Military Modelling 04 1997

Having finished most of the work on the rider, I now turned my attention to the horse. Sorting through my collection of Historex horse parts, I chose two body halves and a head that gave me the galloping pose I was looking for. The first job was to hollow out the underneath of the hooves and fit Historex horseshoes. I detailed the fetlocks with a pyro-gravure, and then glued the body halves together. A hole was drilled up the rear left leg from the hoof and a length of aluminium tube glued in to act as a peg to secure the horse to the base. I now turned my attention to the head. First, the lower jaw was cut away and it and the upper jaw were hollowed out. Front teeth were added from plastic card and a pro-trading tongue from Milliput. Some years ago, I read an article in Military Modelling March 1986 by Dr. Mike Thomas about reworking and improving the harnessing on Historex horses. I decided to use his techniques on my model. The exact methods are fully described in the article, and basically consist of removing all the moulded-on detail, and replacing it with individual straps cut from electrical insulating tape. It was a lot of work, but it certainly-improved the appearance of the model considerably and I was very pleased with the final result.

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Military Modelling 06 1998

In 1944, the Red Army began development of a new generation anti-aircraft gun system which for the first time used radar for fire control. In 1950, the Soviet Ground Forces began to field new air defence regiments with the tank, mechanized and rifle divisions, equipped with the new S-60 57mm air defence gun and its associated SON-9 (Fire Can) radar fire controls. This was the first divisional level, radar-directed air defence gun in Soviet service, and considerably enhanced the anti-aircraft fire power of the divisions receiving it. The main drawback of the S-60 system was that it took considerable time (25-30 minutes) to fully deploy the guns, PUAZO-6/60 predictors, generators, cables, and their associated fire control radars. In this configuration, it was useful to protect relatively static sites such as command centres or major communication and transport lines such as bridges. It was not very practical to protect fast-moving armoured columns. As a result, in 1947, work began on a self-propelled version using a new twin-barrelled derivative of the S-60, the S-68 Model 1952, 57mm gun. This vehicle was manufactured at Factory No.174 in Omsk in 1955-1960 as the ZSU-57-2. By Soviet standards, it was not built in large numbers, though precise figures are lacking.

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Military Modelling 12 2000

The horse harness was made from metal sheet cut out with a sharp roller blade. These blades have the advantage of not pulling up the cut material and distorting it as the cutting pressure moves along the edge of a steel rule. Buckles were added from Historex spares after they had been thinned down by rubbing them onto carborundum paper. Officers' horse decorations were added from the spares box and others were made using small balls of Magic-Sculp, such as on the crupper. The decorative metal on the harness passing behind the horse's ears was a sheet of Magic-Sculp that was embossed with a very fine 'C' shaped tip of a syringe. When set the depth was carved in using a scalpel. A difficult aspect of the horse furniture to make was going to be the chain around the horse's neck leading up to the chin. I thought about using twisted wire or Duro, but really wanted something that looked like real chain . In the end I spent hours searching for some very fine chain in jewellers' shops. The gold chain I found was just about fine enough to be realistic. Once it was on the horse I tipped the horse to one side and let the chain hang off to one side and then ran some thin super glue over the links of the chain which set to appear as if it was bouncing through the air. On the horse's chest the original musculature was a little understated so I reworked with more Magic-Sculp.

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Military Modelling 05 2002

With all the items ready, construction can begin. The front suspension assemblies comprise moulded plastic arms and various metal parts, and at the rear comes the motor and gearbox. True to the original model there is no differential, but there is a choice of gear ratio. The rear suspension arms are also plastic and mount to the cast alloy gearbox. The hub carriers and gear shafts run in bronze bushes, but these are prone to wear and also create quite a lot of friction, so 1 replaced them with ballraces. I was lucky enough to have these already from another Tamiya model, but they can be bought from a model shop if you want to add them too. The ball-races are far smoother running and allow the car to run faster and help the battery last longer. A 'U' section aluminium rail fits between the front and rear end which acts as a battery tray and mounting for the receiver and speed controller, as can be seen in the photos. Suspension is of the torsion bar type, and here is one of the very few changes for the new model - the torsion bars are now metal as opposed to plastic ones in the original. One important point with radio-controlled cars is to keep the wiring as short and tidy as possible, as this reduces the chances of interference and it also looks better. It's also a good idea to wrap small plastic bags around the receiver if there's a possibility of it getting wet, as water and delicate electronics do not mix!

