Autoblindo 43 (41/43)

July 29th, 2010

I have this kit in my stash for a couple of years. I always wanted to build it but the camo scheme that was used by the Germans was making me avoiding it.

I really wanted to make a sand color model. But I faced a "small" problem. The AB43 only entered service with the germans and they all had that camo scheme.

How's that for bad news? I'm not going to paint that. Not yet! I need some training from Yoda to master the Force. One needs the force to do that and not fail miserably.

I started my own little investigation on the subject.

It appears that the AB43 should have been an evolution of the Ab41 with a different turret and a 47mm cannon and an upgraded engine. But the Germans used this AB43 with the same Breda cannon used on the AB41. It started to get dense and confusing.

Browsing one of the books I have about Mussolini tanks I found one that was too good to be true. It belonged to the 1st Platoon 1st Company "Lancieri Vittorio Emanuele II" Regiment 135th Armored Cavalry Division "Ariete" II that was in Rome during September 1943. This is why a huge pile of books is helpful. In one of them I managed to find probably the only proof that this AB43 existed in these colors in Rome in 1943.

How could this be possible? According to the records the AB43 was only produced in 1944-45 and such a vehicle could not exist. But it seems it did. And it did because this AB 41/43 was some sort of a mix between the old AB41 with parts of what could be the AB43. This is called the AB41/43 and I believe that Italeri took their measurements from some of the ones in existence. This site sheds some light on this odd variant – Italica Virtus.

The engine was more powerful and there was a different exhaust, the turret was bigger but it still had the same 20mm canon.

Could it be that one of these hybrids saw service in 1943? According to the book it did and that's good for me. I must assume that the author had access to information that I didn't. And on top pf that it serves my purpose so that's what I'll do.

This odd vehicle was a 4 wheel steering 4 wheel drive fast armored vehicle. So fast that the 4 wheel drive could lead to problems at speed. It had two drivers – one facing the front and the other facing the back. That's what I call a nice plan of retreat. Made by Ansaldo it evolved from the AB40 armed only with machine guns to the AB43 that should have a 47 mm cannon. In reality it never used it. It only saw service with the Breda 20 cannon.

It's one of those vehicles that is ugly enough to look beautiful. The same sort of quality I can find on a BT7 (I want one of these badly…) or on a Churchill.

The kit

The kit is a nice one from Italeri but suffers from the same problems I found in the L6/40. Some gaps, although with better fit and better surface detail, that were solved with Tamiya putty thinned with acetone.

For the price I believe it's a nice kit to have but I'm not going to do it strictly OOB. Hussar wheels, not because the tires are not good, but because I hate to think that in a few years the tires will melt down and I end up with a nice kit with destroyed tires and a Voyager PE set (the AB41 one) that included many parts I can use and above all a decent gun barrel. Again Italeri made a gun that needs some imagination to say it's the right one. Too thin and out of proportion.

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	Rating: 4.0/5

Dingo Mk Ib

July 9th, 2010

Resuming…

After a fairly long hiatus (6 months) I decided it was time to go back to the bench. Instead of continuing with the builds I have resting there I decided to do something new. If I'm restarting I can't do it with something that already began. It has to be new out of the box.

For every model that I finish I manage to buy three new ones. With simple math it's kind of evident that I'll leave some kits to my descendants.

These manufacturers are putting out so many quality kits that is impossible to resist. What can I say..

I started to build this one and found out that two sprues were from the other Dingo variant that Miniart produces. I emailed Miniart and the following day they were asking for my address to send the correct sprues.

They arrived 11 days after my first email (Ukraine to Portugal) and I have to say this is one of the best examples I can give of a good Customer Service. 10 out of 10 for Miniart!

The Kit

Since the T70 that I had the impression that Miniart had excellent products. But this Ding kit puts the brand up a notch or two.

The plastic is excellent with a surface detail worthy (if not better) of the best brands on the market. The detail is delicate and precise and it shines on a model of this size.

From the suspension to the body everything is near perfect.

Only the cabin and lower chassis is glued but the parts fit can already be considered as very good

A tiny little model with lots of potential

The fit of parts is quite good, but I'll have to wait till the final assemble to see if putty is needed to form a definite opinion on the subject.

The wheels are one piece items with the rear hub part as an insert. No need for resin wheels here. They are awesome and they convey that flimsy look that the Dingo wheels usually have.

The 5 page instructions are very good and they leave nothing to guess. The steps are clearly defined and the parts well identified.

Being a very small model the parts are also small. The suspension consists of a high parts count and they are all small and delicate. I wondered how could they support the model till I completed the 4 suspension assemblies. With all the braces and suspension arms it ends up being quite strong and perfectly able to withstand the vehicle. If care is taken on gluing the suspension parts, the wheels can move. Nonetheless I decided to glue the rear wheels and allow the from wheels to move. I prefer to have them turned because I think it gives a more dynamic stance to the vehicle.

The interior is very complete (a must for an open top vehicle) and it's a kit within a kit.

Only the "radio" is below par. EDIT: And that's because it's not a radio. It's a stowage box. Not all the Dingo's had one radio and Miniart decided to make the kit without the radio.

However there's always a strategy. I'll just put the pivoting chair in front of it. Most of the radio will be covered.

In the mean time I went on an expedition to find a good ws19 radio. It's always good to have a source if I need one for another Allied (Commonwealth) vehicle. And I found a recent company that makes one besides Resicast. This company is called Inside the Armour and also makes a beautiful Churchill interior for those of you, that unlike me, still have to finish the excellent AFV Club Churchill.

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M4 High Speed Tractor

December 22nd, 2009

Pulling power

The first time I saw a model of this vehicle on a magazine the first thing I looked for was the manufacturer. It was a resin kit from Masters Productions and had a very respectable price tag. I forgot about it. With that kind of money I could buy 3 or 4 decent kits I wanted badly.

But a few months after I first saw the model Hobby Boss announced, not one, but two versions of this tractor!!

Of course I found it on my usual Internet shopping spot but other things got in the way and I just didn't order it. I found it for a very good price on a hobby shop that "used" to exist on a shopping mall close to home.

Of course I bought it.

The vehicle

M4 was produced from 1942 by Allis-Chalmers of Milwaukee. The vehicle was in service up to 1960 in the U.S. Army service.

Between 1943 and 1946 about 5,500 vehicles were produced. The tractor was designed to pull 90-mm anti-aircraft guns, 155-mm howitzers of type "Long Tom" and 240-mm howitzers. In the course of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program after WWII the M4 was exported to Japan, Brazil, Germany, Yugoslavia and Pakistan.

It was used by the Bundeswehr in the field artillery battalions until 1960 towing the howitzers M114 and M115 and the M59 field gun.

The M4 High Speed Tractor was also in the civilian sector, as Airport crash tender.

It was used also in the Netherlands until the 1980 as a fire fighting and rescue vehicle. For this role former Army tractors were converted after withdrawal from military service circa 1960.

Specifications

The M4 High Speed Tractor was based on the chassis of the M3 Stuart. It was powered by a six-cylinder inline petrol engine (145GZ or F817G) manufactured by Waukesha. It had a power rating of 210 hp at 2100 rpm. The engine had a whopping 13,400 cc.

The maximum towing capacity of the M4 came in at 14 tons. The tractor could cope with 30° slopes . Transported up to 11 people, the operating crew of the towed gun, in the interior space. The engine was located in the middle of the vehicle and the ammunition stored in the back. Some versions of the M4 had a crane at the rear of the vehicle for lifting the heavy artillery projectiles. The crane could lift up to 10 tons.

The kit

It looks really good on first inspection. The surface detail is crisp and as far as I could check against reference photos it seems very accurate. It includes photo etch for those details that would profit more from this material like the engine and front grills, a length of chain for the ammo rear door and crane and a piece of string for reproducing the cable on the winch.

The kit reproduces a M4 with a Class B ammunition container with the louvered side vents. It's kind of easy to do a version without the vents as this ammo container was also frequently used on M4's.

 

A pair of M4 HST ready for shipment in 1943. They have a class B ammo container (no louvered vents) and T49 Steel Cleat tracks

A M4A1 with the wider suspension and the T49 Steel Cleat tracks with duckbills. Note the wider fenders on this version. Picture from Ampersand's Publishing, A Visual history of the US Army Tracked Artillery Prime Movers book

A very decent set of decals for what appears to be a Korean War version (too bad it's not WWII) and vinyl tracks. It also includes masks for protecting the windows while painting and this is something that is not common to find and some brands even make aftermarket items for this use. A very nice addition to the kit.

