Italian Cavalry Scout

Historical Background

In 1938, the Italian Royal Army (Regio Esercito), issued a request for a new armoured car to replace the Lancia IZM, basically a souped-up version of the 1918-vintage Lancia-Ansaldo cars. The IZM was however underpowered and had poor off-road capability. Ansaldo-Fossati came up with a four-wheel drive, four-wheel armoured car concept. The new vehicle need to fulfil the requirement for a fast and versatile car for colonial policing and and the army's cavalry. Production soon started in 1940 and the vehicle was given the designation Autoblinda 40, or AB 40. The main features of the AB 40 include all-riveted hull with sloped armour, rear-mounted engine and twin machineguns in a turret. The wheels can have the tyres removed and the car be used on rails. The two spare tyres were hanged in the way so that they can rotate freely and help in navigating rough terrain. The four-wheel drive, while revolutionary, was however quite troublesome. The AB 40 was however produced in small quantity: just 25. They were used during the Italian 'invasion' of southern France in June 1940 and afterwards they were sent to Libya.

In the Fall of 1940 however, a new requirement was issued. A modified version of the AB 40 was required, equipped with a 20mm Breda modello 35 autocannon. The easiest solution was to replace the original turret with the turret from the L6/40 light tank. Tests of the prototype was promising and the AB 40 on the production line was replaced with this version, dubbed AB 41 (after the year of first production, 1941).  Apart from the 20mm cannon, the AB 41 was armed with a co-axial 8mm Breda modello 38 machinegun. Another Breda 38 (a carryover from the AB 40) was retained on the rear of the crew compartment. A total of 456 20mm and 1,992 8mm rounds were carried. With the additional weight of the turret, a more powerful Fiat SPA ABM 6-cylinder petrol engine was needed. Rated at 120hp, the new engine allowed the Ab 41 to maintain a top speed of over 70km/h and the higher torque also offered better off-road capability. Range was a respectable 250 miles. The complicated drive system provided six forward and four reverse gears and to fully exploit the latter, a second driver was placed at the rear of the crew compartment (also a carryover from the AB 40). All AB 41s were equipped with radio and a long aerial, making them useful scout vehicles. Armour was also good (15mm for the front plate). The vehicle was not without flaws however, chiefly the one-man turret, unprotected fuel tank and the lack of interior bulkhead, making life unbearable for the crews in North Africa.

The AB 41 was used in all theatres of war in which Italian troops took part: North Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Front and the Italian homeland. They were issued to cavalry, Bersaglieri and the Polizia dell'Africa Italiana (Italian African Police). Like the AB 40, the AB 41 can be converted for railway patrol duty using a conversion kit, resulting in the Ferrovaria (railroad) version. The Ferrovaria was especially useful in the Balkans where the partisans were actively resisting the Axis occupiers. Following the Italian Armistice in September 1943, 57 AB 41s were confiscated by the Germans who renamed them Panzerspahwagen AB41 201(i). There are only two vehicles derived from the AB 41. The AS 42 Sahariana was basically a turretless AB 41 and developed for operations in hot and dry (read North Africa) combat conditions. Another version was the AB 43, armed with a  47mm Canone da 47/32 M35 anti-tank gun. Just 12 of the latter were produced before the armistice. Another 120 were built for the Germans. In total, 550 AB 41s were built.

The Kit

Despite being the most important Italian armoured car during World War 2, the AB 41 was not kitted by a mainstream manufacturer until 2005 when Italeri announced their kit. The kit comprised of 140 parts in tan-coloured plastic plus six rubber tyres. The usual decal sheet and instructions are there but no PE parts are included. However like Tamiya kits, the Italeri AB 41 has enough details to satisfy the average modeller. The details are well-moulded and I am very pleased with the embossed details on the side wall of the tyres. However, while all the doors and hatches can be posed open, there is no interior detail. The painting instructions are in colour and separate from the assembly instructions. The kit provide markings for five vehicles, including two German vehicles for those who won't build anything without a Black Cross (even the box art shows the German option!):

1. German Army, Aufkl.Abt.236, 162nd (Turkische) Infantry Division, Italy, early 1944
2. German Army, I./Elite-Polizei regiment, Bolzano, Italy, Summer 1944
3. Regio Esercito, Unknown unit, Sicily 1943
4. Regio Esercito, Lancireri di Montebello Regt, Rome, September 1943
5. Repubblica Sociale, Gruppe Corazzato Leonessa, Torino, Italy, early 1945

Construction

The build started at the chassis and Italeri provided a rather simple affair which consists of a horizontal 'pan', two sides and the ends. There are just small lips to align the parts but in the end, two u-shaped parts stabilises the joint. Next up were the suspension and steering mechanism. They are simpler than most other kits but care has to be taken since parts B8 and B9 have a tight fit and might snap if one is not careful (I end up enlarging the holes). More parts for the suspension were added to the kit. Again Fit of Parts B13 and B14 is fairly tight. To ease handling, Parts B15 and B16 were cemented directly to the chassis, rather than cementing them to Parts B13 and B14 first. This proved to be a blessing as it allows me to adjust the parts with Parts B18 and B20 (the brake drums). Should they be cemented as instructed, the brake drums might not fit properly. The suspension was finished by adding the drive shafts. While there is a notch at each wheel end of the assembly for positive placement, there were none for inside the chassis. The best way to fit this is by cementing the wheel ends and align the ends inside the chassis.

