Snake Eater From Italy

Historical Background

The Agusta (now AgustaWestland) A129 Mangusta (mongoose) can trace its origins to a 1972 Italian Army requirement for a light observation and anti-tank helicopter. The Italians' need coincide with a similar requirement by West Germany. This led to a joint project between Agusta and Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB). However following preliminary works, MBB dropped out of the project, leaving Agusta to proceed alone. Initially Agusta studied the development of a combat-oriented derivative of their A109 utility design. However they decided to proceed with a new design, with a slim fuselage, tandem stepped cockpit and engines mounted high on the fuselage sides. In 1978 work formally began on this design, the A129. The first prototype flew on 11 September 1983 and the Italian Army initially ordered 60. The new helicopter followed the design convention set by the AH-1 Cobra by having a slim fuselage with the crew seated in tandem (gunner in front, pilot at the back) staggered so that the pilot has a better view forward. The rear of the A129 however was derived from the A109. The fuselage is highly angular and armoured for crew protection. The composite rotor blades were able to withstand hits from 23 mm shells and the entire airframe is made crashworthy.

The Mangusta is powered by two Piaggio (Rolls-Royce) Gem 2-1004D turboshaft engines rated at 890 hp each. This allowed the A129 to fly up to 170 mph and a combat range of 320 miles. It has a rate of climb of 2,025 feet per minute and a service ceiling of 15,500 feet. The Mangusta is also equipped with infra-red night vision systems allowing day and night operations in all weather conditions. On newer aircraft, laser system is fitted to allow self- or third-party target designation. The Mangusta is designed to undertake anti-armour, armed reconnaissance, ground attack, escort, fire support and anti-air missions. The weapons are carried on two hardpoints under each stub wings and include BGM-71 TOW (later AGM-114 Hellfire), Israeli Spike-ER ATGW, 70 mm or 81 mm folding-fin aircraft rockets or 12.7 mm machine gun pods. Since 2003, anti-air capability was realised when FIM-92 Stinger missile was cleared for use. The original Mangusta did not have any built-in cannon but the three-barreled 20-mm M197 cannon on  nose-mounted Oto-Melara TM-197B turret was installed on the A129 CBT variant.

There are four variants of the Mangusta. Apart from the original A129, there is A129 International, an upgraded version with five-bladed rotor, the aforementioned M197 20-mm cannon, ability to fire Hellfire and Stinger missiles, advanced avionics and LHTEC T800 turboshafts. The third variant is A 129 CBT (ComBaT): basically the International but retaining the original engines (with new transmission). The final major variant is the T129 / AW129 for Turkey with Turkish avionics and missiles. Deliveries of the 60 Italian Mangustas started in 1990 and 1999, the last batch of 15 was upgraded to the CBT standard. In late 2001, it was decided to upgrade the entire A129 fleet to this standard. In 2011, AgustaWestland modified 24 airframes to a new ARH-129D standard and manufacture a further 24 for the Italian Army. In January 2015, the Italian Army opted for an enhancement package which focused on improving the Mangusta's endurance, speed and the crew's situational awareness and information handling capabilities, reduction of crew workload and integrating the systems with tactical UAVs.

The Mangusta has seen deployment with the United Nations' peacekeeping operations in Somalia, Angola and Kosovo. The Mangusta was also used in Iraq, supporting Italian ground forces in Nasiriyah while others were deployed to Afghanistan.  

The Kit

Despite being based in the same country that produces the Mangusta, Italeri only came up with a kit of the helicopter in 1999. Portraying the early standard of the A129, the kit's 79 or so parts were spread among two olive drab and one clear sprues. External details are good but the interior is poor, with too-heavy seat belts and seat cushion details and that there are no collective levers! Although in general the external details are good, some of them are overscale such as the crew access step. The clear parts are OK except that windshield wiper is moulded-on, making painting difficult. The rotor blades have built-in droop which is a good thing. Weapons provided are of the prototypical helicopter gunship load of four TOW missile tubes and a rocket pod for each wing. The decals are of typical Italeri fare - nice and well-printed (except for the slightly offset central dot of the Italian AF roundel. Markings are provided for two machines : E.I. 936, CAE, Viterbo, 1998 and E.I. 933, 7th Regiment 'Vega', Casarsa della Delizia, 1998. Tamiya in 2001 re-released this kit under their label.

Construction

As usual with aircraft models, work started with the cockpit. The parts were first painted separately on their sprues. The whole cockpit (and also the cockpit side walls) was painted XF-19 Sky Grey with details (just the tips of the control column and the seats really) in XF-1 Flat Black. The oversized seat belts were painted XF-10 Flat Brown with the seat cushions XF-62 Olive Drab. The side consoles and instrument panel decals were then applied. While the usage of decal instrument panels are OK in my book for 1/72 aircraft, the manufacturers should at least print them to represent there real thing. The A129's instrument panel includes MFDs but the kit decals have them entirely printed with dials. The cockpit parts were then cemented together while the instrument panels were cemented to the their places at the right-hand side fuselage. The nose sensor turret was assembled and was then trapped between the fuselage halves. Also before the fuselage halves were mated together, the main and tail rotor shafts were inserted and glued into their places. Afterwards I found out that the sensor turret was quite wobbly so I cemented it permanently using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement.

