Achilles' Tracks

Historical Background

After studying the German Blitzkrieg of 1939-1941, the US Army incorporated the idea of tank destroyers - fast, lightly armoured vehicles with high velocity anti-tank guns to deal with the armoured spearheads of the blitzkrieg. The result was the M10 Gun Motor Carriage based on the M4 Sherman tank but with thinner armour in order to comply with the high speed requirement. At the same time the British were examining the design for a low-silhouette tank destroyer with a 360-degree rotating turret mounting the hard-hitting Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun with armour able to resist 50 mm rounds at 800 yards. However, with the British resources and industry working at full capacity, together with the availability of Lend-Lease, the project was cancelled and they received the M10, nicknamed Wolverine in British service. The British received their first Wolverines in 1943 and found the M1 3-in anti-tank gun arming them gave better performance than the Ordnance QF 6-pounder anti-tank gun and equal to the 7.5-cm KwK 40 gun arming the Panzer IV and Sturmgeschutz III.

The British however still wanted to mount the 17-pounder gun but the main problem is how to mount the gun onto the existing vehicles. However, the initial batches of the British M10 had an easily modified mounting to facilitate the replacement of the M7 gun with the newer M1. The mounting also allowed the British to eventually mount the 17-pounder gun. But for later batches of M10s, only the T71 type can be converted while the T70 can only mount the lighter M1. The M10-based conversions were nicknamed Achilles Ic while M10A1-based conversions were called Achilles IIc. The 17-pounder was able to penetrate 131 mm of armour at 1,000 meters at 30 degree angle of penetration using APCBC rounds. The limited-availability APDS round can penetrate 192 mm at the same range and angle of attack. By comparison, the same APCBC rounds fired from the American 3-in gun can only penetrate 88 mm of armour while the very limited HVAP round can only penetrate 127 mm of armour. All these numbers show the clear superiority of the 17-pounder gun. Because of its length, the 17-pounder gun of the Achilles was fitted with a counterweight, giving it a distinctive appearance compared to the M10.

In practice, the British used the Achilles as a mobile anti-tank gun, able to reinforce an infantry attack and engage counterattacking enemy forces, while waiting for the slower towed 17-pounders be brought into position. This was actually in line with the original American concept of the tank destroyer. The Achilles was usually used in an offensive manner in support of Churchill tank-equipped units, which was not supported by the Sherman Firefly or the Challenger tank. The Achilles equipped the units of the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery in Armoured Divisions or Corps Anti-Tank Regiments. The most successful action taken by the Achilles was during Operation Charnwood, when Achilleses and towed 17-pounders of the 245th Battery, 62nd Anti-Tank Regiment of the Royal Artillery stopped an attack by a mixed force of Panzer IV and Panther tanks of the 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, destroying thirteen panzers while losing four of their number.

The British received 1,650 M10s during the war, of which 1,100 were converted into Achilles standard. It was planned that 1,000 would be converted in time for Operation Overlord but eventually only 124 had been converted by 6 June 1944. Losses among Achilles-equipped unit at the time meant that replacements were often regular M10s, much to the crews' dismay. The numbers however picked up by the end of 1944 finally reaching the figure stated beforehand. 

The Kit

Two years after the release of the M10, AFV Club released the 'Anglified' version - the Achilles. The majority of the parts in this kit are the same with the ones in the M10 kit. The Achilles kit added a new sprue containing British-specific parts such as the gun mantlet, British-style fire extinguishers, British No.19 radio, spare track-link mounts, three Sten Guns with alternate metal stocks and six 17-pounder rounds for the ready-round racks. A new turned aluminium barrel is also included. Decals provide markings for six vehicles:

1. 93rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 5 Corps Italy 1944

2. 1st Army Corps, Normandy 1944

3. 75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 11th Armoured Division, Belgium 1944-45

4. 4th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, Netherlands 1945

5. 21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, Guards Armoured Division, Netherlands 1944

6. 1st Anti-Tank Regiment, 1st Polish Armoured Division, Netherlands 1944

While other reviewers didn't mention it,  the decals in my kit were badly printed, with the Guards Armoured Division insignia and all of the arms of service insignias out of register. 

Construction

Since the Achilles, like the original M10 is an open-topped vehicle, construction started at the interior. Not much however is included (and as I have never seen the actual interior, it's rather moot actually). What were there however was nicely detailed. There are seats for the driver and his assistant but no control columns were included. The instrument panel was painted and drybrushed (although I shouldn't bother, really). The ammo rack on the sponson is there but unlike the M10, rounds were not provided. The beautifully-detailed transmission were next. After assembly, it was cemented to the transmission cover and the whole thing was mated to the main hull. The interior then received a rather heavy dark wash. Moving on to the suspension, AFV Club's VVSS suspension has a bit more breakdown than other companies' allowing more articulation especially for dioramas (which I don't need). It was quite tedious but strangely enough, after all the effort making the suspension articulate, they have the wheels with hollow backs.....The rear plate and all the fittings was then fitted to the hull, although I left the exhaust for the time being.

Before doing anything else to the upper hull, the faint raised circles marking the locations of the applique armour bosses were sanded off (unless you're doing the Canadian version).  Like the M10 kit, the driver and co-driver's hatches can be made moveable but I also decided to cement them shut as there were no sitting figures to fit there nor there were interior to speak of. The rear plate was then cemented but the tools placed there were left off until after painting has been done. The fit was was quite bad and needed putty to fill the gap. It should be noted that there is a difference for the location of the tools between the Canadian version and the rest of the options in the kit The grouser rack were then cemented to the hull. Again the location is different on the Canadian option. At the front of the hull, AFV Club gave options for the placement of the radio aerial and the right-hand side light (either on the same location as on the M10 or on the front plate for the former and either on the edge of the front plate or on top of the right headlight for the latter). The empty ammo racks on the sponson were partially filled with ammo from Bronco - just to have something in it.