The hull of the kit was made up of multiple panels, rather than a basic shell onto which smaller panels are attached. First parts C22 and C24 are cemented to their respective sides of the walls. As the separate panels may lead to alignment issues, Italeri provided four cylindrical stiffeners, to be placed between the walls. These add some rigidity while building up the hull. However the locating pins are slightly too long and need to be trimmed. The bottom rear hull panel was then cemented. Before assembling the rest of the hull panels, the rear-facing machinegun was fitted into the upper rear panel; the design of the parts allow the machine gun to swivel freely in its place. There is a bit of fit problem between Parts 30C and 31C but a quick sanding work eliminated the problem. The rest of the panels did not have good fit but the open bottom made for some flexibility, allowing the joints mated better through finger pressure. For those who want to show off the headlights, you will be disappointed with this kit as the lenses and glasses are solid ( I simply place the covers in the closed position). There are a number of ejector pin marks but they are mostly at the wheel arches (all six of them) and are judged to be mostly hidden, so I left them as they were. 

Work on the turret was started by assembling the main armament. The breech end of the gun and also the machine gun is fairly simple but not really an issue as I'm going to close off all the hatches. The muzzle of the gun is separate and require care when cementing it to avoid seams. Apart from the machine gun and the main gun (and the telescopic sight), there isn't anything much inside the turret. There is a turret traverse wheel but since the turret hatch would be closed, I didn't put it in place. The wheels remain separate from the body and the tyres were not fitted to the wheels at this time. It's off to the paint shed.

Painting And Decalling

Italeri, like Tamiya, has a rather annoying habit (depending on your POV, really) of having only their paints in the colour callouts. Checking on instruction sheets available online, I painted the model a basic layer of 2:1 Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow and XF-59 Desert Yellow plus 20% white for scale effect. Afterwards it was time to decide which markings to use. The German vehicles were rejected out of hand, leaving the Italians. The 'Black Shirt' vehicle is simple, without camouflage patterns but para-military organisations are not really my cup of tea. That left the the two Army vehicles. I finally chose the Sicily-based vehicle as the pattern is less confusing than the other. The green is painted using a 60/40 mix of XF-65 Field Grey and XF-58 Olive Green while XF-64 Red Brown was used for the brown. Aftwerwards, the decals were applied and as usual the decals perform flawlessly. A thin layer of XF-57 Buff was then applied all over the model to 'tie-up' the colours.

Finishing

The smaller parts can now be fixed to the model. Due to some rather clumsy cutting, I clipped off the lower part of one of the horns; I however have run out of putty and reluctantly have to leave it as it is. Another clumsy handling resulted in one of the width indicator snapping off, and again, the carpet monster quickly grabbed it as it hit the floor. Replacing one meant replacing both of the indicators. Using the surviving piece as a guide, I cut 0.5mm plastic rod to size, drill a hole in each of the indicator bases and use leftover balls from a Legend Productions Merkava III update set. It look smaller than the original but perhaps it is more to scale. The pioneer tools were painted and fixed onto their places Finally the exhaust, after being painted Burnt Iron was fitted. Pin wash was then applied. The wheels and tyres were assembled and afterwards, I applied Tamiya Weathering Master Sand all over the wheels. Once completed, the wheels were mounted on the model.

Conclusion

Despite a number of issues (admittedly they are minor), the AB 41 kit has good enough details overall. Italeri are also to be commended for producing a model of a vehicle many mainstream manufacturers ignore - because of the lack of Black Crosses and unpronouncable names (even Tamiya, who has a licensing agreement with Italeri, only adopt the follow-on AB 43 kit, as the vehicle was almost exclusively used by the Germans!). The simple construction makes it very attractive and I believe there is a number of aftermarket goodies that can be used to spruce up this kit.  

Mr. Churchill's Tank

Historical Background

The Churchill tank has its origins in General Staff specification A20, which was intended as a replacement for the Matilda and Valentine tanks. In accordance with the British infantry tank doctrine, and the experience of trench warfare during World War I, the A20 was required to be able to traverse shell-cratered grounds and demolishing infantry obstacles and fixed enemy defences. For these purposes, high speed and heavy armament were not needed. The vehicle was initially specified with two Ordnance QF 2-pounder guns, each in a side sponson, together with a co-axial 7.92mm BESA machinegun. A third BESA and a smoke projector would located at the front of the hull. The specification was later revised to include a turret and drawings were made using the Matilda turret. 

The task to build the prototypes was given to Harland & Wolff, who completed four of them in June 1940. During that time, consideration was given whether to fit a heavier gun at the front of the hull namely a 6-pounder or the French 75mm gun. In the end, a 3-inch howitzer was chosen. The powerplant was the same as with the Covenantor tank: a 300 hp flat-12 Meadows engine, causing the 43-ton A20 to be underpowered. Vauxhall was approached to provide an alternative engine which they did, using a Bedford six-cylinder lorry engine, giving 350hp. With the fall of France and all that the German Blitzkrieg entailed, the trench warfare scenario was no longer applicable, causing the A20 design to be revised. Done by Henry Merritt, the Director of Tank Design at Woolwich Arsenal, it was based on combat experience in Poland and France. The new design specification, called A22 or Infantry Tank Mark IV was given to Vauxhall in June 1940. The A22 was given the name 'Churchill', which according to Winston Churchill, was not named after him, but his ancestor, Sir John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough.

The hull of the Churchill was made up of flat plates, which were bolted in early versions and welded for later marks. The hull was split into four compartments: driving, fighting, engine and transmission. The suspension has that Great War feeling (as with the French B1), being fitted under two large panniers on each side of the hull, with the track running over the top. There were 11 bogies for each side, each carrying two 10-inch wheels. The turret is originally of cast construction and rounded in shape, armed with a Ordnance QF 2-pounder gun. The Mark I carried a 3-inch howitzer in the hull, allowing it to fulfil its infantry tank function (the 2-pounder was not provided with HE shells, being mainly intended for anti-tank work). However as with the B1, the hull gun has poor field of fire and the entire tank has to be moved to aim the gun.The Mark II dispenses with the hull howitzer and replaced it with a BESA 7.92mm machinegun. 

The Mark III introduced the Ordnance QF 6-pounder gun, improving its anti-tank capability. The turret was also enlarged with a hexagonal shape and flat sides. This gave the Churchill a better anti-tank capability against Panzer III and IV it met in North Africa. Also at that theatre, a resourceful officer named Percy Lowell managed to fit American 75mm gun, from numerous knocked-out Shermans into a Mark IV turret, creating the NA75 variant. The gun has worse anti-tank capability than the 6-pounder but with greater versatility by being able to fire HE rounds. The US 75mm is however still weak against the improved Panzer IVs and a new 75mm gun was introduced on Mark VII, which also featured another new turret. The original armour of the Churchill was originally specified to be between 16-102mm (in fact, in 1941, it was the thickest, better than the Matilda II and the KV series). By the time the Mark VII entered service, the frontal armour has increased to 152mm, with only the armour of the King Tiger and the Jagdtiger surpassing it. The only downside was that the armour plate was flat, reducing its effectiveness as compared to sloped armour plate.

With the loss of so much heavy equipment and vehicles in France and with the threat of an imminent invasion, the War Office instructed that the Churchill had to enter production in one year's time. The design was frozen in July 1940, with prototypes completed in December and in June 1940, the first production Churchills rolled off the production line. However, because of its hasty development, the tank was plagued with problems with the engine being the most apparent being unreliable, underpowered and difficult to access for maintenance. The Churchill was first used during Operation Jubilee (the Dieppe Raid) on 19 August 1942. The Canadian 14th Army Tank Battalion (Calgary Regiment) took 60 Churchills for the raid. In the event, all were lost, either being destroyed or abandoned. In North Africa, six Churchill Mark IIIs (dubbed the Kingforce detachment) saw action during the Second Battle of El Alamein, where they proved the near-invincibility of their armour. Following the successful trial, the 25th Army Tank Brigade was sent to the theatre, taking part in the Tunisian campaign. In mainland Europe, the Churchills were the mainstays of British tank brigades, operating in support of the infantry.

The Churchill also provided the basis for a number of the specialised vehicles used for Operation Overlord, colloquially known as 'Hobart's Funnies' (after the 79th Armoured Division's commander, Major General Percy Hobart), namely the AVRE (Armoured Vehicle, Royal Engineers), Crocodile flamethrower tank and the ARK (Armoured Ramp Carrier). The Churchill even saw service during the Korean War, equipping C Squadron of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment. Apart from the UK, Canada and Poland, the Churchills were also operated by the Red Army during World War 2, receiving 258 Marks III and IV (another 43 was lost when U-Boats sank their transports). Post-war, the Churchill was also used by Ireland, Australia and Iraq. In 1943, an attempt was made to produce a 17-pounder armed variant. The larger gun required an enlargement of the hull, resulting in the Infantry Tank A43 Black Prince. Six prototypes were completed when World War 2 ended but the Black Prince project was abandoned when the A41 Centurion proved to be a more simple vehicle.

The Kit

Tamiya Military Miniatures Kit 35210 is actually a re-box of kit 35100 Churchill Crocodile flame tank originally released in 1977. The Churchill Mk. VII, released in 1996 is virtually the same kit as the 1977 release (the gun Churchill can also be made OOB using the Crocodile kit). Tamiya cleaned up the moulds, remove all the Crocodile-related parts and added a new sprue with four new figures (the original figures are still there though).  The parts are spread among five sprues, an upper and lower hull and two one-piece tracks. The plastic were moulded in dark green except the new figures sprue which was moulded in light gray. On first looks however the kit exhibited all the hallmarks of an earlier-era Tamiya kit, chiefly a rather light detailing, which compares poorly with AFV Club Churchills. However, at the time of writing, the Tamiya kit is the only late-mark Churchill in the market and unless AFV Club (or anybody else) announced a new Mark VII Churchill, this kit is the only one available. There are figures galore in this kit: three crew members and a farmer figure plus the original two figures (one crew and one infantryman). Also included is a farm cart and a small clear-moulded sprue for bottles. The kit provide markings for three tanks:

1. 'Ben Nevis', 6th Guards Tank Brigade, 3rd Tank Battalion Scots Guards

2. 'Briton', 34th Tank Brigade, 107th Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps

3. 'Iceni', 3st Tank Brigade, 9th Royal Tank Regiment

Construction

While normally construction starts with the suspension, the Churchill kit started with the front armor panel. Me being a traditionalist (sort of) jumped to Step 4, that is the suspension. Tamiya moulded all the wheels and springs together with the side sponsons. While this simplify the build, it sacrificed some details on this area. Yet, it was welcomed by me as the wheels alone were in the tens! And due to its design, the idler wheel would also have to be fitted at this stage. Only after then I moved back to the front armor panel. The hull machinegun was slotted into place and the stopper was glued behind it. This allows the machine gun to swivel freely and hopefully reducing the chance of it being broken during the build. Afterwards the glacis plate and the rear panel was put into place; the headlights were however left of at this time.

I then moved on to the upper hull. The upper hull is mainly a one-piece affair but with separate front fenders. The hatches for the driver/co-driver and the side hatches were first cemented to the hull. The engine air intake were assembled but only later I realised that the armoured plates on the intakes are post-war additions. The intake grilles were solid but since I add part B14, they were mostly hidden.  The exhaust are left off as it will be painted differently from the rest of the kit, and that also means that the exhaust fairing/cover will be placed later. The tow cable, spare track links, pioneer tools and cans were also left off. The upper hull was not glued at this time. I test-fit it on the lower hull, found the fit satisfactory i.e needing no filler and left it separate to ease painting and fitting of the tracks.

The turret, as usual was the last assembled before painting. The Mark VII's turret is a composite cast / welded construction (cast sides and welded roof) and I should have enhanced the cast texture (there is basically none actually OOB) before painting, and also replace the moulded tie-downs with wire. However, I have to mention here that the Churchill was started by me years ago, got sidetracked and was only restarted several weeks before. So in my 'excitement', I forgot to redo the cast texture. Also, I am not sure whether the roof of the turret is supposed to look as it was, or needing extra weld beads or whether the fit is real bad. I cemented the roof to the turret shell as it was. Also, when I originally build this kit, I did not intend to use any of the figures, so the hatches were glued shut. The stowage box at the rear of the turret was fixed last.

Painting and Decalling

I painted the model using Mike Starmer's mix of SCC15 Olive Drab of XF-61 Dark Green, XF-62 Olive Drab (I substituted it with Gunze OD) and XF-3 Flat Yellow. For markings I chose 'Briton' as it was the most vibrant of the three available. However the decals have been left outside the protective plastic for too long and they partly disintegrated when handled. This is especially with the tank registration numbers and the tank's nickname. Also, the latter should be placed on the upper half of the engine air intake; however because of the condition of the decals and that I misplaced the first decal for the name, it was placed on the lower half of the intake. The track was painted Flat black and then washed with AK Interactive's Track Wash. They were superglued and looped around the running gear. The upper hull was then mated to the lower half. A wash using black-brown mixture was then added.

Finishing

Although the kit figures were not used (and discarded), I end up adding a figure from Miniart's British Tank Crew Set. I was thinking of adding spare track links, leftovers from the Dragon Sherman Firefly, but there were just a few left that I feel that it wasn't worth it. The rolled tent/bedroll included in the kit were painted XF-57 Buff and then stuck to the turret sides. The tow cables and the kit's spare track links were mounted on their places on the sides of the hull. The jerrican and flimsies on the rear bumper was replaced with their counterparts from Bronco's British Field Accessories Set (the kit jerrican is of American pattern, plus like the jerricans of the Tamiya M16 featured previously, lacked some details; the flimsies were aneroxic and also lack details). Since the Bronco flimsies are larger, a little surgery was done to the mount. I also added a 25-pounder ammo box and a pair of 6-pounder ammo boxes, also from Bronco. I was thinking of adding camo nets but decided not to as the build has already taken too long a time. Further weathering was restricted to an application of Mig Productions European Dust pigment.

Conclusion

Tamiya's Churchill is an old kit and really has been surpassed by the more modern AFV Club kits. However, at the time of writing, it remains the only Mark VII available in the market. However, it is still good built out of the box and with extra effort, can be on par with the newer AFV Club Churchills.

  

The Meatchopper

Historical Background

Before World War 2, the US Army sought to improve the mobility of its forces. The Ordnance Department evaluated the half-track design by buying and testing the French Citroen-Kegresse P17. In 1931, the P17 concept was used in the T14 half-track which emerged as the M2 Half-Track. At the same time, the White Motor Company produced a prototype half-track using their own chassis and the body of the M3 Scout Car. It was longer than the M2 and was standardised in 1941 as the M3 Half-Track. The M3 was generally used as personnel carrier, shuttling infantry back and forth. It was however easily adaptable for other roles, from ambulance to self-propelled gun.

When the Army needed mobile anti-aircraft battery, the M3 was chosen as a basis. The first of a number of AA vehicles was the T1E4, standardised as the M13 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage on 27 July 1942. The M13 was armed with a pair of M2 12.7mm heavy machineguns, mounted on a M33 Maxson mount.  The turret itself was mounted on a powered turntable. The guns were fired electrically and were aimed with a Mark 9 reflector sight. A total of 1,103 M13s were built and they first saw action in Italy. However it was noted that the twin' Ma Deuces' lacked firepower and work began on a four-gun mount, designated T61. It was accepted into service as the M45 mount. The lower pair of guns was mounted slightly behind the upper pair in order to make space for the lower pair's ammo boxes. The new mount was tested on the M3 half-track designated T58 and was redesignated M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage after it was accepted into service. Production began in May 1943, replacing the M13 on the lines. The M16 was followed by the M17, which was based on the M5 Half-Track (the M17 replaced the M14, which was M5-based version of the M13)

The M16 was usually deployed alongside the M15 Combination Gun Motor Carriage (1x37mm, 2x12.7mm MG). They were grouped into Anti-Aircraft Artillery companies of US Armoured Divisions; 8 of each type per company. They were also used in AA battalions and Corps and Army Level, defending high-value locations such as Headquarters, bridges and railway junctions. The M16 first saw service also in Italy in early 1944 and defended the Anzio beach-head from Luftwaffe attacks. However, for the rest of the war, the Luftwaffe was no longer a force to be reckoned with and the M16 was mainly used in the infantry support role, earning it the gruesome nickname of 'The Meatchopper'. The M16 returned to its primary job during Operation Bodenplatte and also defending the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, following its capture by US troops in March 1945. The M16 saw limited use in the Pacific mainly on the Philippine island of Luzon. The M16 was one of the few WW2 half-tracks to see service post-1945. It was used during the Korean War, again as infantry support weapon. Following the end of that war, it was replaced by the M41-based M42 Duster.

The Kit

Tamiya's M16 MGMC is another of their ancient kit, being released in 1976. While not as crisply molded as current kits, the Tamiya M16 can still hold its own. The kit shares the same basic part as the M3A2 APC and M21 mortar carrier kits and like the rest of the Tamiya US M3 family, suffered from a less-detailed and too-loose one-piece track link. Test fitting showed that the kit has very good fit, a hallmark of the Tamiya brand. In general the base 'canvas' is there, you just need that extra bit of effort to make it look like some gorgeous, 21st century model kit. The decal sheet contains a number of the Allied star plus vehicle registration and unit identifier markings. The decal placement guide is sort of a no-frills affair with a four-view drawing and the appropriate marking combo list. Three are from World War 2-era and one from the Korean War.

Construction

While most vehicle kit started at the chassis, the M16 kit started with the Maxson mount. The mount, like the rest of the kit, has sufficient, but inadequate amount of detailing, especially on the four M2s. The mount however is nicely engineered and went together easily. However, as some parts would be quite unreacheable when assembled, they were painted first and touching ups to be done later. The ammo cans were split down the middle and the seams were quite hard to remove in places. A vinyl tubing was run either side of the gun mount and two copper wires placed inside each of them to act as firing cables for the guns. Once completed, the mount was set aside. Turning to the chassis, Tamiya provided the same chassis as the one in their M3A2 kit. before starting, leftover plastic (or more probably not-needed moulding) was removed. The chassis include the bottom half of the engine, which was painted flat black and afterwards, the exhaust, and suspension springs were put in place. Also cemented was a long rod ( I think is the shaft for the cable reel). The axles and the suspension for the tracks was then assembled. While the axles are OK, the track suspension was thicker (in scale) than the real items.

Next, the assembly of the cab. The fit is good although, again, the detail is light especially the dashboard - the instrument bezels have rather faint raised lines and pretty hard to paint; decals are best used here but I don't have any. The engine grille have armoured louvres and can be posed in the opened position. While the lights assembly was done, the louvres were left off at this time, to ease paiting and application of decal. The cab doors are moulded as one piece but it can be cut and the upper half can be posed in the lowered position, which I did. The pioneer tools and the jerricans on the outside were also left off at this time. After the cab has been assembled, I painted the interior area first. The driver's and co-driver's seat was assembled and painted separately and were then cemented to the floor of the cab. The 'glass' for the windscreen was made from a piece of acetate and thankfully, the shape has already been cut in place. The armoured cover for the windscreen can also be posed in the deployed or open positions.

For the fighting compartment, I only glued the base for the Maxson mount; the ammo bins, spare headlights, seat cushions and the hinged panels are all left off. Speaking of the panels, each of them have a couple of ejector pin marks which need to be filled and sanded. The front bumper was also assembled but set aside at this time. At this time, I took note of the tyres, which have flash in the middle, which was cut away and the stubs sanded (apparently not enough, as the excess are still visible, especially when the wheels were weathered). The tracks are one-piece affair and typical of the Tamiya kits of the same vintage, there is no feature whatsoever for the inside face. Before painting, I decided to add a bracket for stuff on the front bumper, using styrene strips. I only build one on the left-hand side. The jerrican/bracket combo on the sides of the cab were discarded as they do not have the cover and that the cans have only two carrying handles. They were replaced with similar items from the Academy Tank Supplies Set.

