Reviews of products for scale military vehicle models.

Review Author
Will Kuhrt
Published on
Company
Value Gear
Scale
1/20 - 1/16
MSRP
$25.00

Value Gear Details, based in Flagstaff, Arizona, produces a wide range of high-quality resin accessories for most common model scales. Many of the accessories and stowage sets are universal, which is a nice advantage. The set featured in this review has 14 pieces molded in gray resin. There are 10 rolls of different sizes and four crates. Also available in this scale are sets Crates #1 Sci-Fi Style, Crates # 2 Traditional Military Style, Tarp Rolls & Crate Stowage Bits #1, Tarp Rolls & Crate Stowage Bits #3, and Tarp Rolls & Crate Stowage Bits #4.

Clean-up is minimal. I removed the miniscule amount of flash by running a hobby knife along the bottom edge. Next, I soaked the pieces in a mild detergent solution and left them to air dry. This recommended step ensures that all mold release is removed. I then primed them using Tamiya Fine Surface Primer.

Book Author(s)
David Doyle
Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
Portrayal Press
MSRP
$59.00

Another publication by the prolific author is the “Chevrolet G-506” second printing in softbound printing. The first printing took seven years according to the author with help from colleagues and friends. This American author is known for his writings, especially on military armor, aircraft, hardware, and warships. Having started writing in 1999 with articles appearing in publications in the US, England, France, and Poland. According to his website, he has over 200 books to his credit published worldwide by various publishers.

Book Author(s)
Michael Rinaldi and Andy Taylor
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Rinaldi Studio Press
MSRP
$57.50

TankArt 3 Modern Armor was first released in 2014 (T-62M1 on the cover). Is this book simply a republished book and is it worth buying this edition (AMX-30B on the cover)? If you already have this book, then this second edition is 64 pages longer (from 224 to 288 pages), added a Technique Proficiency chapter, expanded, and updated sections on hair spray chipping, oil paint rendering (OPR), and pigment applications.

TankArt 3 Modern Armor is not only a “how-to”, but it is also a “why” on how to use the highly visual artistic approach to modeling. This book is magical in its sequence from good builds to the painting, to hyper detailing using modern and time-tested techniques. Where this book excels is the progression with each step, letting the modeler peek behind the magician’s cape.

The book is presented logically, composing the following ten chapters:

Review Author
Ben Morton
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$19.95

From Military-Today.com: The BRDM-2 scout car was developed as a replacement for the previous BRDM-1. It was officially adopted by the Soviet army in 1962 with production commencing in 1963. Production ceased in 1989. Around 10 000 units including variants were built. Currently this amphibious scout car it is in service with Russian army and over 50 countries worldwide.

Armor of the BRDM-2 provides all-round protection against 7.62 mm ball rounds and small caliber artillery fragments. The BRDM-2 turret is armed with a 14.5 mm heavy machine gun and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. The heavy machine gun penetrates 32 mm of steel armor at a range of 500 m.

Review Author
Will Kuhrt
Published on
Company
Value Gear
Scale
1/16
MSRP
$20.00

Value Gear Details, based in Flagstaff, Arizona, produces a wide range of high-quality resin accessories for most common model scales. Many of the accessories and stowage sets are universal, which is a nice advantage. This allows the model builder to customize the look they want by mixing sets or you can use one sets intended for specific subjects, such as the ‘Shermie Bits & Extras’.

The set featured in this review has 11 pieces. Also available is set Crates #1 consisting of 10 pieces. The pieces are molded in a dark-brown resin and the detail is impressive. There are even tiny nails!

Clean-up is minimal. I removed the miniscule amount of flash by running a hobby knife along the bottom edge. Next, I soaked the pieces in a mild detergent solution and left them to air dry. This recommended step ensures that all mold release is removed. I then primed them using Tamiya Fine Surface Primer.

Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$60.99

In my last review concerning this interesting French vehicle, I described how the prototype was developed in 1938 with some of the most advanced mechanical technology of the day. The distinctive look of the machine is based on a double set of “bumper” wheels placed both in the center and the front of the chassis, designed to make the vehicle far more capable in an off-road capacity. Overall, only about 200 of these vehicles were manufactured before the fall of France, with most of them never seeing combat. Those that survived were largely converted by the occupying German forces into utility and radio cars for the Wehrmacht.

The original kit consisted of 6 sprues of well-detailed parts as well as vinyl main wheels. This iteration includes an additional small sprue which contains a machine gun pintle, two different versions of the Hotchkiss machine gun dating back to World War One, and a single box of additional ammunition.

Book Author(s)
Wilhelm Bender
Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Peko Publishing
MSRP
$41.95

The book was written by Wilhelm Bender, a Medic in the German Infantry and Artillery from 1939 to the end of the war. This tells the story of his war experiences on the Eastern front and the use of the Raupenschlepper tracked support vehicle.

The book is really about everyday life and issues being a soldier in the regular German army in the Eastern Front, from the days Germany was winning battles to the long road to total defeat of the German war machine.

The personal collection of photos Wilhelm uses in the book are excellent and help show the conditions and day to day life of these soldiers during the whole war. They are all very different from the normal war book and all are like a behind the scenes of the war. They show a very intimate view of Wilhelm’s involvement in the war.

Review Author
Michael Reeves
Published on
Company
Tamiya
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$55.00

The A34 Comet was a late-war addition to Britain’s armored arsenal of cruiser tanks. With a borrowed chassis from the Cromwell, the larger turret ring allowed for a more compact effective gun in the Q.F. 77mm. Exclusively welded, the larger turret had frontal armor up to 100mm. The heavier design led to the need to update the Christie suspension which was refitted with upper return rollers. Many were outfitted with the Normandy cowling over the rear grill to help cut down on exhaust gases affecting the crew and passengers.

Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
Gallery Models
Scale
1/16
MSRP
$199.98

Who is Gallery Models?

The following statement was sent to me by Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) upon requesting a short synopsis of who is Gallery Models. “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.” Debra

Book Author(s)
Didier Andres
Review Author
Chris Martin
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$37.95

Background

This Casemate Illustrated Special Series is the sixth issue in the series. Other books cover ambulances and medical vehicles of WWII, Chevrolet Trucks of WWII, U.S. Army vehicle markings 1944, and U.S. Army Signal Corps vehicles 1941-45.

From Review Insert

Between 1940 and 1945, Diamond T Motor Car Company supplied just over 50,000 vehicles to the US military, and also to the Allies. Of this, just over 30,000 were heavy 4-ton 6x6 trucks of varying types: cargo, tow truck, pontoon carrier, engineer, cartographic, etc. The “Diamond” would serve in all theaters of operations, wherever its robustness and reliability were necessary to complete the mission. Due to its expertise, Diamond T also produced the famous half-track, with more than 10,000 manufactured. All of these models are described in this work by Didier Andres, an expert in the subject. The text is illustrated throughout using archival and period photographs and diagrams.