On to the turret then. The turret is basically a carry-over from the M10 kit. However the upper rear panel is a straight piece of plastic which need to be folded to fit on the lower half (fit is a bit of a misnomer here). Also, instead of generic ammunition style (or using ammo from the M10), AFV Club provided 'proper' 17 pounder ammunition for the turret ready racks. I did not use them however. Instead I used the even better items from Bronco. They are however larger than the kit ammo but fortunately, they fit into the kit ammo racks (except for the topmost, right-side rack). A Sten Gun with alternative butts was also provided. The instructions have the magazine in place but I don't think the gun was stowed as such, so the magazines were left off. The real difference of the turret is at the front with a different mantlet and the gun (of course) and the differently-shaped counterweights on the rear of the turret. The M2 heavy machine gun was left off the this time to ease handling of the turret. And, to ease painting (more or less) the interior parts were painted before they were assembled, with touching-up of the paint took place after construction.

Painting and Decalling

Allied vehicles are pretty straightforward to paint by (usually) having just one colour. In the interest of accuracy, the Achilles should be painted SCC15 (British) Olive Drab. Since I usually paint using Tamiya stuff and Tamiya does not have this colour, they need to mixed using Tamiya paints. I However ran out of some of the paint, and so I painted it 'straight' XF-62 Olive Drab. The majority of marking options in the kit have plain schemes and to add a bit more variety to my collection, I decided to finish my model in the Guards Armoured Division markings. The camouflage pattern was painted using Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black. The decals were applied next. They settled without any problems but you can't help noticing the rather obvious mis-register (is there such a word?) of the decals especially the arms of service marking. The model then received a wash using stuff from AK Interactive.

Finishing

I didn't mention it early on but the tracks were fitted onto the running gear before the upper hull was cemented to the lower half. The tracks were painted XF-64 Red Brown as base while the track pads were painted XF-69 NATO Black. It was earlier decided that turret opening is wide enough for some parts to be left off and so only at this time the ammo pieces were put in place, together with the aforementioned Sten. AFV Club did not include stowage so I added some from my stash and from Bronco's 17-Pounder Ammunition Set and British Field Accessories Set. The turret and upper hull received a thin layer of XF-57 Buff to stimulate dust. The Buff layer for the hulls was streaked down to simulate rain marks. The marks were enhanced here and there using AK Interactive Weathering Pencil. The lower hull received mud applications using Vallejo Splash Mud, Ammo Dark Mud and AK Interactive Earth Effects. 

Conclusion

While the amount of detail is pretty good for the outside, I believe that interior is simplified and is something that is not so good for an open-topped vehicle. The fit is also not very good especially for the turret walls and the rear hull plate which require putty. The decals is one of the worst for a mainstream kit with out-of-register printings. And, apparently, like their M10 kit, the turret is rather inaccurate although I don't have any means to verify the claim. Anyway it does look like an Achilles's turret so there. It is nevertheless a very buildable kit and recommended to all. Of course, if you want to have an easier build, there' always the newer Tamiya kit of the same vehicle!

High Flyer

Historical Background

In January 1939 the Soviet VVS issued a specification for a high-altitude fighter with inline engine. The aircraft, initially designated I-200 was designed by the Polikarpov Design Bureau. When Nikolay Polikarpov fell out of favour with Stalin, the Soviet authorities created a new Experimental Construction Section headed by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. Further work on the I-200 was assigned to the two and were later recognised as its designers. Now known as the MiG-1, the aircraft was designed using wood and steel tubings to minimise the usage of light alloys. It had some serious defects however, including inadequate visibility while taxiing, heavy controls, poor longitudinal stability and easily entering into an unrecoverable spin. Continual improvements were done throughout the production run but were not immediately implemented on the production line. Instead, they were incorporated into the fourth prototype. After testing and passing State acceptance trials, they were incorporated in the 101st I-200/MiG-1 built and the aircraft was now renamed MiG-3. The first MiG-3 was completed on 20 December 1940.

The changes however resulted in an aircraft over 250 kg heavier than the MiG-1, which reduced maneuverability and field performance. Despite that, the MiG-3 can fly at 640 km/h at 7,200 meters - faster than the Bf 109F-2. However speed decayed to 505 km/h at sea level while the 'Friedrich' could do 515 km/h. Unfortunately the low and medium levels were where most aerial combat took place on the Eastern Front where the MiG lost its speed advantage. The loaded weight of the MiG was also higher than the Bf 109 and it was less maneuverable due to its higher wing loading. Despite being designed as a high-altitude fighter, it has poor climb rate. Aerial gunnery was also difficult because of instability at high speeds. Standard armament consists of a single UBS 12.7 mm machine gun and two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns. Considered underpowered, 821 aircraft were then fitted with a 12.7 mm UBK machibe gun pod under each wing - this further lowered the speed by 20 km/h at all altitudes. Some pilots decided to remove the extra weapons. Other aircraft were armed with just the ShKAS machine guns but were fitted to carry RS-82 rockets.

