Fran

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! Love the Portuguese Scheme!!

Post all your completed build photos here for the Eindecker GB... It`s almost in the end, only a few days left... Unfortunately I could not finish my E.III within the deadline... Cheers Fran

1:35 NSU Sd.Kfz.304 "Springer" Brach Models Catalogue #BM101 Available from Brach Models for 68€ Brach Model is a resin model company that made the most outstanding resin model kits and conversion sets. The subjects are all very attractive and quite different for all ShermanTigerPanther subjects. The casting system is one of the best in modeling market, because Luciano Brach (the man behind the scenes and the master creator) achieved high level of casting, with perfect and crispy detail. You will just see what I`m talking about if you didn`t see our full review of the Brach Model Renault R40. The new resin kit release by Brach Model is the NSU Sd.Kfz.304 "Springer" The Springer (complete name: Mittlerer Ladungsträger Springer, Sd.Kfz. 304) was a demolition vehicle of the German Wehrmacht in World War II. (copyright from Acthungpanzer.com) Based on the well-known NSU Kettenkraftrad Sd.Kfz.2 (shared many components e.g. drive-train, engine, parts of the running gear), the NSU Werke AG at Neckarsm, Germany, developed and built around 50 Springer demolition vehicles in the final year of World War II. To make the vehicle capable of carrying a bigger payload without the motorcycle-style front fork, two pairs of overlapping and interleaved road wheels were added to the aft end of the running gear on each side. This resulted in the Springer having three outer and three inner running wheels. It was powered by the Opel Olympia engine, which was also used for the Kettenkrad. It`s only task was to carry a charge of 330kg high explosives under armor protection into a target and detonate it there. A driver, who could sit in the back of the Springer, drove the vehicle close to the target. The final approach and the detonation of the charge was controlled by a wired or wireless remote control device. Springer was an expendable tracked demolition charge vehicle designed as a replacement for Goliath and B IV, but it showed the exactly same problems as other remote-controlled demolition vehicles: they were expensive and they were not very reliable. As the explosive charge was an integral part of the vehicle, it could be used only once. (photo taken from internet) Specifications Weight: 2400kgs Crew: 1 man Engine: Opel Olimpia 1.5l/4-cylinder/36hp. Speed: 42km/h (road) Range: 200 km (road) Length: 3,17m Width: 1,43m Height: 1,45m Armour: 8-10mm Armament: 330kg of high explosives Now let`s cut the chat. The kit comes in a sturdy front flip cardboard box filled with foam protects the several plastic bags, and as usual in Brach Model there`s is the care in the stowage of all the parts. All done to avoid any broken parts. As I said before, Brach model is a brand made by modelers to modelers. I count 91 resin pieces, one photo-etched sheet (with only one piece), metal hire, and 110 resin individual track link. So in total you have more than 200 resin parts. The resin has very little flash to clean, easy removable resin block, with fantastic casting and surface detail. The lower hull is one single piece, which makes the modeler work quite easy. I`m just saying that because if the lower hull comes in 3 parts, theses ones most be perfect aligned, because if not, will undermine all the alignment and of course the construction. (You ca see here just a bit of bending on the hull sides. Nothing that hot water does not solve). The single piece is very well cast, with no distortion and sharp details in and outside, like weld seam or the cast suspension. The detail is very sharp and once again Brach Models, take off the back of the modeler, a bit of work here, because the suspension arms are rather small and the attachment and alignment would be a head cracker. So Brach just give the modeler this particularly annoying and dreadful job full done. When on the Brach Model website says that the little gem comes with full interior, they`re not joking, this one is really full! Concerning the interior, you got full transmission detail, a full Opel Olimpia engine with excellent casting and sharp details (the only detail not casted in the resin was the wires) and other small interior details like the handlebars! Has no steering wheel… It`s a Kettenkraftrad remember? J The entire interior is well rendered and detailed. To paint and detail a little more the interior (or simply putting the wires in the engine) some references should be used. The running gear is very well mould, good casting and great finesse. All the wheels are very well cast with no distortion. The hull fenders are beautifully designed and with excellent casting as could already be found at their Renaul R40, and the scale thickness of the pieces just to praise it is realistic and extraordinary. The tracks are in resin, link-to-link and with a snap together mechanism which is quite effective and easy to get results in a short time. The link tracks just need a little cleaning which can be a little time consuming, but nothing much. And a warning is made in the instructions about these tracks links, which is quite important because of the curve tendency. Just follow that simple step to achieve the best result. They are very well casted and with a great little details. Also several small details (handles, exhaust pipe, antenna, hatchs etc ) are made in resin which will be need from the modeler the extreme care to remove them from the resin block. The single photo-etched piece is a louver that you can leave on sight. Sorry but I do not realize yet the propose to that louver in that place, because the engine is in the middle, and exhaust pipe on the side, so i`m still looking for an answer. The instructions are sufficient for the perception of average-modeler. I already start building the Brach Model Renault R40 and I can say that the instructions are more than enough to guide you athwart until the full build. But guys this is a resin kit, so you have to study very closely the instructions and all the resin pieces, and their location. During the construction, lots of dryfitting and testing all pieces to be assure you get a good alignment. As markings you simply will get none as honestly don`t need any. Only 50 were made, and all of then in 1945, in a desperate measure to try to retain and hold the Russian advance. Adding to this, following as reference, the survivor in Tank Museum in Bovington (UK), we can conclude with great certainty what camouflage used. J (photo taken from the internet) (photo taken from the internet) And also I believe that camouflage maybe not used in all 50 of then… Perhaps you can use a red primer only (it was to be blow up…) or a disc pattern camouflage but that just me… If you want to have a real certain about the painting of your Springer, just follow the survivor. Has no decals because of the references I found did not see any marking so no decals to produce. Conclusion All of the resin is beautifully cast and has no flaw and very sharp detail. All pieces have no seam line and all the resin block are quite easy to remove. The Springer is a very welcome full kit to all AFV modeler, specially for Wehrmacht fans that offer a tons of possibility, in a diorama side up with a Tiger and just standing alone in ruins of Berlin. On thing is for sure: will stand out in your local competition. Is a unique model that will stand out in your collection, and if you are looking for a different model, just go for the little gem, because it`s worth it. Very highly recommended Francisco Guedes Our thanks to Brach Models for the review sample. To purchase this directly, click THIS link. If you found this review helpful and decide to purchase this product, please tell them you read about it at Large Scale Modeller! Full model build photos (copyright from Brach Models)

