The December 2007 Newsletter
of the Quad-City Scale Modeler Society

 

The Meeting minutes:

Well, we had a pretty fragmented meeting in November.  I understand that a few of the guys made the trek to Butch O’Hare and others showed up at the carriage house.  I went through Chicago on my way home from Fort Belvior, Virginia, and stopped by briefly before the show opened.  I saw that the O’Hare show rented out the entire gym space this year and had one gym for display and one gym for vendors.  It was a great change and the vendor room was packed, and the model room wasn’t, both were big improvements.  I only stopped by and looked for a Batman airplane, bought a few things, looked at a few models that were on the table before the show opened, donated $25 for a club sponsorship for Quad Cities and left. Ronbo told me that a few guys showed up right after I departed.  I have been TDY since the 1st of October.  I have driven about 3,000 miles; hit about 15 states and D.C. and built up some frequent flyer miles.  I also got to see a few hobby shops along the way and the Udvar-Hazy center at Dulles Airport in Virginia.  Lots of planes and rockets. The hangers are huge.  There is still a lot of space available for additional exhibits and I noticed that there were quite a few aircraft that used to be displayed at the Air and Space museum in D.C. that are now here.  I wonder what’s left?  I also visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  Very large and very impressive, the building itself is very evocative.  They are a little less politically correct than the weenies that formerly ran the Smithsonian, which is a refreshing change. They incorporate smells into some of the exhibits, such as display that you enter by walking through the fuselage of a CH-46 onto a hill top in Vietnam.  The smell of aircraft hydraulics is present and brought back some memories.  All they need to do to really make it real was add the smell of drums of burning s#^t.  I was disappointed in that there are relatively few aircraft and vehicles on display – they are all incorporated into huge dioramas.  No opportunity for decent pictures.  I seem to recall lots of vehicles at the old Marine Corps museum on board Quantico.  Not sure where they all went, I didn’t go on base to look.  Well, the family has scattered.  Alex is in Mosul Iraq with the 3rd Armored Cavalry. Christopher is with the 113 Cavalry in Baghdad.  He’s been building a few models in the Baghdad model club.  He’s currently working on a Tamiya Wildcat and an M41.  He doesn’t get a whole lot of building done with this whole war thing and all, but it is a great chance to relax.  He is home on mid tour leave as I am writing this and will hopefully be home for good in April or May.  Christopher had hoped that he would be able to make the Christmas club meeting along with his slide and movie show of running Route Irish in his gun truck.  Unfortunately, his leave ends the Wednesday before the meeting, but if Ed Wahl brings his computer projector and screen, I will bring some of his movies for a future meeting. Christopher is also acting as our Baghdad Bureau chief and has written an article in this issue that should be interesting.  He also has provided a copy of the things that he is no longer allowed to do in Iraq.  It makes interesting reading.  Many of you don’t know that my wife Kerri also was deployed to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait on December 2nd.  The upside is that I will have lots of time to build, paint at the dining room table and cruise the hobby shops whenever I want.  For the next six months I won’t have to smuggle kits into the house.  Hey, I may even make a few more shows the spring.  The downside is that I may starve and wear socks and shirts that don’t match, but I work with a bunch of engineers, so no one will likely notice.  Anyway, it will be oddly quiet around the house until the tribe starts to return home.  Thanks to Mike for getting the newsletter done while I was out wandering around. I may need to call on your talents again for the January and February newsletters as I may be doing a little travel myself early next year.  I should be make the January meeting and also be home in time for the March meeting.  If any one has any burning literary designs, let Mike or I know.  Christopher and I hit the local hobby shops after Thanksgiving. MVR had some great stuff on the shelves; I picked up a few more esoteric kits for the stash.  Major’s has reorganized the model shelves and I picked up the 1/72 Academy Dragon Wagon, it’s a nice looking little kit.  I stopped by HobbyTown and talked to Jon Dittmer, I was hoping to see his Christmas restock on the shelves, but all he had was a few kits left at 50% off.  All paints are also 50% off this month.  He said that with the price of oil and plastic on the rise, he decided not to restock and will concentrate on RC for the foreseeable future. Barnes and Noble continue to carry an extensive selection of model magazines, complemented by the magazines that Major’s and MVR carry.  I visited some hobby shops in the D.C area.  I visited Meteor Productions facility in Springfield, it was right across the freeway from Fort Belvior, where I attending the Army Management Staff College. Meteor is primarily, but not totally, aircraft.  There warehouse is a toy store.  Dave Klaus is a great host and he gave me the dime tour.  His personal stash is in the back of the warehouse and has to be seen to be believed.  One huge disappointment was Grandad’s, I’ve been stopping there for years when I visited D.C.  They closed about a week or two before I got there.  It was a great store with lots of neat stuff.  Piper Hobby in Chantilly, near the Udvar-Hazy center at Dulles, bought out a lot of their remaining stock and is moving to fill the gap left by Grandad’s.  It is a big store, lots of goodies, and the owner is a friendly guy. There was brand new store about a mile from the main gate at Fort Belvior called Hobby’s and Trains, or some such.  Give it a miss.  They looked like they had bought either some of Grandad’s stock, or some swap meet kits, taped the old, decrepit boxes shut and then sold them at retail.  They had a bunch of dog eared Opsrey’s as well.  The store was filthy and cluttered and the staff was either looking over your shoulder to make sure you didn’t steal anything or ignoring you.  My guess is that they will be out of business by the next time I go out there.  I stopped in Des Moines on my way back from Fort Hood after the Fort Belvior TDY, I was driving Alex’s car back and spent the night there.  I stopped at Hobby Haven and Great Hobby Adventures.   I always have a great time talking to Greg Metge and his wrecking crew.  Bought a few books and magazines and headed to Half Price books on my way to Hobby Haven, they are selling Osprey books, brand new, at $5 each, some less.  Hobby Haven was having an estate sale.  It was almost over when I got there, they said they had started with 44 packing boxes of kits marked to sell.  I got an Aurora Albatross and a few other rare kits, but I can only imagine the goodies that were there to start.  They had the complete line up of the Nichimo 1/200 ships, all still in plastic.  All in the $20-$30 range, some less. I believe that these all retailed for over $100.  I found a 1/144 scale kit of a modern German Albatross Klasse schnellboot, a kit I never knew existed until this last TDY trip.  I will be doing an in box in this issue.  Hopefully, we will have some show and meeting reports for November, since I really didn’t get the chance to do either.  I hope everyone can make the Christmas party, bring goodies and a wrapped gift to exchange if you want to be involved in that.  All you need to do is bring a wrapped gift that would appeal to our modeling tastes, such as kits, books, decals, five packs of Heineken, etc.  Please make sure it is something nice as this is not a chance to dump your old Starfix kits…..

