Been a little while since I last presented anything new within this thread.
Work hasn't stopped .... in fact it's been constantly progressive all the while (as is normally the case here) and with the following 3 projects completed since my last presentation.
Due to personal circumstances and other priorities I've simply not had tome to present these/anything before now ....
TAMIYA 1/35 JS3 STALIN 1945The JS-3 (also known as the IS-3 or "Object 703") was designed and developed during the closing stages of WW2 in late 1944.
The first units off the production line entered service too late to take part in the conflict, but, Joseph Stalin (ever the opportunist .... among other less favorable attributes) chose to display and show off Russia'a new main battle tank to the western allies during the allied victory parade in Berlin on September 7th 1945.
Its unique pike-nosed hull design would be replicated on other tanks in the IS series, including the IS-7 and T-10. Its low silhouette and semi-hemispherical cast turret, resembling an upturned soup bowl would become a hallmark of all post-war era Soviet main battle tank designs for years to follow, but, the basic JS-3 itself would only remain in production between 1945-1947. A total of some 2,300 units in both original JS3 and later/1953 JS3M (modified) form for are believed to have been produced .... and which apart from the Russian Armed Forces also entered service with the Czechoslovak Army, Egyptian Army, Georgian Defense Forces, Hungarian Peoples Army, Israeli Defense Forced (captured vehicles). Korean Peoples Army, Polish Land Forces, South Osettian Army .... participating in the Korean War (1950-1953), Six-Day War/Arab/Israeli War (1967), First South Ossetian War (1991-1992), and Russo-Ukrainian War (2014).
Although superior to the the preceding JS1 and JS2, neither the JS3 or later JS3M (1952), were ever the most successful of Russian developed armor. Their slow rate of fire, poor engine performance, and rudimentary fire control proved to be a significant handicap in the field .... although its also reasoned much of the vehicles perceived deficiencies can actually be attributed to poor (Russian) morale and inadequate crew training and and maintenance.
A number of these vehicles are preserved today as part of historic military armor collections/museums and other wartime memorials around the world.
THE KITFirst released back in 1996, this TAMIYA kit was a straight forward build and also features single length rubber tracks that can be secured together with ordinary plastic cement rather than having to resort to stronger CA based glues. It goes together flawlessly .... as one usually expects of a TAMIYA kit but does have at least one design issue ....
The sponsons are open, meaning that if one looks from below, one can see right up inside of the hull, but this is mitigated somewhat with the tracks supplied with the kit, as they sit unnaturally high and with no sag between the upper guide rollers at all.
To remedy this, Jim chose to close the sponsons off with some 0.5mm evergreen plastic sheeting, braced with an "L" bracket secured to the inside of the lower hull tub to create a "lip" for the cover to attach to. With the sponsons now closed off properly, I Jim then able to wedge the tracks with off-cut lengths of plastic sprue in an attempt to achieve a little bit of sag.
The only other (minor) issue Jim encountered was that the instructions indicate the length of string for the tow cables should be 10cm long. This was discovered to be far too long and he recommends using lengths of approx 5 - 7 cm (max) instead.
A feature particularly well represented in this kit is the "very rough appearance" of the vehicles turret surface given these were "crudely" manufactured by way of sand cast moulds that resulted in distinct irregularities often unique to each production and which were then later hewn by hand ....
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TAMIYA 1:35 A27L CENTAUR Mk. IVA27L CENTAUR TANK:
The British A27L CENTAUR, was developed from an earlier CRUISER tank design .... the A24 CAVALIER ...and which was a further development of the earlier A15 CRUSADER which saw extensive service within the North African theater of WW2.
Production of the A24 CAVALIER only amounted to approximately 500 units though and none of these vehicles saw front line combat service within Europe. In fact most of these tanks were held in reserve for training purposes or for auxiliary roles within reserve units. The A27L tank was powered by the American V-12 LIBERTY engine (first produced during 1917). This same engine was then licensed for production within the UK by the Nuffield car manufacturer and for WW2 service. By 1942, the Nuffield Liberty tank engines were showing their age though and were adversely affected by mechanical reliability and overheating issues caused by stresses imposed upon them by increasingly heavier tank designs.
