Let Slip the Dogs of War
Sir Williams
Scratch Guy Mk I
Part 1 of a new series
An intro to scratchbuilding
PLUS Increased content, tips and product reviews
Tritton Chaser
Takoms 1/35 Mk.A Whippet
Northern Warrior AEC Militant
How to make hair Building the 1/24 British Army
look real! Milly Mk I from KFS
3rd March 2017
MODELLING GROUP
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Tel: 01733 688964 10 Cry Havoc! and let slip the dogs of war*
Award winning Takom 1/35 Mk.A Whippet by Fraser Gray
EDITORIAL
Contributing Editor: Martyn Chorlton 18 An Introduction to Scratchbuilding Part 1
Enterprise House, Enterprise Way, By Mark Cooper and Mark Bannerman
Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF
Email: contribeditor@militarymodelling.com
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Estonia, 1944 diorama by Yngve Sjdin

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Neil Marshall demonstrates the
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 44 Vol.47 No.3 2017

Stand Easy...
W
elcome to Military Modelling
Volume 47, Issue 3 another
44 Milly magazine filled with a large
The KFS 1/24 AEC Militant Mk 1 by Richard Wilson range of modelling subjects, not all of
them military. This issue will drop on your
doormats with several weeks of winter still
remaining and for Military Modelling, bad
50 weather is not all bad. Those contributors
who still live in countries that get proper
weather with several feet of snow and mind
numbingly cold temperatures, this time of
year is very productive from a modelling
point of view. From what Im currently
experiencing, its a great time to receive
multiple, completed articles for spring,
summer and beyond.
50 Two-in-one Self-Propelled Gun
Richard Dyer builds the 1/56 scale SU-85/SU-122 kit from Rubicon Models This month we have a couple of new
contributors, a few from the past and some
54 Shizuoka City regulars as well. Our lead article is by
The world plastic model capital located in Japan Fraser Gray who presents his lovely Takom
by Robert-Gilles Martineau Whippet which picked up some metal ware
at Euromilitaire last year. Next, as a result
54 of popular demand is another how to
article, this time by Mark Cooper and Mark
Bannerman, on the art of scratchbuilding,
which Im sure we can all learn from. The
ever popular Emmanuel Nouaillier follows
and Yngve Sjodin returns with an Estonian
Front diorama. Something a little different
from a figure point of view is brought to
the table by Victor Wong and keeping on
trend with the how to, Neil Marshall sorts
the hair out on a Sean Bean lookalike and
Regular Features Richard Wilson returns with his cracking
Militant. Richard Dyers enthusiasm for
Rubicons 1/56 machines continues and
5 Stand Easy new contributor Robert-Gilles Martineau
A message from the Contributing Editor
takes a look at the Japanese model capital,
Shizuoka City.
58 On Parade
Recommended books for military modellers
Please dont be shy if you think you have
an original idea for an article; whats the worst
61 Atten-Shun! that can happen? Ping me a message at
Products review section
contribeditor@military modelling.com
and you never know, your efforts could
72 Next Issue be rewarded. Why not visit
Whats coming up in your favourite modelling magazine!
www.militarymodelling.com and start a
thread or two, show off your work or just
contribute to the banter; its well worth a

Cover Story... Let Slip the Dogs of War nosy around.

Carry On!
MAIN IMAGE: Takom 1/35 Mk.A Whippet by Fraser Gray.

LEFT INSET: Scratchbuilding a Guy Mk I Armoured Car by Martyn Chorlton

Mark Cooper and Mark Bannerman. Contributing Editor
Sir Williams
CENTRE INSET: Neil Marshall takes us through the art of Tritton Chaser contribeditor@militarymodelling.com
Takoms 1/35 Mk.A Whippet
creating realistic hair. Scratch Guy Mk I
Part 1 of a new series
Northern Warrior
How to make hair
AEC Militant
Building the 1/24 British Army
An intro to scratchbuilding look real! Milly Mk I from KFS
3rd March 2017

RIGHT INSET: KFS 1/24 AEC Militant build by Richard Wilson.

MODELLING GROUP

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MM Vo47 No3 cover2.indd 1 14/02/2017 09:51

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 AFV

Cry Havoc! and let slip

the dogs of war* *Act 3, Scene 1, line 273 of
William Shakespeares Julius Caesar.

Award winning Takom 1/35 Tritton Chaser

Mk.A Whippet by Fraser Gray The Mk.A Whippet was designed by Sir William
Tritton and developed from a prototype called the
Tritton Chaser. The prototype was armed with a
RIGHT: Assembling the running gear is quite tricky
and care and attention to the instructions
cylindrical revolving turret, offset beside the drivers
is required. I preferred to keep the cab and armed with a Lewis gun. The rotating turret
wheels running free on their axles, was later replaced by a polygonal non rotating
and temporarily held them in
position with PVA glue. fighting compartment at the rear of the tank,
armed with four ball-mounted 0.303in Hotchkiss
Mk. I machine guns mounted at the cardinal points.
Following the maritime tradition of the Land
Ships, the prototype was christened The Whippet.
The name Whippet was later adopted as the
generic name for the production version of the tank.
The Whippet had a crew of three; commander,
driver and a single gunner who had to switch firing
positions between machine guns. The tank was
powered by two petrol fuelled Tylor engines,
adapted from the engines used to drive
BELOW: Like the full sized vehicle, the kit is built up using a series of flat plates.
The plates that eject debris from the return rollers have been cleaned up and a contemporary London bus. The tank
are ready for attachment. was steered by speeding up one engine
and slowing down the other, increasing
the rate of turn by using the brakes on
one engine or the other. This called for an
experienced and skilled driver because one
or both engines could be stalled if care was
not taken. The fighting efficiency of the crew
was greatly reduced because of the engines
heat, noise and the fumes wafting back into the
cramped fighting compartment. Whippet crews
needed to fight on alternate days because of these
appalling conditions. The crews are frequently
photographed travelling on the outside of the tank
with access doors opened and only buttoned up
when in combat.

10 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 AFV

All the components fit precisely and

the model is rapidly taking shape on
the work bench.

The Whippet was designed to exploit breaches

made by heavy tanks in the enemy lines and
suppress infantry counter strikes against the slower
heavy tanks. The Whippet was fast and agile in
comparison to the lumbering heavy tanks with a
maximum speed of 8.5mph, double the speed of
other tanks. The Whippets frequently advanced
ahead deep into enemy lines. A single Whippet
commanded by Lieutenant C. B. Arnold named The
Musical Box went on a ten-hour rampage far behind
the German front line. Musical Box destroyed an
artillery battery an observation balloon, a camp of
an infantry battalion and a transport column before
being immobilised by artillery fire and abandoned by
its crew. Whippets also fought in the worlds second
tank battle against German A7Vs No.525 Siegfried
and No.504 Schnuck. It is still uncertain if it was
fire from the A7Vs or from the German artillery that
knocked the Whippets out.
When the Great War ended, the surviving
Whippets were sent to the trouble spots in the world
resulting from the war. Whippets fought in support
of the White Russians against the Bolsheviks and
their Red Revolution in Russia. In South Africa, a
Whippet intended for use as a war memorial named
H.M.L.S. Union was repaired and used to intimidate
agitators in an industrial dispute before it broke
down. A Whippet captured by the Germans was sent
to Berlin and in Freikorps service was used against
the Bolshevik inspired Spartacists. Decals for this
particularly gruesome Whippet are included on the
decal sheet of the Takom kit. Japan also purchased
six Whippets to form their first tank unit.

Takom 1/35 Mk.A Whippet

Kit No.2025
The Whippet Mk.A tank is another marvellous
addition to the growing range of WWI tanks
released by Takom. The kit has a very high parts
count primarily for the construction of the drive
train which, although detailed, is completely hidden
from view on the completed model. The tracks are
superb and are a vast improvement on the tracks
that Takom supplied in Takoms Mark IV male and ABOVE: I now prefer to attach my models
to a stand for painting, and displaying
female kit. Takoms new working tracks can be my models on a base. I used a bolt and
swiftly clipped together and only require a small washer intended for the PC market.
moulding pip removing from the top of each plate
with some emery paper.
The hull and polygonal fighting compartment are
constructed from individual plates and require care
to ensure perfect alignment. I used liquid cement

The model is now complete. I have deliberately left off the

finer photo-etch components to avoid possible damage or loss
when the model is masked and painted.

www.militarymodelling.com 11
 AFV

RIGHT: I used Games workshop

Green Putty to model the bedrolls
for location in the two rear mounted
stowage boxes. The cans are from the
Plus Model set 106 Oil Tins.

BELOW: The model was secured to a

painting stand and given several light
coats of primer to avoid flooding and
then obscuring all of the superb detail
of the kit.

LEFT: The tracks are marvellous, are easily clipped

together without glue and are fully articulated.
They are a great improvement
over the tracks supplied
with Takoms
Mark IV male.

LEFT: I sprayed the white portion of the recognition strips with white primer
directly from the rattle can. The white portion was masked using Humbrol
Maskol and Tamiya low tack masking tape in preparation for the red stripes.

BELOW: The red portion was applied using an airbrush.

LEFT: A selection of sparingly and built the fighting compartment in

Tamiya acrylic paints
that I blended to paint one session, allowing a degree of flexibility to align
the camouflage. I the plates perfectly before the cement set. The
used Tamiyas thinner assembled hull and fighting compartment perfectly
to ensure a resilient
base coat. reproduced the bolted plate construction of the
original tank. The only difficulty I encountered was
with the photo-etched hooks on the lower hull
side. I deliberately left attaching the hooks to the
final stages of weathering. Due to the nature of
the photo-etch manufacture, the hooks have to
be twisted into shape which weakens the metal.
Despite removing paint at the attachment point and
lightly keying the back of each photo-etch hook with
emery paper, they are prone to becoming detached

12 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 AFV

LEFT: I intended to paint the model

using the colour modulation style.
I airbrushed the model in black to
represent deep shadow areas.

BELOW: I followed my own

observation and photographs of the
preserved Whippet Mk.A and painted
my model in a mud brown. Some
references suggest that the AFV were
painted green.

and lost. I spent a good hour searching for one

lost hook. I spent a further thirty minutes
at Euro Militaire looking for another
hook that fell off in transit to the
show. Of course modellers should
not be careless and lose parts but
would it really damage the bottom
line if manufactures included a
couple of spares?
I decided to use the colour modulation style
to paint my model. I custom mixed my paints
from the Tamiya range. Although Takoms box art
and painting instruction say the tank was green,
my direct observation of the Whippet on display
at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and
of Military History, Brussels (said to be in its original
camouflage scheme) is that the tank is brown or
khaki. The museums Whippet is badly damaged
at the rear and may have suffered an internal fire
that could have darkened the paint. There are still
substantial areas of original paint remaining. As
decals are provided in the kit for Firefly, I decided
to reproduce the brown camouflage and custom
mixed my paints from the Tamiya range to match
my own observation, and photographs of the tank.
When I had mixed the mid tone of the camouflage,
I then added white or black to the mix for the
airbrushed shadows and highlights.
After a coat of Tamiya X-22 Clear to seal and
protect the paint, a wash was applied into the

ABOVE: The upper panel is

isolated with masking tape
and a vignette is applied
with an airbrush. The paint
is intentionally lighter than
the anticipated final finish
because each subsequent
layer of weathering
darkens the paint.

LEFT: Although laborious,

work progresses around
the model, isolating and
then airbrushing each
individual armoured plate.

13
 AFV

More masking of individual armoured plates. It is time

consuming but worth the extra effort.

To ease painting, each

individual track grouser was
attached to a cocktail stick
and painted. I used different
blends of Humbrol paints to
achieve variation between
each track spud.

ABOVE: When the larger armoured plates have been airbrushed, smaller details such
as the ventilation plates and hinges can be masked and a vignette airbrushed in the
opposite direction.

BELOW: The finished result. The somewhat World of Tanks sprite effect will be toned
down when the model has been weathered. The tracks were primed and treated to
several light washes of Lifecolor rust paints from their Dust and Rust Diorama Set.

14 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 AFV

Each individual bolt head was painted

in white with cream to reduce the stark
contrast. Because I have used enamel
paint on an acrylic any mistakes can be
cleaned away with white spirit without
damaging the acrylic base coat.

ABOVE: The model was airbrushed in a protective

coat of Tamiya Clear. After leaving the model
for twenty four hours for the varnish to
dry, the decals were applied.

panel lines and around bolt

heads. When the wash was
touch dry, the excess could
be removed with a cotton bud
dipped in white spirit. The paint
should be removed in the direction that
rain would naturally drain from the tank.
The model was then given another light

coat of Tamiya X-22 Clear and, after resting the
model overnight, the decals were applied to the
varnished surface, followed with another coat of
varnish to give a painted on look.
The paintwork can then be distressed and
scratched. I applied the chips and scratches using
Humbrol Enamel paints if you make a mistake or are
dissatisfied, you can remove the paint with a brush and
white spirit without damaging the acrylic base paint
and varnish. I used two types of chipping, painting a
ABOVE: A diluted wash made from
Rowney Artists Oil 251 Series B Sepia
and Humbrol 160 German Camouflage
Brown, thinned with hardware store
white spirit and applied around each
bolt head and the junction between
each armoured plate.
LEFT: When the wash had dried, the
excess was removed with a cotton bud
dampened with white spirit, drawing
the cotton bud in the direction that
rain and effluent would be washed
from the tank.

www.militarymodelling.com 15
 AFV

light colour on to the shadow areas and a darker colour

on to the highlighted areas. For deeper scratches I
used the 3D chipping technique of first painting a light
colour and then adding a darker colour into the scratch,
thus imitating the way light catches along an edge.
Additional chipping was applied using a sponge or
kitchen scouring pad with almost dry paint to introduce
an element of natural chaos into the chipping effects.
Then it was time to consider applying mud effects
to the model. I began by adding a fine mist of earth
coloured paint to the lower hull by drawing back
the bristles of a cut down medium paint brush. I
flicked the brush onto some white paper to gauge
ABOVE: The oil paint was applied in a random dot pattern over the entire model, preferentially
increasing the lighter oil paint on the darker portions of each armoured plate and increasing the
application of the darker oil paint on to the lighter areas of the armoured plate.

ABOVE: I decanted oil paint from the 502 Abteilung range to a white ceramic tile. Unfortunately, the label for
the beige paint has become detached from the tube and so I am unable to give the reference number.

BELOW: Further texture and weathering can be applied to the model by splattering a fine mist of enamel
paints discharged from a cut down medium brush by drawing back the bristles.

Mud effects were then applied to the model. A course blend

of MiG Productions Dark Mud P033, Dry Mud P2342 and
Beach Sand P030, mixed with PVA wood glue was applied
to the model, with the occasional inclusion of leaves from
the Plusmodel range, or plant debris that has been collected
from the garden.

ABOVE: The front idler and rear drive

sprocket have the surfaces that connect
to the tracks metalized with graphite
powder produced by grinding an artists
graphite pencil on to coarse sand paper.

16
 AFV

The authors Mk.A Whippet model was awarded

a Gold medal at Euro Militaire 2016.

the effect and, when satisfied, I applied paint to the

model. For the more lumpen applications of mud,
for example by the track tensioning mechanism, I
left more paint on the brush.
For thick mud effects around the drive train
I used a coarse blend of partially mixed MiG
pigments mixed with PVA wood glue. The paste
was then gradually built up around the lower hull
and drive train. I avoided using MiG acrylic gel
as the bonding agent because, when it sets, it
is almost impossible to remove without causing
damage to the underlying layers of weathering. I
used PVA wood glue instead, which is inexpensive
and water soluble. It is possible to remove any mud
applications you are dissatisfied with by liquidising
the PVA bonding agent with a brush and warm
water without damaging the rest of the paintwork.
The model was complete and built from the box,
apart from the stowage and tow chain (purchased
from a model boat shop) and towing shackles
poached from an Italeri Crusader kit).

Reference
Medium Mark A Whippet
by David Fletcher, Illustrated
by Henry Morshead.
Osprey Publishing.
ISBN 978-1-78200-398-4.

www.militarymodelling.com 17
 Scratchbuilding

An Introduction to
ABOVE: The model painted and lightly
weathered and marked as it might
have appeared serving with N3 Air

Mission Phantom (RAF), France 1940.

Scratchbuilding -
(Courtesy of Photoshop)

The absolute
requirement to
Part 1 By Mark Cooper and
Mark Bannerman

be successful in
scratchbuilding is Patience is critical or to build something different from the standard
patience and a Scratchbuilding is time-consuming and patience is kit. There is no easy route when scratchbuilding but

lot of it!
BELOW LEFT: Side view of a Guy - note
the short length of the armoured car.
(Photo source unknown)
BELOW RIGHT: A superb and intact
Tank, Light (Wheeled) Mk.1 (Guy) at
the Bovington Museum.
critical but very satisfying when the results meet
expectations. Anyone can scratchbuild because most
of the skills required for building an after-market
model is not all that different from scratchbuilding.
The absolute requirement to be successful in
scratchbuilding is patience and a lot of it! One
also needs good references, exact measurements
and a real desire to see the project to its end. Most
modellers who scratch are either looking to build a
subject that is otherwise not available on the market
being well prepared and equipped goes a long way to
making the experience so much more enjoyable. To
test your desire and commitment, you need to scratch
something small before going into a complex project.
Also, if you are under time constraints, scratchbuilding
is perhaps not the way to go. The purpose of this
article is not to attempt to explain every step on the
Guy but rather to provide photos with descriptive
captions of the technique and to share tips and tricks
on how to go about scratchbuilding.

