The idea of flamethrower tanks came about towards the end of WWI. Even though the US Army was not really sure if this was a platform that they wanted to pursue they still had the Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) work on its development. For most of the interwar years there was not much development as this type of weapon was actually considered a failure. There was a renewed interest at the outbreak of World War II based on reports of German and Italian tank mounted flamethrowers. The real need for the flamethrower tank came from the Pacific campaign. There the usefulness of routing out the enemy from fortified positions on the islands become a backbone operation for the flamethrower tank. Thus also saving countless lives of soldiers. The US Army flamethrower tank was used sparingly in the ETO. Mainly due to the lack of platforms and fortified positions as encountered in the Pacific.

The mines come packaged in a clear cellophane with a cardboard insert to help protect them. They are produced in grey resin. The level of detail is nice with a minimal amount of clean-up required The set comes with eight mines and decals. Care will be needed when you remove the pour stubs. The reason for this is the handles on the mines are very delicate. I had a few that were broke when I received the package. You could also replace them with brass wire to give them added strength.

This set would make a great addition to a diorama with German pioneers, or just added to a vehicle as cargo. I would like to thank PlusModel and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this kit.

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:

The Kit

The Zrinyi I was an attempt to convert the successful Zrinyi II, 105mm howitzer-equipped assault gun into an anti-tank weapon. The Hungarians replaced the howitzer with the German made Pak 40, 75mm anti-tank gun. Since the Germans were willing to provide STU-III/IV SP anti-tank guns it was decided not to go beyond the single prototype.

You will find the following inside the box:

If you are looking for another unique addition for your next 1/48 scale aircraft diorama, please allow me to direct your attention to the Plusmodel offering of a scooter and crew. The kit comes with decals for a US Air Force scooter as well as one labeled “Flight Operations”. The kit is simple and builds up with relative ease as long as you have some experience with small photo-etch items. As an added bonus to this particular release, a male pilot and female driver for the scooter are included. I would highly recommend this kit to anyone wanting something unique to sit next to their 1/48 scale aircraft.