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Miniart's T-54/55 series is very impressive and easily the best kits of these tanks out there by a longshot. I'm working up the new Iraqi T-55 with the Enigma upgrades and it's been a beautiful build so far. Lots of fun and the only frustration is locating the sprues needed for each assembly... I don't build much post-WW2 armour, but I am kind of hooked on these.

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

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

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

MiniArt is to release 1/48th Republic P-47D/M Thunderbolt kits. Source: https://miniart-models.com/wp-content/catalogue/2022/index.html - ref. 48001 - Republic P-47D-25RE Thunderbolt - advanced kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48001-p-47d-25re-thunderbolt-advanced-kit/ - ref. 48009 - Republic P-47D-25RE Thunderbolt - basic kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48009-p-47d-25re-thunderbolt-basic-kit/ - ref. 48012 Republic Thunderbolt Mk.II. - Royal Air Force - advanced kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48012-thunderbolt-mk-ii-royal-air-force-advanced-kit/ - ref. 48015 - Republic P-47D-28RE Thunderbolt - basic kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48015-p-47d-28re-thunderbolt-free-french-air-force/ - ref. 48018 - Republic P-47D Thunderbolt with base and accessories - Big set - release soon - https://miniart-models.com/product/48018-thunderbolt-p-47d-bubbletop-with-base-accessories-big-set/ - ref. 48022 - Republic P-47D-28RA Thunderbolt - Pacific theater of operation - basic kit - released: https://miniart-models.com/product/48022-p-47d-28ra-thunderbolt-pacific-theater-of-operations-basic-kit/ - ref. 48023 - Republic P-47D-30RE Thunderbolt - basic kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48023-p-47d-30re-thunderbolt-basic-kit/ - ref. 48029 - Republic P-47D-30RA Thunderbolt - advanced kit - released https://miniart-models.com/product/48029-p-47d-30ra-thunderbolt/ Have a look at the kits reference numbers, there's room enough for Mustang, Spitfire, Bf.109, Fw.190, Zero, Hurricane etc. 😜 V.P.

This 1/35 diorama depicts the Dutch town of Eindhoven on 20 September 1944. The town was the first to be liberated by the US 101st Airborne and lead elements of British XXX Corps, as part of Operation Market Garden on 18 September '44. Thousands of people flocked onto the streets and a huge party ensued, lasting well into the 19th. This unfortunately had the effect of backing up the allied convoy which was unable to move forwards. On the evening of the 19th, the streets were packed with vehicles including petrol tankers and ammunition wagons, and this is when the Luftwaffe decided to bomb the town with 76 aircraft. Despite the large amount of Allied materiel present there was no anti aircraft cover. Huge damage was done to the historic city and over 200 people killed with 1000 injured. I think it was the last major bombing raid by the Luftwaffe of the war. This diorama depicts US soldiers of the 101st Airborne ready to grab a lift on a British Sherman tank on the morning of the 20th September as they make their way through the destroyed city. Meanwhile German prisoners are escorted into custody by US Airborne troops. The Sherman Firefly kit by Dragon was good until it came to building the tracks, which were a nightmare. I gave up and bought AFV Club rubber band tracks instead as I was losing the will to live! They may not be correct although listed for the Firefly, but I was beyond caring by that point. Figures are from Masterbox and Gecko (The Cushman scooter is pretty much a kit in itself!), the German prisoners have Hornet heads. Building and cobbled street is a Miniart vac form item and all painted with a range of acrylics and pigments from various manufacturers. Comments always welcome

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

K-51 Radio Truck with Trailer (37062) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that could carry up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo, men or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then were renamed as the 7100 series, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, and a four-speed “crash” (non-synchromesh) gearbox putting out a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities on the Western Front, with the Soviets on the Eastern Front, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were many variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets in large numbers under the Lend/Lease program. The G7105 variant was a fully-enclosed van-bodied truck that had a full metal bodyshell to protect the contents, and thanks to its twin wheeled rear axle, it was capable of carrying the same load as its open-topped siblings. They were used extensively by the Signal Corps, but are relatively rare in the overall panoply of chassis types for this series. Their low production quantities and participation in WWII trimmed their numbers further, and they were used and abused post-war by many second or third users, so they are quite rare compared to others of the type. When it is full of radio equipment and personal gear, a trailer expands its carriage capacity to include a generator or similarly heavy piece of kit. Some examples survive however, and found their way into the hands of collectors and enthusiasts, where they can be seen occasionally at historic vehicle rallies and get-togethers of like-minded buffs. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent G506 tooling from MiniArt, and is one of a large and still expanding range that is to be found in your favourite model shop. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, cab and both load areas included, along with some appealing moulding and detail, particularly in the cab, the equipment and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are twenty-three modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope along with a short length of metal chain in a Ziploc bag, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Detail is excellent, and well up to MiniArt’s usual standards, using PE parts to enhance the model, and finely moulded details of the chassis, running gear, trailer, cab and interior areas. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank with PE retention bands, PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed on leaf springs, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the serpentine pulleys and fan at the front. The engine and substantial front bumper iron are fitted to the chassis, assembling the exhaust and its muffler, which slip into the underside of the chassis from below, held in position on PE brackets at the exit. The wheels are built as singles at the front, made from two parts each, and with twin wheels at the rear, again with separate outer sidewalls, comprising four parts each side. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hole. The three-part radiator housing is layered up, with the rear part having a hole that allows the air from the fan to cool the radiator when stationary, mounting on the front of the chassis and mating to the input and outlet pipes already in position. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The firewall is detailed with dash pots fixed to the forward side, and is set aside until it is needed toward the end of building the bodyshell, which is next. The sides of the van have a separate ribbing insert layered on the insides, to be joined to the floor after the raised platform for the crew seats is installed, fixing two three-part seats on top, and a small forest of levers in the centre of the floor. The floor is inverted to install the sidewalls, putting a short fuel filler tube on the outside that matches up with the extension within that leads to the tank. This boxing has nothing supplied for the load area of the truck or the trailer, which should speed construction a little, and give you the opportunity to add some wear to the floor where it has seen frequent use. The rear light clusters are mounted on PE brackets on the rear of the side panels, one per side, and as is often the case with instruction steps, they may be better left of until after main painting. The rear valance plugs into the floor on two pins, joining the two side panels together on the lower edge. The dashboard inserts into the A-pillars that are moulded into the roof, with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box, plus two more on the headliner by the rear-view mirror, which installs into the front of the roof panel. The steering column is joined to the underside of the dash, adding a courtesy light, vent and six curved ribs to the inside of the roof in grooves. The rear doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles, locking mechanism in a fairing with a flat PE surround, plus handles on both sides of the right door, and clear window glass with rounded corners, adding folding props that retain the door in the open position, using different parts for open and closed options. The crew doors and their interior cards are assembled with handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed at your whim. The windscreen frame has the two clear panes fitted, and has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts, and below it on the scuttle is a ventilator panel that can be posed open or closed as you prefer. The steering wheel is fixed to the top of the column with the drawing of it from the side so that it is easy to miss. The diagonal kick panel is joined with the firewall and fitted out with three foot pedals, and a button that operates the parking brake. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted to the growing bodyshell assembly with a choice of aerial bases on the roof in front of the vent cowling that sits on a PE base, while the rear doors are installed within the frame in the open or closed position if you prefer, and two PE eyes are inserted into the corners of the roof nearby. Two rear arches are fitted under the floor into recesses, projecting past the line of the bodywork to encompass the twin rear wheels, then with the body righted, a pair of wing mirrors are glued onto the front of the doors at handle-height on long struts with PE brackets at the bottom, posing the doors open or closed again as you wish. The body and chassis are mated, and a choice of cowling panels that fit to the sides of the engine compartment after adding a V-brace under the bonnet, then fitting the front wings that incorporate the section of running boards under the doors that joins up with the rear boards. The front of the vehicle has its headlights with clear lenses plus sidelights fitted to the wings, and PE windscreen wiper blades are hung from the top of the frame on styrene arms, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this appears on the sprues too for a simpler build process, but a more detailed and realistic grille can be fabricated from the PE parts on the fret. It is constructed completely from PE, and two styrene jigs are included on the sprues to assist with accurately creating the correct shape. The lower rail, light cages and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two PE brackets stretched across the front of the radiator, but if you elected to use the styrene grille, this process is condensed down to nipping the part from the sprue, cleaning the sprue gates, and gluing it to the front of your truck, removing a small curved section from the left of the styrene grille for one decal option as it is glued in place. The bonnet can be fitted open or closed with a PE stay that is provided in the centre of the panel for the open option. Two additional stowage boxes are built out on the sides of the truck, with separate doors, PE padlocks, and a plate on the top to protect it from damage, one of them having a pioneer tool rack applied to the rear side, which has PE clasps and styrene tools provided to complete the details, leaving this off for one decal option. It is attached to the right stowage box, and both rear corners have a wire reel made up and fixed on a pin in a hole behind it, adding a choice of aerials and their tie-downs on the roof, varying depending on which aerial base you installed earlier. A small PE strap stops the roll unreeling during transit, just like the real (reel?) one. K-51 Trailer During WWII, the US used two small two-wheeled trailers for transporting additional equipment and other essential stores around the battlefield, towed by trucks and other vehicles that had at least a ¾ ton payload carried internally. There were two major variants, one for carrying many types of equipment and designated as G-518, the other a specialist water carrier that was given the catalogue designation G-527. The main contractor was Ben-Hur Manufacturing Co., which garnered it the nickname ‘Ben-Hur Trailer’, and its 1-ton load capacity in 3.2m3 volume meant that it saw a lot of action, mostly ignored by war historians and modellers alike, as it was a transport and not as interesting as the things that went bang. Nevertheless, there were over a quarter of a million built, and many of them spent their days dutifully following a Chevrolet truck around the roads and tracks of Europe and the Far East. This is a derivative of a new tooling from MiniArt, launched just after the G-527 Water Buffalo we reviewed recently, this kit has excellent detail as usual with MiniArt, including a full chassis, well-rendered chunky treaded tyres, and even a set of slat extensions to the sides of the structure with moulded-in wooden texture. Construction begins with the bodywork, starting with the two sides that have leaf springs moulded-in, adding the axle retention bolts to both sides, PE tie-down loops down the lower sides, and the light cluster that is fitted on a PE bracket next to the rear suspension mount. A choice of external framework to the sides with or without the extension slats is glued to the sides, including small PE brackets at both ends of the slatted sections. The wheels are built from two parts each, the larger having the outer hub, tyre carcass and the tread moulded as one, the smaller having the opposite sidewall details moulded-in. They are then put to one side while you build up the rest of the load area. The two sides are mated with the floor part, adding brake actuators underneath and on the side, and bringing in the ends to create the load box, with more PE brackets and foot stirrups to aid entry. While the chassis is upside down, the two-part inner hubs are fitted to the ends of the axles, adding a short length of 0.5mm wire to each one, and another length to a bracket under the floor. The towing frame is made from two converging bars, which are fixed under the front of the floor on a pair of U-bolts, while a pair of mudguards are mounted on the chassis sides on pegs, inserting the wheels into their wells. The tailgate is completed by adding PE retaining pins on chains at floor level, then a two-part towing eye is mounted atop the front of the A-frame, and a jockey-wheel is built from two halves plus a yoke and pivot, with a rubber tyre or an alternate all-steel wheel if you prefer. This can be fitted under the hitch in horizontal position for travel, or vertically for a parked trailer, locking it in place between two halves of the pivot. Another longer length of wire is fitted under the left chassis rail and hitch frame, dangling the end down over the hitch, adding a plug for the electrics, which has a hole moulded-in for the wire. The safety chains are cut to length, and are each trapped between two halves of their bracket, adding the hook on the loose end after drilling a hole in the part first. For protection of the equipment in bad weather, a tarpaulin cover can be made from five sides, adding PE clasps to the opening end, straps to the front, and short lengths of wire to represent the bungees that hold the tarp down around the lower edges. A spare tyre is strapped under the chassis on a PE frame, which is held in place by a small hook and eye at the rear. A third choice involves a slatted extension to the trailer’s sides, adding PE brackets to the sides earlier in the build, and fitting front and rear slatted sections to the front and rear, topping off the vertical sections with curved supports for the tilt, despite it not being fitted. Markings There are four decal options on the sheet in various colours in the service of different operators around the world, all with matching trailers, bar one. From the box you can build one of the following: Naval Communications Unit Three (NCU-3) Radio Marina, Eritrea, Late 1940s US Marines, Tientsin, China, 1946 Italian Police Mobile, Department of Rome, Early 1950s Argentine Marines Mobile Station, 1950s Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Unusual decal options set this boxing apart from the others, from operators and locations that don’t receive as much attention as their wartime compatriots. Detail is excellent, as are the decals, and the inclusion of PE parts all raises the level of quality. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

