TSDS is a company that specializes in making decals and details for Science Fiction subjects such as Irwin Allen TV shows, Lost in Space, etc. I was given the opportunity to try out a set of their water slide decals for the “ Invaders’ UFO”, one of my all time favorite TV shows from the 1960s. I quickly went looking through my stash to see where I had put it. This is an old kit and hasn’t been re-released by anyone yet and to find that someone put out an improvement for it is just great. The idea to these sets is to make the model look a lot better and more detailed than you would ever be able to do with dry brushing and painting the details.

I like halftracks, especially German ones. I especially like the Sd. Kfz. 7, 8 and 9’s. I have plastic kits of the 7 and 9. I have none for an 8. A quick search of the internet shows no plastic versions and only one resin model in 1:72 scale. That makes this paper kit the only other choice at this time, and what a choice it is! The kit depicts a prototype version that sunk in a river in Poland. The 1:1 vehicle was recovered from the river in 1999 and restoration was completed in 2005. It is currently on display in Poland. Additional information can be found at www.skansenpilicy.pl where a more detailed history and restoration description are available.

I have a few Airfix and Hasegawa Marauders is my stash. I am always looking for eye-catching decal options in addition to the supplied kit options. Superscale have issued decal sheets featuring the B-26 in the past, many of which are no longer in available. Even with these decal sheets the Marauder has not been served well in 1/72 scale and the schemes are sometimes boring. Iliad design usually produce decals sheets for more exotic types in 1/48 scale, but recently they have been tapping into 1/72 scale market and one in their new range is a sheet featuring the B-26. Five options are included in the new decal sheet. They are:

History

With the German invasion of Russia in 1941, StuG.III crews experienced a very unnerving surprise when they discovered that their stubby KwK 37 L/24 75mm guns were no match for the numerous and heavily armored Soviet T-34 and KV tanks – except at uncomfortably short ranges.

The solution was to replace the short L/24 gun on the StuG.III Ausf.E platform with the longer barreled KwK 40 L/43 75mm gun. In doing so, the newly designated StuG.III Ausf.F became a truly effective dual-purpose infantry support and tank killing weapon.

First Look

Initially released in the early summer of 2009, this kit is the first in the Cyber-Hobby “Orange Box” series. The concept of this series is pretty simple: Package an older Dragon armor kit with a set of figures and one or two upgraded “add-on” items from their more recent releases and sell it at an affordable price, relative to the prices of new release kits.

History and Performance

The Jagdpanther was based on the Panther chassis, using the engine and drive train, and mounted the 8.8 cm Pak 43/3 (L/71). The end result was probably the best tank killer the Germans fielded during World War II. 392 of these vehicles were produced from January 1944 until March 1945. The Jagdpanther had a weight of 46 tons, could reach a road speed of 45 km/hr. The main armament had 57 rounds on board with 3,000 round for the bow mounted machinegun. A crew of five manned the vehicle. The majority of the Jagdpanthers served on the Eastern front, with the greatest number on the West Front serving in the Ardennes Offensive.