Eric Christianson
Reviews By Author
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German Marder I on an FCM 36 BasePublished:
Prolific ICM is back again with another new offering – this time it is in the form of a re-purposed, French FCM 36-based Tank Destroyer, designated the Marder I. This diminutive vehicle is actually (physically) larger than its other ‘Marder I’-designated cousins, the Lorraine and Hotchkiss-based vehicles. ICM’s kit sports a single piece barrel with a two-part muzzle brake and poly/nylon track that comes in four pieces. A nice, three-piece exhaust is rendered at the rear, and enough 75mm plastic rounds are included to fill two ammunition racks in the fighting compartment. ICM is not only producing a lot of new kits these days, but they have also introduced a line of acrylic paints, a few of which were used in this build.… more |
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German le.gl.Einheits-Pkw Kfz. 4Published:
Kiev-based ICM is back again with a new offering in its Einheits-PKW (“Uniform all-terrain passenger car”) line – this time with the light Anti-Aircraft version. This highly detailed and diminutive subject sports twin MG-34 machine guns and crew seat in place of the two rear seats. HistoryOfficially introduced at the end of February 1938, the Truppenluftschutzkraftwagen – “Air Raid Vehicle” - (Kfz. 4) had four doors and a spare wheel mounted at the rear of the car body like the Kfz. 1 & 3. The units which were allowed to have Kfz 4’s had only one vehicle, each. A light tripod for each gun was stored at the rear. With the tripods, the MG 34’s could be used outside of the vehicle. Even though the guns were able to be fired in any direction from the vehicle… more |
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PzKpfw IV Ausf G Early VersionPublished:
Tamiya has yet again enhanced their venerable line of PzKpfw IV German main battle tank kits, tossing a few new bits into an already brand new Ausf. F(1) release, resulting in the long-barreled Ausf. F(2)/G model. The offering also includes five of the most detailed Tamiya figures to date, as well as a variety of personal equipment and bags to lay around on the upper deck. One thing is for sure – these last two kits are two of the finest armor models ever produced by Tamiya, and that says a lot. The Germen PzKpfw IV was constantly modified throughout its service life, with Ausführung (variants) stretching from (“A”), which entered service in early 1936 to the (“J”) which was being built right up to the end of the war. The Ausf. F tanks that received the new, longer, KwK 40 L/43… more |
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Illustrated Weathering Guide to WWII Late War German VehiclesPublished:
It is arguably safe to assume that most modelers who visit the IPMS Reviews website know a thing or two about assembling models, at least. I think it is also safe to assume that most Armor modelers know that you don’t need to start painting until well into the assembly process, many times not until the very end of the build. That is where Mig Jimenez’s recent offering starts – he takes the armor modeler from an assembled kit through to the finish line. The Illustrated Weathering Guide to WWII Late War German Vehicles takes a dive into finishing ten iconic late-war German AFV’s, and while no can argue that (one) goal of this book is to market Ammo products, the information contained between the covers is still both valuable and informative. Let’s face it – Ammo… more |
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German Einheitsanhänger 5t Four-Wheeled TrailerPublished:
Frankfurt, Germany-based Das Werk has released another trailer option for their Faun L900 series truck – this time a 5-ton, four-wheeled ‘unit trailer’ or Einheitsanhänger. As with previous releases, Das Werk continues to stick to its roots of providing interesting and imminently buildable kits for a good price. The KitDas Werk has gained a reputation for using only the best of materials and packaging, and this offering is no exception. The double-folded, sturdy box is small and compact, and, once opened, all parts are bagged and the decals are slipped inside the instruction booklet. The plastic is soft but not too soft, and the detail is crisp – although unlike the low-boy trailer I just finished building, the molding on my copy of this kit had a significant amount… more |
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German Sonderanhänger II5 10-ton Tank Trailer Sd.Ah.II5Published:
HistoryFrankfurt, Germany-based Das Werk has been busy in the ‘cool and unusual’ department as of late, providing model kits not usually covered by other manufacturers. I was initially attracted to their work by their high-quality boxing and the beautiful artwork that adorned their kits. Not satisfied with the run-of-the-mill subjects, DW continues to stick to its roots of providing interesting and imminently buildable kits for a good price. Their stunning Faun-based truck and trailer offering is the first I’ve seen in injection-molded plastic, and this review specifically covers the lowboy Sonderanhänger (‘special trailer’) 10-ton Sd.Ah.115. The Sd.Ah.115 was a light tank transporter tasked with transporting light tanks and other vehicles such as armored cars. The total… more |
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German Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf B with CrewPublished:
HistoryThis new ICM offering represents an unusual mark in a family of Sonderkraftfahrzeug (Sd.kfz.) ‘special purpose vehicles’ fielded by the German Wehrmacht in World War II. The diminutive Sd.Kfz. 247 was an armored staff car outfitted with radio gear, intended for use by the commanders of motorcycle and motorized reconnaissance battalions. The Ausf B version represented in this kit, was one of 58 built by Daimler-Benz between 1941—1942 on afour-wheel driveheavy car chassis (s.Pkw. Type 1c). The front-mounted engine was an 8-cylinder, 3.823-litre (233.3cuin)Horch3.5petrolengine, giving it a road speed of 80km/h (50mph). It had a maximum range of 400km (250mi). Although unarmed, its armor was intended to stop7.92-millimetre (0.312in)armor-piercingbullets at ranges… more |
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Magach 6B GALPublished:
AFV Club has released yet another version of Israeli’s rework of the venerable American M60 Main Battle Tank. This time around we meet the ‘Magach 6B GAL’ – a version that, as far as I know, has only been reproduced in 1/35th scale with the help of an after-market Legend set. ‘Magach’, Hebrew for ‘battering ram’, has no less than six origins in Wikipedia, so I’ll let the reader decide where this moniker actually came from. Needless to say, these ‘re-wired’ M48 and M60 tanks proved to be equal to the task of filling the gap between earlier, British and WWII armor and the current Merkava armor types – the final conversion occurring in 2006. Prior to the 1982 invasion of Lebanon (1982 Lebanon War), Magach 6 and 7 tanks were fitted with explosive reactive armor (ERA). Further… more |
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Gun Truck "King Cobra"Published:
AFV Club has released their third version of a ‘Gun Truck’ employed by hard-pressed convoy security forces in Viet Nam. This time around we meet the ‘King Cobra’, sporting three 50cal M2 ‘Ma Deuce’ machine guns mounted on a fully equipped M113 APC hull, sans wheels and track, thrown right up into the bed of a M35 5-Ton truck, all black and bad. I took one look at the box top and I knew I had to build it. The Viet Nam gun trucks have a fascinating history; borne of necessity, built with Southern ingenuity, and purpose-made to rain hell on its adversaries if attacked. While they were never officially sanctioned by the U.S. Army, an estimated 300 to 400 trucks were transformed in this way. Only a single gun truck, the ‘Eve of Destruction’, survives today, permanently on… more |
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Lancaster Mk.1B - Part 3 of 3Published:
Down the home stretch! Last time we had just completed the wings, tail, fuselage, nose and wheel-wells, leaving just the final assembly and finish for the last segment of this three-part review. To recall: I chose to display only the port wing’s inboard engine detail, and to cover up the remaining three engines. Otherwise, the aircraft is built up from the box with the exceptions of a set of brass gun barrels, and a set resin control panels and accompanying decals. The brass barrels will be part of a separate IPMS review. Things to Consider Before You StartThe only real consideration at this point in the build was the sheer size of the different components. The wings and fuselage together could not fit in my airbrush booth, and as a consequence I had to depart from… more |