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Pz.Kpfw.T-34-747(R) (35370) 1:35 ICM Models via Hannants The T-34 gave the German invaders something of a shock when they first encountered it during operation Barbarossa, their attempt at conquering the Soviet Union, and they were instrumental in reversing the tide through both their impressive performance and weight of numbers, due to their simple construction and the overwhelming industrial capability of the Russian factories. Even when the Germans were knocking on the gates of Moscow and Stalingrad, production was shifted lock-stock-and-barrel further east with barely a flicker, and in Stalingrad there are stories of fresh tanks rolling off the production lines and straight into combat. The simple design used tried and tested technology, together with innovative sloped armour that increased its effective thickness when hit in the horizontal plane. It was initially fitted with a powerful 76mm gun, while It's diesel power plant gave it a good speed over most terrains, and as production ramped up there were over 1,000 produced each month, plenty to replace losses and more besides. The Germans had a habit of pressing captured equipment into service, which didn't help their already stretched resources, but they still did it. The T-34 in German service was given a standard designation that included its original name and the (R) designation to signify its foreign origins (Russich). They were fairly well-used on the Eastern front due to their armour and ruggedness, as well as the fact that they were better engineered to withstand the harsher conditions of the Russian winters than the technically superior engineering of the German tanks, which suffered badly with frozen tracks and had higher ground pressure than the T-34. Sometimes a more Germanic cupola was fitted on the original commander's hatch, but this was by no means a standard fitment, especially when the going got tougher for the Nazis. The Kit Stemming from a relatively recent 2015 tool from ICM, this is a release with new parts to depict a captured vehicle, and it arrives in their usual box with the extra flap over the lower tray. Inside are six sprues and two hull halves in green styrene, tracks and towing cables in flexible black styrene, decal sheet and the instruction booklet, which is printed in colour and has profiles at the rear for painting and markings. From the description above, you'll note that these are rubber-band tracks, which suits some and not others, and if you're a fan of metal or individual link styrene tracks, you've probably got your favourite brands already. The detail is nice, especially the sand-cast texture of the turret, which was often rougher than a badger's bottom in their haste to get them out of the door and at the Nazis in defence of their homeland. The rest of the armour is moulded smooth, and has some rather good-looking weld-beads around the various parts of the hull. There's room for improving the detail with some etched grilles etc., but for most of us the detail is pretty good out of the box, and even though this is an exterior only kit, you get an almost complete breech if you want to pose the turret hatches open, plus a driver's position. For a change the build begins with the upper hull, detailing it with bow machine gun installation with a movable ball, the armoured vents and filling in the other cut-outs on the engine deck, plus the driver's large hatch at the front, which is best left closed unless you're planning on scratching a full interior to back up the seats! The rear bulkhead, armoured exhaust spats and the pipes themselves are all added at the back, and it is then put to the side while the lower hull is prepared with some holes that need drilling, the suspension boxes gluing in behind the hull sides, and the fender extensions added at the rear. After saying there's no interior, there is a pair of control levers and two comfy seats to fit inside the lower hull, but unless you're crowding the area with some beefy figures, there's still a big gap behind them that might be seen. The axles with their swing-arms are all fitted to the hull after the two halves are joined, with two attachment points, the final-drive housing is built up at the rear, and the idler axle slots into the front in preparation for the road wheels, which are supplied individually to make into pairs before they are glued onto the axles. The same happens to the idler and drive sprockets on both sides, then some light detail is applied to the hull in the shape of towing shackles, tie-down bars, and the tracks are joined, then installed. The tracks are in two parts each, which link together seamlessly, but don't react to liquid cement at all, so use super glue (CA), although the instructions are mute on the subject. Aligning the joins at the centre of the track run should hide any visible seams, especially if you're going to paint and weather them with some mud and grit. The turret begins with the breech, which has a coaxial machine gun on the right along with a dinner-plate mag and sighting gear, which slots into the inner mantlet once it has been trapped in place by the exterior armoured