18 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 Scratchbuilding

Guy Mk.1 Armoured Car

Before discussing the basics of scratchbuilding, a
little information about this little known armoured
car is warranted. The Tank, Light (Wheeled) Mk.1s
otherwise known as the Guy Mk.1 - was a light
weight armoured car designed by Guy Motors. In
1938, Guy Motors built five Guy Quad armoured
car prototypes based on the Quad-Ant artillery
tractor chassis. The vehicle successfully completed
ABOVE: A column of Guy armoured cars on training manoeuvres in England. (Photo source unknown)
field trials and in 1939, 101 Guy Armoured Cars
- designated Guy Wheeled Light Tank - were
produced. The first 50 of these armoured cars
were manufactured mounting a .50in and a
.303in Vickers machine gun and were designated
Mk.1. The remaining 51 mounted Besa machine
guns (one 15mm and one 7.92mm) and were
designated as Mk.1A. The Guy was manned by
a crew of three, weighed approximately 5.2 tons
and had a top road speed of 35mph. Its armour
was approximately 15mm thick and the engine
- a Meadows 4ELA four-cyl petrol engine was
located in the rear. The vehicle had a welded hull
which made it the first British armoured car with
an all-welded construction and the vehicle carried a
No. 19 radio. Recorded accounts of the Guy Mk.1s
reveals that at least four were used by the mobile ABOVE: A burnt Guy outside of Dunkirk, circa 1940. (Photo source unknown)
guard of the British Royal Family (a troop from 12th
Lancers) and by cabinet ministers. Moreover, some Various thicknesses of Evergreen sheet styrene were used
to build the body of the Guy. The most frequently used
were used by different British, Belgian, Danish was 1mm (.4.4in). The styrene was, in some cases,
and Dutch units stationed in Britain, for training doubled-up to ensure a solid
foundation. All joints were
purposes. By 1943, the Guy armoured cars had glued with Testors and
been replaced by more modern vehicles such as further reinforced
with superglue.
the Humber Armoured car series.
There are very few wartime images of the Guy
and very little is written about their wartime service.
However, we did find some information on several
Guy Mk.Is serving with Phantom. Phantom is
one of the lesser known units of the British Army
and played an important role in wartime which
equals the contributions of the SAS, the Long
Range Desert Group (LRDG), and Popskis Private
Army. Although Phantom is often associated with
the Royal Signals unit, it was in fact classed as a
Royal Armoured Corps Reconnaissance unit. The
association with the Royal Signals is attributable to
the fact that its wireless operators were primarily
drawn from the Royal Signals. The existence
of the Phantom unit was classified secret and
remains, even today, one of the least well known
of the wartime special regiments. Phantom was
created in France in 1939 with the specific task
of locating the position of bomb lines (the battle
areas not occupied by Allied troops and therefore
suitable targets for bombs and shells) and provided
the link between forward patrols and command
headquarters with information of forward troop
movement. Phantom was composed of volunteers
with exceptional linguistic and motor cycling skills,
who had rigorous training in Morse code and radio
communication. During Phantoms reconnaissance
operations in France of 1940, the unit was equipped
with six Mk.1s. There are very few wartime action
photographs of the Guy but photos do exist of Guy
Mk.1s during Phantoms reconnaissance operations
in France during 1940. Unfortunately, all six Guy
armoured cars were left behind in France in the
B.E.F.s retreat to Dunkirk. As a notable aside, David
Niven (the actor) was commander of A Squadron of The skeletal hull was put together with a lot of dry fitting and re-measurements to make certain that all
GHQ Liaison Regiment (Phantom) circa 1941. of the parts were a good fit. The hull alone took two evenings to complete.

www.militarymodelling.com 19
 Scratchbuilding

ABOVE: Close up of the fender. Strips of styrene were

ABOVE: Guy armoured cars on training exercises. applied on the edge of the fender to depict the lip around
(Photo source unknown) the fenders.

ABOVE: Green and grey putty were used to fill in gaps. Liquid glue over putty can be very effective to shape the putty. Any excess putty can either be cut off or sanded
down. Weld seams were made using styrene rods, melted to the body then a hobby knife was used to create texture in the welding. ABOVE RIGHT: After-market rivets
heads and bolts are a great value. Grandt Line, Trichy Group, Micro-Mark, and Masterclub are all excellent sources for surface detailing. Slow drying glue was very helpful
in allowing for some modifications if it was necessary to adjust. BELOW LEFT: The fenders were fashioned in three separate parts using a jig from scrap sheet styrene and
glued in place onto the hull. Putty was used to even out the joints. BELOW RIGHT: The engine desk was a fairly easy affair. Note the use of putty to fill in gaps.

RIGHT: Guy in the

Bovington museum. On with the project!
(Photo source
unknown)
Regardless of what you intend to build, there are
certain materials that are essential. Styrene sheet
(Evergreen was the preferred choice for this project)
will be the material you will use for most of a scratch
project. It is inexpensive, relatively easy to find in
well stocked hobby stores, durable and is very easy
to work with. It will take all paints, all glue-types,
can be sanded, cut, drilled, and its properties are
not unlike most of the plastic kits available on the
market. Some prefer mat board which is a heavy
card stock used for framing but it can be tough to
cut because it is so thick. Sheet styrene comes
in a variety of thicknesses ranging from .13mm to
3.2mm and come in a variety of textures - plain,
tiled, corrugated, patterned. The material will not
swell or warp due to humidity; it is very stable and
bonds immediately. A good purchase is the Value-
Economy pack which consists of the plain-type
white sheets and provides a variety of thicknesses.

Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 Scratchbuilding

ABOVE LEFT: An unflattering image from the workbench. The axles are being affixed and clamp-down tweezers are very handy in keeping parts together while glue dries.
ABOVE RIGHT: Some copper and aluminium tubing was used for the suspension and exhaust. The shovel was a spares white metal part from an S2K model.

ABOVE: Soldering wire was used for

the handles and anchors and a punch-
and-die set was used for rivets around
the engine deck.

LEFT: More work on the turret. The turret

took 15 hours to complete as there was
considerable detail on the hatches.

ABOVE: The turret being constructed. The hatches took the better
part of two evenings to complete. The left side turret hatch is
made up of eleven different parts. A real test of patience!

Sheet styrene has no grain so it does not leave photographs that were snapped of the Guy at the
dust or jagged edges. It is clean cut when a sharp museum. Before setting out on a project, it is a BELOW: The front headlamps were
shaped by putting sheet styrene
knife and a metal ruler are used. After you place good idea to think about breaking down the build around a rounded template (a white
your measurements on sheet styrene with a pencil, into subassemblies and sometimes a list is worth glue bottle cap) and heating it with a
hairdryer then dipping it in cold water
the best way to cut styrene is to score it. Position developing of the parts and pieces that need to be until it took shape. It did take several
the edge of the ruler right on the cutting line and cut out like having your own instructions. attempts to achieve the desired results.
only lightly run your sharp knife along the slide of
the ruler. This can be repeated a few times and, if
your blade is sharp enough, you will be able to snap
the two pieces apart in one clean bending motion.
Curves are slightly more difficult to snap in one
go but can be done if you work it in stages by first
gently bending the plastic at the score line then
working along from one end to the other. Other
materials and tools include hobby knife, super glue,
liquid glue (Tamiya or Testors), steel ruler, cutting mat
or board, putty or auto filler.
Before one begins, it is critical to have
good reference material, photos and precise
measurements of the subject that you are about
to build. For this project, good references and
measurements were available (thank you George
Moore and Dick Harley!) as well as hundreds of

www.militarymodelling.com 21
 Scratchbuilding

ABOVE LEFT: The rear of the Guy. Note the etch on the supply boxes. These were pulled from a spares box. The placement of every rivet was calculated and, more often
than not, had to be removed and reaffixed because these were not aligned or centred. ABOVE RIGHT: There are probably 500 rivets on the model.

ABOVE LEFT: The wheels were from an Italeri CMP model. ABOVE RIGHT: Although the model appears very clean with little residue from glue and putty, the reality was
that there were a lot of surface blemishes that needed to be constantly sanded off and a lot of putty was used to fill gaps more than is evident in the photographs.

ABOVE: All of the boxes on the fenders were scratchbuilt using existing
aftermarket boxes as templates for measurement. The support brackets were also
scratched and punch and die rivets put into place.

ABOVE The spade was scratchbuilt

using sheet styrene rod, pinching
one end with a pair of plyers and
sharpening the other end with a hobby
knife. The bracket was also scratched
using .015 sheet styrene.
Construction and details
The first step in the construction is building up
the skeleton and foundation of the model. This is
probably the most important and most difficult
part of the project because everything that occurs
thereafter is reliant on the base. Keeping your
ruler handy at all times and measuring frequently
is critical. If you have sliced off a part and it is
slightly short, cut another piece so that it is exact.
When you scratchbuild, there should be no margin
of error, even if a part is only off by a millimeter.
It is always better to make a part slightly larger

22 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 Scratchbuilding

ABOVE LEFT: It is critical to fill all gaps with putty before placing any rivets near the joints. Otherwise sanding excess putty will ruin any bolt work you had done up to
date. A lesson learned - do all rivet work last! ABOVE RIGHT: There is considerable detail that went into the project that would ordinarily get lost and not seen. However,
part of the fun of doing those details that go unnoticed is using those spaces and areas to test.

ABOVE LEFT: The turret had to be

restarted several times to get the
dimensions and fit correctly.

ABOVE RIGHT: The spacing on the

rivets around the base of the turret
was a challenge and, looking at the
photos now, one can see where some
of the rivets are not quite aligned!

LEFT: The rear of the Guy; all pencil

marks should be rubbed off before
primer is applied because, for one
reason or another, primer does not
cover pencil lead very well.

www.militarymodelling.com 23
 Scratchbuilding
Note the antennae support bracket and fashioned using sketchy wartime photos to ascertain dimensions.
The Guy is complete: six months and work your way down either through sanding
of work, 500 rivets, 100 hobbyknife
blades and 40 sheets of styrene. or slicing off slithers. Dry-fitting parts frequently
before committing to glue is something that needs
to be constantly tested. Using blu-tac can be
helpful if you are looking to attach a few parts and
determine fit.
Spend as much time as possible making certain the
skeletal framework is precise and solid. The hardest
part of assembling the skeleton is keeping everything
square. Also, once you are satisfied with the base,
ensure to add copious amounts of glue to keep it
sturdy and solid. Allow for the glue to fully cure. All of
the measurements and angles are re-checked against
my drawings to ensure that they are perfect. Most of
the hull base and in fact the entire model was built
using 1mm (or 0.04in) sheet styrene.
The next step is adding details. It is always easier
to work in subassemblies (and there should never
24
be more than four-five parts at one go for any one
subassembly). It is critical to dry fit the parts to
ensure that there are no gaps. If pieces of styrene
fit tight together without gaps then liquid glue is the
best bonding agent for joining the pieces. Liquid glue
literally welds the parts together by slightly melting
to the surfaces to be joined, allowing them to flow
together and become one piece. Sometimes, when
sheet styrene parts are pushed together, small beads
of softened plastic will ooze out along the joint line.
Allow this to thoroughly dry then carefully sand
off the beads. The best liquid is any of the plastic
cements, although Testors No.3502 Plastic Cement
was tried, tested and true. Note that these solvents
should be used only with adequate ventilation.
When the pieces to be joined do not fit tightly
together, a solvent with some filler will be required.
This is where tube glue for small gaps and putty
(Squadron) for larger gaps can be used. Sometimes
sheet styrene needs to be glued or bonded to other
materials and cyanoacrylates (superglue) work well.
If one does use putty or fillers to fill in gap, allow the
filler to dry entirely before sanding.
Getting the scale right
Measurements are critical. If you have the
measurements, it is a question of determining
the 1/35 equivalent by dividing the 1/1 scale
measurement by 35. For example, the GUYs wheel
chassis is 2.76m long - or 276cm. Therefore, in scale
form, the chassis should be 7.88cm (276/35=7.88cm).
For 1/48 scale, the chassis would be 5.75cm. Precise
measurements are crucial. Remember the golden
rule measure twice, cut once.
With the base hull complete, the process of
adding various details and parts begins. Rivets
and bolts were either made using a punch and die
set or sourced from Grandt Line and Trichy Group.
Once the location had been marked each rivet
was positioned using a new #11 X-acto blade and
attached with Testors liquid glue. The weld seams
were created by gluing styrene rod pieces to the
model and allowing the glue to cure. Once dry, an
X-acto blade was used to notch the weld seam.
Then small amounts of liquid glue were brushed on
using an old paint brush in multiple coats until the
styrene had softened up. The numerous notches
held the glue and edges began to melt creating a
weld seam. In some cases, the weld was tweaked
using a toothpick. The other way to create weld
seams is using milliputty. One needs to follow a
similar process, minus the glue. Similar to the hull,
the turret was built by creating a skeleton and then
adding the various panels. The mantlet was given
a slight cast texture using Mr. Surfacer and an old
paint brush.
Enormous time was spent ensuring that all of the
rivets were well placed, gaps were properly filled and
sanded and that any surface detail blemishes (glues,
putty, oily fingers etc.) were quickly dealt with either
through scrapping, sanding, rubbing or scratching off.
The beauty of scratchbuilding is seeing the model
take shape and it is only around the 30% completion
mark that it makes you want to continue and see it
through. So the first 30% of the scratchbuild is the
toughest part and will take up 60% of your time.
There is typically ample opportunity to make small
changes and modifications but structural changes are
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017
 Scratchbuilding

not so easy which is why committing to glue should ABOVE: Guy armoured car
on patrol in England 1939.
only be made once you are absolutely certain that it (Courtesy of Photoshop)
is a perfect fit.

Techniques and methodologies

Although the Guy armoured car was an ambitious
and intricate project to do in terms of demonstrating
the basics of scratchbuilding, it can be said that
scratchbuilding whether the project is small, big,
simple, or intricate and complicated will carry the
same techniques and methodologies. The difference
is that a full scratch project like this one just takes
much longer, requires more patience, and critical to
all is time. In Part 2, a full scratchbuild of a German
WWII vehicle will be attempted but with fewer parts
and, as you will see, the same techniques described
above will be used but with very different results.
To complete the project, the Guy was cleaned
up with soap and water and primed using Tamiya
primer in two coats. There is some debate regarding
the colours used for the Guy Armoured Car serving
in France. These were initially believed to be either
overall Deep Bronze Green (G4) or a combination
of Khaki Green (G3) and Light Green (G5). Existing
photographs of the Guy in France are very sketchy
and quite poor. The best photo appears to be a two-
toned scheme from the After the Battle book and
shows a frontal view which clearly has two tones.
Research kindly shared with us by Mike Stammer
suggests that the these cars would in all likelihood
have been finished at works with Khaki Green 3
with a Dark Green 4 as a disrupter pattern applied
after delivery. Various mixes of Tamiya paints were
LEFT: Article is dedicated
to Signalman Peter
Bannerman who served
with Phantom in France.
He was captured and
killed in France in 1940.
formulated to come up with a close likeness to
G3/G4. For the markings, the only clearly visible References
representation from wartime photos of the Guy Phantom at War: The British
Mk.1 in France is the white B.E.F. 9x9in. squares Armys Secret Intelligence and
on the front right outer corner mudguard and rear Communication Regiment of WWII
left outer corner mudguard. The square was also by Sir Robert Mark (Foreword),
evident along the bottom edge of the rear turret Andy and Sue Parlour (Authors)
plate. The model was then finished up with some ISBN-10: 1841451185
light weathering of filters and pastels.
World War Two Armoured Fighting
Vehicles and Self-Propelled Artillery,
Acknowledgements Osprey Publishing 1996,
Our thanks to George Moore, Dick Harley, ISBN 1-85532-582-9.
Ken Jones and Mike Starmer.
Phantom The Signals Regiment,
This article is dedicated to Signalman
by Roger Spear The VMAR
Peter Bannerman who served with Phantom Signals.
Newsletter October 2004
He was captured and killed in France.

www.militarymodelling.com 25
 Diorama
1 2

CLOSED! R
ecently I have tried to translate some effects
in scale, by having a compartmentalized
approach to every detail. I will go further
by focusing more on recreating an atmosphere,
with the generic side of the process still in mind.
In this new chapter, I will put my efforts into old
Emmanuel Nouaillier looks at old closed closed wooden shops fronts to mimic this typical
frozen aspect.
wooden shop fronts Having some experience of this topic in 1/72,
I worked more recently on it in larger scale,
necessitating a much more sharp and precise look,
3 including the effects to be simulated. In fact, such
original situations are endless and whole books
would not be enough to cover all possibilities.
Here I will depict some examples made recently
focussing on the weathering to obtain a more
natural ageing process in scale. As usual, I tried to
dissect the process as much as possible with this
number of pages.

Photo 2. Here is a good example that sums up

the atmosphere I want to produce in miniature.
Theres no more activity, the shop front is frozen in
time even in its decaying appearance. What we can
notice in this case is a wide variety of tones; panels
are painted in different colours, other places reveal
ancient paint and so on. In short, a variety of effects
producing an almost beautiful and contrasting
image combined with the sadness of the situation.
Its this aspect that we will try to simulate in scale.

Photo 3. Many years ago, I tried scratchbuilding

such items in small scale, to see what I was
capable of making with my knowledge at the time.
Although, the process of building is still the same
(using mainly plastic card and Evergreen strips) my
eye on the detail is now sharper.