We will also have a raffle, nominations for elections and both the Annual “What If?” contest and the $20 challenge.  It should be fun and I hope everyone can make it.

 

The Dates:

December 8: Chapter Meeting.  Christmas party and annual “What If? Contest.  The $20 challenge will also be held.  Bring in the completed kit you bought for $20 from Ed and get your money back.  We will also have the annual gift exchange and raffle.

 

The RAF strikes back

Courtesy of Paddy McGannon

Two British traffic patrol officers from North Berwick were involved in an unusual incident while checking for speeding motorists on the A-1 Great North Road. One of the officers used a hand-held radar device to check the speed of a vehicle approaching over the crest of a hill, and was surprised when the speed was recorded at over 300 mph. Their radar suddenly stopped working and the officers were not able to reset it.  Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in fact latched on to a NATO Tornado fighter jet which was engaged in a low-flying exercise over the Border district, approaching from the North Sea.  Back at police headquarters the chief constable fired off a stiff complaint to the RAF Liaison office. Back came the reply in true laconic RAF style:  "Thank you for your message, which allows us to complete the file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Tornado had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked onto, your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, an air-to-ground missile aboard the fully-armed aircraft had also automatically locked onto your equipment.  Fortunately the pilot flying the Tornado recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile systems alert status, and was able to override the automated defence system before the missile was launched and your hostile radar installation was destroyed. Good Day..."

 

Vehicles and Gear in Iraq

By Christopher Broman

IPMS Quad Cities

Copyright 2007, reprint only with permission

Having spent my life in or around military bases I have seen my fair share of army vehicles.  But three months in Iraq has shown me so many different versions of vehicles that I was amazed.  For those who love doing scratch-builds or conversions consider enlisting, it would be worth the trip.  So let me give you a rundown on all the different vehicles I have seen or operated, some of the neat little features on them, and the gear worn by our Soldiers.  So the topics covered will be Personal Gear, Humvees (Gun Trucks), Strykers, Blackhawks, Up-Armored Suburbans, and Weird Stuff.  There are a ton of acronyms in the article, as that’s the way the Army talks.  As we say in the Cav –deal with it.