On 22 June 1941, most of the MiG-3s delivered to the V-VS were placed within the Leningrad, Baltic, Western, Kiev and Odessa Military Districts. These aircraft fought at a disadvantage as combat took place at medium and low altitudes. Plus, shortage of ground attack aircraft forced it into that role, for which it was totally unsuited. By the time of the commencement of Operation Taifun, most V-VS MiGs were transferred to the PVO where their lack of performance at low altitude was not so serious. Even so, none of the MiGs remain with the PVO by January 1945. 3,400 units of the aircraft were built. Production was terminated in 1942 following Stalin's telegram to the directors of Zavod N.1 demanding increased production of Il-2 Shturmoviks. Despite its bad reputation aces such as Aleksandr Pokryshkin scored their early victories while flying the MiG-3. 

The Kit

Trumpeter was (and still is) a very profilic producer of model kits especially in the period between the mid-noughties until mid-2010s. They first came up with a model of the MiG-3 in 1/48 scale, an 'Early Version' of the MiG-3 in 2007. This was followed by the 'Late Version' in 2008. The 82 parts are spread among five sprues, one of them in clear plastic. Surface detail is generally nice and crisp although the fabric representation on the control surfaces look exaggerated. The infamous Trumpeter rivet is not as prominent in this (cf. their 1/72 Thud kit) - probably because of the larger scale. The interior is quite OK although the tubular frame is moulded-on with the side walls. Details on the instrument panel is somewhat ambiguous at the bottom of it. The front fuselage is made up of four parts and I suspect some struggle during assembly (more on that later). The decals provide markings for three aircraft:

- Winter-camouflaged 'Black 7' with 'For Stalin!' slogan. This aircraft was shown with additional guns in nacelles underneath the wings but the relevant parts are not included in the kit;

- 'White 12' in green with black nose; and

- 'White 95' in two-tone green.

Construction

As usual with aircraft kits, work started at the cockpit. And as per my usual style, the parts were painted while still on the tree. While Trumpeter has GSI H70 (RLM02) as the interior colour (and for the entirety of the cockpit), I chose to paint it blue-grey using a mix of Tamiya XF-22 RLM Grey and X-14 Sky Blue. The instrument panel is supposedly entirely in black but I chose to have just the instrument faces in that colour. The side boxes and some details were also painted Flat Black. The radio rack was also painted and assembled. The tail wheel was glued into place before closing the up the fuselage - otherwise it will be impossible to do so with the fuselage halves mated. Guess what? The lower half did not want to meet, leaving quite a sizeable gap which need to be addressed with putty. The placement of the radio deck in the instructions is very misleading and might confuse a modeller (it should be behind the pilot's seat, not inside the canopy fairing!).

The wing assembly is next. The upper and lower wing halves were cemented without fuss. The inserts for the wing root intakes fit OK with the rest of the wing although I suspect some fiddly handling during the mating of the wing assembly with the fuselage. The wing was then mated to the fuselage - it was a very tight fit but a bit of wedging here and there allowed the wings in place. As expected, some filling was needed between the intake insert and the wing root. The rear of the wing assembly also need to be in line with the corresponding surface on the rear fuselage as there were no hook or projection whatsoever to secure the two areas. Because of its position, the radiator faces and the intake and exhaust areas were painted first before assembly. The upper nose fairing did not fit exactly with the main assembly - but that's Okay as apparently many of the real aircraft have the same characteristics!

Painting and Decalling

After deciding to do 'Black 7', I proceeded to paint the lower fuselage first. Trumpeter suggested Gunze H20 Light Blue - a colour which I don't have in hand. To approximate AII Light Blue, I used Tamiya XF-23 Light Blue and gradually add XF-8 Flat Blue until looks about right. The upper fuselage need to be painted a base colour first, for the white camo to stick. I used XF-5 Flat Green. masking material was applied to the wing roots, weapon troughs and the leading edge of the wings before the upper fuselage was sprayed Tamiya TS-27 Flat White. The diagonal red patch at the wing tips were painted a mix of Vallejo Flat Red and Flat yellow to approximate the recommended Insignia Red. The decals were then applied. They are thin and lie nicely upon the surface. They are however translucent and this showed up like a sore thumb when the fuselage red stars were laid on the black arrow flash. To reduce the discrepancy, I trimmed numbers 9 and 5 from the red stars for option 3 of the markings and applied them over the original stars.

Finishing

The masking material was removed and the border between the white and the underlying green were cleaned / messed up further using dots of XF-2 Flat White and XF-5 Green. The model then received a neutral wash using Mr. Weathering Color Multi Grey. Pin wash was done using further application of the same some for the white areas and Ak Interactive paneliner for the lower fuselage. Exhaust marks were added using Tamiya Weathering Master Soot. The more fragile parts, such as the radio aerial, the rocket launchers, the main landing gear, tail wheel covers, propeller and the pitot tube were then cemented into place. Oh at this time, I realised that the main landing gear doors were scale-thick and the portion stuck with the gears were way simplified.. The model then was sprayed with Gunze Flat Top Coat. The masking for the clear pasrts were then removed, finishing the build.

Conclusion

While Trumpeter's MiG-3 kit is well moulded,and engineered, it was not a Tamiya, There wasn't really a problem with the build - you just need a bit of experience and this kit was not exactly suitable for entry-level modellers. The one particular unnecessary over-engineering is the radiator air intake - causing gaps if built according to instructions and fiddly to adjust if you add them after mating the wings to the fuselage. Fit was also slightly off with the kit, especially between the upper fuselage panel and the windscreen and the upper panel with the main fuselage. Nevertheless, overall, it is a good kit and should present no big challenge to seasoned modellers.

