Carro Medio M 13/40 italeri/zvezda

Buongiorno a tutti!

Today on the bench...a famous Italian tank...Il carro medio M13/40!

 It was in its conception a very classical design. The original design is the famous Vickers tanks series that saw service almost all around the round and were the inspiration for many countries that wanted to conceive a relatively reliable tank at a low cost.

At the outbreak of the war equivalent tanks were Polish 7tp, Czech ltvz35, Soviet T26 and italy's M11/39. It was probably nor worse neither better than those tanks. And even though the concept was by then a bit outdated it is surely their use on the battlefield that led to the catastrophe rather than the quality of the tanks themselves! It is easier to accuse the tools than the hands that hold them....see what I mean?

The kit is an old one, dated back from the seventies. It is not a bad kit, the assembly is quite straightforward. Size and shape look ok. Italeri should give us new tracks!!! The one offered in the kit are desperately ugly...  The model represents a M14/41, an improved version for use in the desert so I used a model Victoria set, and friul tracks to make a real M13/40. The glacis sandbags are by panzart!

On duty! Overall sand the tank protected itself the best it could! Sand bags and some spare tracks...

CV 3/33 Hungary Mini Art Studio

Jo napot!

this is the expression to say good day in Hungarian...Which is a smart way to introduce today's subject. A CV 3/33 in Hungarian Police service!

I don't know how and where you purchase your models. Local stores cannot compete the online stores anymore it seems. Ebay can be a provider even though I generally find the prices too high. BUT...It is still a good provider for rare kits and old time ones...
I have some interest for the Italian tanks and armored cars, most of plastic kits are produced by Italeri from Italy...But Bronco has also a nice choice of CV and a wonderful FIAT Topolino! The rest of the market are resins (Brach and Model Victoria have an awesome collection!).
No-one would have imagined to see those models in plastic at a time where Tigers and Sherman dominated a market led by two famous brands!!! Long time ago ....the only way to find models a bit more exotic was to purchase expensive resins of a very doubtful quality sometimes. From time to time you can see them on Ebay , prices can vary from really cheap to expensive. I had this wonder for almost nothing, I wanted to see how much it would reach and won the bids...which was not really my expectation.

At first I thought I would give it to a friend; I don't like resin kits and the quality of this ancestor was not the best. At its time maybe? I noticed that the resin became very fragile, dry. I tried to soften the tracks using the hot water method but it didn't work and the tracks broke easily into small pieces!
I wanted to make the Italian version for my Desert war collection but the parts for this version were not usable.
I decided then to build the Hungarian version. And finally I am very happy with my choice. Nowadays Hungarians tanks and AC are available in plastic and this kit will perhaps be the first one of a collection.

I improved the model and made it Hungarian. The white parts on the pictures will show you the accomplished job. I also bought Hungarian national markings. I had to hide the ugly tracks with mud. I am finally pleased with the result....

The updates...

the camouflage green overall with light sand and brown spots...

Rolls Royce 1920 Pattern w Sand Tyres Roden

Hi,

tonight a very interesting vehicle. A British vehicle that saw service during two wars, having almost 30 years of use in the Army, from the muddy flat lands of Northern France to the burning sands of Africa! Making the war driving a Rolls Royce, wow so chic! If it was not the terrible war...

This version produced by Roden is the 1920 version used in North Africa. It had large Sand Tyres, and an open turret with a Boy A/T gun, a machine gun and an AA machine gun on the roof of the turret.

It is not my intention to write the story of this well known vehicle , to the model! As always you will easily find information on internet. You also have interesting videos on YouTube.

About the kit!

It is a model that is not so bad, but some details are on the heavy side. There is a nice engine included but it's totally hidden, the visible dash board should have been more detailed! I was lucky enough to purchase the model at a model show in Belgium with a Black Dog set included for the price of the kit alone! It is a very nice addition to this simplistic kit! I would recommend it. I was also very lucky to have resin parts from a friend to improve the details and replace some parts from the kit by more delicate ones. (see pictures, grey parts).

The most time consuming was the sanding of the following parts 2d, 18d, 15a, 21 a, 14 a, 24a/25a, 13a, 32a, 16a, 12a. I used heavy duty sanding paper. If you don't sand the parts they will be far too thick! They would give the car the look of an armored car armored like a super heavy tank. Furthermore it will make the assembly of the model easier.