26 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 Diorama

4 5

Photo 4. Even if the stages of ageing have changed

significantly, the fact remains that some results are 6
still references that can be used for my part. In this
situation I had tested a double chipping effect using
mineral spirit which proves quite a challenge in this
very small scale.

Photo 5. Before the previous example, I pushed

the possibilities to the limits with micro painting
process on these panels.

Photo 6. Here is the first work in small scale that

I produced almost twelve years ago. At the time I
tested the engraving work on a special cardboard
instead of plastic card (except for the use of
some Evergreen strips). This experiment was not
followed and the result appears to me too bland
and messy today.

Photos 7 & 8. Let us now move on to more

recent works, with two identical shop fronts or
repeating the same pattern. Some details such
as hinges will be different between the two. The
most important thing here will be the imitation
of the veins; it has to be done carefully, with a
good engraving point and a fine metallic brush.
To perfect the aspect of worn wood, I trimmed
some edges in no particular order to render the
illusion of a strongly aged material.

7 8

www.militarymodelling.com 27
Diorama

Photo 9. I previously spoke about variations. Here is

an example with no less than the five shades of green
that are necessary to bring life to the surface. Here, I
employ the Vallejo/Prince August acrylic shades which
haven given me plenty of satisfaction over the years,
along with chipping fluid from AK Interactive.

Photo 10. After the usual two coats of acrylic fluid, I

apply the acrylic paints in the direction of the veins of
the wood. First I use a flat brush to mix the different
shades, ensuring that no panel looks similar to the the
other one. Then I continue more precisely by bringing
some touches of colour with a fine brush.

9 Photo 11. After moistening with an acrylic matt black

wash, the surface is peeled one more time with a goal
- variation! It is up to you to unleash your artistic sense.

Photo 12. An intermediate stage; the aim is to

10 increase the gaps/joints between the panels by
using an enamel AK neutral grey wash (677)
applied with a fine brush.

Photo 13. I deliberately left aside the left hand

side of the panel to show the difference between
the rough effects. I introduced three new shades
in the process (ivory, stone grey and chocolate)
to re-work some parts where the wood appears
rough by adding some chips in no particular
order. You can see the difference there with
the left part, looking almost fuzzy. I took the
opportunity to add some touches of bright green
on the very faded places.

Photo 14. Paradoxically, the work almost reaches

its end, even if it is relative (micro-painting being
extremely time consuming). I come to complete
the look with a last filter of patina mechanical
with a new scalpel point, to create very thin new
11 chips in places, simply by lightly scraping off a layer
of acrylic paint. On the undercoat enamel I do the
same in places at the level of the joints to add an
additional effect.

Photos 15 & 16. The plate, once completely

finished, is then incorporated into the facade. We
saw in Military Modelling Vol 46 Issue 08 how to
realistically imitate the fittings which will perfect
this assembly and give it an antiquated appearance,
almost as true as nature.

Photos 17 & 18. Heres another completely

different situation with this very tiny shop front,
scratchbuilt in the same manner with 1mm of
thickness plastic card then engraved. The large scale
of course allows one many more details to imitate
than in 1/72.

12 13

28 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 Diorama

14 15

16 17

Photo 19. As for the previous work, I thought

first about the different possibilities of shades 18
and then gathered together the chosen paints.

Photo 20. In contrast to all I made before, I

applied a primer coat of enamel paint Humbrol
(98) much diluted with 60% of mineral thinner
(it seems more like a wash in fact) then, after 72
hours, I applied an acrylic matt black wash and
let it dry again. To imitate a raw wood aspect,
I then aged the surface with very fine grade
600 abrasive paper in the direction of the veins.
Finally, I imitated some chips by lightly scraping
the surface with my scalpel blade.

19 20

www.militarymodelling.com 29
Diorama
21
Photo 21. In the meantime, the shutter of the door is
covered with a second coat of enamel paint Humbrol
72 (or its equivalent), not diluted this time. An old
typography is then affixed using dry transfers. To perfect
it, I then painted a small border by employing matt white
acrylic paint. Once dry, I gave the same punishment to
the surface with a light and progressive sanding using
abrasive paper until it seems perfect to the eye.
Photos 22 & 23. One more time, unlike the method
I used with the first work, I then used a home-
made matt black acrylic wash to emphasize some
shadows or accentuate places for future details
(although it will be almost invisble at end).
22 23
24
25
Photo 24. I then more classically painted the
shop front with two layers of AK Worn effects. I
employed the two shades of green simply lightened
with Vallejo ivory. At this stage, I used a fine brand
new flat brush.
Photo 25. Once the paint dries (after about
ten minutes), I moisten the surface with a new
acrylic matt black. Peel a part of the shutters in a
traditional way, with a small bristle brush found
in my wifes makeup kit. The result obtained is
substantially different from that which can be
produced using metal tips and wooden picks.
Photo 26. I go even further by highlighting sections
precisely with a sharpened wooden stick to create
new, more marked shards...
Photo 27. ... then a change of pace to simulate
deposits of dust in the nooks. Here, I use a
mixture of pigments AK Interactive city dirt
with pastel powder natural shade applied to
a fine brush at the desired places, (previously
moistened with mineral spirits).
Photo 28. I rework some chips on the overall
surface, especially on the edges. As before, I
employ acrylic Vallejo stone grey & ivory to add
this last ageing filter.
Photo 29. On this very tiny surface each detail
and shade counts and I end by imitating some rust
streaks coming from the old nails on the lower part
of the door. Here, I once again used the AK rust
streaks wash.
 Diorama

26 27

28 29

30 31

Photo 30. Last but not least, I always think about

the small detail, the one that will bring a sharp
shade. For instance, here, it will be a piece of an
old board painted in a blue paint. Unlike the whole
work, this one is made with real wood and the
peeled paint effect made with mineral thinner and
scotch tape.

Photo 31. The completed work. See you soon!

www.militarymodelling.com 31
Diorama

Tragedy
Mg Schtze, Regiment Norge,
Narva, Estonia, 1944 diorama
by Yngve Sjdin
Inspired by a photo
This is a project I had wanted to do for many
years and finally I braved up and started it. I saw
a photo in Wilhelm Tiekes book Tragdie um die
Treue (Tragedy to Faithfulness) and it showed a
soldier from the Waffen SS sitting in his machine
gun position behind a log wall. The machine gun
is mounted on a tripod and is sat amongst a large
heap of spent ammo shells. Surrounding the soldier
and the tripod are several ammo boxes and spare
barrel containers. The text below the photo explains
it to be a foreign volunteer fighting on the Narva
front in Estonia in 1944. South of Narva is a marshy
terrain where it is impossible to make traditional
trenches so the soldiers built wooden palisades for
protection from the enemy. I wouldn`t try to copy
the photo 100% but I was hoping to get something
pretty close to it, in 1/35.
To begin with, I went through my spares stash
picking out anything that could be used which
turned out to be the ammo boxes and the spare
barrel containers. The figure I chose to use came
from the crew in Dragons Sd.Kfz.7 8-ton Halftrack
kit (6545) and the tripod from Dragons MG42 Heavy
Machine Gun Team (6064). After some speculation
on what to use as a base, I stacked a few plastic
lids from Choco-drink boxes (which my girlfriend is
hooked on) on top of each other and super glued
them together. This gave me a perfectly sized and
shaped base to work with.
With a new scalpel blade, I cut a slit-trench into
the base and also cut some lines criss-crossing the
plastic lid to help the groundwork to stick to it. Next
up, I smeared a layer of PVA glue on, put a sheet of
Oasis foam (florists foam) on top the glue and then
poured some thinned PVA over the foam. I let this
soak a few minutes before I stabbed it in place with
the backside of a pencil and then put it aside to cure.
From the garden, I collected a bunch of twigs that
I could use for the log protective wall. These were
microwaved to get rid of any moisture and bugs and
then stuck them together with some superglue.

Plastic
If I had dared, I would alter the figure to the exact
pose in the photo but, as I have never tried any
re-sculpting before, I left that for a future project.
Anyway, I think the Dragon figure I chose to use
has a very good pose and is nicely cast. He looks
tired and doesn`t have any belts or webbing, just
like the guy in the picture. After scraping away the
mould lines, I tried to re-scribe and sharpen some of
the details like the seams, pockets and the details
on the boots. I also scraped away any cooling lines
I could find in the plastic. One or two little gaps
needed to be filled in with a drop of superglue.

32 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 Diorama

and Faithfulness

As with the figure, there wasn`t a lot of work

needed on the tripod. Being a very fragile piece,
I had to be careful when removing the mould
lines. For extra detail I added some metal loops
and carrying slings from an Eduard PE fret. In the
background of the photo is a wooden crate so I
scratchbuilt a similar one from wooden bits.

Spent ammo
It is disturbing to look at the old photo and the large
pile of spent casings. It really tells a story of horrific
fighting and its difficult to imagine what the guys
at the front had to go through. Spending hours and
hours cutting tiny lengths of wire certainly can`t
Diorama
compare. After searching online for rods or wires
with the correct dimensions, I found the solution in
my model room. I stripped the insulation of an old
wall lamp and the wires inside were of the perfect
dimensions and, as said, many evenings I did nothing
but cutting tiny lengths until I had enough of them.
I made the main body of the pile from cigarette
paper and PVA glue which I started to cover with
the ammo casings. From brass rod I cut some spare
barrels and added it to the pile.
Painting
Uniform
As I always do, I started by coating the figure in
black. When this was dry I inspected it for any
missed gaps or mould lines. From a drop of Vallejos
German field grey (830) and a drop of Extra Dark
Green (896) I got a nice shade for the uniform
jacket. I wanted a slightly different shade for the
pants so I mixed 1:1 German Field Grey (830) and
Military Green (975) for this. I adjusted the base
colors with German cam. Black Brown (822) and
Green Grey (886) for the shading and highlighting.
From some Archer Transfers sheets I added the
uniform insignias, a sun wheel patch on the collar, an
eagle to the left upper arm and, on the lower left arm,
the Norwegian national shield and Norge arm stripe
showing it to be a volunteer in 23. Regiment Norge/11.
Divison Nordland. I paint all the buttons black and gave
them a metal sheen with a graphite pencil. Before
I start painting the flesh, I gave the figure a dark pin
wash to all of the seams and around the buttons.
34
Flesh
A 1:1 mix of sunny skintone (845) and Basic skintone
(815) made a good base colour for the face and
hands. Adding a few drops of white and thinning the
mix with water gave a lighter colour and was glazed
on as a highlight. Still using the same mix, I added
two-three drops of Flat Brown (984) and a drop of
Vermillion Red (909) to get a colour I could use for
the lips. Last, I added a few drops purple and thinned
it some more to add around the eyes and on the
eyelids. I did this to try to give him the tired been
awake too many hours look. To complete the skin
painting, I added shadows by giving the parts several
brown washes using Sin Filters.
Helmet
Painting SS camo is always a challenge, so I wanted
a simple pattern and found a reference pic to work
from. I mixed a base colour from Vallejos German
Camo Pale Brown (825) and Flat Brown (984) in a
6+1 drop ratio. This dried quickly and I enhanced
the seam lines with a dark wash. I followed up
by adding some blotches of a dark green (Military
Green 975 + black 950: 2+1) and then some
blotches of a medium green (Military Green 975).
The last colour is a light green which I tried to place
inside the medium green blotches leaving a fine
outline of the medium green. (Light green: sunny
Skintone 845 + SS cam Bright Green 833 + Military
Green 975: 2+3+1).
Now the colours look very sharp and bright but
are quickly toned down with a dark wash followed
by some light dusting with pigments.
Painting the rest
The ammo boxes and spare barrel containers were
painted in different green shades trying to keep
subtle variations in them. I added a 2 decal to one
box and a yellow stripe to another before I added
wear and tear drybrushing on some aluminium
colour from an old Humbrol can.
I used paints from the Lifecolor range for the
tripod, a random mix of Gelbbraun (ua201) Sandgrau
(ua202) and Grunbraun (ua203) all found in the
German WW2 Tanks Set 1. For paint chipping, I used
a very fine brush and Sandgrau (ua202) and Vallejos
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017
 Diorama

Germ cam Black Brown (822) and a little graphite

here and there to complete it.
I painted the MG42 by base colouring it with
Andrea Color 2nd Shadow from the Black Paint set,
followed by rubbing graphite powder to the metal
parts. Rotbraun (ua205) was a suitable colour for
the stock and grip and I gave the whole thing a few
dark washes with filters from Mig. Before I could
tackle the ammo pile I, made a brown mix from Mig
pigments and water and painted the groundwork.
This stuff dried pretty fast so I went over the spent
ammo with some Humbrol enamel #16 and Vallejos
Brass (801),keeping the pile from looking too
monotone. As this cured, it was still very shiny so I
toned it down by brushing on a thin layer Humbrol
Matt (49) and a few dark washes.
As a last step, I took a drill and went to work on
the enemy side of the log wall. I wanted it to look
battle ridden and also added a chunk of shrapnel
which I made from torn up lead foil. Before I tidied
up the black frame, I gave the logs and groundwork
a dark brown wash to blend it all together.
Having completed this project thats been
haunting my want to build list for years I can only
say it was fun and its a very nice feeling looking
at the result. I think what kept me from doing this
build was the ammo pile but the sore fingers from
cutting all those little shells is long forgotten.
Some months after I had finished this one, I
brought the model with me to a small museum
outside Narva where it is now a part of the display
telling the story about the battle.
Happy modelling fellow geeks.

www.militarymodelling.com 35
Figures
Tribal Woman
Introduction
My modelling interests span a very wide period
and cover a diverse range of human civilisation.
Given the wide availability of commercial parts
and modelling tools, I approach this hobby as a
curator who creates miniature representations at
a reasonable cost and within a realistic timeframe
on more obscure subject matters. One niche area
in which I enjoy pursuing is that of native cultures.
Granted that there is not much documentation on
such topics, it does allow me to explore plausible
reconstructions of their culture, primarily their
physical appearance.
I particularly enjoy collecting bits of information
on Papua New Guineas 800 plus indigenous
tribes. These people represent a remarkable
anthropological diversity of sub-cultures within a
largely overall primitive stone-axe culture which
persists even into the twenty-first century.
The tribes are distinguishable from each other
by their tribal displays, using primarily body and
facial adornment. Papua New Guinea abounds with
numerous bird species such as birds of paradise,
parrots, lorikeets, cockatoos, eagles and others
and their plumages and feature profusely in native
display. The various tribes are further distinguishable
through facial and body decorations together with
the various flora and sea-shells which create tribal
and individual displays.
In particular, the Highland tribes of Papua New
Guinea put on remarkable displays at various
exchange festivals (moka), initiation rites and
36
A Melpa Tribal
Woman of Papua
New Guinea.
Dr Victor Wong
discusses the
background and the
construction of this
1/24 figure.
ceremonies, including the Sing-Sing festival in
Goroka on Mount Hagen.
The participants would put on their facial makeup
and feathered headdresses and wear long aprons
decorated with cordyline leaves. Additional foliage,
ornaments and shell decorations would then
complete their appearance. Many of these natives
smeared themselves with greasy paint and pig
fat, further enhancing their final appearance with a
glossy finish.
The participants go to great lengths to ensure
that their tribal display is generally coordinated.
The men dominate these events and the women
generally take a secondary role in the proceedings.
For this piece, I will construct a native woman
of the Melpa tribe. The Melpa women are most
colourfully adorned in bright red, white and blue
facial markings capped with feathered headdresses
and dancing aprons with bits of sea shells, foliage
and plumage added.
The background research can be varied and
challenging, taking in information from multiple
sources. Although the internet provides a lot of
visual material, it lacks serious documentation.
Most of the contemporary pictures on the internet
are taken for tourism purposes and do not have
original cultural context. However, the culture
continues to evolve and cultural tastes change over
time. Furthermore, supplies of material such as
feathers, foliage, fauna and shells would be affected
by urban development within the country.
The best single primary source on body
decorations among the Melpa was written
by the Stratherns. The Melpa women do not
usually take an active part in most festivals. It is
only at a pig exchange moka that such finery is
ever worn by Melpa women if given in its true
context. The women dance in groups, with some
dancers holding a drum for accompaniment. The
women are grouped as either wives of donors or
recipients. Women relatives of donors are referred
to as helpers. Thus donors would wear a more
elaborate headdress than recipients or helpers,
clearly distinguished by their respective collective
displays of plumages. The women get their feathers
from their spouses. The head dress consists of a
head net with a colourful head band. Sometimes,
marsupial skin was wound around the head band.
Various feathers are then inserted into the head net
on top. The smaller and more colourful feathers of
white, red and yellow are formed in a ring around
the headdress. Short black feathers may form a
fan pattern on the forehead. In the centre of the
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017
 Figures

