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Hello and welcome to all. I'm going to do one of these... ...inspired by this.

Bonsoir Mesdammes et Monsieurs, I shall be joining you in this celebration of all things gallic, on Wednesday, after I have completed my entry for the Phantom STGB. I bring to the buffet, the legendary Renault 'Taxi de la Marne' which won fame and a name in September of 1914. (I have drawn on Wikipedia for the following historical background. If that's not your thing please scroll down to the photos to have a quick look around the sprues.) The Renault Type AG, commonly referred to as the Renault 'Taxi de la Marne' or 'Marne Taxi' was a hackney carriage automobile manufactured by the French automaker Renault from 1905 to 1910. The nickname Taxi de la Marne was earned by the vehicles when the fleet of Paris taxis was requisitioned by the French Army to transport troops from Paris to the First Battle of the Marne. This battle was a turning point of the war when the German offensive which threatened to engulf Paris was halted, beginning the four long years static trench warfare. During the battle, the French Army's 62nd Division had arrived at a railway station outside Paris, a significant distance away from the battle, with no military transport capability. Some logistical genius suggested "If all else fails we could always hail a cab." The idea had possibilities and the general staff estimated it needed to hail approximately 1,200 taxis to transport the 6,000 man division to the battle, five to a cab. With the help of the National Gendarmerie the required taxis were assembles at Les Invalides in central Paris to carry soldiers to the front at Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, fifty kilometres away. During the night of 6-7 September 1914 they set off. Each taxi was supposed to carry five soldiers, four in the back and one next to the driver, but the cabs were small and the soldiers undoubtedly had equipment to carry and only approximately 4000 soldiers were delivered to the battlefield in this way. I don't know how many traveled on the roof and running boards of the cabs but it makes a marvellous tableau. The drivers, following city regulations, as taxi-drivers always do, dutifully ran their meters during the operation and the French treasury paid a total fare of 70,012 francs. It seems that the practical contribution of the taxis of Paris to the great defensive victory was rather small as 150,000 soldiers of the French 6th Army had already arrived by train. However, the morale effect of the improvised and semi-public operation was of great value in raising the spirits of the battered but unbowed French army and of the people of Paris. The Kit What magnificent box art from ICM! What do you think the soldier on running board is thinking as he looks us in the eye? "You may well cheer, People of Paris, but I shall probably be dead by the morning." Our three figures are well supplied with equipment, which will be carried inside the cab to justify the dramatic poses of our three heroes. Here we have examples of the Chauchat and Hotchkiss machine guns and that essential piece of field equipment for the French Army, the coffee grinder! Our four dismembered figures. The flag will be great fun to paint and look at those faces! In such a small scale as 1/35, I think they are magnifique. And turning to the vehicle... Only a few sprues. But we have an engine, which will not be seen, some small parts on big sprues and a great looking set of wheels. Spoiled only by real rubber tyres. I'm not a fan but to be honest I haven't actually used the things for decades so I might be surprised. The glazing looks reasonable and will stay bagged until the last moment. I'm considering replacement with clear film from cake boxes which is a Very Good Reason to eat cake. For the sake of completeness, here are the transfers.

The Trench WWI & WWII Era (MB35174) 1:35 Master Box Ltd via Creative Models Ltd Diorama bases are often fun and an opportunity to be creative. Having to make everything from scratch can be a bind though, so if you need to build a section of trench, this is a very useful option to save yourself some time in creating a dug-out with typical WWI style that was sometimes reused in WWII, as the Great War veterans had developed trench warfare over a period of 4+ years and had got it totally dialled-in by the time they finally went home. The set arrives in a figure-sized box, which from Master Box always seems to collapse, or maybe that’s just me being clumsy. Inside are two identical sprues in grey styrene that you may have seen before if you have any of their WWI diorama sets. The front of the box has a painting of a trench, while the back has a photo of the finished article with numbers and letters to point out parts and paint colours using the legend on the right, and the colour table in the bottom left. The trench parts form the U-shape of the trench, plus a small section of the ground lined with sandbags in front and behind. The sides of the trench are made of wooden planking, which has a realistic texture, as do the logs that reinforce the sections. Parts for a ladder are also included, plus a "shooting step" along the front wall to differentiate back from front. The ground parts are supported by sloped C-shaped brackets that hold the whole diorama to shape, although if you wanted to enclose the groundworks you could consider making panels from sheet styrene to hide the inner structure. Conclusion A neat short-cut to create a trench, and perfect as the basis for a WWI diorama with WWII dug-outs also an option. Lots of good-looking wood texture, and although a little bit of flash has crept into this moulding, it’s not difficult to remove with a sharp blade, and it’s always preferable to a short-shot part. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Albatros D.I – D.III Warpaint No.122 Guideline Publications The Albatros was one of the better WWI fighters, entering service in 1916 and utilising advanced (for the time) construction techniques to lessen weight while gaining structural strength. It initially suffered from lack of manoeuvrability due to the high wing load, which was partially addressed by the D.II with a narrower gap between the two wings. Engine cooling was via the centre section of the upper wing to avoid draining the system I the event of a bullet strike, but scalded pilots might disagree with that idea. Its successor the D.III had further redesigned wings and struts but used the same fuselage, and this version saw extensive service to the end of the war, while the later D.V superseded it on the production lines and often served alongside its ancestors. A lot of the survivors of WWI were sold to Poland where they carried on in service but saw limited combat until the Polish/Soviet war where their age and stresses of combat caused their eventual removal from service. This book by author Dave Hooper covers the birth and development of the airframe in much more detail, as well as providing tons of excellent pictures, many of which are in black and white due to their being contemporary shots, plus plans and profiles in the centre, penned by Jan Polc. The book is in the usual Warpaint format of portrait A4(ish) with a soft card cover and 48 pages plus content printed on the four glossy pages of the covers. A short introduction details the birth of the type and its subsequent upgrades. Introduction Albatros Werke Gmbh Before the War The Genesis of the D-Type and the Jasta The Birth of the Jasta and Boelcke’s Dicta Enter the Albatros The Albatros goes to the Front First Blood Two Colour Profiles with overheads October – A month of Successes, Ending in Tragedy The Albatros D.III Four Colour Profiles The Beginning of a New Year – Winter 1917 Operation Alberich Four Colour Profiles Drawings by Jan Polc Four Colour Profiles Blood April The Beginning of the End The Austro-Hungarian Albatros (OEF) Albatros in Combat The Albatros in Foreign Service Albatros D.I-D.III in detail. 8 pages of a preserved airframe in colour Kits, Decals & Accessories list Four Colour Profiles The pages include a lot of useful pictures with informative captions of aircraft in maintenance, on the field and even pranged/scrapped, with appropriate photos and drawings dotted around. Throughout the "In Detail" section there are many, many close-up photos with some items numbered that will be a boon to modellers as well as people that like to know what everything does. Conclusion The Warpaint series always gets a thumbs-up due to their inability to produce a dud! This is an excellent book that will see plenty of use by anyone interest in, or building a model of one of these wooden warriors. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

British (1917) & American (1918) Infantry in Gas Masks (35703 & 35704) 1:35 ICM Gas attacks during WWI were a constant danger to both sides of the trenches, and many men were killed or maimed horribly during the conflict, which necessitated all soldiers carrying a gas mask with them whenever they were at the front. This still didn't mean you were 100% safe, as my paternal Grandfather found out when he was mustard gassed at one of the many battles he was involved with. He recovered sufficiently, but I don't doubt that it shortened his life somewhat. The Allied gas masks were broadly similar (in fact my parents still have my Grandad's somewhere), with circular glazed eyeholes and a concertina hose that led to the filter box that was carried in a bag usually resting on the wearer's chest. They were effective, but must have restricted their situational awareness something rotten, and been horribly claustrophobic to wear for any length of time. The Kits Both sets arrive in top-opening figure sized boxes with the usual ICM inner lid that is captive to the tray. Inside are three sprues of varying sizes in sand coloured styrene, a glossy instruction sheet, and a matt painting and sprue guide. British Infantry in Gas Masks (1917) 35703 This set has four figures in various stances, giving the impression that they are advancing on the enemy. Three of the men are carrying rifles with bayonets fixed, which backs that up, and the fourth is holding his Webley revolver out in front, with an (ever-so useful) Swagger Stick in his left hand. They are all dressed in standard British uniforms with boots and puttees wrapped around their lower legs. The officer figure is less burdened by equipment, carrying only leather binocular case and holster, while the troops are weighed down by ammo pouches and assorted kit bags on their webbing. Each sports a battle bowler and their gas mask, which is moulded into the front parts of the head, with the rear a separate part from a separate sprue. The original heads can be seen attached to the main body parts, which also include separate legs, torsos and arms. All the weapons, pouches and head gear are separate parts on the other large sprue, with the gas masks and bags on the third smaller sprue. US Infantry in Gas Masks (1918) 35704 The four figures in this