The first A27's off the production line during late 1943 received an improved version of the Nuffield LIBERTY engine (producing around 410 hp) and which was designated as the A27L CENTAUR. However, these vehicles were still plagued by mechanical reliability and performance issues throughout their brief service and only 800 units were ever produced. This tanks main armament was a QF 95 mm (quick firing) howitzer which was capable of firing 7 rounds per minute... its arsenal being composed of a combination of Smoke, HE (High Explosive), HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) and Hesh (High Explosive Squash-Head) rounds. Other A27L hulls were also used as armored recovery units, bulldozers, and as mobile anti-aircraft guns.
On "D-Day" (6th June 1944) the Royal Marine Armored Support Group (RMASG), equipped with A27L CENTAUR's, aided the allied infantry landings at Gold, Sword, and Juno beaches and were tasked with knocking out enemy bunker, mortar, and machine-gun installations. To assist with the accuracy this assault, the turret was painted with bearing markers, which was a concept used by the Royal Navy during WW1 to aid ships in formation to bring all of their guns to bear upon the same target. For the D-Day assault, this principle was similarly applied, and allowed spotters equipped with binoculars to direct gunfire upon targets of opportunity .... even while still aboard the landing craft! Once ashore, the RMASG was ordered to remain on the beaches in continued support of infantry landings, but this order was ignored and after regrouping the unit advanced some 12 miles inland in pursuit of the German 711th and 716th Infantry Divisions, and which also resulted in clashes with the 21st Panzer Division. Once the beachheads were secured, the RMASG CENTAUR's were recalled to England and all units were withdrawn by the end of June 1944.
There is some confusion in regard to precisely what colour scheme was supported by the RMASG operated CENTAUR's. Some historians suggest that upon delivery from the factory these vehicles were painted in "SCC 2" service drab, and that the Royal Marines would then likely have repainted these vehicles khaki green (a much darker brown colour) in line with their other equipment. However, with the passage of time, more definitive information is unavailable so and there is credibility to argument in support of both colours schemes having been applied to these vehicles. For this kit I opted to use SCC 2 green for "purely aesthetic reasons", and because of a WW2 image I found of an actual tank, in France, and which appeared to support a much lighter shade of green.
POST WAR:
During early 1946 fifty-two CENTAUR I tanks were donated to the Greek Army, and which were intended to be deployed in opening stages of the Greek Civil War but these vehicles were kept in storage due to a lack of trained personnel. It was 1947 before the first Greek officers returned from training courses in the UK and training of their own tank crews then commenced. During April 1948, these Greek operated CENTAUR's were organised into three tank companies initially numbered II, IX and XI, but a year later these were then were re-designated 381, 382, 383 companies, and which were temporarily attached to the 391, 392, and 393 Reconnaissance Regiments. These CENTAUR's saw limited service throughout the Greek civil war as these battles were primarily fought within mountainous regions of the country, but they did prove useful in supporting infantry units and in the defense of inhabited areas. After the end of the Greek civil war, in October 1949, the three CENTAUR companies were then organised into the 391st Tank Regiment. The Greek CENTAUR's were then replaced by US-built M47 tanks and in 1962 were sold and scrapped. A single CENTAUR tank has been preserved though and remains on public display inside the Greek Army Tank Museum located at the "Maj.Georgios Mellidis" camp, at Avlon, near Athens.
The story of the A27 doesn't end here though and continues with my next build/presentation ... relating to the A27M CROMWELL tank
THE KIT:
First released by TAMIYA, during 1999, this kit is as a retooled version of their A27M CROMWELL tank kit from 1997. Due to its age, the finer details are not up to today's finer standards, but are non-the-less still quite acceptable, and so far as Jim's aware .... this is still the only kit currently on the market representing this particular subject and which remains readily available. The kit supplied instructions are sufficiently clear and no issues encountered during assembly. The single length tracks included in the track can be glued using ordinary plastic cement rather than CA. The decals for the bearing markers appear, at first glance, to be a little daunting, and are quite thin by TAMIYA standards but feature holes in its transfer film in order to assist their being laid over/around the large protruding bolts of the turret armor, thus not requiring copious amounts of setting solution being applied in order to encourage properly adapting these decals to the intended model surface. While this does makes it "easier" to apply these decals one still needs to "take a lot of care" as one only has a single chance at getting their placement right. TAMIYA could perhaps (and maybe should) have included a second set of these same decal... just as a back up in the event of any mishaps!