Back To Front Hunter

Historical Background

Early in World War 2, the British Army was keen to upgrade their anti-tank capabilities. This was realised by the introduction of the 6-pounder anti-tank gun. The authorities however realised that this weapon would soon be outclassed by better German panzers and as a result,  the even more powerful 17-pounder gun was put into service. Entering service as a towed artillery piece, it was a heavy and cumbersome weapon to be moved around quickly. Therefore, a decision was made in the middle of 1942 to mount the weapon on a tracked chassis. Initially, it was proposed that the Bishop self-propelled howitzer be used as a basis. It came to nothing as the Bishop used the Crusader cruiser tank chassis which lacked adequate armour. In the end, the Valentine tank was chosen as although it was an obsolescent design, it was still in production and also quite large to accommodate the large 17-pounder gun.

With the chassis chosen, work on the project can begin. By March 1943, two pilot vehicles were completed; and since the hull of the Valentine was not big enough to support the gun in a revolving turret, the gun was mounted on a simple, low and open-topped armoured box. One of the pilot vehicles however has its gun mounted facing to the rear. For the next two months the two prototypes were put through their paces and eventually the unorthodox rear-facing mount was chosen because it made the overall length of the vehicle shorter and apparently held a tactical advantage of firing at a pursuing enemy while the vehicle is being driven away. To speed up assembly, the new vehicle, dubbed the Archer (or formally as the SP 17-pounder, Valentine), used as much components as existing Valentine tanks.

In general the Archer resembled the German panzerjagers by having a fixed casemate. It was sloped, open-topped (exposing the crew to the elements and battlefields hazards such as exploding bombs and shells) and multi-faceted . The gun shield is separate and allowed a traverse of 11° and elevation between -7.5° to +15°. 39 rounds of 17-pounder ammo were carried. While the rear-facing armament also confer some balance, the breech recoiled quite close to the driver's head who either had to exit the vehicle immediately upon reaching firing position (to avoid risking decapitation) or remain in place so that the vehicle can be re-sited at a moment's notice. Crew consisted of four persons (driver, commander, gunner and loader).

Although the prototype was ready in April 1943 and trials began immediately, production was slow to start due to issues that needed to be addressed. A total of 800 vehicles was ordered but the in only entered service in October 1944. By that time other 17-pounder armed vehicles such as the Achilles, Sherman Firefly and the Challenger have entered service and the order was reduced to 655 vehicles. As the Archer was designated a self-propelled gun, it was operated by the Royal Artillery (along with the Achilles). As the Allies were on the offensive by that time in the war, the Archer was more used to provide fire support and secure the flanks against counterattacks. The Archer remained in use with the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) until mid-1950s. Some 200 were sold to Egypt post-war and saw action during the Suez Crisis in 1956.

The Kit

While the basic Valentine tank in 1/35 has been offered by various kit manufacturers over the years, its derivatives such as the Archer did not receive the same kind of attention. Accurate Armour of Scotland came up with a resin kit in 1996 and was followed by an unlicensed plastic copy by Maquette of Russia in 2002. Bronco came up with their kit in 2011. While welcome, this is one of those high-hundreds parts kits with tiny PE parts galore which are not to everyone's taste. Last year, Tamiya came up with their version of the Archer. Expected to be based on Tamiya's own Valentine kit, the Archer only shares the link-and-length track with the Valentine while the rest of the parts are entirely new. Unusually for Tamiya, all the wheels are to be cemented in place instead of the use of poly caps. The small decal shet provide markings for two Archers : a Canadian from the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, North-West Europe and a Polish gun from the 2nd Polish Corps in Italy.

Construction

While construction for most AFV kits were started at the suspension or driving parts, the Archer kit starts with the lower hull. This was however of the separate panels variety and not Tamiya's usual 'tub' style. The driver's compartment was built up and painted although I didn't add any weathering for the more obscured areas. The separate hull panels were matched up and there was no risk of an asymmetrical hull as the parts fit snugly.  Some basic parts for the fighting compartment were next - they mainly consists of ammo racks, panelling and the engine firewall. The suspension was next. They are pretty straightforward (after all, it's simpler in construction). However, do take note the orientation of the bogies on the hull as you might mix them up. The link-and-length tracks is easy to install but you have to take not the placement of the single-piece upper run. Also, the I found that the track run is one link less than required in the diagram.

Construction then moved back to the fighting compartment. The upper hull was first affixed to the lower hull and then the gun carriage was assembled. The carriage was designed so that it is glued to the floor of the compartment while the upper part is clicked into place so that it can swivel like the real thing. Other stuff in the lower half of the fighting compartment was assembled and was the entire lower  half was painted. The splinter shields were then cleaned up, painted first and the stuff set on tthem were cemented afterwards. Some weathering on the interior was also done at this time. A decision also has to be made here as marking option A has a tube affixed on the front (or was it rear?) splinter shield. To avoid mishandlings, the aerial base (Part D38) was left off at this time.

Finally, construction moved back to the exterior. However there aren't much to do at this juncture - just the gun barrel, some storage boxes and the exhaust. The last-mentioned was assembled but not fixed to the hull at this time. The gun is a one-pieve affair with two-piece muzzle break. The joint between the muzzle half definitely needed clean-up while the barrel needed a light sanding to remove the quite visible mould seams. The gun shield/mantlet is a two-piece assembly and to ease matching it to the gun carriage, the top half (Part B3) was left off. Once the glue has cured, Part B3 can be added.