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

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

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

StuH 42 Ausf.G Early Prod May-June 1943 (72114) 1:72 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Following WWI the German military had identified a weakness in their forces, in that their advancing troops often left behind the support of their artillery as they moved forward, leading to a call for the creation of Sturmartillerie, which was effectively a mobile artillery piece that could travel alongside their forces, providing valuable protection. By the time the Nazis were gearing up their economy and military for war more openly, a requirement for just such a vehicle was made official, mating the chassis of the then current Panzer III with a short-barrelled 75mm gun in a fixed armoured casemate with limited traverse, which gave the type a distinctive howitzer-style look. In the later variants a longer high-velocity gun, the 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 replaced the shorter gun to give it an improved penetrating power that was more in alignment with the Tank Killer job that it had become used for. These vehicles were designated Ausf.F or G, and were amongst the most produced version of this almost ubiquitous WWII German tank. A project to up-gun the StuG was instigated using an Ausf.F chassis and a 10.5cm leFH 18 howitzer, taking the name Sturmhaubitze 42 or StuH 42 for short. The rounds were electrically fired, and it was to be fitted with a muzzle-brake to bleed off some of the recoil, and a dozen of this type were made from repaired Ausf.F examples, then almost 1,300 were built as infantry support that were based on the Ausf.G, some without their muzzle-brakes due to the limited availability of certain metals as the war continued to turn against the Nazis, thanks to the Allied bomber force bombing their industrial base into rubble on a 24/7 schedule. The Kit This is a re-boxing with new parts of a recent tooling from MiniArt in their new 1:72 armour line, which is bringing high levels of detail to this smaller scale, with MiniArt’s engineers and tool designers applying their skills to a scale that has been neglected to a certain extent for many years, certainly at this level of detail. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are ten sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a small clear sprue with decals in a shared bag, a Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret in a card envelope, and the instruction booklet in full colour in portrait A5 format. Detail is excellent, including weld-lines and tread-plate moulded into the exterior of the hull, with plenty of options for personalisation, and link-and-length tracks to provide good detail without making the building of the tracks too time consuming or complex. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is put together with five parts creating the ‘tub’, then adding the three-part glacis plate at the front, and the exhaust assembly at the rear, accompanied by duct-work and overhanging vents with a PE mesh panel underneath. Various suspension parts are applied to the hull sides that have the highly detailed swing arms and axles already moulded-in. Six paired return rollers are made up, along with twelve pairs of road wheels, plus two-part idler wheels and drive sprockets, the latter having an alternative front sprocket face for you to choose from. Once all the wheels are installed on their axles, the tracks can be built, utilising the long lengths on the top and bottom, adding shorter lengths to the diagonal risers, and individual links around the sharper curved sections toward the ends of the runs. There are eight individual links at the rear, and six at the front, plus another between the lower and its diagonal, each link having three sprue gates in sensibly placed locations. The gun mounting block (it’s not a detailed breech) is built from four parts and mounted on a carrier between a pair of trunnions, which is then fitted to a pivot plate and set aside while the casemate front is made from two sections. First however, the fenders are glued to the sides of the hull, locating on three lugs moulded into the sides, with a couple of PE vertical plates on the rear. The gun mounting block is slotted into the front of the casemate, with a mantlet slid over the front, after which the lower heavily armoured and bolted lower front has a vision slot and armour cover applied before it is glued to the bottom of the casemate, along with the sides and rear bulkhead, attaching it to the lower hull while the glue cures to ensure everything lines up. A convoy light is glued onto the left fender, then the engine deck is made, fitting two-part sides with separate baffles, and a single rear panel that is aligned when the deck is installed on the rear of the hull, choosing one of two narrow rear facets on the rear round-down. Two PE grilles are glued over the outer cooling intakes, and a length of spare track is fitted over the rear bulkhead of the casemate, adding armoured covers over the five vents on the engine deck, with a choice of cast or bolted vents on the two at the very rear of the deck. A choice of three styles of cupola can be made, each one made from a differing set of parts, based around the commander’s vision blocks and central hatch, adding wire grab handles from your own stock where indicated, then inserting the completed assembly in the cut-out on the roof, adding a periscope to the front of the cupola for one option. Triple-barrelled smoke dischargers are formed at the front for some decal options, adding a pair of aerial mounts on the casemate rear, and a shallow stowage box in the middle of the engine deck. The barrel is moulded as a single tubular section with a hollow muzzle with brake moulded into the business end, and its sleeve is moulded into the front of the saukopf, which is an inverted trapezoid that is made from another two parts, plus small PE tie-downs on the rear corners of the casemate. Pioneer tools are built up and fitted wherever there is space as the build progresses, including muzzle cleaning rods, jack, fire extinguisher, and track tools. The gunner’s hatch can be posed closed, or replaced by two separate parts in the open position, adding another scratch-built grab handle from wire, then fitting a drum magazine to the supplied MG34, sliding it through the frontal splinter shield with PE support and another DIY grab handle before putting it in place in front of the gunner’s hatch. Towing eyes are supplied for the tow cables, but you must provide the braided thread or wire to make the cables themselves, attaching one to each fender, and two stacks of wheels that are mounted on long pins on the rear of the engine deck on the aft vents, the pins made from your own wire stock. Two decal options have a section of extra armour around the forward curve of the commander’s cupola. Some decal options have schürzen skirts to protect the vehicle from incoming shaped charge warheads, pre-detonating them to disperse the energy of the weapon. Two mounts are made from angle-iron with three stand-off supports, which fit against the side of the hull, and once the glue is fully cured, the four PE main panels are hung individually from the hooks, with two smaller supplementary panels added to the centre section. Bear in mind that these panels were often lost or damage during combat and manoeuvring in the field, so think about adding some wear if you want to achieve a more realistic look, annealing the brass first to enable easier bending. Three decal options have another run of spare tracks across the back of the vehicle, attached to the top of the rear bulkhead. Markings There are four decal options on the small sheet, with various schemes all with a base coat of dunkelgeb, and various camouflage styles over the top – or not. From the box you can build one of the following: StuG Abt.245, Eastern Front, Summer 1943 StuG Abt.912, Eastern Front, Summer 1943 (with Schürzen) StuG Abt.245, Eastern Front, Summer 1943 StuG Abt.912, Jüterborg, May 1943 (with Schürzen) Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion MiniArt have only recently brought their prodigious talents to bear on 1:72 scale armour, releasing a subject they have already researched for their extensive 1:35 scale StuG and StuH ranges, resulting in a highly detailed series of models with plenty of options for personalisation, and further expansion of the range to come. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

