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By Martin Klein

Building and improving the Honda RC166 GP Racer: a step by step for novices - Tamiya 1/12 scale The Honda RC166 is the first historical racing bike of the 60’s that Tamiya ever made. This era of racing was full of technical innovations and so the RC166 is a 250cc 6 cylinder 4 stroke engine with 4 valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts.

By Antonio Busciglio

Superdetailing the Tamiya Honda NSR500 1984 – 1/12 scale This article is about the assembly and detailing of the Tamiya Honda NSR500 from 1984, using the awesome Hobby Design detail set and other aftermarket stuff, such as rivets, bolts heads and so on. The model is a recent release from Tamiya, and the detail of the kit is astonishing. Given the very peculiar characteristic of this motorcycle, as the fuel tank placed below the engine, and the exhausts infront of the driver’s chest, I decided to show the cowling not placed on the chassis.

By Michael Capell

Building the Wingnuts Wings Albatros D.V #32009 - 1/32 scale If I had to choose my favorite aircraft from the WW1 era, it would have to the Albatros D.V. For me it has a certain character and design which makes it stand out from the crowd. Add the four different colour schemes included , with more on the way, makes it a must buy for the discerning modeller.

By David Guardia

Building the Bronco M-24 Chaffee 35069 1/35 scale My dear friend, J.J Aos, who is himself an encyclopedia, gave me all the necessary information to place it in Pakistan. Although it is common to find pictures of Chaffles of late production, the early ones were also seen, included in the last Pakistan's 1971 conflict with India. Of course, exactly when I finished my model painting, Bronco Models offer the final release, Have you heard of Murphy’s law…?

By Allon Kira

Building the Tamiya Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero 1/48 scale The model is characterized by a good level of details and an excellent level of accuracy. The build was done without any special issues. I assembled it directly out of the box except for two minor additions: Eduard WWII seat belts for Japanese aircraft and Eduard canopy mask for A6M3 – EUEX318, although the kit included canopy masks, but I was not aware of the matter when ordering the kit.

By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes

Customizing the Tamiya Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA 1600 #24188 1/24 scale In the racing car world, Alfa Romeo is one of the most legendary and mythical Italian name, and each of its vehicles is synonymous with beauty, style, and racing. Precisely, the Giulia Sprint GTA, is the version which this tutorial is dedicated to. A road car, with sporty and personalized characteristics. This is the kind of car that can be found in various classic vehicle activities today.

By Matej Paluda

Defender of Stalingrad or how to make winter camouflage Tamiya 1/35 scale To build this model, I used the old Tamiya´s T-34/76, 1943 kit. Although its moulds are from the eighties of 20th century, it is still good and with nice detailing. This article is intended for newcomers to armor modelling showing how to make a winter camouflage.

By Geo Tziafas

Kitbashing the Tamiya Ferrari F40 photo array 1/24 scale We use to publish large tutorials plenty of pictures and large texts, but when I saw these pictures I realized that this probably wouldn't need anything more, sometimes happens. Looking the pictures I understood all the process… besides not always contributors want to spend extra time writing, when already inverted thousand of hours building taking pictures…etc. I hope you enjoy the pictures as I did, thanks Geo!

By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes

Building the VW 1300 Beetle 1963 - Herbie - Tamiya 1/24 scale The Volkswagen Beetle is undoubtedly one of the most popular cars in all the history. The attractive and singular body’s shape has turned it into an icon in our recent history. At the end of the 60s, Disney Studios decide to immortalize the small car taking it to the cinema screen in Herbie, a movie in which this beetle played a central role and five sequences came later. The first movie The Love Bug which was known in Spain as Ahí va ese Bólido, was premiered in 1969.

By David Guardia

Building the Bandai Star Wars AT-ST 1/48 scale The idea of assembling and painting this model was swirling around in my head since some time ago. It’s one of the vehicles of the saga I like best and besides, Bandai, the brand that introduced it on the market, is a very recognized one for manufacturing excellent models with “snap” perfect fit without the need of glue and highly detailed.

