Squadron has issued 1/35 resin sets for nuts and bolts to detail your armor and about any other kit needing nuts and bolts. The Three examples review here are:

• 93505- 1.6mm Nuts and Bolts- $6.99
• 93506- 2.0mm Nuts and Bolts- $9.99
• 93507- 2.5mm Nuts and Bolts- $11.99

Each resin set contain 36 nuts with bolt tips and 36 bolt heads, 6 complete separate bolts and 6 separate nuts. There are 84 pieces per set all in blemish and pin hole free resin. Threads are so fine on the nut and bolt that they will actually thread together. Check pictures for proof!

The packaging draws reference to 1/35 scale but I am sure that these will look well in whatever scale you chose to use them. Just remember to scale your sizes.

The Bussing-NAG 5 cm KwK 39/IL/60 four-wheel German armored car is one of two prototypes of this nature built. Historical reference for these vehicles is very hard to come by. However, it is known that they were in fact built but never put into production. It is also accepted that they were in fact field-tested, but it is debated as to which unit actually tested them. Some sources saying it was the 12th SS Panzer division, but again, there is no definitive proof of this as the data does not exist to confirm this information. There were two paint schemes observed in a photo that exists: one dark yellow and one with a yellow and green camo scheme (with a hard-to-discern pattern). The box art depicts a two-tone camo scheme, so I followed that suggestion based on discussions I had on the Axis WWII forum of the Missing-Lynx armor web site.

If the first two volumes of TANKART didn’t provide enough “eye candy” and inspiration to armor modelers looking to up their game, TANKART 3 provides another potent dose of armor building and finishing “how to” and “why to” for creating true works of scale modeling art – specifically for modern armor subjects.

Consistent with the first two editions, Michael Rinaldi provides an image- and narrative-rich guide for modelers to create jaw-dropping finishes and weathering effects through techniques centered around layering and “artistic scalism.” In TANKART 3, the author shares with the reader his latest learnings in his quest to create fantastic finishes while improving the overall efficiency of the process. Notable examples, and a take-aways for this reviewer, are the reduction or elimination of washes in favor of Oil Paint Rendering (OPR), and improving the execution of the Hairspray (HS) chipping technique.

I’m old enough to remember a time when Heller was the only game in town if you wanted to reproduce some of the fascinating French armor of the Second World War. Now we seem to have been presented with a number of choices, each with their good and bad points. However, permit me to discuss this particular rendition of this lovely little two-man vehicle on its own merits.

Hobby Boss has taken its own stance on reproducing this tiny machine by providing it with a complete interior, viewable through the numerous open-able hatches on the model. Frankly, this is one kit that begs for a maintenance diorama in order to show off its features -- anything else seems a waste of detail.

During World War 2 the Russians created a large number of flamethrower-equipped vehicles, useful for burning Germans out of strongpoints. Some of them replaced a turret or hull machine gun position with the weapon. Others, such as the OT-130, replaced the main gun itself and made this a dedicated flame thrower tank.

Like the original vehicle itself, Hobby Boss’ OT-130 tank is a modification of the tried-and-true T-26, which by this time in the war had outlived its usefulness as a main battle tank. The 45mm main gun was removed and replaced with a flamethrower unit and its appropriate internal tankage. The kit itself features over 900 parts including two sheets of photoetch and seeming hundreds of tiny pins used to assemble the workable tracks. There is no interior provided, although all of the crew hatches do open. No figures are provided with the kit, although it comes with a clear lens for the headlight.