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Cover

Sd. Kfz. 8 DB 10 (Prototype) "Lufcik"
Review Author
Greg Perry
Published on
Company
GPM
Scale
1/50
MSRP
$4.50

I like halftracks, especially German ones. I especially like the Sd. Kfz. 7, 8 and 9’s. I have plastic kits of the 7 and 9. I have none for an 8. A quick search of the internet shows no plastic versions and only one resin model in 1:72 scale. That makes this paper kit the only other choice at this time, and what a choice it is! The kit depicts a prototype version that sunk in a river in Poland. The 1:1 vehicle was recovered from the river in 1999 and restoration was completed in 2005. It is currently on display in Poland. Additional information can be found at www.skansenpilicy.pl where a more detailed history and restoration description are available.

Fine Molds Ship Machine Guns

Ship Accessory Set Type 93 13mm Machine Guns

Review Author
Bill Kluge
Published on
Company
Fine Molds
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$17.00

Fine Molds continues their series of finely detailed ship accessories with this weapons set of small caliber anti-aircraft guns. The 13mm gun, which was based on a Hotchkiss design and originally imported from France, was one of the two primary light automatic AA guns used on IJN warships (the other being the 25mm Type 96).

This boxing includes two each of two different sets of weapons. Fret A contains two twin 13mm guns and two pedestals for them, along with one each single mounted Vickers machine gun and one single mounted Lewis machine gun. Fret B contains one single quad 13mm unit and one mount, plus four single mount 13mm guns. In total, the box includes two quad mount 13mm, four twin 13s, eight single 13s and two each of the Vickers and Lewis guns. All of the parts are exceptionally well molded with extremely fine detail. There’s practically no flash on any of these tiny parts.

Decal Instructions

B-26 Marauder Decals
Review Author
Dan Mackay
Published on
Company
Iliad Design
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$12.00

I have a few Airfix and Hasegawa Marauders is my stash. I am always looking for eye-catching decal options in addition to the supplied kit options. Superscale have issued decal sheets featuring the B-26 in the past, many of which are no longer in available. Even with these decal sheets the Marauder has not been served well in 1/72 scale and the schemes are sometimes boring. Iliad design usually produce decals sheets for more exotic types in 1/48 scale, but recently they have been tapping into 1/72 scale market and one in their new range is a sheet featuring the B-26. Five options are included in the new decal sheet. They are:

Box Art

German Sd.Kfz. 251 Engine
Review Author
Fred Wilms
Published on
Company
Great Wall Hobby
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$14.99

Kit

The kit is made up of injection molded gray plastic parts. All the parts were numbered and bagged, matching the corresponding numbers on the assembly instructions located on the back of the box. The details were in excellent condition, with no defects. Minimal or no flashing on the details and a small sheet of brass etched details.

Box Art

StuG III Ausf.F
Review Author
Doug Halke
Published on
Company
Cyber-Hobby
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$32.99

History

With the German invasion of Russia in 1941, StuG.III crews experienced a very unnerving surprise when they discovered that their stubby KwK 37 L/24 75mm guns were no match for the numerous and heavily armored Soviet T-34 and KV tanks – except at uncomfortably short ranges.

The solution was to replace the short L/24 gun on the StuG.III Ausf.E platform with the longer barreled KwK 40 L/43 75mm gun. In doing so, the newly designated StuG.III Ausf.F became a truly effective dual-purpose infantry support and tank killing weapon.

First Look

Initially released in the early summer of 2009, this kit is the first in the Cyber-Hobby “Orange Box” series. The concept of this series is pretty simple: Package an older Dragon armor kit with a set of figures and one or two upgraded “add-on” items from their more recent releases and sell it at an affordable price, relative to the prices of new release kits.