PERSONAL GEAR:  Though each soldier has the capability to modify his/her gear as they see fit (within reason) for the most part many things are standard.  First off is the cover.  Each soldier has an Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) which has an Army Camouflage Uniform (ACU) digital pattern cover.  Mounted to the front is an Night Vision Goggle (NVG) mount for easy use instead of the ungainly harness.  This is metal but they have been known to break, especially mine, and seems to take supply forever to replace them (still waiting).  The body armor is the Individual Body Armor (IBA) with Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) plates that can stop a 7.62mm round and shrapnel, to a certain degree.  This vest comes in many sizes, small to xx-large, with corresponding plate sizes.  This is the basic vest.  Now the vest is covered with raised webbing to attach gear.  For the side are little plate holders that protect your sides with small SAPI plates, and for your arms are DAPS (Delta Auxiliary Protection Systems) which are the large shoulder pad looking things often seen in pictures.  We call them “bat wings” or “annoying” since they greatly inhibit movement.  Luckily for us only gunners have to wear them for now.  There is also a neck and throat protector system that buttons onto the inside of the vest.  As for the other gear, it is up to the individual soldier, but many things are consistent.  First off is the first aid pouch, which contains a CAT (Combat Application Tourniquet) tourniquet, Israeli Bandage, roll of tape, and gauze padding.  Each soldier also has space for a minimum of six magazines for the basic combat load of seven magazines (One in weapon; six reserves).  There are also a variety of grenade (frag, flash, and M203) pouches, ammo magazines, utility pouches, and holsters that can be affixed.  My personal vest has space for nine M4 mags, two M9 clips on my left side (This is done for quick reloading.  My right hand holds the weapon at the target and my left reaches for the ammo, and I never have to take my eyes off target).  My right side has an M4 pouch that has a grenade pouch (they don’t trust us with grenades so it’s used for utility), my first aid pouch with red tape on the loops to identify it, and a wolfhook attachment on the upper part of my vest for a sling.  On my left leg is a black medical dropleg with more medical gear and on my right is my 9mm holster that holds another 9mm clip (plus the one already in the weapon).  Add to this my CLS (Combat Life Saver) bag with even more medical gear (IVs, needles, bandages, gauze, cravats, tampons for bullet wounds, and other great things) and my M4.  On the M4 is usually at least an M68 CCO (Close Combat Optic, or red dot sight), but there are also ACOG sights (mini scopes), and some people have their personal Eotech sights.  With the Picatinny Rail System the weapon can fully customized.  Other attachments include pistol foregrips, Surefire lights, lasers (for night use), bipods, 6x scopes, plus specially made butt stocks can be attached.  All together my load is approximately 55lbs of gear, though this can differ by 10-15lbs based on the mission.  Last, but not least, are shades.  These are a must for eye protection from sand and shrapnel, and most importantly, because you look like a badass.

