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.

Mottling on model paint schemes is becoming more and more popular. The item for this review makes the project much easier than trying to do it freehand.

All models require different levels of paint layers to get that realistic look. Mottling has become one of the layers of a lighter color of the basecoat to get the color variance and depth. The stencils help paint in the weathered look. People have used various freehand airbrush techniques to break up the basecoat, whether it is shading within a panel’s lines or indiscriminate lines throughout the basecoat to get color depth.

This landing gear set by Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) is for the Kitty Hawk MH-60L Black Hawk kit, although it can be used on the Kitty Hawk HH-60G Pave Hawk as well. For this review I used the gear on the Pave Hawk version kit.

Kit Contents

The landing gear comes in SAC’s typical blister pack with some of the parts loose and some attached to a metal casting sprue. The kit includes 10 parts, six for the front and rear landing gear, and four for the weapons sponson supports that mount above the main gear on the Black Hawk. I did not use the supports for the Pave Hawk version.