headdress, tall, upright black and banded eagle

feathers are inserted, backed up by red and white 2 3
fluffy Bird-of-paradise feathers. Towering over these
are one to two long sicklebill bird of paradise black
tall feathers.
In addition, the women would display their
wealth by wearing various ornaments including
beads and sea shells, measured by the size and
numbers (Fig.1). Typically, a Melpa woman would
wear a bailer shell on her chest and forehead and
sometimes she would wear a pearl shell mounted
on a red-ochre resin round disc slung at the back.
Around her neck would be worn necklaces of blue
and red beads and cowrie shells. A conus shell may
be worn hanging from her pierced septum. The
shells represent wealth and prestige among the
Highlanders, showing that they are able to obtain
such uncommon seashore items through trade and
exchange. An animal pelt may also be worn on the
chest. She would wear a dancing apron made of
dried grass front and back adorned with colourful
crimped cordyline leaves. This crimping of the
leaves adds an additional element of visual interest
to the overall effect. More foliage would be added, and then attached together with wires to create a
tucked into the back of her dancing apron and in the basic armature (Fig.2). I adjusted the proportions
arm bands. to represent a woman of shorter stature. The pose
selected was a standing pose with both hands holding
and beating a drum. I decided on creating a figure with
The model an ample build who would most likely be representing
I usually work in 1/32 but have decided to switch to a donors wife and thus more likely to be wearing
1/24 for this piece as I wanted to use real feathers a more majestic headdress. Epoxy putty was built
cut down to size to represent fluffy feathers. The up generously in stages on the dolly. My approach
texture of the feathers would look more suitable in is a mixture of soft sculpting when the putty is still
a larger scale. malleable followed by hard sculpting where I cut into
A suitable dolly was knocked up from some 1/24 and file off the hardened putty. Generally, I finish off the
Preiser parts comprising a head, torso and limbs. surface with sandpaper of increasing fineness, starting
Using commercial parts quickly establishes the from about 800 thou to 2000 thou (Fig.3).
basic scale parameters and helps to speed up the I like to sculpt my own miniature faces, especially
modelling. These parts were shaped to requirements if I wish to represent a native figure. The Papua

www.militarymodelling.com 37
Figures 4 8
5
6 New Guinean people generally have very distinctive
features such as prominent foreheads and large
noses further enhanced by piercing the nasal
septum with bone insertions.
Using a commercial head quickly establishes the
general scale and shape of the head. The face was
sliced off, and a new face was sculpted in stages.
Overall, I tried to establish the distinctive features
and build of a typical older native woman. A small
round plastic disc representing a shell ornament
was later added to the nose.
The drum accessory was made from plastic
tubing and putty was used to build up the final
shape. The details were then added later. I epoxied
the drum to the left hand before I sculpted the left
thumb (Fig.4).
The larger shell ornaments were sculpted
separately from putty and then attached to the
figure (Fig.5). Wire was wound around the neck
to represent strings of tiny beads. I create the tiny
beads with an impasto application of oil paint. Other
ornaments were sculpted directly onto the figure.
These included the larger beads, fur and some short
feathers in the headdress.
The top of the head was hollowed out with a
micro-drill. This is to allow for the implanting of the
various feathers later. At this stage, it was decided to
10
7 the vein. These feathers were painted before being
9
paint the figure before proceeding further. Following
a light undercoat spray to reveal any surface
blemishes which needed to be removed, a basic
undercoat with matt enamels was used to cover the
figure (Fig.6). I generally use artist oil paints over
matt enamels for my work (Fig.7). Throughout this
construction, I switched between modelling and
painting at various stages. Sometimes, I use impasto
techniques to create surface texture.
Adding more adornments
After a few days to allow the oil paints to dry
out, the figure was dressed with the foliage and
feathers. Most were fixed with superglue.
Coconut husk fibre was used to make the
dancing apron (Fig.8). A handful of fibre was
carefully combed out, trimmed (Fig.9) and added
to the figure back and front (Fig.10). The apron was
adjusted to create a sense of movement.
Foliage was sourced from brass etched metal
parts, plastic aquarium leaves and dried grass. This
was added to the dancing apron, the arm and leg
bands and the headdress. Further texturing was
added with Pebeo paste.
The cordyline leaves were cut from thin copper
sheets. Each strip was held between the thumb and
forefinger, crimped with the edge of the fingernails,
painted and attached singly to the figure (Fig.11).
More foliage was added to the back of the figure.
The inside of the hollowed top of the head was
painted black. Feathers were trimmed and then
added to the headdress. Pennate feathers such as
eagle or cockatoo were made from either plastic
leaves or brass-etched foliage. Small nicks were made
along the length of each feather to simulate breaks in
11
 12 15 Figures

17

13

16

18

added to the headdress (Fig.12). Two long black

sicklebill feathers were then added (Fig.13). Finally the
red fluffy feathers were made by carefully trimming
a bunch with a drop of superglue to create a feather
spray (Fig.14). About two sprays were carefully
positioned and added to the headdress.
When the figure was completed, the upper torso
and arms were given a coating of gloss varnish to
represent rubbed oil added to the body.

The setting
A suitable base of the right size was selected. The
top surface was scored to provide some grip and
groundwork was built up from putty, sprinkled with
natural forest debris and attached with white glue.
14
Conclusion
The final figure was photographed against a black velvet
background with two tabletop LED lights to provide
overhead and backlit illumination (Fig.15, 16, 17 & 18).
I hope that this article has shown the possibilities of
exploring other modelling genres besides the military
option. Backed up by decent research, unique models
can greatly enhance a miniature collection.
References
Andrew and Marilyn Strathern. Self-decoration in
Mount Hagen (Art & Society). Gerald Duckworth &
Co Ltd Pub.1971.

39
Figures
Warrior of the north
Neil Marshall demonstrates the model hair technique
1 2
Why apply real hair to
3 large scale models?
This bust was selected due to the amount of head
hair and beard and the additional feature of the
animal pelt cape, all of which would demonstrate
the model hair technique.
Although I have been interested in military
modelling for most of my life, it is only now that I
have retired that am I able to spend time pursuing
this hobby. I purchased some busts for my birthday
at Euro Militaire 2016, as painting large scale figures
was something I had never done before. I have
been very impressed with the quality of sculpting
and this seduced me into this aspect of modelling.
Once I had attained a painting skill level that I
thought might be passable, I started to ponder the
false look of hair, eyebrows, beards and fur that
did not do justice to the busts in my view. The fine
detail of hair not being attached flatly to the bust
could not be achieved due to the limitations of the
moulding process. Looking at things differently
40
has been the basis of my career in Research
& Development. Having seen nothing like it on
my first visit to Euro Militaire last year, I trawled
through some websites and my stash of modelling
magazines to determine if this had already been
done but could find no examples or mention of
anything like this.
It followed that I would experiment in order to
develop a method of applying more hair detail to
models, such as which hair to use and how to apply it.
In terms of hair selection, I tried several mediums
such as railway layout modelling grass and synthetic
fibres etc. Then, whilst sitting at my hobby table
scratching my head, our Shih Tzu dog arrived at my
feet seeking a treat. Immediately, I could see that her
hair had the texture that might be in scale with the
bust I was working on. One small clipping later at the
cost of a treat resulted in a test piece to work on. The
result was just what I was looking for. The hair was soft
and could be styled easily with the aid of either hair
clay or matt varnish. Now the challenge was to find
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017
 4 5
7 8
10
enough multi-coloured dog hair that was soft enough
to be styled. My dog had sensed my thinking and
kept me at a safe distance regardless of more treats
on offer. The answer lay in a visit to a local pet store
that had a resident groomer. After showing them the
test model piece they were very helpful in collecting
(free of charge) the scrap cuttings from the dogs being
groomed. Now I had an abundant supply of hair of
various colours and lengths.
This next challenge was how to adhere the hair
to the model. After trying several glues, I settled on
Hobbycraft tacky glue as this dries clear.
The moustache has been changed from the
original artwork and sculpting. It has been made
longer, just because it could and, if required, can be
trimmed off later.
Hair preparation and selection
If originating from one source, the hair can
be dyed to a suitable colour using standard hair
dyes (Photo 1). To control the hair, it needs to be
separated into tufts and glued at one end (Photo 2).
To add variation, the hair can be waved by
winding it through a comb. It is held into this style
by applying a matt varnish to the crests of the
waved on both sides. Once dried, the waved hair
can be pushed off the comb with a cocktail stick and
cut to length (Photo 3).
www.militarymodelling.com
Figures
9
11 12
Hair application to the side
of the head 13
The line to cut off the tuft of hair to meet the
top swept back hair is marked with a small felt
pen before cutting to length (Photo 4). Glue
application is added to the existing sculpted hair
which provides the guide for hair position and
direction. As with all hair application, the lowest
layers are added first. This is the first leap of faith
on the painted model where glue is smeared over
the pre-painted sculptured hair (Photo 5).
Measured, cut tufts are applied to the bust
(Photo 6). Ensure the hair is pressed into the
natural partings, as a priority, using a cocktail
stick (Photo 7).
Hair application to the top of the head
The front of the top of the hair and the curl on
the forehead are layered with hair and glued into
position (Photo 8). Glue is applied to the parting
line on the top of the head (Photo 9). Both sides
of the top hair parting line are glued in stages from
the front to the rear of the head (Photo 10). The top
hair nears completion (Photo 11) and the top hair is
swept back (Photo 12).
The top hair is swept back to the rear where a
rope tie back or similar is used to keep it in a
pony-tail (Photo 13).
41
Figures 15
14
18
17
20 21
23
Eyebrows
To make the eyebrows, the hair is cut into
24 approximately 2mm lengths. Glue is then applied
between the forefinger and thumb. Take a pinch of
hair and roll it between the finger and thumb until
a rope-like strand has been made. This takes some
skill so dont give up on this if the rope does not
appear immediately. It will eventually form as you
continue to roll the mix (Photo 14).
(Photo 15) shows the eyebrow ropes. The ropes
are measured to fit the scale of the bust and glued into
position. Do not worry too much as to their compact
shape as the eyebrows can be picked out with a sharp
point when dry and applied to the bust to produce
the shape and bushiness required (Photo 16). The
eyebrows are shown glued into position (Photo 17).
16
19
22
Moustache and beard
The moustache hair tuft is cut to the angle of the
cheek creases and left long for later trimming when
adhered. Be sure to press the start of the hair down
with a cocktail stick to generate the effect of the
hair growing out from the face (Photo 18).
The side view of the pre-curled hair for the
moustache (Photo 19). The moustache and front
part of the beard have been glued into position
before trimming to length (Photo 20).
The hair is cut to the length required for the
beard. Here it is rolled around the surface of a
plastic coffee cup lid to generate a static charge in
the hair to keep it fluffed up for application to the
face. Alternatively, the hair can be shaken vigorously
in a plastic container to generate the static charge
as used in model railway grass (Photo 21).
Glue is applied to the sculptured beard on the
bust. Be sure to do one side at a time, then under
the chin. Chopped hair to the length required is
dropped onto the glue area and tamped down
gently so as not to flatten the texture (Photo 22).
The animal pelt
The fur pelt uses a selection of hair colours. Hair
styling clay can be used to create the taper of the
fur tufts (Photo 23).
The hair is cut to the length suitable for the
application. Here the fur length seems to work at
about 10mm. Keep the hair held with tweezers to
prevent it from separating (Photo 24).
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017
 25 26 Figures

27

28

Apply glue to one end only and prod the glue into the
end of the tuft. Then produce a circular motion around
the end to secure the tuft hairs together (Photo 25).
As with the head hair, begin applying the tufts
from the outside bearing in mind the pattern of the 29
animal pelt you wish to create (Photo 26).
Work around the pelt and build up layers as
you progress inwards towards the centre of
the pelt (Photo 27).
The spine of the pelt requires that the tufts
are applied in a vertical orientation and then
parted to each side with a cocktail stick. All of
the layers are trimmed and further glued to
flatten the pelt into a realistic look (Photo 28).

The finished bust

The hair was trimmed and spots of glue picked
out. Where glue was visible in the hair, it was
sympathetically tinted with a paint of the same colour
and the face was finally finished with glazes (Photo 29).

What would I have done differently?

Make sure that all painting is completed before
applying hair, particularly around the face as any
minute stray hairs tend to pool the glazes.
Remove the front hair curl from the bust. It is
moulded flat to the forehead. The hair technique
would provide a more realistic front curl which could
be lifted away from the face.

Key tips
Dont rush. It takes patience to generate the effect you
are looking for. Keep the hair tufts small as there is a
temptation to make them too large to cover the area
quickly. I made this mistake on the animal pelt and
needed to reapply much of it.
Trim the hair once it has adhered to the model. It
seems to require some basic hair dressing skills to get
this right. The pelt was layered.
Follow the sculptors lines for the hair. Where
possible try to press the hair into the grooves with
some adhesive.
Dont be too concerned about debris and glue
showing as all of this gets tidied up at the end.Decant
the tacky glue into a small applicator.
Experiment with the hair to add your own features to
the model. You can see that I extended the moustache
as it was easy to do and gave it some individuality.

www.militarymodelling.com 43
 AFV

The KFS 1/24

AEC Militant Mk 1
by Richard Wilson
TOP: The authors completed model
Milly
placed into a scenic setting courtesy
of Photoshop.
Matador development
The AEC Militant Mk 1 was developed in the early
1950s as a 10 ton 6x4 and 6x6 truck and was
supplied in a variety of versions including artillery
tractor (the subject of this build), cargo, tipper and
semitrailer tractor unit. It was fitted with a 11.3
litre diesel engine coupled to a five speed gearbox
RIGHT: Engine with injector pipes added. which, in turn, drove a two speed auxiliary gearbox
providing low ratios and drive to the front axle.
In the case of the artillery tractor, this auxiliary
gearbox also drove a 7 ton winch fitted with 250
feet of wire rope.
Mk 1 Militants were widely used in the British
BELOW: Parts layout. Image courtesy of Army well into the 1980s and, when sold off into
Kit Form Services. civilian life, many were used as recovery vehicles.

The Kit
This is supplied in the usual sturdy well-packed KFS
box and comprises 145 parts in cream resin, 101
in white metal and 344 in brass etch, along with
clear and coloured light lenses, strip and rod and a
decal sheet. Instructions are supplied as 28 pages
in A4 format, split into three sections; No.1 Chassis,
engine, transmission, axles and suspension etc.;
No.2 Cab upper and lower halves, interior, glazing
and front grill and No.3 Artillery body, interior and
canopy. Painting was carried out in the above order
as the build progressed.

Chassis Assembly
As with any resin kit, the first job was to gently
wash all of the parts in warm water and detergent
to remove any remaining release agent and then
allow to air dry.

44 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

 AFV

ABOVE: Front axle with hubs and steering linkages fitted.

ABOVE LEFT: Front axle fitted to chassis. ABOVE RIGHT: Brass etch frets, decals and grill mesh. Image courtesy of Kit Form Services.

ABOVE LEFT: Rear axle parts ready for fitting. ABOVE RIGHT: Rear axles, brake linkages, and axle strops fitted.

Once everything was dry, the engine could be

assembled. As the instructions point out, if the engine
cover and cab doors are to remain shut much of the
engine detail could be left out but, as I intended to
cut out the lower engine side cover and have the top
engine cover and cab doors open, the engine was fully
assembled with injector pipes added using 0.5 mm
lead wire. It was then primed, painted duck egg green
and put on one side until later in the build.
A start was then made on the chassis assembly
by adding the rear suspension mounts and brake
chambers to the inside chassis rails. The main and
auxiliary gearboxes had levers and pulleys etc. fixed
and the winch prepared. The cross members were
then added to the right hand chassis rail making ABOVE: Winch control and parking brake linkages. BELOW: Rear bumpers, winch guide rollers and tow hitch.
sure that they were correctly orientated. Once they
were set, the left hand chassis rail was glued to
the front three cross members. The chassis could
then be sprung apart and the winch fitted in position
leaving it free to rotate. This was put to one side
to return to later. Before fixing the remaining cross
members, the rear suspension tube was fitted
between the mounts, the last cross members fixed
and the chassis set aside to set fully, making sure
that it remained square. Once set, the main and
auxiliary gearboxes can be fitted along with the prop
shaft between the two.
The front axle, hubs and suspension were then
assembled, the front hubs swivel on rods through
the axle so that the front wheels can be set to any
angle. Once complete, the axle and springs were
fixed to the chassis with the prop shaft.

www.militarymodelling.com 45
 AFV

ABOVE: Chassis in primer. The rear chassis cross member carries the tow
RIGHT: Right side of completed hitch and the three winch rope guide pulleys and
lower cab. these were fitted next. Also fitted to the sides
of the cross member are the two rear bumpers.
These are fashioned from brass etch which is bent
to shape around a resin former which is supplied
in the kit. Eight bolt heads were added to each
bumper and then both bumpers were added to the
chassis. Airline connections and piping were added
to the bumpers. Two connections were also added
to front of the chassis.
At this stage, the front bumper was prepared
by fitting the tow pin, fairlead rollers, bumper
backing plate and number plate. The headlights
were fitted to the front of the chassis, the bumper
was fitted in place temporarily and the centre of the
lights marked in pencil on the bottom face of the

The rear axles and springs could now be loosely

fitted to the already assembled suspension tube,
not forgetting the prop shaft between the two Left side of
completed
axles. The road wheels and tyres were temporarily lower cab.
assembled with small blobs of blue-tac and
attached to all three axles, held in place with
light elastic bands. With the model placed on a
flat surface, the springs can be glued to the
suspension tube ensuring that all six wheels
remain in contact with the ground. Before
removing the wheels two torque bars were
fitted between the axles and cross member.
Next job was fitting the rear brake linkages;
these are made up from 0.5mm rod and
etch parts for the yokes. This job requires
time, patience and a steady hand but, if the
instructions are followed to the letter, everything
fits together well.
ABOVE: Completed spare Once the linkages were complete, the air tanks
wheel and carrier. and valves were added to the chassis and pipe work
from 0.5 brass rod. Before adding the fuel tank and
piping, the hand brake and winch brake linkages
were added to the outside of the chassis in a similar
Completed chassis. manner to the rear brake linkages.