M1114:  Next up is my workhorse, the M1114 HMMWV (hereafter referred to as a Gun Truck).  I have never seen so many variants in my life until I went to the Camp Liberty PX parking lot.  Let’s start with my position, the gunner’s turret.  If you went to the RIA museum during the September meeting, you saw what the majority of gun turrets look like.  Some of the variants include have no windows in the armor but have ballistic windows on top (which is the norm on Iraqi Army trucks), and even fully enclosed turrets with a window on each pane of armor, though I have only seen these used by USAF Security Forces at Sather Air Base.  Standard among most units, although not mine, is the use of camo netting over the gunner’s position to give him extra protection from sniper observation.  Inside the gunner’s position will be a crew served weapon, most often the M240B or .50cal (my baby), though some Mk.19s and Squad Automatic (SAWs) have been seen.  Also, some turrets are electric, so a small box with joystick will be on the right side for the gunner to use, with an emergency hand crank in a pouch to his rear.  Other gear one might see is full or half-full water bottles.  These are used to throw at Iraqi vehicles that get too close.  It gives us another step in our Rules of Engagement (ROE) to deter folks instead of having to go from hand warning straight to a warning shot.  There are also different types of armor for the trucks.  The door at the museum is a Level 4 frag door; while the kind used by my unit and most army combat units is the Level 5 door and armor.  Differences include more armor, the window doesn’t open, more complex doors, and using the handle to open it is like cracking a vault.  It is also heavier, which can make it a hazard if one is not paying attention.  Protection from small arms, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), and shrapnel has been greatly improved.  This level of armor is also applied to the sides and bottom of the crew compartment to increase survivability.  It is not uncommon to see trucks with all the wheels, engine, body, ballistic windows, and sides blown to crap but the entire crew survive without a scratch.  Interesting notes:  1) Due to the size of the door and plating, the left rear door has to be opened in order to open the plate to get to the gas cap.  2) Many of the trucks have smoke grenade launcher on all four corners with 4 grenades per spot, but most have 1 or 2 missing from being used.  After reading that last bit you might be wondering what kind of defense we have against IEDs and EFPs.  Well, we have a couple of weapons at our disposal.  At the front of the truck is a long black pole with a black box attached to the top.  This is called a Rhino and helps defend against IED’s.  Also attached to the Rhino is a piece of chain folded over and bolted to the box, which is used to set off tripwires, pressure plates, and other VOIEDs (Victim Operated IED, i.e. booby trap) early.  For technology counter measures we have the CREW device, of which there are multiple varieties.  The antenna is a large white mast on the back of the truck.  Some of you might have seen these in pictures and wondered if they were radio masts.  Quandary solved.  Important to note is that these have a piece of reflective tape, which resembles duct tape, labeled Front on the front facing portion of the mast.  Last and most importantly, is the Mk.1 Eyeball, which can identify possible IED locations and see the trip or command wires planted on the road.  Hopefully these can be seen soon enough, but many times not.  Interesting fact:  Since the Army does not have Electronic Warfare Officers (EWOs) the Navy is in charge of the CREW systems in the units.  Each battalion has an EWO petty officer or above assigned to it and brigade and division’s have officers.  Now what goodies do we have in the truck?  Each unit’s Standard Operating procedure (SOP) differ, so what is carried varies from unit to unit.  The following is what is standard on our gun trucks on a mission:  1 crew served weapon, 5-7 boxes of ammo, a CLS bag, 1 AT-4, 2 radios, 1 can of pyro (flares and smoke), and water bottles.  Some of the vehicles have Blue Force Trackers in them, the screen faces the TC and the keyboard is placed in a tray on the radio mount, and a small white box attached on the exterior (usually on the hood or back right corner of the top) which connects to the satellites.  In the back is a box of tools (axe, sledgehammer, jack, and hand tools), the CREW box, and assorted cones and signs.  Attached to the tail gate are a spare tire and a sign, which says “Extreme Danger Stay Back 100 Meters” in English and Arabic in big bright letters.  Also included are the crew’s weapons and gear which is stored wherever.  On the truck are also sirens and lights to warn off Iraqi vehicles when approaching intersections or if you have to get somewhere fast.  Some of the vehicles have Combat Identification Panels (CIPs) and stretchers attached to the bumper or tailgate, and IR tape around the top for identification by choppers during night ops.  Lastly are all the different versions of HMMWV’s I have seen running around.  American wise, I have seen trucks with a bank of speakers mounted to the rear of turrets for PsyOp purposes and even a gun truck with mine rollers attached to the front.  Some vehicles also have Boomerang Sniper Detection Systems and CROW weapon systems mounted instead of gunners.  The most interesting versions belong to the Iraqis.  First off, their trucks have armored gunner positions but essentially no armor on the sides.  Also, since they use soviet weapon systems, most have RPK machine guns mounted but I have also seen 12.75mm heavy machine guns. It is really cool to see those puppies.  Some of the Iraqis use American weapons but these are usually Iraqi Police (IP) commandos or Iraqi Army (IA) Special Forces.  Another interesting feature some trucks have is an Iraqi flag painted on the gun shield.  It follows the contour of the shield and is apparently hand painted by the gunners. 

STRYKERS:  My unit does not have Strykers, but I have been able to see these puppies up close and they are cool.  Everyone has seen the slat armor attached to the side, but here are some other neat features running around.  The first thing is the CREW mast is not mounted to the rear of the vehicle, like on the trucks, but instead on the front right side in front of the TC’s hatch.  There are also ballistic windows around the crew hatches and all around the rear crew hatch.  Above this is camo netting, which helps prevent observation from snipers, and to provide shade for the crew inside, since most of them roll with the hatch open allowing the crew to fight from inside.  Another feature is the CROWS (Common Remote Operated Weapon Station system which turns fighting into a live fire videogame.  Interesting note:  The M151 CROW has just been released by AFV Club, so get cracking on those conversions!!

