Packaging

Master Box’s 1/72 Mk I “Female” British tank with Gaza Modifications comes in a heavy card stock box that opens at either end. Inside is a resalable plastic bag holding the four plastic sprues, one flexible rubbery sprue (tracks), and a small plastic envelope for the decal sheet. The plastic sprues have about 60 parts, but about a quarter of them are reserved for a different variant of the tank.

The front of the box shows an example of the prototype in a Middle Eastern setting. The back has a four-view illustration that also doubles as a painting guide. Two colors are called out, Vallejo 988 Khaki for the main section of the tank and a mixture of gunmetal and black for the tracks.

Part 2: Painting the Interior

This build has not completely stalled, despite the long hiatus since the last update.

I have been working on the painting of the interior and undercarriage and I have done some research as to what colors to use. The passenger cabin was left in natural wood color (mahogany maybe) with some varnish to protect the wood. The driver position was most likely painted wood, in different versions of tan and sand color, but perhaps it was natural wood color in some examples.

As the model features a full interior (which is very exposed due to the large windows), you will have to remove and prepare all the parts, ensuring proper dry fitting of them before you can paint and glue them.

Caracal Models is an Austin, Texas based firm that offers high-quality decals and detail parts for scale modelers. Their subjects include a variety of military aircraft from post-World War II to the present. I have purchased several of their decals sets on my own, and their offerings are typically well-researched and interesting subjects not usually addressed by other manufacturers. The usual 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scales are well represented. Shipping/mailing to US customers is free. If there is a subject that is not currently covered you would like to see done, visit their website at www.caracalmodels.com, and drop them a line via email or snail mail, and while you’re there, sign up for their email list to be notified of new issues. Ordering can be done on site via Paypal, or through various on line hobby suppliers and select local hobby shops. Those of us in Texas cough up an additional 8.25% for maintaining the Republic.