This is a multimedia kit comprised of 70+ styrene parts, DS tracks, no photo etched parts fret, and a standard set of instructions, they need to be reviewed very carefully before gluing any parts together.
The T34 series is as synonymous to armored combat as the Sherman. There are still T-34 series hulls being used in Russian and it’s satellite countries to this day. Most of these are in the recovery or construction vehicle role, but the fact that they are still being used is a testament to it’s ease of use and mechanical longevity. The T-34 series of vehicles have been kitted in every armor scale by almost every manufacturer in the business. There are also a plethora of aftermarket items available in every scale as well.
RES-IM or Resin Improvement manufactures Resin, PE and masks in every scale. They cover tanks and aircraft. No automotive or warships yet. Their armor selection is limited to three T-34 upgrade sets, fuel tank sets (Russian) and a set of resin wooden boxes.
The newest in Osprey’s Duel series is authored by Mike Guardia, a six year veteran who served as an Armor Officer in the United States Army. He attended the University of Houston where he earned a BA and MA in American History. Guardia has been published by Osprey before in the New Vanguard series, but this is his first entry into the Duel series. He has also authored The Fires of Babylon, Hal Moore: A Soldier Once…and Always, and Shadow Commander. Hal Moore, of course, was popularized by Mel Gibson in the movie “We Were Soldiers”. He is an active member in the Military Writers Society of America and has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Book Award.
The M48 tank was the third in a series named for the famous WW2 US general, George Patton. The first two were the M46 and M47 Patton tanks, and the M48, though looking similar to its immediate predecessor, the M47, was in fact a completely new design. It incorporated a 90mm main gun, and had a cast steel hull and turret, which was much more rounded than its predecessors, thus offering superior ballistic properties. Initial variants of the M48 had gasoline powered engines, but these proved to be poor performers, and so the M48A3 introduced a better performing diesel engine. Production of the M48 lasted from 1952 until 1959, with a total of just over 11,700 vehicles manufactured.
The Panzer III (Pz Kpfw III) was Germany’s first main battle tank, all previous designs being smaller so called “scout” tanks. In early 1934 the German Army, now rearming after the National Socialist (Nazi) takeover of the German national government in 1933, put in motion via the Army Weapons Department plans for a new medium tank weighing 24 tonnes and with a speed of 34 KPH. Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall all submitted design proposals and produced prototypes, with Daimler-Benz being awarded a contract for production of the new tank in 1937.
The newest in Osprey’s New Vanguard series is authored by Jamie E. Prenatt is a Department of Defense senior analyst, with a particular interest in weapon systems development. He has over 30 years of military and civilian intelligence experience. He holds a Masters in Government/National Security Policy from Georgetown University. He has taught military history, war-gaming, and historical miniature painting at the Smithsonian Institution for several years.
Adam Hook began working as an illustrator in 1983. He specializes in detailed historical reconstructions, and has illustrated Osprey titles on subjects as diverse as the Aztecs, the Ancient Greeks, Roman battle tactics, several 19th-century American subjects, the modern Chinese Army, and a number of books in the Fortress series.
This kit by Italeri is a rebox of their 2012 Pz. Kpfw. V Panther Ausf. G kit # 6493 with the addition of upgraded moulds, photo-etch fret and new gluable rubber tracks as stated on their website. Let me preface my review by stating that as modelers we do not always follow the instructions step by step. We tend to skip around completing steps in advance while letting previous steps dry or bond. For this build and review, I did indeed skip steps, but I will describe what I found in each step, pros or cons, so the builder will be enlightened as to what needs addressed during the build. I also will not review any historical data pertaining to the Panther tank as I assume the builder will review historical data prior to the build. The Panther tank I will be constructing represents Panther #122 under the command of Oberleutnant Rasim, which was destroyed and knocked out east of Berlin in late April 1945.
L.Z Models has provided another great accessory for any military tractor. These were used to flatten ground to allow the building of airfields and camps, etc.
The detail quality is great, with minimal flash or other imperfections. The parts, once removed from the mold base, are ready to assembly. The small parts are very delicate and you must take extreme care when removing them from the mold base.
The assembly is quick and easy. The final part is painted olive drab and looks great as an addition to any diorama.
Thanks go to L.Z Models for providing this kit to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.
This kit is a representation of the British Army’s A13 Cruiser Tank that was captured by the Germans and placed in service for the Russian Campaign.
This is a multimedia kit but the use of the Photo-Etch is required, there are no optional plastic parts. Please be aware that some of the plastic parts are very, very small and will take a steady hand to get them off of the sprue without damage. And when they are off the sprue these minuscule parts do their very best to hide or get lost in the carpet or even on the work table.
Step 1 This step builds the chassis and includes the springs for the axels.
Step 2 This step builds the wheels drive sprocket and idler wheels, my particular sample had a short shot on some of the wheels. Bronco was very quick to replace those with a replacement sprue.
Step 3 This adds the front transmission housing along with some photo etched on the front of the tank.
The Harley-Davidson WLA motorcycle was nicknamed the 'Liberator' because it was used by U.S. soldiers liberating occupied Europe. Harley-Davidson began producing the WLA for the U.S. military in 1940, later entry of the United States into World War II saw significantly increased production, with over 90,000 being produced during the war. The US Army motorcycles were used for police and escort work, courier duties and scouting. They were almost never used as combat vehicles or troop mobility, it was a single-rider design and rarely equipped with sidecars commonly found on the German motorcycles.
According to Wikipedia the model designation breaks down as follows:
