Model Railroader 12 2009

Unit trains made up entirely of coal gondolas must be arranged with all of their rotary coupler ends facing the same direction for delivery to a rotary dumper. The rotary coupler ends are generally facing forward and coupled to the locomotive on loaded trains. In this manner, everything remains coupled and the dumping rotation occurs with the couplers aligned at the pivot point. Every pair of couplers must include a rotary coupler to pass through the dumper. If a car is reversed, two normal couplers will be together and the rotation will damage both cars. Even so, most of today's rotary car dumpers are sized to empty two cars at a time. Occasionally, a unit train car must be set out for repairs. It'll normally be picked up on the return trip of the car's original consist to maintain the proper car count. Since these trains often pass through a reverse loop at the dumper or the mine, occasionally cars end up facing the wrong way. However, the conductor delivering the loaded train is responsible for making sure all of its cars are oriented properly. Any odd ones are usually turned on a wye before the train leaves the yard.

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FineScale Modeler 03 1994

WITH THE GENERAL SUCCESS of the Tiger tank it might be difficult to understand why the German army wanted an even heavier weapon. Nevertheless, design work on the Porsche Type 205 "Maus" (mouse) began in the summer of 1942, and two prototypes were completed and tested. The Maus was massive. It weighed 188 tons and was fitted with a 128 mm gun - compare that to the 88 mm weapon of the Tiger! It is possible that the prototypes saw combat against the Red army; they were eventually captured by the Russians. A restored Maus is on display in the Kublinka collection, and that vehicle is the basis for this kit. The kit features excellent moldings. Everything went together without a hitch and all the parts fit perfectly. The well-illustrated instructions show each piece with the right viewing angle needed to align the parts. Decals include numerals, German crosses, and kill markings. The most difficult aspect of construction is the track. There are many three-link pieces that go together along the straight sections above and below the wheels, plus dozens of individual upper and lower link halves that go around the drive and idler wheels. When I realized that much of the track would be hidden behind the side armor skirts, I left those sections off, saving hours of work.

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Verlinden Modeling Magazine Vol.4 No.3

The Tamiya Stuart is now an old kit. But in the Tamiya tradition of quality, it is still a better kit than some of their competitors' new releases. It's amazing that some people never realize that quality isn't just a nice thing, it's the only thing! The VP team thought it deserved some new versions and released 2 conversion sets for that purpose. VP set No.723 contains the M3 Hex turret, early drivers vision ports, jettisonable fuel tanks and new air cleaners. The second kit, No. 725, converts the Tamiya model into a British M3 "Honey" during the North Africa campaign. It contains the same parts as 723 except the fuel tanks but. in addition. British style stowage boxes, water cans and a photo-etched sheet of track guards, water can rack and other small details. This last conversion is the subject of this simple but effective diorama, depicting the "Honey" stranded in the desert perhaps out of fuel or by mechanical failure and being inspected by an Afrika Korps recce group. An Italeri Kubelwagen, VP Afrika Korps figures, 37mm ammo, rucksacks, bedrolls, tentpacks, various small pieces of equipment, barbed wire and a small simple base are the components of this scene. This diorama is a perfect example of the tremendous potential of a good older kit given a new lease on life when combined with new conversion kits, figures and accessories.

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Super Model 2009-03

Jeżeli spojrzymy tylko na dane techniczne, to Char B1-bis powinien podczas działań przeciwko Panzerwaffe w roku 1940 być królem pól bitewnych. Doskonale uzbrojony w działo 75 mm umieszczone w kadłubie oraz działo 47 mm w obrotowej wieżyczce, jak również w dwa karabiny maszynowe, miał opancerzenie sięgające 60 mm i potężny trzystukonny silnik. Niestety nie zawsze cyfry są najlepszym wykładnikiem możliwości technicznych i tak też było i w tym przypadku. Bardzo wolny, ze skomplikowaną trakcją oraz źle zaprojektowanym uzbrojeniem, które ze względu na ciasnotę i kadłuba, i wieżyczki praktycznie było nie do użycia, a dodatkowo wciśnięty w przestarzałą koncepcję francuskich pancerniaków, w której to dowódca miał za zadanie celowanie głównym działem, nie mógł spełnić pokładanych w nim nadziei. Niewielka ilość, około 300 wozów zmontowanych w tej wersji, świadczyła też o niedużej wydolności przemysłu zbrojeniowego. Niemcy po zdobyciu dużej ilości tych czołgów po kampanii francuskiej tylko częściowo wykorzystali go jako sprzęt drugoliniowy i szkoleniowy. Na szczęście dla nas modelarzy zalety, które klasyfikują pojazdy, nie są takie same, jakimi kierują się ich użytkownicy, więc nieudane maszyny mają szansę zdobyć mimo wszystko nasze uznanie. Czy to ze względu na swoją urodę (czasami względną), czy to ze względu na swoje malowania. Char B1 bis należy właśnie do tej grupy modeli.

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