Next up is the engine nacelle assembly. Made up of seven pieces, the fit was not very good especially between the main body of the nacelle and the air intakes. The whole thing however fitted nicely with the fuselage. The tail stabilisers were fitted and with part of the tail wheel unit moulded to the fuselage, a bit of care has to be taken here to avoid the landing gear stalk snapping off. The stub wings was made up of two parts (perhaps to avoid sink marks) and they were duly assembled.  Fit here was good and the wings were then mated to the fuselage. The TOW and rocket tubes were assembled but were set aside at the moment. Other parts, such as the main landing gear, weapons, rotor assembly and sensor probes were left off at this time to avoid breakage during painting. Now its off to the painting stage.

Painting and Decalling

Both marking options are painted in the same colour : Olive Drab. In an online build review, the modeller felt that it should be a lighter colour, like Tamiya XF-49 Khaki. While I'm inclined to his reasoning, I have run out of that particular colour and am not going to wait for it to come through the mail. So I ended up using Tamiya XF-62. It was applied to the whole of the model unless the particular part/area require another colour. The tyres were painted Gunze H77 Tyre Black while the rotor blades XF-69 NATO Black. Part of the landing gear strut was painted silver. The sensor turret was also painted silver, followed by a layer of clear yellow. Then it was time for the decals.  Army combat helicopters, from whatever military they belong to, almost invariably have boring colour schemes (because of their job of course). I chose the 7th Regiment machine as the checkerboard tail markings added a bit of interest. The decals were excellent as usual and that the slightly off-centre roundel isn't really noticeable.

Finishing

To finish the model, I started by attaching all the landing gear parts. They fit nicely although the same cannot be said for the canopy, leaving a sizeable gap. The weapons pods were next and they were followed by the sensor probes and crew access step. They're all overscale especially the latter especially when you compare them with the size of the weapons pods. The rotor blades were then cemented to their places and this was followed by a spray of Flat Clear. The canopy mask was then removed, finishing the build.

Conclusion

This has got to be one of the fastest kits I have ever build (that is, in terms of building hours, rather than days). The combination of small size, not a lot of parts, generally good fit plus, of course, being an OOB build without any parts being replaced made this a rather enjoyable task, despite the kit's certain shortcomings. The price is very affordable, especially the original Italeri boxing. Highly recommended to helicopter modellers of all skill levels (maybe not the complete novice). As far as I know, at the time of writing, this is the only available A129 kit in the market. I read in the Scalemates website that there is another company, YUMTK/Interavia with a kit of the Mangusta (apparently of the International/CBT standard) but have not surfaced in any online modelling websites. Another one is Cunarmodel (also of CBT standard) but there is no further info about this company. Extratech produced a PE set for Italeri's Mangusta but I'm not sure whether it is still available.

Traitorous North American Feline!

Historical Background

As early as 1938, a project was started to replace Panzers III and IV, designated VK 20, a 20- to 24-ton tank armed with a 50 mm L/42 or L/60 or a 75 mm L/43 gun. However the appearance of the T-34 tanks during Operation Barbarossa gave a nasty shock to the German General Staff. At the insistence of General Heinz Guderian, a special Panzerkomission was set up to assess the T-34. The commission concluded that the combination of the sloping armour, allowing better shot deflection and effective armour thickness, effective main armament and good power-to-weight ratio coupled with wide tracks, made the T-34 an almost 'perfect tank', superior to anything in the German armory. This caused the VK 20 to be dropped and a new design, VK 3002, a 30-35 ton tank incorporating the commission's findings, was drawn. Daimler-Benz and Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnburg (MAN) were given the task to design this new tank by April 1942. Daimler-Benz's design has leaf-spring suspension with large doubled road wheels and no return rollers. The drive sprocket was mounted at the rear while the turret was forward-mounted (in short, similar to the T-34). This gave the tank a low silhouette and narrow hull, allowing the design to be within the specified weight limit. However the internal space was very limited and it proved very difficult to fit the L/70 75 mm gun. It was powered by a diesel engine.

The MAN design used torsion bar suspension, making the hull higher and wider. It also used the Schachtellaufwerk suspension as the Tiger tank, giving it a low ground pressure, better traction and mobility. Powerplant was petrol and the armament was fitted in a centrally-mounted turret, which was also larger and roomier. The two designs were reviewed from January to March 1942. Reichminister Fritz Todt, Minister of Armaments and War Production, and his successor Albert Speer recommended the Daimler-Benz design over MAN's to Hitler. However, at the final submission, MAN revised their entry, having learned from Daimler-Benz's proposal through a senior engineer in Waffenamnt Prufwesen 6 (weapons proof department 6 - panzer and motorised branch- of the German Army), who was an ex-employee of MAN and others. In May 1942, a special commission selected the MAN design, which was immediately approved by Hitler. One of the reasons for the selection was that the MAN design used an already existing turret, saving the time for further development. On 11 May 1942, the VK 3002 project was given the name 'Panther'.

The Panther, like the T-34 has sloped sides. The front of the hull was protected by 60 mm of armour on the upper plate and 50 mm on the lower hull. On Hitler's orders they were later increased to 80 mm and 60 mm respectively. The side armour was pretty thin, just 40 mm (it was later thickened to 50 mm). Further protection was provided by the interleaved road wheels and later on, a 10 mm-thick schurzens. The turret was also-well sloped and originally has a frontal thickness of 80 mm. This was later increased to 110 mm (in Ausf. A) and 100 mm in Ausf. G. The cast mantlet was 120 mm thick. The armour plates were also interlocking and welded to increase strength. To prevent enemy tank-killing squads from sticking anti-tank mines, a composite material known as zimmerit was factory-applied to all tanks from September 1943. An order for the application of zimmerit to tanks in the field was made in November 1944. However following (false) reports of fires being caused by hits on the zimmerit, the practice was discontinued in September 1944.

The Panther was armed with a Rheinmetall-Borsig 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 gun. 79 to 82 rounds were carried, usually of the HE, APCBC-HE and the rarer APCR types. While 75 mm was the common calibre for medium tanks of the time, the KwK 42 was among the most powerful during World War 2 due to the large propellant charge used and the long barrel, which gave it a very high muzzle velocity (and consequently better armour-piercing qualities; actually even better than the Tiger's 88 mm KwK 36 L/56 gun). For close-in defence, the Panther had two MG 34 7.92 mm machine guns, one located co-axially with the main gun and another in the front of the right hand-side of the hull. The Ausf D and early Ausf A variants had the hull weapon hidden behind a 'letterbox'-style flap while late Ausf A and the Ausf G had the weapon mounted on a ball mount.

The Panther was initially powered by a Maybach HL210 P30 engine rated at 650 hp. This was later replaced on the production line by the HL 230 rated at 700 hp. The engine power output was however reduced by the low quality fuel used. The HL 230 was a compact powerplant with mnimal space between the cylinders, this in turn create problems with the closely-spaced connecting rods, including blown head gaskets and failed bearings. These teething problems were solved later in 1943 with the introduction of improved seals and bearings. The engine compartment was made watertight so that the Panther can ford rivers, but this made for poor ventilation and engine overheating.  An engine governor was fitted in November 1943, together with improved coolant circulation to avoid overheating the engine.  This, coupled with non-isolated fuel connectors (in early versions) caused leakages which led to engine fires.These problems were however rectified in later marks of the Panther.

The Panther entered service in early 1943 when Panzer-Abteilung 51 and 52 received their tanks at Grafenwoehr training grounds. Although training began immediately, the tank's problems manifest themselves, causing some tanks to be returned to the factory for repairs. Mechanical and technical staff from MAN were also sent to Grafenwoehr to assist the crews. The problems were serious enough to cause Guderian to visit Grafenwoehr in June 1943 and he concluded that the Panthers were not yet ready for combat. Furthermore, the interuptions caused by the failures were detrimental to the crew training programme. Nevertheless both Panzer Abteilungen consisting of 96 Panthers each plus the Regiment Stab 39 with eight Panthers were sent to the Eastern Front, becoming part of XLVIII Panzer-Korps, 4th Panzerarmee, Heeresgruppe Sud, taking part in Operation Zitadelle. Due to the aforementioned problems, coupled with abbreviated crew training, many Panthers broke down even before battle was joined. at the end of the first day of Zitadelle, only 40 Panthers were left serviceable. many were abandoned or blown up by their own crews due to the breakdowns and lack of recovery equipment. Despite the setbacks, the Panther showed great promise, with their crews claiming 267 enemy tanks destroyed.

In the West, there were only two regiments of Panthers, totalling 156 vehicles. Reinforcements swelled this number to 432, according to a German Army report on 30 July 1944. During the Battle of Normandy, the majority of the panzers (six and a half divisions) were concentrated in the fight for Caen while another one and a half panzer division fought against the Americans in the western edge of the campaign area. The Panthers however found their long-range firing capability was offset by the close bocage country, although there are open areas where their long-range advantage was brought to the fore. However the same open areas allowed the equally powerful Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun, whether in its towed or mounted versions, to harm the Panthers. Apart from being unable to exploit their long-range firepower, the bocage country (and also the built-up areas) also allowed Allied infantry anti-tank teams to close in on the Panthers and attack their vulnerable sides and rear. As part of Operation Watch am Rhein, a false-flag operation code-named Operation Greif was executed to deceive and throw the Allies into disarray. As part of Panzerbrigade 150, five Panthers were disguised as American M10s by welding additional plates and applying US-style markings and paint. They were however detected and all five were destroyed.

A total of 6,906 Panthers of all versions including command (Befehlspanzer), artillery observation post (Beobachtungspanzer) and armoured recovery vehicle (Bergepanther). The Panther chassis was also used for the Jagdpanther tank destroyer.

The Kit

Dragon Model Limited came up with a new-tool Panther (an Ausf. A) in 2002 (the original Dragon/DML Panther first came up in 1995). In 2006, the moulds were retooled to create the Ausf. G version and in 2009, with modern plastic moulding technology, the mould was modified to incorporate the zimmerit pattern. I was informed that in years gone by, some manufacturers tried the same thing but it ended up badly. The kit came in 596 parts (including 16 clear parts), 12 metal parts, 7 PE parts (this being one of Dragon's 'Smart Kit' series), 4 DS100 soft styrene parts (two tracks plus two rear hull storage boxes with built-in dents), two metal cables plus the usual decal and instruction sheets. The zimmerit pattern is nicely rendered and I believe it was not as 'neat' as the ones moulded on their slightly earlier King Tiger kits. Omissions in the kit include no schurzen (although the hook and rails were there) and AA MG 34 (although the mounting is included). The decals provide markings for four vehicles:

1. '128', 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, Normandy 1944

2. Un-numbered, 1./SS-Panzer Regiment 1 Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Paris 1944

3. '432', 9th SS-Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, Normandy 1944

4. '503', Panzer-Brigade 106, Northern France 1944

Construction

As usual constructions started at the bottom of the vehicle and like many of its German panzer models, Dragon provided the modeller with a fairly complete torsion bar suspension, which will be hidden in most cases. The external parts of the system, plus the final drive housing were then cemented to the lower hull. At the rear of the hull, Dragon also provided some rudimentary, but still nice-looking radiator faces, which I painted Steel as the bare plastic might stick out like sore thumbs if viewed through the grille cover, especially directly downward. This was followed by cementing the rear panel to the main hull and afterwards all the fixtures and fittings on the rear panel was cemented except the exhaust stacks and the jack. As mentioned before, Dragon provided plastic stowage boxes or alternatively, two dented boxes moulded in their DS100 styrene. I chose the normal ones. Since the wheels are of the overlapping type, I painted them on the sprue (and retouched the paint after removal) and assembled them. They were however left off at this time.

Next up was the upper hull. The instructions have you tackle the hull machine gun first but I decided to do it later. Instead I started by cementing all the engine and radiator intakes and hatches and the crew access hatches. The latter include the hinges but since I have the hatches in the closed position, they were left off. This was followed by the schurzen mountings, periscopes and various small fittings. The mountings for the various tools and spare track links were attached although in order to ease painting, the tools and the track links themselves were left off at this time. The gun cleaning rod container were however assembled and cemented as it would be painted in the hull colours. Holes need to be drilled to accommodate those items although the instructions didn't mention it (it did but just for the spare track link mountings only). The PE grilles was then superglued to their places and only after that the hull machine gun and headlight assembled and fitted to their places. The upper hull was then cemented to the lower half with no problems as the fit is excellent.

The turret assembly started at the gun assembly. The barrel is a plastic one-piece affair with separate muzzle. The latter consists of three parts to ensure good detail. At the other end of the barrel, Dragon provided a fairly good representation of the breech so the interior of the turret won't look that empty if you have the commander's hatch open. I joined the upper turret shell (the rear face is separate by the way) with the bottom before adding the details on them. The commander's cupola was then assembled with the hatch in the closed position. I was thinking of adding an unused figure from my Tamiya King Tiger but decided not to as I wanted to depict the Panther in the summer of 1944. Dragon provided the mounting for the commander's AA machine gun but the weapon itself was not present. No matter really as many photos show Panther Gs without them. But if you want to place an MG 34 there, you have to find your own. Finally track-hanging hooks were superglued to the turret roof. They have already been pre-formed, simplifying the task greatly.

Painting and Decalling

As the marking schemes feature different patterns, a decision had to be made at this juncture. The 10th Panzer-Brigade was out as it was little known (to me) while the Leibstandarte Panther was rejected as I already have one model in their markings (a Dragon Panzer III Ausf. J). That left the HJ and the Hohenstaufen Panthers. The latter was chosen as I believe the pattern is much easier to do. The model received a base coat of XF-60 Dark Yellow and successively followed by XF-64 Red Brown and XF-58 Olive Green. The paints then received a filter layer of XF-57 Buff. This was followed by a pinwash of the usual black/brown mix.  The 'metal' parts of the tools were painted XF-56 Metallic Grey, which then received an application of Tamiya Weathering Master Rust/Soot while the wooden parts were painted XF-64. The jack block was painted XF-60 overall and received an XF-64 wash. The tracks were painted XF-64 Red Brown and then washed with AK Interactive's Track Wash. The track cleats were dry-brushed silver. A wash made up of the usual black-brown colour was made and this was followed by a filter layer of XF-57 Buff. 

Finishing

To start this phase, the wheels were first cemented to their places, taking note which wheel goes where. The exhausts, having been painted Burnt Iron beforehand, received an application of Tamiya Weathering Master Rust and were then cemented to the rear hull. The tracks were then cemented to form a loop and fitted over the wheels. The problem was how to make the sag look natural enough. After looking at various photos, I deposited a little superglue on the fourth wheel in order to get the best-looking sag. The jack was assembled, painted Steel and placed at the rear hull panel. The various tools were painted their appropriate colours and then cemented to their places. Of the braided wires supplied with the kit, the shorter, thinner one is meant to be the track-repair cable. In this case it was way better than just the single-strand copper wire with no eyes provided by Tamiya in their (in my case) Jadpanther. Even so, I did not use the cable as it was too springy and cannot be looped. Dragon also provided a diagram for the placement of the tow cables (with an alternative arrangement). Finally the spare track links were assembled, weathered and hung on the turret hooks. A pair of jerricans from AFV Club graced the engine deck. For weathering, the lower hull and running gear was given a further wash of AK Interactive Earth Effects Wash and afterwards it was followed by an application of Mig Productions European Dust. 

Conclusion

Another winner from Dragon. The base kit is already good, in fact I believe it os better than Tamiya's, especially in the details (the hollow track guide teeth for example). The zimmerit pattern is also well-done and the moulded-on pattern is definitely a bonus for those who are afraid to attempt it themsleves (me for example!). The minimal PE parts, achieved through their philosophy of 'Smart Kits' is also another boon as it allowed a faster building time. 

Ariete!

Historical Background

From the 1970s to 1995, the Italian Army armoured units were equipped with American M60A1 and west German Leopard 1 MBTs. In the 1980s, a decision was made to replace these tanks with a new, indigenous design. A consortium formed by Iveco-Fiat and Oto Melara called Consorzio Iveco Oto or CIO was entrusted with the development of the new tank. The basic specification called for a fast, day/night capable vehicle with the ability to fire on the move utilising sophisticated fire-control system. The new tank was designated C1 and given the name 'Ariete' (ram) in honour to the Italian 132nd Armoured Division 'Ariete' of World War 2 fame, The first prototype was rolled out in 1986 and by 1989, six pre-production vehicles were produces. The Ariete was supposed to enter service in 1993 but due to delays, the first vehicle was only delivered in 1995. In 2002, the 200th (and the last) vehicle was delivered.

The tank is of conventional design and bears a passing resemblance to other contemporary Western tank designs (especially the German Leopard 2). The hull, designed by Iveco has a very well-sloped glacis and flat sides. Armour is classified, although it is understood to be a laminated steel/composite type similar to Chobham armour protecting the Abrams and Challenger tanks. The Ariete is fully NBC treated and can be sealed so that it can ford rivers up to 5 meters deep. The turret, together with the main weaponry was developed by Oto Melara. The turret, which looks similar to the Challenger tank has well-sloped front face and short lower beaks, the latter to reduce shot traps. The gun, designed by OTO Breda, is of the 120 mm smoothbore type and able to fire standard NATO 120 mm rounds. It was provided with 42 rounds, 15 of which is in the ready-to-use locker at the rear turret bustle. Secondary armament consists of two 7.62 mm MG42/59 machine guns: one located co-axially with the main gun and another was placed at the loader's hatch. For self-protection, two four-grenade launchers armed with smoke or chaff grenades are placed on the turret sides.

The Ariete's FCS, designated OG14L3 TURMS was manufactured by Galileo Avionica, includes day and night capability for the commander's SP-T-694 primary sight and a stabilised platform for the gunner's thermal sight and laser rangefinder and also a FCS computer which calculates all the relevant data such as weather and wind conditions, elevation of the gun, attitude of the tank and even barrel wear to increase accuracy. The FCS is also part of the Ariete's communication system and can be used to share battlefield data with other vehicles. The Ariete is powered by a 25.8-litre turbocharged V-12 Fiat-Iveco MTCA diesel engine rated at 1,250 hp. This gave the Ariete a top speed of 65 km/h and a range of 600 km. Power was transmitted through a ZF LSG3000 automatic transmission with four forward and two reverse gears. The computer-assisted transmission allows the Ariete to accelerate from 0-32 km/h in 6 seconds, climb a gradient of 60 degrees and ford a depth of 1.25 m without preparations.

The Ariete has been used in peace-keeping operations in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s and also in Iraq following Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, the Ariete has an additional armour package added on the turret front and sides and the front half of the hull sides. An additional MG 42/59 was mounted on the commander's cupola and both roof machine guns have shields added to protect the user. An upgraded version, the C2, with a higher-rated engine, additional armour, autoloader, FCS and hydropneumatic suspension are scheduled to be in production in the 2015-2020 time frame.

The Kit

Trumpeter's kit of the Ariete (in fact, at the time of writing, the only one in 1/35) was released in 2005. The kit represents an early production vehicle, as the Ariete has undergone changes in the meantime. The kit consists of 229 olive-coloured parts, a small sheet of clear acetate for the optics, a length of twine,  a pair of single-length vinyl tracks, a small decal sheet and of course the instruction sheet. The parts look well-moulded although some details are not very well-defined, such as the track grousers, which looked cruder (but not by much) than the ones from Tamiya's Leopard 2 kit. There is essentially just one marking scheme (the 'option' is just whether to use the green or red rhomboid decals on the turret front). Colour is simply marked as 'TC10' without reference as to what it is called nor to its manufacturer. I suspect that it was from the Gunze range and after googling found out that it was part of their German Colour Set, specifically RAL 6031 Bronzegrun.

Construction

As usual with armour kits, construction starts at the bottom. All the suspension parts were cemented to the lower hull, starting with the shock absorbers. While Trumpeter have you finish one side before moving to the other, I decided to add the similar parts on both sides before tackling the suspension arms. So I only fit the latter after all the absorbers have been cemented. The suspension arms have positive locating tabs so there is no issue of misaligned suspension here. because of the lack of poly caps, the wheels (and also the lower hull sides) were first painted, with the wheels being painted on their sprues. They were then cut off the sprue, the scars retouched and the wheels mounted on the suspension, bar the drive sprocket. The tracks are also left off at this time.

I then moved on to the upper hull. It is of single mould with separate engine deck and rear panel. The air intake is moulded solid but with nice grille effect (still it can't beat a PE grille). The driver's hatch has separate periscope parts but unfortunately they are of solid opaque plastic. The headlights, track grouser, grab handles and some small but not fragile parts were also added at this time. It was during the assembly of the upper hull did I realise how close the Ariete resembled the German Leopard 2. I then returned to the lower hull. The tracks were painted, with the metal parts (on the real thing) washed with AK Interactive track wash. They were then looped and the pin heads melted down with a heated screwdriver. The upper hull was then cemented to the lower half and the side skirts can now be put in place. The spare track at the rear of the hull and the vulnerable rear-view mirrors were left off.

While the hull reminded me of the Leopard 2, the turret looked fairly similar to the Challenger. The turret assembly kicked off with the mating of the barrel halves. Fit is okay although there is a tiny bit of seam line down the middle. The barrel comes moulded with the muzzle reference system, meaning a bit of detail of the system was lost. The clear acetate for the vision blocks were painted clear blue and the cut off the sheet and superglued to their places. I wish that clear styrene was used here. The gun assembly was then put in its place and the turret halves were glued together, leaving the gun moveable. The turret hatches were assembled and as there were no figures whatsoever, were cemented in the closed position. The various small parts for the turret were then cemented. While most feature decent detailing, the smoke grenade tubes look very plain. Trumpeter also suggested the builder to replace the moulded-on bolt details on the turret face with separately-moulded bolts (Part C53) if one so wish. The tools and the roof machine gun were left off at this moment to facilitate painting.

Painting and Decalling

As I mentioned before, Trumpeter stated that the colour for the Ariete is TC10, without reference to any model paint manufacturer. I have a hunch that it was from GSI Creos (ex-Gunze Sangyo) and after a short Google search, I found out that it was NATO Green. I used my tried-and-trusted Tamiya XF-67, lightened with some 20% XF-2 Flat White.The tyres and mudflaps were painted GSI H77 Tyre Black while the MG42/59 was painted Flat Black and when dry, were 'polished' with graphite powder. After paint had dried, the decals were placed. As the numbers involved are quite small, this was quickly completed. I used the red rhomboid decals, just to make it stand out from the green of the hull. Although not really needed, I gave the decals a Mr Mark Softer treatment. The model was then given a black-brown wash.

Finishing

There really aren't much to do here. The tracks were painted XF-64 Red Brown overall and XF-1 Flat Black was then applied to the 'rubber' parts. They were then looped and the ends secured with superglue. I don't bother using heated screwdrivers or something like that, and the connecting posts were left as they were, since they will be hidden behind the skirting. The tools were painted their respective colours and then cemented to their places on the turret. The lower hull, running gear and the tracks were then covered with a thin mixture of water and Mig Productions' European Dust pigments. Once dry the excess were removed. The AA MG was put in its place and since I don't have anything to put inside the turret stowage basket and that I have run out of brass/copper wire for the aerials, the build ends here.

Conclusion

The Ariete is one of Trumpeter's 'modern' kits and it shows in the quality of moulding and engineering. While the details do not reach the level of say, Dragon, what was in the kit is enough to satisfy the average modeller. The fit was also good, where no putty was needed. Of course Trumpeter has gone from strength to strength and established themselves as one of the leading companies in the industry today.

Der Luftwaffen Panzer

Historical Background

In 1933 the then-Oberst Heinz Guderian wrote specifications of a tank tasked with dealing with other tanks (and another supporting the infantry). In January 1934 the German Army's Army Weapons Department (Waffenamt) drew plans for a medium tank weighing 24,000kg with a speed of 35km/h under the cover names Versuchkraftfahrzeug 619, Mitlerer Traktor and 3.7cm Geschutz-Panzerwagen. There was a conflict between the Waffenamt and the Inspector for Mechanized Troops about the armament. The Waffenamt was satisfied with the 37mm gun while the Mechanized Troops wanted a 50mm gun. In the interests of standardisation with the infantry, the 37mm gun was chosen. However the turret ring remain able to support the proposed 50mm weapon. Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN and Reheinmetall were chosen to produce prototypes, which were to be made ready by 1936. The Daimler-Benz design was eventually chosen for production. The first series, Ausfuhrung A started coming off the assembly line in May 1937. The tank was given official designation Panzerkampfwagen III with ordnance inventory designation Sd.Kfz. 141/1.

The most distinctive feature of the Panzer III and sets it apart from most of its contemporaries was the three-man turret. Allegedly influenced by the British Vickers Medium Tanks, the turret allowed the separation of jobs between the commander, gunner and loader. The commander was thus not distracted with other tasks and can fully maintain the situational awareness and commanding the tank. Since other tanks at time, such as the French Somua S35 and early versions of the T-34 did not have this feature, the German tanks had a tactical advantage in combat. This was further reinforced by the fact that the German panzers were equipped with intercom, allowing clear communications between the crew members.

The early marks of the Panzer III (Ausf. A through C) was clad in 15mm of rolled homogenous armour on all sides. This was considered insufficient and was thickened to 30mm in Ausf D to G. Ausf H had another 30mm layer while Ausf J added 50mm plate on the front and rear while the late Ausf J to M added another 20mm to the front hull and turret. The Ausf. A to early Ausf. F Panzer IIIs were armed with a 3.7cm KwK 36 L/45 gun which was adequate during the early campaigns of World War 2 but when confronted with the powerful Soviet tanks, the larger 5cm KwK 38 L/42 were fitted to Panzer III Ausf. G to early Ausf. J and finally the longer 5cm KwK 39 L/60 on late Ausf J and L. The final Ausf. N was armed with 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24 weapon (the same weapon arming early Panzer IV marks) as they were designed as support tanks. Secondary armament was two MG34 7.92mm machine guns mounted co-axially with the main gun (reduced to one after Ausf. F) and another MG34 mounted in the hull. Power was provided by a Maybach HL 108 TR petrol engine rated at 250hp which was later replaced by a Maybach HL 120 TRM rated at 300hp. The early Marks used various leaf-spring suspensions while Ausf E standardises on torsion-bar suspension.

Panzer IIIs were used in the campaigns against Poland, France, the Soviet Union and in North Africa. The early versions used in Poland were found to be vulnerable to Czech-built 47 mm anti-tank gun, Solothurn and UR anti-tank rifles and even the low-velocity 37 mm guns arming FT and R35 tanks (although at short ranges). The first real test was during Fall Gelb, the invasion of France and the Low Countries. Panzer III Ausf. E, F and G armed with 37 mm guns were all involved. The Allies however were equipped with better protected tanks, able to shrug off the 37 mm rounds. The French Char B1 and the British Matilda were impregnable to all German anti-tank weapons except the 88mm flak cannon. The German panzers eventually prevailed through better tactics, excellent communications and coordination (down to individual tank level), speed and coverage by the Luftwaffe. In the deserts of North Africa, Panzer III Ausf. F and G formed the early backbone of Rommel's Afrika Korps. They had some success against the British cruiser tanks but still failed against the Matilda. Later, late Ausf.G and H, armed with KwK 38 50 mm gun were received and towards the end of the campaign, KwK 39 L/60-armed Ausf. L and M were received. For the invasion of Russia, all Panzer IIIs have now been upgunned with the 50-mm gun. While sufficient to destroy BT fast tanks and T-26 light tank forming the bulk of Soviet armor, the gun was inadequate against the T-34 and KV tanks.

By the end of the war, the Panzer III were no longer in front line service and only a handful were present at Anzio and North-West Europe. The Panzer III chassis were selected as the basis for the Sturmgeschutz III assault gun. Apart from new-built vehicles, many Panzer III were converted into Sturmgeschutzes when they were returned to factories for overhaul. More than 5,700 Panzer IIIs were built during the war. The Ausf. L entered production in June 1942. 653 were produced by Daimler-Benz, MAN, Alkett, Henschel, Wegmann, MNH and MIAG until December of that year.