part. The lower turret is then glued into the inner lip of the upper part to hide the join, and the front moving section of the mantlet is glued in place along with the tip of the coax MG. The prominent gun sleeve is made up from three parts and fits to the mantlet inside its weld-bead, and has the two part barrel slid through it and into the hole in the inner part. It might be as well to deal with the barrel's seam before you insert it, and with careful alignment it should be fairly simple work. More tie-down rails, lifting lugs and a rotating periscope are fixed to the outer turret, and it is then inserted into the hull, locking in place with a bayonet fitting. That's not the end, as there are four large stowage boxes that you may need depending on which decal variant you opt for. The rear boxes are angled to fit the aft bulkhead, while the side boxes are simple rectangles with moulded-in clasps and lid. Additional track-links are attached to the fenders, barrel cleaning rods in a box, plus the Germanic convoy lights and rolled up tarpaulins, plus the two towing cables, which are in flexible plastic with styrene eyes at each end, and finally you are entreated to cut a piece of 0.3mm wire to 86mm for the radio antenna. Markings Russian green? Nope. These Beutepanzers were a horse of another colour, and two of the examples shown here have a base coat of Field Green, while the other two are Dunkelgelb and winter white, so if you can add up you'll discover that there are four options out of the box. If you can't add up, there are four options in the box You can build one of the following: GrossDeutchland Division, Russia, Winter 1943 – white distemper finish Kursk, July 1943 – Dunkelgelb squiggles over Field Green Kursk, July 1943 – Dunkelgelb Kursk, July 1943 – Field Green The decal printing is unattributed, but has good sharpness, colour density, and registration between the black and white is fine on my sample. All the decals are crosses either in white, or black and white, with one cut into three sections due to being applied over the hatches on the turret top (Option B). Conclusion Another nice model of a T-34, with the added interest of being a captured example. It should also confuse the heck out of some people, which is an added bonus! The decal sheet is heavily weighted toward Kursk, but it was an important battle, so hardly surprising that the Germans threw everything into it. Lovely detail on the turret and weld lines, and even the tracks are well moulded. Highly recommended Available in the UK from their importers, H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Heinkel He 111H-16 (48263) 1:48 ICM via Hannants The He.111 was originated in secrecy, disguised as a civilian transport in the mid-30s, but once Nazi Germany came out of the closet and disregarded the Versailles agreement, it immediately became clear that they were rearming in a major way. The early civilian and military variants had a more traditional stepped canopy, and there is a famous piece of film that is used and reused in documentaries showing a D or "Dora" variant dropping bombs during the Spanish Civil War as part of the Condor Legion, which was Hitler's proving ground for his new designs and Blitzkreig tactics. Various revisions followed until the P, which introduced the now-iconic stepless fully glazed cockpit, which improved both aerodynamics and the pilot's situational awareness. The P series saw limited action in WWII as it was replaced by the more competent H variant, substituting Junkers Jumo 211 engines, detuned to give it the throbbing beat that was to be heard over Britain almost until the end of the war. The H-16 was a product of the experience of the Battle of Britain, and from the H-11 onward, improved armament and armoured glass for the gunners was introduced along with additional armour around the crewed areas, some of which could be jettisoned in an emergency. Additional improvements were made to the -16 in communications and radar equipment, with the capability added to carry an external load over the bomb bay by the installation of a rack. The H series continued until the H-23, although there were also a number of side-projects such as the Z, Zwilling with two airframes joined by a central aerofoil and sporting five engines, designed to tow the Me.321 Gigant glider. The Kit This is a revision of the recent new tooling by ICM, who have raised their game substantially over the recent years. The kit arrives in their lidded top-opened with a glossy card lid and painting of a care-worn example on the front, with ten sprues in medium, grey styrene, two in crystal clear styrene, an instruction booklet in line-drawn colour, and a long decal sheet that can be found ensconced within the booklet. On opening the bags, it is very apparent that this is a modern tooling, with lots of lovely details, crisp moulding, and some very clever engineering on display. The cockpit and partial interior will require some thought for painting, but if you get the order right, you should minimise the swearing when you have to reload the airbrush for the Nth time. The new parts include a new insert for the dorsal gun station, the choice