Sommaire pour March 2020 de FineScale Modeler

When I finally decided to scratch my itch to build a P-51H, I pulled a Classic Airframes 1/48 scale kit (No. 426) from my stash. While the kit’s decal sheet had nice markings, I had spied a photo of a P-51H from the All-Weather Flying Center based at the Clinton County (Ohio) Army Air Field. That photo from Steve Ginter’s book, North American P-51H Mustang, Air Force Legends No. 209, bit me. But to achieve that scheme I’d have to cobble together after market decals along with performing a lot of masking to replicate its paint scheme. Prepping for take off So I dug in, first laying out the kit’s detailed resin parts for the cockpit and wheel well components, 1. Recessed panel lines on the plastic wings, fuselage, and…

The BT-42 assault gun was an odd World War II beast — a combination of captured BT-7s fitted with a big box-shaped turret housing a 4.5-inch howitzer. It was accepted in 1942 (hence the designation) and delivered in February 1943. The design was not very intuitive. The howitzer used two-piece ammunition reducing the rate of fire and it had poor penetration capabilities. During one battle, a BT-42 hit an advancing T-34 eighteen times, without stopping it. Still, these AFVs were used until StuG III Ausf Gs replaced them in summer 1943. I built Tamiya’s 1/35 scale kit as a BT-42 just after the war. Read on to see how I applied a solid field green camo with plenty of weathering for a well-used (if a little unusual) look. More to…

The M551 Sheridan first appeared on the battlefields of Vietnam in 1969. Years later, the light tank fought in Panama as part of Operation Just Cause and in the Gulf War with Operation Desert Storm. Ryefield’s new Sheridan can be built as an 82nd Airborne tank during those later combat missions. The kit features well-molded tan plastic as well as a clear sprue for lights and periscopes, gray vinyl polycaps and light cables, a spring to simulate the gun’s recoil, and a photo-etched metal (PE) fret. Nicely printed decals and a 36-page instruction manual round out the box; pay attention to the enclosed errata sheet. Options include posable crew hatches with good detail on the inner faces and some interior stuff for the turret, notably seats and a sharply detailed…

The Czechoslovakian-designed LT vz. 38 tank was considered superior to the German Panzer I and II, so it was kept in production after the annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1938. More than 1,400 were built and they served on the frontlines of German offenses in France, Poland, and Russia until made obsolete by larger more modern tanks. Tamiya’s Panzer 38(t) features link-and-length tracks, posable hatches, a photo-etched metal (PE) engine screen, a commander figure, optional personal equipment, and markings for two vehicles, one from the 19th Panzer Division, the other from the 7th Panzer Division, both in Russia. The lower hull consists of five parts with the instructions indicating the correct order of assembly. The upper hull parts, including the transmission cover and turret ring, fit perfectly. Superglue spread with a…

Looking like a flying saucer, the Soviet Union’s Object 279 experimental heavy tank was designed to traverse terrain inaccessible to other tanks. The odd shape was designed to deflect the shockwave from a nuclear blast that might otherwise flip a tank. Though relatively new to 1/72 scale armor, Takom has mastered the subject matter quickly with kits that find a good balance between parts count and details. This kit doesn’t disappoint as it features two full tanks with 244 parts per tank, crisp fine details including petite panel lines, link-and-length tracks, and a few photoetched metal (PE) parts. As a bonus, there’s also a 1/72 scale Soviet soldier in full nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) gear and holding a rifle. Assembly starts with the tanks’ unique features, the lower hull and…

When Polar Lights released a movie-era Klingon battle cruiser in 1/350 scale, it pleased many modelers — the Star Trek ship has popped up in FSM’s “most-wanted kit” lists several times — including me. The fact that the 1/350 scale K’t’inga can be paired with a ready to use lighting set from Polar Lights pushed it to the top of my to-do pile. One of the things that sets the K’t’inga-class apart from its D7-type battle cruiser predecessor is the surface detail. Feather-like panels mark the main body and head, and many were painted with differing shades of green. To save myself a little trouble painting the ship I picked up Aztek Dummy masks for the kit (No. AD-58).…

For years, I’ve wanted to build a Navy QF-4B target drone as a companion to my New Jersey Air National Guard F-4E. Some research online produced many photos of QF-4Bs decked in international orange, particularly one named Big Tonka Toy. And as luck would have it, Kits-World had markings for this exact drone. It was meant to be! My build began with acquiring a Hasegawa 1/48 F-4B/N. While the kit has been out-of-production for quite some time, it’s a relatively easy find on the internet. The kit is a bit dated, but, overall, had good shapes and details. A few resin parts and several small changes add up to make a distinct and unusual model of the “phabulous Phantom.” To the office A light coat of Testors transparent green inside…

