I started war gaming when I was in high school because I was always interested in military history. I’ve also wondered about the “what if” scenarios of different battles. My interest in the subject just stayed with me through college and even into the Navy. I remember while I was at the anti-submarine warfare base in San Diego, California, my barracks room mates and I used to push our bunks out of the way and play General Quarters, metal warships and all. So when they wanted someone to review the War and Conquest rules book, I just had to jump at the chance to do it.

During WWII, the German Wehmacht used a varity of truck types for their supply system. The most numerous were the 3-ton trucks, and of these many were the V3000S, produced at the Ford plant in Cologne. With the invasion of Russia, it quickly became obvious that tracked vehicles were vital if supplies were to be delivered. A solution was found to develop an add-on track system that could be bolted to the frames of different types of 3-ton trucks. When added to the Ford V3000S, it became the V3000S/SSM (Sd.Kfz.3b) Maultier. The Opel truck became the Sd.Kfza, and so on; they were all called Maultiers (German for mule).

History – The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet ground-attack aircraft, originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Armée de l'Air in the close air support and nuclear strike role, and remains in service with several export customers, notably the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force of Oman.

Originally conceived in the 1960s as jet trainer with a light ground attack capability, the requirement for the aircraft soon changed to include supersonic performance and reconnaissance and tactical nuclear strike roles. A carrier-based variant was also planned for French service, but this was cancelled in favor of the cheaper Dassault Super Étendard. The airframes were manufactured by SEPECAT (Société Européenne de Production de l'avion Ecole de Combat et d'Appui Tactique), a joint venture between Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation, one of the first major joint-Anglo-French military aircraft programs.

If you were male, young, and interested in ships in the early 1960’s, you know all about President John F. Kennedy and his crew with the PT-109. The movie PT-109 was released in June, 1963, right before President Kennedy was assassinated. Read about it on the net… those of us of a certain age already know the story! It’s also a great book to read…and Revell released a 1/72nd scale model of the boat at that time. It’s still available from the Revell catalog; an unending legacy.

Now, step up into big scale. Huge is a great moniker. Italeri’s PT-109 is the logical follow-on use of their previously released Elco PT-596. In 1/35nd scale, this is an absolutely massive model. Many in the R/C community have modified the basic kit with good results; as an electric-powered model, it’s impressive to watch. But that’s not why we’re here, is it?

History Brief

May, 1905 – HMS Dreadnought approved for construction. Entered into service December, 1907, and served as the flagship of the British Royal Navy’s Home Fleet until 1912. March, 18, 1916, during the First World War, the HMS Dreadnought sank the German submarine U-29 in the North Sea. By 1918, the Dreadnought was assigned patrol duty of the Thames estuary. She was then transferred to the Reserve in 1919 and finally demolished in 1921.

The Product

Kit features 2-piece full hull, internal strengthening bulkheads, separately molded bilge keel, engraved deck plank texture, finely molded fittings, well detailed ships boats, hollow tip main battery gun barrels, 12pdr rapid fire guns, filigree masts and yardarms, display stand with nameplates, metal chains, and plenty of photo-etch parts. Includes 4-view color painting guide and decals representing jack, ensign and stern name lettering.