The part 1J has to be cut and sanded so that its edges come in contact with the sides of the turret. It is a very easy surgery!!! Also sanded the sides of the turret and added the lost rivets...You might want to add two reinforcement bars in front of the radiator, they have a shape of an X, but the bars meet on the low side of the X , not in the middle!!! See pictures and documents. I used Tamiya lenses cover for the main lenses and resicast lenses for the secondary lenses. The hooks are spare parts from Meng.

For the Caunter Scheme I used Tamiya acrylics and tape, the dust is from the weathering set from the same brand.

And finally...

in sepia...

I-Go / Type 89 Otsu Medium Tank Fine molds

Hi,

Today another example of what Japanese Army produced. It is probably the best known tank of the thirties, for whom interested in IJA of the period. The tank has an obvious touch of Europe in its shape. It is said that it was inspired/copied from a Vickers tank C, but tanks with this shape were more common in the French Army ( FCM 36/ Renault D2...) and Japan had purchased a few French Renault D1 but it is my point of view and I won't deny what historical sources say.

http://forum.worldoftanks.ru/index.php?/topic/1100668-renault-otsu-v-0811/

The tank saw constant evolution, 4 versions produced. The main obvious difference being the entry door moving from the right side of the front armor to the left side. Also the front armor was made of a single piece of steel on the late production batch.

http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/jap/Type_89_I-Go.php

Nowadays you have a few surviving Type 89, some real wrecks in the humid jungle, and one fully restored and in running conditions in a Military School in Japan. (see YouTube). The tank wears an overall khaki "camouflage", like what what you could see in the last stage of the war. The type 89 is interesting for its possible camouflages, but for the late type reproduced by Fine Molds, you won't escape the standard yellow stripe + 3 color camouflage. Only the first versions would wear a a more psychedelic scheme, with possible blue/blue grey used. The tank can also be painted in one color, when used by the Navy. There is a debate regarding the use of the grey...

My model is OOB, since the model is a real "Shake and Bake" one! No real comments about the assembly that is staightforward. I have the Individual Tracks set from Modelkasten but saved it for another version I plan to make soon. I added, however, a set for the trunks on the tail of the tank. It is a very nice addition to the tank. So I used the vinyl tracks. I painted my model in overall reddish brown and added the Navy flags on the side as well as on the back of the tank. Such flags were often seen during the early years of the war on the streets of China.

I used Mr Hobby laquer, some diluted Earth , Humbrol ref, and enhanced the shape of the odel with Tamiya Gun metal pastel.

Ha Go Type 95 Light tankTamiya (Fine Molds)

Mina Sama, Konnichi wa!

Another Japanese tank of interest. 

Together with the Chi Ha medium tank , and probably the lilliputian Te-Ke, the most important tank of the Japanese Army. It served all fronts, in the Army as well as with the Navy, saw improvements and evolutions (guns and turrets and bogies). It was used widely throughout the war, even when it became clear that it was obsolete. It was a nimble and fast tank, reliable it seems and did its best til the last day. There is an interesting video on YouTube where you can see a captured one in American hands going under trial. It is quite impressive to watch. 

As for the Chi Ha, you have a lot of documents on line you can use for free, which I assume will help you to decide what model you wanna reproduce.

I've had in a carton box this unfinished model for months and decided to finish it inspired by a few pictures from this book. 

It's an excellent reference, I recommend! From the same book came the inspiration for the Chi Ha (see below).

The kit was sold in a white box together with infantrymen.it's not a Tamiya mold, but a Fine molds. The detail is quite good, but I think Dragon made a best job on its own. But for the price I couldn't resist. It includes a nice sheet of PE for the muffler protection as well a white metals parts. The tracks are not the best, a way to short giving no sagging , tension is high , it even broke the rear wheels and I had to fix this using metal rod. Otherwise it is an easy assembly giving no particular troubles.

As I said I was inspired by pictures form the book I mentioned. The tank I decided to reproduce as a white triangle in front, two rods for the use of an antenna, two tree trunks on the left side, and a large white rectangle on the rear of the tank body. Also on each side of the turret the hiragana "SHI" was written in a diamond. The diamond itself is painted on a dark color rectangle, dark green or black?

I used Gunze laquers, IJA set, tamiya weathering set and Mig mud for the final touch. some herbs are spread on the bogies and tracks.