE mesh panels at either side of the transition from engine deck to turret ring. The rear bulkhead is a separate panel, and is detailed with various stowage boxes, tools and spare track links, plus the travel lock for the main gun. It and the upper hull are added after the tracks are complete, and a full set of pioneer tools are added from their own dedicated sprue. The side-mounted radiator panels, PE shrouds for the driver's vision blocks, towing shackles and rear mudguards are added at the rear, and the side-skirts can be installed at this point, assuming you've painted the road-wheels and tracks by now. The skirts have a slightly rippled textured finish to them, and have the cut-out footsteps at the bottom of each section, plus turnbuckles that link the panels together. Four towing cable eyes are provided to top and tail two lengths of the supplied string that are used to depict the towing cables. No length is given in the instructions however, so you'll need to test fit the towing eyes on the hull and do a rough measure of the distance to approximate the length first. The turret houses a license built 105mm Royal Ordnance rifled barrel gun that is supplied in styrene that is split vertically down its length, with a short stub muzzle to give a hollow end, so getting the joint perfectly aligned is key. The cooling jacket is moulded in, so care will need to be taken when scraping or sanding the seams after construction. It slots into the hole in the front of the sharply sloped mantlet part, and the choice of searchlight box with optional open or closed front, and/or the PZB200 sighting system is made, attaching to the top of the mantlet along with some grab-handles and lifting eyes. The main turret is in three pieces, the majority of it being the upper half, plus the lower section with built-in turret ring, and the rear panel on the bustle. Inside the upper turret, two sections are added to the front where the mantlet fits, the lower half of the commander's cupola, and a small section of the rear roof, the use for which isn't immediately apparent. Before adding the lower turret and rear bulkhead, the elevation mechanism is built up, with two poly-caps providing friction to enable you to pose the barrel without gluing it in place. Speaking personally, I appreciate this kind of thought, as sometimes you need to move your tanks around your display or diorama base, and being able to adjust it later is good planning. The substantially complete turret is then bedecked with grab handles, more PE vision block shrouds, and sighting gear, plus radio antennae bases, smoke discharger units, and a choice of removing one bump from two moulded into the commander cupola depending on which decal option you are building. The hatches are provided separately, and the commander's is simple, while the loader's is quite complex, and can be posed open or closed by using different hinge parts. There is also an MG3 machine gun on pintle mount for his use, which bears a great family resemblance to the MG42 that is the father of a large proportion of modern machine guns. The mantlet has a canvas shroud to protect the joint between it and the turret body, which clips over the top of the mantlet and has a nicely rendered material finish, with creases and humps that suggest the workings beneath. The final act is to twist the turret into the turret ring that is then held in place through most of its traverse by a pair of bayonet style lugs moulded into the ring. Markings The painting and decaling booklet is four pages, and gives you four choices of markings from the small decal sheet included in the box. As usual the decals are printed by Cartograf, and are of excellent quality with their trademark matt carrier film cropped close to the designs. Colour density, register and sharpness are excellent, and you can build one of the following four vehicle from the box: 1A3 2nd Squadron 304th Panzer Battalion, German Bundeswehr Mid 1980s – NATO green/black/brown camo turret number 363 1A3 4th Squadron 301st Panzer Battalion, German Bundeswehr 1980s – all over dark green turret number 544 1A4 4th Squadron 293rd Panzer Battalion, German Bundeswehr 1980s – all over dark green turret number 422 1A4(GR) Hellenic Army – four colour green/brown/black/beige camo with Greek flag on the turret sides Conclusion I'm already a fan of Meng, whether the subject has wings, wheels or tracks, and this release has done nothing to dent my confidence in them. Detail is excellent, construction simple, and the inclusion of both types of tracks adds appeal and ensures that people won't be put off buying it because they don't like one or the other type. Markings are different enough to appeal, with two choices that include camo, with the differences also extending to fitment of equipment between options, which shows attention to detail. I hope we see some more Cold War German armour from Meng in due course. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

All, I have joined an Anti-Aircraft "campaign" on another forum (same as our Group Build). My subject, the Panzer I Flak panzer. i am going with the Tristar version with the ammo trailer (plus AM barrel). No photos just yet but, so that you get an idea on the subject here is the official Tristar website: http://www.tristar-model.com/products35019.html# due to start march 1st and will build while I finish the Sd.Kfz 10 I am building for the GB on here.

