The M706 Commando was used in Vietnam mainly for convoy protection. They had a bit more protection than the makeshift gun trucks the troops had been converting with 2 .30 caliber machine guns in a turret. They sometimes had other guns mounted on them to supplement their firepower.

TRUMPETER has released several different versions of the Commando in 72^nd scale and Hobby Boss has done several in 1/35^th scale. In fact, the box art for this kit is actually a build-up of the Hobby Boss kit and shows more details than what comes in the box. But let’s take a look at what is inside.

Ever since the German war machine occupied the Crimea in 1942, Hitler had been obsessed with the peninsula. In his eyes, the Crimea was the gateway to the Black Sea and the Romanian oilfields, on which his armies depended, and which were within distance of Crimean airbases. Hitler often referred to the Crimea as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier,” and for that reason, he said it was imperative to hold on to the peninsula at all costs

The Crimean Campaign was fought by German and Romanian forces as a part of Operation Barbarossa in late September 1941. While most Soviet forces were defeated, the Siege of Sevastopol lasted until early July 1942. The German 17^th Army garrisoned Crimea with assistance from Romanian troops until the 4^th Ukrainian Front recaptured Crimea beginning in November 1943 and ending in May 1944.

ICM continues to be prolific with both kits and paint sets. The Acrylic Paint Set for Special Forces is no exception and consists of six 12ml paint bottles that are surprisingly not dropper-top style but are rather wide-mouthed. These paints are designed to be used with the following ICM kits (16101 – S.W.A.T. Team Leader; 16102 – IDF K-9 Unitz “OKETZ”; and 16103 – Delta Force Fighter, Mogadishu, 1993). The colors include:

• Black (No. 1002)
• Buff (No. 1032)
• Green Ochre (No. 1059)
• Camouflage Green (No. 1071)
• Tan Earth (No. 1058)
• Dark Blue (No. 1077)

Painting instructions are on the side of the packaging, stating