BLACKHAWKS:  My mission gives me the opportunity to travel all across Iraq in these as a shooter.  Some of these birds have the windows removed.  Now, for most missions the doors are shut, but not all birds have the window missing.  Apparently it is unit preference, so make sure the unit your modeling either has these in or out.  Another thing is that is the most common, as in I haven’t seen anything else, is the door guns are M240s with the spade handles and butterfly trigger.  I have yet to see a minigun, but I’m still looking.  Also, attached to the tail of the bird are threat receivers that pick up ground based threats, such as rockets, and automatically kick out flares if something is detected.  As for variants, the brand new version of the Blackhawk, the UH-60L, is starting to come into theater, and I have also seen a command and control version used.  The body is essentially the same with only a small cone on the bottom for satellite reception, but the inside has a large flat screen that is a Blue Force Tracker (BFT) and the two back side seats have their own personal BFT systems for C&C, plus multiple radios.  Interesting fact:  No helicopter ever flies in Iraq without at least one other bird to accompany it.

SUBURBANS:  The main workhorse for Protective Services Division  (PSD) teams, civilian and military, is the suburban which has many additions to make it combat ready.  First thing is the armor, all of which have that added.  Now there are two main types, kit and factory.  Factory cars are factory built with the armor part of the vehicle already; while kit cars are regular suburbans with armor plating and ballistic windows added.  This decreases the cabin size and is less user friendly due to the sharp edges around the doors.  The vehicle is heavier than the standard SUV, which means a more powerful engine was required.  The doors and windows are extremely thick, with the rear windows unable to roll down and the front able to only go halfway.  Since a rear gunner is still needed, some vehicles have the back seat removed with a single seat facing out the tailgate instead.  The gunner has a small, square door that opens that allows him to shoot out the back.  Some of these vehicles just lift the top part of the tailgate while others have no doors on the back at all, it just varies by the group.

WEIRD STUFF:  In this category goes all the different vehicles and equipment I saw that made me pause.  First off was a Marine LMTV that had the up-armored cab with gunner’s station, slats of armor on the sides so guys can stand in the back and shoot, grenade net on top, and mine rollers on the front.  As for up-armored crazies I have also seen armor applied to dozers, graders, cranes, and just about any other piece of construction machinery.  I have also been able to see some of the Iraqi Air Force.  For the most part it is helicopters but I have seen a Cessna single engine plane and a C-130 with IAF markings.  Heck, there are also Turkish and Japanese, which are a light blue.  I see C-130s landing all the time at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP).  The Iraqi helicopters are MI-8 Hips, Hinds, and UH-1s.  Some of the MI-8s have rocket and gun pods. The paint scheme for these birds are a dark green for the cockpit area, dark red/brown for crew compartment, and a dark yellow on the tail with the pattern repeating towards the end of the bird.  Speaking of helicopters, I have also seen a Polish Hip, British Merlins, and Marine Sea Knights.  Rounding out the air part are giant Helium balloons with banks of CCTVs called Aerostats that float around the edges of the base and watch for IEDs, snipers, and rocket launch sites.  Things can be crazy on the ground too.  There is an Australian detachment across from my housing unit that has weird ass looking trucks and LAV-25 Piranhas.  Somehow some of the Pogue units on camp didn’t get Humvees issued and instead have old Soviet jeeps with that weird two tone camo.  What is also crazy is the large number of up-armored, wheeled escort vehicles running around.  Now the most famous so far is the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected), but there are Huskys and British Saxons running around as well. The Saxon’s are used by both the Iraqi’s and Blackwater and are painted overall sand for the most part. At the airport there is a fire unit that has desert sand (not pink as my squad leader thought) fire trucks and a bright red foam trailer.  Last of all are the numerous AA guns lying around everywhere.  Most are your typical Orlikon 20mm cannon types, but there are a couple of ZSU-2’s that have been put onto trailers.  Some even still work; though that does not mean I can play with them (MPs are such stiff pricks).

