Military Modelcraft International 05 2007

MMI has carried news reviews from this Company in the past but here again is a brief piece on one of their newest resin conversion kits. Now IMA has gone into the business of full kits and their first tracked vehicle is a kit is of the A30 Avenger 17pdr SPG that entered limited service with the British Army just after the Second World War and was to later see service with the Danish Army. The first thing to note is the cleanliness of parts, which for a Resin is quite amazing. The overall casting is supremely well done with moulding blocks being to an absolute minimum. This is especially apparent on the road wheels that require very little in the way of cleaning- a real bonus when there are 24 to do! The rest of the kit is very much akin to having a plastic kit, only in resin with 12 Bags of parts in grey resin, single piece lower hull with individual track guards, 2 part upper hull with all hatches being separate, 3 piece open topped turret, 2 lengths of plastic tube, 2 lengths of brass rod, turned aluminium gun barrel with brass muzzle brake, etched grills and a bag of supremely cast individual track links with no casting blocks! No decals are supplied but I have not been able find anything other than photographs taken at the factory and for this vehicle Archer Fine Transfers can be used for the Census Number.

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Verlinden Modeling Magazine Vol.7 No.4

The Ki-46 III (Allied nickname "Dinah") went into production by Mitsubishi in 1942 after testing and combat conditions revealed that a high-performance reconnaissance aircraft was needed. To counter the impending threat of the U.S. P-38F "Lightning" and F4U-1 "Corsair", two 1.500 hp Ha-112-II engines were utilized, with a top speed of 630 km/h at 6.000 meters and a ceiling of 10,000 meters. For the next three years, the "Dinah" was virtually untouchable over the Pacific, until Allied technology was finally able to intercept this incredibly swift airplane. In the scene depicted here, two Japanese ground crewmen pause for a snack of coconuts in the Pacific heat. The central element is Tamiya's latest offering, a beautiful rendition of the 1/48 scale "Dinah." The base was cut from marine styro-foam with a thin layer of spackle covered with sand. Testor Modern Desert Sand (#1963) was used as the base color, drybrushed with Humbrol 33 Matte White. VP's Barrels & Crates (0085). Palm Trees (0078). and Static Grass finished off the base. The model was built completely straight from the box. It is very well engineered and fits perfectly, requiring no putty.

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Verlinden Modeling Magazine Vol.7 No.3

The main engine for the early Sherman models M4 and M4A1 was the Wright Continental R 975. which was a nine-cylinder radial four-stroke, air-cooled petrol engine of the aircraft variety. Tamiya's latest Early M4 Sherman made a perfect base for VP to develop a full engine and compartment. The Wright R 975 engine is separately available as 1095; with the full engine compartment the stock number is 1120. The engine builds into a very nice, highly detailed replica of the real thing, it can be displayed on a stand next to the tank or can be used in workshop dioramas. The compartment contains the front firewall and sidewalls. engine shroud, exhaust, and air pipes as well as the fire extinguisher nozzles. All resin parts should be carefully removed from their casting carriers and cleaned up with sandpaper and Scotch-Brite. Parts are then test fitted into the Tamiya lower hull. Just a bit of superglue must be used on test fitting to enable the builder to disassemble parts for easy painting afterwards. Next the Tamiya kit was built according to the instructions. Lower and upper hull should be kept separate to allow engine compartment installation after painting. Extra detail parts include light guards (VP 0204). antenna mount (VP 0187). and .50 calibre machine gun (VP 0372).

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Verlinden Modeling Magazine Vol.7 No.2

By August 1944 the Chief of Development of the Ministry of Aviation - Oberst Knemayer -was asked to come up with a solution to counter Allied bombing raids, which were at that time virtually bombing the Reich out of existence. What was needed was something cheap, fast, well-armed, and deadly for ending the Allied air supremacy over Germany. A difficult demand, but Knemayer went to work. The result was the Bachem 8-349 Al "Natter". The small, easy-to-build aircraft was launched vertically from its pad straight into the incoming Allied bombers. The pilot then fired the 24 73mm rockets into the Allied formation, glided away with a speed of almost 300 km/h, and landed safely with a parachute. At least, that was the general idea. The single manned flight resulted in the death of the pilot. Due to the increasing and overwhelming bombing and strafing by Allied airplanes (who shot at everything visible), by the war's end most manufacturing, repair, and maintenance on military equipment was carried out in caves or under the cover of trees. This small 1:48 diorama shows a Natter workshop hurriedly abandoned during the Allied advance on Germany in 1945. A group of USAAF pilots and mechanics are investigating with gr^at interest their bizarre war prize.

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