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Military Modelling 05 2006

The US Marine Corps's initial tank battalions were equipped with M3 light tanks, but in 1942 plans were laid to add two medium tank battalions at corps level while the light lank battalions served for divisional support. The Marines were far down on the priority list for new equipment, after the US Army and Lend-Lease for Britain and the Soviet Union. They finally received the diesel-powered M4A2 in part because it was the only type available to them in the foreseeable future and in part due to the desire to adopt diesel tanks for commonality of fuel with Navy landing craft. When forces were selected for the assault on the Tarawa atoll in November 1943, Company C of the 1 Marine Amphibious Corps (IMAC) Medium Tank Battalion was assigned to provide tank support for the initial landing. The tanks were not provided with any form of deep-wading trunks, which had not yet been developed in the Pacific theatre. This would later prove to be the Achilles heel of the tank landing and far more tanks drowned in shell craters and deep water than were knocked out in combat. They were delivered to Tarawa aboard the LSD-1 USS Ashland, and landed using LCM-3.

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Military Modelling 12 2006

Young Miniatures have not been on the figure scene for long, but in that little time they have made a big impact. The driving force behind them is a very talented Korean sculptor called Young B. Song who does the majority of the sculpting, and from his capable hands comes this gorgeous kit. The 90mm figure is a limited run of 300 castings, so get yours quick, as they are very popular and becoming rarer by the minute. Anatomically the figure is perfect, he is depicted with one arm holding his billowing cloak, and a helmet in the other. It is a proud stance, but at ease following a battle. Cast in 14 white metal pieces, the kit has minimal flash and reveals some superb detail. With some kits (mine included) there were issues with the cloak to arm join, which has now been rectified by the company and if you discover you have one of these kits Young Miniatures will replace it Being an experienced modeller I had little problem re-sculpting the area and elected to do this rather than wait for a replacement.

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Military Modelling 01 2007

This new 90mm version from Andrea Miniatures has been carefully engineered in white metal to ensure that the horse will not bend forward with the passage of time, being designed to follow the original pose in the painting as closely as possible. The kit parts are cast in good quality white metal except for the base, which is moulded in polyurethane resin, and the production of this model turned out a real challenge because of the positions of horse and cavalryman are truly 'acrobatic'. Andrea managed to overcome the 'sagging' problem inherent in rearing horse model kits cast in white metal, by inserting rigid steel rods in the full length of the hind legs and up into to the horse's hindquarters. After appreciating how the mould makers at Andrea Miniatures overcame this major problem, I soon discovered that the greater part of the kit's detail parts are small, separate pieces, such as the boots' tassels, cords, etc., although in spite of their size there aren't any major difficulties in assembling them. In fact, the painter can use this to advantage and achieve by careful placing a more realistic pose that suggests movement. If you compare the figure with Gerieault's famous painting it soon becomes apparent that you are in possession of undoubtedly the best possible model kit released to date that has been inspired by Gericault's masterpiece.

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Military Modelling 02 2007

The Crusades were military expeditions undertaken by Western Christian kings under the sponsorship of the Pope in Rome from the end of the 11th century to the close of the 13th century. The objective was to liberate the holy city of Jerusalem, freeing it from Islamic domination. This objective was achieved in the First Crusade (1095-99), the holy city was taken and the Kingdom of Jerusalem created. In addition, a number of Christian states and princedoms were also created, such as Odessa, Antioch and Tripoli. Following the Second Crusade (1147-49), and the subsequent retaking of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187, a Third Crusade (1189-92) was undertaken with the express aim of recovering the holy places. The other Crusades, there were a total of eight altogether, were no more than attempts to emulate the achievements of the first three, until the final expulsion of the Franks from the Middle East. The diorama presented here is a general representation of the numerous sieges carried out on forts throughout the Third Crusade. The scene depicts Saladin and his troops attacking a Templar castle around the year 1190.