Painting and Decalling

Tamiya have you paint the model XF-61 Dark Green but I believe the actual colour is SCC 15 Olive Drab. I used Mark Starmer's formula for it. However, due to lack od a certain paint in my stock, I have to revert to his older mix of  5 parts XF-61, 2 parts XF-62 and 2 parts XF-3. And, as mentioned before, the interior parts were painted while still on the sprue and were then touched-up after assembly. The tracks were painted a base of Ak Interactive Track Base and were then washed with an application of AK Interactive track wash. The exhaust were given a base of Mr. Color Burnt Iron, a random application of XF-64 Red Brown and and a final layer of Tamiya Weathering master Rust. As for markings, I chose the Canadian option. The decals went on without any problems. Afterwards, the model received a basic wash.

Finishing

Post-painting, the weren't much to do at this point as most of the parts were already affixed in place. The exhaust were assembled and added to the model - the portions have quite a tight fit and a bit fiddly during assembly. The towing cables and the v-shaped thingie were put in place and that's about it. I however decided not to add the figures (just their helmets though) but instead I added flimsies from the Bronco British Field Accessories Set and a couple of ammunition boxes from Bronco 17-Pounder Ammunition Set. Further weathering work was done on the lower hull - mainly adding mud from Vallejo and Wilder and adding Fresh Mud Wash from AK Interactive. Weathering Pencils, also from AK Interactive were also used to add dirt and rain streaks on the model. A length of guitar string was used to replicate the radio aerial. There should be two of them but I just made one. A final coat of Flat Clear finishes the build.

Conclusion

There aren't many model kit manufacturers offering the Archer and I am grateful that Tamiya was one of those who did. Although there are omissions and some parts were simplified, what was there in the box is perfectly adequate, especially for casual or new modellers. Now, on the heels of their M10 and Achilles kits, I hope Tamiya will come up with a model of the M36 tank destroyer.

Easy Eight

Historical Background

The US Army followed the events in Europe 1939-1940 and decided that their current medium tank the M2, was obsolete to face contemporary battlefield challenges and designed the M3 Medium Tank (later nicknamed Lee/Grant). The M3 was a stop-gap measure, with the main 75 mm gun in a right-side sponson with limited field of fire. In late August 1940, the Ordnance Department submitted characteristics for a new design to replace the M3. Development of the prototype was delayed to allow the M3 design to be finished and enter production. On 18 April 1941, the Ordnance Department chose the simplest design, called the T6. It was basically a modified M3 hull and chassis and mounted a fully-rotating turret armed with the M3 75 mm gun. The design borrowed many features from existing tank design such as the vertical volute spring suspension, rubberised track links and the usage of Continental R975 radial engine. The T6 prototype was completed on 2 September 1941 and production commenced in the next month.

The production M4s were kept as close as possible to the M3, including the tracks, suspension and transmission. The hull upper hull however was changed to cast type and the side entry door was eliminated. The lower hull was made of large welded parts with the bogies bolted to the hull to ease maintenance and repair. The upper hull was cast for the M4A1 version and welded for the rest of the variants (plus the cast front and welded rear 'composite hull' M4). The M4 was powered by a Continental R975 air-cooled radial petrol engine rated at 400 hp. 660 liters of petrol was carried, allowing a range of 195 km. Later versions was powered by Ford V8 petrol or General Motors diesel engine. The frontal armour was 51 mm thick while the turret front was between 64 mm to 76 mm, The front upper hull was angled at 56 degrees with the lower half rounded, making the armour effective against most early war anti-tank weapons. Even so, the early versions had shot traps, located just in front of the driver and co-driver's positions.

The M4, nicknamed Sherman (after General William Tecumseh Sherman) was originally armed with a L/40 M3 75 mm gun. The standard M61 round fired by this gun can penetrate 87 mm of RHA at 100 meters and 70 mm at 1,000 meters, sufficient to destroy Panzer IIIs and IVs. After protracted development, the Sherman was later armed with a more powerful M1/M1A2 76 mm gun, in a new T23 turret, giving it at least a parity with L/48-armed Panzer IVs. The main armament was backed by two Browning M1919 machine guns; one co-axial with  with the main gun and another in the hull. 60 rounds was provided for the main gun with the machine guns shared 4,750 rounds between them. For anti-aircraft and further anti-infantry/soft-skin capability, a Browning M2 12.7 mm machine gun can be mounted on the roof.  The Sherman was manned by a crew of five: commander, gunner, loader, driver and assistant driver/hull gunner. Each of the crew members had a periscope to allow 360-degree view of the outside.

Production began at the Lima Locomotive Works, Lima, Ohio with all the first production tanks going to the British Army. By the end of the war, ten other production lines were opened, delivering some 48,000 M4s. The Sherman was produced in a  number of variants but the most produced ,a nd the preferred model by the US Army was the M4A3. The M4A3 was basically the same with the M4 but was powered by a Ford GAA V-8 engine. The early M4A3s were armed with a shorter (L/31) M2 75 mm gun, which was later replaced with the L/40 M3 gun. Late versions of the M4A3 was armed with the more powerful M1/M1A1 76 mm gun. Work was also done to improve the Sherman's ride qualities and  this resulted in the finalization of the Horizontal Volute-Spring Suspension or HVSS.  Wider track was also included with the HVSS system. While this resulted in a heavier and wider vehicle, the ground pressure is reduced. The HVSS was applied to the late M4A3 variant and resulted in the M4A3(76)W HVSS or M4A3E8. The latter designation, coupled with the easier ride of the HVSS gave rise to the 'Easy Eight' nickname for this variant. A total of 2,617 M4A3E8 were built between by Detroit Tank Arsenal between August 1944 and April 1944.

