I have always been a fan of Bob Steinbrunn’s model work over the years, seeing his many works in the pages of FineScale Modeler. Accordingly, I jumped at the chance to review this, his latest book, which involves the construction of a 1/6 scale (that’s right, one-SIXTH) M5A1 Stuart Light Tank, using a 21st Century Toys running model as a starting point. As usual, Bob’s model work does not disappoint.

Although you may not be able to find a similar “start kit” of an M5A1, the book is filled with valuable information on not only building large-scale models in general, but also for the M5A1 Stuart itself. Bob’s research is meticulous and his attention to detail is absolutely astounding – the thing that I found most amazing in this work. I personally plan to use this book as a guide when I build my AFV Club 1:35 M5A1. Coincidentally, I just finished a Mirage 1:72 M3 Stuart and I wish that I had had this book as a reference guide at the start of that project.

Introduction

While it’s primarily remembered for the massive clash of armor on the ground, the battle of Kursk was also the debut a new Soviet fighter that would eventually help wrest control of the sky from the Luftwaffe’s Fw190 and Me109. That was the Lavochkin La-5/7 series of fighters. An offspring of the earlier LaGG-3 fighter, the La-5 was born when the inline engine of its protégée was replaced by a 14-cylinder M-82 radial engine. In spite of early teething problems that resulted in a redesigned cowling and the reduction of armament to 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, the La-5 proved more than a match for the heavier Fw190A-4/5 series. The La-5FN was equipped with a fuel injected M-82FN radial, further improving its performance. Many Soviet aces, including Ivan Kozhedub (62 kills) and the subject of this built, Capt Pyotr Likholetov (30 kills), added to their scores flying the LA-5/7 series fighters.

Parts

There are 122 kit parts including styrene, brass, Dragon Styrene 100 (DS 100) parts, and a clear styrene windshield for the Kubelwagen. There are 21 extra parts in the kit.

Review

Like the box says, you get two individual kits in this box. You get a mid-production zimmerit-covered Tiger and a Kubelwagen. There are also about half of the necessary parts to make a German motorcycle. Like most Dragon kits, the sprues are individually bagged. The parts really don’t have flash or ejection marks.

Each vehicle has one set of Cartograf decals. The directions are 3 pages front and back, with color and a parts map. Color call-outs are for Mr. Color and Testors paints.

While my review may look a bit nit-picky, I can tell you this: I’ve built a number of Tigers and Kubelwagens in the past from other manufacturers in this scale. None of them have the finite details and crispness that these two kits have.

Osprey Publishing continues expanding its New Vanguard series. This is installment #187 and it focuses on the Japanese Light Cruisers (the 5,500 ton class). Even when the title refers to the WWII period, the book covers the development and modifications to that class since the early 1920s.

The Light Cruisers were designed and launched as Destroyer Flagships or Submarine Squadron Flagships. As such, aerial reconnaissance, anti-aircraft protection, and space for squadron staff were specific requirements in this class, in addition to the standard offensive armament consisting mainly of torpedo tubes.

As it played out, by the onset of WWII, several of these ships were outclassed – both in speed and offensive armament – by the destroyers they were supposed to lead. Therefore, several ships in this class were converted into other roles, which they performed well, but were not outstanding in them, either.

During the last desperate days of the Third Reich, the Germans had many armor projects under development and design. Some were prototype test vehicles and some just concepts on the drawing board. These have shown up recently as a spate of new kit releases for armor modelers, very similar to the Luft ’46 kits that have been coming out for years for airplane builders. This kit from Trumpeter was a design by Krupp/Ardelt, mounting the powerful PAK-43 anti-tank gun on the Hetzer chassis, combining a hard hitting gun and a highly mobile, lightly armored vehicle with limited crew protection.