I've previously built two of the 48th scale Tamiya tanks: the M-10 Tank Destroyer and the M1A2 Abrams, and they are great for a non-armor buff like me, both in size (not too big for the display cabinet) and part count (low to moderate, can be built in a week or two).

The M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage was a variation of the Stuart M5 light tank, powered by twin Cadillac V-8s with a 75mm M3 howitzer. Production yielded 1788 units from early 1942 to January 1944, and M8s served in Italy, Western Europe and the Pacific theater.

You get decals for two tanks: 106th Cavalry Reconnaissance Group, operating in Germany February 1945, and 758th Tank Battalion, Fifth Army operating in Italy, April 1945.

Hot on the heels of Brengun's 1/144th scale BDRM-2 scout car (item # 144061 ) comes the anti-aircraft version of the base vehicle. With addition of some optional parts the vehicle is equipped with the launcher for the Strela-1 missiles and additional ready rounds that mount the outside of the vehicle. Following on the previous release (the basic BRDM-2) Brengun also includes some photoetch for rear details (propulsion cover and rear stowage lockers), rear taillights, headlamp protectors for the front and a chassis mounted rear view mirror.

Putting this all together begins by removing the resin pouring stubs from the appropriate components. The tires are cast as single parts and benefit from drilling out the mounting dimples to achieve a better fit on the axle stubs integral to the main chassis. All the resin bits cleaned up without any bother. There is nice detail on all resin parts particularly on the rear deck, launcher, and the tread pattern on the tires.

Trumpeter has recently released several WWII German, truck-mounted Flak platforms based on the Mercedes Benz L4500A, including the subject of this review. As with previous releases, Trumpeter continues to stick to its roots in providing interesting and often one-of-a-kind subjects for a competitive price.

The L4500 was a heavy-duty truck built by Daimler-Benz from 1939–44 in the Mercedes-Benz plant at Gaggenau, and from 1944–45 by Saurer. The long-bed vehicle was built as both a rear-wheel-drive truck (L4500S) and as an all-wheel-drive truck (L4500A). The German Wehrmacht used the L4500 with armored cabins as Flak trucks during World War II. Due to the lack of production material, the cabin was replaced with the simplified standardized Wehrmacht cabin and the mud wings with simplified wings in 1943. The L4500 chassis was also modified as a halftrack for use on the Eastern Front.

The history of Iraq is largely a history of civilization and Iraq today largely corresponds with the territory of ancient Mesopotamia. Skipping ahead several millennia and modern-day Iraq largely corresponds with the Ottoman Wilayets (administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire) of the Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra Provinces. The British influence dates after World War I and held sway, particularly with weapons and doctrine through the Tammuz Revolution of 1958. The Ba’ath Party came to power in 1969 with Saddam Hussein as the Vice-Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, second only to Major General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr.

Red Army Auxiliary Armored Vehicles 1930-1945 is a very well researched and written book on a relatively unknown subject. With less fanfare than the armored combat vehicles that did the actual fighting, these are the Russian vehicles in support and auxiliary service that made a lot of the fighting possible. This book is a departure from the usual Images of War format. Rather than a brief summary of the chapter to come with a dizzying number of great photographs, the first 61 pages of this 152-page book is all text with detailed footnotes. The photographic sections are broken into 1930-1940 and 1941-1945.