Military Vehicles | IPMS/USA Reviews

Reviews of products for scale military vehicle models.

Zimmerit Set for Tiger II Henschel Turret

William O'Malley Wed, 2021-10-27 00:53

Zimmerit Set for Tiger II Henschel Turret

Review Author

Eric Christianson

Published on

October 27, 2021

Company

Monroe Purdue Studios

Scale

1/35

MSRP

$5.99

Perusing the website of Monroe Purdue Studios (MPS), out of Simi Valley CA, will uncover a variety of unusual modeling products, including a growing set of very affordable laser-cut wood and paper Zimmerit sets, among a lot of other interesting items. Visiting their booth at the 2021 Las Vegas IPMS Nationals, I looked at a dozen or so build-ups in various stages of completion, demonstrating the uniqueness of their products. I came home with two sets; one a complete zimmerit set for the 1/35th scale HobbyBoss King Tiger II (the subject of this review), and a 1/35^th scale laser-cut wood set for cases of wine (the subject of a separate IPMS review).

Description

The set for the King Tiger is purpose-designed for the HobbyBoss (Henschel Turret) kit, but also closely fits the Tamiya kit as well, parts of which I used for this review since I do not own the HobbyBoss offering.

Metal barrel for ZiS-6 for KV-2/3/4/5

Dave Morrissette Sat, 2021-10-23 09:54

Metal barrel for ZiS-6 for KV-2/3/4/5

Review Author

Pablo Bauleo

Published on

October 23, 2021

Company

OKB Grigorov

Scale

1/72

MSRP

$5.95

OKB Grigorov specializes in resin, photoetch and turned metal barrel conversions for armor. One of their latest releases is metal barrel for the KV-2/3/4/5

This aftermarket set includes a barrel is made of turned metal with a hollow end. It will be perfect to enhance the looks of your model as the gun barrel tends to be a focal point of most armor models.

This set is well done and will require no cleaning of the parts for assembly. It is meant to be a “drop-in” replacement, without having to modify parts of the original kit.

Highly recommended.

I would like to thank OKB Grigorov and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

Turret for Pz.V Panther Panzerbeobachthungswagen

Dave Morrissette Sat, 2021-10-23 09:51

Turret for Pz.V Panther Panzerbeobachthungswagen

Review Author

Pablo Bauleo

Published on

October 23, 2021

Company

OKB Grigorov

Scale

1/72

MSRP

$15.90

OKB Grigorov specializes in resin, photoetch and turned metal barrel conversions for armor. One of their latest releases is the Turret for Pz.V Panther Panzerbeobachthungswagen/

This aftermarket set includes parts in grey resin, green resin, clear resin and photoetch. The gun barrel is casted in resin for this set. As you can see from the pictures, the casting of the parts is pretty good, without any bubbles in the resin, although with some small flash in some areas.

Overall this set is well done and will require minimum cleaning of the parts for assembly.

Highly recommended, mainly for those modelers looking for unusual subjects or conversion projects.

I would like to thank OKB Grigorov and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

Turret for Pz.V Panther Ausf.F Rheinmetall proposal

Dave Morrissette Sat, 2021-10-23 09:45

Turret for Pz.V Panther Ausf.F Rheinmetall proposal

Review Author

Pablo Bauleo

Published on

October 23, 2021

Company

OKB Grigorov

Scale

1/72

MSRP

$15.90

OKB Grigorov specializes in resin, photoetch and turned metal barrel conversions for armor. One of their latest releases is the Turret for Pz.V Panther Ausf.F Rheinmetall proposal.

This aftermarket set includes parts in grey resin, clear resin, photoetch and a turned metal gun barrel. As you can see from the pictures, the casting of the parts is pretty good, without any bubbles in the resin, although with some small flash in some areas.

Overall this set is well done and will require minimum cleaning of the parts for assembly.

Highly recommended, mainly for those modelers looking for unusual subjects or conversion projects.

I would like to thank OKB Grigorov and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

Turret for Pz.VI Tiger H2

Dave Morrissette Sat, 2021-10-23 09:39

Turret for Pz.VI Tiger H2

Review Author

Pablo Bauleo

Published on

October 23, 2021

Company

OKB Grigorov

Scale

1/72

MSRP

$15.90

OKB Grigorov specializes in resin, photoetch and turned metal barrel conversions for armor. One of their latest releases is the Turret for Pz.VI Tiger H2.

This aftermarket set includes parts in grey resin, photoetch while gun barrel is made of turned metal. As you can see from the pictures, the casting of the parts is pretty good, without any bubbles in the resin, although with some small flash in some areas.