of two under-belly trays, guns, props, wheels and bombs, which are spread over three sprues, two of which are identical. The clear parts are augmented by a new sprue that contains armoured and adapted parts to accommodate the double-Zwilling mounts that were used in the gondola and flank gun positions in this variant. Construction starts with the two wing spar parts, which are separated by the gear bay roof assemblies and a walkway part. Additional detail is added to the bulkheads along with the fuselage walkways and a smaller bulkhead toward the tail, with the lower portion of the mid-upper "turret" ring attached to the floor. The cockpit floor is then assembled with rudder pedals, instrument panels, seat and control linkages, slotting into the front spar once finished. An additional chair and the overhead instrument panel are installed later in the build. As a prelude to closing up the fuselage, the tail wheel is fitted together, which has the wheel moulded-in, and consists of three parts. Preparation of the fuselage halves involves adding the inserts into the wing roots and making good the join; inserting the paired side windows which now have alternative parts and twin machine guns; adding ammo can racks; radio panel; the pilot's control column, and more glazing in the ventral gondola. The spar/cockpit assembly is then fitted to the starboard fuselage half and the port side is added along with some glue. The rudder is separate and fits to the fin with actuators, then the missing fuselage panels between the spars are added, which of course will need painting and fettling in if you're bothered about the endoscope-equipped viewers. The mid-upper insert is designed to cater for the revised gun installation, and has a lovely serrated ring moulded-in, with controls and bracing strut added before it is installed into the fuselage opening, closing off much of the rear fuselage. The bomb bay is left on the sprues in this boxing, with the opening covered either by a large raised area with five sets of bomb shackle slots, or two raised sections that can carry two larger bombs. The bombs themselves are built up from two halves that have two fins moulded-in, and a single part that fits on the tail forming the other two fins in a cruciform layout. To these are added stiffening brackets, with either five smaller bombs or two larger ones to fill the station layout that you have chosen. At this point the wings are begun, with the lower sides added to the fuselage/spar assembly first. The ailerons are separate, and are built up before the uppers are added, as are the elevators, and the two engines, which are provided in their entirety, along with much of the ancillary equipment and engine mounts. The completed Jumo 211F-2s are fitted to the front of the spars and depending on whether you want to display them or not, and then enclosed by cowling panels, radiators and the intake/outlet ramps. The bottom cowlings can be split to reveal the engine detail, which is a good way of showing off the detail without ruining the lines of the aircraft. The upper wings and ailerons are fitted, the remaining cowling panels with the flame damping exhausts are added, which could do with drilling out to simulate being hollow, and finally the nose glazing, which has a machinegun and the aforementioned overhead instrument panel moulded in clear styrene, has a decal for the instruments. The nose "cone" is a separate clear part, and it too is fitted with a machine gun with a single drum mag and dump bag for the spent brass. Another two MGs are fitted to the new rear glazing part on the gondola, and the mid-upper gun is added to the new rear-facing armoured glass, along with the protective clear shroud at the front. The main wheels are each built up from two halves, and placed between the twin legs that have the main retraction jacks moulded in, and secured with a number of cross-braces between the two legs. An additional ram is fitted within the bay, attached to the rear cross-brace. The gear bay doors fit to the bay sides with large tabs, and the new props are made up from a single part with two part spinner and back plate, which fit onto the engine's output shaft through the vented front of the cowlings. Markings There are four decal options included in the box, two in winter distemper finishes, the other two in RLM70/71 splinter pattern over RLM65 with the unit markings and codes to differentiate between them. From the box you can build one of the following: He.111H-16 5./KG4, Eastern Front, Winter 1942-3 He.111H-16 2./Schleppgruppe 4, Eastern Front, Winter 1942-3 He.111H-16 Stab II./KG53, Eastern Front, September 1943 He.111H-16 2./KG100, Eastern Front, September 1943 Decals are printed by ICM, with good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas with a few exceptions around some of the fuselage codes. These can easily be cut off before they are applied however, so it's not an issue. Conclusion The He.111 is a truly iconic shape, and we're long overdue a new tooling of the type in this scale. This new variant adds breadth to the range, giving the modeller a number of Eastern Front options that played an important part in the war