46 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017


RIGHT: Painted radiator with mesh and frames ready to fit.
BELOW: Fitting rope hooks and access ladders to side and
tail boards.
bumper. The light guards could then be made up
from etch and plastic rod and, when complete, were
fitted with reference to the centre line marked. The
guards should slope rearwards from vertical.
The body floor and spare wheel carrier base were
then test fitted to the chassis to check that no parts
or control rods fouled.
The last stage of the chassis build was the spare
wheel and carrier. The spare wheel rim was drilled
to accept the bolts used to mount the wheel to the
star mount. The rim was set aside to be painted
later with the remainder of the wheels. The spare
wheel mount itself is built from resin and brass etch
parts with a piece of Karaya cable for the winch
rope. On the full size vehicle, the wheel is lowered
to the ground by loosening a clamp and releasing
a locking lever. The wheel is then rotated anti
clockwise (viewed from the rear) until it reaches the
ground where it can be unbolted from the carrier. A
two man operation but much easier (and safer) than
lifting the wheel.
It was now time to apply some paint so the
chassis, spare wheel carrier, wheels and tyres were
all given a coat of Halfords grey primer. When fully
cured after 24hrs or so, the tyres were painted with
Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Black and the chassis and
wheels with Xtracrylix XA 1814 Deep Bronze Green.
The wheels and tyres were assembled and fitted,
noting that the front and rear wheels are different.
The engine, exhaust system and winch rope were
fitted and various items such as pulleys and air line
connections painted.
Cab Assembly
The cab is supplied in two pieces, split at window level,
as was the full size truck cab, which could be split for
easier air or sea transport. The spare wheel carrier and
canopy hoops would also have been removed.
As I wanted as much of the engine on view as
possible, the first job was to remove the lower
engine side cover from the cab left side leaving
the top rail in position. Once this was done, the
two inner wing sections and horn could be added
to the underside. Then the cab was test fitted to
the chassis and as the instructions suggested, two
areas were trimmed to allow a good fit. All the
brass etch fittings for the cab, grab handles, steps,
www.militarymodelling.com
AFV
stowage boxes and
shelves etc., were made
up so they could be
used as needed. Control
levers, junction boxes
and foot pedals were
added to the cab floor
and the air filters and
pipe work to the rear of
the cab which was then
ready for primer and
paint. While the paint
was drying, the seats and bases, steering column ABOVE: Completed radiator.
and instruments were prepared and painted, these
could then be added along with the engine cover in BELOW: Test fitting crew lockers and
seats to body.
the raised position.
The upper cab required windscreen openers, grab
handles and then holes for the rear view mirrors
was then ready for paint. The cab doors were also
prepared with inner and outer handles etc. Before
joining the two cab halves, the glazing was fitted,
the side and rear from 10 thou acetate and the main
screens from 5 thou. These were glued in position
with Deluxe Materials Glue n Glaze which dries clear.
The main screens were fixed into the rear of the half
etched frames before being fitted to the cab.
The radiator was prepared by fitting two pipes
from .5 mm brass rod to the bottom and was then
painted with the frames for the mesh. Once the
mesh was cut to size it was placed into the front
of the radiator and held in with the frames then the
cover plate was fitted to lower part of the radiator.
The completed assembly could then be fitted to the
front of the cab. That only left the wipers and light
lenses to add. The cab doors were left off until the
very end of the build as they were to be left open.
Artillery Body Assembly
I deviated from the instructions at this point by
fitting the rope hoops and cleats to the body sides BELOW: Test fitting rear mud wings
and tailboard while it was possible to lay them flat and brackets.
 AFV

on the work bench. I also added the two rear entry

ABOVE: Rear wings and skid chock stowage brackets fitted.
LEFT: Main stowage cage folded ready for fitting.
BELOW: Fuel and oil can stowage cages.
ABOVE: Canopy rolled sheets prior to fitting. BELOW: Painted canopy with tie down rope fitted.
ladders and the tailboard spring bumper. After test
fitting the sides, tail and headboard they were glued
into position making sure that everything remained
square. The tailboard could be made to move freely on
its hinges but as I discovered at the end of the build, the
canopy covers the top corners of the tailboard and as it
was all painted I decided to leave it closed.
The crew seats and storage box were then
assembled along with the etch support brackets and
once complete and test fitted, were put on one side
to be added after painting. At the same time, the
two crew access doors had the door handles and
grab handles fitted. As I was leaving the left hand
door open this was left off until later and the right
hand door glued shut.
The mud wings and brackets were fitted next.
The wings are a thin moulding and I found that they
needed reforming in warm water to get the correct
fit. I also found that the rear brackets were slightly
too long and needed shortening. It is important to
note at this stage that the body should be test fitted
to the chassis at every stage as clearance is tight,
even a coat of paint can make all the difference. Next
I added the front crew access steps and supports.
The skid chocks, used to anchor the vehicle when
winching, are stowed under the rear of the body in a
frame. The frames made from brass etch were folded
to shape, had four bolt heads added to each to each
frame and were then fixed to the underside of the
body ensuring that the chocks could be removed. The
chocks were also fitted with the securing brackets
and placed on one side to await paint.
There are three stowage baskets fitted to the
body; one at the front left in front of the wing and
two on the headboard at the right hand side. One
on the right is for two jerry cans with a smaller
one fitted above for an oil container. These were
all folded to shape from the brass etch, detailed
with bolt heads and hasps for padlocks. The doors
were left open on the jerry can and oil can lockers
indicating perhaps that the driver was carrying out
his daily vehicle inspection. When fitting the large
locker to the left, care should be taken to fit it as
far outboard as possible so that it clears the air
tanks on the chassis. The jerry cans were fitted with
handles and filler necks and placed on one side to
be added at the end of the build.
Once everything was fitted, a final check was
carried out to make sure that the body located on
the chassis without any fouling. When I was happy,
it was primed and painted along with the crew
seats and lockers then, when dry, the seats and
lockers were glued in place.
The decals could then be added and the body,
spare wheel and carrier and the cab were then
glued in position on the chassis leaving only the
canopy to complete.
The canopy is supplied in one piece with the
hoops moulded in and, once the thin flash left in for
strengthening the openings in transit was removed,
a decision could be made on whether to have open
or closed side and rear sheets. I elected to go for
the rolled sheets and these are very realistic with
creases and sags moulded in. Once these had been
fitted, the canopy was primed and I mixed some
Tamiya greens until I came up with a shade that I
was happy with. Once dry, the canopy hoops were
brush-painted body colour.

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 AFV

ABOVE: Completed cab and body fitted

Whilst the paint was curing, I to chassis. Ammo boxes from a KFS set.
made up the straps that secure
BELOW: Views of the completed model.
the rolled sheets. These are
made from 1 mm wide strips
of Solartex and an etched brass
buckle. They are quite fiddly to
do but are well worth taking time
with. Once the straps were fitted,
the canopy could be laced up with
rope. This needs to be done before the
canopy is fitted as there is not enough
room to do it afterwards.
After the canopy was glued into
position, the rope was gently pulled through,
attached to each tie down in turn then tied off
at the last hook.
After checking the paintwork for any touch
up required, only the cab doors and crew door
remained to be fixed. If leaving them open,
the attachment points are very small and I was
concerned that they would be easily broken off.
The crew door on the body was easy. A length
of 2mm angle cut to the length of the door, one
side glued to the door, the other to the frame As always, many pictures can
and, once painted, it was not noticeable. The cab be found on the internet although
doors took a little more thought as there needed a lot are of restored vehicles and
to be a visible gap between the A post and the caution is needed if more modern
door. In the end, I cut two short lengths of 2mm modifications have been made.
angle and positioned these behind the hinges,
again, once painted they could not be seen. It
only remained to add a check strap to each door
from Solartex and the build was complete.

Conclusion
This is quite a complex kit but if the instructions are
followed to the letter and things not rushed it builds
into an excellent model. Howard at KFS is always
helpful if problems are encountered.
At the time of writing, the kit costs 240 and is
available direct from KFS www.kitformservices.com
I would like to thank Howard at KFS for sending
me some extra photographs of engine access and
injector pipe details etc.

References
I found a copy of the drivers handbook on the
web which was useful for certain details and was
also an interesting read!
I also have a copy of British Military Trucks of the
Cold War by Les Freathy ISBN 978-3-936519-42-6
which has a lot of detailed pictures, plus a history
of AEC, another interesting read.

www.militarymodelling.com 49
 AFV

Richard Dyer builds

the 1/56 scale SU-85/SU-122
kit from Rubicon Models

Two-in-one
Self-Propelled Gun
ABOVE LEFT: The compleated model in
its SU-85 configuration.
Whats in the box? vehicles based on the T-34 chassis. The modeller
ABOVE RIGHT: The model with the
This kit is one of Rubicons most recent models in has the choice of building either the long barreled
SU-122 fighting compartment attached. their range 1/56 (or 28mm scale) armour kits. The kit SU-85 Tank Destroyer, or the more compact looking
BELOW: Rubicon Models box art for contains three sprues of crisply moulded grey hard SU-122 Assault Gun. The kit also contains Rubicons
their SU-85/SU-122 kit. plastic components to build one of two different usual set of instructions, and a generous sheet of
quality decals.

Magnetic attraction
As already noted, and typical of a Rubicon Models
kit, the modeller can build one of two variants of
the kits subject. I think its great to have build
choices in a kit, but my problem with this kit was
that I liked both of the build options available, and
couldnt decide on one or the other. After a little
thought, and studying the kits instructions, it
occurred to me that I might be able to build both!
In all honesty I cannot claim any credit for this
idea, I have seen people build models from the
Games Workshop 40k range of kits, you know the
sort of thing, large futuristic war machines armed
to the teeth with multiple weapons. Rather than
being restricted to one fixed weapons option,
some enterprising modellers have discovered that
by adding small magnets to their models enables
them to swap out different weapon configurations
at will. The more I looked at the instructions and
design of the kit components I began to realize
that there may be a way for me to apply this
technique to my model and build both the SU-85
and SU-122 options.

BELOW LEFT: The first of three sprues, sprue A supplied with this kit provides most of the main components for the lower hull, chassis, and road wheel/tracks. BELOW: Sprue B.
This sprue contains the two different fighting compartments, gun and gun mantlet components for both the tank destroyer and assault gun options available for this model.

50 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017


ABOVE & ABOVE RIGHT: The outer road wheels are moulded
as one with the track runs which greatly simplifies construction.
The inner road wheels (C01 & C02) are also moulded as single
component as shown here, the horizontal webs that join the five
wheels can easily be removed for a more realistic appearance.
Childs play
While waiting for my small magnets to arrive I
happened to be hunting through my toolbox for
something or other and I came across some Lego
bricks. I began to think that there might well be
another way to achieve my goal of having both SU-
85 and SU-122 options from the one kit, but without
the need of magnets. I could use the Lego instead!
So I began to test fit the Lego bricks in combination
with the kit parts.
As luck would have it the combined height of
both the thin rectangular blue Lego brick and the
white square brick would fit exactly inside the
fighting compartments of both SU-85 and SU-122
options (parts B21 & B24 respectively). The idea
was to permanently fix the blue brick to the lower
hull directly under the fighting compartments, and
one of the square white bricks would be fixed to
the roof of each fighting compartment. In theory,
if the join between Lego and kit plastic was strong
enough, and the positioning of the bricks was
accurate enough, then the bricks would still be
able to connect with each other. Thus you would be
able to push fit either the SU-85 or SU-122 fighting
compartment onto the lower hull. The friction fit
between the Lego bricks would be strong enough
to hold either of the fighting compartments in place
while still allowing them to be removed again.
This is how I put the theory into practice. I
pressed one of the square bricks on top of the blue
brick to make a sort of inverted T shape. The white
brick must NOT be glued to the blue brick it sits on.
Then I made sure that the area of the hull where
the blue brick was to be permanently attached was
clean and flat. This surface was slightly roughened
with the help of a file to give a bit of a key for the
adhesive bond to. I choice to use Araldite Ultra,
BELOW: Sprue C. This final sprue contains inner road wheels, parts to make four
spare external fuel drums, and other items to detail the upper hull.
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AFV
a strong two-part
epoxy glue. I mixed
up a suitable amount
of the Araldite Ultra and
placed some on the top of the
hull where the blue brick was going
to be placed, then holding onto the
white brick I applied more of the Araldite
glue to the base of the blue brick, taking great
care not to get any near the join between the two ABOVE: Parts A01 & A04 that combine
to make the lower hull, note the large
bricks. Again making use of the white brick as a cylindrical locating pegs which ensure
handle I push the blue rectangular brick down onto a positive join.
the model. After a final check that the blue brick
was in the correct position it was held in place with
two plastic clamps (see photo) while the Araldite
set. While the glue was setting I prepared both the
fighting compartments (B21 & B24) to receive one
of the square white Lego bricks by adding all the
hatches. The next day when I was happy that the
blue brick was fix to the model I checked to see
that the white brick would still come off, and much
to my relief it did. I pushed the white brick back
in place again, and mixed more Araldite. This time
a generous amount of the adhesive was flooded
into one of the upturned fighting compartments
to pool on the inside of the roof. I added a little
more of the Araldite to the very top of the white
brick, again taking care not to get glue near the join
between the two bricks. I then pushed the fighting
compartment down into position on the model and
on top of white brick. After I was happy that the kit BELOW: A view inside both of the
two fighting compartment choices
parts were accurately married showing where Araldite glue would
together the whole assembly be flooded inside in order to capture
a single square Lego brick. Note
was quickly inverted to prevent that both have had their hatches
gravity pulling any of the epoxy permanently fixed in place.
51
 AFV
ABOVE: Both fighting compartments
viewed from above, SU-85 (left) and
SU-122 (right). Gun barrels and
mantlet were deliberately left
off to be installed at a later
stage of construction.
RIGHT: Here the one-piece
engine deck/upper hull (A07)
has already been glued to the
lower hull. The thin blue Lego
brick is being clamped in
place while the Araldite epoxy
glue curers (see text for
further explanation).
ABOVE: A view inside the SU-122
fighting compartment showing the
final location of the square Lego brick.
A second brick would be permanently
fixed inside the SU-85 fighting
compartment too.
BELOW: The completed model in
its SU-85 guise, note the slight gap
between the removable fighting
compartment and lower hull. This gap
decreases if the fighting compartment
is pushed fully home, and is
virtually invisible when
viewed from above!
52
glue down onto the two Lego bricks inside. Rubicon
has made the locating points on the base of fighting
compartment a good fit so no extra clamping was
needed. The inverted model was left over night
while the sandwich of components set in place.
The next day couldnt come fast enough for me!
I was keen to see if my idea had worked. I gently
prised the fighting compartment away from the
hull, and eureka, it worked! So using another white
Lego brick, and mixing more Araldite, I repeated
the process for the second fighting compartment
option. After another 24 hours I had a T34 chassis
which I could covert into either an SU-85 Tank
Destroyer or a SU-122 Assault Gun.
Painting & decorating
With regard to painting the model I wanted to make
life as simple as possible. I decided that I would not
use an airbrush, and thought that this model would
prove an ideal opportunity to see what sort of result
I could get from a commercially available spray can.
I decided that I wasnt going to prime or undercoat
the model first, even though I did have some cans of
black and grey primmer to hand, but rather wanted to
use the one colour as both primmer and top coat all in
one go. I wanted a generic Soviet green colour for the
model, and the colour I choice to use was Tankovy
Green 240 from the Flames of War (Battlefront
ABOVE & BELOW: Both main gun
assemblies can be made to elevate
and depress, part of the illustrations
from the kits instruction sheet.
Miniatures Ltd) War Paint
range of paints. This colour
in its premixed spray can
form is ideal for those who want to paint several
models quickly, efficiently, and get them onto the
wargaming table with a minimum of fuss. Ideal for my
purposes too I thought, and I wasnt disappointed.
Dodging the December rain clouds, and on a day
that was probably far too cold for spray painting, I
took the subassemblies, left and right track runs,
both fighting compartment options, and the hull
out into the garden to paint. I also brought with
me an assembled Zvezda 1/100 scale T34/85 tank,
which seemed to me to be an appropriate test
peace. Once the can had been thoroughly shaken,
and following the instructions on the can, I painted
the small T34/85. The result looked good to me, so
I moved on to spray the 1/56 scale SU-85/SU-122
model. The Tankovy Green spray paint went on a
treat, after three light coats the five subassemblies
all had a good solid coat of colour without any loss
of detail. Not bad for paint out of a spray can, in fact
I dont think that I would have been able to do any
better with my airbrush! The painted parts were set
aside to thoroughly dry.
When I next had the time to carry on with the
project the paint was most definitely dry, and it was
then that I noticed that two of the four cylindrical
external fuel drums had small but visible join lines. I
was too lazy to attempt to fill them at this late stage
so I left them as they were. I should have paid more
attention during construction. My bad, lesson learnt!
I was happy with how the painting had gone thus
far, but the painted model looked too stark and had a
distinctly out of the factory look about it. I decided
that this would be fixed by giving the whole lot some
very dilute washes of black. This worked and the thin
black wash was encouraged to run into any panel
lines and recesses, it also had the added effect of
toning the base green colour down quite a bit.
With the exception of the Flames of War Tankovy
Green all other colours applied to the model were
just paints I had to hand, and not specially purchased
of the build. All the paints used on the model were
acrylic colours from the Lifecolour, and Citadel
(Games Workshop) paint ranges. Tamiya acrylic
paint thinner X-20A was used to dilute and blend
the various colours. The
Tamiya thinner seemed
to work quite happily with
both the Lifecolour and Citadel paints,
and enabled me to mix the colours from one range
into another without problem. I carefully painted the
tracks a base coat of Lifecolour UA 631 (Admiralty
Dark Grey 507 A) washed and darkened this with
Citadels Abaddon Black. The Abaddon Black
was also used to paint the rubber on the
main road wheels; the same black paint was
used to fill the grills on the engine deck.
Lifecolour UA 750 (Vegetable Origin Damp
yellow) was used to brake up the base green
colour as rainwater stains down the flat sides of
both versions of the vehicle.
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017
 AFV
LEFT: The method of construction for the external fuel drums, take
care to fill any unwanted join lines before adding them to the hull!

