According to Dragon Model’s web site, this model represents “a vehicle whose main function was combat supply on land and in water. It could tow an amphibious trailer, or alternatively it could work in tandem with another Panzerfahre as a floating ferry platform capable of carrying a 24-ton load.” However, other than the prototypes, no other vehicles were manufactured. Yet we get a lovely injection-molded kit of this weird vehicle!! The Golden Age of Modeling, indeed!

This volume of the Osprey Duel series follows the series format, comparing two combatant tanks against each other, and in this case focusing on the occasion of the first tank vs. tank battle in history that occurred on April 24, 1918. True to the format, rather than simply describe that historic battle, the author describes and compares both vehicles and the events that both led up to and followed the battle. In drawing perspective, Mr. Higgins reminds us that the Industrial Revolution had already altered warfare into an unimagined horror only writers of a new, ever popular genre, Science Fiction, dared dream. The Gatling gun already had decades of warfare by the time the Great War began in 1914, and had become obsolete then by the improvements of several other manufacturers including Maxim, Vickers, and Lewis. Machine guns turned the war into a grinding stalemate of attrition that baffled commanders on both sides.

History Brief

The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank, and was a development of the British Vickers 6-ton tank. Many consider it to be one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930’s. With more than 11,000 made, it was the most produced tank of its period.

The T-26 Served in many conflicts of the 1930’s and was used during World War 2. The tank served with the armies of Turkey, China, and Spain. In addition, the Finnish, German, Romanian, and Hungarian armies used captured T-26s.

I have always admired armored cars crews. I think their vehicles are fast enough to get themselves in trouble, but not armored enough to get themselves out of trouble.

The M8 started its life as a “tank destroyer” vehicle. Very quickly, it was realized that the 37mm cannon wasn’t enough to take out a tank, and the vehicle got re-assigned mainly to cavalry and reconnaissance units. The M20 is a spin-off of the M8, based on the same hull but with a different top and used, for the most part, as a command vehicle, fitted with different radios and a folding map board.

The T-34/85 is one of the most widely recognized tanks in the world. Over 18,000 were built before the end of WWII. Then, in 1951, Poland received marketing approval and continued production, re-manufacturing, and improving the T-34/85 series.

Kagero has done a great job on this book. Like most of their Top Shot series, this book is only 44 pages long and contains 180 color pictures. Also included, free of charge, is a four-page folded Top Shot catalogue. The pictures are great and definitely designed with the modeler in mind. The color pictures (180 of them), are nice, crisp, and provide a wealth of useful ideas. An example would be the one picture that shows a station-keeping light mounted at the rear deck where the electrical wires for the smoke cans exit the rear. I am not sure if this was a production modification or something required to have on a Museum runner.