Armies cannot conduct military operations without supplies; the German Army had no problems with their supply trucks in the European areas, but found their trucks useless during the Russian spring and autumn “mud” period on the Eastern Front. A quick solution was to equip the rear wheel drive trucks with a tracked running gear. The 3 ton truck was the most widely used in the German Army, so these would be the basis for the fabrication. Four different tracked trucks were built: Opel, Ford, Klockner-Humboldt, and a heavy 4.5 ton truck by Mercedes-Benz. The official designation was Gleisketten-Lastkraftwagen or more often seen as Gleisketten-LKW offen (tracked lorry open) Sd.Kfz 3. The troops referred to all of them as “Maultier,” or mule in German, as it excelled in moving through mud – slow but steady.

Decals

The decals are silk screen printed, waterslide, and look stunning. Depth of colors, registration, and definition appear perfect. The carrier film is minimal and follows the outline of the national markings, letters, and aircraft serial numbers. There should be no need to use the kit decals with this set, as all the markings and stencils and included. There are only enough stencils to finish one model, though.

Instructions

Eight A4 double-sided pages make up the instructions. The instructions have the true depth of reference material that can be preserved in the modeler’s library once the kit is finished and decals applied.

Information contained within the instructions/reference pages include:

History

The development of a Chinese all-weather interceptor began in 1964 and resulted in the first Chinese-designed and built jet fighter. The prototype took its maiden flight in 1969, but the J-8 was not produced until 1979 and entered service in 1980. Its basic configuration resembles an enlargement of the delta-wing of the J-7, with two turbojet engines and a maximum speed of Mach 2.2.