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Model Military International 12 2008

The FV430 series was developed by GKN Sankey for the British Army during the 1950s and 60s with the aim of producing a family of Armoured Fighting Vehicles from a common chassis and powertrain. Alongside the FV432 in the FV430 series, GKN also developed a host of specialist vehicles including engineers, communications and radar variants mortar carriers and a self-propelled gun, in total some 3,000 of all types were produced. The FV432, or Trojan as it is often known, was designed to be the Armoured Personnel Carrier variant of the FV430 series. The FV432 went into service with the British Army in the 1960s and during the 1980s around 2,500 of these were still in use. The British Army used hundreds of FV432s during Operation Desert Storm, and many Trojans also saw service in Bosnia, Kosovo and during Operation Telic (second Gulf War). With the introduction of more modern vehicles such as the Warrior, the role of the FV432 has switched mostly to specialised and support roles so the number of vehicles in use has declined. However the British Army currently still has in the region of 1,500 FV432s in service and a quantity have recently been heavily upgraded by BAE Systems with new engines, steering units, braking systems and improved armour for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, these upgraded FV430s are referred to as Bulldogs'.

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Model Magazine International 08 2008

My intention when deciding to produce this page on these classic Airfix sets was a slightly self-indulgent but hopefully entertaining look at some fun kits from years ago, but this changed a little when I actually received them from the manufacturer. My abiding memory of the Jungle Outpost and the Forward Command Post were the vacuum-formed bases that formed the key part of the kit. to which the buildings, accessories and figures were mounted. I was quite looking forward to seeing these slightly flimsy but well detailed mouldings, but upon opening the boxes, none were to be found! Only the injection moulded sprues were to present, and I have to admit to a little tinge of disappointment. I'm not sure why the bases are no longer supplied, however the injection parts still look very crisp and appealingly detailed given their vintage, and the memories came flooding back when looking at the dispatch rider and the tiny bicycles in the Forward Observation Post, and the very nicely rendered figures and bamboo-textured building components in the Jungle Outpost set. I'll just need to get out the packet of filler and fine sand to form bases for these kits if I want to replicate their original appearance!

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Model Magazine International 08 2007

The Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, or 'Warthog' to give it its nickname, must be one of the most popular modelling subjects ever, thanks to its slightly ungainly profile and of course the massive 30mm GAU-8/A multi-barrel gun in the nose. It's a odd looking killer, but an effective one at that. In model kit form we have Tamiya's now rather aged 1:48 offering, Monogram's equally old but rather good 1:72 kit, Revell's 1:48 release, plus of Trumpeter's amazing 1:32 model and others, but now, thanks to HobbyBoss, there's a new pair of Thunderbolts IIs in 1:48 that could just be the best yet. The two forms of the A-10 depicted by HobbyBoss are the familiar single seat A-10 machine, and the rather spectacular looking two seat N/AW A-10, of which only one prototype was made (or maybe two?), and now resides at Edwards AFB Museum. Both kits come in substantial corrugated-card boxes with an inner carton containing the canopy parts, other clear components, vinyl tyres and a grey sprue carrying an exquisite ejector seat as well as the cockpit tub. The airframe is covered with recessed rivet detail which is generally very restrained and looks just right, however the weapons pylons have a slightly heavier rivet treatment that looks a little overdone, but not to the extent that it spoils the look of the model. All panel join-lines are recessed and look excellent.