After many long nights, I have finally finished this MiniArt P-47D-30RA Advanced Kit 1/48 with additional 3D printed assets that were created by Plasmo. This P-47D along with two P-51B Mustangs were my contribution to an Operation Overlord Group Build. I somehow was able to build all three aircraft in just over a month. Within a few weeks, these three aircraft will be placed on a maintenance diorama to mirror my Luftwaffe one.

Here's my entry for this GB. I've got a few extras for this kit, but I'll decide what I'm going to use on this kit as I go along. Not sure what markings I'll be using yet but it will be an earlier bubbletop, maybe a D-26. I started this build at the end of June but I haven't got much done, the cockpit isn't even painted yet so I'm well under the 25%.

Iraqi T-55 Al Faw/Enigma (37095) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The T-54's gestation and transformation into the T-55 was long-winded and complicated by constant changes to an unsatisfactorily performing vehicle, and began as early as the end of WWII. Production of the T-54-1 was halted due to production and quality issues, and recommenced as the re-designed T-54-2, with the turret design changed to closer resemble the eventual domed shape of the T-55. The -2 didn't last all that long before the -3 replaced it, and the requirement for survival of tactical nuclear blasts led to the eventual introduction of the similar looking, but significantly different T-55 that we know so well. As the heavy tank fell out of favour, the T-55 became part of the burgeoning Main Battle Tank (MBT) movement, with thousands of them being produced over the years in various guises. In the early 60s the T-55A was developed, providing more competent Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) protection that required a lengthening of the hull and concurrently added anti-spall protection for the crew. It also sounded the death-knell of the bow-mounted machine gun, which was removed to improve ammo storage, and hasn't been seen on MBTs for decades now. The Czechs built their own versions of the T-54 and T-55, with quite an export market developing due to their being of better build quality than the Russian built alternative. Some of Iraq’s stocks of T-55s were upgraded before the Gulf War with a locally designed and produced set of Non-Explosive Reactive Armour (NERA), which consisted of a series of layers of aluminium, rubber and toughened steel that were extremely bulky and slowed down the top speed of the vehicle accordingly, whilst affording enhanced protection. Based upon combat experience, the armour upgrade was reasonably effective in tank-to-tank engagements where the armour was thickest, but in one particular engagement that was documented, a tank that had survived a number of impacts from ground-based Milan missiles was then taken out by a rotary-wing air asset from a higher angle where the tank was unprotected by the ENIGMA panels. The Kit Based upon MiniArt’s successful range of newly tooled T-55 kits, this boxing adding new sprues to depict the additional armour, and any changes that were made to the tank to accommodate these alterations. The kit arrives in a standard top-opening box with a painting of a camouflaged tank in action in a desert environment, and inside are thirty-one sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a card envelope, decal sheet and instruction booklet, which is printed in colour on glossy paper, with colour profiles on the rear pages for the markings options. Detail is excellent as per the other kits in the range, and the new parts are extensive and well-detailed to match the rest of the kit. Construction begins with the lower hull, which has cut-outs for the suspension mounts, hatches and access panels, all of which are supplied as separate parts. The suspension is torsion-link, so the bars are inserted with the axles at their ends, or shorter stubby versions can be installed if you want to freeze the suspension in the level position. Another layer of suspension fitments are installed on the sides of the hull floor, preparing the hull sides with a second layer at the front, and the final drive housings on the rear exterior, adding some small parts, and curved surrounds to the turret area, plus a PE grille laid flat on the top of the right side, joining these to the hull floor along with the rear bulkhead and the engine firewall that is there purely to add support to the structure. A short strip is added under the glacis plate, which is next to be fitted along with the deck with the turret ring, slotting a driver’s hatch in on a pivot, and two clear vision blocks at the panel break. A multi-part engine deck with individual slats fitted before installation is made up in three segments, adding PE mesh panels with raised covers with more PE louvres and mesh supplied as additional parts, plus dozens of small details for the engine deck and the rear bulkhead that includes PE and styrene. The fenders have additional structures moulded underneath, and more added to the top to support the extra weight of the armour, with PE bracing inside the sprung mudguard parts, exhaust on the port side, and several triangular cross-braces perpendicular to the upper surface of the fender and additional metalwork. Stowage boxes and extra fuel tanks are built and fitted to the rear portions of the fenders where there is no augmentation, adding a long narrow box to the right-hand fender over the bracing. The first sections of appliqué armour are built from upper boxes and lower surfaces, plus some mounting lugs (they’re heavy IRL), and the edge blocks have brackets with custom light fittings, adding springs and fitments to the front mudguards on both sides, the main lights that have clear lenses, fitting inside a multi-part cage to protect them from damage, which will take some care to glue together neatly, but they have pins and recesses to assist with location. At the relatively unaltered rear of the vehicle, an unditching log is lashed to the bulkhead with PE straps, and the extra fuel drums so often seen are also lashed to curved brackets that overhang the rear of the hull. the wheels are handled next, with five pairs per side with separate hubs, plus the idler wheel at the front, and drive sprocket at the rear. Tracks are then made from individual links, requiring 90 links per side, each of which have four sprue gates, but no ejection pin or sink marks to worry about. They are moulded in stunning detail, which includes the casting numbers inlaid into the hollows of each track link, and close-fitting lugs that should make building them an easier task. An eight-segment side-skirt of NERA blocks are made up from two parts each, and are attached to the sides of the strengthened fenders, mounting a set of strips in a box-shape on the engine deck, the use of which isn’t illustrated, but could be used for shallow stowage due to the extreme overhang of the bustle-armour that is built shortly. The turret on a standard T-55 is a busy assembly, but the Al Faw takes it up a notch, eschewing some small parts on the exterior for massive armour blocks. The kit is an exterior boxing, but still has the basics of the breech mechanism and coax machine gun made up and mated with the lower turret on two trunnion mounts at the front. The upper turret is attached to the lower, after which the two-part turret roof is fitted with hatches, vents and vision blocks. The commander’s cupola is raised above the armour, and has a periscope fitted to the front vision-block location, with two clear blocks to the sides, surrounded by grab-handle-like protectors. Externally a four-part blast-bag is slipped over the one-part barrel then it is surrounded by PE strips. A searchlight with a separate bulb in the reflector is made and fixed to a flat platform on the front of the commander’s cupola, surrounding it in a curved ‘hutch’ and a two-layer PE front door that you can fold down to depict it in use. An armature links the gun barrel and another searchlight together so they move in unison, and this too is surrounded by another hutch with two-layer PE door at the front. Apart from some tie-downs and brackets on the rear, much of the exterior detail to the turret isn’t required due to the presence of the armour blocks, with work commencing by making a block that can hinge up, sitting on the right side of the turret and acting as the locating point for the other blocks later. A pair of tapering arms are made from three main parts plus three triangular fillets for mounting on the rear of the turret, each one handed to close around a large flat stowage box and a vertical sheet of armour, which then has four NERA blocks mould as one to the rear, doubling as a counter-weight to the frontal armour. The frontal NERA quadrants are built from exterior panels with sides, back plates and undersides, the latter having spacing support bars moulded into them. A set of mounting brackets are fitted to the rear of the blocks and they are fixed to the right side, the same process carried out in mirror-image for the opposite quadrant, except the opening box is at the front with springs added to the top. The turret is dropped into the hull to complete the build, and you should bear in mind that there are no bayonet lugs that will hold it in situ if you invert the model, so be careful to support it if the need arises. Markings There are two colour schemes and no decals because these were highly customised T-55s and were only used for a relatively short period in the field. From the box you can build one of the following: Conclusion For a long time there were only resin options if you wanted to depict these oddities, but that changed 12 years ago, but this is the most well-detailed and modern kit of the type to reach the market in a long while. MiniArt make very good T-55s. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