By Pablo Raggi

Improving the ZIL-157 – Trumpeter #1001 1/35 scale The Zil 157 is par excellence perhaps, a general purpose cargo truck and troops transport and for its performance it also served as the tractor for the SA-2 missiles. Although its production stopped many decades ago, still it can be seen in several countries. One of the users of this truck was Egypt and this is the version I decided to do.

By Fabrice Marechal

Building the Porsche Turbo RSR 934 Jagermeister – Tamiya #24328 1/24 scale It was in 1978 when I saw for the first time, the Tamiya Porsche 934 at a hobby shop. Though, the 1/12 model was built straight from the box and without paint, the details seemed to be surrealist and impossible to imagine up to that moment. It was my first approach to that Tamiya kit in 1/12 scale. Perhaps, with the aim of re releasing that success, several years ago Tamiya manufactured the same car, winner of so many championships, but in 1/24 (the most popular scale) which is the subject of this article that aims at helping the less experienced modeler to build the new Tamiya Porsche.

By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes

Building the Fujimi Mazda RX7 Greddy 9 - 1/24 scale On several occasions, when surfing around HLJ, I saw the Greedy 9 on sale. To be honest, the tuning aspect of the art box showing this magnificent green Mazda RX-7, tempted me more than once, but it didn’t get me very excited cause in the short description of the kit, I realized that this is one of those models which doesn’t feature a detailed engine, and this is exactly, what I like, to get detailed engines. But, in the end, that tempting picture of the box really convinced me, thus I ordered it.

By Pablo Raggi

GAZ 66, building it as a tactical truck Revell #03051, 1/35 scale Since time ago, I’ve been thinking to add a wheeled vehicle to my Middle East vehicles collection. Looking for an interesting kit, I found the Revell Gaz-66 (ref.03051), which is also marketed by Eastern Express. However, after investigating, I realized that there were just a few versions to accomplish Quite apart from the soviet green, there was not much to play.

By Fabrice Marechal

Building the Tamiya Mercedes 300SL #24338 1/24 scale Looking at the photos of a real 300SL body, we find out Tamiya have made an excellent work. However, it’s possible to go even further and give the body of this Mercedes an additional touch of realism. Regarding the chassis Tamiya also made a hard work with the tubular frame, very realistic indeed! besides of being quite simple to assemble. The engine and cockpit are not far behind. To paint this marvel, I chose silver that is unavoidable for this beauty. So, the aim of this article is to share with the reader the building, painting and weathering process of some parts, in such a way that they can be reproduced by a modeller with a minimum of experience.

By Christian Franke

Building the Lancia Stratos HF Rally #4 Pirelli 1978 San Remo - Doyusha 1/12 scale Doyusha offered both in the 90s and later only the Monte Carlo’s, making finally the San Remo Rally with the Pirelli team livery. I’ve been trying to get this kit but it’s discontinued although still it’s possible to find it from some online stores/shops and on ebay. I bought one that had been partially built, which involves double work, missing parts, etc.  This article aims at sharing with pictures the experience to rescue and old odd kit, improving it to the best of my skills.  

By Mario Covalski

Building the Tamiya Brabham BT44 a step by step for newcomers 1/12 scale Among the articles I had in mind to write about, there was one that headed my list, and without any doubt, It was about the Brabham BT44. By the end of my youth, I saw this beautiful, simple and successful car, running in Buenos Aires, driven by Carlos Reutemann, one of the most expert F1 drivers of the last 30 years. The purpose of this note is to show simple guidelines following the instruction manual steps, recommending some details that can be applied to improve even more the original Tamiya kit.