One of just a few Japanese aircraft to see service throughout World War II, Mitsubishi’s Ki-51 looks vaguely like a frail, skinnier Val dive bomber. Don’t let appearances fool you, the “Sonia” as it was known to the Allies, was well protected with armor, a comparative rarity for Japanese planes. Wingsy’s Sonia features exquisite surface detail along with numerous optional parts to re-create one of four included schemes. The decals provide instruments for the cockpit as well as simple exterior markings. There is also photo-etched metal (PE) details for the cockpit and weapons as well as pre-cut vinyl masks for the clear parts. These worked well on flat surfaces but were problematic over significant bends, such as landing lights. The instructions point out some of the required options but leave…

The W.O.T. 6 was a 4 x 4 3-ton truck built by Ford of Britain between 1942 and 1945. About 30,000 of the cab-over vehicles were manufactured and many are still around today. Revell has re-boxed ICM’s 2018 kit of the W.O.T. 6. Molded in light gray plastic, it features nicely detailed parts, including a full engine, drivetrain, and cab. Clear parts are provided for the front lights and windows, and a small photo-etched metal (PE) fret supplies the radiator grille as well as front and rear number plates and the bridge restriction disk. The tires come in slightly soft vinyl with nice tread and sidewall detail but are marred by difficult to remove mold seams Decals provide markings for two British trucks, one in overall bronze green, the other…

Final call for great WWII movies I agree with Donald Poppele in “Scale Talk” (November 2019) regarding “Off the sprue” and his favorite World War II movies. He’s right, there are too many to mention, but someone should make a top 100 list. Here are my top 20 WWII movies. I like older WWII movies because of the actors. These are not in any particular order, they are all good. I tried not to duplicate Donald’s list. 1. Murphy’s War (1971), because it stars Peter O’Toole. Grumman J2F Duck vs. U-boat. 2. The Caine Mutiny (1954), Humphrey Bogart as a mentally unstable ship captain. 3. Destination Tokyo (1943), Cary Grant as a submarine skipper who sneaks into Tokyo bay. 4. Twelve O’Clock High (1949), Gregory Peck commands a B-17 bomber…

The magic of airbrushing is the ability to produce smooth, fine transitions between colors. Sometimes those transitions need to be a little sharper, but not a hard line like tape will provide. Raised paper can get you there, but I find it difficult to control, especially on smaller scales. That’s where a poster putty — Blu-Tack is one of many brands available — makes a perfect mask. Unlike Silly Putty which settles very close to the surface and produces sharp demarcations, rolls of poster putty keep their shape better. So spraying directly down on the putty edge will produce a neat soft line. It was just what I needed when I airbrushed camouflage on Italeri’s 1/72 scale Piasecki H-21. In the early days of the Vietnam War, many Shawnee troop…

When I built Dragon’s 1/35 scale T-34/85 for a latewar diorama, I wanted to include an unusual feature seen in at least one World War II photo, an air-identification panel stretched over the rear. These bright orange tarps are commonly seen on Allied tanks in western Europe, but Soviet tanks usually have white crosses painted on the turret for the same purpose. Modelers use various materials and techniques to make realistic canvas covers, tarpaulins, and identification panels. The most common methods involve epoxy putty, white-glue soaked tissue, or lead foil. However, I have started to use thin copper sheet, which provides consistently good results. Various thicknesses of copper can be found at hobby and model railroad shops.…

Maintenance units of mechanized armies are not glamorous but are invaluable to the success of the day to day operation of any army. The use of Bergepanzer recovery vehicles by the German army goes back to World War II and continues to this day in the service of the Bundeswehr. Based on the Leopard 1 tank, the Bergepanzer 2 entered service in 1966 and 444 were built. Takom’s kit comprises 909 light gray and clear plastic parts, a small photo-etched metal (PE) fret, nylon string, twisted brass cable, and track end connectors for the individual-link tracks. The crisp moldings are unmarred by ejector-pin marks, but there are some rather prominent seam lines to be removed. The decals supply six marking options, five German, of which three are in NATO three-color…

Manufactured by JCB, the HMEE-1 or High Mobility Engineer Excavator (that’s a backhoe to you and me) can travel at speed on rough roads. That ability to travel with military convoys and be fitted with armor for the operator makes it a versatile addition to the modern U.S. Army. Molded in sand-colored plastic, Panda’s HMEE-1 features good detail although there are some ejector-pin marks in visible spots. The sides, front, and top of the cab are molded as a single piece with only the rear panel to be added. Clear plastic provides the cab’s armored glass and lenses for most of the lights. The photo-etched metal (PE) fret includes tie-downs, grab handles, exhaust shield, cab lights, and the four tires are beautifully molded in stiff vinyl with sidewall logos and…