there. Very highly recommended. Available from UK Importers, H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.A with German Infantry (35103) 1:35 ICM via Hannants The Hanomag Sd.Kfz.251/1 was the mainstay of the German armoured Personnel Carrier fleet, but was flexible enough to also take up many other tasks within the Nazi War Machine, from Anti-Aircraft duties to Howitzer carriage and back again to armoured reconnaissance, which led to a lot of variants. With two steering wheels at the front, the rear was carried on tracks, giving it good clearance and rough ground capabilities that a truck simply could not manage once the going got tough. It was armoured sufficiently to deflect non-armour piercing rounds from small arms fire, but with an open top it was susceptible to both grenades and aerial bombardment, where the armour would concentrate the blast and reduce the interior to a tangled mess. The Ausf.A was used at the beginning of WWII alongside the Ausf.B, and was generally fitted with an MG.34 on the front cab wall, operated from inside. There were more than 20 official variants and more unofficial field modifications, but despite their seemingly ubiquitous nature in German service, not many were preserved after the war, and they are highly sought after now, with many examples being based upon post-war builds from Czech factories that have been made to look as convincing as possible by their restorers. While the purist may notice the differences in films, they're still a huge improvement on repainted American half-tracks from an authenticity point of view. The Kit This is a reboxing of kit number 35101 of the same vehicle, but with the addition of a set of German Infantry (4 figures) to accompany it. We reviewed the original kit here, where you can see all the pictures below, as well as the build process and our thoughts on the model. This boxing arrives in a similar box, with the additional sprues for the figures taking up any spare space within, and on the exterior it has a new painting, which represents the more relaxed theme of the figures, which are either walking with their transport, or standing offering directions. In addition to the five grey sprues there are three in sand coloured styrene (the figures), a clear sprue (just the headlamps are used), and the flexible tracks and wheels. The instruction booklet follows the same format, and is actually the one from the earlier box, but with the instructions for the figures slipped inside, along with a separate page for sprue diagrams and painting guide for the accessories that come with the figures. The figures are four in number, and come as separate torsos, legs, arms, heads and helmets/hats. Shoulder bags, weapons and all the usual parts such as gas mask canisters, water bottles, entrenching tools, ammo pouches, pistols, binoculars, weapons and bayonets are included, most of which are found on the smaller sprue. The third sand sprue contains two lengths of link for the MG34 that is included on the aforementioned smaller sprue, which were sometimes carrier over the shoulders for easy access in event of contact with the enemy. These are moulded in a more flexible styrene, and are also a slightly different colour to the others, which can hopefully be seen from the pictures. An officer is included looking at a map, while another soldier points with one hand, with an MP40 in his other. The other two figures are depicted walking, one with an MG34 over his shoulder and a scarf of bullets, the other with boxes of ammo in his hands, and his rifle slung over his shoulder. As always with ICM, the sculpting it excellent, and the level of detail in the accessories of similar quality. Painting call-outs are included in the Revell and Tamiya ranges, with colour names in English and Ukraine for those without access to one of the many online paint conversion tools. Markings As this is the same kit, the same markings options are supplied this time around, with Panzer Grey being the colour scheme of the era. It also explains why there are no MG42s included on the weapons sprue. WH 726465 1.Pz.D., France, May 1940 WH 179074 1.Pz.D., Russia, July 1941 Conclusion We liked it first time around, and like it still, especially with the addition of these figures, which add a human scale to the model, and lend themselves to a diorama base, possibly at a crossroads in France? Highly recommended. Available in the UK from Hannants and other model shops Review sample courtesy of

Hope this is the right place for this query... I have a 1:72 Fujimi F-4 I'm going to do as an RAF camo bird. I wanted to get hold of some Xtracolour to paint it in, but that seems really difficult to get hold of. Hannants website (the abomination that it is!!) says that they are sold out of RAF Dark Green (X001) which I think is one of the three I need. I have seen comments about shipping being expensive for this stuff as it's deemed hazardous, or something. I have seen mention of Xtracrylic which seems to be a water based equivalent. Are these any good? They don't seem to appear on Hannants website either, mind you.. Any hints on where I could get hold of the gloss paints for RAF camo? Cheers, Al.