set are also going over the top, and are more animated than their reserved British counterparts, with dynamic poses even for the officer. Bayonets are fixed for the men, while the officer has his 1911 pistol out and a wide stance. Their dress is very similar to the British, and without studying the weapons and webbing, they could easily be mistaken for Tommies, but as you would expect the enlisted men have more equipment than the officer, although he does add a map case and canteen to his webbing. The gas masks are again moulded to the front of the head with a separate rear, and the filter bags are thinner and deeper, while the battle bowlers are pretty much identical to their allies. The officer is further distinguished from the men by his wearing of knee-length lace-up boots, while the others wear puttees wrapped around their lower legs. Again, the original heads are found on the main sprue alongside separate legs, torsos, arms and some of the larger packs. Conclusion Both sets offer a good choice of soldiers for diorama purposes, and the poses are different enough to add some action in use. As well as the suggested weapons as per the instructions, there are a large number of additional weapons of various types to give you customisation possibilities. As usual with ICM, their sculpting is crisp and realistic, with good definition between smocks, buttons, straps etc. Couple these with the German Infantry in Gas Masks we reveiwed recently, and you have the beginnings of a battle. Very highly recommended. Available from all good modelshops both on the high street and online. Review sample courtesy of

SE.5a Wolseley Viper Profipak (82131) 1:48 Eduard The SE.5 was a huge improvement on early WWI fighters, although it originated in 1916 as an experimental scout aircraft, designed by Henry Folland amongst others, who went on to found Folland Aircraft. After some rather serious design problems that resulted in the death of one of the designers, the kinks were ironed out, and coupled with the powerful Hispano-Suiza engine, it became arguably the most capable fighter of the Great War. After a short run of the original SE.5, the A variant appeared with a more powerful engine with geared prop, but that led to more issues, including detachment of prop, gearbox or both whilst in flight. Wolseley were at this time producing an upgraded version of the engine that they named the Viper, which instead used a direct drive-shaft for the prop, which as well as resulting in reversed rotation, made for a more robust and reliable engine that was more prone to staying attached to its propeller. It became the de facto standard for the type due to its availability and reliability. There were a number of aces that flew the SE.5a, and coupled with the Camel, the aircraft helped the Allies to gain air superiority over the battlefield, with more American built aircraft scheduled to join the fray that were cancelled by the Armistice reducing their usefulness to nil. After the war many were sold into private hands and the type continued to be seen in the skies for years to come. The Kit This is a new tooling from Eduard, and that shows in the details that are immediately apparent when perusing the sprues. Arriving in one of their smaller kit boxes with the familiar orange Profipak branding, inside are two sprues in medium-dark grey styrene, a circular clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE), a sheet of kabuki-style pre-cut masks, a large square decal sheet an A5 portrait colour instruction booklet with painting guide to the rear, printed on glossy stock. If you're not used to handling WWI aircraft, particularly fighters, you might forget just how small and delicate they were until you see the fuselage parts, which are scarcely 12cm long on the sprues (minus rudder etc.). There is no deficiency in detail on these small parts however, with lots of crisply executed stitching, ribs, hinges and fasteners depicted in a mixture of engraved and raised forms. The cockpit is also well detailed, with additions in PE bringing a level of realism that can seldom be achieved by us mortals otherwise, with PE belts and instrument panels, which are pre-painted with fine details to enhance the finish. The cockpit framework is inserted into a representation of the inner structural framing along with the seat, fuel tank, controls and cross-braces, which once painted in your preferred manner to simulate wood, are laced with bracing wires to further enhance the detail, but you will need to provide the necessary wires/thread. The cockpit floor is moulded into the lower wing, and here additional ammo cans are stored for the overwing Lewis gun, with another above the instrument panel, which has its plastic details removed before installation of the improved PE version. The dials are raised, so individual PE faces have been supplied on the fret, and great care will be needed to ensure these don't ping off into oblivion. The use of a pick-up pencil, fine tweezers or one of those little rubberised sticky-pads would be advisable, along with some careful positioning. With the cockpit installed in the lower wing, which is a one-piece arrangement by the way, the fuselage is then closed around the assembly, trapping a number of formers within the front section under the engine bay. The Viper engine is then built from parts, beginning with the sump, banks of pistons, rocker covers and exhaust manifold, to which some additional plug wires and other details could be added at your whim. There are two cowling choices