Military in Scale 02 2004

There are two excellent 1/35 scale kits available that could be used as a basis for this project. Dragon/DML/Revell offer the Panzer III J kit - originally a Gunze Sangyo hi-tech kit - in a variety of boxes. Alternatively, Tamiya released a newly tooled kit of the Panzer III L a few years ago - far better than their original 1970s Panzer III. I had a Tamiya example available so that's what I used. I started by constructing the lower hull, following the kit instructions. I left off the splash-guard around the turret ring and the spaced armour in front of the driver's/gunner's compartment. I also omitted the small domed access plate from the lower rear hull - actually I glued it on without thinking and had to remove it later!). Although there are a vast array of after-market accessories available for the Panzer III. the Tamiya kit doesn't really need much extra detailing. I purchased and used a set of exhaust grilles from Czech company, Elefant. The only piece of surgery I attempted was to open up one of the side escape hatches. Later Panzer IIIs were built without the hatches, so if you don't want to do this, you can either leave them off entirely or glue them closed.

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Military in Scale 04 2004

This vehicle was a field modification of the standard Daimler armoured car. It was a beast peculiar to the Inns of Court Regiment. In 1941 this unit was converted into an armoured car regiment and. after the invasion of Normandy, it was allocated to 1st Corps. As with most armoured car regiments its parent formation changed frequently and the Inns of Court Regiment served with the 15th Div., 43rd Div. and 11th Div. The role of any reconnaissance unit was an extremely hazardous one. All too often German troops would only reveal themselves when they opened fire on the reconnoitering armoured vehicle. In such circumstances British armoured reconnaissance crews considered speed, mobility and the fact that your vehicle presented a small target, to be cardinal virtues far more important than firepower. As a result. British troops equipped with M3 and M3A3 light tanks took to removing the turrets from their vehicles, the resulting AFV was known as a 4sawn off. The Inns of Court Regiment took up this idea and so a unique British AFV came into being, the Daimler SOD - Sawn Off Daimler. In addition to taking off the turret, the front mudguards were also removed.

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Military in Scale 07 2004

The German Army's experiences of urban combat in Russia, particularly the fighting for the cities of Leningrad and Stalingrad, led to a request for an armoured vehicle with a gun large enough to destroy enemy strongpoints. Russian soldiers could turn office blocks and factories into solid fortresses at which the available artillery weapons could only chip away bit by bit. Infantry weapons could make no impression at all. Several projects were proposed, one being the Rammtiger which, as its name suggests, would simply demolish buildings by driving into them. This idea was dropped almost immediately. The Infantry's initial request had been for a vehicle mounting a 12 cm gun capable of high angled fire. But as no suitable gun of that calibre was available a 38 cm rocket projector, which had been developed as an anti-submarine weapon, was adopted. Manufactured by Rheinmetall Bohrsig at their Dusseldorf works, the Raketenwerfer 61 could hurl a 761 pound rocket to a maximum range of 6,179 yards - although much shorter combat ranges were envisaged. The projectile or Raketen Sprenggranate 4581 was merely an enlarged version of the rockets already in service with the Army's Nebelwerfer units.

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Flames of War - The World War II Miniatures Game

As dusk falls, Corporal John Delancy's Valentine tank rumbles into camp. Last in, it parks next to the rest of C Squadron. As the engine stops, the crew climb out. Over the lick-tick of the cooling engine, Delaney hears the squeal of tracks. "That's odd," he notes, "I thought we were rear-guard." The latecomers loom in the darkness. From the Valentine's turret, Malloy, the gunner, watches. "Hey Corp," he calls, "I don't think they're ours..." His words interrupted by brilliant muzzle flashes as the advancing German Panzers open fire. A neighbouring tank, hit broadside, explodes with a deafening roar, the turret spinning through the air. The Valentine's engine grinds back to life as Malloy slams the breech closed on a two-pound armour-piercing shot. Delaney scrambles back into the turret, breathless. "Traverse left! Target, ten yards! Fire!" Delaney orders. Another explosion rocks the tank as the two-pounder gun barks, tearing off the lead Panzer's track, slewing it around. "Holy Mother of God," mutters Malloy. swinging the gun back on target. The second shot hits square, punches clean through the thin side armour, shooting a pillar of flame from the Panzer's hatch. At this range, the two-pounder is more than a match for any Panzer.

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FineScale Modeler 12 2003

Modeling projects sometimes have long gestation periods, but Tom Faiths Bedford QL gun portee may hold a record. He first encountered the old Peerless kit in a modeling magazine review in the late 1970s. Although the reviewer said the kit was difficult to build, Tom was fascinated by the high profile of the truck and the detailing opportunities offered by the large, open bed. He acquired one of the kits and left it on a shelf - for 20 years. The 1/35 scale Peerless kit was one of the few plastic models of any Bedford truck. Manufactured by Vauxhall Motors (a division of General Motors since the 1920s), the full-size vehicles were hardly glamorous, but they served in a variety of workhorse roles for the British army from World War II until the 1980s. The "gun portee" (carrier) variant of the WWII-era QL truck was a stopgap antitank gun transporter used in North Africa. By the late-1990s, Toms modeling skills had advanced, and he was ready to tackle the Bedford. In the end, he used the kit mostly as a set of templates; the only original Peerless parts in the finished model are the frame and the wheels! Tom replaced everything else with scratchbuilt parts made from brass and styrene stock.

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FineScale Modeler 02 2003

Navy aircraft deployed at sea take an absolute beating. Jet exhausts, catapult launches, arrested landings, and corrosion-control maintenance make a jet look as though it has been through a 10-round heavyweight fight by the time it returns to shore. Rarely, if ever, do jets get a fresh coat of paint while out on "the boat." Instead, maintenance crews touch up areas where paint has been chipped or worn off, and sometimes they might not use the correct matching color. This creates a blotchy appearance over the entire aircraft. Add dirt and grime that accumulates during carrier operations, and it turns into a real mess. I've tried several different ways to recreate this look and have finally found a method I like. Its a multistep process, but it isn't difficult. Follow along as I dirty up my 1/48 scale Academy Tomcat.

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