42 CM "Big Bertha" and German Siege Artillery of World War I

Published: April 4, 2014
Book Author(s): Marc Romanych & Martin Rupp
Company: Osprey Publishing

Introduction

From Osprey’s website:

In the early days of World War I, Germany unveiled a new weapon – the mobile 42cm (16.5 inch) M-Gerät howitzer. At the time, it was the largest artillery piece of its kind in the world and a closely guarded secret. When war broke out, two of the howitzers were rushed directly from the factory to Liege where they quickly destroyed two forts and compelled the fortress to surrender. After repeat performances at Namur, Maubeuge and Antwerp, German soldiers christened the howitzers ‘Grosse’ or ‘Dicke Berta’ (Fat or Big Bertha) after Bertha von Krupp, owner of the Krupp armament works that built the howitzers. The nickname was soon picked up by German press, which triumphed the 42cm howitzers as Wunderwaffe (wonder weapons… more

Auto Modeling Magazine, Volume 30, March 2014

Published: April 4, 2014
Company: Model Art

Background

Auto Modeling is a high quality Japanese language magazine from publisher ModelArt. Each edition features models of cars, mostly racecars, from various race series and eras. Many of the previous editions focused on Formula One cars in different time periods.

The magazine has Japanese text, but some of the titles and headings are in English. The photographs are numerous and very high quality.

Contents

This issue, Volume 30, March 2014, has the following sections:

• Feature section on GT race cars from the late 70’s to early 80’s
• Special Modeling – 1/12 model elf 5 motorcycle from Model Factory Hiro
• Book Reviews – Reviews in Japanese of German & English language books about race cars
• Ads &… more

AEC Mk.II Armoured Car, Part 2 - Chassis, Engine, & Exterior

Published: March 30, 2014
Company: MiniArt

Part 2 Review – Chassis, Engine, & Exterior

This is the second of a series of reviews of the MiniArt AEC Mk. II Armoured Car kit. Part 1 previously reviewed the kit contents and assembly of the driver’s compartment. This review includes the chassis, engine, and exterior. A subsequent review will include the turret and gun. Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) has generously provided the review sample to IPMS.

Introduction

This is an excellent, highly detailed kit. The molding is very crisp with great detail, and the fit is excellent. There are a few difficult areas that will make the kit challenging for less experienced modelers, but it results in a nice, fun to build kit for more advanced & expert modelers.

Chassis

Steps 16, 17 and 18… more

AEC Mk.II Armoured Car – Contents & Interior - Part 1

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: MiniArt

Part 1 Review – Kit Contents & Interior Assembly

This is the first of a series of reviews of the MiniArt AEC Mk. II Armoured Car kit. Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) has generously provided the review sample to IPMS. This part reviews the kit contents and assembly of the driver’s compartment. Subsequent parts will include the engine, chassis, exterior, and turret.

Background

The AEC Armoured Cars are a series of heavy armored cars built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) during the Second World War. The first example, Mk. I, was demonstrated in early 1941 and an order was placed in June of that year.

The Mk. I version carried a Valentine Mk II turret with 2-pounder gun. Vehicles of later variant designs carried heavier armament. The Mk… more

MK I "Female" British Tank, Somme Battle Period, 1916

Published: December 22, 2021
Company: Master Box Ltd

Tank History

A bit of research on Wikipedia reveals that the British Mark I tank entered service in August 1916, becoming the world’s first combat tank. It was developed during World War I to combat the trenches and machine guns that dominated the battlefields of the Western Front. Despite the primitive nature of the first “tank,” a designation chosen to maintain secrecy, it was able to deal successfully with the various tasks found on the battlefields: small-arms fire, fortified enemy positions, challenging terrain, and the need to carry supplies. The Mark I’s first combat usage was on September 15, 1916, during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, part of the Somme Offensive.

