History

Among the variety of wheeled armored vehicles which saw action in WWII, the Sd.Kfz.234/2 – armed with a 5cm gun – boasted the strongest firepower. The Sd.Kfz. 234 series, which was developed as successor the 8 wheeled Sd.Kfz. 231, had an important role in reconnaissance missions for Blitzkreig tactics. Four variations from 234/1-4 were deployed with differing armament and the 234/2 was the first in this series. Unlike the 231, armored with plate bolted onto the frame, the 234 adopted a monocoque structure to improve productivity and strength. Controls were located in both ends and the front armor plate was 30mm thick. The Tatra-made Type 103 air-cooled V12 diesel yielded 210hp, a maximum speed of 80kn/h, and a range of 1000km. The chassis had sophisticated 8-wheel drive and 8 wheel steering mechanism. The turret was armed with the 5cm Kwk39/1 gun which was able to penetrate 37mm thick armor plate from a distance of 1500m with armor piercing ammunition.

Eduard has released a “Weekend” PE fret for their Bf-109E-7/Trop. This is a simple photoetch fret (13 parts) which will quickly enhance the look of your model.

The fret includes 4 pre-painted pieces to create a realistically looking instrument panel, a right side console (electric panel I believe), a nicely detailed seatbelt (5 pieces, prepainted too) and only one external piece, but an important one in the /Trop, as it is part of the air filter.

As you can see from the pictures, even with a low part number, this is a simple and effective way to enhance the interior and exterior of your model. It took me about 10 minutes to setup the interior pieces and less than one minute for the air filter. As all the interior pieces are pre-painted it is very straightforward to detail and complete the cockpit.

Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

The GBU-10 Paveway I is one of the United States first precision guided weapons put into service. The GBU-10 is actually the combination of a standard Mk. 84 2,000lb bomb with the Paveway I guidance system. Developed in the late 60’s and early 70’s it was used extensively in Vietnam. While the MK. 84 bomb is still around, the Paveway I guidance package has been replaced by improved versions offering more guidance options and better range.

History

The Junkers J.1 (Company Model J.4) was one of the most advanced airplanes produced during World War I. When most other plane were of wooden construction with wire braced wings, the J.1 was all metal, with cantilever wings and tailplane, and featured a .20 inch armored shell structure which served as the forward fuselage, protecting the engine, fuel tanks, and crew. The structure was covered mainly by corrugated aluminum, which was to become a Junkers trademark later copied by Henry Ford for his Tri-Motor. Powered by a 200 hp. Benz Bz IV 6 cylinder in-line water cooled engine, the aircraft had an empty weight of 3,885 lbs. and a gross weight of 4,787 lbs. This resulted in a very heavy and underpowered aircraft, but given the role of the aircraft and the state of the art at the time, it was still an impressive airplane. Comparing the type with modern lightplanes, a 65 hp.

LPS Hobby has been producing many decal sheets of previously unavailable markings, previously incorrect markings and some unusual markings. This particular sheet is no exception. This sheet provides markings for three camouflaged P-51’s which were over-painted with what is believed to be RAF Dark Green and Medium Sea Gray. The decal sheet is printed by Microscale and is in perfect register.

The first aircraft is P-51D-5-NA, “Tangerine”, piloted by LT Henry A. Pfeiffer, 364FS, 357FG, Leiston, England, Autumn 1944. The second is P-51D-10-NA, “Master Mike”, piloted by Lt. Col Joseph E. Broadhead, 362 FS, 357 FG, Leiston, England, January 1945. The last aircraft, and the one I chose is P-51D-15-NA piloted by Major Howard D. “Deacon” Hively, 334 FS, 4FG, Debdon, England, December 1944.