Painting dan Decaling

As usual with American World War 2-era vehicles, the M16 was painted olive drab, this time using Gunze H52. As usual some flat white were added for scale effect. However I think I overdid it, making the paint too light. maybe I should strip the paint and do it again but since I have nearly run out of OD, I decided not to and hoping that subsequent weathering actions would help. I then added a filter using brown. And, at least to my eyes, the 'original' colour was restored. The decals were then applied the usual way. The decal for the stencilling 'Left Hand Drive  Max. Speed 20 MPH' at the back of the fighting compartment was left off as it was only applied during the Americans' stay in the UK prior to Operation Overlord (in order to remind the British public of the American vehicles' left-hand driving position). The unit identifier decal for the rear however folded upon itself and I was unable to restore it.

Finishing

I started with the gun mount. I originally wanted to have ammo belts from the ammo boxes to the guns, but the Academy ones from its US Machine Gun Set was not up to the standard of the guns in the set, so the guns went ammo-less. The copper wires (which were painted black beforehand) were linked to the guns and the mount can be inserted into place. The bags were then glued to the outer sides of the wall, at about the hinges for the upper part of the walls. The upper walls were then glued in the opened position. A few of the packs in the kit was replaced with ones from the Tamiya Allied Vehicle Accessory Set. The tracks were painted flat black and then washed with the AK Interactive track wash. A pair of jerricans were placed in the makeshift bracket. They are marked 'USMC' but were hidden by their placement and also a box set next to them.  M2 barrels from the Academy US MG set was placed in the fighting compartment to act as spare barrels and a pair of M1 carbines from the kit was set in the driving compartment.

A light was black-brown was was then done on the model. For dust effects, I used Tamiya Weathering Master Set Sand, applying it underneath the model and on the tracks and tyres. 

Conclusion

The Tamiya kit of the M16 is old and the mould is not up to the standards of the 21st century. Nevertheless it is still an accurate enough kit for the average modeller and the ease of build compensates its shortcomings. Still it is best if the guns be replaced with better replacements (such as M2s from the Academy MG kit; I have that set but there were only two complete M2s remaining) and the jerricans and the tracks definitely have to be replaced. 

Uncle Joe's Victory Tank

Historical Background

The KV series of heavy tanks, while having excellent protection, was criticised by its crews for its lack of mobility and having an armament similar to the medium-sized T-34. Even the 'fast' KV-1S version was on par in capabilities with the T-34 despite being more expensive. High Command almost cancelled the development and building of heavy tanks but when a Tiger I was captured in January 1943, a decision was made to build a new heavy tank designated Obyekt 237. As a result of the Battle of Kursk, an order was made to re-arm tanks with more powerful armament. As Obyekt 237 was still under development, a stop-gap vehicle, the KV-85 was created, armed with a D-5T 85-mm gun. At the same time, SKB-2 design bureau introduced the KV-13 tank which was rejected on grounds of reliability, protection and the inefficient two-man turret. The KV-13 design however formed the basis for the IS-85 ('IS'= Iosef Stalin, as Kliment Voroshilov has fallen from political favour). The IS-85 was later redesignated IS-1.

The IS-85/IS-1 entered service in October 1943 but the issue with the KV-1/T-34 appeared again, this time concerning the 85-mm gun used by the IS-1 and the T-34/85 (and the attendant issues of having poorer mobility while having only slightly better protection). However, as the IS-1 has a larger turret than the KV series, larger guns can be mounted on the IS. Starting in November 1943, tests were conducted using 100mm BS-3 gun (as the IS-100) and the A-19 122mm gun (as the IS-122). The BS-3 has better armour penetration (185mm compared to 160mm for the A-19) but less useful HE rounds. Furthermore it was a relatively new weapon with uncertain supply at the time. After testing both guns, the 122mm-armed IS-122 was selected, primarily because of the availability of the A-19 gun and its better performance against fortifications although it has a lower muzzle velocity (hence lower armour penetration). The IS-122 was later redesignated IS-2 as a security measure. The A-19 was modified with a double-baffle muzzle brake after a gun exploded during trials, nearly killing Marshal Kliment Voroshilov who was attending the trials. The redesigned gun was designated D-25T. Apart from lower muzzle velocity, the ammunition was of separate loading type, allowing a rate of fire of 1-2 rounds per minute. When the manual screw breech was replaced with a semi-automatic dropped breech, the rate of fire increased, to a paltry 2-3 rounds per minute. The A-19 can penetrate a Panther's turret front at 1500 meters while the D-25T can penetrate the more heavily armoured King Tiger's turret front from the same range.  