British Tank Crew Special Edition (35332) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd British tank crews in WWII generally wore custom overalls and either a black beret with the tank regiment badge on the front, or a cut-down style helmet without brim, so that they wouldn’t get hung up on the equipment inside their vehicles. During colder weather, a leather body-warmer was worn over the overalls, cinched in by the crewman’s webbing belt to keep from snagging inside the tank. This set depicts a crew of five in and around a tank wearing just such items of clothing, suitable for all but the hottest and coldest of weather. Inside the figure-sized box are four sprues, two containing the figures and two their accessories, including helmets, weapons and pouches, plus a small paper sprue diagram to show where all the parts are. The commander is wearing a leather tabard over his overalls, while the rest of the crew aren’t, but some of them are wearing drop-leg holsters for their side-arms, which look surprisingly modern. The commander is stood with hands on hips, two other crew are stood, one resting a hand and foot against something, while the other inspects some charts in a rigid folio against his compass. The two seated characters could be placed half in or out of their hatches, one with a foot up level on the edge of the hatch, the other leaning forward talking into a microphone. Three of them also have comms headsets integrated into their helmets or on a band over their berets. The helmets have their internal webbing moulded-in in case you want to pose them off within or on the tank, and a set of goggles and holster is supplied for all, with a few ammo pouches, map case, unholstered pistols and even a sniper rifle with scope found on the sprues. Conclusion As usual with MiniArt figures their sculpting is exceptional with crisp detail and sensible parts breakdown plus extras to add some detail to their vicinity if you use them in a diorama. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Panzer Crew 1943-45 (35465) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd During WWII, German tank crews usually consisted of four, sometimes five men, led by their commander, who was generally dressed differently from the other men, and had the lofty seat in the cupola on top of the vehicle, communicating with the rest of the crew and others in their unit by radio with a wired throat-mic, and over-ear headphones. In the early part of the war, the crews were usually dressed in black uniforms with a large beret, but as the war progressed, they transitioned toward camouflaged uniforms to make them at least a little less visible when they were outside the comparative safety of their tank. This set arrives in a figure-sized box, with a painting of the contents on the front, and the same artwork sectioned up and used as the instructions and combined painting guide, with a paint chart that gives codes for Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus colour swatches and generic names for completeness. Inside are five sprues of grey styrene in a heat-sealed bag, with the parts for each figure on separate sprues for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. There are four figures, two standing as if they are in a turret hatch, both wearing headphones, one of whom is scanning the horizon with pair of V-shaped ranger-finders. The two seated crew members appear to be on the outside of the tank from their poses, both looking down, one studying a map, the other navel-gazing. All crew are wearing a standard two-piece uniform with double-breasted jackets, and low-profile cloth side caps, plus rolled cuffs over their combat boots. The two men with comms will need some fine wire to represent the cords leading to their headsets and throat mics for additional realism once the figures are painted and ready to be placed on/in the model. The accessory sprue contains plenty of pouches, Lugers, other pistols in and out of pouches, a Gewehr 43 and Kar98k rifle with scope, an FG42 machine gun, an STG44 assault rifle, a Bergmann MP18, a Steyr MP34, and an unusual Erma EMP with a stubby fore-grip. Not all of those will be appropriate for the crew, but can be added as part of the clutter in the background, or used on another project in the future. Conclusion A crew gives an AFV model human scale, with the realistic sculpting and poses adding to that feeling. Careful painting and weathering will further add to the effect. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

StuG III Ausf.G Mar 1943 Alkett Prod. (72105) 1:72 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The StuG is a popular German WWII AFV subject, and the more you learn about it, the more obvious it becomes why. The SturmGeschütz III was based upon the chassis of the Panzer III, but removed the turret and front deck, replacing it with an armoured casemate with a lower profile that mounted a fixed gun with limited 15° traverse. It was originally intended to be used as infantry support, using its (then) superior armour to advance on the enemy as a mobile blockhouse, but it soon found other uses as an ambush predator, and was employed as a tank destroyer, lurking in wait for Allied forces to stumble obliviously into its path, where it could be deadly in the right hands. With the advances in sloped armour employed by the Soviets, the original low velocity 75mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon was replaced by a higher velocity gun that was also used in the Panzer IV for tank-on-tank combat, extending the type’s viable career to the end of WWII, but making ditch-crossing a little riskier due to the longer barrel. The earliest prototypes were made of mild steel and based on Panzer III Ausf.B chassis, and whilst they were equipped with working guns, they were unsuitable for combat due to the relative softness of the steel that would have led to a swift demise on the battlefield, being withdrawn by '41-42. By this time the StuG III had progressed to the Ausf.G, which was based on the later Panzer III Ausf.M, with a widened upper hull and improvements in armour to increase survivability prospects for the crew. Many of the complicated aspects of the earlier models that made them time-consuming and expensive to produce were removed or simplified by that time, which led to several specific differences in some of the external fitments around the gun, such as the Saukopf mantlet protector. The Ausf.G was the last and most numerous version, and was used until the end of the war with additional armour plates often welded or bolted to the surface to give it enhanced protection from Allied tanks and artillery, and schürzen plates mounted on brackets to diffuse incoming shaped charge rounds. The Kit This is a re-boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt in their new 1:72 armour line, which is bringing high levels of detail to this smaller scale, with MiniArt’s engineers and tool designers applying their skills to a scale that has been neglected to an extent for many years. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are ten sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a small clear sprue with decals in a Ziploc bag, a Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret in a card envelope, and the instruction booklet in full colour in portrait A5 format. Detail is excellent, including weld-lines and tread-plate moulded into the exterior of the hull, with plenty of options for personalisation, and link-and-length tracks to provide good detail without making the building of the tracks too time consuming or complex. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is put together with five parts creating the ‘tub’, then adding the three-part glacis plate at the front, and the exhaust assembly at the rear, accompanied by duct-work and overhanging vents with a PE mesh panel underneath. Various suspension parts are applied to the sides that have the swing arms and axles already moulded-in. Six paired return rollers are made up, along with twelve pairs of road wheels, plus two-part idler wheels and drive sprockets, which have an alternative front sprocket face for you to choose from. Once all the wheels are installed on their axles, the tracks can be built, utilising the long lengths on the top and bottom, adding shorter lengths to the diagonal risers, and individual links around the sharper curved sections toward the ends of the runs. There are eight individual links at the rear, and six at the front, plus another between the lower and its diagonal, each link having three sprue gates in sensibly placed locations. The gun sleeve is built from four parts and mounted on a carrier between a pair of trunnions, which is then fitted to a pivot plate and set aside while the casemate front is made from two sections. First however, the fenders are glued to the sides of the hull, locating on three lugs moulded into the sides, with a choice of shortened fenders for one decal option. The gun sleeve is slotted into the front of the casemate, with a mantlet slid over the front, after which the lower heavily armoured and bolted lower casemate front has a vision slot and armour cover applied before it is glued to the bottom of the casemate, along with the sides and rear bulkhead, attaching it to the lower hull while the glue cures to ensure everything lines up, remembering to remove small raised chevrons from the cheeks of the casemate before you move on. A convoy light is glued into the centre of the glacis, then the engine deck is made, fitting two-part sides with separate baffles, and a single rear panel that is aligned when the deck is installed on the rear of the hull, choosing one of two narrow rear facets on the rear round-down. Two PE grilles are glued over the outer cooling intakes, and a length of spare track is fitted over the rear bulkhead of the casemate, adding armoured covers over the five vents on the engine deck, with a choice of cast or bolted vents on two at the rear of the deck. A choice of three styles of cupola can be made, each one made from a differing set of parts, based around the commander’s vision blocks and central hatch, adding wire grab handles from your own stock where indicated, then inserting the completed assembly in the cut-out on the roof, adding a periscope forward of the cupola from within the roof for one option. Small PE fittings are glued to the rear corners of the casemate, with triple-barrelled smoke dischargers at the front for some decal options, adding a pair of aerial mounts on the casemate rear. The barrel is moulded as a single tubular section with a hollow muzzle glued to the business end, and its sleeve is moulded into the front of the saukopf, which is an inverted trapezoid that is made from another two parts, with a stowage box in the middle of the engine deck for some decal options. Pioneer tools are built up and fitted where there is space as the build progresses, including muzzle cleaning rods, jack, fire extinguisher, and track tools. The gunner’s hatch can be posed closed, or replaced by two separate parts in the open position, adding another scratch-built grab handle from wire, then fitting a drum magazine to the supplied MG34, sliding it through the frontal V-shaped bullet shield with PE support and another DIY grab handle before putting it in place in front of the gunner’s hatch. Towing eyes are supplied for the tow cable, but you must provide the braided thread or wire to make the cable itself, attaching one to each fender, and two stacks of wheels that are mounted on long pins on the rear of the engine deck on the aft vents, the pins made from your own wire stock. One decal option adds a further two identical stacks of wheels on the forward fenders, using more of your own wire to attach them, using more wire or stretched sprue to make two aerials of 30mm each that are needed to fit on the bases on the rear of the casemate. One decal option also has a different arrangement of the towing cables at the front of the fenders, and the same variant has another length of track draped over the rear of the vehicle, with a large stowage box made and fixed on the engine deck near the rear. Markings There are five decal options on the small sheet, with various schemes all but one with a base coat of dunkelgeb, and various camouflage styles over the top. From the box you can build one of the following: 201 Stg.Abt., Greece, Summer 1943 322 Stg.Abt., Eastern Front, Summer 1943 1st Company Pz.Abt. ‘Rhodos’, Rhodos, Autumn 1943 Bulgarian 1st Assault Gun Battalion, Autumn 1943 10th SS Panzer Division ‘Frundsberg’, Pomerania, March 1945 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion MiniArt have brought their talents to bear on 1:72 scale armour, releasing a subject they have already researched for their extensive 1:35 scale StuG range, resulting in a highly detailed model with plenty of options for personalisation, and an ongoing broadening of the range available, three down, with another still in the queue to be reviewed, and doubtless more to come. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

