Kit

The 1/48 Eduard photo etch seatbelt kit contains one full-color photo etch tree containing five numbered parts with a total of 16 parts. The single-page instruction guide is easy to follow. Each of the three seats is clearly depicted with line drawings. Assembly of the seatbelts is nearly foolproof.  The right side for each seat is labeled A while the left side is labeled B. This consistency makes assembly of the seatbelts go quickly.

Reviewer’s Comments

Filling a void for the ICM DO 217N-1 kit for which no seatbelts or seatbelt decals are provided, Eduard has stepped up to provide an excellent photo etch set. Whether you are a builder who likes to add just that little bit extra or a detail hawk, this full-color photo etch is a real asset to this ICM kit.

The Flex-I-File “Touch-N-Flow” (Photo 1) is the ultimate capillary action gluing system. Nothing else I know can get cement into hard to reach spots with such accuracy. It enables a modeler to put solvent cement exactly where needed, with very little chance of missing the target and marring an outside surface.

The #7000 system is composed of three components (Photo 2): A bottle of thin Plast-I-Weld solvent cement, a squeeze bottle, and the Touch-N-Flow applicator, along with an instruction sheet The Touch-N-Flow is a thin glass tube with a very fine needle applicator at one end. The squeeze bottle is used to pull the thin solvent cement up into the tube. Once the cement is in the applicator, a touch of the end of the needle releases cement.

In this book, Number 17 in the TankCraft series, author David Grummitt, has provided many tools for the modeler and historian alike. The Table of Contents provides for the basic outline:

• American Tank Development during the Cold War
• Abrams Development and Technical Specifications
• The Cold War
• Camouflage and Markings
• Model Showcase
• Modelling Products
• First Gulf War
• Keeping the Peace
• Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Abrams Today
• Abrams in Foreign Service
• Further Reading

Richly illustrated with black and white and color photographs, color and black & white line drawings. The color side views provide a great visual guide for the modeler.

The early develop of the tank is traced clear back to the earliest of the Patton tanks (M48) through the M60 series of the Army and Marine Corps’ main battle tanks.