Kit Contents

The kit includes 54 parts, seven photoetch parts, and vinyl ‘rubber band… more

U.S. Scooter Sidecar

Published: March 4, 2014
Company: Plusmodel

This is another in the Cushman Scooter series of models recently released by Plus Model.

Cushman made 4,734 airborne scooters for the military beginning in 1944. The rugged, simple Model 53 could travel through water, climb a 25 percent grade and had a range of approximately 100 miles. Some scooters had a hitch to pull a utility cart. This version of the Cushman airborne scooter was configured to carry a sidecar with either an additional seat or a utility bin.

Kit Contents

The kit has 21 light gray resin parts, one clear headlamp, one piece of wire, four photoetch pieces, and one detail sheet. The instructions include three color schemes – U.S. Navy (gray), U.S. Army (olive drab) and Airfield Service (deep yellow).

The resin is fairly soft and all of… more

5cm Pak 38 auf Zugkraftwagen 1t – Smart Kit

Published: February 26, 2014
Company: Dragon Models

Introduction

This is another in Dragon’s series of Sd.Kfz.10 halftracks and makes an interesting version that is a nice kit to assemble.

Background from Dragon’s Website

Germany fielded a wide range of halftracks during WWII. The Sd.Kfz.10, one of the lighter types, was conceived as a prime mover for small, towed anti-tank or antiaircraft guns. Several specialist vehicles were based on this design, with a rather unique conversion appearing in 1941. This saw a 5cm PaK 38 L/60 gun being mounted on the rear of an Sd.Kfz.10 to create a light anti-tank platform. In addition, armor plate was added to the engine compartment and driver’s cab. It’s thought these unique vehicles were mostly issued to Waffen-SS units.

Dragon originally… more

KrAZ-255b

Published: February 14, 2014
Company: Roden

Introduction

This is one ‘Bear’ of a truck and one bear of a kit! The KrAZ weighs twelve tons, has a payload of seven and a half tons, and is nicknamed ‘The Bear’. The kit will definitely not fall together out of the box on a Sunday afternoon. A difficult kit to assemble, it’s worth the effort and builds into one massive truck!

Background

Excerpt from the instructions:

In the mid-1960s the Kremenchug automobile plant manufactured the KrAZ-214B truck in large quantities, playing a very important role in the structure of the motorized forces of the Soviet Army. This truck was assigned the role of a transporter of various auxiliary engineering installations, as well as of fuel, missile systems, etc. Considering the operating conditions of… more

US Scooter

Published: May 18, 2020
Company: Plusmodel

This is another in the Scooter series of models recently released by Plus Model. The kit is a 30-series Cushman Autoglide and includes Army & Navy markings.

Kit

The Plus Model kit comes in a blister pack containing 12 resin parts, 1 clear plastic part, 4 photoetch parts, brass wire, and decal sheet. The photoetch parts are very small but add nice detail to the scooter.

Assembly

All of the parts have flash and casting blocks that must be removed. The front fork, part #2, is very fragile and I removed the flash before removing the fork from the casting block. None of the parts were deformed or broken. There is not much detail to the engine, but then it is enclosed in the shroud and not very visible.

Finishing

I washed & primed… more

U.S. Airborne Scooter with Machine Gun

Published: January 16, 2014
Company: Plusmodel

Background

U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet

Cushman Airborne Scooter - In the late stages of the war in Europe, Allied paratroopers used scooters like this one to maintain contact between units, increase their mobility and haul small loads. The Cushman Motor Works designed the Model 53 Airborne Scooter to be airdropped by parachute or carried by glider, and it had a hitch to pull a model M3A4 general-purpose utility cart. By adding certain equipment, the cart could be converted to carry a .30-cal. or .50-cal. machine gun or an 81mm mortar, though the scooter often could not pull a heavy load. Cushman made nearly 5,000 airborne scooters for the military beginning in 1944. The rugged, simple Model 53 could travel through a foot of water, climb a 25 percent grade and had a… more