Greetings from the Depths of the Old Cold War. Here is my planned build The recent Hannants re-release of the Gannet ASW complete with bags stuffed full of resin loveliness. Which I'm going to convert into a smart blue COD Bird with these Xtradecals offering which will need slight adjustment to get her to Ark Royals Bird. Luckily although there are no COD pods in 48th HERE is a cracking thread showing how @Derek B made the 72nd masters. Then HERE HERE and HERE are very useful threads on the other differences. My Thanks to all those who contributed to these posts especially @DamienB for his point by point build. Most of what I achieve is because of their help and generosity providing information. There is also THIS and THIS in the very helpful walk round section here on BM, again my Thanks to those who shared information with us. I've got the 4+ Book and am borrowing Warpaint 23 on the Gannet is there anything else that's useful? Is there any sort of manual for the COD.4 especially showing the two seats apparently in the rear cockpit? See you later alligators

Typ L3000S Light Truck ICM 1:35 From 1940 onwards the German army, by standardizing and simplifying the numerous types of trucks, tried to improve the procurement of spare parts and facilitate repairs. The result was the standard 3 ton truck, which all German manufacturer snow used as a basis for construction. This was also the basis on which the motor manufacturer in Cologne produced the "V3000S" from 1941 onwards. Various bodies and sets of equipment were available. A typical recognition feature was the oval radiator grille and one-piece windscreen. In total about 25,000 examples were built. The "V 3000 S" came to be used on all fronts in the Second World War and was indispensable for supplying the troops with goods of all kinds. The Model This is an all new tooling, replacing the rather complicated older releases. The model arrives in a strong box with a separate top sleeve with a nice artist’s representation of the vehicle on the front. Inside, within a large poly bag, are three sprues of light brown styrene and, in a separate poly bag, one clear sprue. On initial inspection the parts are really well moulded, clean, with no sign of flash. There are a number of moulding pips, some of which are on quite fragile looking parts, so care should be taken when removing. The sprue gates attaching items like the cover rails are also quite heavy and I can see these parts breaking if not careful. The build starts with the nicely detailed engine with the block and gearbox halves glued together followed by the addition of the rocker covers, starter motor, alternator, front engine mounts, cooling fan, air filter, cooling pipes, gear stick and other sundry items. The instructions then move on to the chassis rails with the addition of five cross members and rear chassis end piece, to which the towing eye, cover and pin are added. To the top of the main rails the two sub rails are added. The front and rear leaf springs are fitted along with the rear axle and transfer box. Turning the rails over the engine can now be fitted plus the exhaust system, which comprises of seven parts, and looks particularly fragile so it may be an idea to build in situ rather than as a separate assembly the instructions call for. The two driveshafts are then be added, as are the radiator/front chassis end piece. The steering rack assembly is built up using the four parts provided and, if the modeller chooses can be built up so that the front wheels are posable, although this may make it rather fragile, particularly the rear tie rod. After fitting the various brackets and supports as well as the front bumper and tow hooks, it’s onto the wheels, these come as single piece tyres plus inner and outer hubs. There are seven provided, singles for the front, doubles for the rear and a spare which fits on the chassis behind the cab and under the bed The building of the cab begins with filing off the ejection pins marks on the underside of the floor, before fitting the pedals, steering column, steering wheel and handbrake handle. The seat support and cushion is fitted to the floor, whilst the windscreen, instrument panel, with decal instruments, are fitted to the