This is a nice little (very little) kit that has great potential as a vignette or diorama accessory. This kit is not for the faint of eyesight or those with more than their share of thumbs, but can be a nice one or two day build. The kit is a challenging ‘craftsman’ type build, but that adds to the enjoyment for an experienced modeler.
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 Winter 2013 Special Ship Model Edition covers the Battle of Savo Island. The issue starts off though with some new releases that will be hitting model benches soon.
The Battle of Savo Island was the first major naval battle of the Guadalcanal campaign. Model Art devotes ninety-two pages to this battle with period photos, charts, line drawings, one fold out full color drawing of the IJN Heavy cruiser Chokai in action at Savo Island and of course models. The models are the biggest part of the article. They range from full build articles to photos of completed models.
The first real consideration of making floatplane fighters out of the Spitfire and Hurricane came during the 1940 Norwegian Campaign, and work began on both aircraft at that time. At the end of the campaign, development ended, and the Hurricane project was stopped. Known as the “Narvik Nightmare”, the Spitfire project languished until just before Pearl Harbor, when work was reinstated, this time with the Mk. Vb airframe. This time, instead of Blackburn Roc floats, specially designed Supermarine floats were used, along with additions to the vertical fin to offset the aerodynamic effects of the floats. The result was a highly successful conversion, with excellent flying and water handling characteristics. In fact, it turned out to be the fastest floatplane fighter of World War II.
Plusmodel continues its laser etched wood releases with a straight sided gate. This set is made from laser cut wood and contains two sheets of cut wood parts with 26 parts. The set also comes with directions to construct the gates.
Construction starts by removing the parts from the backing. There are small attachment points which are sanded flat. I used clear Elmer's glue for all the building. One note here. If you are going to stain the parts or paint them later, watch where the glue goes as it will fill the wood and leave some issues with the paint or stain working. To start, the door panels are two parts- back and front. This allows for depth which is great. I added glue and aligned the pieces and added weight to keep flat while drying. Once done, the framework on both sides is added and I glued and clamped these also. Plusmodel provides a nice diagonal frame on one side which is great. Once dry, the parts were given a light sanding with a fine grit paper/stick.
Plusmodel has made a rounded top European wood gate. This set is made from laser cut wood and contains two sheets of cut wood parts, about 43 in total. The set also comes with directions to construct the gates.
This kit from Plusmodel are two sorted waste containers for recycling...modern garbage cans! This would fit great into a modern diorama. The kit comes with 10 resin pieces, a small photoetch fret with four pieces and a small decal sheet. It makes two containers.
Construction is simple. Remove the pour spout from the container and the base. and glue together. There are three parts glued to the top and then the photoetch covers. These are excellent with one part being the flaps to push in the recycling and then a ring securing it. It did take some putty on the side of the main container at the mold lines but one application and a quick sand and done.
Plusmodel out of the Czech Republic continues its great diorama accessories this kit of a European style wagon with a wooden tank in 1/35 scale. the kit is entirely resin with 27 gray resin parts and a small piece of wire. The parts molding is excellent with wood grain molded in subtly to the parts. The base of this kit is similar to the hay wagon in its undercarriage with the base and tank included. As with any resin kit, each part will need cut from its pour block and cleaned. The parts are well done but it pays to take care here. I used a fine razor saw and cut the parts loose and scraped/sanded away the molding lines. Once done, I washed the parts in dish soap and warm water in case there was mold release and the parts were ready for assembly.
“Any Army Any Era!”……This is the Battle Cry for Steve Munsell of ValueGear. A Daytime Dad and nighttime casting machine. After reviewing the Wooden Crates 3 set and knowing I still had two more reviews to accomplish I figured I would send Steve an email and get some personal knowledge and thoughts. He considers himself a so-so modeler and started ValueGear simply because he got tired of seeing the same pieces used over and over again by the mainstream cottage industries in their stowage set. I also learned that he is no longer in Ireland but right here in Sunny Arizona. Hopefully he will pick up so more U.S. Distributors for his fine products.
Prior to its arrival I did some research for my review of this kit and I came across a statement on a social media site. “My best piece of advice when you go to the hobby shop to buy this kit? Three simple words, BUY A CASE!” Made me laugh. When the kit arrived and I opened the box I thought “BUY A CASE.” Well that was short lived. Maybe just a few. Upon further examination I found that this is the “Sizzler” kit first engineered during the 60s, just newly scaled down to 1/25th.
Still though, fans of early drag racing (early50s to late 60s) are going to love this kit. The instruction sheet points out 6 different variations to the model. By my calculations there are well over 576 possible combinations to this kit. I can see others kit bashing different motor combinations, various wheels, wings and all sorts of crazy ideas.
Parts count:
The PanzerKampfWagen IV Ausf H was designed to be an improved version of earlier PZKw IVs. The 75mm KWK/40 L48 main gun was supposed to be the same 50mm gun used in the IV Ausf F, but the shock of discovering how hard it was to deal with the Russian T-34s and KV-1s necessitated the upgrade to a 75mm gun. The particular version in this kit has the standoff armor (Schűrzen = aprons). The standoff armor is to protect the hull from shaped-charge weapons like the bazooka or Panzerfaust. The boxart shows extra tracks carried on the front glacis plate, but these are not included in the kit.
