Tamiya has issued another kit in their ongoing 1/48th scale military vehicle series, this time a variation on a previous kit, their Krupp Protze 6x4 troop carrier. The new kit is an artillery towing version of the Protze, along with a brand new tool 3.7 cm Pak 35/36 wheeled anti tank gun. As with all the models in this 1/48th series, the new kit is designed for a quick build due to its relatively low parts count, and superb fit of the all-plastic components. Unfortunately there are some ejection pin marks in hard to remove areas, such as the clear windshield, and the backs of the 3.7cm anti tank gun wheels, and the gun’s shield. Tamiya is falling behind their competitor’s in this area, I am afraid.

This is Model Art Magazine’s special quarterly issue that focuses on naval subjects. As with the regular Model Art Magazine this is printed in Japanese with some English subtitles.

The feature article in the Autumn 2014 Vessel Model Special is on the IJN Battleship "Ise and "Hyuga". The article uses period photos and models to show the changes made to these battleships during the course of their life. If you are not familiar with either of these ships, the changes that were made was the inclusion of a flight deck to the rear of the ships. Included are several build articles and one scratch built 1/96 IJN Battleship Ise.

Master Box’s latest release, German Elite Infantry Eastern Front, WWII Era, is a new set of 1/35 scale figures. The set has very minimal flash and no ejector pin marks. The few mold lines present are easily removed with a sharp blade. There set includes no decals and no painting instructions. You will need to copy what you see on the box’s illustration. There are no part numbers on the sprues; however, the back of the box has a picture of each sprue with the part numbers listed next to each part. In addition, there are two inset photos depicting the camouflage painting options for the figure’s smocks, but there no paint callouts listed for the camouflage colors. You will have to use your own references to choose the colors.

Caracal Models has released a decal sheet for the 1/48 Hasegawa A-4M. This decal set includes three sheets with markings for two airframes in Brazilian Navy service. One option is a special scheme to celebrate the Skyhawk’s 15 years of service in the Brazilian Navy. The sheet provides the full markings and enough stencils to build both of the two options:

• Brazilian Navy, N-1004 (Special Scheme)
• Brazilian Navy, N-1017

As the AF-1s are former Kuwaiti A-4KUs, the instruction sheet describes how to convert the standard A-4M or A-4KU kits into the AF-1. In most cases, the conversion process is just using alternate parts already provided with the kit.

Having built the Royal Class Spitfire kits, I had an idea of what to expect from Eduard’s 1/48 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc: a perfect fitting kit from a maker at the pinnacle of their craft. The Spitfire Mk.IX kits are literally perfect models of the real thing. Building the kit out of the box, there is no need for filler anywhere. However, I wondered what would happen if I added some of the many available Eduard Brassin items to this baby?

Big Sin

Eduard’s 1/48 scale Big Sin Spitfire Mk. IX Advanced set has given me just the opportunity I was looking for. The Advanced Big Sin set includes a collection of four Eduard Brassin items: engine, gun bay, radio compartment, and photo-etch flaps.