The yearly new releases in Tamiya’s 1/48th scale Military Vehicle range are getting fewer and fewer in number compared to when the range was launched seven or eight years ago, but when they do turn up, they are well worth the wait. The latest in the range is the massive JS-2 Heavy Tank, produced as a counter to the German military’s Tiger 1 heavy tank. Heavily armored and with a potent 122mm main gun, this beast proved very effective both in battling the heavier German armored vehicles as well as being used in the “breakthrough” role in the mid- to late-war battles on the Eastern Front.

History – The GAZ Model 1943 Cargo Truck was based on the original GAZ-AA and, due to material shortages caused by the war, incorporated several metal and miscellaneous components changes. The vehicle was equipped with a more powerful 50 HP engine, simplified cab, the right headlamp was omitted, and brakes were fitted to the rear wheels only. Wood doors were added to the cab to improve driver comfort during the harsh winters.

Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (GAZ, aka Gorky Automobile Plant) manufactured 138,600 GAZ-MM trucks.

Furball Designs fourth issue is a set of markings for Hasegawa's 1/48^th series of F-4's including the RF-4B, F-4N, F-4J, F-4S versions. There looks to be enough markings for two kits and there are ten total available. If you add stencils, you could use the entire sheet. The markings include:

In 1944 the Soviets were starting to take the offensive. The Wehrmacht was still in Byelorussia and the Ukraine, but after Kursk the Russians had taken back almost half of the territory the Germans had won in 1941-42. The Americans and British had invaded Italy, making things even more difficult for the Axis side.

Another pain in the Germans’ side was the continuing partisan activity in Yugoslavia. And someone at Headquarters decided that the way to neutralize this particular threat was to remove its leader, Josip Broz, known as Marshal Tito.

This book is about the special operation, undertaken by the 500th SS Parachute Batallion, which descended on Drvar in northwestern Bosnia, using glider-borne soldiers and paratroops. While much of the book covers the actual landings and subsequent combat, I have to say that as an aircraft modeler, I was intrigued with the use of the DFS 230 gliders, which were towed by Henschel 126s. Never heard of THAT use for the Henschels!

The Parts:

This product contains 10 white metal parts that replace kit parts A22 and A31 (nose gear components), C12 & C13 (main gear struts), C29 & C30 (main gear support arms), and C4 & C5 (4 parts folding wing support arms). The four white metal parts (they resemble hockey sticks) are used if the F9F will be built with the wings in the folded position. If the wings are in the extended position, these four white metal parts are not used.

Assembly:

Assembly using the SAC white metal parts is straightforward. Treat the SAC parts as though they came with the Trumpeter kit. Use them in the assembly process just as you would use the Trumpeter parts.

Conclusion: