CROMWELL MODELS makes this 1/76 resin kit of the PzKpfw IIIA as part of their Combat Ready range. This range is ideal for the wargamer, as there are a small number of parts that require minimal assembly (this kit had a one-piece hull with suspension, turret, cuppola hatches, main gun and MGs, and the antenna-protecting bar, that's all). I only added the antenna itself and the decals.
However, the casting detail is good enough to use these Combat Ready Range kits as display models, especially the kits of rare vehicles such as this. If you want to add interior detail, you can do so because the hull has a hollow interior.
As for the decals, they represent a vehicle in the Polish campaign, with the large white crosses. These crosses offered good aiming points for the Polish anti-tank gunners, so the German crews obscurred the crosses by painting a yellow interior in them (or slapping dirt/mud on them). Note also the small rhomboid plates on the hull sides, which display the vehicle ID number. These were often displayed in lieu of the numbers on the turret sides, but were aslo seen in addition to the turret numbers.
As noted, this was a rare vehicle. In fact, only ten were produced, and they were only used in combat during the Polish campaign, being too under-armored. The most notable feature is the five-road wheel suspension, different from the suspension layout of the major production versions of the Pz III.
SO in summary, an excellent resin kit for either wargamers or collectors, and currently the only offering of this vehicle in small scale.
The M50 is an upgraded version of the Sherman and served with the Israeli Army. This kit (#MP049) was donated by Cpl Overby's Motorpool, which makes 1/72 resin full kits and conversion kits.
This is really a conversion kit intended for the old HASEGAWA M4A3E8 Sherman kit, however I completed it with parts for the HVSS suspension from a TRUMPETER kit instead (which required a little modification of the lower hull). It is painted with Testors Model Masters "Israeli Armor Sand Grey".
Overall, a nice representation of the M50. Casting is really good with some nice detail on the smaller parts. The gun did need some straightening, though. All the included stowage is a nice touch.
I only added the antennae and decals. Note that Cpl Overby actually now makes a version of this kit designed for use with a Dragon kit with the HVSS suspension. You can see a more detailed description of the assembly at the "On The Way" website.
This kit from
REVIRESCO MODELS
represents the French WWI St. Chamond tank (early version with the cylindrical
MG turrets), and was donated by one of their distributors. These are white
metal 1/72 wargaming models, and really exemplify the term "heavy metal",
being quite hefty. As such it is a bit cluncky and fit of parts is not 100%.
Also the detail may be a bit soft (i.e. rivets are not present). But for
a tabletop piece that can stand up to wargaming torture these are a good
choice.
The camo scheme is based on information from the LANDSHIPS website, being a rather gawdy application of cream, mid-green, dark brown, and black. Semi-dried up sand-colored paint served as a mud coating on the lower surfaces. I may add some suitable decals if I find them. The kit included an optional headlamp which I chose to omit. On hindsight, I should have filed grooves in the sides of the tracks to indicate individual links; as is they have the rubber-band look of vinyl tracks.
ONE of the distributors
for REVIRESCO MODELS sent in a
copy of their Austin-Putilov half-track armored car kit. These are metal
1/72 wargaming kits. As such they are quite sturdy and heavy pieces (so
you'll need a good solid table to game on) designed for handling more than
for display quality accuracy. Dimensions of some parts are thick and some
detail is rough. Notable are mold-lines on the turrets that maybe I should
have sanded down (but was afraid to obscure surface detail). The kit does
not come with instructions, so dry-fitting the parts to determine proper
positioning and fit is essential. Luckily there are not too many parts,
so figuring out the assembly is not too big a challenge.
The Austin-Putilov was a modified version of the British Austin armored car, the repositioning of the MG turrets being the most obvious change. Rear axle tracks were added to some vehicles to cope with the harsh Russian weather. Not finished in time for WWI action, they were used in the Russian Civil War, and maybe into WWII (in this latter case a Soviet green color might be more appropriate). The camo scheme and decals I used are based on information from the LANDSHIPS website, an excellent source for WWI modelling info.
The folks at HAT INDUSTRIE
sent me this sample of their M10 wargaming kit. It consists of 12 parts
and is a quick assembly. This makes it easy to put together several platoons
of these vehicles for your tabletop adventures. I only made a few additions;
an olive drab paintjob, decals from the spares box, an antenna, some crewmen,
and basic weathering. That's really all you need for a serviceable gaming
piece.
Those of you you want to make these kits into a display quality piece will have to perform some more modifications, and there are several examples at the Hat website page for their WWII kits. Additional interior details, extra stowage, track surface detail, spare track sections, etc, can all be considered to make a more accurate model.
The actual kits come packaged two in a box and are an affordable alternative to other plastic kits of this popular tank destroyer.
If any of you manufacturers are browsing this site and would like to see your kits displayed here, please contact me to discuss which kits you might have that would complement the museum, and you can then send me the kits for review.
You can e-mail me at storto10@comcast.net
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