Having ‘gone digital’ over the last several years, I have severely curtailed my physical magazine subscriptions. As a result, this title was entirely new to me and thus was very keen to review it and have a chance to read through another publication.

Despite the above commentary, Scale Military Modeller International has been around for a while. The quality of the magazine is like many others from the publisher – Nice, glossy stiff covers and equally glossy, but thinner, content pages. Excellent quality photos and detailed articles are consistent throughout this issue.

Contents of Issue #585 include at least 9 build articles (8 military vehicles ranging from WW2 to present-day, and 1 Schnellboot ). Several pages of new product descriptions (covering armor and figures) fill out more of the magazine. Two articles cover historical background of different subjects, accompanied by build articles of the same. There are also some brief pieces on new tools available.

OKB offers three very similar products, all in 35^th scale, for use on a Pz.IV . These items are “return rollers” for the Type 2 (product S35007), the Type 3 (product S35008), and the Type 4 (product S35009). This review will focus on the rollers for the Type 4 (product S35009).

The roller parts are contained in a small zip lock baggie. A paper label is stapled to the baggie which serves to identify the “Type” for which these parts are engineered, and to provide a secure closure so that none of the parts go astray.

OKB is based in the EU and has been in the business of offering products of high quality since 2003. The website provides some excellent images of the products being offered and also an email address, which is “ info@okbgrigorov.com “. OKB offers kits featuring 1/72 scale armor, a wide variety of submarines, and 1/72nd weaponry that can be displayed with a 1/72nd scale figure. Note that when selecting the “Figures” option on the menu, one will be directed to those weapon sets and not to actual “figures”.

The Panther (Sd. Kfz.171) is one of the more well-known armored fighting vehicles used by the Germans in WWII. The Panther saw service on both the eastern and western fronts in Europe. OKB offers a number of after-market items to replace kit parts for the Panther, in this case, a set of 1/48th scale tracks for the Panther V (Late).

Bottom Line Up Front

The latest in MMP’s “Camera On” series is dedicated to a broad selection of German vehicles and equipment battling mud. This book is useful, not just for diorama ideas, but for terrific reference photos on how mud actually looks; something that is rarely depicted accurately in dioramas and scenic bases.

Chapters

• Forward
• Introduction
• Tanks and Self-Propelled Guns
• Halftracks
• Lorries
• Staff Cars
• Motorcycles

Contents

In the forward the author makes it clear he is not trying to add to the body of knowledge about German military vehicles. The book is dedicated to depicting the vehicles in the conditions in which they found themselves, primarily in the rainy season on the Eastern Front.

The Author

David Doyle’s earliest published works appeared in periodicals aimed at the hobby of historic military vehicle restoration. By 1999 this included regular features in leading hobby publications, appearing regularly in US, English and Polish magazines. Since 2003, over 100 of his books have been published. Broadening his horizons from his initial efforts concerning vehicles, he soon added aircraft and warships to his research objectives.

Contents

The book is divided into two chapters all covering the beginning of construction to the final day.