ASSEMBLY TIPS:
Jim found it best to start on the rear of the turret, then do the rear quarter panels, followed by the right side .... front, then left side. The right side overlaps onto the front panel, and the front panel overlaps onto the left side slightly. To aid positioning Jim also found it best to trim the carrier film on the upper edges of each decal flush with the bearing markers, so each then sits equally flush with the upper edges of the turret otherwise the decal recesses will not correctly align with the prominent turret bolts. All up, and excluding intricacy of turret decals, this was an easy and very enjoyable build and that can more-or-less be assembled over a weekend. Jim can definitely recommended this kit.
PROGRESSIVE BUILDwww.scalemates.com/profiles/mate.php?id=65866&p=albums&album=88785&view=list--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMIYA 1:35 A27M CROMWELL Mk. IVA27M CROMWELL TANK:
Continuing on from the (above) A27L CENTAUR ....
The most numerous example of the A27 was the A27M CROMWELL of which some 3066 units were built. The "M" designated this vehicle as being powered by the then new and British designed "Meteor" engine, which was developed from the legendary Rolls Royce Merlin aero engine, producing 600 hp .... nearly 200 hp more than the Nuffield LIBERTY engine of the A27 CENTAUR version).
Its main armament was the Ordnance QF 75 mm main gun.The Ordnance QF 75 mm (or OQF 75 mm) was initially created by boring out the Ordnance QF 6-pounder ("6 pdr") 57 mm anti-tank gun to 75 mm, in order to promote better effectiveness and in a similar fashion as was applied to the 75 mm M3 gun fitted to the American Sherman tank. The QF designation signifies "quick-firing"... referring to the use of ammunition where the shell has a fixed cartridge. It was also sometimes known as ROQF or Royal Ordnance (the manufacturer) Quick-Firing gun. This main gun was employed during both the Italian and the Normandy invasions (and possibly in Burma against the Japanese too) until the end of the war. While the 75 mm gun was a conversion from the 6-pounder, some units retained a number of 6-pounder-gunned tanks, due to its superior anti-tank firepower over the 75 mm gun, and especially as the 6-pounder could use more effective APCR and APDS rounds.
Although the A27M's armor protection still lagged behind that of contemporary German and Russian tank designs (particularly in regard to the then recent development of "sloped" armor protection), the British had, for the first time, finally developed a tank with much greater potential to survive odds due to the potency of both its main armament and more powerful Meteor engine which was not subject to reliability issues that plagued earlier CRUISER tanks designs.
The CROMWELL tank first entered front-line combat service with the Allied invasion of Normandy during June 1944. It saw extensive action within the British Army, forming part of the 6th Airborne Division, 7th Armored Division, 11th Armored Division, Guards Armored Division, and 1st (Polish) Armored Division. This tank was also used by the 1st (Czechoslovakian) Independent Armored Brigade Group and the First Canadian Army at Dunkirk. CROMWELL's were also used as a main battle tank within armored brigades of the 7th Armored Division, and were additionally employed within armored reconnaissance regiments of other British divisions (such as the Guards Armored Division and the 11th Armored Division) within North-west Europe. It excelled at these tasks and was praised for its speed and reliability, while its low profile also made it difficult to spot by enemy forces. The standard 75mm gun could tackle the majority of German armored vehicles, and the HE shell was very effective, despite the fact it could not penetrate the frontal armor of heavier German tanks such as the Tiger or Panther. Although a rare a rare sight on the battlefield during the Normandy invasion, it was within the British sector of this allied advance that the majority of these opposing German vehicles were encountered. The issue in relation to effectiveness of the CROMWELL's 75mm gun was perhaps most pronounced during the Battle of Villers-Bocage .... during which these vehicles were unable to engage German Tiger tanks frontally with any reasonable chance of success. However, several Tigers were none-the-less knocked out by British forces during this particular battle.
POST WAR:
During the Korean War, the British had a total of 14 CROMWELL tanks, including six of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars Regiment and eight of the Royal Artillery 45th Field Regiment. Among these divisions, CROMWELL tanks operated by the Royal Artillery became observation vehicles with the main gun removed and replaced with extensive observation and communication equipment. During December 1950, 14 tanks were organized into a "Cooper Force" led by Captain Donald Ashley-Cooper, were deployed to Jangheung, Yangju in support of the Royal Ulster Rifles Regiment 1st Battalion, whose duty was to defend northwest of Seoul. On the night of January 3rd 1951, the "Cooper Force" was forced to retreat .... under orders from superior command. During this withdrawal, 157 soldiers were killed and all tanks were either destroyed or abandoned as escape was made along the gorge and without protection by friendly units. One of the CROMWELL's captured by the Communist led forces was destroyed by a British Centurion tank near Hangang Railway Bridge on February 1st. Another CROMWELL tank, also captured by the communist forces and deployed at Wolmido (near Incheon), was recaptured by South Korean forces on February 10th. American forces assisted South Korean marines at repairing this recaptured vehicle. However, this particular Cromwell was operated by South Korean forces for only a few days before it was then returned to the British. Other CROMWELL tanks also saw limited service within units of both the Czechoslovakian and Israeli armed forces.