 

In box review:  The 1/144 Schellboot Albatross Klasse from Revell-Germany

Reviewed by Glen Broman, IPMS Quad Cities

After getting a little taste of success with a Revell Type XXI U-Boat at the Region V Regionals this year, I’ve been spending a little more time working on ship kits. I do like the kits that are a little off the beaten path and I recently found one during a recent bout of Temporary Duty courtesy of the United States Army.  During a visit to Fort Belvior, Virginia, I stopped at a new hobby shop, Trains and Hobbies, just off post.  The shop itself was a disaster, it was messy, the service was bad and the kit selection mostly consisted of old, used kits in beaten up boxes with retail price tags.  While wandering around the piles of kits, I picked up a Revell of Germany box to get to something else underneath it.  I thought it was one of the new German submarine kits until I took a closer look.  This was a modern German Bundes Marine fast attack craft.  The box had been pretty badly crushed, the box was unsealed and the price tag said $22.  Despite all that, I was tempted, this kit looked interesting. I went back right before I finished my course and looked at the kit again.  I decided that I would ask to see the kit to make sure it was intact, and go from there. Fortunately, the owner was too busy ignoring me to take a look at the kit, so I left the box on the counter and walked out.  Fortunately, because just a week later, returning from Fort Hood, I stopped in Des Moines at Hobby Haven and they had an estate sale going on.  I found the same kit, sealed, in a good box for $5. This kit was produced by Revell-Germany and is one of a series of kits they produce of subjects with a German interest.  The Albatross Klasse are small coastal patrol vessels armed with torpedoes, Exocet missile launchers, two 76mm OTO- Melara gun turrets, a crew of 40,  and have a top speed of around 70 kilometers per hour.  The first ship in the class was launched in 1976, so they have been around for a while.  10 ships of this class were in service with the Federal German Navy as late as 1994.  The instructions are the normal Revell multi-lingual, recyclable paper, exploded diagram type.  Clear and usually easy to follow.  You just have to periodically refresh your mind as to what all those little symbols mean, such as “glue”, “Don’t glue”, ‘clear parts”, “optional” and “take a break and go have a beer”.  The parts diagram is handy and the painting instructions are laid out in each step.  As usual with ship models, I recommend going through the steps first and determining where you’re painting steps are, as most ship models require you to paint as you build if you really want it to look good. The only confusing step at first glance is step 32, which has you stretching sprue and making what appears to be antennae in scale thickness on the after mast.  The more I look at them, along with follow on views and the box art, the more I think I know what the intent is.   Since none of you have ever served on an Albatross class vessel, I am pretty sure that I am going to get away with whatever I choose to do on that mast.  Since the scale is relatively large at 1/144 and no one is likely to do a PE set for it, this one will be pretty much straight from the box for me.  The decals look to be fair and include markings for four ships of the class, painting instructions and some thread for rigging, although I think fine wire, stretched sprue or invisible thread or fishing line would all be much better choices.  The plastic some in three sealed bags, one for the two hull pieces and two that contain the rest of the parts.  The molding is pretty good detail is nice and sharp and there appears to be little or no flash on the parts. While most ship models require photo etch to make them really pop, this kit may work with just a little added effort and some scratching some details.  Of course, maybe borrowing a few pieces of useful leftover PE from other projects may work, but the bottom lie is that the kit itself looks like a good starting point, or just a fun out of the box build that will look good on its own.  I do see a few problems in that there are quite a few details molded in to the deck. While the over all color is a lightish medium grey, some of the deck fittings are a different color and the masking may be time consuming. The 76m turrets, while nice, will probably need to have the gun boxed in to prevent a view into the bare turret.  Pictures of the &^mm turret, which is a very common mount on NATO ships, shows the front of the turret is sealed, so plan to do a little extra work here.  The Exocet missile tubes will be a challenge.  They are molded in two pieces and each piece has 15 fins that go around each box.  Getting rid of the joint will be a challenge. Enjoy.  The railings are all provided, although they are a little over scale, they will probably work, again, it will be a matter of individual taste.  Some of the parts are quite delicate looking, so using a PE razor saw to remove them may be a big help in getting them off the sprues undamaged. There are some color pictures on the side of the box that will be helpful in getting the color of the hull and upper works right.  They also show some small details, one of which is that the deck work called out in the painting instructions as brown (wood) is actually painted the same grey color as the deck.  This is one of those ships that does not have a lot of info out in print, however, I pulled a copy of Anthony Preston’s book “Strike Craft” off my shelf and lo and behold, the back cover photo is an aerial view of P6111 the Albatross herself underway at speed.  There are no Exocet launchers, she has a different deck fit and the painting is different, the deck is dark grey and the radome is white. Looking at the box photos, I would guess that they show a more current fit that Preston’s book, which is quite dated now.  Surfing the internet may produce some better results.  Overall this looks like it will produce an interesting model.

 

From Hobby Link Japan:

Via GTR Newsletter

On the eve of the 40th anniversary of its debut, Tamiya's Honda RA273 returns in this hotly anticipated reissue, made all the more realistic by new metal and photo-etched parts! The kit was originally issued in 1967 as item 12001, the first ever kit in Tamiya's big F1 series.  At that time the kit was motorized and lacked the detail it boasts today. In 1973, the firm revamped it almost in its entirety to create the item that was reissued in 1998 as TAM12011. Now this historic machine is back for an encore! Its level of detail is striking for a kit created decades ago; it's obvious just how proud they were of actually having won an F1 grand prix with a home-grown machine (although this 3.0-liter RA273 was not the one which did. The 1.5 liter RA272 in 1965 and the RA300 in 1967 were the only two Japanese-built cars to win an F1 event until Honda won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2006).  The engine is very detailed and includes wire for the plugs. The suspension works (rubber tires, of course, and matte silver-plated wheels), with metal springs for the shocks. Wire mesh is included for the main grille, too. The new metal and photo-etch parts include the air funnel, radiator, steering spoke, oil cooler and brake disc. Markings are included for a number of cars from the 1966 and '67 seasons and you even get a well-molded driver figure. A fine kit, with a lot of history riding on it!

 

Box Review: 1/32 X-15

By Brian Casteel, courtesy Orange County Newsletter

Special Hobby (SH) has become quite the contributor to the 1/32 scale modelers closet as of late. In the past year I have personally added three of their kits to my collection. Currently I am working on the SH Brewster F2A-2 Buffalo. The most recent additions are the P-39 and the X-15. The X-15 is so very rich in history and surely deserves to be part of the 1/32 family. Special Hobby has packaged the X-15A-2 plane in a nice sturdy box with a cardboard shelf with the various small parts bags stabled to it. In the box you will find five plastic sprues with 81 pieces, a bag of resin with 70 pieces, a fret of photoetch, film for the gauges, decals and instruction book. I got my kit at the 2007 IPMS Nationals and in my box was a note that said that SH didn't have the injection molded clear canopy done in time for the show so they put a clear resin canopy as well as a clear vacuformed canopy in the box in its place.  SH has done something different in this kit, they have produced a full size set of instructions as opposed to the mini instructions of the past SH kits. The kit's plastic feels a little strange to me; it feels almost like a vinyl and has a bit of a texture to it. The fuselage comes in four pieces, top and bottom forward and top and bottom aft pieces. There is not an engine for the kit but it does have a nicely detailed resin exhaust nozzle.  The kit is graced with very crisp panel lines and over all detail looks quite nice indeed. I dry fitted the fuselage together to get an idea of size... BIG! Slightly over 19-inches long.  The photoetch parts are for the cockpit and consist mostly of instrument panel and other control, seat belts are also included.  The one problem I see is the decals are slightly out of register and the NASA logo on the front is black instead of blue. The only complaints I have is that it's not the version with the external tanks and that I don't have the time to start this kit right now. I'm very excited about this kit.

 

Things PFC Broman can't do:

By our Baghdad Bureau Chief, Christopher Broman
If you have ever heard of the 213 Things Skippy Can't Do you know what this is.  For those who don't these are things I have either:  a) done, b) see others do, c) been told I couldn't, d) even after clarifying.  Usually the result is me either getting praised or punished.  So without further ado

THINGS PFC BROMAN CAN'T DO:
1) Cannot wear a hachimaki on my kevlar
2) A katana is not primary weapon system
3) A katana is not my side-arm
4) May not suggest leadership commit seppuku during an After Action Review
5) Cannot kick a driver in the head even if he braked really hard
6) Cannot entice insurgents
7) Cannot entice insurgents even if "I'm really bored"
8) Not allowed near the Australian, Korean, Japanese, Ukrainian,
Romanian, British, or Macedonian women
9) Cannot designate battle buddy as "Fall Guy" for criminal activities
10) Never allowed to point out military defeats of the 34th ID to Sergeant Major