The IS-2's glacis plate, while still of  the 'stepped' design (in its early version) was sloped and thickly armoured (120mm@30° and 60mm@72°) offering greater protection while saving weight. The glacis plate can resist 88mm AP shell at 1,000 meters. The tank was powered by a V2 12-cylinder diesel engine producing 600 hp. This allowed the 46-tonne tank to move at 23 mph with a range of 150 miles. The main gun featured a thick mantlet and was provided with 28 rounds (due to their size and having separate charges). Two 7.62mm DT machine guns formed the secondary armament - one mounted co-axially with the main gun with another at the rear face of the turret. Later models were equipped with a DShK 12.7mm machine gun on the commander's cupola for anti-aircraft defence. The crew consists of four individuals: driver, commander, gunner and loader. The IS-2 entered production in November 1943 at Chelyabinsk Tankoviy Zavod (ChTZ) with a number of them being IS-1s being brought to IS-2 standard. Starting from January 1944, an improved version was introduced. Simply known as IS-2 Model 1944, the version featured a uniformly-sloped glacis plate, D-25T gun and the DShK AA MG. In order to keep up with demand, a second production was established at the Ural's'kiy Zavod Tyazhelogo Mashinostroyeniya (UZTM). UZTM-built IS-2s can be differentiated by having two-piece welded front while the ChKZ version has a one-piece cast nose. 

IS-2s were deployed with separate heavy tank regiments, usually equipped with 21 tanks each. They were used to reinforce the most important attack sectors in major offensives and were tactically used as a breakthrough tank. They are used to support infantry, using their massive gun to destroys bunkers, strongpoints, crew-served weapons and other sot targets. The Stalins first saw action in February 1944 at Korsun Chevchenkovsky (Cherkassy Pocket), where the 72nd Regiment claimed the destruction of 41 Tigers and Ferdinands (the latter were probably mostly Marders and Sturmgeschutzes) for the loss of eight of their number. In the North, the IS-2 was used during Operation Bagration where on 13 August 1944 where 11 IS-2 of the 71st Independent Heavy Tank brigade stopped an attack by 14 King Tigers of the schwere Heeres-Panzer Abteilung 501. The battle took place at less than 650 yards where the Germans cannot exploit the long range of their 88s while the IS-2s were well-protected at the same distance. The IS-2s continued to be used until the final battle in Berlin where the Soviets were spearheaded by IS-2s of the 7th and 11th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Brigades, 351st, 394th and 396th Regiments, 362nd and 399th regiments of the 1st Guards Tank Army, 347th Regiment of the 2nd Guards Tank Army (part of the 1st Belorussian Front under Marshal Georgi K. Zhukov) and the 383rd and the 384th Regiments of the 3rd Guards Tank Army (part of the 1st Ukrainian front under Marshal Ivan S. Koniev).  

Post-war, the IS-2 was used by Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. The first two countries used IS-2s as early as 1945, taking part in the drive towards Germany while Hungary used theirs when supressing the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Cuba, China and North Korea also received the tank although it was unclear whether the IS-2s were used during the Korean War. And despite the introduction of more modern tanks such as the IS-3, T-10, T-54/55 and T-62, the IS-2 remained in Red Army service (albeit as reserve), taking part in maneuvers as late as 1982. They were officially retired in 1995.

The Kit

Tamiya came out with their version of the IS-2 (as JS-2) in 2007, depicting the 'straight-nose', ChKZ-built variant. The parts are spread among four dark green and two brown sprues, a lower tub, a small stainless steel PE fret, two lengths of vinyl tracks, the ubiquitous poly caps, a length of string and the usual decal sheet. The two brown sprues hold the separate link tracks and a single-piece bottom run; also included are jigs to form the saggy upper run of the tracks. Made of plastic, the jigs require modellers choosing the link-and-length option to exercise care when cementing the track runs together. The parts are well-moulded with no flash and minimal ejector pin marks in obvious places. Cast steel texture is there although some modellers may want to enhance it further. Two figures are included but no DShK machinegun is included as an option to mount on the commander's cupola. Decals provide markings for four tanks:

- 432, 7th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Brigade, Berlin, April 1945
- 13, 88th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Brigade, Berlin, April 1945
- 113, Czechoslovak 1st Tank Brigade, Prague 1945
- 424, Polish 4th Heavy Tank Regiment, April 1945, Germany

The air ID white bands for tanks 432 and 13 need to be painted by the modeller and Tamiya indicate the width and placement for them in the instructions.

Construction

While instructions have you start by assembling the wheels and adding spare track links on the front and rear hull panels, I started by assembling the lower hull first. The suspension arms have mould lines along the part which easily scraped off with a sharp hobby knife. Other parts were glued on to the hull before tackling the suspension. Although they are positively located, Tamiya still provided a jig to align the suspension. The hull was then painted, together with the still-on the-sprue wheels. The latter were then cut off the sprue and assembled, followed by a touching-up of all the sprue scars. Graphite from a 2B pencil was then applied on the contact surface of the wheels to create a metallic sheen. As mentioned before, Tamiya provided two types of tracks - single-piece glueable vinyl or separate-link. I chose the latter as it allows track sags found on many Stalin tanks. The tracks were then assembled with the upper run being made using the supplied jig. I used Tamiya Extra Thin Cement for this job and since the jig is made of plastic, I followed Tamiya's advice and applied masking tape on the jig. Attention also need to be given to the direction of the tracks. One note though, the instructions are one track link short; a toothless link (Part D3) should be inserted between a toothed link (Part D1) and the four-piece link (Part D4) for the lower rear run of the tracks. After the cement has dried, the tracks were removed for painting