The tracks included are T48's although it was common to find this tractor using T49 Steel Three Bar Cleat tracks. Another common configuration included tracks with duckbills and the M4A1 version had the suspension and sprockets farther from the hull to accommodate duckbills on the inside and outside of the tracks. This version had the fenders a little wider than the normal version, so if you want to do a M4A1 grab some plasticard and prepare to make new fenders.

The vinyl tracks were the only thing I was not very amused about, but the price for a set of T48 link tracks from AFV Club is very reasonable and some additional PE from Eduard does not break the bank either.

The worst part was when I found a detailing resin set from Masters Productions and a canvas for the ammo container. Yeah, I know I'm lazy and I could do a decent tarp for it, but when I'm on a shopping spree for After Market parts I have no limits.

After all, the final price tag if close to a what we pay for a bare bones Dragon kit these days so I try to comfort myself with that thought.

Another thing that I got was the Ampersand Publications book about the HST's that is one of the best sources to find photographic information about this vehicle.

Everything is set for the start of the build. As usual you can follow it here. Just stay tuned.

Building

I started by the lower chassis and suspension and found that some minor touches are needed here and there. The model is not completely devoid of flash but it's that type that can be removed very easily with an Xacto. Another thing is the fit between parts. The edges are not what we can call sharp, so sanding and filing is needed. But with care the result is really good.

The suspension is very easy to do but take care when placing the wheels on the bogies because one of the faces has much sharper rim lines and this helps immensely when painting the tires.

There are however some points that need to be addressed with some care

1. Suspension rear wheels

The big rear wheel needs two outside rings to be glued to reproduce the step that the original has. Grab some putty because you're gonna need it. After gluing the rings I had to apply a liberal amount of putty to hide the rings seam. But then I had another little problem – removing the excess putty. Faithful Dremel to the rescue. The hole on the wheels is exactly 1/8" diameter so I inserted a drill and hold the wheel in it with two rubber grommets. I had an improvised lathe. Armed with this tool, removing the excess putty was a breeze.

2. Sprockets

After these little tribulations I decided to make a track run. I bought the T48 AFV Club tracks and found that they didn't go very well with the sprockets. On the spares box I had two M4 Tasca sprockets but they were not exactly like they should. The ring was OK but the center hub lacks a few bolts (4 in between the bigger 8 bolts) and the shape is not exactly correct when compared with the reference pictures.

I don't want to risk being dragged on the mud by the "specialists" so I decided to rework the kit sprockets in order to make the tracks fit. Again with the help of a Dremel I made the characteristic teeth shape a little more pronounced. When I compared the Tasca sprocket with the Hobby Boss one the major difference was precisely on the teeth. The fit was perfect on the Tasca but not on the HB one. It were the teeth – after the rework the track fits perfectly.

3. Ejector marks

The lower tub has some ejector marks that can be visible on the finished model. The wall that separates crew from driver has a few marks also. Removing them is no big deal as they appear on flat surfaces that can be sanded very easily.

Removing them is just a matter of using some putty and sand flat.

Other than that the cabin is a very straight forward build. In the picture you can see the Masters Productions parts. The cabin roof MG ring and the seats that, like the original, have four individual places in the back and 3 in the front with seat belts and all. Much better than the plain plastic ones included on the kit.

Normally I wouldn't care about this but on a open kit these details need attention.

4. Front Fender

One point of note is the front fender. If mounted as it is it'll prevent the cabin to sit right. There will be a visible gap when the cabin is in place.
There are two places to sand to avoid this: One is the lower belly piece that "supports" the fender and the other is the fender itself. You have to sand the fender a little bit on the top face to make it a little narrower. That and a bit of sanding on the lower belly piece where the fender sits will be enough for the cabin to sit flush with the lower hull and fender leaving no gap when glued.

The tracks

Geez, these M4 tracks are a pain to build. If the links don't fit tight they will just fall while you assemble it. I don't know how many times I was on my knees looking for lost links on the floor. I decided that enough was enough and started to apply a little Tamiya thin glue in each link. Before drying I moved the track in order to keep it able to move instead of having a stiff and long track that would be of no use.

These tracks look a lot like Modelkasten due to their brown color. The main difference is the price and in favor of AFV Club since they are considerably cheaper.

I prefer to stay away from MK tracks, especially German vehicle tracks due to their assembly method that relies on tiny pins that break easily and are not very tolerant to turpentine or even white spirit, two things that we may need to use during the weathering phases. I was pissed big time with my Hetzer experience and for me that was a big factor for not buying MK tracks anymore as long as an alternative exists.