Fantastic one!! Great piece of work

Il-4!!!

Great work! An fantastic and honest review! well done!

Hi all, The latest news and very good ones, from our friends MiniArt from Ukraine. "Dear Modelers and Customers, as you may know our country have faced many problems this year. Situation in Ukraine and particularly in Crimea forced us to relocate business to the capital of our country - Kiev. All facilities was transported successfully and we were able to keep all our key personnel. Right now MiniArt is in reorganization period but it's planned to restart all activities in nearest future. We are already preparing new models for release and soon will announce what these models are. We would like to thank all of you for the concern and support in these difficult and full of changes time for our company." MiniArt team http://miniart-models.com

Jonathan share with us your finish Eindecker.

Hi folks! WnW join in juist in the end of this GB to give a prize to the winner! and what a prize: the new Albatros D.Va (OAW) So let`s finish our models!!! Cheers

“Battle of the Bulge” Ardennes 1944 (1:35 WWII Military Miniatures series) MiniArt Catalogue #35084 Available from any good model shop Before diving in on the inside box to see what inside, all WWII knows the history, even a brief one, about the Battle of the Bulge. A quick walkaround on the internet and you can find pleny of links and sites with the Battle of the Bulge. So here`s a little history of the this famous battle before diving into the box contents. In December 1944, Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp, marking a repeat of what the Germans had done three times previously–in September 1870, August 1914, and May 1940. Despite Germany’s historical penchant for mounting counteroffensives when things looked darkest, the Allies’ leadership miscalculated and left the Ardennes lightly defended by only two inexperienced and two battered American divisions. On December 16, three German armies (more than a quarter-million troops) launched the deadliest and most desperate battle of the war in the west in the poorly roaded, rugged, heavily forested Ardennes. The once-quiet region became bedlam as American units were caught flat-footed and fought desperate battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and, later, Bastogne, which was defended by the 101st Airborne Division. The inexperienced U.S. 106th Division was nearly annihilated, but even in defeat helped buy time for Brigadier General Bruce C. Clarke’s brilliant defense of St.-Vith. As the German armies drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads west of the River Meuse quickly, the line defining the Allied front took on the appearance of a large protrusion or bulge, the name by which the battle would forever be known. A crucial German shortage of fuel and the gallantry of American troops fighting in the frozen forests of the Ardennes proved fatal to Hitler’s ambition to snatch, if not victory, at least a draw with the Allies in the west. Lieutenant General George S. Patton’s remarkable feat of turning the Third Army ninety degrees from Lorraine to relieve the besieged town of Bastogne was the key to thwarting the German counteroffensive. The Battle of the Bulge was the costliest action ever fought by the U.S. Army, which suffered over 100,000 casualties – in The Reader’s Companion to Military History. Edited by Robert Cowley and Geoffrey Parker. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Before opening the slip side box, I must say I quite like the boxart. Nice artwork from a unknow artist (do not know the copyright) representing a surrender action. In the back of the box, there`s the color guidelines for all 5 figures. You will get also, on the down right side, a quite helpful color chart with full color reference. Now let`s go inside. You will get 3 Americans and 2 Germans soldiers and of course you can use all 5 of them or simply use then separately. Inside the two sprues of grey plastic are kept together in a plastic bag. Also a small paper sheet with the trees parts, and their corresponding numbers. No instructions ...but really do you need it? Absolutely not. Just be checking the sprues, a modeler can see how quite simply it would be construction of these figures. Also surface detail is the first thing that pops out on the figure set. The surface details on the clothes for an injection molded figure are quite amazing. All the figures postures are quite well achieved, very natural and realistic. As you can see on the pictures, there`s some cleaning that it`s need because of the seam mould line. If that means no problem on the clothes and weapons, you cannot say the same thing concerning to the head and facial expression. The seam line on the face or hair is particularly difficult to remove without damage any details. Notwithstanding the head are well molded, balanced in size and the faces are quite nice in expression and look… the cleaning simply can ruin it. But you`ve got a good solution: resin heads. Conclusion: The figure set is quite comprehensive giving the modelers endless possibility for use in dioramas or vignettes, is the complete set is just one of the figures and all that for the price (at least in my usual store) of a resin figure. Very well done Miniart! (copyright Miniart) Very highly recommended Francisco Guedes Our thanks to MiniArt for the review samples. Available in any good model shop.

Hi guys! Here`s the next WnW release. It will be on sale in a few days (this info is directly from WnW) . My thanks To Richard from Aviattic for the Pic. Cheers

Very nice looking model!!! Thanks for sharing!

Fantastic review!!

Fantastic looking cockpit!! I miss this one!! Keep up going!! Minie is totally stopped....