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Model Magazine International 06 2007

Entering service in the last year of WW2, the SU-100 was a dedicated tank destroyer, based on the hull and running gear of the highly successful T-34 tank. The SU-100 was powered by the same 38.9 litre V12 diesel as the T34, but was armed with the massively powerful (for the time) 100mm D-10S gun in a newly designed and heavily armoured superstructure. This weapon went on to serve in the T-54 and T-55 tanks and their derivatives, and the SU-100 has seen service with a variety of armed forces in the post-war years such as Czechoslovakia. Egypt, Cuba, Angola and even Vietnam. Dragon's new kit is based on their excellent T-34 model, widely acknowledged to be the best 1:35 rendition of this machine currently in production. The upper hull is all new and features individually moulded glacis plate, gun mount and mantlet, the latter parts carrying a very well rendered cast-steel texture. A close-up look at the upper hull also reveals some finely created weld seams, just ripe for accentuation with a localised wash of oil paint... Individually moulded side plates for the fighting compartment are also included, allowing for detailed weld seams to be properly rendered, but no mention of them is made in the instructions, so don't forget to fit them.

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Model Magazine International 05 2007

To be honest, I started to build this model with mixed emotions. At first, I did not like the early Tiger that much as my favourite has always been the later production variants, and secondly I did not feel familiar to the scale. Being used to 1:35 kits it appeared simply too small to me! But the more I slipped into this project the more I began to like it. Even though the early Tiger misses some of the photogenic additions of its successors, it has some advantages. When it appeared on the battlefield, the Tigers fighting capabilities were so superior to its opponents that it was able to withstand the fierce battles significantly longer than the later Tigers were, after the Allies had managed to close this gap. So the early Tiger is for sure a most worthy subject for the extensive application of battle damage and heavy weathering - as mentioned before the main reason for me to choose a modelling subject. In addition, looking at the breathtaking jobs some guys do in particular with 1:48 model planes (or even smaller scales) made me rather ambitious. Thus I was after reaching approximately the same level of detail 1 had become used to in 1:35 to take up this challenge.

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Model Magazine International 11 2006

The Avro Anson was derived from the civilian Model 652 transport aircraft, and in 1936 the type earned the distinctions of being both the first monoplane and the first aircraft with retractable undercarriage to enter service with the Royal Air Force. The Anson initially performed the anti-submarine and reconnaissance roles, but was relegated to navigation and gunnery training duties as the war progressed. Perhaps its most important responsibility however was as the nursery to new pilots and aircrew throughout the Commonwealth under the Empire Air Training Scheme. Despite its important role in the Second World War and beyond and a total production run in excess of 10.000 examples, the Avro Anson is a sadly neglected subject in styrene. Before now, there has not been a single injection-moulded Anson kit in 1:48 scale, and only the Airfix Mk.I in 1:72. Classic Airframes' all new kit is therefore a real breath of fresh air to RAF and Commonwealth aviation fans. Classic Airframes first Anson release is the early Mk.I with its characteristically raked windscreen. Later production aircraft featured a more virtical windscreen, but I have always preferred this more streamlined version. The kit comprises fifty one parts in grey styrene, sixty eight in cream coloured resin, fifteen clear injection moulded parts, instructions, a painting guide and a decal sheet with markings for seven aircraft.

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Model Magazine International 02 2006

As always we start with the cockpit, which is really complete and contains a lot of PE parts, so be careful as some of them are really tiny! I replaced the seat with a resin item from Redux which is designed for the P-40, and looks better than the kit part. I started by painting the cockpit tub in Gunze Interior Green H-58, as well as the seat, the rudder pedals and the fuselage interior walls. The radio and the instrument panel are black, and once dry I applied a dark wash in all the corners to give a bit of depth to the assembly. Some paint chips were made with silver pencil and some dusty, mucky marks were made with CMK pastels diluted with water. All the parts were then glued together, and the harness positioned on the seat. The complete assembly then received a coat of Gunze H-20 Matt varnish, and put aside to dry. The parts for the front wheel bay received the same treatment, and it was then time to glue everything together. Once dry, the assembly was positioned inside the fuselage, the both halves were joined and held together with clothes pegs and Berna Assemblers, and again put aside to dry for 24 hours. All the seams were carefully sanded, and the stabilisers were fitted. To give a different look to the model, my friend Thierry Reverdin cast some resin doors for me in case I damaged the originals, but everything went on fine! It's now time to start working on the wings...