11) Summary execution is not an army approved punishment
12) Even if it is "to encourage others"
13) May not flail the cook
14) The division is not sponsored by Red Bull (note:  He’s in the 34th ID, yes, that’s the patch with the Bull Head)
15) Kuwait is not Arrakis or Tatooine
16) If driving, the gun truck is not a weapon system
17) Not allowed to play chicken with the Blackwater Suburbans
18) Cannot call the Platoon Sergeant as  "Sgt. Airborne"
19) Even if he is airborne qualified
20) Cannot refer to Platoon Sergeant as Ranger Joe
21) Even if he is a Ranger and his first name is Joseph
22) Cannot wear the following tabs on uniform or put them on others when
they are not looking: Great Lover, Dumbass, Catalog Commando, Recon, PSD, Target, Chairborne, or Infidel
23) Cannot hang Bullseye on back of turret
24) Cannot drive to Baghdad in the Nissan bus
25) Not allowed to booby trap doors with Mountain Dew cans
26) Not allowed to get pregnant to come home early
27) Cannot sell Iraqis on eBay
28) Cannot freeze myself to make the deployment go faster
29) I am not "PFC of the Troop"
30) I cannot respond to orders with "By your command"
31) The Iraqi Army compound is not a sleeper cell
32) The Filipino laundry ladies do not provide "happy endings"
33) Can't make up medals to give to people
34) Even if they have the worst farts
35) Can never, ever perform the "Barbie Girl Dance" in the team room
36) Even if PSD teams are the only ones allowed in
37) Even if I was paid 5 dollars
38) Can't describe the model club as "where I go to sniff glue and paint thinner"
39) Even if the CO thought it was funny
40) Not allowed to impersonate or take notes on any movie involving criminal activities
41) Not allowed to give others pointers on how to do the "perfect crime"
42) Can't play the Imperial March around leadership
43) Can't send PFCs after officers with whiffle bats to collect debts
54) Can't refer to Iraqis as "human berms"
As you can tell I am keeping myself amused

 

Italeri 1/35 MTM “Barchino”

MSRP: $35.00

Imported by Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC)

Courtesy IPMS Tacoma Green Dragon’s newsletter

Background:

The MTM "Barchino" was a touring boat modified by the Italian Navy to be run into the sides of enemy vessels at the water line and explode, either sinking or severely damaging them. This was not a suicide boat as the operators ejected themselves off the back of the boat just before impact. The most successful operation for these small boats was the sinking of the Royal Navy heavy cruiser H.M.S. York and the Tanker Pericles on the night of 25-26 March of 1941. Six MTMs participated in the operation and all six operators were captured; in fact not one single MTM driver ever lost his life during any of these operations through out the war.

Contents:

The kit consists of 44 plastic parts molded in light grey with a decent amount of detail for Italeri, a one piece figure, and a photo-etch fret containing 40 parts, 30 of which are tiny butterfly nuts. It all comes packed complete with a reference manual containing some great museum photos of the MTM and a box sized "poster" of the box art very suitable for framing. Unfortunately the box art shows a red-hulled MTM speeding across the water but yet I can find absolutely no reference indicating any MTM had a red hull. The figure is a very nice treat considering it is a one piece mold with no assembly.

References:

The only reference I used was the Photographic Reference Manual that Italeri refers to as the RPM series of kits.

Construction:

This was a very easy and quick build. It took me longer to detail and paint than the basic construction did. Parts fit was generally good for an Italeri kit, but I did have to add some scratch built spares to the interior where the explosive drum was stored as it is a very visible area if you leave the cover off. Piece 5 is a bulkhead that separates the engine compartment from the stored explosive compartment and in photos it shows to be a solid wall and that's about the only serious modification I made. I also added a throttle quadrant and all the wires and hoses that I could see in the reference photos from the manual that is provided with the kit. The most time consuming item was the 28 photo-etch butterfly nuts that were supplied. Italeri gives you 2 extra so don't lose more than that. I probably spent somewhere around 10 hours on the entire project.

Painting:

The entire kit was sprayed with Model Master Light Ghost Grey and then Dark Grey pastels were added in all the recessed areas, followed by a flat coat and then dry brushed with an extremely light shade of Humbrol Grey. Except for black on the bottom of the hull, the only other color used was a light Blue-Grey used in the cockpit area. The stand the boat sits on has more colors on it than the boat does. I decided to add a little contrast to the stand by painting the colors of the Italian flag before applying the only decals used on the whole kit, which was the "MTM Barchino" logo. For the review I have used the stand, but I've also started on a diorama base that will be used for the craft sitting dockside in the water.

Conclusion:

I hope this is the beginning of a new era for Italeri exploring subjects that are sort of "off the beaten path" for 1/35 scale modelers. It's easy to complain about the lack of detail on a kit that probably didn't have much detail to begin with. The big disappointments is that Italeri could have supplied the Alfa Romeo 90hp 6C 2500 six cylinder engine with the kit and if a manufacturer is going to supply a "Reference Manual" with the kit than they should look at it before producing molds. Thank you to Italeri for making the kit, to Akiko and Bob at MRC (importers) and to IPMS for allowing me to build it.

 

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