This is a thin book with only 72 pages but they are very high quality pictures of the German World War two Heavy Infantry Gun. This was the largest gun that as classified as an Infantry Gun. They were mainly horse drawn during the early part of the war.

I found this book fascinating and will be return to this book just to review the awesome photos which cover the gun in operation, at rest and in motion.

I recommend this book to everyone who likes artillery and military equipment.

Thanks go to Casemate Publishing for providing this book to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them

Introduction

Late in WW1 the US determined that there was a problem with current tanks. The British designed rhomboid tanks were good at crossing the enemy trenches but were so heavy that most got stuck or broke down in no-mans-land. The French FT17 light tank usually made it across no-mans-land but couldn't always cross the enemy trenches. The US looked for a tank that could do both.

Pioneer Tractor Company tried to solve the problem by hollowing out the rhomboid. The tank used standard iron pipe and plumbing connectors as a frame with an armored engine/fighting compartment suspended in the frame. Pioneer completed a prototype in October 1918 and submitted it for testing. It was fast by WW1 standards and crossed the trenches well. However, its limited ability to carry armament doomed the project. The single prototype is preserved at Ft. Lee.

Notes: Missiles not included, only canisters. Instructions are vague on stencil placement. This kit would make a great introduction to armor kits.

First deployed by the Soviet Union in 1979, the S-300 (NATO reporting name: SA-10 Grumble) is a Russian long-range surface to air missile system designed to counter aircraft and cruise missiles. Over the years, the system had evolved to intercept ballistic missiles as well. Regarded as one of the most potent anti-aircraft missile systems currently fielded, it is mostly used in Russia, Asia, and Eastern Europe, though it is also in use by three NATO members: Bulgaria, Greece and Slovakia. In 2007, the S-400 (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), an evolved version was introduced. The S-300 system is basically the Russian answer to the US Patriot missile system.

Tamiya has released a newly tooled kit of the M18 Hellcat. There are six new sprues along with a clear sprue from their M4A3E8 kit and a sprue for the 50-caliber machine gun that is from past kits. A decal sheet has two marking options. A length of black thread is used for the tow cable and has enough for two lengths. Two poly caps are included in a small bag. There are no photo-etched parts. The black and white instruction booklet is 16 pages long with 37 construction steps. A separate color three-page, tri-fold supplement has the two painting/marking schemes and a history of the M18 in eight languages. Something different with the instructions is that it shows painting and decal marking locations in each step, plus they are also on this supplement.

Like many avid modelers of WW2 armor, I have to admit that until recently I had a major blind spot regarding Hungary’s contribution to the Axis cause. Amazingly for such a relatively small economy, Hungary possessed even then a robust arms industry. They did purchase armor from other sources, the most notable being Germany and Italy, but even so their home-grown products were comparable to some of the best equipment in the world at the time. I really have no idea how they’ve slipped under the modeling radar until recently.

Mr. Martinez’s book is absolutely stuffed with never-before-seen pictures of Hungarian armor, both indigenous and otherwise, and although printed completely in French, it still provides an excellent overview of this poorly documented subject. I spent some time translating the chapter and subchapter headings, which gives you some idea of the contents: