Military in Scale 09 1994

I first saw this model when it was shown at Euro Militaire and was highly impressed by the attention to detail and quality of the model, since then the company that actually produced the kit has gone through a few changes and the Tiger 1 Transport Railcar is now manufactured by The Tank Workshop from the U.S.A. The 1/35 scale resin kit does not include the Tiger 1 nor does it include the transport tracks that were shown on the display model, but research into the use of the this type of railcar revealed that it was common practice to transport Tigers with their full width combat tracks still fitted when the routes did not involve passing likely obstructions such as tunnels and bridges. With this in mind I built one of the Tamiya Late Tiger 1 models straight from the box, adding just the Zimmerit anti magnetic coating and Milliput covers for the main gun and the hull mounted machine gun. The quality of the resin castings is very good, no air bubbles to speak of and holding an extremely fine level of detail. The parts were all warp free with the only criticism I could really level at the castings being the size of some of the pouring blocks. On some of the components these were a bit too big for my liking and took a long time to remove. Some were able to be removed using a razor saw whilst others could not and needed to be sanded down. Other components were produced in such a way and with such attention to detail that hardly any cleaning up was necessary.

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Model Magazine International 08-09 2003

The word 'Humvee' is on the way to become a generic name, rather like its predecessor, the WW2 Jeep. Both words are adapted from abbreviations - GP (General Purpose) for the Jeep, and much less catchy HMMWV (High Mobility Wheeled Vehicle) for the Humvee. The civilian version sold by AM General is called Hummer, perhaps a little easier to pronounce! The Humvee entered service with the US Army in 1985, and has seen extensive use in action around the globe since then, including both Gulf Wars and the Balkans - true tests of the vehicle's abilities. Many versions have been manufactured, from basic troop/cargo carriers to specialist adaptations such as the anti-tank M966 TOW launcher and Avenger antiaircraft system. Tamiya have offered a Humvee in the Military Miniatures Series, the M242 with Bushmaster cannon, but this was basically the Italeri kit with modifications, and was showing its age a little. Now we have a completely new kit of the Humvee, and a different version in the form of the M1025 armament carrier. The model is broken down into the main structural components rather like the real thing, with individual ladder chassis, suspension, body tub, hood and roof. No engine is included, so in the style of Tamiya's 1:24 cars we have sump and gearbox detail visible from below, plus a radiator that can be seen from above, but nothing in between. This undoubtedly keeps the kit price down, but it would have been nice to have a powerplant in the style of the Jeep and GMC truck. I am sure that aftermarket producers will follow up with a resin engine fairly soon.

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FineScale Modeler 1998 09

The instructions include a brief history, 14 assembly steps, and a Tamiya color list. One problem here: The top color is described as USAF light gray; it should be Light Gull Gray (FS 36440). Parts fit is excellent - sometimes even too snug. The main part of the fuselage is split horizontally with the upper and lower wing panels, while the forward fuselage is split vertically. This seam inside the small vent on top of the turtle deck behind the canopy is difficult to fill. followed the instruction assembly sequence, but left off the stores, landing gear, and canopy until all the painting and decaling were done. The directions to paint gunmetal on the turbine fan on the front of part A33 in step 5 comes too late, as you've already painted that part white in step 4 - a reminder to study the plans carefully before beginning. It you choose to told the wings and raise the slats, you must cut a few tabs from the wings. The tail-bumper wheel can be posed down to keep the model on its nose gear.

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Model Magazine International 10-11 2003

The Olive Green camouflage colour was chipped first with the Sand colour, then with the Russian Green. Some of the Sand coloured chips have Russian Green chips underneath them. All of the chips & scratches were applied to heavy use areas using a very fine brush. The final chip colour was a dark Rust colour, which was applied just on the corners & edges of parts. This process was very tedious and time consuming, but necessary for realism. Now the model was very dynamic with colour, but still not quite realistic to me. The final weathering step was to make it dirty. The Egyptians used their SA-6 in a desert environment, and they used it heavily during the war. When the missile fired, it kicked-up an enormous amount of dust. When the vehicle drove at speed, it also kicked-up lots of dust. So I added lots of dust! This was done by first airbrushing a very thin layer mixed from Tamiya Buff & Desert Yellow overall. concentrating more on the lower areas around the wheels & tracks, and also the rear plate. At first this frightened me because it removed the harsh richness of the colours I worked so hard to apply before. Later, after looking at it for an hour or so, I got adjusted to the appearance. Finally I added more concentrated dust to the corners & recesses along the upper surfaces. This was done by mixing MIG Productions pigment colours until I found the shade I was looking for, then mixing it with some water. I brushed this 'wash' into the areas that I needed concentrated dust. In less than an hour all dust was dry. Naturally some dust was deposited in undesirable places, but it was easily blended out with a clean, dry brush. Finally, a few heavy use areas were lightly rubbed with graphite to bring a polished steel effect. As the SA-6 was a new vehicle in Egyptian service, I tried not to overdo this.

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