Building progresses

 

After a long period I decided that I had to finish this kit. I started and finished the engine and pretty much the engine bay area.

There are a few omissions on the instructions but nothing dramatic. I found this by looking closely at the pictures and found a couple of pieces that were not in the building steps. The engine is a very nice piece but the mold precision is not the best in the world. A lot of sanding was needed to get rid of seams when I realized that very little of the engine would be visible. I gave up and decided it was good enough for the sort of model display I'm planning.

The Eduard PE that you see on the pictures covers only the engine area, especially the radiator grills and a few other details. Eduard makes a couple of sets for this model but I just got the engine set and it proved to be a wise choice.

Accessories

Maker	Item	PN	Used
Masters Production	UPDATE M4 HIGH SPEED	MAS35050	Y
Masters Production	CANVAS FOR M4 HST	MAS35057	Y
AFV Club	T48 track	AFV35038	Y
Eduard	M-4 Tractor engine and mesh	36070	Y

The tarp on the ammo compartment is from Masters Productions and it did have quite a few repairs with Miliput. It had many flaws that would compromise the final look. At some point I almost decided to throw it away (it didn't sit right), but in the end perseverance took over and I decided at least to try.

Also from them are a few items you can already see on the pictures. The seats, a much better rendition of the real one, with safety belts (oh yes they had belts then), the MG ring with the correct welding marks and a somewhat revised shape and a set of pioneer tools.

Masters made the only MA HST I knew about and many times I has the mouse hovering the buy button. The price however deterred me from that. It was really high. Some of the parts were turned into update sets and as far as I know are the only ones for this model. However, Masters does not have a site and I bought them through Blast Models my faithful hobby supplier.

Pictures

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	Rating: 4.7/5

Churchill Mk.III

October 9th, 2009

Not the best looking tank in the world…

After a few months without touching models, I decided to restart.

Instead of finalizing the models I have almost ready (and this seems to happen to all of us) I wanted to do something from scratch. I opened the box of a Dingo Mk IB from Miniart only to discover that some sprues were switched at the factory for some of the Mk III version. Miniart is going to send the correct sprues (I do have to say that their service is superb) so I had to pick another kit fro the stash.

The Churchill seemed the right choice. I had all the accessories (tracks, rivets, mg's) and it looks like it's a straight forward build. 

 

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	Rating: 4.5/5

K59 – Marder III H Detailing Set

June 24th, 2009

Outstanding

One of these days I bought an issue of AFV Modeller. This detailing set was advertised on the inside back cover and looking at the pictures I couldn’t believe that something made in resin could look that good.

Since I have a Tristar Marder III H waiting to be built I wondered if it could be a good acquisition.

I remembered a blog about it that showed some limitations on the ammo tubes and opened the kit to have a look. By comparing the plastic ones with the pics of this K59 set I had no doubts and decided to order it.

The first pleasant surprise was the speed it arrived. I bought it on the AFV Modeller shop on a Thursday and I had it the following Monday. It was the best case of speed that I can recall.

But the best of the best was opening the box!!! What an amazing resin set. It is absolutely incredible when compared to the second best resin set I have (probably from Blast Models). I never saw thinner parts, with no warp and with amazing surface detail. My jaw dropped!!!

The Tristar kit is probably one of the best plastic pieces on the market but a set like this is irresistible. It will only make a fabulous kit even better. I just hope I’m up to the challenge.

On the company site I can see some amazing resin kits for other models and for sure I’ll get them if I build one of them. It may even make buy some kits just to have the opportunity to get K59 sets.

It’s clear that these guys take their work seriously. I can’t comment about research or accuracy on great depth, although I checked my photo references and they seem spot on, but I assume that someone that goes to this extent in producing the best resin kit I ever saw must have made his research much better than I can.

I wholeheartedly recommend this set.

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	Rating: 5.0/5

Voyager PE set for Firefly (35148)

May 28th, 2009

It arrived just in time for the build (I’m getting good atthis order sync) of the Tasca Firefly and I’m impressed with the quality and presentation of the set.

First thing of notice is the inclusion of cables and plastic rod needed for hinges etc. Aber just does not do that. They simply tell you to use some wire or rod and it’s up to you to get it from another source.