THE KIT:
As with the previous CENTAUR build (from which this kit was tooled) Jim didn't encounter any assembly issues. A nice surprise was the inclusion of a clear lens for the turret spotlight. Also included were the same single length tracks which can be secured using ordinary plastic cement. The only (minor) annoyance Jim encountered was in regard to the "Desert Rat's" unit emblems, within which there was a highly visible "white line" across the top (against its red background) of both decals but which had not realized was there. By the time Jim did observe this, I had already soaked the decal for removal from its backing paper in readiness for positioning on the model. This is perhaps something one should be wary of. Others contemplating building the same version of this kit may be advised to trim-off the unwanted top edge ("white line") this decal prior to using it.
Again, while also a little dated now... this is definitely still a very enjoyable kit to assemble and Jim highly recommends it as a result.
PROGRESSIVE BUILDwww.scalemates.com/profiles/mate.php?id=65866&p=albums&album=89068&view=list--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMIYA 1/35 M2A2 BRADLEY IFV .... A Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
Southern Baghdad, Iraq - April 2003.
No background history for this one. No time .... out of time now .... so .... let the subject titling and following pictures and kit report do all the necessary communicating ....
/img]https://www.scalemates.com/albums/img/7/9/8/1330798-65866-44-1440.jpg[/img]
TAMIYA's M2 BRADLEY kit was first released back in 1985, and has had a number of re-releases over the years since then with replacement and/or additional parts.
In 1991, replacement side armor panels were first included to better represent units deployed to Iraq.
Then it was re-released again in 2003 (which is the version represented per this build) only this time including an additional sprue containing external stowage items and that is one of the two identical sprues that is contained within TAMIYA's Modern US Military Equipment Set "MM-266" (minus the paper sheet of MRE cartons).
Given the age of the basic kit it still assembles very nicely and has some good detailing as well as rubber tracks that can be joined using ordinary plastic cement. The TOW missile launcher pod can be posed in either stowed (folded down) or raised (ready to fire) positions. The addition of the external stowage items is a nice touch, and even if not used, will be handy to keep for the spares bin.
The kit also includes six different marking options to choose from .... including three NATO schemes (one of which representing "KFOR" as deployed in Kosovo) and three "Operation Desert Storm" schemes.
However, it does have a couple minor, albeit annoying issues in the form of holes on the bottom of the lower hull tub that are a throwback to when TAMIYA issued "motorized" kits in 1/35 scale. To be fair, they are on the bottom, and so won't be seen, but Jim always like to take the time to plug them off before painting.
The other issue is that TAMIYA have curiously omitted the parts that make up the interior detailing of the drivers position and main crew compartment that were included in the original 1985 released kit.
So whilst one can still opt to pose the large rear loading ramp (or smaller crew entry door) opened, it is a bit pointless unless one decides to scratch-build one's own interior, or go the after market route but which is "a little pricey".
Although Jim's not expert on the M2 Bradley the kit still looks fine as an external display model, but has since been surpassed in both quality and detailing with more recent offerings by the like of MENG, KINETIC and OROCH etc... and without the need to look for an aftermarket components/upgrades.
Based on these observations Jim still gives it a solid 7 out of 10.
PROGRESSIVE BUILDwww.scalemates.com/profiles/mate.php?id=65866&p=albums&album=89969&view=list--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As always .... each of these latest builds have been completed using "custom matched" colors for the periods/deployments they each represent, as well as additional weathering using a combination of pigments, powders, washes, oils, and detailing pencils produced by a variety of suppliers in order to simulate our preferred/desired used/in service appearance featuring accumulated dirt, grime, dust, chipping, scratching, and corrosion effects .... along with other detail enhancement/s too.
Mark C
AKL/NZ