ON THE SHELF
MILITARY KITS112 View more reviews online:www.airfi xmodelworld.com http://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 113MODERN BIG CAT
Leopard 2A6
By: Italeri Item no: 6567
Price:: £35.99 Web: hobbyco.netDespite Italeri’s claim regarding
upgraded moulds, there is little
difference here to previous Leopard
A6 offerings, with just the side skirts
from the A4 release (for non-German
machines). The two-part vinyl tracks
are supposedly new but appear
identical to those in earlier releases.
Most parts seem to be from the
initial 1985 and 1998 releases, and
this is apparent in the numbers of
sink and ejection pin marks. Despite
these faults, it appears accuratewhen compared with references, and
includes alternative styles of smoke
dispensers and turret-mounted
machine gun. Four markings
schemes are included, all in standard
NATO three-tone camouflage:- Y 626 631/D3, Bundeswehr Pz
Bn 104, NATO Enforced Forward
Presence, Lithuania, 2016 - KU-84-52 Armageddon, 42nd Tk
Bn, Koninklijke Landmacht, 2009 - MX-44-37, Exército Português,
Brigada Mecanizada, Campo Militar
de Santa Margarida, Portugal,
2009 - P 274 201, Armd Bde, Suomen
Maavoimat, Parola, Finland, 2015
Russian Heavy Tank KV-2
By: Waltersons Item no: 873003A
Price: £6.99 Web: hobbyco.netComprising just two styrene
runners, plus separate lower hull
and upper turret, ‘band-style’
vinyl tracks and a two-piece tank
commander figure, Waltersons’
KV-2 is ideal for modellers
and wargamers. It may have a
low parts count, but they are
surprisingly well detailed. There
are convincing weld beads, track
tread and while the figure appearsslightly oversized, it has excellent
moulded features. Arguably
the most complex aspect is the
running gear, with individual inner
and outer road/idler/drive wheels.
The plastic is coloured to match
the standard Soviet 4BO (Russian
Green) tone and, combined with
the large locating pins, mean this
could be built without either glue
or paint. Markings are supplied for
a single vehicle from an unknown
unit, with the patriotic slogan ‘For
the Motherland’ on both sides of
the turret.Tiger I ‘Early Version’
By: Airfix
Item no: A1363 Price: £33.99
Web: http://www.airfix.com
Academy’s early Tiger I kit gets a
new lease of life in Airfix packaging,
with a fresh set of decals and parts
reflecting the former’s 2017 releases,
with individual link tracks replacing
the vinyl ‘band-style’ items. There
are 13 styrene runners, a separate
lower hull and a photo-etched metal
fret. The parts are all moulded
crisply, with excellent definition on
the machine gun ammunition bags,
cooling fans and engine grilles.
A partial interior is provided, but
otherwise most items are accounted
for, with spare main gun rounds,
associated stowage racks, a well-
appointed turret, while a series of
cutaway drawings act as a handy
placement guide. The two schemes
depict the same vehicle at different
times during its operational career:- Black/White 823, 2. SS
Panzergrenadier-Division Das
Reich, Normandy, May 1944 - Black/White 823, 2. SS
Panzergrenadier-Division Das
Reich, Russia, Spring 1943
GERMAN LEVIATHAN
TRACKED ACK-ACK
SOVIET COLOSSUS
1/351/72 1/35Crusader Mk.III
By: IBG Models
Item no: 72070 Price: €13
Web: http://www.ibg.com.plIBG has followed its superb
Crusader Mk.I (see News, August
2019) with the Mk.III anti-
aircraft variant. The lower hull is
unchanged, although it benefits
from optional photo-etched side
skirts, but the upper component
and turret are completely new.
These modifications are reflected
by an increase in the number ofstyrene runners, from six to eight,
with just three common frames.
The highlights are the one-piece
track/running gear units, which
feature inner roadwheels moulded
integrally with the track, making
assembly simple. Similarly, the
new turret is a convincing replica
of this twin-gun unit, and there is
extra stowage for the hull exterior.- T127078, 1st Armd Div, Polish
Forces in the West, 1944 - 60156 Skyraker/The Princess, 1st
Royal Tk Regt, 22 Bde, 7th Armd
Div, British Army, 1944
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