OK, what does an airplane guy know about tanks? Well, let’s see – they make great targets and make a mess of a training area. Truth be told, I did win a trophy at the Nats for a tank. Surprised? So was I. As an airplane guy I always wanted to build some tanks, in particular German tanks, but for the longest time it was the zimmerit that prevented me from buying them. Then it was all the aftermarket stuff to make the kit “correct.” Thankfully, Dragon has started retooling their kits to make them more accurate, and they contain aftermarket stuff right in the box. On top of that, they priced their new kits, with all the aftermarket, at the same price as their previous releases. Then they added zimmerit on the appropriate kits. I couldn’t think of any more reasons to not buy these kits. Of the last 20 kits I’ve bought, no less than 12 have been Dragon tanks. I feel so dirty.

The Author

This book is the English translation from the French by Jennifer Meyniel and the author. I have to say that it is a very good translation, as the text is very readable. I finished this book in one evening, during the commercial breaks in a couple of favorite Tuesday evening TV shows.

Mr. Carbonel has taken the time and trouble to track down many of the players in the Matchbox plastic model division, done interviews and has done pretty extensive research on this subject. I had never heard of him, but apparently he is a respected author and aviation authority in France.

The Book

There are four sections:

1. 1973 – The Range
2. The AMT-Matchbox Era
3. The Twilight Period
4. Under German Control

Each section is divided into chapters covering one year, although some years are skipped late in the book, as not much happened after 1997.

The actual box art image does not do the kit justice - it is a great little diorama accessory. There are 186 plastic parts, 54 of which are extra. There are also 25 photo-etched parts and two vinyl tracks. I’ve built 6 or 8 of these little Dragon 1/72^nd armored kits and have accumulated a massive spare parts box.

I’ve built one of these Jagdpanzer VI’s before, though without the crane, and basic construction is very simple. The suspension (Picture 1) goes together in about 15 minutes, and another 10 can be spent on adding the parts for the rear armor plate. I added everything to it prior to painting. I found the photo-etched shields difficult to bend in this scale, and not a good fit. They are optional depending upon the vehicle you wish to depict, and although I got them to go on, I left them off the final product.

This is the third of four volumes of perhaps the most exhaustive and comprehensive study of British amour color and markings of the 20^thCentury ever published. It’s been researched and compiled by Dick Taylor, a serving British officer who knows his subject up close and personal, who is also a modeler of the highest standing on the other side of the pond (the Atlantic). This volume is heavily illustrated with drawings of insignia, color side views and photos throughout. The three major sections are:

This newly offered Special Product just goes to prove the age old adage “you can never have too much information”.

This 30 page monograph clearly shows the reader everything they ever wanted to know about these weapons and I must admit, it was a most interesting read. It comes in an 8.5x11 format with a stiff cover and contains a plethora of detail information in the form of black and white line drawings and text on several of these weapons.

It is well done and worth having if you have an interest in the subject. You might wish to take advantage of the member price and join IPMS/Canada when you order. Also, please check out the other Special Products on their website. Many thanks to Randy Lutz for the review sample.