The second is the packaging. The parts come in a net cardboard box with a photo of the set, the PE comes in a plastic bag that includes all the items with some of them in their own plastic bag. Very neat and a clever option. These sets cannot be bent (like Aber or Eduard despite the card inside the bag) unless the box is really crushed.

The instructions are clear but if you are used to other brands they need an adaptation. All the manufacturers have their way of documenting what to do and where but that’s not a big deal.

Finally the PE itself. Really good. It’s a little more complicated to bend than Aber probably because the grooves are not as deep but the final product is not as soft as Eduard (which I’ll never buy again if I have another choice).

The detail on parts is superb and very crisp. I noticed that it does not respond as well to soldering unless the temperature of the iron is around 350ºC whereas Aber can do well around 300ºC.

One thing you should know is that they have the bad habit of using pictures that have more than one reference so if you look at the picture of the model with PE applied you’re probably looking at 2 or 3 (or more) PN’s.

In this case the 35148 it’s everything that’s on the picture except for the fenders (35149).

A very good set that makes me consider Voyager every time I need a after market PE set.

 

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	Rating: 0.0/5

Sherman Mark Vc Firefly

May 23rd, 2009

Olive Green at will

I’m going to do my first Sherman. And what better choice than a Tasca kit?

I bought this kit a while back and I had it in my hands many times but somehow there were always other build that got in front. This time is for real.

I have all the bits and pieces needed for the build including an Armorscale barrel, Bison decals en Panda Plastic tracks.

This version was the most powerful Sherman of WWII and resulted from the installation of the British 17 pounder gun. It had enough punch to knock out the German Tiger unlike other versions of the Sherman that needed to hit that tank on the least armored angles, namely the rear.

The problem was that while they were trying to do that, the 88mm gun of the Tiger would blow them away easily. It’s not by chance that they compared the Sherman to a Zippo. It lights at first time, every time. Not a good thing for the crews…

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	Rating: 5.0/5

RB Model

April 23rd, 2009

I just bought a couple of barrels from RB Models and I found them fantastic.

The first time I saw them I wondered how could they have such a price without compromising quality. I had some kits needing AM barrels so i decided to try RB Model products.

I don’t regret it at all. They are very good and the price is really good.

I bought the Semovente barrel, one for the E-10 and two precious Besa MG for the Churchill. All of them are above average. The rifling on the E-10 barrel is really awesome (one of the best I’ve seen) and the Besa MG’s are truly amazing. The Semovente barrel has 3 parts and the flash suppressor is really veri thin and with perfectly opened holes.

Go to the RB Model site and have a look. They have a very big product line and their prices are really good.

Blast Models and Der Sockelshop carry the RB range of products and these are my two favorite shops on the Net. Unmatched efficiency and excellent prices.

The product range covers Allied and Axis vehicles from the machine guns to the BIG guns. I don’t know if it’s just me but I see some similarities with Armorscale barrels (also one of my favorites) although Armorscale usually includes corrected mantlets of excellent quality and that explains a higher price tag on their line of products.

 

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Entwicklungsfahrzeug E-10

April 17th, 2009

"A paper panzer"

The first time I saw a picture of this tank I fell in love with the incredibly modern design and pure lines. Then, some time later on a magazine there was a beautiful build of one and this made me want one even more.

But is was a resin model (by Accurate Armour) and with a price tag to match. So I decided to wait until a plastic model hit the market.

And finally did by the hands of Trumpeter along with another paper panzer – the E25.

I bought the kit only to find that some parts would not allow a build like I would like. The vinyl tracks were really under par and the link and length tracks were not that good either.

The decision I took to order a set of Friul tracks for it, with the cost involved, turned this "build for fun" into something a little more serious. Since I was in a shopping spree what else could I do than buy the IR set from Blast-Models? Nothing I guess, so I did buy that too.

This is the one I’m tackling now and I guess that the initial intentions of doing an OOB build are totally gone. I’m absolutely sure that I’ll be browsing my spare parts to create something in which I have all the freedom. You see, this tank never existed so it’s up to us to decide how plausible it would look like if it ever existed. Now, that’s a modeling style I might like.

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	Rating: 5.0/5

Carro Armato Fiat L6/40

March 29th, 2009

 

Italeri relaunched the Fiat Ansaldo L6/40 in a limited Edition kit. The most noticeable change is the addition of link and length tracks (something that the M13/40 should have) and the booklet with pictures and history of the tank. An interior is provided and a small etched brass fret complete this very nice kit.

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	Rating: 4.5/5