Andrew Birkbeck
Reviews By Author
|
Ford Fiesta RS WRCPublished:
I must admit to being a huge WRC (World Rally Championship) fan. Like the Formula 1 World Series, the WRC races take place in different countries around the world each season. Races alternate between various surfaces: tarmac, gravel, dirt, snow/ice, and often multiple surfaces within the same race. The racers consist of two person crews, driver and navigator/co-driver, representing either a “works” team or being an “independent”. With the occasional exception, the top three finishers in each race come from the “works” teams, as due to the big money behind such teams, they are able to afford the most advanced cars, the top driver talent, and the highly trained and disciplined mechanics necessary to sustain a car over the course of an individual race and the entire season. For the past… more |
|
Panzerfahre Gepanzerte Landwasserschlepper Prototype Nr. 1Published:
According to Dragon Model’s web site, this model represents “a vehicle whose main function was combat supply on land and in water. It could tow an amphibious trailer, or alternatively it could work in tandem with another Panzerfahre as a floating ferry platform capable of carrying a 24-ton load.” However, other than the prototypes, no other vehicles were manufactured. Yet we get a lovely injection-molded kit of this weird vehicle!! The Golden Age of Modeling, indeed! The KitThanks to the fact that this vehicle was basically a floating box, there aren’t many parts to it: just over 90, the largest by far being the upper and lower hull parts, D & Z. The majority of the remainder is for the Panzer IV-based road wheels, drive sprockets, and idler wheels, and the track… more |
|
Hungarian Light Tank 38M Toldi II (B40)Published:
A Brief HistoryHad someone come to me even 5 years ago and said that in the near future, we modelers would be seeing kits of relatively obscure WW2 Hungarian tanks on the market from main stream injection manufacturers, I would have asked him what happy juice he’d been drinking. I would have demanded to be given a glass! We are, indeed, living in a Gold Age of modeling! The 38M Toldi light tank was derived from the Swedish Stridsvagn L-60, produced in Hungary by the Hungarian Weiss Company under a licensing agreement from AB Lansverk. Three versions of the 38M Toldi were produced, with total production reaching 202 vehicles from 1939 to 1942. The tanks were first used by the Hungarian Army during fighting against Yugoslavian forces in 1941, and later saw action… more |
|
Flakpanzer IV Mobelwagen (w/Flak 43)Published:
Since man’s first coordinated attempts to go airborne for the purposes of warfare (balloons used for artillery spotting in the Franco/Prussian War of 1871), opponents have speedily attempted to counter the aerial threat with ground based anti-aircraft weapons. And when the pace of war sped up, so the need for mobile AA weapons increased. During the opening phases of WW2, German ground forces enjoyed air superiority, and the need for mobile AA equipment was not a high priority. But by 1943, it became clear to German commanders that mobile AA weapons to keep pace with and offer protection for their mechanized units were required. Two existing tank chassis were used to provide the bulk of the Flakpanzer weapons, those being from the Panzer 38t and the Panzer IV vehicle series. The first… more |
|
RSO/01 Type 470Published:
It has been 35 years since a Japanese firm named Peerless released their 1/35th scale kit of the Raupenschlepper Ost (RSO), a fully tracked vehicle designed to help deal with the thick mud of the Eastern Front’s “roads” which eventually turned to slippery, icy mud with the coming of winter. The Peerless kit (Peerless/Max in North America) molds eventually found their way to Italeri, where they soldier on to the present day. This kit of the RSO/01 is Dragon Models’ second release in a series of RSO vehicles, this kit being a standard cargo version. It is a state-of-the-art kit that surpasses the Peerless/Italeri kit in every category. Dragon’s kit is laden with parts, over 320 on ten sprues, plus a bag of 144 Magic Tracks, and an additional 2 frets of brass photo etched… more |
|
Japanese Tank CrewPublished:
One of my 2012 New Year’s resolutions was to build and paint a figure to go with each of my 1/35th scale armor models, thus providing a scale reference with which the casual viewer could judge the actual size of the armor model. So, when IPMS/USA offered up this set of Japanese tank crewmen for review, I jumped at the opportunity to build my first plastic figures. However, I chickened out on actually trying to paint the figures, fearing that my very first painting job would do the figures a disservice. Instead I built the figures straight from the box, primed them in a light gray primer, and then gave them a wash of dark brown oil paint to pick out the details. This MiniArt set comprises five WW2 Japanese figures in various animated poses. Japanese figures are rarely produced by… more |
|
French EBR-10 Wheeled Reconnaissance VehiclePublished:
If ever there was proof that we are currently in a “gold age of modeling,” it is the release of models such as the one under review today. While produced in fairly large numbers (1200+), this French post-WW2 wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicle didn’t see widespread use outside the French Army. As far as I can determine, the only other military units to employ this vehicle were the Armed Forces of Portugal. Yet, despite this, here we have a state-of-the-art injection molded plastic kit of the subject! Hobby Boss’ (Panhard) EBR-10 kit consists of over 330 well-detailed injection-molded plastic parts, contained on 10 tan colored sprues of various sizes. Along with the plastic parts come 8 “rubber” tires, a fret of photo etched brass parts, a small sheet of decals, and a 12-page… more |
|
Sherman Basics: Basic Markings for Sherman TanksPublished:
Over the years, I have discovered there are four ways to apply the required markings to my military models: first, and most obviously, the water slide decals that come in almost every commercially available model kit; second, one can, of course, hand paint one’s own markings, provided you have the high degree of skill this requires; third, there are various forms of masks – photo etched versions or various forms of tape masks; and finally, there are dry rub transfers, the subject of this review. Each type of marking has pros and cons. The pros of water slide markings are that the kits you have purchased come with a selection of markings right in the box, and the modeler also has a decent range of generic aftermarket markings, and often vehicle specific markings. Water slide… more |
|
British Infantry Tank Mk.IIA Matilda Mk.III/IVPublished:
A few years ago, Tamiya released an all new 1/35th scale version of the Matilda Mk.III/IV, having produced an earlier kit of this venerable British tank back in the 1970’s. Those who build in 1/48th scale hoped that eventually Tamiya would downsize their new 35th kit and allow the modeler to have an alternative to the 35-year old Bandai 48th scale Matilda, which was selling on the collectors circuit for upwards of $100. Tamiya has kindly obliged! The kit comes molded in Tamiya’s standard tan colored plastic, and the quality of the parts is night vs. day compared with the old Bandai kit. In all areas, the detailing on the Tamiya kit is crisper and more refined than the old Bandai version. Of particular note are Tamiya’s now standard “link and length” tracks, a true godsend… more |
|
The Churchill Tank: A Visual History, Part Two - Churchill Based VehiclesPublished:
This is the second volume in Ampersand Publishing’s pictorial history of the Churchill heavy infantry tank. The first volume covered the gun tanks, while this second volume covers the non-gun tanks, such as flame throwers, bridge layers, flail, and armored engineering vehicles. It is thus broken down into the following chapters:
|