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | Gallery | 2024 | July 2024

Tiger model IDF Nagmachon early 1/35 scale


By Michael Mass

The "Nagmachon" is one of the most unique armored vehicle variants. This vehicle is based on the chassis of a Sho't Kal Alef tank from which the turret has been removed. The vehicle was adapted for security missions in the regions of Lebanon and Gaza.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | Gallery | Online Articles | 2024 | April 2024

AFV Club M-113 ACAV Vietnam 1/35 scale


By Allon Kira

The U.S. Army, after berating the South Vietnamese for flouting battle doctrine, came out with their own ACAV version. This more or less standardized ACAV kit included shields and a circular turret for the .50-caliber M2 machine gun in the track commander (TC) position, two M60 machine guns with shields for the left and right rear positions, and "belly armor"—steel armor bolted from the front bottom extending 1/2 to 2/3 of the way towards the bottom rear of the M113. The two rear machine gunners could fire their weapons while standing inside the rectangular open cargo hatch. This transformed the M113 into a fighting vehicle, but the vehicle still suffered from its lightly armored configuration, having never been designed for such a role.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | Gallery | Online Articles | 2024 | February 2024

Featuring the AFV Club Magach 6B Gal 1/35 scale


By Allon Kira

This is an excellent kit from AVF. I built it almost out of the box, and concentrated on the painting. Being a tank that operated in the desert, the weathering is based on natural wear and tear from use and pigments to represent the sand.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | Gallery | 2023 | June 2023

Hobby Boss IDF APC Puma 1/35 scale


By Michael Mass

Here is my Hobby Boss, IDF, APC Puma in 1/35 + Legend detailing sets. Quickwheels tracks, Karaya cables, Accurate Armor fiber antenna, Uzi decals, Anti slip from VMS, Verlinden flexible harnesses, Acrylic paints and varnishes from Vallejo and AK Interactive. I Added orange flags. Also, I installed the antennas for the 2nd Platoon Commander, and added the ammo boxes and wiring harness for the projector.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | July 2020

Building the Trumpeter BTM 3 (high speed trench digging vehicle) #09502 1/35 scale


By Pablo Raggi

The BTM is a specialized vehicle of the engineering corps, based on the ATT artillery tractor, which in turn was built over the T-54 hull tank, using the cabin of the ZIS-150 truck. Not only did the BTM derive from this project, but there were at least 4 other designs, all for a specific use, including a version for Antarctic exploration.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building an accurate Sherman Mk.III DV (Direct vision) CyberHobby #6527 1/35 scale


By Eduardo Andreoli

The DV ( Direct Vision) was always one of my favourite tanks but up to the Dragon release, the only options to build it were the conversion from Formations or the old one from Verlinden. As I don’t like to work with resin, I waited in the hope of getting a plastic injection kit. Fortunately, today is possible to assert that Tasca and Dragon offer nearly all the versions of the Sherman (with guns) that saw service during World War II.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Israeli M3 Scout Car, from an Italeri kit 1/35 scale


By Pablo Raggi

The M3 Scout Car(s) that Israel received from France and Italy together with the M2, M3, M5 and M9 half tracks in the early 50’s, would see service on several combats and also suffer many modifications.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Cars | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | 2021 | May 2021

Improving the Miniart Mercedes Benz 170V (W136) #35095 1/35 scale


By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes

I built the Miniart kit in a civil version. It is a model started a few years ago and some of the images that show the assembly process, such as the stage where the interior of the vehicle is detailed, have been damaged and it was impossible to recover them. However, the rest of the process is explained in great detail, and it is my pleasure to share the work done with the readers.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial | December 2020

Building the Bronco Hungarian Medium Tank 41.M Turan II 1/35 scale


By Steve Jones

The Bronco plastic kit of the Turan II is another addition to their WWII Hungarian Tank range of 1/35 scale kits. Parts were beautifully detailed with little need for cleaning of flash. There were 216 individual track links in brown plastic, two sheets of photo-etched parts and clear parts...