Pz.Kpfw 38(t) Ausf E/F 1:16 Panda Hobby The Panzer 38 started life as an inter-war Czech designed medium tank that was co-opted into service by the Nazi war machine when Czechoslovakia was annexed prior to WWII. It's age is exhibited by the comparatively light main armament and the riveted and bolted construction of the armour plates. Additional armour was deemed necessary in German service, which was achieved by the addition of extra plates to the existing armour, rather than replacing the panels, and these were designated as E through to G. Although it was already a fairly old design by the outbreak of WWII in Europe, manufacture continued until 1942, when the realisation that it could not take on the Russian tank of the day, the T-34 dawned upon the designers. Its chassis carried on however, and was used as a Flakpanzer, the well liked (by its crew) Hetzer and the Marder III. Crews said of the drivetrain that it was well-designed for use as well as maintenance, which resulted in a low breakdown rate, with easy repairs when it did fail. Its main use was on the Eastern Front, but it was pulled out of frontline use due to its light armour, and although it continued as a reconnaissance tank, that was the remaining chassis from the 1,400 that has been built were re-tasked in earnest. The Marder III was an attempt to break through the armour of the T-34 with captured 76.2mm Russian guns mounted in open turrets, and this in turn led to the more successful Hezter. The diminutive Hetzer (officially designated Jagdpanzer 38(t)) had a wider chassis and heavier armour in a turretless design, turning it into an effective tank destroyer that became increasingly common right up to the end of the war, with almost 3,000 built. The Kit This is the first kit in Panda's new "Huge Monster Series", as evidenced by the 16001 catalogue number on the end of the box. Even though it is a relatively small tank, the dimensions on the front of the box show a length of 288mm, width of 133mm and height of 144mm, which is handy to know if you're not familiar with the scale. The box is around the same size and proportions as an Airfix Valiant box, just to give you an idea of how it'd fit in your stash - it's a top opening box that is pleasingly heavy, and inside you will find rather a lot of styrene in individual bags. There are eleven sprues in dark grey styrene, seventeen ladder sprues in mid-brown styrene containing the track links, a clear sprue, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a turned aluminium barrel for the main armament, and a sheet of decals for the tank's markings. The instruction booklet is in the form of a narrow A4 and runs to eight pages packed with construction sequences. The painting and marking sheet is A3 and printed in full colour on glossy paper, with a side-profile printed on the rear that could be framed and hung on the wall after use if you're careful with it, and so minded. First impressions are good, and after you stop looking for the hull and realise it is supplied in slab-sections, it is obvious that a lot of detail has been crammed into the parts, including a basic turret interior and full breech. It is also clear that the kit has been made with absolutely no regard for motorisation, which I'm sure will disappoint a few folks, but most will be happy with a static model of this lesser known, but important tank. Slide-moulding has been used where sensible, a turned metal barrel improves the look of the gun immensely, and the individual track links with separate pins have been well done, and have only seams and sprue links to clean up - not an ejector pin in sight. Of course, instruction starts with the drivetrain, and detail here is good. The drive sprockets are made up from two sprocket parts with two hub components coupled to the final drive, and the idler is similarly doubled up to trap the guide-horns, with a track-tensioner axle attached at the rear. The roadwheels are built up in pairs on their suspension arms, which have traditional leaf-springs between the axles. The wheels are separate from the tyres, which will please a lot of folks, and again, the two-part hubs are present. The return-rollers are built from two parts attached to a small stub-axle, and these are then attached to the hull. The hull itself is built up from a base with rolled front section, two side panels, front glacis plate with a large hatch in it, and the rear bulkhead, of which you have a choice of two for E or F models. Once that has set up, the running gear is added using locating pegs & holes in the sides of the hull, along with