M3 Stuart Early Prod. Interior Kit (35404) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The M3 Stuart was designed before the US went to war, based upon the experiences of the British, which led to the US top brass deciding that their M2 light tank was obsolete. While the radial engine M3 was an improvement over the M2, it suffered from an underpowered M6 main gun at only 37mm, which although it was improved later in the war, the crews had to suffer with it for some considerable time. The British troops in Africa used it first against the superior tanks of the Afrika Korps, but fared badly in combat, suffering from the lack of range of the Stuart in the wide-open spaces of the African desert. It was fast and manoeuvrable however, and a British driver’s comment that she was a "honey" to drive led to one of its nicknames during the war. The M3A1 was an improved version that deleted the sponson mounted machine guns of the initial production, and some of these used more conventional diesel engines instead of the bulky radials, which gave the crew more room for other equipment. It also had a new turret with a basket for the turret crew to stand in, and no cupola for the commander that gave the tank a lower profile, and added a gun stabilisation system that helped with vertical alignment of targets while the tank was on the move, ironing out the bumps for the gunners. In British service it was known as the Stuart III and with the diesel engine version was designated the IV. It was hopelessly outclassed by Axis armour in Europe for tank-on-tank engagements, and was soon relegated to infantry support and recce roles, where it performed well. It was more successful in the Pacific theatre against the lightly armoured Japanese tanks in the jungle, where medium and heavy tanks could soon flounder in the mud and jungles. It continued to be used to the end of the war by the Allies in the Pacific area, although Russia, another user of the Stuart disliked it intensely and refused to take the upgraded M5 design that followed the M3A3. Variants were used well into the 60s, and Brazil even built their own version with redesigned upper hull and carrying a 90mm gun. Paraguay still had a few of its ancient original stock of 12 beyond the turn of the millennium, which is astonishing, considering the age of the machine. The Kit This is a reboxing of a brand-new tooling from our friends at MiniArt, which are producing an amazing output of new kits and partial re-tools in recent years, which is doubly-impressive given the situation in Ukraine over the last few years. This kit arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of an initial production Stuart on the front, clearly illustrating the prominent sponson-mounted machine guns that it shared with early variants of its stablemate, the M3 Grant/Lee. Inside the box are twenty sprues in grey styrene, although your boxing might be a variance from the sprue map and be linked together on runners like in one of our earlier boxings. There is also a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a card envelope, a decal sheet, and the instruction booklet, which is printed in colour on glossy paper, with profiles of the decal options on the three sides of the cover. Detail is excellent as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt, and as this is an Interior Kit, you also get the complete engine and the entire crew compartment, for which the hull panels are detailed on both sides, although the interior has a few unavoidable ejector-pin marks, as they must go somewhere, or they wouldn’t be able to remove the still-hot sprues from the moulds. The running gear is similarly well-defined, and the tracks are supplied as link-and-length, taking the benefits of individual links and rubber-band simplicity and making the job a lot less labour intensive. Construction begins with the vehicle’s floor, laying out driver controls, foot pedals and other equipment, plus a choice of two styles of rectangular floor hatch, just in case you have a preference. The transmission and front axle assembly is made up from five sculpted and cooling-finned parts, which is then detailed with pivots, end-caps and linkages before it is installed on the floor, adding a short length of wire to link the assembly to a nearby conduit if you feel adventurous, then building up a box with a padded top, and two crew seats from base frame, cushion and back cushion, with a pair of PE lap belts wrapped around from the rear. The curved transmission armour on the front of the tank is detailed with various towing eyes, additional bolt heads that are cut from the sprue runner, and a central frame that can be folded from PE or replaced by a single styrene part. When it is complete, the interior face should be painted so that it can be installed on the front of the floor, locating on a trio of ledges with the floor inverted. The sloping drive-shaft tunnel is made from three main parts, adding a bottle to one side, a decal nearby, and a small grab-handle on the opposite side. This is lowered into position in the centre of the floor, with a small cut-out allowing it to fit over a transverse suspension bar moulded into the floor. A very busy engine firewall is based upon a rectangular panel with cut-outs, onto which a fire extinguisher and other equipment are installed, followed by a pair of radiator cores and associated hoses, plus a Thompson machine gun latched in place, minus magazine. The completed assembly is slotted vertically into the floor, which will later mount the radial engine on the opposite side, but first there is much more space to take up with equipment. A square(ish) stowage box with soft top is built and installed in front of the firewall on the left, a two-part instrument panel is attached to the transmission housing, applying three dial decals into the circular faces, making another diagonal panel from three-parts, with a PE dial in the centre, which then has a decal applied over it. The driver’s seat is emplaced behind his controls, fixing another box made earlier into position on the right side behind the bow-gunner’s seat, with another smaller box nestled behind that, and a pair of ammo boxes in front of the gunner for his immediate use in battle. Just because war isn't quite dangerous enough, a four-part jerry can is made and sited behind the driver in case they run short, although its usefulness might not yet be apparent because the fuel tanks are next to be made. First however, another small palette of boxes is made and attached at two points on the bulkhead on the right side, which even has a canteen flask stowed to one side. Working on the engine bay now, the two fuel tanks are situated in the front corners of this area, with caps on top that can be accessed from the engine deck by removing two large armoured covers. Another tank is installed in the rear left of the compartment, adding various manifolds and hoses once they are in position before the curved engine support is slotted into the bay near the front. The Continental W-670 engine is next, with all seven cylinders moulded in this boxing, all of which have separate head parts, three pairs of which are linked by a narrow curved rod. A conical fairing is arranged around the forward end to duct the cool air from the large cooling fan, with a cross-brace and circular boss across the open space at the forward end. The fan is mounted on this boss, with a stub-axle on the outer face, with all the blades moulded into this well-detailed part. The tinwork is substantially different from an aviation variant of this motor, but the push-rods, intake hoses and ancillaries are similar, while the exhaust take-off doesn’t have the same constraints on it. The two exhaust manifolds carry the fumes from three and four pistons each, reducing to two larger pipes that end with a stepped joint to strengthen the join between it and the exhaust pipes. The intake manifold at the bottom of the engine is fed by two pipes that head up the sides of the engine, covered by a substantial engine carrier beam that also holds additional ancillaries, with the hole in the centre allowing more to protrude. More ancillaries including distributor and belt are layered over the carrier, with two tubular mufflers attached to the tops of the exhaust pipes, after which it is fitted into the engine bay, adding a cover to the top portion between the fuel tanks. Only now can the hull sides be fitted, but not before they are detailed with various parts, including electrical junction boxes, ammo boxes and other small parts, adding final drive housings to the front ends, using the bogie axle ends to locate the parts on the sides of the floor. The rear bulkhead is built with a hatch space in the upper half, with a dash-pot on the inside and a beam across the top edge, gluing it to the rear of the vehicle with the assistance of a scrap view from below. The rear hatch is in two sections, one of which has a PE clapping plate, both having handles, while the left door has a strange pot with a short hose fixed to the inner face, and both doors can be posed open or closed as you wish. Above the hatch is an overhang with a PE mesh horizontal insert and styrene rear, with a couple of towing eyes mounted on the lower edge of the bulkhead. The next assembly is a thirty-cal machine gun, which has a cloth dump bag half moulded-in, finished by an additional part, and with an ammo box with a short length of link under the breech with a two-part mount. This is slotted through the glacis plate in a ball-mount from the inside, adding a two-part instrument panel with five dial decals in front of the driver, plus