Description and History

Quoting from Dragon’s web site product description:

“The 5.6-ton K18 was of 10.5cm caliber, and was based on the high-speed towing carriage of the s.FH.18. Designed to be a long-range medium artillery piece, it was the standard weapon in medium artillery battalions. The gun had a range of 20,850 yards, and it remained in service throughout the war. A crew of ten operated this howitzer that was first introduced in 1934”

In the Box

This kit has approximately 231 styrene parts - approximately 228 parts on seven gray sprues and three parts on a clear sprue. Also in the kit are 2 etched brass parts, 2 etched nickel parts, 2 brass-tubing parts, 1 decal sheet and one turned aluminum barrel with rifling. There are 8 pages of instructions with 12 steps and painting guides for 3 schemes.

INTRODUCTION

The Spitfire Mk. I and Messerschmitt Bf-109E-4 need no introduction to modelers of any age, so I’ll dispense with the historical background. It is only necessary to comment that these aircraft could have been adversaries, as they were both used during the Battle of Britain in 1940. I would assume that these kits were reissued for limited experience modelers, as most of us have built these kits for years.

Spitfire Mk. I

I had the day off from work and had some time to spend with the Grex Tritium TG3 airbrush I recently purchased. The basic kit included the TG3 gravity-feed airbrush, three interchangeable paint cups - 2ml, 7ml, and 15ml, one needle and one crown cap. The caps are magnetized for easy on/off switch outs. The magnetic, spare needle crown cap sticks to the back of the rear handle cap - NICE feature. A tool/wrench is also included for switching out the caps and general disassembly. The total weight of the unit is 6.4oz.

The airbrush comes preset from Grex. To assist with consistent line widths, the Tritium has a Pre-set knob at the back of the airbrush. Turning it clock-wise limits the trigger and how much amount of paint sprayed. Completely turning it clock-wise will stop the trigger entirely and lock it shut. Turning it counter-clockwise, allows for more/unlimited paint and trigger extension. Turning in completely counter-clockwise allows unlimited trigger control.