This is Model Art Magazine’s special quarterly issue that focuses on naval subjects. As with the regular Model Art Magazine this is printed in Japanese with some English subtitles.

The feature article in the Autumn 2014 Vessel Model Special is on the IJN Battleship "Ise and "Hyuga". The article uses period photos and models to show the changes made to these battleships during the course of their life. If you are not familiar with either of these ships, the changes that were made was the inclusion of a flight deck to the rear of the ships. Included are several build articles and one scratch built 1/96 IJN Battleship Ise.

Tamiya has issued another kit in their ongoing 1/48th scale military vehicle series, this time a variation on a previous kit, their Krupp Protze 6x4 troop carrier. The new kit is an artillery towing version of the Protze, along with a brand new tool 3.7 cm Pak 35/36 wheeled anti tank gun. As with all the models in this 1/48th series, the new kit is designed for a quick build due to its relatively low parts count, and superb fit of the all-plastic components. Unfortunately there are some ejection pin marks in hard to remove areas, such as the clear windshield, and the backs of the 3.7cm anti tank gun wheels, and the gun’s shield. Tamiya is falling behind their competitor’s in this area, I am afraid.

Overview

The SU-152 was a large caliber self propelled assault gun base on the KV heavy tank chassis, designed to provide mobile artillery support for mechanized units to replace the antiquated and slow moving towed artillery that Soviet forces fielded at the start of the Second World War. The pilot vehicle was designed in just 25 days, and the SU-152 entered production at the Chelyabinsk tank factory in January 1943. The vehicle proved not only to be an excellent assault gun, but was also capable of destroying the German Tiger 1 and Panther tanks at long range, gaining the SU-152 the nickname among Soviet troops of “Zveroboy” or “Beast Killer”. Production of the SU-152 ended in December 1943 in favor of the ISU-152, which was based on the IS-2 tank chassis.