a strengthening strap under the driver’s hatch. It is glued into position on the front of the tank, fitting the transmission inspection hatch with handle to the centre, and adding a pair of towing shackles to the front. The driver’s hatch is in two parts, and can be posed closed for battle, or with both parts folded open to allow the driver to see a broader vista. A two-layer T-shaped cross-member is located over the upper glacis, adding a PE bracket that supports the open driver’s hatch, and a pair of bearing spacers to the final drive housings. As already mentioned, the earliest Stuarts had sponson-mounted machine guns, which extend from the main hull out over the tracks, roughly along the middle third of the vehicle’s length. The two parts are glued into position, and two .30cal machine guns are trapped between two-part mounts, one fitted to each sponson on a curved adapter with a three-part magazine that has a short length of link visible at the top. In the space behind the guns, boxes of ammo cans are stacked, leaving sufficient space for the two-part radio box in the left sponson, adding a length of power cord later in the process. A battery box is situated at the rear of the right sponson, adding a couple of grab handles, and inserting a divider between it and the flammable ammo storage. The sides of the sponsons can then be built around the equipment, painting the interior faces as you go, consisting of a short wall to the rear, a long panel along the side, and an angled panel with exit for the machine gun muzzle at the front. This is repeated for both sides, fitting two hatches to the front of the upper hull after adding an extra layer behind, a clear vision port, and openers to the sides. If you intend to pose the hatches up, you have the option of leaving the inclement weather inner hatches in position, which have large panes of glass and windscreen wipers to save filling the tank with precipitation. The open outer hatches are propped up with a pair of short stays from their top hinges. The hull roof is next, starting with the panel that has the turret ring moulded-in, adding rollers in housings to the underside, additional nuts on the top ring, and a pair of filler caps on the deck behind it, shaving away clasp details around them, and fitting a grab handle to one side. The completed part is lowered into place on the hull, adding a horn to the glacis next to the bow gun, including a small length of wire between it and the nearby bracket. Turning to the engine deck, four holes are drilled out on the diagonal deck panel to fit handles, gluing it in position and fitting a pair of rear lights on brackets to the sides, adding a little connecting wire if you wish. The main deck panel has a box added to the underside before it too is placed over the engine, adding a PE shroud to the forward edge to deflect incoming rounds or debris. Another PE bracket for one of the aerials is attached to the right, with another mounted on the side wall slightly lower and further to the side than the other. The aerial bases are each made from two parts, adding 73mm of stretched sprue, wire, or carbon fibre rod to represent the aerials themselves. A pair of dome-topped cylindrical airboxes are built from four parts each and attached to the rear of the sponson on brackets on both sides. We finally get some wheels for the bus, starting with the over-size idler wheels, which are trapped between two halves of the swing-arm, choosing one of two styles depending on where in production the tank fell. The idler wheels have PE rims glued on each side, building two of these assemblies, plus two more drive sprockets for the other end of the track run. The road wheels are mounted in two-wheel bogies, each one made from ten parts, building four in total, handed for each side. The road wheels flex-fit into position between the arms of the bogies, so that they can be mounted on the sides of the vehicle in shallow recesses along with the idlers and drive sprockets, with three return rollers on short axles above the main run. As discussed earlier, the tracks are link-and-length, using long single-part lengths under the wheels, individual links around sharp curves, and shorter lengths where the tracks are relatively straight. The various sections are attached to the sprues at the edges, and each short portion has a unique tab and slot format to ensure that parts can only be put together in the correct manner. There are a few ejector-pin marks on the inside of the longer track link sections, but these are raised and on flat surfaces, so shouldn’t be difficult to remove with a sanding stick or sharp blade, and won’t slow you don’t too much. When the track runs are suitably cured, fenders are added over the open areas, the rear straight sections fitted with a curved end to reduce kicked up mud, while the front sections have inner side skirts to prevent mud ingress, which is improved further by gluing a PE web between it and the leading edge of the glacis plate, along with a PE stiffening strap further back. Before we start festooning the vehicle with pioneer tools, a pair of headlamps with clear lenses are placed, one on each fender protected by a PE cage, and both with a short length of wire leading back to hole in the glacis plate. To apply the pioneer tools you have two choices, the first and easiest method is to use fully styrene tools that have their clasps moulded-in. You can fit the same variety of tools to the rear of the vehicle removing the slightly raised location points from the styrene panel, and replacing them with PE clasps around separate tools that have no clasps moulded-in. An axe, pickaxe shaft and head, and a shovel are included, with a scrap diagram showing the finished area with PE clasps. More tools are located on the forward sponsons, with the same choice of moulded-in styrene clasps or separate PE fittings, which again have the raised marks removed first, with a completed diagram showing their locations once in place. The same process can be carried out for the single towing rope that the modeller must provide from either a 157mm length of braided wire or thread, fitting a pair of styrene eyes to the ends, and clamping it in place with PE brackets along the left sponson and fender. Now for the turret, starting with the main 37 mm M6 gun, the gun tube formed by a single part with hollow muzzle that is surrounded by a two-part frame, and has the halves of the breech closed around the rear, adding extra detail on the right, and a breech protector to the left side, followed by three-part pivots that are fixed around the gun without glue, then the coaxial machine gun is attached to the right side of the breech, and its ammo box is located on the left side, fed by a ‘bridge’ of link over the main gun in a guide to the breech of the smaller gun. The sighting tube is installed on the left with an adjustment wheel, pushing the barrel through the mantlet and inserting it into the front of the turret, which has been made from a well-detailed ring, with the faceted turret sides arranged around it after being detailed themselves. The roof has a yoke inserted on its underside in stowed or combat positions, and is glued in place, sliding the mantlet armour over the main and coax guns from in front. The commander’s cupola is similarly faceted, and each side is prepared by fitting a vision block in the slot, creating an asymmetrical hexagonal shape, and deciding whether to pose the turret crew’s vision ports open or closed. The commander's hatch is a flat panel with a lock on the upper edge, and hinges on the lower, which can be fitted open or closed, with more vision ports on the turret sides posed open or closed around the rest of the perimeter. Another .30cal machine gun is trapped between a two-part mount with adjuster handle, and fixed to a short column that is secured to the left side of the turret on curved brackets moulded into the surface. An optional two-part ammo box with a length of link can be fixed to the side of the gun, or if you wish to leave it off, an alternative stub part is supplied in its place. Before putting the turret into position, a few small parts are added under the gun near the hand-winding wheel for the turret. With that, the turret can be dropped into position to complete the model, unless you are building decal option two, which has a PE banner with a pair of stars mounted over the mantlet, and two PE flags on 30mm posts that are fitted to the edges of the glacis plate. General Patton was always one to try to make an entrance. Markings There are seven decal options included on the sheet, and you’d be right to guess that they are all in some variation of WWII Allied green, with only their individual and national markings to tell them apart. From the box you can build one of the following: 192nd Tank Battalion, Philippines, Luzon, 1941 General Patton’s Tank, Desert Manoeuvres, California, Summer 1942 Armoured Forces School, Fort Knox, Summer 1942 4th Armoured Division, 84th Reconnaissance Troop, Tennessee Manoeuvres, Autumn 1942 192nd Tank Brigade, Red Army, Volkhov Offensive, Oryol Region, Summer 1942 192nd Tank Brigade, Red Army, Volkhov Offensive, Oryol Region, Summer 1942 Unknown Unit, Red Army, Eastern Front, 1942 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s great to have this much detail present in a modern tooling of the diminutive Stuart, or Honey as the Brits called it, and it deserves to become the de facto standard for the scale. If interiors aren’t your thing however, there are a growing number of exterior kits available from MiniArt now. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