roof/front part of the cab. Onto the rear panel of the cab the seat back and rear screen are attached. The next assembly for the cab is the bonnet, which is made up of left and right hand parts, bonnet and radiator grille. The completed bonnet cannot easily be made to be posed either open, which is a shame. To finish off the front, the mud guards/foot plates are attached along with the doors, which are made of the external panels, door cards, clear parts, and door handles. Last details are the wing mirrors, lights, wipers; grab handles, spade, triangular roof marker, jerry can and its support bracket. The last assembly is the truck bed, with the bed itself being fitted with the side, rear, and front plank sections. On the underside, five lateral strengthening beams, and two longitudinal beams are fitted. The spare wheel is also attached, along with two storage boxes, two three piece Jerry can cages, complete with four piece Jerry can, and the two wheel arch attachment sections. A third storage box and the two wheel arches are then fitted and the assembly is ready to be attached to be attached to the chassis. To complete the build the windscreen wipers, wing mirrors, grab handles, pioneer tools, headlamps, hood ornament and convoy triangle are glued into their respective positions. Decals Apart from the instruments mentioned above, the small decal sheet gives the modeller four options. The decals are nicely printed, clear and in good register with a slightly matt finish. The options:- Typ L3000S, Ukraine, Summer 1941, in Panzer Grey overall Typ L3000S, Russia, Summer 1942, in Panzer Grey overall Typ L3000S, North Africa, Summer 1942, in Africa Corp Brown Overall Typ L3000S, Italy, Summer 1944, in Dark Yellow overall with Olive Green stripey blotches. Conclusion This is another great truck kit from ICM and a much easier build than their previous releases. The details straight from the box are still good, and there is plenty of scope to add extra detail, particularly to the engine and the very empty cargo bed. Once built and weathered this truck will make a nice component to a multi-vehicle diorama, or on its own with a bit of imagination and some figures, one or two of which would have been nice to have been included in the kit. There doesn’t appear to be anything that would trouble anyone other than complete beginners, so I can quite happily recommend this nice and quite interesting truck. Review sample courtesy of

Hey, I am a new guy in modelling and I´m asking myself for a long time some questions. 1. I am searching for a shop selling Xtracolor paints, I checked Hannants, Aviation Mega Store, Martola and Falsh-aviation. 2. Is there any way to get BA Blue X322, KLM Light Blue X302, Korean AIr Blue X308, Airbus Industrie Grey X359, MICA 1 X368, Virigin Atlantic Grey X367, Boeing Grey X301 and Corrogard X331? 3. When there aren´t a way, please let me know If there are any alternatives. - Greetings from Germany L.B.

New Sword Lightnings coming soon. Early marks. Im excited.

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AMU03672

If you get the chance to be in the area of Lowestoft then a visit to Hannants is highly recommended. Don't be put off by the fairly plain frontage when you approach their car park, just like a fine wine or chocolates, the pleasure is to be found inside the wrapping! The entrance is through the left-hand single door which leads into the mail-order area and reception where you will be asked to sign in. Once signed in you can browse through the decal boxes along the long counter directly in front of the entrance. There is also a seating area for SWMBO's! To get to the main warehouse, where all the kits are, you will need to pass through the reception area and go through the double doors at the back of the room. The staff are really friendly and helpful; they are happy to answer any queries and will leave you to browse through the stock on your own. Each of these shelving units is over 100ft long and stuffed full of kits and aftermarket sets . Just some of the rows and rows of trays containing Aftermarket part sets. You'll need a supermarket trolley here! The kits are stacked floor to ceiling, literally! so there should be something for everyone here.