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Model Magazine International Spring 1985

This concern, based in Croydon, England, supplies imported high quality precision diecasts to the model shops, being UK distributors for Brumm, Conrad, Efsi, Box Model, Vitesse and other European companies. Already, the Vitesse company of Portugal have on release, the 1984 Porsches, namely the New Man Pierlant winner, New Man 8 and 12 cars, Warsteiner, Kenwood-Elkron, Canon 14 and 16, Dallas, Gaggia, Rollei, Hawaiian Tropic, Skoal Bandit, Bob Jane 'T' Marts and Boss. Also due, an Austin Healey of which I saw a pre-production body shell, a Facel Vega FV2, TR2 and 3, a Mark VII Jaguar and many other interesting subjects. Look out also for the Brumm Formula I Ferraris 312s, which are bound to be popular models amongst sporting collectors. Lots of new liveries are also due on the Efsi Ford Model 'T', whilst Conrad have a fantastic range of large construction vehicles.

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FineScale Modeler 02 2007

Confederacy was one of five frigates authorized for the fledgling Continental Navy in November 1776. (Only two saw service.) Launched November 8,1778, in Norwich, Conn., the 36-gun vessel served in the Atlantic until surrendering to two British vessels off the Delaware Capes on April 14,1781. After the capture, the British Navy commissioned the ship Confederate. The ship sailed to England in mid-June, but by late July, it was declared unfit for service. The frigates ultimate fate remains a mystery. Ronald built his admiralty-style model of the Confederacy from scratch using the practicum method of construction. Ronald's practicum was a 34-chapter plan depicting every phase of construction in the same manner and sequence as building the actual ship. Approximately 90 percent of the model was constructed piece-by-piece, just like the full-size ship.

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FineScale Modeler 04 2003

One of the first jets in the Vietnam War was the North American F-100 Super Sabre. It arrived at Don Muong airport in Bangkok, Thailand in 1961, already a proven veteran, and for the next eight years, this classic fighter-bomber did the job it was designed to do. The F-100 flew primarily in South Vietnam supporting ground troops and got little publicity. Though never officially credited with a kill, many believe Capt. Don Kilgus of the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron shot down a MiG-17 in April 1965. It so, it was the only aerial victory for a Hun. The classic Monogram kit. Monogram's F-100D is a veteran in its own right. First released in 1980, it was typical of Monogram kits of the time. The detail and outline were good, hut the fit of big parts was not. In 2001, Monogram reissued the kit with new colorful decals.

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FineScale Modeler 04 2005

Faced with competition from Korea and China, Japan's plastic-kit giant, Tamiya, answers the hell with a new 1/32 scale F-16CJ. It comes packed in a sturdy box that can be used to carry the finished model with the ordnance and vertical stabilizer removed. You get 13 sprues of light-gray plastic parts, two trets of photoetched metal parts, a bag of metal pins tor ordnance mounts and static dis-sipaters, and a machined pilot tube. The landing gear is made of white metal. Also provided is a bag of screws to hold things together plus a nose weight molded to fit in front of the cockpit tub. Two decal sheets are provided, one with colorful tail markings tor tour different squadrons and markings and data for all the ordnance. The second sheet is mostly gray markings tor tail codes, stars and bars, and stenciling. Tamiya provides several "poly-caps" - O-rings - to allow easy installation and removal of wing ordnance and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.

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FineScale Modeler 05 2003

I have long wanted to build Revell's old "Bubbletop Jug." Like the 1/32 scale Revell F4U-1A I built (see "Modeling Ike Kepfords Corsair" in the October 2002 FSM), it is a "diamond in the rough" - a pretty rough one at that. The model is impressively large, making superdetailing easier. I knew I would have to do plenty of scratchbuilding to bring this kit up to showcase quality; it promised to be a long-term project right from the start. Machine guns and bays. Instead of building the cockpit first as usual, I started the project by opening and scratchbuilding the left wing gun bay. First, I used Dymo labeling tape for a guide as I scored around the panel lines with a scribing tool. I followed that with the razor saw, cutting out both gun cover and ammo tray panels.