US 1t Cargo Trailer with Canvas ‘Ben Hur’ (35443) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd During WWII, the US used two small two-wheeled trailers for transporting additional equipment and other essential stores around the battlefield, towed by trucks and other vehicles that had at least a ¾ ton payload carried internally. There were two major variants, one for carrying many types of equipment and designated as G-518, the other a specialist water carrier that was given the catalogue designation G-527. The main contractor was Ben-Hur Manufacturing Co., which led to the nickname ‘Ben-Hur Trailer’ regardless of where they were built, and its 1-ton load capacity in 3.2m3 volume meant that it saw a lot of action, although mostly ignored by war historians and modellers alike, as it was a transport and not as interesting as the things that went bang. Nevertheless, there were over a quarter of a million built, and many of them spent their days dutifully following a Chevrolet truck or similar around the roads and tracks of Europe and the Far East. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt, launched just after the G-527 Water Buffalo we reviewed recently, this kit and its companions are ripe for filling with useful gear that a squad may find helpful on the battlefield, or to make themselves comfortable before or after action. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with a painting of the subject matter on the front, and inside are seven sprues of grey styrene, a card envelope that contains a small Photo-Etch (PE) fret and a length of shiny silver chain, adding a sheet of decals and the glossy instruction booklet to complete the package, the latter having painting and decaling profiles on the rearmost pages. Detail is excellent as usual with MiniArt, including a full chassis, well-rendered chunky treaded tyres, and even a set of slat extensions to the sides of the structure with moulded-in wooden texture, plus in this boxing we have a canvas tilt that was a must for those locations where it wasn’t always sunshine and balmy days. Construction begins with the bodywork, starting with the two sides that have leaf springs moulded-in, which have the axle retention bolts added to both sides, PE tie-down loops are glued along the sides, and the light cluster that are fitted on a PE bracket next to the rear suspension mounts. A choice of external framework to the sides without the extension slats is glued to the sides except for one option that has them fitted, including small PE brackets at both ends of the slatted extended sections. The wheels are built from two parts, the larger having the outer hub, tyre carcass and the tread moulded as one, the smaller having the opposite sidewall details moulded-in. They are then put to one side while you build up the rest of the load area. The two sides are mated with the floor assembly, adding brake actuators underneath and on the side, and bringing in the ends to create the load box, with more PE brackets and foot stirrups to aid entry and exit. While the chassis is upside down, the two-part inner hubs are fitted to the ends of the axles, adding a short length of 0.5mm wire to each one, and another length of 0.2mm wire to a master cylinder under the floor on one side. The towing frame is made from two converging lengths, which are fixed under the front of the floor on a pair of U-bolts, The tailgate is completed by adding the PE retaining pins on chains at floor level, then the two-part towing eye is mounted atop the front of the A-frame, and a jockey-wheel is built from two halves plus a yoke and pivot, with an alternate all-steel wheel if you prefer. This can be fitted under the hitch in either horizontal position for travel, or vertically for a parked trailer, locking it in place between two halves of the pivot. Another longer length of wire is fitted under the left chassis rail and hitch frame, dangling the end down over the hitch, adding a plug for the electrics, which has a hole moulded-in for the wire. The safety chains are cut to length, and are each trapped between two halves of their bracket, adding the hook on the loose end after drilling a hole in the part first. A pair of mudguards are mounted on the chassis sides on pegs, inserting the wheels into their wells on both sides. The newly tooled tilt is made from five parts with creases, folds and the shape of the internal structure showing through, adding four PE straps and buckles to the opening end, and later four more around the front, plus ten short lengths of wire depicting the bungee cords that hold the tilt down on the PE hooks glued into place on the sides earlier. If you have chosen the decal option with the slats however, the tilt parts will stay in the box, adding the front and rear slat sections to brackets on the slatted sides fitted earlier, then four curved roof supports are fixed to the sides that supports the tilt when it is fitted during poor weather. Markings There are six decal options on the sheet, with a choice of camouflage that dictates the fitment of canvas tilt, slatted sides (one option) and/or steel jockey wheel (one option), so take care during construction if you have a particular scheme in mind. From the box you can build one of the following: US Army, North Africa, Spring 1943 834th Engineer Aviation Battalion of the 9th (US) Engineer Command, Normandy, Summer 1944 ‘Red Ball Express’, Autumn 1944 US Army Combat Medic Unit, Europe, 1944-45 834th Engineer Aviation Battalion of the 9th (US) Engineer Command, Normandy, Summer 1944 US Army, Korean War, 1950-93 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A trailer might not be one of the most charismatic of military vehicles, but its importance from a strategic point of view can’t be understated, as an army without supplies isn’t going to get very far, as has often been illustrated in extended campaigns throughout history. MiniArt have done a great job tooling this kit, with the new tilt similarly well-done, and it will make an interesting addition trundling along behind your next softskin project, or as part of a diorama. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Tempo A400 Lieferwagen. Bakery Van (38066) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The A/E400 Lieferwagen was another of Hitler’s standard vehicles that is perhaps lesser known than the original Beetle. It was produced by company Tempowerk Vidal & Sohn from 1938, and was joined by an identical Standard E-1 that was manufactured in another factory. It was one of the few factories that were permitted to carry on making civilian vehicles, although this permit was eventually withdrawn as the state of the war deteriorated for Germany. The wagon was a little unstable in the corners due to its single front wheel, and it had a front-mounted engine that probably made matters worse, with a chain drive from the motor to the wheel. The two-stroke 400cc engine in the standard E1 output 12 hp that gave it sluggish performance to say the least, which was probably just as well due to that front wheel. The Bakery delivery driver was situated behind the front wheel, with a pair of side doors for entry and exit, and a single-panel windscreen that overlooked the short, tapered bonnet/hood. The load area was to the rear of the vehicle that was integrated into the cab for this variant, with a single door on the side, and another pair of doors at the back to keep the contents safe and another load area on the roof inside a railed in portion, and with several other rear bodyshell designs available. The covered van was common, although flatbeds and other designs were available. The Kit This is a new variant of the recent tool from MiniArt, using the enclosed van body style that we have seen in the beer and milk delivery trucks. This unusual little vehicle arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are twelve sprues of varying sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) in a card envelope, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet on glossy paper with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. It’s a full-body model that shares its panels with the cab, so you’ll get to build all the internal parts and during the process possibly learn a little about how it works – I did when the first boxings came in. Detail is as good as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt, with a lot of it and it’s all very well-defined. Well considered use of slide-moulding also improves the detail without increasing the part count, and makes parts like the forward cowling a feast for the eyes. Construction begins with the small cab floor, which has a planked texture engraved on its surface, and is fitted out with foot pedals, a hand-brake lever and narrow cylindrical chassis rail down the centre, plus a battery attached to the floor on the left. The front bulkhead has a clear windscreen with rounded corners popped in with a small sliver of PE at the bottom, a short steering column and a L-shaped lever, with the windscreen wiper motor cover added to the top of the screen frame, cutting off the two bunny-ear indicators because they are set further back on this version. The windscreen/bulkhead assembly is attached to the front of the floor with a pot for the washers and the conversion stub of the steering column, with a pair of PE wiper blades added in a boxed diagram later along with the latching-point for the bonnet. The padded bench seat for the crew is slotted into the floor, and the back is attached to the rear bulkhead that is joined to the floor, and you’ll need to find some 0.3mm wire 24.6mm long to represent the linkage to the floor-mounted brake lever and the back of the cockpit. The steering wheel and rear bulkhead are glued in, then the two crew doors a made up, having clear side windows plus winders and handles that are quite delicate for realism, making up the rear door with locking mechanism and handle ready for the building of the load area. This starts with the two side panels that have the B-pillars moulded into the front and the mudguards for the rear wheels, plus a pair of bunny-ear indicators that are installed just behind the pillar for this variant. The rear chassis is built around a cylindrical centreline rail with the back axle and its triangular bearers slipping over it and hubs with brake drums added at each end. A sturdy V-shaped brace is added between the ends of the axle and the other end of the cylindrical chassis rail, with a large retainer locating in a recess between them. The rear wheels are made from a centre section that includes the contact surface of the tyres and back of the hub, with a choice of two inserts to represent two hub cap styles, that are then fitted onto the axles on short pegs, with a brake-line made from some more of your own 0.3mm wire and suspended from the frame on PE brackets that are folded over the wire and are closed up then glued to the frame with an etched-in rivet giving the impression that it is attached firmly to the chassis. The load bed floor is a single part with more planking and fixings engraved into both surfaces, adding clear lights into recesses in a rear valance and a number plate in the central recess. The floor is mated to the rear bulkhead of the cab, fixing an interior skin to the back of the bulkhead during the process. The load area sides have already been fitted with mudguards, and have a pair of interior skins added with supports for the racks moulded-in. As the two sides are glued to the edges of the floor, a set of optional rack stops are glued across between them, on the rear frame of the side entrance door. A shelf is slotted into the middle rack of the three, and another is inserted through the side door dropping the roof in from above, and fixing the pre-prepared back door and its single-part counterpart at the rear in open or closed positions, doing the same for the side door, which has the same locking mechanism and handle added, and the two rearward-hinging crew doors to the cab. The little engine is superbly detailed with a lot of parts representing the diminutive 400cc two-stroke motor and its ancillaries, including radiator, fuel tank, exhaust with silencer and chain-drive cover that leads to the front axle. The completed assembly comprises the motor, axle and the fork that attaches to the front of the cab and is wired in using three more lengths of 0.3mm wire from your own stocks, which the instructions advise you again makes you an experienced modeller. An easy way to earn that badge. After the rear axle and chassis tube have been fitted under the load bed and plugged into the rear of the cab, the slide-moulded cowling for the engine is fitted-out with a choice of two fine PE radiator meshes with layered Tempo badge, an internal deflector panel, PE numberplate, a pair of PE clasps on the lower rear edge of the bonnet, and a tiny hook on the top in between two rows of louvres. The cowling can be fixed in the closed position or depicted open to show off the engine, when the little hook latches onto the clip on the roof’s drip-rail, holding it up past vertical against the windscreen, as per the scrap diagram over the page. A pair of headlamps with clear lenses are fitted below the windscreen and a solitary wing mirror on an angled arm is glued to a hole in the front of the bulkhead below the windscreen frame, with a PE bracket giving the appearance that the etched rivets are what holds it in place. The last job for the model itself is to fit the PE frame around the strengthened portion of the roof, bending the legs outward and locating them in small depressions around the edges. This is a bakery wagon, and parts are included to create six trays with a fine wooden planking engraved in the parts, and each one can accommodate a quantity of bakery products from two sprues that you may have seen earlier if you have some of their other diorama products, or read our reviews. Markings There are five decal options from the sheet, all painted in solid colours, and decorated with the markings of the owner’s brand. From the box you can build one of the following: Germany, late 1930s Germany, early 1940s Germany, early 1940s Germany, late 1940s Germany, 1948-1956 The decals are screen printed by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion These little three-wheelers must have been prolific in post-war Europe, and we must now have at least half-a-dozen boxings of the different variants now. This is the most modern-looking bodyshell, and the detail is excellent as usual. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Scaffoldings (49005) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd If you’ve been watching the procession of the new 1:48 diorama kits from MiniArt, you’ll have noticed that they’ve been applying their magic shrink-ray to the diorama accessories that they have been releasing in 1:35 over the last few years. This scaffolding set is one of those boxes, and while the box didn’t shrink, the contents did, so if you want some scaffolding for a project you have in mind, read on. The kit arrives in an end-opening figure-sized box with five sprues in grey styrene within. Due to the modular nature of the scaffolding, there is only one sprue design, and there are three assemblies to be made up, two that are basically the same but have the N-shaped tubular frames reversed to add strength to the assembly, the other a top platform with U-loop making up a perimeter. The parts are fixed to a bottom frame to create a ‘storey’ and have a ladder section attached to the bottom, and can be stacked as far up as the contents of the box allows, topping them off with a flat section of tread-plate, with inverted U-shaped brackets that give the user a modicum of safety. To facilitate movement of the unit there are four castors attached at the bottom, which have pedals to apply the brake once they are in position. These are moulded integrally as wheel, yoke and pedal, with ten in the box that can be used to complete two mobile bases with up to four additional layers of scaffold to make up, with a stack of three and two (including bases) shown on the box and in the build-up photos below, each with a standing area at the top, and some spare parts for the box. Conclusion A scaffold is a handy thing to have for any 1:48 diorama, whether it is tall or wide with planks or spare sections of tread-plate between them. They can be painted any colour you like, but a few examples are given in the instructions printed on the rear of the box, plus you can have some fun with wear and weathering effects. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

