Reviews of products for scale military vehicle models.

Review Author
Tim Wilding
Published on
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$14.00

The KTO Rosomak is a Polish 8x8 wheeled Infantry Fighting Vehicle. This smoke grenade launcher upgrade set is made for the IBG Models KTP Rosomak Polish APC – “The Green Devil”, kit number 35032 and for kit number 35033, the basic Polish APC. It is designed to be used with any Rosomak that have the 30mm turret.

This aftermarket kit consists of a resin plate, six brass launcher tubes, two types of resin tube covers and five very small brass rivets. The kit is very well packed in clear plastic bubble pack that is stapled to a backing card. There is a one-page instruction sheet that is inside this backing card. The parts are housed in cutouts in the foam backing, so they are very well secured and easy to see while still packaged.

Review Author
Mike Lamm
Published on
Company
Panda Hobby
MSRP
$69.95

In the 80s, the U.S. Army began to look for a light tank to replace the M551 Sheridan. Specifically, the Army was looking for an air-deployable tank to support its airborne Divisions and to replace their TOW anti-tank HMMWVs. In 1992, the Army selected United Defense’s vehicle designated XM8-AGS. Six prototypes were made and the M8 began trials. The basic armor package of the M8 is made of welded aluminum alloy, designed for rapid deployment and was capable of being airdropped from a C-130. There were 2 additional levels of modular armor planned for the vehicle depending on the threat level of the operating environment. Each additional level obviously increased the weight of the AFV, which decreased it’s “air mobility”, but still kept it light enough that at its maximum armor protection, up to 5 could be delivered via air landing on a C-5 Galaxy.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Lukgraph
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$84.80

Kit Manufacturer

This is a high quality resin kit of the Jeffrey Quad 4 wheel drive truck produced by Lukgraph Models from Krakow, Poland. Lukgraph’s focus is on British and American aviation in the years between WWI and WWII. Lukgraph also produces the Jeffery-Poplavko armored car, and Nash-Quad Artillery truck in 1/35 scale; and the Nash-Quad Truck, and Nash-Quad Ammunition Truck in 1/48 scale. Lukgraph also makes a number of WWI aircraft kits in both 1/48 and 1/32 scales. The kits are available direct from Lukgraph, Victory Models, or KitLinx in the U.S., and several European suppliers.

The review sample was ordered direct from Lukgraph and included a nice personalized photo of a completed kit. The cost of the kit is $84.83 plus $11.31 shipping (85€ total).

Review Author
David Wrinkle
Published on
Company
Meng Model
MSRP
$17.00

For me this kit seems like a match made in heaven. I have always liked the Stuart tank as well as have been looking to trying building one of the toon tanks from Meng. When the opportunity arose to do this review, I jumped on it. I was intrigued after Meng had released several Meng Kids aircraft kits and now, they have released at the time of this review 12 World War Toons tank kits. I also discovered while researching the kit for this review there is apparently video game utilizing the tanks in the series. At the time of this review the game is apparently in beta form.

Review Author
Michael Reeves
Published on
Company
AFV Club
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$79.99

They say first impressions really do define a relationship- and when I first received this kit and opened it up to see the vast amount of plastic inside, I knew this would be a long term commitment. One thing to note is the mix of gates from the older Centurion kit, mixed along with newer gates with the newer features of this specific Sho’t Kal kit like the explosive reactive armor (ERA). This led to some challenges during the build as the older Centurion parts trees had their labels raised in very small letters along the sides of the gates.- although the location varied. Sometimes it was on the edge and other times it was towards the middle. The newer trees had their labels as newer kits do - outside with a dedicated square label that is very easy to read. In the end, I used some masking tape labels I made myself as I grew tired of searching for which sprue was which.

Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
Company
Academy Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$53.00

Brief History

The Sturmgeschütz IV (StuG IV) (Sd.Kfz. 167), was a World War II German assault gun variant of the Panzer IV used in the latter part of the war. It was identical in role and concept to the highly successful StuG III assault gun variant of the Panzer III. Both StuG models were given an exclusively tank destroyer role in German formations and tactical planning in the last two years of the war, greatly augmenting the capability of the dwindling tank force available to the German army on the Eastern and Western fronts.

From December 1943 to May 1945, Krupp built 1,108 StuG IVs and converted an additional 31 from battle-damaged Panzer IV hulls. While the number is smaller than the 10,000+ StuG III, the StuG IV supplemented and fought along with StuG III during 1944–45, when they were most needed.

Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
Company
AFV Club
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$56.00

According to ScaleMates.com, AFV Club has released no less than sixteen different kitting’s of the venerable British Centurion, five of which depict the various Israeli Defense Force (IDF) versions. The subject of this review is the Sho’t Kal Gimel Type II, which is identified on the box top as being from the time period of the 1982 Lebanon war (“Operation Peace for Galilee”). ‘Sho’t’ translates to ‘Whip’ and Kal is an abbreviation of where the powerplant was manufactured (Continental). Each new version of the IDF Centurion was given a new afterword which comes from a letter in the Semitic abjad, the alphabet or ‘writing system’ used in the Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu languages. In this case, ‘Gimel’ is the third letter in the abjad.

Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
AFV Club
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$68.00

History and this Kit

The Magach tank was produced and based on both the M48, and with the Magach 6B on M60 tank hulls. I took this review assignment because of my interest in the M60 Patton tanks. Having built several over the last few years and AFV’s M60A1 kit #35060 and Takom’s M60A1 with the Explosive Reactive Armor, I was equally up for the challenge of the Magach 6B. This latest version of the Magach 6B has mostly aspects that we modelers can’t see: the British 105mm gun and 750hp diesel engine. As the M60 tanks were modified into the Magach 6 series the most noticeable difference is the explosive reactive armor panels surrounding the turret and the frontal hull area, and the addition of a M2 50 cal. and two 30 cal. machine guns on the turret.

Book Author(s)
Dennis Oliver
Review Author
Mike Lamm
Published on
Company
Pen and Sword Books Ltd
MSRP
$22.95

Pen and Sword Books’ latest release in their Tank Craft series details the Pzkpfw VI Tiger 1 Heavy Tank. This series of books is designed to provide model builders and tank enthusiasts a detailed visual reference of the actual tanks featured, as well as their scale model equivalents. This book focuses specifically on the Tiger I tanks deployed to the southern front for the North Africa campaign through the retreat and withdrawal into Sicily and up Italy until the end of hostilities in May 1945.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Pen and Sword Books Ltd
MSRP
$24.95

Pen and Sword has released a new book on their series “Images of War”. This book is focused on Axis Armored Fighting Vehicles during War World Two.

The book is divided on 4 main chapters

  • Reconnaissance Vehicles
  • Assault Guns
  • Tank Destroyers
  • Miscellaneous;

All chapters have a well-researched introduction to the type of vehicle being described –in the chapter- including development, main roles, tactics (including historical narratives and in some cases representative combat action for the vehicle type), plus sub-sections devoted for specific vehicles (of vehicle family) being described.