1:35 Fordson WOT-2D Plusmodel Catalogue #348 Available from Plusmodel for 80€ After the outbreak of WWII, Ford in Britain started to produce a WOT truck range (War Office Trucks) and WOT-2 was the smallest of this range. It was also sometimes called “Fordson”. In 1939, the production of WOT2, the smaller version of six, with a load of about 750 kg or 15cwt started. They were built as small trucks with a table and an enclosed cabin. There was only drive the rear wheels. In the six years that vehicles have been improvements and production are WOT2 from A to H designation. The A model designations had an open cab with canvas doors and only small windows that do not complete the section ended driver. Starting from version E, the doors were closed or partly of metal and the windshield, cab driver outside all. The electrical system was originally 6 volts, but in later versions, this is increased to 12 volts. The deck was made of wood in a metal frame. During the production the structure was improved several times and it became more comfortable. A metal cab with a proper roof and windscreen was used. There were a lot of versions from a conventional lorry to AA or staff version with a closed superstructure. Almost 60 000 units were built. The Wot-2 was powered with a 8-cylinder V-shaped engine with a 3621 cc and 60 hp with a total weight of 3 354 Kg. The Fordson WOT-2D version is one more version of the WOT family that Plusmodel has been releasing in past years. The 2D version is the model that have a “metal cab” and canvas roof and doors. Plusmodel with the same body has been making different variant of this ugly but charmed “beast”, a British War Office design truck, and is the only only one in market to my knowledge, for the modeler if wants a WOT-2. Plusmodel has been around from quite a while and all of us know that their products are always very original and with high casting quality. So the WOT family is quite a welcome one. The kit according with the box has 117 resin parts, one photoetched sheet and one decal sheet for two schemes. Opening the box, everything comes very well packed, with the resin parts been divided in several smaller bags. The box is not very big and as you open the box, the care on packing to prevent any broken piece, is an important item from Plusmodel and they do it in perfection. The box is full of resin and a quite large photo-etched sheet and a single decal sheet with two options. All resin bits come in several plastic bags and very well wrapped in bubble wrap and all the inside package is well made to protect all the parts from breaking down. However this division is not random, so the larger pieces are together and are divided by section of the vehicle, according to construction steps. The smallers ones are all together, also in several bags to prevent breaking. The resin parts are casting in light gray with no distortions or bubbles in any single one of them. The details of the casting are flawless. The cargo area floor has fine details, which feature fine wood grain on both sides - upper side (the floor cab) and down side. Also the canvas look on the cabin roof is noteworthy. The metal box walls have beautiful details, in both side with full interior details. As you can see, the casting blocks are easy to remove and there`s very little resin flash to clean. The chassis frame comes in a single piece, which is a clever option to get all aligned property. The suspension and chassis have a building sequence that should be an “easy” job to get done. They are very well done with fantastic detail. The wheels are all in resin, as they always have been in Plusmodel kits... (YESS, I simply hate the vinyl ones, and don`t like the two-parts wheels). The detail on the tire and rim are quite good. However as you can see in the photo below, there is a little casting problem on one wheel, on my sample, making a small recess on the tire. Anyway it`s easily solved with a little putty, and some patience, nothing that an average/experience modeler couldn`t do. This is a rule in all Plusmodel casting: quality and and all in the box. You simply won`t need any upgrade or aftermarket. Besides the wheel little casting problem, all the 116 pieces are flawless, with no bubbles or distortions, with a fabulous detail. Just check out the texture of the fabric seats - quite amazing. The headlight are made in hollow cast with clear resin. Very neat! Plus Model provides on this WOT a full engine although the bonnet is cast shut and I do think that any “surgery” on the bonnet will give you a tremendous headache and tons of works, and probably, it simply won`t work out… It`s really quite a pity to close down the full engine… The cabin details like steering wheel, gear shift and others small details are made of resin . Smaller cabin and windshield details are from the photo-etched sheet. And looking the photo-etched sheet, has itself more than 100 parts. It`s a quite comprehensive and generous sheet with details and small details for the cabin, the engine, metal cab, the suspension, levers , fuel tanks strapers, windshield and of course, manufacture logo. Also there`s a ladder. I have a personal concern about photo-etched ladders. If the ladder side is easily achieved with plain metal, the horizontal tabs in most of cases are round. It`s a small detail that if you really, really care about it, can be easily solved with a simply scratch operation, taking the photo-etched sides and putting evergreen small rods between then, to create the perfect in scale ladder. The instructions are not a WnW ones… but must be real: no other is! J Anyway, these instructions are the typical and standard ones for a resin kit and limited production one, being better that some plastic kits that I have in my stash. They have a hand draw look but very well done because they try to show you the way but being a resin kit, during construction you will need to do a lots pieces study, check all the parts with lots of dryfitting, before put glue in place. It`s a care that you will need to have in all resin kit and the beauty is no exception. Anyway you will struggle a little with these instructions. Anyway, the model kit is for average/experience modeler so the instructions are more that enough to get you there. Markings: The decals sheet offer two versions. (The clear sheet is for the windows) The first scheme is in green with black blotches and is from RAF England 1944. This scheme can be found in Army Wheels in Detail “Fordson WOT2 15CWT” from Petr Brojo (Capricorn Publications). Unfortunately this book is sold out and if you are lucky you can find it in second hand market. The second scheme is in also from RAF and light stone with dark brown blotches. Conclusion Plusmodel is in modeling community, especially in AFV world, a recognized brand, recognition that comes from quality and originality of its products. All of the resin is beautifully cast and has no flaw. The resin block are easily removed and there`s no flash. None of the castings suffer from seam lines. As far as accuracy goes, it really looks like a WOT. So treat yourself, and get a WOT! J Highly recommended Francisco Guedes Our thanks to Plusmodel for the review samples and all the support given. To purchase this directly, click THIS link.

One fo the pics is a Ju-88 tailwheell??

a great work here!!

Nice new items!

Fantastic work!

Fantastic looking books!!! A must get at least one of then!

Jeroen my friend fantastic work!! Just wonderfull and i love your paint job on the figures!!

Hi José! I saw your work on the magazine! Great piece and a fantastic work! Congrats. Um abraço Francisco

Fantastic review Jim!!

Fantastic review! HpH keeps releasing Outstanding models!