The Sherman was originally issued in small numbers to familiarise the US Armored Divisions. American Shermans saw their first combat during Operation Torch in November 1942. The M4A1 (and the original M4) were the prime variants used by the US Army until the introduction of the M4A3 with a more powerful (500 hp) engine. The Easy Eight saw their first action during The Battle Of The Bulge. As individual tanks, the Sherman was inferior to the German tanks such as the Panther being weakly armed (at least for the early version) and thinly armoured. As a type however, it was superior to the German panzers, being reliable, easy to maintain and more mobile than the ponderous Tigers. Easy Eight were retained by the US Army post-World War 2 and saw combat again during the Korean War.

The Kit

In the 1970s, Tamiya came up with their kit of the Easy Eight and it is suffice to say that it is a collector's item. Although Tamiya released a number of new mould 'mainstream' M4A3s in the late 90s and the early Noughties, the M4A3E8 remain unkitted by them. In 2014, they released the re-boxed Asuka kit and eventually, in 2015, they released their own kit of the Easy Eight. This kit is packed inside a rather small (for a 1/35 WW2-era medium tank kit) box. Opening up the box, there are just six olive-colored sprues, one clear sprue, lower hull, turret shell, a pair of band-style rubber tracks, decals, poly caps and the instruction sheet. Obviously many parts, especially the HVSS were simplified, but the existing details are sufficient for many modellers. The relevant parts also has convincing cast texture moulded. Being a Tamiya kit, I don't expect any complications during construction. The decal sheet markings for two Easy Eights (the difference between the two is that one of them sports a blacked-out Allied Star).

Construction

Instead of a single hull pan, Tamiya has the lower hull as a multi-part assembly. The left and right side pieces have a further sub-piece which need to be cemented first. The joint between the side pieces and the bottom piece is reinforced by part P2. Apparently the engine bulkhead, Tamiya moulded holes in it for the non-existant engine (although they may be useful for those who wants more details for their model). The rear hull panel were next. No problem here but Tamiya apparently forgot to include the engine access door in their instructions. The part is however easily identified on the sprue. Moving to the transmission cover, I lost Part L9 to the Carpet Monster and have to fashion a replacement (badly!) using scrap plastic. The exhaust deflectors were assembled but I couldn't orient them in place. I'm not sure myself, but I think that the position for R17 and R18 should be swapped (either that or I somehow got it wrong while trying to insert it in place!). In the end, I just cut off the tabs and glued the deflector in place.

As mentioned before, the HVSS suspension is one of the items simplified in the Tamiya kit. While this means no articulation and lesser details, it makes up for a quick and hassle-free build. The main suspension unit consists of just four parts per bogie (not including the wheels and the mount). They were quickly assembled but for a short while was set aside as I wanted to do some weathering on the lower hull. The tracks were painted beforehand using AK Interactive Track Primer, followed by the same company's Track Wash. The tracks were later drybrushed silver. The ends can be joined together using regular hobby cement but I stick to using cyanoarcyclate glue. The tracks for my kit is a bit warped at the ends but it was easily rectified by cement. They fit without problem and the orientat

The upper hull is designed so that it can be attached to the lower without cement. Tamiya did this by using a clip at the front and a large pin which slots into a poly cap arrangement at the rear. The hull sponson, which was hollow in previous Tamiya (in-house) Sherman kits is closed by the fenders. The latter is also made stable with a spacer. Holes for the lifting lugs at the front hull were the drilled. And just to get the repetitive out of the way, the fender braces were cemented first. Since I intended to have the crew hatches shut, the periscopes were left off. While the front lifting lugs were moulded 'whole', the rear pair were moulded in half, and were to be cemented to stubs on the rear deck. Most of the fittings on the upper hull were then cemented but I temporarily left the pioneer tools and spare track links off to ease painting. The rear hull rack, while assembled, was also left off at this time. The upper hull was then attached to the lower hull. I applied a bit of Tamiya Thin Cement to close the few tiny gaps along the joint.

Painting and Decalling

There is just one colour used for US World War 2 era vehicles. This time I used Vallejo Air 743 Olive Drab. I was thinking of adding a brown filter after the initial paint layer has dried but apparently (according to Tamiya), late-war OD have a more greenish hue than the OD used earlier. So I ditched the brown filter. Wash solution from AK Interactive was then used to visually raise the details. The tools were also painted while still on the sprue although I used sand yellow to paint the wooden handles. Once dried, brown wash was used to make them look more like wood. Afterwards, it was time for the decals. As mentioned before, the markings selection is very bland with just two anonymous Easy Eights from the 4th and the 5th Armoured Divisions. While the majority of M4A3E8s at the time were indeed devoid of personalised markings, I wonder why didn't Tamiya pick the ones with those markings. I tried to make it look more interesting by using markings from the 4th AD with the blacked out US stars on the turret. With just four pieces of decals, this process took less than 10 minutes! 