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | Gallery | November 2020

Tiger model IDF Nagmachon early 1/35 scale


By Allon Kira

Here is my Tiger model, IDF, Nagmachon – early in 1/35.
Additions to the model:
- 1/35 droid by Legend
- different resin stowage parts
- Voyager Nagmachon lenses
- Some scratch build
- Paints and weathering effects by Ammo-Mig, Tamiya and AK.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the LRDG Ford F30 with Bofors from Tamiya, Italeri kits & scratch 1/35 scale


By Eduardo Andreoli

When I face this type of project and there’s no commercial kit available, I try to gather as much information as possible, written information and references pictures with the purpose of giving myself the idea of the different parts I’ll need to build the puzzle. Later, I start looking for the kits from which I can take parts from. In this case, I took as base some parts from the Tamiya Ford Quad (Ref.#35045). Besides, I noticed that a feature of this Ford F30 is that it has Chevrolet axles, this was why I had to go to the Italeeri Chevrolet kit. (Ref.#6233)

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Defender of Stalingrad or how to make winter camouflage Tamiya 1/35 scale


By Matej Paluda

To build this model, I used the old Tamiya´s T-34/76, 1943 kit. Although its moulds are from the eighties of 20th century, it is still good and with nice detailing. This article is intended for newcomers to armor modelling showing how to make a winter camouflage.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Leopard 2A7 R/C from the Tamiya kit 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski

The goal of this short tutorial is to share with the reader the construction of the 1/16 RC Leopard 2A7, based on the Tamiya 2A6 and trying to copy the Meng 1/35 kit, which is an excellent reproduction of the real tank. To avoid creating false expectations about this tutorial, I’ll not make any reference to the assembly of the Tamiya kit, or the painting of the model, I just will focus on the modifications. During the construction I took some artistic license (as I use to do).
 

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Improving the Academy M3A1 Stuart #1389, 1/35 scale


By Eduardo Andreoli

When I decided that my next kit would be a M3A1 Stuart, there were not many available options so, I had to choose between purchasing an old Tamiya M3 (ref 35042) along with a resin conversion to convert it in a M3A1, or, this Academy kit. Comparing both kits, the Tamiya’s didn’t stand well the passage of time. The tracks are clearly in bad condition, so, they should have be replaced. The hull as well as the turret, have serious problems of size, and the details are nothing especial.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the RC Leopard 2A4 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski

A couple of years ago, I discover  www.Ludwigs-Hobby-Seite.de, a web site where Christian Ludwig offers his kits mostly made of  plastic, cut with the CNC technology. So, I found a kit to convert a Heng Long 2A6 to the 2A4, that is to say a previous version.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Brach Model Semovente M42 75/18 #BM097 1/35 scale


By Michael Mandau

Brach Models, who is known for their wide range of conversion sets and full resin kits of almost unknown variants and models of World War II tanks, recently released another great product. This time they brought up a set of Italian Assault Guns, one of them is the Semovente M42 75/18, which I am going to build here.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Converting the Trumpeter T-72 MBT to RC 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski

To improve the Heng Long T-90 I read some books and gathered information/photos from the web. This little research made me know more about these compact Russian tanks T-72/T-90, and so it grew my interest in them. So I bought the 1/16 T-72 Trumpeter kit. This kit was designed not only for static but also for RC. The static version has some extra details and modifications, reminds me the, T-34 from WSN, a brand with which Trumpeter sold the T-34 RC. The philosophy of the T-72 is the same, I still believe that the T-34 gearbox with its motors, would fit in the hull. Perfectly.
 

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Detailing the Heng Long T-90 MBT for RC 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski

The aim of this tutorial is to share with the reader the work of adding some details to the plastic, with nothing more than what I had in the spare box, spending very little money in the electronics, but trying to get a model that looks like a scale model and not a toy. In order not to disappoint anybody, I’ll not going to place the emphasis in the mechanical or electronic improvements since they are widely known, but will share the simple modifications and/or additions I made which are easily reproducible. I took some artistic freedom in some areas, to my personal taste, but I indicate the way it should be.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building a Polish A30 Challenger from the SKP kit 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

SKP is a polish manufacturer that begun some years ago making mainly resin figures and updates for AFVs. It was not until a few years ago that they started to produce their own full kits. Having the experience and the means they wisely thought that they could include all those nice resin and photoetched sets they know how to do so well in the boxes so we do not need to go any further to complete the model with a delicate finish.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | Gallery

Panda-Hobby Pz.Kpfw.38(t) Ausf.E/F R/C 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski

When I bought the Luchs from Classy Hobby and the conversion for RC from 35RCtank I asked about the 38(T) conversion which had been out of stock since some years. They told me that would have a reissue in few weeks so I ordered as well. Here the results, I built both models at the same time. It was funny and easier than the Luchs, less the track links which I had to drill one by one with 05mm first and 1mm then. The 38(T) is like a WWI tank plenty of rivets which makes showy the weathering. I enjoyed the build, and as happened with the Luchs I had to modify the sequence of construction to make removable the upper hull. I recommend the kit and conversion, it's a beautiful small tanks but still 1/16 for those who like the big scale. I didn’t write an article because there are many online and since the point of view of the RC conversion is similar to the Luchs' , so you can have references from there.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the German T-34 Pz.Kpf.Wg. 747(r)-1 from the Tamiya kit 1/35 scale


By Mario Gabas Ruiz

During the whole, the German Army captured and reused hundreds of T-34 Soviet tanks, in many cases the vehicles were used as they were captured with just only addition: the balkenkreuz on the sides. At times, the vehicles were sent to the workshops where the typical accessories of the German tanks such as Notek lights, German radios, lateral boxes for equipment and so, were added. The aim of this note is to share the work especially about painting, over a conversion of the old Tamiya kit.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Hobby Boss 152mm ShkH DANA vz.77 – #85501 1/35 scale


By Pablo Raggi

DANA means Delo Automobilní Nabíjené Automaticky, in other words: self-propelled auto-loading gun., an innovator concept The DANA was one of the first truck or wheeled large calibre artillery pieces when it was designed in the 1970s by ZTS Bubnica nad Vahom. Based on a Tatra 8x8 truck the vehicle was, and is, quite advanced with a 152mm gun.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Hero Model Kits Schwimmwagen 1/35 scale


By Mario Gabas Ruiz

To reproduce this mythic vehicle, I used one of the first kits of this new brand Hero Model kits. It’s a very simple kit easy to build where the rear vent grilles stand out cause are very well machined. No doubt is a nice kit to enjoy with the painting stage which I’ll share with you in this article.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Zvezda BMP-2 #3554 1/35 scale


By Ramon Segarra Guerrero

The BMP-2 is a Soviet/Russian infantry fighting vehicle, its design belongs to the 70s and was introduced at the beginning of the 80s. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty (Infantry fighting vehicle). It was developed to replace the BMP-1. The Zvezda model kit #3554 needs a lot of work to improve its details, since it’s poor and with several parts of the vehicle that don’t come represented.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

An abandoned truck. Painting the Mirror Models Diamond T969 Wrecker 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

I received a sample of the Mirror Models kit as soon as it was available, and I was anxious to put my hands on it, I already have made a couple of kits of this company and I was quite happy with them. But this time was a bit different as I already had in mind an idea of what to do with the kit, I had seen many pictures of long time abandoned trucks like this one heavily rusted in the middle of nowhere and I liked much that scenery. So when the model got home I put aside other projects I had running and I started with it immediately.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Dragon Pz.Kpfw. I Ausf. A #6356 1/35 scale


By Alfonso Selva

The Dragon kit (Pz.I Ausf.A Modified Version w/Interior ref. 6356) offers very good detail and complete interiors, with no assembly difficulty. The fit parts are excellent and instructions are clear. The kit supplies a PE fret which I complemented with the Eduard PE#35722 and the Aber 35L-90 of 2 barrels for German machine guns to have more detailing options.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Takom French St. Chamond 1/35 scale