RIGHT: The completed model broken down into its subassemblies.

The blue Lego brick was masked off prior to painting to ensure
that the fit between it and the white bricks inside each fighting
compartment was not compromised.

Mud in an instant!
With a mug of hot coffee in hand I took time to
sit back and look at my handy work thus far, and
I thought whats missing hear is mud. I wanted
my model to look like it been in combat or at least
driven to it, so for some reason which escapes me
now, I thought that mixing some of my Nescafe
instant coffee granules (other brands are available!)
with some of the acrylic paints would make some
textured mud. The theory was sound, at least in my
mind, so some of the coffee granules were mixed As noted though, you can apply it after the decals BELOW: The decals in place as
seen from the left-hand-side of
with Lifecolour Blackened (UA 758) and Dark umber are almost dry and they seem to almost melt onto both the SU-85 and SU-122
Hemp (UA 752) to create a sort of lumpy dark the matt painted surface underneath. To my eyes options, note a lack of silvering
brown sludge. I was initially happy with this mix and the decals almost look as if they had been painted or any obvious carrier film.

with the help of an old brush started to daub it onto
the tracks and wheels. The coffee seemed to be a
bit more absorbent than I first anticipated so some
of the Tamiya acrylic thinner was added to the mix.
I swapped the old brush for a bit of foam packaging
to apply the rest of the caffeine mud. Using the
foam to apply the mud gave a good effect, but my
coffee mud mix was now a bid too thin, and I may
of well used the paint on its own after all. Oh well if
you like coffee the model smells good at least!
Decals
The time had come to apply some decals and
finish the model. Rubicons SU-85/SU-122 kit
comes supplied with a generic sheet of waterside
decals suitable for World War 2 era Soviet tanks.
The 105mm x 75mm decal sheet is thoughtfully
presented in a reusable plastic bag, and is chock-
full of red stars, unit marking, white tactical
identification numbers in various styles, several
patriotic slogans, as well as some Polish and Chez
on, I hope that my photos illustrate this.
To finish a final thin wash of grime was brushed
over the decals to blend them with the rest of
the model. I added some weathering on the track
and sharp edges of both fighting compartments
with a pencil and the project was finished. Time
for another coffee, or perhaps something a little
stronger to celebrate!
Conclusion
This has been another hassle free and enjoyable
build. I have had a lot of fun putting this kit together,
and am pleased with the end result. I have no
hesitation in recommending this kit to the younger
or novice modeller, and am confident that the
Lego trick wouldnt be beyond the capabilities
of a newcomer either. The simple methods of
construction, coupled with precise fit of the
thoughtfully designed parts ensure a quick build.
In my case the clever engineering Rubicon have
employed in this kit gave me the confidence and
INFORMATION

Product: Construction kit

national insignia thrown in for good measure. A very opportunity required to try something new, which
generous sheet indeed, with enough markings to was good because I simply couldnt decide which Ref: 280034 Scale: 1/56
complete several more models. Definitely one for version to build! My thanks to Jamie at Rubicon
Price: 20.00 Parts: 59
the spares box! Models for supplying the sample kit.
Despite having the option of finishing either Manufacturer: Rubicon Models
the SU-85 or SU-122 as a vehicle in Polish or Website: www.rubiconmodels.com
Czechoslovakian service, I decided to build both as
Soviet vehicles. The slab sided profile of both the
SU-85 and SU-122 offer large surface areas that cry
out to have one of the patriotic slogans, while still
leaving space for a number
and a red star. I made my
selection and applied them to the model.
I am very impressed with Rubicons decals, they
are easy to use and give very good results. In fact
I would go as far as to say that the decals supplied
with this kit are the best I have ever encountered!
Believe it or not no gloss surface preparation was
needed, and no varnish of any sort was used either
before or after application of the decals to the
model. The only specialist product used was a small
amount of Micro Sol setting solution brushed
over the decals after they were
positioned. A word of warning
here, I found that
if you use the
Micro Sol while
the decals are still wet,
which is what I would
normally do, they cruel
up and its hard work to get
them to settle into position.

www.militarymodelling.com 53
 Manufactures
Shizuoka City
The world plastic model capital located in Japan
by Robert-Gilles Martineau
ABOVE: Shizuoka Hobby Square.
BELOW: The Big board introducing the
Shizuoka Hobby Square with some of
its major models.
54
P
lastic models made in Japan, from miniatures
to figurines and modelling tools have been
famous all over the world for countless
years. Such names as Tamiya, Hasegawa, Bandai
are household names at all major events and fan
discussions from Great Britain to China but how
many aficionados know that most companies are
based in one single city?
Shizuoka City is located halfway between Tokyo
and Nagoya, about 80 minutes from the Capital of
Japan by Shinkansen bullet train and is famous for
Mount Fuji, green tea and wasabi. A city of nearly
800,000 souls, it ships no less than 88% of all
plastic models manufactured in Japan. No less than
ten companies are based there either historically,
like Tamiya and Hasegawa or by choice like Bandai
which moved from Tokyo for better exposure.
Shizuoka City, with its abundant forest resources
has had a thriving wood and bamboo industry dating
back more than 200 years. Jiro Aoshima, the first
man to build and fly a civil airplane in Shizuoka City
and consequently in Japan, established the Aoshima
Flight Research Institute in 1924 (the predecessor
of the current Aoshima Bunka Kyozai Co., Ltd.). The
manufacturing of wooden model aircraft started in 1932
and, was the first step toward Shizuoka City becoming
the plastic model capital of the world.
When foreign plastic models started being imported
in the late 1950s, the model trend shifted from wood to
plastic. This created a big impact on the manufacturing
process. The know-how for making moulds and handling
plastic resin, along with more money and human
resources, suddenly became necessary.
The model manufacturers used skill, passion and
dedication to rise up during turbulent times. To help
its major industry, the City Government of Shizuoka
(Capital of Shizuoka Prefecture) decided a few years ago
to invest in the only entirely tax-funded exhibition hall of
its kind in Japan, namely the Shizuoka Hobby Square. It
has since become the focal point for the monthly hobby
events and special exhibitions reported by national and
international media. The Shizuoka Hobby Show held
every year in May at Twin Messe Shizuoka giant hall
in Shizuoka City is the largest exhibition of its kind in
Japan. Famous domestic makers of plastic models,
radio-controlled models and railroad models gather
under one single roof to announce their new products
for the benefit of professionals, retailers (from Japan
and all over the world) and for the public (admission
free!). This coincides with more hobby-related events
all over the city, notably the Granship Train Festa, Tamiya
Open House and the Staff Model exhibition!
Shizuoka Hobby Square is conveniently located near
the south exit of Shizuoka JR Station on the second
floor of a large complex owned by a big insurance
company and sheltering Hotel Century Shizuoka, Fujitsu
Co. and the HQ of many other companies.
A rare boon is that anyone is allowed to take as
many photos as he or she wants. Although you are
not allowed to touch the life-sized plastic model of one
of the major Gundam characters. Actually, the place
is kept thoroughly clean for obvious reasons and food
and drinks, although allowed before the entrance, are
prohibited once inside the exhibition rooms.
The products of six companies are permanently on
show inside the Shizuoka Hobby Square:
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017
 Manufactures

ABOVE LEFT: Jiro Aoshima and his family back in 1924. ABOVE RIGHT: Salvaged parts of Jiro Aoshimas first airplane are still exhibited inside Shizuoka Hobby Square.
BELOW: Companies will make a point
of exhibiting all new creations.

ABOVE: Models are not only faithfully built according to salvaged data but also to incomparable paintings by artists such as
the WWII (1941) IJN Aircraft carrier Akagi painted by Noriyoshi Arai before it was re-created by Hasegawa Co., Ltd. Note that
the zero fighters on neighbouring aircraft carrier are different.

TAMIYA Inc.
The top brand in the plastic model world, it also has a
major shop in Le Mans, France and has held a yearly
show in Nuremberg, Germany, for the last 25 years.
It boasts a huge variety of products, from display-
purpose scale models such as cars, motorcycles,
aircraft, ships and military vehicles, to models you
can enjoy racing such as RC cars and Mini 4WD, as
well as DIY models, tools and paint, backed up with
many manuals and specialised books.
The owners of Tamiya Inc. and Honda Co. have
shared the same history and a long friendship in
Shizuoka Prefecture (which also hosts such companies
as Suzuki, Yamaha, and Koito) and have the original
peculiarity of producing both the full-scale motorcycle
and its plastic model on exactly the same date!
Tamiya Inc. not only also has its own tools,
paints and kit shop inside the Square but also has
a workshop where fans can build their own models
and a circuit where (for a very small fee) customers
can compete with their own model cars all day long. Since most of its products were model aircraft, ABOVE: Models created by artists
working full-time in house at Tamiya inc..
fans all over the world came to call it Hasegawa:
Number one for planes.
Aoshima Buka Kyozai Co., Ltd.
Established by Jiro Aoshima, Shizuoka Citys first
private pilot. Primarily focused on making models Bandai Hobby Centre
children can play with, Aoshima produces innovative Originally based in Tokyo, it moved a few years ago to
products including scale models, character/figurine Shizuoka City. The production base for plastic models
models and school science class models. of science fiction manga such as Gundam of Gundam
Mobile Suit, a televised anime series produced and
animated by Sunrise since 1979. Bandai prides itself
Hasegawa Co., Ltd. in having gathered the latest technology and skills
Founded in 1941, it began production of cypress for making plastic models. Aiming to create plastic
rods and rubber-powered light planes the same year models that anyone can enjoy, Bandai continues to
and started manufacturing plastic models in 1961. evolve and spread its message to the world.

www.militarymodelling.com 55
 Manufactures

EBBRO
Focusing on domestic man-made and racing
vehicles, Ebbro produces intricate toy cars. The
details replicated at 1/43 are the coolest part of
Ebbros cars. Some plastic models of Formula 1 and
European cars have been developed. Ebbros toy
cars are fun and even more enjoyable to collect.

WoodyJOE Co., Ltd.

ABOVE: For the true aficionados information on very rare old models and their original boxes
belonging to private owners are also on display.
The only wooden sailing ship model kit
manufacturer in Japan. Other than sailboats, they
also offer precise wooden replicas of historical
buildings, European and Japanese. You can take
time to experience the joy of creating while feeling
the warmth of nature at your fingertips.
The four other companies not represented are:
-Platz ltd. In addition to manufacturing and selling
its own products (plastic models, decals, etched
parts, etc.), it is also an authorised import agent,
selling products from world-famous plastic model
makers (airplanes, tanks, figures, etc.).
Asuka Model Ltd. From advanced military kits to
beginners kits, Asuka develops products for every
level. Puramozaru can be easily made by children
six-and-up, so are recommended to beginners.
SWEET. Specializes in cute palm-sized airplane
plastic models (1/144). The boxes and assembly

ABOVE: Airplanes of all eras from all

over the world by Hasegawa Co., Ltd.

RIGHT: Ebbros very minute car

and motorbike models which have
parents and children fighting over
their possessions.

RIGHT: A small view of Tamiyas

special tools and accessories shop.

Mr. Kimiyuki Yamada

will always be found
busy making his own
models! A Citroen
2CV in this case.

56 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017


ABOVE: Creations by Yofukashi modellers Club in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
productions include characters designed by
Shizuoka cartoonist Yukihisa Fujita and are popular
with modellers of all ages.
Shimomura Alec Co., Ltd. The only company in
Shizuoka that develops and sells hand tools for making
models. They aim to make tools that can reach difficult
areas like none other, such as the worlds thinnest
handsaw. Several of their products have been certified
as Shizuoka Prefecture product innovations.
Now Shizuoka Hobby Square is not only an
exhibition hall for six of the model manufacturing
companies based in Shizuoka but also a place
where you can buy kits, tools, paints and other
items to create superb models. It is also a place
where you can acquire books and information about
the models you plan to build to help you to achieve
the most faithful models possible.
It also introduces amateur model hobbyists
who have their award-winning models exhibited
permanently with their names and history and a
description of their creations.
History also holds an important role without which
true model fans would not get full satisfaction. For
example, rare models first created by Tamiya, made
of wood and gum, such as army tanks which still
can move with the help of their own batteries are
permanently exhibited.
Foreign visitors should not worry about the language
barrier as staff with a reasonable knowledge of English
will be on hand such as Mr. Kimiyuki Yamada who is
www.militarymodelling.com
Manufactures
LEFT: For the true model maniacs:
Tamiya Inc.s Type 10 Tank is not only
fully remote-controlled but also
features sound and light with a gun
turret still keeping on target while the
whole body moves under.
BELOW: Rare copies of old Japanese
model/miniature hobby magazines can
be admired in a pristine condition.
a retired former employee of Tamiya Inc.
but still works there as a part-timer out of
sheer passion for his work and hobby!
Special Interest items
Now, like any exhibition halls, there are
some items worth looking for as they
are not only exquisite in concept and
details but because they also help you
make discoveries that will become the
icing on the cake of your visit.
Shzuoka Hobby Square
Location: 3F South-spot Shizuoka, 18-1 Minami-Cho, Suruga Ku, Shizuoka City,
Shizuoka Prefecture, 422-66067, Japan
Tel.: 81+54-289-3033
Fax: 81+54-289-3034
E-mail: hobby01@hobbysquare.jp
Homepage: http://www.hobbysquare.jp/en/ (English)
Opening hours: Weekdays: 11:00~18:00
Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: 10:00~18:00
Closed on Mondays
(If Monday is a holiday, closed on Tuesday)
Access: 1 minute walk from the south exit of Shizuoka Station (about 80 minutes by
Shinkansen Bullet Train or 3 hours by Tokaido Railway from Tokyo)
About 15 minutes by car from the Tomei expressway Shizuoka Interchange
(Paid parking is available in the area)
57
Books
On Parade
Books, magazines and DVDs reviewed
The Editor welcomes publications for review.
All samples intended for review in On Parade
should be sent direct to the Contributing Editor
at the address listed under Editorial on the
contents page.
Book of the Month
Royal Navy
Submarine
1945 to 1973 (A-class HMS
Alliance) by Peter Goodwin
The A-Class or Amphion or
Acheron class of British diesel-
electric submarines were
originally designed for service
in the Pacific during the final
stages of the Second World
War. However, only two were
completed before the end
of the war and these never
saw action and a planned
production of 46 boats
was reduced to 16. Built by
Vickers-Armstrong, Cammell
Laird, Scotts, HM Dockyard
Chatham and Plymouth only
one of these longserving
boats survives today in the
shape of HMS Alliance (P417/
S67) which is on display at
the Royal Navy Submarine
Museum in Gosport.
The manual is broken down
into 13 chapters, the main
ones cover British submarine
development (1901-45); the
story of the Alliance and
A-Class submarines; Anatomy;
58
Propulsion; Weapons;
Operational Equipment;
Operating Alliance; Manning
Alliance; Submarine escape;
Restoring Alliance and six
useful appendices.
With the exception of
the period sections, the
photography is all colour
supported by colour diagrams
and samples from official
documents such as BR.4549
and BR.1963 (Handbook for
Submarines of the A Class).
The latter are also in colour
and while well-produced
could have done with some
Photoshop work to remove the
folds and creases. The latter is
my only niggle of a book which
has been very well done and
even the human (Submariner)
element is well-covered; they
are a special breed even to
this day.
The author is well-qualified
to produce this book because
he volunteered for Submariner
service, briefly serving on
HMS Acheron (A-Class) before
transferring to an R-Class
SSBN nuclear submarine. His
knowledge and experience
certainly shines through as no
stone is left unturned on this
subject, although the existence
of a fully restored example is
obviously invaluable.
Thanks very much to
Ellie James and Haynes for
supplying this copy.
MC
INFORMATION
ISBN: 978-0-85733-389-6
Pages: 190 Price: 22.99
Format: hardback A4
Publisher: J H Haynes & Co. Ltd
Website: www.haynes.co.uk
Sd.Kfz.161 Panzer IV
Ausf.H/J Tupolev Tu-2
Top Drawings No.25 The Forgotten
by Krzysztof Mucha Medium Bomber
An outstanding series of line by Jason Nicholas Moore
drawing and profile artwork books One of the most successful
continues with Krzysztof Muchas combat aircraft of the Second
contribution with the Panzer IV World War, the Tupolev Tu-2 first
Ausf.H/J. The A4 portrait format of entered service with the Soviet
the book is perfect for 1/35 scale Air Force in 1942 and incredibly
line drawings, allowing the author
to include views from all angles
plus three-quarter views all in a line
drawn format. The main caption for
each section is written in English
and Polish complimented by
credited sources, which is always a
nice touch. The detail is outstanding
and goes further in the middle of
book by focusing on the muzzle
brake, commanders cupola, fan
cover, turret skirts, frames/mounts
for the side skirts and metal
frames/mounts for the side skirts.
This section is followed by three
pages of 1/48 scale drawings and
a single of 1/72 drawings. The book
is tailed off with eight pages of
excellent colour profiles (two per
page in landscape) from specific
units including the 35th Armoured
Regiment, 116th Armoured Division The First Tank Crews
and 12th Division SS Hitlerjugend The Lives of the Tankmen who
to name a few. On top of that fought at the Battle of Flers-
there is a separate (loose) A2 sheet Courcelette, 15 Sep 1916 by
packed with 1/16 scale drawings of Stephen Pope
a Pz/Kpfw.IV Aus.J late production The operational history of the
version. If that was not enough you tank as part of the Heavy Branch
even get a free sheet of mask foils of the Machine Gun Corps
thrown in! began at the Battle of Flers-
Really great value for money, Courcelette during the Battle
high quality production and a of the Somme over 100 years
superb reference to boot! Thanks ago. It was defining moment in
again to Tom Bonnington at the history of the tank, some
Casemate for our review copy would say premature, as not only
which is available from were the tanks themselves not
www.casematepublishers.co.uk. fully developed and prepared,
Owen Cooper their crews were far from ready
for what they were about to
INFORMATION
ISBN: 978-83-64596-70-4 experience.
Pages: 40 Price: Approx 14 This hefty book, which
weighs in at 1.4kg, is the result
Format: softback A4 of 13 years research by ex-Army
Publisher: Kagero officer Stephen Pope. The book
concentrates on all of the British
Website: www.kagero.eu tankmen who took part in the Battle
www.shop.kagero.pl
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