Once complete, attention was given to the upper hull. First holes were drilled into the upper hull. For the headlight, a different position was noted, should one wants to build the Polish JS-2. And unlike their older Sherman kits, Tamiya provided the sponsons, so no see-through effect here! The front fenders have ejector pin marks and these should be filled as they are quite visible. The provided radiator intake grilles were made of stainless steel so it was a bit harder (but not that much) to remove from the fret than brass PE. The main engin grille is plastic can consists of two parts - one already moulded with the rear hull panel. The separate was fitted to the hull with no problem but a bit of alignment need to be done to ensure proper fit. The frontal area of the hull was moulded with cast metal texture which I enhanced by stippling liquid cement all over it. While all the smaller parts and sub-assemblies were cemented at this stage, I left the headlight, the rear tow clasps and the two-man saw off, to avoid breakage and to ease painting.

Moving on to the turret, the upper and lower halves were cemented together. I started by enhancing the turret surface texture in the same way as was done with the hull. I however left the mantlet cover as it is. I also enhance the torch-cut effect by scoring the relevant surfaces with a hobby knife. The halves were joined at along the weld lines as in the real tank. However I weren't quite satisfied with the moulded weld beads. I took lengths of plastic rod and cemented them on the join lines and afterwards drenched them with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. Once they have become soft, I pressed a small screwdriver to create weld beads. In the end however they look overscale - I should have used strectched sprue! The gun barrel was assembled, again care has to be taken to avoid gaps. The rear machinegun and the tankovy desant handrails were left off as I fear I might break them during painting. The loader's hatch was cemented in the closed position as I only intend to use the commander's figure. 

Painting and Markings

The model was painted in Tamiya's version of 4BO Green - equal parts of XF-58 Olive Green and XF-4 Yellow Green. Before applying the decals, the model was given a green filter. I then applied the markings as per the instructions. For this build I choose markings from the 7th Independent Guards Tank Brigade, Berlin 1945. Mr Mark Softer is a must here as the surface has become more uneven. I then place Tamiya tapes around the turret to mask the demarcation line of the ID stripes. After making markings using a pencil, the tape was removed. The ID stripes (to avoid friendly fire from Western Allied aircraft) was then painted freehand. I also include some 'dripping' effect.The tank number decals however look a bit artificial next to the ID stripes, so I applied some Flat White over them. The model is then given a wash using the usual wash mixture.

Finishing

Finally, as usual the more vulnerable parts can now be permanently fixed to the model. I started at the hull by affixing the headlight (too bad the glass part was not made from clear plastic), the saw and the spade and the tow cables. The latter was painted silver and washed with AK Interactive Track Wash. The spare tracks were then mounted and given the same treatment as the main tracks. Moving to the turret, the rear-mounted machinegun was first assembled and then glued to the turret. I originally intended to have the MG to be moveable but some stray extra thin cement managed to find their way into the 'ball' mounting, jamming it. The handrails were then cemented to the turret. However, in my eagerness to enhance the cast texture, the faint placement markings were obliterated and I have to use the decal placement diagram to fix the handrails in place! Also during the handling of the turret, the commander's seat was knocked off and was eagerly gobbled by the lurking carpet monster. I have to cut a piece of stock plastic to compensate (it was inside the turret and can be further hidden by the figure, so no need to fabricate the seat shape).

Now it is time for some weathering. I mixed Tamiya X-19 Smoke and X-27 Red Clear and apllied them over the external fuel tanks. At first glance, it looked quite gruesome, as if blood has been spilled!  Tamiya Weathering Master Rust and Soot was then applied at the exhausts. Afterwards I applied an overall dust layer using heavily thinned Tamiya XF-57. A slightly thicker mixture was then selectively applied. The 'spilled fuel' mix was then reapplied, to simulate newer spills. Afterwards the lower hull and tracks were liberally covered with Mig Productions Rubble Dust pigment. After it has dried, the excess was removed using a stiff brush and selective removal (mainly on the tracks towards the front of the tank) using enamel thinner.  The commander's figure was painted the usual way and placed inside 'his' hatch. And, while rummaging through my spares box, I found a PPSh-41 sub-machinegun (probably from an old Zvezda/Italeri ZiS-3 kit. The PPSh was without either the drum or box magazine, so I cut off the magazine from and old Tamiya M2 carbine and stuck it inside the magazine recess. Gaps were covered using superglue. And that concludes this build!

Conclusion

The Tamiya kit of the JS-2 was produced with the same attention to ease of build as with its Military Miniatures stablemates. Detail-wise it is still adequate to satisfy most modelers. The cast texture that came with the kit also adequate although I think that the weld beads round the circumference of the turret should be more more beefed up. But the best thing about this kit is the inclusion of the track-forming jig - it certainly helped as forming the track sag by myself produces rather unconvincing results sometimes.