By Laurent Rolleri

The time that some companies started to gratify us with kits that represent vehicles of the Great War finally arrived; this is the case of Takon that began to offer the Saint Chamond in 1/35 scale.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | Gallery

Tamiya King Tiger Porsche turret R/C 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski

I took advantage of the end of the year to make the final touches to the KT Porsche turret. It was all a challenge for me the weathering and made it RC.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Italeri Sd.kfz.232 6 Rad #6433 1/35 scale


By Michel Perez Blasco

There are only two options if you want to build a reproduction of this peculiar vehicle, the HaPM kit (Sd.Kfz.231) or this one from Italeri. Not much to think, Italeri win. Anyway, once the references were consulted, I found out that it also has errors, mainly due to the fact that the kit doesn’t represent any of the three types of six-wheel vehicles manufactured by Mercedes, Magirus and Busing Nag.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the MiniArt AEC Mk.I Armoured Car #35152 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

The Miniart´s model is accurate, complex and beautiful. A year ago Miniart surprised everybody placing in the stores the three versions of this vehicle in 1/35 scale, it was very good news as it was the first time that a plastic kit of the AECs was available. The first one was the Mk.I model which showed the “state of the art” engineering of the Ukraine firm that provided a kit so full of details and subtle parts that the model became a modellers trending topic at the forums for many days.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

GAZ 66, building it as a tactical truck Revell #03051, 1/35 scale


By Pablo Raggi

Since time ago, I’ve been thinking to add a wheeled vehicle to my Middle East vehicles collection. Looking for an interesting kit, I found the Revell Gaz-66 (ref.03051), which is also marketed by Eastern Express. However, after investigating, I realized that there were just a few versions to accomplish Quite apart from the soviet green, there was not much to play.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Centurion Mk 5/2 AFV Club #35122 - 1/35 scale


By Pablo Raggi

When I bought this kit, over two years ago, the IDF S’hot Centurion1967 version was not announced yet. Actually this was the model I wanted to build, perhaps I acted hastily and this was my first mistake. The Voyager 35110 etched set was excellent, it was thought for the Australian Centurion Mk 5/1 instead of the Mk 5/2 Nato, for which there was no specific PE available. This was the second mistake. To make things worse, I bought the etched set before purchasing the kit, so I didn’t know whether I would need it or not.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Italeri 17 Pdr. SP M10 Achilles #6485 OOB for beginners 1/35 scale


By Ramon Segarra Guerrero

The new kit from Italeri offered in 2010 is a re-box of the Academy British Tank Destroyer Achilles #1392 released some years ago with the only differences being a new decal sheet and instruction sheet, to be distributed in Europe. Since time ago, I wanted to add the M10 to my collection of armoured vehicles and although there are other available brands such as AFV Cllub and the old Tamiya, The primary aim of this article is to share with the reader the work made on the kit, focusing myself on the showy livery I chose for it.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Fine Molds Type 97 "Te-ke" 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

Contrary to the real vehicle, the kit is gratifying. It’s no surprising since Fine Molds have always produced full detailed kits and this is not the exception. The weak point is that instructions are in Japanese except for the color overviews. The kit includes a PE part, individual track links and two figures, besides of the plastic parts, of course. To take advantage of the detailed interior, I decided to leave all the hatches open so that everything could be visible.
 

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Hobby Boss T-24 Medium tank #82493 - 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

Hobby Boss is a producer that bets for constant surprising election of their models, far from other companies that provides us with every single version of the ubiquitous T-34, Panther, Sherman, etc. only distinguishable for the angle of that certain part. Hobby Boss may not be as popular but they surely are very original. This time they came up with this particular subject that has never been produced in plastic before, in any scale.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Bronco YW-531C 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

I had this project on my mind for years, not this precise model but making a destroyed vehicle. I have seen many modellers do it with more or less skill and different results. I do not know when was the first time that I thought that it would be a nice challenge to make my own “scrap” but finally I realized that it would not be a single project but the first of many to come, this would be first and the testing for some techniques that I would have to improve, complete and combine with others along more destroyed tanks to come...