Overall, this set is well done and will require minimum cleaning of the parts for assembly. This would make for quite an interesting conversion and it is meant to be a “drop-in” replacement, without having to modify parts of the original kit.

I went ahead and assembled this turret - even if I don’t have a donor kit. The overall fit of the parts is fantastic. The only thing you need to be aware of is to properly clean the minimal “flash” around the hatch openings so the hatch covers, or the gun muzzle, would fit.

History of the 40/43M ZrÍnyi Assault Howitzer

Book Author(s)

Peter Mujzer

Review Author

Andy Taylor

Published on

October 4, 2021

Company

Kagero Publishing

MSRP

$26.95

While Kagero has an established reputation for quality books that modelers appreciate and use on their reference shelves, they have recently upped their game with the new introduction of the inCombat series. Number 08 in the series is History of the 40/43M ZrÍnyi Assault Howitzer. As a fan of obscure armored vehicles, this book had a timely arrival, especially as I am in the process of painting Bronco Models’ Hungarian 44.M ‘Zrinyi’ I 75mm Assault Gun (the differences between the variants are clearly spelled out in this detailed book).

T-55 PE Set

Review Author

Floyd S. Werner Jr.

Published on

September 29, 2021

Company

Hauler

Scale

1/48

MSRP

$22.50

Armor builders have long used photo etch parts to get realistic thickness of parts. So why wouldn’t they want the same in the smaller scales? With Tamiya revitalizing the 1/48th scale armor market it was just a natural fit. The latest is the Soviet T-55 and Hauler has you covered.

Inside of a resealable package are two light grey resin pour blocks that feature new ammo boxes and some lights. These are way too small to produce accurately in injection plastic. In addition to the resin pieces are THREE frets of brass photo etch. To say that this set is comprehensive is an understatement. There isn’t a part of the basic kit that isn’t touched by the photo etch. You will need a magnifier to use some of these parts. The finesse is exceptional. Besides grills, there are latches and supports for the fuel drums, which are beautifully rendered. The turret and driver’s hatch get the PE touch inside and out.

German Tank Destroyers

Book Author(s)

Pierre Tiquet

Review Author

Allan Murrell

Published on

September 12, 2021

Company

Casemate UK

MSRP

$39.95

The book goes into details of the German Tank Destroyers used in World War Two.

The contents are:

Timeline of Events
Introduction; Panzerjager in the Heer and the Waffen SS
The Panzerjager Ente, Marder II and Marder III
Jagdpanzers – The Dicker Max and the Super Emil
The Horniesse / Nashorn
The Hetzer
The Elephant
The Jagdpanzer IV/70
Afterword

The different tank destroyers are fully defined, and their evolution described in the various chapters in this book. The different types, strengths, and weakness are also covered. The book includes the actions there were used in in great detail and helps make this book a great read and reference material

I found this book fascinating and provides a lot of additional information I have never read before. There are lot of pictures and illustrations that make the book even more interesting.

Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär

Book Author(s)

Krysztof Mucha

Review Author

Mike Lamm

Published on

September 10, 2021

Company

Kagero Publishing

MSRP

$24.95

A variant of the iconic Panzer IV, the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär (SdKfz 166, Sturmgeschütz IV für 15cm StuH 43) was a German self-propelled assault gun. Work on the design began in 1942 with a goal of creating a vehicle well suited for the demands of urban warfare. The gun was based on the PzKpfw IV Ausf. E and F and, later, Ausf. G. Initially, the vehicle carried 15 cm StuH 43 howitzer, which was later replaced by a 15 cm StuH 23/1 L/12 weapon. The Brummbär went into production in 1943 and its first use was in Operation Citadel around the Kursk salient. Eventually, units equipped with this assault gun defended the Anzio and Normandy landings and participated in the Warsaw Uprising.

In total, 300 vehicles were built during the war, with 4 remaining survivors. The drawings in this publication are based on the vehicle at the Kubinka Tank Museum near Moscow.

Mark IV Female British WW I Tank

Review Author

Ron Bell

Published on

September 10, 2021

Company

Brengun

Scale

1:144

MSRP

$21.69

The Kit

The kit consists of 14 nicely cast resin pieces, one fret of PE parts and a small decal sheet. I found no bubbles, voids or “mushy” casting, however, as can be seen in the photos, there is more resin contained in the casting blocks than in the kit parts. These are quite frankly huge and removing them is the single biggest chore in assembly. I used a Dremel tool saw to cut the largest parts off, then a Dremel sander to remove most of the rest and sandpaper and files to finish off the job. The PE parts are nicely done, but are tiny! A good Opti-visor or microscope is advisable when working with them. The model is solid, so there is no chance to “open it up” and add an interior.

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