The Renault R35 and R40 were French light infantry tanks developed in the mid-1930s and still in widespread service during the disastrous 1940 Western campaign. Lightly armed and armoured, these vehicles were no match for the PzIII and IV of the German Panzer armies.

In this book, author Ranger has compiled a surprising number of original photographs taken by German troops in the aftermath of the 1940 Battle of France. Most are reproduced two to a page, and due to the size of the originals, copy quality is mixed, from very nice to poor. There is a short section of photos of Renaults after they were captured and put back into use by Germany in the Balkans.

Who is Gallery Models?

The following statement was sent to me by a Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) representative upon requesting a short synopsis of who Gallery Models is, "Gallery Models is a concept developed by Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC). The first model was developed in 2009 together with prominent designers, artists, mold-makers, historians, and modelers. The central idea propelling Gallery Models is to select subjects that will challenge the hobbyist’s imagination and building skills while providing detail and enormous intrinsic kit value. Gallery’s selection includes helicopters, armor, and ships."

The British Main Battle Tank Challenger II entered service in 1994 as a significantly upgraded version of the successful Challenger. The tank saw extensive service in the 2nd Iraq War from 2003 and is still in service with the British Army – a new upgrade programme should see them in service until the mid-2030s.

This all-new kit from Tamiya features a desertised version of the Challenger II, depicting vehicles as they appeared in the Iraq War. As such, it features the blocky side skirts with canvas drapery that cut down on airborne sand, enhancing non-visibility, as well as the improved turret and combat identification panels to help prevent blue-on-blue errors.

Casemate publishing, a prolific publisher of military history titles, has begun releasing a line of books that focus on huge array of subjects from a single battle, campaigns, hardware, and military units. They are paperback and richly illustrated with contemporary photographs, color profiles, and maps. For many of you, this format may be familiar to other publications that dissect a well-known battle, examining the opponents, armies, weapons, plans, etc. For this series, the publisher has chosen to organize the material as follows:

Laffley was a French vehicle manufacturer known for innovative engineering. In 1938 they developed the first prototype for a light military towing vehicle with an advanced transmission and unique suspension system employing “bumper” wheels on both the front and center of the chassis to aid in cross-country travel.  Despite its advanced systems, only about 200 were built before the Fall of France, most of them never being employed in combat.  However, the Wehrmacht was impressed with the design and impounded the majority of them to serve as light utility and radio transport. Only about four vehicles still exist.

ICM has produced a nicely detailed kit of this interesting machine, which features 6 sprues of detailed parts, clear parts, vinyl main wheels (although the bumper wheels are plastic), all creating a highly detailed chassis and engine. A couple of unused parts on the sprues suggests that a German version of this vehicle may be in the offing for the future.