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the M4A3 76mm Sherman R/C from Heng long and Tamiya parts – 1/16 scale


By Mario Covalski

The aim of this article is to share with the reader the work accomplished to fulfill this version based on the pictures taken during the construction and the materials used for it. It’s necessary to have some experience because I’ll neither go deeper in the basic constructions topics nor in the electronics or wiring, is an article oriented to the static model appearance, then each one will add what he/she wants depending on their skills, liking and budget.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Hobby Fan M5 High Speed Tractor 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

I think I may have built more than 20 models of the M3 and variants from many firms and each time I have a new one I feel very excited, so when I received this M5 tractor I felt like I recovered that same old excitement and I just could not wait to start with it. Although this was the first time that I had a kit from Hobby Fan I expected it to be as good as any other……or as bad.

COMMENTS (1)

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the AEC Dorchester DAK from SKP Model 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

The AEC Dorchester 4x4 was one of the most common ACV (Armoured Command Vehicle) that the British Associated Equipment Company produced during the World War II, based on the AEC 0853 Matador 4x4 chassis. It was a simple armoured bus with a lot of space inside which made it very popular within the army, so popular that even Edwin Rommel himself used a couple of these trucks captured during the African campaign and named Max and Moritz. As you know the guys of SKP were the first to release theirs and they did it in two different versions, a “normal” one with allied decorations and then this one I made, the Rommel´s captured ones. The painting section of this article will be also valid for the AFV club one.

COMMENTS (2)

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Trumpeter Hotchkiss H39 #351 - 1/35 scale


By Patricio Delfosse

The Hotchkiss H39 first appeared in 1939 and was considered one of the better of the French tanks in 1940. It was intended for use by French cavalry formations. Despite production problems (common to all French tanks in the period before WWII) about 1000 were built. The tank gave a good account of itself in combat during the German invasion of France in 1940, but had too little firepower to compete with the German armor. In addition, French tactics at the time envisaged tanks being used as infantry support rather than in mass formations, diminishing its effectiveness.

COMMENTS

Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Kübelwagen Type 82 Holzgas from a Tamiya kit - 1/35 scale


By Federico Collada

Some years ago a friend of mine gifted me a resin kit, he had made, to convert the Tamiya Type 82 Kübelwagen into a Holzgas powered vehicle. Before that moment I have never seen a picture of such car and when I finally found one it seemed quite peculiar to me. The prominent hunch on the hood gave it a very different look from the normal Kübelwagen.
Editor note: The author refers to a garage kit made by a friend of him, the brand was XS-Project and is not available anymore. Nowadays you can find the Aires kit #3011 for the Tamiya or Hasegawa kits.

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Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Improving the ICM T28 ref # 35031 1/35 scale


By Patricio Delfosse

The ICM kit allows us to build two T-28 versions, that only differ just for the kind of cannon mounted on the main turret.
These tanks production was very reduced, with only 503 units built. The manufacture was largely manual and in small batches distributed along eight years (1933-1949), with just small differences between each other. According to the vehicle we have as reference, we’ll see some differences with respect to this kit.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the FCM 36 from Azimut Productions AZP35065 1/35 scale


By Laurent Rolleri

I’m a great enthusiast of kits that represent French tanks from WWII to nowadays. After building the Somua S35 and the AMZ-30, I devoted my attention to a kit that had been waiting in my stash since time ago, the FCM36 from Azimt Productions.