a bump-stop for the front suspension pair and two return-rollers per side. The fenders are one-piece per side, and run from stem to stern, with folded PE brackets providing extra strength on the real thing. The upper glacis panel is built up from the two layers of armour, and the ball of the bow-mounted MG is trapped between them, with a simple breech added to a socket on the rear of the ball. The muzzle of the 7.92mm ZB-53 gun is hollow thanks to some handy slide-moulding, but its part number is wrong. The vision blocks are shown in the open position, and have small hinges, stays and latches added during construction to finish them off. The upper hull with the turret ring is added next, and here Panda have taken the trouble of putting a highly detailed set of teeth around the aperture, although it will seldom be seen unless you model the tank as knocked-out. The fenders are festooned with pioneer tools, which are very well detailed with more realistic tie-downs when compared to the usual shapeless blocks you see on smaller scale armour. For some reason these steps are repeated in steps 13 and 14, so can be ignored. As mentioned earlier, the barrel of the gun is turned from aluminium and has a hollow barrel for realism. This is clamped between the breech parts, which are built up into a good representation of the 37mm kwK 38(t) L/47.8 cannon, the German version of the original Skoda A7 unit. The coaxial machine gun is also present in another ball-mount, this time trapped behind an internal bezel within the mantlet. This also has a breech identical to the bow-mounted one. Unlike the bow-mounted MG though, the turret coax doesn't have a hollow barrel, but could be quickly drilled out for extra realism if you wished - why they gave us only one hollow barrel is a mystery. The turret has a high cupola for the commander, which has a quartet of clear vision blocks mounted in armoured blocks every 90o around the hatch. This is added to the roof of the slide-moulded turret part, which lines up with the four sections of the inner hatch wall moulded into the turret. Additional sighting is achieved by a periscope that sits just forward of the commander's cupola on the port side. The underside of the turret with its cut-out is glued inside the turret shell, and a pair of jump-seats are added on tubular brackets for the gunner and commander. The aft deck is fairly empty, save for one grille that has a PE mesh panel installed over it to stop debris and grenades from finding their way inside. The exhaust is on the rear bulkhead, and is cylindrical with input and exhaust tubes on either end. Attached to that is a shroud for the input pipe, and on the rear of the cylindrical section is a box that is intended for smoke candles, set on a bracket. Additional track links are added to the fenders, and here the repeated construction steps start to take their toll. Clearly there were other steps that have been missed out during production of the booklet, as there is a large sloped sided box on the starboard fender behind the jack-block, and yet it is not mentioned in the instructions until it magically appears on the back page. It's a shame, as it's a nicely done perforated piece, which has benefited from some slide-moulding to make it in one piece. The jack fits across the top of it in a pair of recessed, and this is also ignored in the instructions. A length of spare track also appears on the underside of the bow, with no word of how it is affixed, although I have a hunch that part E50 has a hand in it. Oops! I'm sure that this will be corrected now it's known, but in the meantime, a little guesswork will be required, and some reference to reference photos to see how it goes together. Oddly for a tank, the tracks are not covered until the very last step, almost as an afterthought. In a scrap diagram the links are shown being glued together, and you are told that you need 186 of them, which I assume will mean 93 per side. The track pins that are provided in large quantities on the side of each track sprue aren't mentioned however, but most tracks seem to be assembled with an open or closed pin, which are both supplied, six of each on each sprue. You'll need to check your references to see which one goes where, so take care when assembling them. The last act is to add the turret and some small PE parts to the upper hull, and place the communications aerial on the bow plate on its bracket that attaches to the port corner. Markings Decals forfour options are supplied in the box on a medium sized sheet that has been printed in China. Printing is nicely