History

The Sd.Kfz.6 Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen was designed by Bussing-Nag and Mercedes Benz as a prime mover for the German army – one of a number of half-track designs. The unit was produced during the 1930’s. The Sd.Kfz.6 had a five ton pulling force, capable of pulling off the road. It was built from 1935 to 1943 in several versions. In 1942, production ceased, and the Sd.Kfz.11 took its place, as this unit was cheaper and easier to manufacture. The pioneer version had a passenger body of up to 15 soldiers. This vehicle weighed 9 tons and was powered by a 6 cylinder 115 php Maybach NL54 engine, with a maximum speed of 50 km per hour.

Items in the Box

The model is made from injection-molded plastic, tan in color, with thirteen good presentation instructions, decal sheet and clear window and lens sheet, and a photo-etch sheet.

This is a somewhat interesting and slightly odd choice by Eduard. Washingtonia filifera is native to the Western US, and doesn’t really reside outside the region except for cultivated landscaping. It is primarily found around spring-fed oases in the low desert of Colorado, hot springs of Nevada, and rivers within Arizona and California. It has also been found in Florida and the Virgin Islands as well, most likely from transplants used as ornamental trees. The full tree can grow up to 60 feet in height, with shorter examples being seen in gardens and younger plants. A distinguishing characteristic are the long white fibrous threads that are between the segments of the leaflets. On adult trees, dead fronds stay attached to the tree and drop, forming a skirt around the trunk that can extend the entire height of the tree if left wild. These trees are also very long-living, with examples living between 80 to 250 years!

While the P-38 gained its notoriety over the waters of the Pacific, I have always preferred it in D-Day stripes. This sheet by Iliad Design caters to both theaters of operations.

There are 3 natural metal finish birds from the Pacific:

1. P-38J flown by Lt. Ken Ladd, 80th FS, 8th FG
2. P-38J flown by Lt. J.C. McHenry, 7th FS, 49th FG
3. P-38L flown by Maj. J.A. Watkins, also of the 7th FS, 49th FG

These are balanced by 4 birds flown over the European continent:

This publication is a Japanese-language magazine devoted to what the modeler might find interesting about the IJN Yamato. It was published by ModelArt, apparently to coincide with the release of the new 1/350 scale Yamato from Tamiya.

While there is a short English translation of the operational history of the Yamato class, the bulk of the magazine is in Japanese. Unfortunately, I don’t read Japanese, but there are some great photos and drawings in the book that are informative in their own right.

The first section of the book is devoted to the new Tamiya 1/350 Yamato, with some great photos of the built kit and an informative set of photos on how to complete the new “post and wire” railings included with this kit. It then goes on to cover previous model releases in 1/700 scale.

Bob Sanchez and Twobobs continue their excellent new releases with a set for the EA-18 Growler. This set covers Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130), also known as the "Zappers" and based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Currently part of Carrier Air Wing 3, the Zappers deploy aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). VAQ-130 is the oldest electronic warfare squadron in the U.S. Navy.

This set covers two planes, the CAG plane with black tail and spine with a green dragon breathing lightning bolts, and a line plane in all gray with the same markings. This kits listed are for Revell and Hasegawa F-18F with the Steel Beach conversions. I would suggest that the Hasegawa Growler release may be your best choice and it was reviewed here: http://web.ipmsusa3.org/content/ea-18g-growler.