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FineScale Modeler 07 2003

The kit's tracks have guide teeth incorrectly located in the middle of the track blocks instead of between them, but fortunately I found an AFV Club set of T-158 tracks (No. AF3512) that are more accurate for M1A1s in service today. Despite extensive media coverage of the war, I had some difficulty coming up with markings for my M1A1. Eventually, I found a photo in a special edition of U.S. News and World Report showing several M1s apparently with the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry. Like their Desert Storm predecessors, Iraqi Freedom M1s are loaded with external stores that seem to include everything but the kitchen sink. I gave my Abrams a pile of accessories from Greif's "Modern U.S. Tank Crew Gear" set (No. GF004) and the Academy "Tank Supplies II" set (No. 1383), but it still looks underdressed!

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FineScale Modeler 10 2005

Having completed seven World War II aircraft cutaway models, I was looking for something different. When Trumpeter came out with its 1/32 scale kit of my favorite jet fighter, I had found what I was looking for. I didn't have scale drawings of the structure of the "Thud," but the see-through drawing in William Green's An Illustrated Anatomy of the WorhVs Fighters and a study of the kit parts allowed me to draw my own. Nearly all the details were scratchbuilt from Evergreen styrene stock and wire. The hardest part was the skeletal structure of the left wing. After drawing the framework, it was just a matter of pinning and gluing bits of styrene over the plans. I cut uneven viewing ports into the left fuselage halt, then built up the detail inside from styrene. The kit's engine is OK, but needed more styrene and wire detail. I also added detail to the landing gear struts and doors, and set the nose and left gear in halt-retracted positions.

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FineScale Modeler 11 2005

Using the 1/35 scale Esci T-55 and an out-of-production Verlinden conversion set, Peter modeled an Iraqi T-55/69 from the first Gulf War. The model features armor "boxes" added to the hull and turret sides to counter the modern antitank missiles such as the TOW and Milan. The full-size boxes were filled with alternating layers of aluminum, rubber, and other materials designed to detonate rounds before they impacted the vehicle's armor. Peter started by correcting some minor inaccuracies with the hull and scratch-built the supports tor the armor boxes with Evergreen styrene. He added the armor boxes to the hull and replaced the kit's turret with the one provided in the Verlinden set. Once construction was complete, Peter pre-shaded the model using Model Master burnt umber, followed by a coat of Tamiya buff (XF-57) mixed with desert sand (XF-59). A lighter, thinned base coat went on the top surfaces to simulate sun-bleached paint. The model was washed with artist's oil paint and dry-brushed with Humbrol desert sand and white. He "chipped" the armor by dotting dark green paint onto high-traffic areas of the model.

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FineScale Modeler 11 2006

When Franks Las Vegas vacation plans fell through in 2001, he decided to take a gamble on building a full-option 1/16 scale Tamiya Tiger I. Not happy with the basic kit, Frank added Aber's photoetched detail set (No. ABB16K01) and bought every Tiger reference book he could find. He even sought the advice and guidance of Otto Carius, famed German "Tiger Ace" from World War II. He coined the project his "ultimate Tiger" and spent more than 530 hours building the model over a seven-month period. Frank's model is remote-controlled, so he had to combine the functional aspects of the tank with the super-detailed qualities of a static model. Although it sounds easy, Frank says making the functional tracks and suspension look realistic, yet stand up to remote control operation, wasn't an easy task. Each of the seams on the model was detailed with a soldering iron to simulate the rough appearance of welding, and minor battle damage was added with a dental burr and motor tool. Since Frank was modeling a specific Tiger, number 314 of Schwere Panzer Abietlung 502, he referenced the photos of the actual tank. Tiger 314 had its Feifel air cleaners removed, so Frank altered the rear engine deck to depict this change.

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