Reviews of products for scale military vehicle models.

Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1:72
MSRP
$32.99

From ICM’s website,

Since the summer of 2023, Leopard 2A6 tanks have been in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They actively participate in battles in the east and northeast of Ukraine. Some of them undergo specific modifications due to the nature of modern combat. Recent combat engagements have imposed new requirements, particularly improving protection against shaped charge munitions and attack drones. To address this, additional protective elements in the form of grids are added to the combat vehicles. Solid screens of various types are also used to protect the running gear. The Leopard 2A6 tanks of the Ukrainian army undergo such modifications, and several of these combat vehicles were seen in action in the fall of 2023.

Book Author(s)
Peter Samsonov; Illustrations by Thierry Vallet
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Mortons Books
MSRP
$25.00

The author, Peter Samsonov, is a Russian-Canadian military historian who has received praise from notable historians for his research on Second World War armored vehicles using English, Russian and German primary documents. He has several books under his name, and this is the first of his that I have read. It will not be my last as his attention to detail, facts and engaging writing style are fantastic.

From the Casemate's website description of this book,

Book Author(s)
David Mitchellhill-Green
Review Author
James Kelley
Published on
Company
Pen and Sword Books Ltd
MSRP
$28.95

Adolf Hitler invaded Western Europe in May 1940. After breaking through the supposedly 'impenetrable' Ardennes, Erwin Rommel was at the forefront of the Wehrmacht's audacious drive through France. Rommel, who had no prior experience leading an armored division in combat, moved with such speed and nerve that he frequently surprised French units by arriving far earlier than expected.

Crossing the Meuse River, we follow Rommel—in what he referred to as 'practically a lightning Tour de France'—as he pushed through northern France to the English Channel. His spectacular victory at the coastal port of Saint-Valéry-en-Caux was crowned by the capture of Cherbourg.

Following the armistice, Rommel was involved in reenacting certain battles, such as crossing the Somme, for the documentary Sieg im Westen (Victory in the West). This is the story of Rommel and the 7th Panzer Division—the so-called 'Ghost Division'—in France, 1940.

Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
Hobby Boss
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$87.99

The LAV-300 (Light Armored Vehicle-300) is a 6x6 wheeled armored vehicle developed in the 1970s by Cadillac Gage, an American defense contractor, as part of their V-series of vehicles. Originally known as the V-300, it was designed for reconnaissance, troop transport, and other battlefield roles. It could be equipped with various weapon systems, such as machine guns, auto-cannons, and anti-tank guided missiles, enabling it to operate effectively in various combat scenarios.

Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$63.00

The M1097A2, Heavy HMMWV with an increased payload capacity, will replace the M1037, M1042, M1097 and M1097A1 heavy shelter variants. It is designed to carry heavy electronic systems, weapons platforms, and can be configured to act as a command post; the M1097A2 may also be configured as a troop carrier.

This is ICM’s first HMMWV, and the second kit available in 1/35 scale (Italeri No, 6484 was introduced in 2018). This versatile and rugged vehicle is in service with the US military, NATO forces and other militaries around the world. The two marking options in this kit include:

Review Author
Jason Boggans
Published on
Company
Tamiya
MSRP
$33.00

The Tamiya Panzerkampfwagen I (Sd.Kfz 101) is presented in Tamiya typical rigid top opener with nice artwork depicting a unit from the 4th Panzer Division, Poland, September 1939. Contents of the box are limited as this is of course a small kit.

This 100% newly tooled kit complements the existing 1/35 scale line up of German WWII vehicles in the Military Miniature Series and completes the lineup of main German tanks of WWII for Tamiya.

The box contains a normal Tamiya instruction manual with clear construction steps, 22 in all to complete this kit.

Also included is a glossy ‘background information’ leaflet which is a welcome addition and provides some history, design and deployment details of the Panzer I.

It also contains details of the specifications of this Light Tank including dimensions, crew capacity, engine (with speed and output) as well as range and armament.

The leaflet is presented in Japanese, English, French and German.

Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1:35
MSRP
$99.00

I suspect that most modelers are aware of the tendency of the German Army in World War Two to use just about any vehicle in their inventory as an ambulance. Mostly it was war-weary half-tracks or armored vehicles or trucks which had seen better days. Almost anything proved useful for transporting the wounded out of the battle area to where they could be aided more effectively.

ICM has done it again by supplying a combo kit of three ambulance trucks from the period. Happily, they’ve elected to provide three very distinctive vehicles for the set; a V3000 “Blitz” truck, a half-track Maultier based on a Ford design, and a Lastkraftwagen – a French truck design employed in some numbers by the Wehrmacht.

Review Author
Michael Reeves
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$78.00

ICM continues to pump out new and interesting kits despite a war affecting all in the Ukraine, but especially in their home base in Kiev. This present reiteration of the original tooled Studebaker kit from 2007 (#35511) has new parts to make it into the U5 fuel truck specifically. This adds two tandem 375-gallon tanks with racks on the side to store a good number of 5-gallon Jerry cans. Let’s get into it…

What’s Inside the Box

You get six green plastic sprues- the four original sprues present in the earlier versions (A-D) and two copies of sprue E which contain the parts for the fuel tanks and their mounts, and the jerry cans. Sprue F is a clear sprue containing the windows, windshield, and headlight lenses. Decals include options for two nondescript schemes- one with a star and circle on the hood and one sans circle. No indication of where they were stationed but I suppose whenever fuel was needed to power machines of war would be fitting.

Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$60.00

A Very Brief History of the Tank

This is clearly one of the seminal tanks of the 19th century with the total number of over 22,700 being constructed (both M3 and M5 versions) from 1941-1944 largely by four manufacturers (including Cadillac, American Car & Foundry Co. and Massey-Harris).

From an armor standpoint, the Stuarts were our several ‘starter’ tanks during the early 30’s. They were largely lacking in firepower and lightly armored. They also suffered regarding their ability to meet their opposition, the German tanks they often faced on the battlefield.

However, throughout their production and a great number of modifications and improvements, the M3 proved its worth on the battlefield.

Rather than ramble on further, here are some additional online references that I found most informative and interesting:

Review Author
David Hochheimer
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$75.00

ICM Holding has put out a new model of their ZIL-131 truck with the addition of a Ukrainian Sapper Team. This is kit 35018 and is titled “Danger Mines!” Ukraine, Summer 2022. It is essentially a combination of their Sapper Team kit and their venerable ZIL-131 truck kit.

The box art for the kit is first rate and lends itself well to the actual truck and figures that are part of the kit. The box is compact and will fit well in any stash until you decide to build it. Although the box is small, the material within the box was not smashed together and no damage was noted when breaking out the materials from the box.