for the engine, one of which is standard, with a bulkhead added, the other made up from the standard one with a scoop cut from a spare, and added after cutting the corresponding section from the original. This is only for the first markings option. The pilot's cockpit decking is also built up at this time, with a clear access panel on one side that is fitted with a PE surround, and a small winder with a PE handle at the joint with the main fuselage. These are both installed later after the upper fuselage section between them is added, and the separate ailerons and elevator fins are glued into their positions. At this point a number of clear triangular inspection windows are inserted into the wings and elevator fins, to show off the moulded-in control detail that will need painting beforehand. A choice of two types of elevator are offered, and the fuselage mounted machine gun is installed just prior to the top decking being closed up. A choice of curved or straight windscreen glass is given, and a simple sighting device with PE mounts is fitted to the top after filling in the slot for a simplified styrene version of the mount. The radiator is mated with the cowling as it is fitted, after which the upper wing is prepared for fitting. There are a few methods to successfully paint and rig your biplane, so I'll leave that decision up to you, but another set of clear inspection panels and PE surrounds are fixed into the wing before it is lined up with the struts and glued in place, usually after much of the painting and rigging is already completed. The ailerons are repeated on the upper wings, and PE arms are fitted, replacing the simple styrene pegs moulded into the parts. The fixed landing gear consists of an aerodynamic triangular frame on each side of the lower fuselage with an axle between them with an aerofoil section, but one markings option has simplified structure, to which you will need to add two lengths of 1mm stock to complete additional bracing struts, which isn't included in the kit. Once complete, it can be installed on the underside of the fuselage in sockets that should hold it firmly in position, and a similar attachment scheme is used for the tail bumper at the rear. The rudder is also fixed at this late stage, with a PE actuator rod replacing the styrene nub that is moulded in. Tail-wheel steering is the order of the day, and another actuator is added under the tail, again replacing the nub on that part too. For some reason the instructions then show more of the inspection windows and PE arms added at the end of the build, so feel free to skip to that point to avoid any issues. The Lewis gun and its mount is added to the upper wing right at the end with the circular magazine receiving a PE carry handle and outer face, while the muzzle gets a tiny iron sight. As one decal option doesn't carry the wing mounted gun, it should be filled, but as early in the build as possible to make life easier. A two blade prop is fitted to the Viper engine, and under the nose the SE.5a could carry a small rack of four bombs, which has been supplied on the included PE sheet as an extra. Happily for any Great War modeller, a full page of wiring diagrams are included on the last page of the instructions, with the wires picked out in blue against the airframe to make spotting them easier. Markings The basic colour scheme of most SE.5as was green/olive drab with a linen colour underside, and whatever personalisation the pilot applied to his ride. There are quite a variation on the theme with the provided options, partially because a couple of post-war airframes have been chosen. From the box you can build one of the following: SE.5a Wolseley Viper C1096, flown by Lt. H.J. Burden, No. 56 Squadron, Valheureux, France, Spring 1918 SE.5a Wolseley Viper F8146, 27th Aero Squadron, 1922 SE.5a Wolseley Viper F8953, flown by 2nd Lt. S.C. Elliot, No. 85 Squadron, Ascq, France, December 1918 SE.5a Wolseley Viper F8038, 25th Aero Squadron, November 1918 SE.5a Wolseley Viper C1149, flown by Cpt. D Grinnell-Milne, No. 56 Squadron, Béthencourt, France, Ascq, France, January 1919 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This is a lovely little model, and even though I'm not really a WWI modeller, which some of you might have picked up on already, this one appeals to me greatly, as it comes from a time when aircraft were starting to look more purposeful, and less like a bundle of twigs with wings! Superb detail and some really nice decal options, plus the PE and masks round out the package to a rather appealing whole. Very highly recommended. If you can't resist the lure of some of the other decal options, or can't decide which you'd prefer to model, then the Overtrees that are available directly from Eduard might well be for you. Supplied in an anonymous white box with only a sticker on the end to tell you what's in the box, the kit contains just the plastic you see above and nothing else. Not even the instructions, as you've already got them in the Profipak kit anyway, or you can pick them up from their site here. What about the PE though? Not a problem – Eduard have you covered there as well, and you can buy the PE separately too. Overtrees Overtrees Photo-Etch That's not all! Watch out for reviews of some additional aftermarket sets by Eduard to fit their kits, such as a super-detailed radiator, props, guns and the turnbuckles and tensioners for the rigging that they describe as "Stretchers". Coming soon to a forum near you. Well, right here actually. Review sample courtesy of