was not retired until the late
1970s when in service with
the Chinese Air Force. Over
3,000 were built between
1941 and 1948 and thanks
to continual development
and modification enjoyed its
long post-war career deep
into the Cold War. If it had
not been for a premature
halt in production in 1943
many more would have
been produced and its
already superb contribution
to overall victory in support
of the Red Army could have
been even more significant
and not quite so under the
radar from a historical point
of view.
The book is split between
the Tu-2s wartime service
of Flers-Courcelette. From their
recruitment, through their training,
rapid deployment, experiences in
action and those lucky enough to
survive, the author has continued
their stories until their final passing.
With the help of official documents,
newspaper reports at the time and
support of their families, the author
has compiled an outstanding piece
of work.
The books 400 pages are broken
down into a list of photographs, a
list of maps, acknowledgements,
21 main chapters and five
appendices which contain the first
tank crew deaths (1916-1920),
tank crews and their companies,
We improve our line by Tankard,
order of the battle and the naming
of tanks rounded off by a note on
sources and the index. There are
approximately 110 black and white
photographs of generally good
quality, 16 colour photographs of
how the battlefield looks today
and 16 high quality colour maps.
A worthy tome to the memory of
these brave men and an excellent
insight into the early operational
debut of the tank. Thanks to Tom
Bonnington at Casemate for our
review copy which is available from
www.casematepublishers.co.uk.
Owen Cooper
INFORMATION
ISBN: 978-1910777773
Pages: 400 Price: approx 20
Format: hardback 250mm x 178mm
Publisher: Helion and Company
Website: www.helion.co.uk
www.militarymodelling.com
and its long post-war career.
Chapters begin with a study
of what makes a tactical
medium bomber followed
by Soviet bombers before
the Tu-2, genesis, first
of the breed The 103,
the Tu-2S, Tu-2 medium
bomber comparison
(against the Ju88, B-26,
Wellington, Do-217, Il-4 and
He 111 to name a few),
post-war development
and experimentals, jet
successors, post-war
service and Tu-2 in detail.
The book rounds of with
four appendices covering
specifications, survivors,
production figures and scale
model kits (the author is an
enthusiastic modeller).
Scale Model
Handbook No.18
Manzano which shows the
With contributions by
Mike The Kiwi Butler,
Roberto Ramirez Gutierrez,
Stelios Neofytidis, Sergey
Popovichenko, Toshihiro Sano
and Qianwei Shi.
Stelios Demiras kindly sent me the
latest addition to the Scale Model
Handbook series and yet again I
am impressed with the continued
quality of the publication, its
presentation and the content. No
fantasy subjects this time though,
its military all the way.
The usual suspects are
present of course, Sergey
Popovichenko and Mike The
Kiwi Butler, appear to be regular
contributors. Nice to see their
offerings too; in this case a
Thracian (Thaex ) Gladiator from
Pegaso and a German WWI Ace
from Wings Cockpit Miniatures
respectively.
Picture quality throughout
is to a high standard and
numbers in at 151 black
and white and 15 colour.
The latter are of preserved
examples at Central
Aircraft Museum, Monino;
Plovdiv, Bulgaria and the
Chinese Aviation Museum,
Datangshan in China. The
central colour section of
the book also includes 14
colours profiles of various
Tu-2s in Soviet, Bulgarian,
Chinese, Hungarian,
Indonesian, North Korean
and Polish Air Force service.
There are also a number of
maps and diagrams which
all combine to make a nice
rounded package about this
overlooked aircraft.
A couple of other writers
return too Stelios Neofytidis
has two articles about WWI
subjects and Toshihiro Sano
continues the WWI theme
with a feature on a British pilot
Mick Mannock from Hawk
Miniatures and also two Waffen
SS crewmen from Alpine
Miniatures.
Two new contributors appear
as well Qianwei Shi from
China supplies an article about
the painting of Life Miniatures
Winston Churchill bust and
Roberto Ramirez Gutierrez paints
a very nice mounted figure of
a Spanish subject Cpl Vicente
scratchbuilding along with the
painting of this piece.
The articles are well written
and although obviously they
must have been translated to
the English language because
of the varied nationalities of the
writers, dont lose any flow and
remain conversational whilst still
being informative. Its something
I havent mentioned in the past,
simply because the handbooks
are so easy to sit down and
immerse yourself in, you dont
initially think that these writers
come from all over the world.
Again - and although I repeat
this every time, its only fair to
say the production and quality
of this publication lifts it above
magazine status and is really a
good way to show people from
outside of the hobby that we
really do paint very posh toy
Books
Moore has spent decades
studying Soviet aircraft and
has already books on the
Lavochkin fighters and the
Ilyushin IL-2 under his belt.
This latest on the un-sung
Tu-2 is a worthy contribution
and rightly brings this
superb multi-role aircraft out
from the shadows. Thanks
to Jay Slater at Fonthill
Media for our review copy.
MC
INFORMATION
ISBN: 978-1-78155-532-3
Pages: 176 Price: 25.00
Format: hardback 254mm x 180mm
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Website: www.fonthillmedia.com
soldiers....... and to a very high
standard, if not an art form.
A good read and a classy
reference source for little tips
and tricks.
Adrian Hopwood
INFORMATION ISBN: n/a
Pages: 52 Price: 13.95
Format: softback A4
Publisher: Mr Black Publications
Website: www.mrblackpublications.com
Der Tiger Volume 2
Schwere Panzerabteilung 502
by Volker Ruff
This is the second volume in a
series intended to cover all the
Tiger battalions and like Volume 1
about sPzAbt 501 it does a very
thorough job. The first thing that
strikes you on picking up the book
is that both front and back covers
have full-page photographs
of those intriguing white-
camouflaged Tigers with random-
looking black blotches that many
modellers have copied.
59
 Books
The text is divided into
chapters, each with its own
group of photographs with
detailed captions wherever
possible the place, date and
company are identified. In fact
these are not just photos from
official archives and private
collections but in many cases
were taken by members of
502. Quite a few have not been
seen before.
An index gives the basic
timeline of the chapters and
is sub-divided into specific
places and times so that if, for
instance, you want to check
on actions in the Oranienbaum
bridgehead, the index tells
you which page to go to for
the text and the start of the
photographs set there.
This is, as stated on
the cover, a pictorial
documentation so the text
doesnt go into enormous
detail. The captions, though, do
give a great deal of information
some of which will surprise
readers. Those front and back
cover photos, for instance;
reading the book reveals that
(a) the blotches were not
always random but sometimes
served as identifiers, and (b)
they were not black.
The photo coverage is
excellent. Some are lower in
quality, but still worth seeing
for their rarity such as the one
showing the handed early
tracks on an in-service Tiger.
In fact theyre an absolute
treasure trove for Tiger fans.
Of course, there are very
few photos of the Abteilungs
eventual Tiger 2 re-equipment,
a disappointment for some
but to be expected when one
takes into account that they
were only received at the
end of March 1945. Highly
recommended! Thanks to Lee
Archer at Panzerwrecks for our
review copy which is available
from www.panzerwrecks.com.
John Prigent
INFORMATION
ISBN: 978-3-9816908-1-1
Pages: 128 Price: 26.99
Format: hardback 305mm x 250mm
Publisher: Volker Ruff
Website: www.strabokran.de
60
World War II Soviet
Field Weapons &
Equipment
A Visual Reference Guide
by Keith Ward
The second in a series of books,
sub-headed A Visual Reference
Guide, the first was on German
Field Weapons, this book by 3D
technical artist Keith Ward is
packed full of imagery of Soviet
Field Weapons and a plethora
of associated equipment. The
ten chapters are headed; Small
Arms, Personal Equipment,
Grenades, Hand-Held Anti-Tank
Weapons & Flamethrowers,
Machine Guns, Mortars, Mines
& Demolition Charges, Artillery &
Crewed Anti-Tank Weapons and
Anti-Aircraft Guns. That should
give you an idea from the start
how busy this book is!
Each page presents multi-view
digital artwork with an extended
caption at the bottom plus a
technical information panel. For
example the depth of information
for a PMZ-40 mine includes the
type of casing, type of explosive,
weight, diameter, height and even
the activation weight.
There is no lengthy introduction
to this book, it literally is just the
contents and then from pages
five to 153 packed with military
eye candy. My only criticism,
which is more on behalf of the
author, is that his work would have
benefited from being placed on
higher quality paper. That aside,
this is an excellent book which
leaves no stone unturned with
regard to Soviet field weapons
and equipment. Thanks to Tom
Bonnington at Casemate for our
review copy which is available from
www.casematepublishers.co.uk.
MC
INFORMATION
ISBN: 978-1-909384-99-6
Pages: 160 Price: 25
Format: softback 297mm x 210mm
Publisher: Helion and Company
Website: www.helion.co.uk
The English Civil War
1642 - 1651
Battle for Britain Series
Wargame by Peter Dennis with
easy rules by Andy Callan
This excellent series of books
covers a number of major
battles/campaigns including
this, the first English Civil War.
The highly experienced Peter
Dennis and Andy Callan have
combined to produce a 50 page
A4 book, jam packed with all
the figures for both sides plus
an excellent spread of buildings
and trees to add interest to the
battlefield, all in paper.
All you need to produce your
28mm paper armies is a pair of
scissors, some glue, a scanner,
plenty of ink and some 100 gram
paper to print your forces onto.
Biber Leopard 1
Bridgelayer
By Kenneth stergaard
Trackpad Publishing will need no
introduction for some modellers
as they are known for publishing
high quality photographic reference
titles. Once again this title is no
different; this release covers the
Biber Leopard 1 Bridgelayer.
Tanks and armour require
mobility and to counter this,
opposing armies will dig anti-
tank ditches. To overcome these
obstacles many armies require
support from their military
engineers, these guys will often
utilize a tank based vehicle often
know as an Armoured Vehicle
Bridge Layer or AVLB (pronounced
Av-lab). These vehicles are at times
older but nonetheless essential to
many major armies of the world
(and a firm favourite of mine as a
former Royal Engineer).
The author Kenneth stergaard
has once again not disappointed
us with his study of the Biber. The
book covers the vehicle, its bridge
and many details of this specialized
vehicle. Interior photographs
include the crew compartment and
Peter Dennis takes you
through every stage of the build
from making the paper armies,
pikes, artillery, foot and horses to
making the battlefield itself. Your
patience will be the only thing
challenged when it comes to
cutting the soldiers out, many will
lose their heads and the ends of
their pikes before advancing!
The rules take up the last 14
pages of the book and what
I really like is the comment
If you have never played
wargame before, turn to pages
47-48 now! where you will
find a couple of pages for the
absolute beginner.
A very eye-catching and well-
thought out series of wargaming
books which will get you hooked.
Thanks to Tom Bonnington at
Casemate for our review copy
which is available from
www.casematepublishers.
co.uk.
MC
INFORMATION
ISBN: 978-1-910777-90-9
Pages: 50 Price: Approx 12
Format: softback A4
Publisher: Helion and Company Ltd.
Website: www.helion.co.uk
photographs of those mysterious
panels seen on many vehicles.
There are photographs included
from other nations which operate
and these include the Dutch,
Australian (now retired) and of
course the Danish army.
Once again this is a book
seriously aimed at the modeller
and those with an interest in
modern armour. Biber certainly
delivers value for money; the
maximum number of photographs
on any one page is four and all of
them in colour. For the modeller
these images will prove to be
very useful as they show all the
areas that are often missed by the
many kit manufacturers. There are
a number of resin kits available of
this vehicle and of course Revell
produce a 1/72 version. We can all
hope that this kit could be released
as a styrene kit in a larger scale; I
am sure that this book would prove
even more invaluable.
Thank you to Michael
Shackleton of Track Pad Publishing
for supplying this review copy.
Brian ODonoghue
INFORMATION
ISBN: n/a
Pages: 80 Price: 16.50
Format: softback (landscape) A4
Publisher: Trackpad Publishing
Website: www.trackpadpublishing.com

Atten-Shun!
The Product Review Column
The Editor welcomes product samples for review.
Please send direct to the Contributing Editor at the
address listed under Editorial on the contents page.
Figures
DG Artwork 10th
Century Lotharingian
Knight
Lotharingia was an area of
Europe which comprises
portion of modern day Belgium,
France and Germany and the
whole of the Netherlands and
Luxembourg. The region only
existed in any capacity during
the 9th and 10th Centuries
before it was swallowed up
into several Duchys.
To choose a Lotharingian
Knight as the subject for a resin
bust is excellent and just seeing
INFORMATION
the name will make you reach
for the history books and start
researching like mad just to
understand what they were all
about. The lovely box art and
the sculpting of the model itself
were carried out by the talented
www.militarymodelling.com
AFV
Hobby Boss
Munitionsschlepper
auf Panzerkampfwagen
I Ausf A with Ammo
Trailer
Produced by Henschel,
MAN, Krupp and Daimler
between 1934 and 1938
the Panzerkampfwagen
I (PzKpfW I) was a light
tank which first saw action
in the Spanish Civil War.
Nearly 2,500 were built,
1,659 of them as light tanks
which were in turn, as
obsolescence approached,
converted into a range
of sub-variants. One of
the rare variants was
the Munitionsschlepper
(ammunition tractor) auf
PzKpfW I Ausf A which
Dae-Hyeong, Kim and is to was also designated as the
his usual very high standard. SdKfz (Sonderkraftfahrzeug
Comprising just six parts, this (Special Vehicle)) 111.
bust is made up of the main This Hobby Boss re-box
torso which comprises the left was released in November
arm and head, a shield, helmet, 2016 but has its roots as
spear shaft, spear tip and cloak far back as 2002 when
clasp. The chain mail in particular the original Panzer I was
is exquisite! produced by the now-
A lovely bust of a very unusual defunct Tristar Models.
but worthy subject. Thanks to Contained within a solid box
Dae-Hyeong, Kim at DG Artwork and topped off with some
for this bust which is available very nice artwork, first
from his website or a wide impressions of this unusual
number of online outlets. subject are good. Eleven of
Owen Cooper the sprues are packed with
desert coloured crisp parts,
Product: Resin figure kit a further three sprues hold
Ref: DG12B004 Scale: 1/12 track links in a medium grey
colour, a single glass sprue
Price: approx 34 Parts: 6 hold five parts and finally
Manufacturer: DG Artwork and small sheet of PE holds
a further 24 components.
Website: www.artworkdg.com
A simple decal sheet holds
Product reviews
six standard German cross
insignia plus a couple of
information plates for the
rear of the ammunition
trailer.
The instruction booklet
lacks any colour, which will
upset those who like to
see a reasonably accurate
representation of the
vehicles camouflage and
markings. The black and
white, A4, twelve-page
booklets also lacks any
description of the vehicle
on the front page. The build
is spread over 14-stages
beginning with transmission,
hull, wheels and tracks,
engine and rounds off with a
very tidy ammunition trailer
which can be filled with as
many rounds as you wish.
One of the things I like about
this vehicle is that the hull
has to be built up rather than
arriving in one large section.
A nice kit, of an unusual
subject which would make
a welcome addition to all
who enjoy the more obscure
German equipment of the
early Second World War period.
Thanks very much to Creative
Models for our sample which is
available from
www.creativemodels.co.uk.
MC
INFORMATION
Product: Construction kit
Ref: 80146 Scale: 1/35
Price: 31.99 Parts: approx 550 (Inc. PE)
Manufacturer: Hobby Boss
Website: www.hobbyboss.com
61
Product reviews
Aircraft
Revell Focke Wulf
FW 190D-9
An iconic German fighter, the
Focke Wulf Fw 190 not only
symbolizes the superiority of
the Luftwaffe during the early
stages of the Second World
War but its demise as its
career was abruptly terminated
when the war ended in
Europe. Over 20,000 Fw 190s
were built and its success
partly came about because its
development never ceased and
its ability to carry out several
roles made it invaluable. The
aircraft featured here is the
Fw 190D-9 which represents
a design departure which saw
the fighter germinate into the
Ta 152 high-altitude fighter.
This particular machine is a Fw
190D-9 Late which is fitted
with a Ta 152 tail unit.
This Revell kit is actually a
2017 re-box of the Eduard kit
(8189) which dates back to
Aftermarket
Early War Miniatures
Latex Road Pieces
Scale modelling and
wargaming has been closing
in on each for quite some
time now from a vehicle and
62
2011. Revell has made no effort
to hide this fact as Eduard is
still marked on all six sprues
it is literally only the box that
is different from the original
kit. The kit still comes with
Revells own A4, 20-page full
colour instruction booklet
which also contains four colour
guides and decal options and
the artwork on the box is an
improvement over the original.
figure point of view but now,
as we can see here, scenery
products are closing the divide
as well. Early War Miniatures
have been supplying durable,
flexible, high-grade latex
scenic products for quite
A comprehensive AirDoc
designed decal sheet gives
the builder multiple options
although as usual, swastikas
will have to be sourced
separately. Cockpit, engine,
cannon, undercarriage and
wheel well detail are all superb
and with this kits pedigree you
cannot go wrong.
Revell model kits are
available from all good toy and
some time and here is a
couple of examples of road
sections which would be at
home on the wargaming field
or in the modellers diorama.
The first is a single
curved road section which
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.2 2017
model retailers. For details
visit
www.revell.de/en.
MC
INFORMATION
Product: Construction kit
Ref: 03930 Scale: 1/48
Price: 26.99 Parts: 144
Manufacturer: Revell
Website: www.revell.de/en
is approximately 7.5cm wide
and is 10cm long on the inner
curve and 15cm in the outer,
the section turning through
45 degrees. The quality of
the cobbled surface and
raised verges is excellent. The
second product is a single
crossroads which is also has a
road width of 7.5cm wide and
is 12cm x 14.5cm in size. Both
a provided un-painted but they
take acrylics well and can be
further enhanced with scenic
scatters for example.
Very nice products which are
of a high quality and labour-
saving to boot! Thanks to Peter
at Early War Miniatures for our
sample which is available from
www.earlywarminiatures.com.
MC
INFORMATION
Product: Scenery
Parts: 1 Scale: 20/28mm
Price: 5.80 (Crossroads) & 3.80 (Curve)
Manufacturer: Early War Miniatures
Website: www.earlywarminiatures.com