Finishing

I brown-washed a pair of wood piece and placed them on the front of the hull (the bracket of this purpose has already been moulded in place). The model then received the usual wash and I tried the streaking method for this model. The running gear and the tracks received a rather thick pasting of Vallejo Dark Mud. Parts where the muddy boots of the crew stepped on the tank were splattered with a light mud solution. Afterwards, tank supplies using parts from Academy, Tamiya, Hero and the stash were placed on the relevant parts of the model. To hang the stuff on the turret, I cemented a length of plastic rod on the right side of the turret. I then robbed the metal tow cable from my broken Dragon M4A3(76) and placed it on the model. The commander's machine gun and the gun cradle were replaced with spares from Dragon's Sherman Firefly The original kit's cradle was cut and replaced. Since the I chose the markings for a tank in Bastogne during the Battle Of The Bulge,, I think I wanted to add some 'snow'. Using a mixture of water and white glue as adhesive, I sprinkled (and also mixing it with the aforementioned adhesive) sodium bicarbonate on the tracks, road wheels and at various points on the model.

Conclusion

If you want to punish yourself build an intricate kit with all the bells, whistles and screws, this model is not for you. The Tamiya kit is geared towards the more casual crowd (or those seeking relief after building 1,000+ parts kits). Anyway, admittedly mre simplified than its rivals, the Tamiya kit of E8 does have sharp and nice enough details. The letdown in this kit (to my viewpoint) is the rather uninspired markings chosen. This was can however be an advantage: being rather nondescript, you can work to your heart's content with regards to additional items you want to add to the model.

Gunboat Gustav

Historical Background

The Bf 109 has its origins in the 1933 study by the Technisches Amt (C-Amt) department of the Reichluftfahrtministerium. The study outlined four broad categories for future combat aircraft. One of them, Rüstungsflugzeug III, was for a single-seat fighter/short-range interceptor. The new fighter was to have a top speed of 400km/h at 6,000 meters, with a flight duration of 90 minutes. Power was to be provided by the Junkers Jumo 210 engine of 700hp. Armament would consists of a single 20mm MG C/30 engine-mounted cannon, firing through the propeller hub, or two cowl-mounted 7.92mm machine guns, or a single lightweight MG FF 20mm cannon with two 7.92mm machine guns.The aviation companies Arado, Heinkel and Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW), who was headed by Willy Messerschmitt, received the development contract in February 1934 whilst Focke Wulf received theirs in September of the same year. A proviso was made that the Jumo 210 engine would be interchangeable with the more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 600.

All participants were asked to deliver three prototypes for testing in late 1934. Messerschmitt's design, the P.1034 was begun in March 1934 and the first prototype was ready by January 1935. However the Jumo 210 engines were not yet ready. In order to get the competing prototypes into the air, the RLM acquired Rolls-Royce Kestrel VI engines allowing the P.1034 (given the RLM type designation Bf 109) to fly in May 1935. The Jumo engines were finally available in late summer 1935, allowing prototype V2 to be completed in October 1935. The Bf 109 eventually prevailed against its rivals, especially the Heinkel He 112; being faster, and having superior climb and dive performance. The Bf 109 was first shown to the public when prototype V1 was flown during the Berlin 1936 Olympics.

The Bf 109A was the first production version, powered by a Junkers Jumo 210B or D engine and armed with two cowl mounted MG 17 7.92mm machine guns. This was followed by the serial production Bf 109B, armed with the same armament although some aircraft were fitted with the engine mounted machine gun. Prototype V8 was fitted with two MG 17s in the wings and in prototype V8, 20mm MG FF cannons were fitted. Both Bf 109A and B models were tested under combat conditions during the Spanish Civil War. The A and B models were followed by the C, D and a major redesign in 1938 resulted in the E model. A second major redesign in 1939-1940 resulted in the F series. The Friedrichs have a streamlined nose with a half-elleptical spinner. The type also omitted the stabiliser support struts while all weapons were concentrated in the forward fuselage.

This was followed by the G ('Gustav') model, introduced in the middle of 1942. The initial variants (G-1 through G-4) only have minor differences with the F model but most notably the use of the more powerful (1,455 hp) Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. Other modifications to the G included a reinforced wing structure, an internal bullet-proof windscreen, heavier and welded framing for cockpit transparencies and additional armor for the fuel tank. Odd-numbered variants were designed as high altitude interceptors with pressurised cockpit and GM-1 (nitrous oxide) boost while even-numbered variants were unpressurised air superiority fighter and fighter-bombers. Later variants (G-5 to G-14) were produced with uprated armaments and provision for factory-supplied equipment/weapons package known as Umrüst-Bausätze (adding the suffix '/U' to the aircraft designation). Field modification kits known as Rüstsätze were also available.  

Armament initially consist of a pair of 7.92 mm MG17 on the upper deck and a 20 mm MG 151/20 Motorkanone firing through the propeller hub. From G-5 onwards, the MG 17s were replaced with 13 mm MG 131s. As the latter has a larger breechblock, resulting in a bulged fairing, the Gustav was nicknamed Die Beule (the bulge). Additional Rüstsätze kit for bomber-destroying missions include R5 (two 30 mm MK 108 cannons in underwing pods) and R6 (two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons in underwing pods). While increasing the Bf 109's lethality, it has an adverse effect on handling qualities, reducing its performance in fighter vs fighter combat. The G-6 can also be armed with a pair of Werfer-Granate 21 rocket system, intended to be employed at a stand-off range against Allied bomber formations.