The Kit

Tamiya came up with a new-tool kit of the Panzer III in 1997. The release depicts an Ausf. L, replacing the 1960s/1970s vintage Ausf. M. The Panzer III was released alongside the Sturmgeschutz III in the same year, so the two kits share most of the chassis. The parts are spread among five dark yellow sprues, a pair of vinyl one-piece tracks, four polycaps and a decal sheet. Although the parts count are not as extensive as those found in a Dragon kit, the Tamiya offering has very good details moulded onto it. The rather glaring exception was the lack of engine deck screens, which have to be purchased separately (which I did). The vinyl tracks, although have great details, have the guide teeth moulded solid, instead of hollow as they should be. There isn't really any options when building this kit, just two styles of spaced armour for the front plate. Decals provide markings for five tanks:
1.  II01, 15th Panzer Regiment, 11th Panzer Division, Battle of Kursk July 1943 (Dark Yellow/Red Brown)
2. 02, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 'Hermann Goering', Germany 1942 (Panzer Grey)
3. 1 15, 10th Panzer Division, Tunisia 1943 (Gelbraun)
4. 200, 18th Panzer Division, Russia 1942 (Dark Yellow)
5. 133, s.H.Pz.Abt. 502, Russia 1942 (Dark Yellow/Olive Green)

There is also a couple of 'extra' decals that weren't shown in the instructions. This took the form of a skull and crossbones, which I believe is meant for probably the most notorious of the SS divisions - the 3rd SS-Panzer Division 'Totenkopf'.

Construction

The instruction follows the usual assembly sequence for an armoured vehicle in that it starts by sticking things to the lower hull. The torsion bars were cemented to the hull and attention has to be given to the details as there are two types of them and need to be put accordingly. Sticking to the Tamiya philosophy of easy to be build kits, there were only the outside structure of the suspension, unlike Dragon's Panzer III J I built before. This was followed by crew escape hatches (?) and the final drive housing; a poly-cap was inserted into each of the housing to allow movement of the sprocket wheel. Afterwards it was time for a rather tedious job assembling the road wheels; good thing the Panzer III has only six sets per side (I still curse the designer of the Panzer IV and the one who suggested that the German heavies and Panthers use the overlapping wheel arrangement). The muffler and the rear hull panel was then cemented into place. Tamiya in the 1990s-early Noughties has that annoying trait of having separate PE parts and I have to suspend the build for nearly a week, while waiting for the PE parts to come through post. 

Before assembling the upper hull, a number of holes were drilled into it in order to accommodate the lights. All the hatches and covers were then cemented on the upper hull. The hull machine gun barrel was not cemented at this time. Next up was the spaced armour plate at the front of the hull. Tamiya provided two styles but without mentioning which style goes to which marking. The second style involved some cutting; although straightforward, I chose the first style. Well you should always try to use the path with the least resistance right? More stuff were added to the upper hull but I left all the pioneer tools off. Part D27, the turret ring guard was marked as optional; again, there is no indication whether it should or should not be used in conjunction with any of the markings. The wheels were all assembled but they would only be fitted to the model after painting.

Attention was then turned towards turret assembly. The turret upper and lower halves were mated

first and all hatches, ports and sundry small parts were cemented onto it. The commander's cupola is a rather simplified affair with no periscope details. The gun, which include rudimentary breech was assembled and inserted into the mantlet. Some careful gluing was done so that the gun is still moveable. The recoil mechanism housing and the mantlet spaced armour mount were assembled and fitted to the gun. As the parts count are relatively low, the build process was rather quick and now it was time for painting.

Painting and Decaling

All the markings are interesting but after looking at my collection, I found that there were only two panzer grey vehicles in my collection: a Panzer II and a Sd.Kfz.222 armoured car. I used a mixture of 70% Tamiya XF-63 German Grey and 30 % XF-18 Medium Blue, plus roughly 20% white for scale effect. The decals were then applied. I was having second thoughts as the Hermann Goering Division's markings were rather bland, but I decided to stick with it. The tools were painted on their sprues and will be touched up later. Afterwards, I applied the sludge wash on certain parts of the model - not really appropriate for a tank model but sufficient for me to pop up some of the recessed details.

Finishing

To start the final leg, I attached all the remaining loose parts such as the pioneer tools and the aerial holder. The wooden block was painted XF-59 Desert Yellow and dry-brushed XF-64 Red Brown to simulate wood grain. I had another attack of laziness and simply paint the pioneer tools a straight XF-59 and XF-56 Metallic Grey. The exhaust and muffler were also painted XF-64. For weathering, I started by applying thinned XF-57 Buff all over the lower hull, tracks and wheel. For the lower hull, I was quite undecided whether to use 'desert' or 'European' pigments as there was no real indication as to the time frame of the tank's markings. The HG Division took part in Barbarossa and a battle group of them took part in the Battle of El Alamein. Grey paint meant a general time period before the summer of 1943. There were barely any photos of the HG prior to their participation in Sicily and Italy. So in the end I took a middle way (sort of) by mixing Mig Productions' Gulf War Sand' and "European Dust'. They mixed with water and applied liberally. The excess was then removed using a stiff brush. 

Conclusion

Tamiya has come up with another simple yet finely executed model. Assembly is hassle-free as usual, and the moulded-on details, while rather simple for some modelers, are good enough for the casual (or those not suffering from AMS) modelers. Like I mentioned elsewhere, a simple, yet detailed kit is a good antidote for stress after building a 1,000 part 'premium edition' kit!