US Tank Chassis Repair Crew (35481) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Following on from their newly tooled M3 Stuart tank, MiniArt released a new figure set that included a pair of mechanics working on the tank’s engine, and in case you didn’t get the Interior Kit, it also includes an engine. Now we have another pair of mechanics working on the tracks of a tank, and they would look equally at home working on any Allied tank from WWII if you feel the urge. The set arrives in an end-opening figure-sized box, with a painting of the men at work on the front, and the same painting broken down to act as painting and part location instructions, accessories underneath, and a paint chart beneath those. The chart gives codes for Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus colour swatches and generic names for completeness. Inside are five sprues in grey styrene, locked inside a heat-sealed clear foil bag for protection. The parts for each figure are found in separate sprues for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. The remaining three sprues contain copious accessories in the shape of three-part tanker helmets plus goggles, grease guns with separate stocks, pistols in and out of their holsters, binoculars, a camera, ammo pouches and bags. Conclusion Adding figures to a model gives it extra realism and human scale, and when they’re as well-sculpted and realistic as these, they’re a boon to any modeller. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Oil Products Delivery Car (38069) Liefer Pritschenwagen Typ 170V 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Mercedes 170 was based upon their W15 chassis, which was their first with all-round independent suspension, and was available as a bare chassis for coach-builders, as a saloon, cabriolet or as a light van, debuting in the early 30s with sales affected by the worldwide depression that started in Wall Street in 1930. Sales picked up after the recession eased, and later versions had internal boot space and sleeker lines, moving with the times. As well as sharing a chassis with the saloon, the van was essentially identical in the forward section and inside the crew cab. The bodywork from the doors backward were designed with the same ethos but differed due to the practical but boxy load area behind the drivers. These vehicles were often used for years after their original purchase passing through the ownership of several operators for dwindling sums of money, especially after the war years where funds were sometimes short following the devastation in Europe. The Kit This is a reboxing of a partial re-tool of the original 2012 saloon and subsequent Beer, Furniture, Cheese Delivery and other vehicles that we have reviewed earlier, with the same base sprues, another sprue added to create the tilt for this covered flatbed variant, and three sprues to create the load for this wagon. The original kit is highly detailed, and this one is no different, showing just how far MiniArt have come in their design and moulding technology. There is superb detail throughout, with delicate framing, realistic-looking fabric door pockets as well as a full engine and interior to the cab. Inside the box are fifteen sprues of grey styrene, some of which are still linked on our sample, one sprue in clear, a decal sheet and a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass for finer details, protected in a card envelope. Construction begins with the 1700cc engine and transmission, which is made up from a substantial number of parts that just need a little wiring to do it full justice, and in fact the various hoses are shown in 1:1 and 3:1 diagrams to ensure that you obtain the correct bends, but you’ll need to find your own 0.2mm wire to use. The curved X-shaped chassis is prepped with a few mounts and PE brackets, then the rear axle, differential and driveshafts are fitted on a pair of very realistic styrene springs that have hollow centres and individual coils thanks to some clever sliding moulds. Drum brakes, straps and brackets finish off the rear axle assembly, then the completed engine and drive-shaft are installed in the front to be joined by a pair of full-width leaf-springs from above and below with a stub-axle and drum brake at each end. The exhaust is made up with an impressively neatly designed four-part muffler, a pair of PE mounts, straight exit pipe and an angled length leading forward to the engine. With the addition of the bumper-irons and number plate at the front, plus the supports for the front fenders, the lower body can be fixed to the chassis and PE mudflaps fixed under the rear of the front arches. The front firewall is next to be made up, and the pedal box is installed one side, with a set of tools and another neatly designed cylinder, this time the fuel tank, which is curiously situated in the rear of the engine bay. This fits over the transmission tunnel that is moulded into the floor, with more driver controls such as the gear lever, hand brake and steering column with PE horn-ring added at the same time. The dashboard is inserted below the windscreen frame after being fitted with decals within the instrument housings, then covered over with clear dial faces for realism, and three heater blowers attached to the roll-top. There is also a nicely clear curved windscreen with PE rear-view mirror and windscreen wiper motor housing fitted before it is inserted into the firewall, joined by a rear cab panel that has a small window and the back of the bench seat applied before fitting, plus two strips with upper hinges for the doors inserted into the edges of the rear frame, plus indicator ears on the B-pillar. The base of the bench seat is also fitted on a riser moulded into the floor along with a couple of half-height body panels that links the cab to the rear fenders. Vehicles need wheels, and this one runs on four. Each wheel is made from a lamination of two central sections to create the tread around the circumference, and two outer faces that depict the sidewalls and shoulder tread of the tyres, with maker’s mark and data panel moulded into them. The hubs are inserted into the centres of the tyres, with a cap finishing off the assemblies in handed pairs. The flat floor for the load area is a single piece to which headboard and tailgate that hinges on PE brackets are fitted, followed by shallow sides with moulded-in rails, and PE brackets for the number plate and rear light clusters added beneath the tailgate made from PE and styrene elements. The tailgate retention lugs are PE, with styrene latches that extend into the corners of the tailgate to strengthen the joint. At this stage the front of the van needs finishing, a job that begins with the radiator that has a PE grille and three-pointed star added to a styrene surround, then the radiator core and slam-panel with filler cap at the rear. This is put in place at the front of the body at an angle, locating on a feeder tube to the radiator, with two cross-braces reducing body flex along with a central rod that forms the hinge-point for the side folding hood. A pair of combination PE and styrene wipers are added to the windscreen sweeping from the top, adding reflectors on the rear arches. The front doors are handed of course, and have separate door cards with handle and window winders added, and a piece of clear styrene playing the part of the window, which is first fitted to the door card with or without window before it is added to the door skin. Both doors can be posed open or closed as you wish, and are of the rearward opening "suicide door" type, and these are joined on the vehicle by the rear cab hinges. To complete the bonnet, small PE fittings are fixed first on the louvred side panels in open or closed options, then they are glued to the top parts in either the open or closed position, inserting the open clasps to the front of the compartment for the open variant. A pair of clear-lensed headlamps, a choice of two styles of wing mirrors on the A pillar or the wing finish off the build of the van, leaving just the canvas tilt to be made after the load bed is mated with the chassis. The tilt is on the newer sprue, and can be built with the canvas at the rear rolled up and tied open or closed. To close it, a single part covers the open rear end, adding PE clips along the lower sides to tie it to the load sides for both open or closed options. To portray the canvas rear tied open, a curved header part is glued into the open end, then is partially covered by the rolled canvas in styrene, which has two PE straps added to the synch-points that are moulded-in. Three PE L-shaped straps are applied to both sides of the opening to stop it flapping in the wind, and different PE parts with the buckles visible are used for the closed option, while the parts for the open cover have no buckles and should just hang loose. The buckles on the real tilt will be rolled up inside the canvas, so won’t be seen. The last task is to mate the tilt to the raised sides of the load area. There are two oil drums included on the latest sprues, making the bodies from two halves, and wrapping ribs around the circumference in two grooves after removing a small amount of styrene from the inside of the bands. The end caps are inserted to complete the drums, and there is a manual pump and delivery gun on the sprue that you can use if you wish. Markings These were commercial vehicles during peacetime, so they were designed to attract attention with more colourful liveries, which extends to the oil drums that are included in the box. There are four options depicted in the instructions, and from the box you can build one of the following: Hamburg, Early 1950s Nordrhein-Westfalen, Early 1950s Belgium, 1950s Denmark, 1950s Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This is another well-detailed kit of an old Merc commercial van, and even if you’re not usually a vehicle modeller it would make a great background subject for a diorama, especially if the other delivery versions doesn’t suit your needs, possibly with post-war Allied or Soviet armour making its way through town. Highly recommended. At time of writing, this kit is currently on offer at a reduced price from importers, Creative Models Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

The last radio message sent by the survivors of Col John Frost's paras at the north end of Arnhem Bridge, just before they surrendered on 20th September 1944. This small diorama consists of a mixture of Miniart, Dragon and Tamiya figures. The Miniart ones were disappointingly poor and softly moulded, only saved by being supplied with resin heads(although still not as good as Hornet). The guy being searched had to have a hand transplant as the originals were like spades! Luckily I had a couple of Alpine ones in the spares box. The seated figure is an amalgam of bits from the box with a green stuff putty blanket. Road is made from individually cast and laid plaster cobbles, which took a while but I think looks better than moulded roads. Zen modelling at its best. Discarded webbing is made from masking tape and spares from the Miniart box. All comments welcome as usual