done, with minimal carrier film between the numerals, although there is a slight registration error between the black and white colours, so you'll need to trim the ends of some of the balkenkreuz (German crosses). From the box you can build one of the following machines: "525" Pz. Regiment 25 of the 7th Pz. Division, Russia 1942 - overall Panzer Grey "833" Pz. Regiment 204 of the 22nd Pz. Division, Crimea 1941-2 - overall Panzer Grey "522" Pz. Regiment 204 of the 22nd Pz. Division, Crimea 1941-2 - overall Panzer Grey "1003" Pz. Regiment 25 of the 7th Pz. Division, Russia winter 1941-2 - overall Panzer Grey with a worn white distemper overcoat Conclusion As someone that has recently been introduced to the world of 1:16 armour, I'm very pleased to see this kit, and it bodes well for the next and subsequent kits in this scale from Panda. Detail is excellent, just as you would hope with the increase in scale, and even the most hardened adherent to rubber-band tracks will be able to deal with these nice big links, although having to research where the pins go is a minor pain. Of larger concern is the mistake in the instructions, as less experienced modellers might struggle to figure out where the unmentioned parts go, and may not even realise that they are missed, resulting in an incomplete tank. Hopefully Panda will come out with a downloadable addendum for those that have the incorrect instructions, but it's a mistake that could have easily been averting by proofing or even a test build following the instructions. Somewhere along the line, the copy & paste machine took a wrong turn. Don't let that put you off the kit though - it's well done and highly detailed. We shall have to wait for the P38(t) experts to pick over the fine details to hear more about the accuracy of the shape when built, and to find out whether there are any smaller details that need working on, as is so often the case with any older, and even some of the newer tank designs where production was in a constant state of change from month to month. If you've not tried 1:16 armour before, this would make a great introduction, as the finished product is relatively compact, and the detail is that of a model kit, rather than a well-detailed toy. It deserves to do well. Highly recommended. Welsh Dragon Models are hoping to have amongst the first stocks in the UK soon. Review sample courtesy of and available soon from major hobby shops

Hi everyone this is my first ever diorama and I wanted to know what you guys thought I called it winter mourning because if you look closely there is a grave at the back with a dog and his handler paying their respects. the guy at the field stove is timing the meal and the two men with maps are planning todays movements. There is also the gunner man who is just scanning the horizons. I also put in foot prints but the camera didn't show them. here it is!! Thats all hope you liked it!

German Z-25 Destroyer 1944 Eduard 1:350 The Trumpeter destroyers are really getting the Eduard treatment lately and this set for the Z-25 is very similar to their earlier released Z-43 sets in that the general arrangement and many of the parts used are similar. The first set, (53068) is for the ships detail and contains two sheets of relief etched brass whilst set (53059) provides one sheet of etched brass railings, enough for one ship. (53068) Sheet one contains 36 life rafts, new spray guards, cable drums and reel stands, radar antenna, turret liferaft rack rails and shelves, forward funnel handrail, main breakwater and associated supports, ships boat canopy, guns shield and seats for the quad flakvierling, seats, breech detail and footplate for the twin 20mm Oerlikons, lastly there is the eagle insignia and a pair of torpedo reload compartments. Sheet two, contains replacement watertight doors, which, like some other parts require the kit detail to be removed before fitting these items. The main turrets are provided with new breech details, gunshield rear surround, and barrel ring. The rear funnel gets a handrail, and funnel cap details. The rest of sheet contains the inclined and vertical ladders, anchor chain, yard footropes, lifebelts, and torpedo loading derrick arms, half breakwaters and supports. Deck hatches. The railing set, (53059) by its very nature provides a full set of ships railings, each designed to fit in their respective positions. Conclusion Another great little set from Eduard for detailing the Z-25 which, combined with the railing set will help make for a wonderful, museum quality model. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of