Figures
TaHK Modern
Russian Tankers
(Engine Repair) (3)
T-35189
Tank, from Russia, are no
strangers for many figure and
armour modellers, they are
known for highly quality resin
figures. This set comprises of
three members of a tank crew
who are inspecting the engine
of their tank. The first figure
appears to be the commander
with one foot resting on a
turret box, the second figure is
standing holding onto a raised
section of engine decking
and the third is half sitting/
slouching looking at the engine
compartment.
Each of the figures comprises
five parts a body, right arm, left
arm and a choice of heads; there
is a choice of either a peaked
Spetznaz cap or a Russian
Ushanka. Two of the figures are
wearing jackboots (sapogi) with
the remaining figure wearing
standard military lace up boots.
All three figures are wearing
winter parkas with one of the
AFV
Bronco Skoda LT Vz35
& R-2 Tank (MM4703)
The Czech-designed Skoda LT
Vz35 light tank, known to the
Germans as the Panzer 35(t),
first entered service in 1936.
Prior to the German occupation,
Romania also showed an
interest in the Vz35 and ordered
126 of them and redesignated
them as the R-2. Only 434 were
built and 244 of these were
seized by the Germans, many
of them seeing action in Poland,
France and Russian before they
were withdrawn from frontline
operations in 1942. The 10.5ton
tank was crewed by four, armed
with a 3.7cm KwK 34(t) main
gun, a pair of 7.92mm MG 37(t)
machine guns and was powered
by a 120hp four-cylinder, Skoda
T11/0 engine. Quite a few
of these sturdy little tanks
remained in Bulgarian service as
training vehicles into the 1950s.
www.militarymodelling.com
figures having a hood and all
of them have standard combat
trousers. When painting, the
modeller will need to take
care as the modern Russian
This Bronco kit has a large
number of parts for a small tank
even in 1/35. The 600+ parts are
made up of seven main sprues,
two upper hull and turret shells
(Vz35 & R-2 versions), 240 track
links in strips of twelve, a busy
PE sheet with 70 parts and
an equally busy decal sheet.
A high quality A4, full colour
and all of the uniforms have
camouflage uniforms have quite
a fine pattern.
All three figures exhibit fine
moulding with undercuts to
collars and some of the pockets
instruction booklet presents
29 stages of the build backed
off with no less than six colour
and marking option pages. The
latter covers four Romanian
options, a Bulgarian machine
and a Slovakian Army Vz35 who
gained 52 of them when they
split from Czechoslovakia at
the same time as the German
Product reviews
fine folds and creases. This set
does look like kit would work
with the recent T72 release
from Meng Model, especially as
they have released a separate
engine. With this in mind the
modeller could also display
these figures with the T90,
BMPT or the upcoming BMR-
3M also from Meng Model.
This set come highly
recommended for all modern
Russian fans, these figures
would also represent any nation
that purchases uniforms and
equipment from Russia.
TaHK are available from
Models Hobby. My thanks go to
Yaroslav Padalko for shipping my
set promptly after purchase.
Brian ODonoghue
INFORMATION
Product: Resin figure kit
Ref: T-35189 Scale: 1/35
Price: approx 32 Parts: 15
Manufacturer: TaHK
Website: www.models-hobby.com
occupation. There is no ready
moulded main hull with this
kit, its literally built from the
lower hull panel up and as such
the internal detail is excellent.
Features like the drivers
pedals, radio equipment,
first aid box and rear of the
engine compartment are very
impressive. I would describe
the build as fiddly rather than
complex thanks to the large
number of small parts; that
said, the finished machine will
be well worth the effort.
Thanks to Bronco for
supplying Military Modelling
with this kit for review.
Owen Cooper
INFORMATION
Product: Construction kit
Ref: CB-35105 Scale: 1/35
Price: approx 34 Parts: 600+
Manufacturer: Bronco
Website: www.cn-bronco.com
63
Product reviews
Figures
MJ Miniatures
US Tanker in WW2
The Korean-based MJ
Miniatures stable is in full flow
at the moment and this lovely
scale resin figure of a US Tanker
in WW2 is one of the latest.
The 1/16 figure is sculpted by
MJ Studio and the box art is by
Man-Jin, Kim. On opening the
typically sturdy box, the well
protected figure is made up
of seven components. These
AFV
Hobby Boss IDF
Merkava Mk IV
The Merkava (Chariot) series
of tanks began their rapid
development back in 1973 and
this impressive machine was in
IDF (Israeli Defence Force) service
in 1978. The Merkava Mk I first
saw action during the Lebanon
War in 1982. Steady development
has seen it reach its current
guise in the shape of the Mk IV
which began development in
1999 and was in service by 2004.
Bigger than the previous marks,
the Merkava Mk IV features
removable modular armour, a
new fire control system, a larger
120mm (4.7in) main gun and an
additional 12.7mm (0.5in) machine
gun to name a few.
Accessories
Scale 75 - Colours for
Uniforms, Feldgrau -
SSE-029
The German Field Grey uniform
is one of the more recognisable
uniforms from both the First
and Second World War. Field
Grey or Feldgrau, a colour that
begs the question is the colour
grey, green or a mix of both. On
looking at a collection of these
uniforms at a Militaria fair the
answer appears to be both.
This set comes as part one
of their dedicated paint sets,
comprising of four 17ml acrylic
paints. This set is supplied
with a bilingual inlay card that
64
The Hobby Boss version of the
Merkava Mk IV suits 1/72 as its
quite a large tank which weighs
in at 65 tons and is nearly 30ft
long, including the barrel. The kit
contains 47 parts on six sprues,
a small decal sheet supported
by a 245mm x 145mm black and
are two heads, one smiling,
the main body minus arms,
one left arm and a right holding
the best part of a Thompson
sub-machine gun, the left hand
holding the forward stock and
barrel of the Thompson and a
service revolver in a holster.
There is some cleaning up to be
done but nothing to taxing. The
folds of the Tankers clothing are
particularly well done.
Another highly recommended
figure from MJ, which is worth
large turret is also well-detailed
white instruction booklet which
takes the builder through ten build
stages. The build is shortened
considerably thanks to a pair of
ready-built track units. The build
is further simplified by a well-
detailed upper hull which has the
modular armour, towing cables
supplies a few directions to aid
painting a figure wearing the
typical Field Grey uniform. The
instructions show only a figure
wearing a greatcoat being
painted but this set will provide
the correct shade of paint for
painting the uniform but does
not specify the colours to be
used for the webbing.
The painting guide shows the
option is to add the base coat
either Field Grey 1 or 2 using
a brush and add the highlights
using an airbrush. The shading
is then added utilising a brush,
the modeller could also use the
SS Camo Shadow for the black
Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017
every penny. Thanks to Man-Jin,
Kim at MJ Miniatures for this
bust which is available from his
website or a wide number of
online outlets.
David H Smith
INFORMATION
Product: Resin figure kit
Ref: MJ16F001 Scale: 1/16
Price: approx 40 Parts: 7
Manufacturer: MJ Miniatures
Website: www.mj-miniatures.co.kr
and various grills and panels
already in place. The Merkavas
and along with the rest of the
components, well moulded.
Once again a nicely presented
kit of a more unusual, modern
MBT at a reasonable price. Highly
recommended and thanks very
much to Creative Models for our
sample which is available from
www.creativemodels.co.uk.
MC
INFORMATION
Product: Construction kit
Ref: 82915 Scale: 1/72
Price: 13.99 (Creative Models) Parts: 47+
Manufacturer: Hobby Boss
Website: www.hobbyboss.com
leather boots and the basic
webbing straps.
Recommended for all figure
painters, especially for those
modellers who find it difficult
to match the difficult to match
field grey uniform.
With thanks to Scale 75 for
the review sample.
Brian ODonoghue
INFORMATION
Product: Paints
Ref: SSE-029 Scale: n/a
Price: 9.75 Parts: 4
Manufacturer: Scale75
Website: www.scale75.com
 Product reviews

Ships

Hobby Boss French

Navy Dunkerque
Battleship
Laid down on December 24,
1932, the Dunkerque was the
first of two battleships in the
Dunkerque class (the other
was the Strasbourg) and the
first of its type to be built by
the French after the First World
War under the 1922 Washington
Naval Treaty. She was launched
on October 2, 1935 although
it was not until September
1938 that she was placed on
active duty. Dunkerque had a
limited wartime career thanks
to the German invasion and the
ultimate Armistice that France
were forced to sign, which the
French Navy were determined
could be persuaded to join the
British or at worst scuttle the
vessels. Refusing to comply,
the British were forced to open
fire and within just 20 minutes
had immobilised the Dunkerque.
However a public communique
boasted that Dunkerque was
seaworthy and as a result the
British launched a second
attack on July 6, this time
using torpedo bombers. One
torpedo struck a small patrol
boat filled with depth charges
the Dunkerque under attack at
Mers-el-Kbir on July 3, 1940
gets you in the mood straight
away. The 650mm long box is
jam packed with 14 sprues,
three main deck sections, six
sheets of PE, a chain, a small
decal sheet, an A4 landscape,
24-page instruction booklet,
an A3 colour sheet and a
623mm single-piece main
hull (beam of 95.9mm). The
amount of PE alone supplied
with this kit makes this good
fact PE. The battleship even
includes a pair of Loire 130
flying boats in clear plastic.
The release of this rendition
of the Dunkerque in 1/350
by Hobby Boss is a welcome
change from the traditional
British, German, US and
Japanese battleships out there.
Thanks to Creative Models for
our sample which is available from
www.creativemodels.co.uk.
MC

to comply with. Determined
not to allow the French Navy to
benefit the German forces, the
Royal Navy despatched Force
H to Mers-el-Kbir in French
Algeria on July 3, 1940. The
hope was that the French Navy
that was moored alongside
the Dunkerque; the resulting
explosion tore a huge hole in
the battleship and she settled in
shallow water.
Dramatic artwork on the
outside of the box depicted
INFORMATION
value for money. A straight Product: Construction kit
forward traditional ship build Ref: 86506 Scale: 1/350
which, by stage 2, has the hull
with deck sealed in place. The Price: 89.99 (Creative Models) Parts: 610
entire build is just 26 stages Manufacturer: Hobby Boss
which also gives away the fact
that many of 610 parts are in Website: www.hobbyboss.com

Vehicles

Meng Russian GAZ

233115 Tiger-M
SPN SPV
The GAZ Tigr (Tiger) is an all-
terrain 4x4 which first entered
Russian Army service in 2006 and
with production unrelenting looks
to remain in that position for many
years to come. With development
continuing the vehicle represented
here is the 233115 Tiger-M
which features a YaMZ-534 diesel
engine, an armoured bonnet,
smoke grenade launcher and
much improved brakes. The
Tiger-M also has a rotatable
weapon mount on the roof which
is accessed via a foldable hatch
which is larger enough for two chassis to you and me), five good choice of two dashboards. The Models for our sample which is
soldiers. Either a 30mm AGS-17 quality rubber tyres and a small one-piece Main Hull saves a lot available from
grenade launcher or Pecheneg PE sheet. A standard Meng black of work with regard to aligning www.creativemodels.co.uk.
PKP 7.62mm machine gun can and white 20-page instruction panels although the bonnet is MC
installed on the rotatable mount. booklet guides the builder through sealed which to be honest is no
INFORMATION

This latest Meng release is
a late 2016 rebox of the 2013
original which includes a few new
parts. There are seven individually
bagged main sprues, a single
piece Chassis, a Main Hull, a
single piece Frame (actually the
31 stages. A most pleasant build
from the outset which begins with
the transmission and suspension
being mounted to the Frame
followed by the gearbox, ammo
racks, seats and plethora of
interior parts which includes a
issue as there is no engine to be Product: Construction kit
seen anyway! Ref: VS-008 Scale: 1/35
A very purposeful kit of
a purposeful vehicle; highly Price: 34.99 Parts: 210+ (Inc.PE)
recommended and widely Manufacturer: Meng
available at considerably less than
the retail price. Thanks to Creative Website: www.meng-model.com

www.militarymodelling.com 65
HOBBYBOSS 1/35 SCALE TAKOM 1/35 SCALE
HBB83869 IDF APC Nagmachon.Doghouse I ................31.99 TAK02030 V-2 Meillerwagen + Hanomag SS100 .........69.99
HBB83888 Skoda PA-2 Turtle ......................................22.99 TAK02053 Krupp Raumer S (Selbstrantrieb) ................42.99
HBB80145 Pz.Kpfw.1A (Early/Late) ............................22.99 MINIART 1/35 SCALE
HBB83883 Soviet BA-20 Armored Car 1939 ................33.99
MT37004 T-54-2 Soviet Tank Mod.1949 w/Interior .....54.99
DRAGON 1/35 SCALE
TRUMPETER 1/35 SCALE
DN3569 IDF M3 HALF TRACK.......................................49.99
TM01025 Russian 9P113 Rocket System (FROG-7) ......79.99
DN6847 PZ BEF WG V PANTHER AUSF G .......................53.95
TM05580 Soviet MT-LB 6MB w/Turret .........................59.99
DN6815 VOLLKETTENAUFKLAERER 38 ..........................53.95
DN6718 SD.KFZ.252 LEICHTE GEPANZERTE ..................49.99 TRUMPETER 1/16 SCALE
TM00923 German SdKfz 186 Jagdtiger ....................225.00
RODEN MODELS 1/35 SCALE
ROD810 Opel Blitz Omnibus W39 Stabswagen .............39.99
THUNDER MODELS 1/35 SCALE
THU35002 US Army Loader (bulldozer) ......................27.99 Bison/Star Decals
AFV CLUB 1/35 SCALE and
AF35249 M60A3 Patton Tank......................................49.99 Black Dog Resin
MENG MODELS 1/35 SCALE NOW IN STOCK!
MMTS031 King Tiger Sd.Kfz.182 (Henschel Turret) ......32.99 ring for details

ICM MODELS 1/35 SCALE

ICM35694 WW1 US Medical Personnel ..........................8.50 POST & PACKING U.K. 3.00
 BRAND NEW
Set of resin wheels for kits in 1/35 scale.
Our wheels are designed with use of original measurements and pictures. The
original casting method leaves only a tiny trace of casting plug (around 1 mm
wide).
The set contains 14 complete wheels, a spare wheel, a drill and a QuickWheel
painting mask.
FEATURES LIST:
- corrected shape of the steel wheel by adding the grooves inside the rims
- corrected depth of the steel wheel (please note how shallow are the ones
in plastic kits and how deep are the wheels actually on pictures of real
tanks)
- corrected shape and size of the bolts
- added optional stripe in the middle of wheels rubber bandage to imitate
the residue of rubber from vulcanization process, which can be easily
sanded off if not required.
- corrected height and width of the middle hub of the wheel
- added the grease nipples on the middle hub cap and its side (early place
ment and shape)
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Scratch
haser home. Just ask!
Takoms
1/35 Mk
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Part 1 of a
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3rd March

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MODELLING

2017

PLUS Increase
d conten
GROUP

MM Vo47
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No3 cover2.in
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t reviews
14/02/2017
09:51

Contents may be subject to change.

72 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017

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www.militarymodelling.com 81
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74 Military Modelling Vol.47 No.3 2017