While faster than the 'F' model, the Gustav was less maneuverable and its introduction into service coincides with the reversal in fortune for Germany, mainly fighting a defensive war. More than 10,000 Gustavs were built, making it the most numerous of Bf 109 variants. Apart from the Luftwaffe, the Bf 109G was also used by Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Romania. Spain also built licensed copies as Hispano HA-1112 while Czechoslovakia built copies as Avia S-99 and S-199.

The Kit

Hasegawa kit JT47 was a 1998 version of their 1997 'Bf 109G-6 'Hartmann'' kit which in turn was a modified version of the earlier G dan F series in Hasegawa's 1/48 stable. The parts were spread among nine grey and one clear plastic sprues with a number of parts being marked as 'not for use' (belonging to other marks of the Bf 109). Sprue B is absent as it represents the F/early G cowling with the smaller openings for the MG17 machine guns. The parts display Hasegawa's usual quality of nicely done details whether raised or engraved.  Decals provide markings for two kanonenvogels (Bf 109G with the R6 field modification kit):

1. Obersleutnant Alfred Grislawski, J.Gr.50; and

2. Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Bartels, 11./ JG27

The kit can also be made into a plain G-6 simply by leaving the MG 151/20 cannon pods off and using aftermarket decals (well, thank you, Capt. Obvious). 

Construction

As always, construction started at the cockpit. Hasegawa's cockpit consists of 10 parts; detail is so-so and I felt that more could be done by Hasegawa here (like the seat for example). The parts were painted RLM 66 Schwarzgrau using Tamiya XF-63 German grey whilst still on the sprue and were touched up after assembly. No decals were provided for the instrument panel but they do have raised detail here that can be dry-brushed to 'pop-up' the details (I didn't do it - I just dab white paints here and there as 'instrument faces'). The fuselage was joined using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. Afterwards the instrument panel and the completed cockpit were cemented into place. Certain access hatches on the starboard fuselage were puttied and sanded as per the instructions. The upper nose cowling was put in place although the machine gun barrels were left off for the time being. The supercharger air intake was assembled and cemented but the sand filter was left off as I have not decided which markings I intended to do at this time. There is also an errata sheet as the original instruction had the 'plain' beule placed on the right-hand side of the fuselage. 

Next, the wing assembly. I first painted the inside surface of the radiator cooler intake RLM 76 (the fuselage colour) and the grills in Mr Color 28 Steel. As the Gustav uses larger tyres, bulges were present on the upper wing surface and Hasegawa has you drill holes in order to accommodate the said bulges. This however resulted in marred wheel wells which need to be puttied over; I just let it be as nobody is going to lift the model up and peer underneath it! Extra panel lines were also needed to be engraved on the upper wing surfaces. There are faint lines at the area required so I placed a Dymo tape and engrave the new lines. The elevator trim tabs also needed modification and I simply place the tailplanes against the drawing in the instructions (they are in 1/48), mark the area and cut the excess plastic off.

Painting and Decalling

Both marking options have the standard Luftwaffe mid-war camouflage of RLM74/75/76. The model was painted overall RLM 76 at first, using the Tamiya mix of 7 parts XF-2 Flat White, 1 part XF-23 and 2 parts XF-66 Light Grey. By this time I really have to decide which marking to finish the model. I eventually chose Grislawksi's Gustav simply because he scored more kills than Bartels! With the selection process out of the way, the 74/75 pattern of Grislawksi's can be applied to the model. I originally wanted to use Vallejo Air but reverted to using Mr. Hobby RLM 75 as the Vallejo version is way too dark. I however think that Vallejo's version of RLM 74 is close enough and used it. As usual with mottled Jerman camouflage pattern, I tried to recreate the illusion of airbrush-applied mottling by varying the viscosity of the respective paints and from six feet away, it looks good enough! About the mottling - the instructions did not correspond with the box art and the finished example PLUS photos of the real plane! I should have followed my head!

As the kit dates back to 1998, the whites of the decals has that ivory shade and for my copy, suffers from some yellowing due to age. The former was left as it was but leaving the decals in direct  sunlight for several days helped cure most of the yellowing. Also, probably also due to age, the decals took a bit longer to come loose from the backing paper. There is also a mistake with the instructions as it has the skeletal Balkankreuz for Grislawski's plane (the photo on the box side has the black and white one). I simply Google for photos of the particular plane where it shows it having the Black-and-White Balkankreuz upon which I acted accordingly. The port wing Balkankreuz however flipped upon itself a bit and I was unable to flip it back correctly. I therefore had to retouch the cross with white paint and to make them look symmetrical, retouched the Balkankreuz on the starboard wing too!

Finishing

The model received some wash into the panel lines at first. This was followed by adding some weathering effects specifically some residue marks, exhaust soot and some paint chipping; the last were made mainly on the port wing root, leading edge of the wing and the propeller blades. I originally anted to add fuel spill effect on the drop tank but eventually decided not to. The smaller and more fragile parts were then cemented onto the model such as the gun barrels, the pitot tube, the radio aerial and even the gunsight (I prefer to cement the latter during the finishing process to avoid mishandling and loss inside the fuselage; besides, the cockpit opening is large enough to handle the part). A few more finishing touches aere like....painting the flying lights (which sometimes I forgot to do!). A final coat of Flat Clear finishes the build.

Conclusion

Hasegawa's Gustav 109s can still hold its own despite the introduction of the more modern kits from Eduard and Tamiya. The build is simple enough that novices can try their hand although more advanced modellers might want to dress up their model with aftermarket parts or use the newer kits. My issues with the kit  is concerned with the off-white colour of the decals and the lack of details in the cockpit. Oh, also don't trust the instructions 100%!