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Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Improving the Somua S35 from Heller 1/35 scale


By Laurent Rolleri

I spent several years waiting to build the Somua S35 from Heller #81134, for one reason or another I didn’t do it, probably due to the kit errors. I had to find a half built Tamiya Char B1 bis in a trash can around the corner from my house, perhaps thrown by a beginner scale modeler; that I finally started this mythical tank adopted by the French Army during the 30s.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Jordanian M47 Patton Italeri 1/35 scale


By Pablo Raggi

The following article is about a very popular kit and subject but not very well known version. I think you’ll find it quite interesting. In spite that it was an export product sold to many countries, most of them used it with one-tone paint scheme: green. The Jordanian, according to their needs, changed the paint scheme and this is what makes the model so interesting. The M47 was used by Jordan in the Six Day War. The version is interesting not only due to its new paint scheme different from the usual Olive Green but also to other details: on the first hand the Jordan used a desert camouflage pattern similar to the British style, that’s to say sand with olive green zig zag patches; on the other hand: over this showy scheme, they applied their so particular markings with patriotic nature.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Improving the AFV Club M10 Wolverine #35024 - 1/35 scale


By Eduardo Andreoli

Up to a few years ago, if you wanted to have a M10 in your showcase, the only possible option was the Tamiya kit in the M10A1 version. A very bad kit indeed that was almost impossible to correct. By that time, a resin option offered by Accurate Armor (Ref K26 in their catalogue) already existed, but it was much more expensive than any plastic kit.
Only when nearly at the same time, AFV (Ref: 35024) and Academy (Ref: 1393) decide to manufacture a M10, there we find an excellent value for money. Neither of these kits is absolutely outstanding, but at least they are a great step forward with respect to the old Tamiya´s mould.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Panzer III Ausf M early Dragon #9015 - 1/35 scale


By Eduardo Andreolli

The kit I’m referring to, is the old Panzer III N/M from Dragon with PE for the fenders from Eduard #35916 originally for the STuG III Ausf C/D. The aim of this article is to share with you the work to convert the Panzer III M late in an early version.
 

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Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the JGSDF Type 10 - Tamiya #35329 1/35 scale


By Patricio Delfosse

The arrival of the Tamiya kit to the market was a partial surprise. Although, it’s true that outside of Japan this was not a subject that modelers were crying out for, due to their history Tamiya felt that it was almost a must to manufacture the most recent Japanese MBT. In spite that it is not an interesting vehicle for the occidental modeling world, the new Tamiya kit is always welcome.

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Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the T-34/100 – from a T34/85 and scratch 1/35 scale


By Patricio Delfosse

The T-34 is one of the vehicles with longer operative life. Even, many are on service today in some third world countries, and until a few years ago, in Europe, they were seeing action in the former Yugoslavia. Among all the versions developed, this accomplished by the Egyptian, is the one that seems more attractive to me. In the ‘70s with the surplus of T-34 chassis, surpassed by more modern tanks, they decided to mount the Soviet 100mm BS-3 gun...

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Armor | 1/16 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the M36B1 tank destroyer 1/16 scale R/C


By Mario Covalski

The M36B1 was a mix of the M36 Jackson turret with its 90mm cannon, that would be used later in the Pershing, and a M4A3 Sherman chassis. This vehicle was in response to Americans to be able to face in better conditions the big German tanks during WWII. It was not a tank in the strict meaning of the word since it served as tank killer, however, in the pictures of that period, they can be seen as infantry support tanks. This article aims at sharing with you my experience building a 1/16 M36B1 R/C.

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Techniques | Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Tamiya Leclerc, improved and accurately painted. A step by step guide for novices, 1/35 scale


By Patricio Delfosse

The Tamiya Leclerc’s arrival caused me conflicting feelings. On the one hand, it’s always a pleasure to purchase a new Tamiya kit. It’s not usual to find daily releases from this company, and modelers get excited when one is introduced. Besides the Leclerc, it’s an important vehicle in the world scene, that’s why having a good kit of that tank, means a joy indeed!. But, on the other hand, when opening the box, I found a couple of unpleasant surprises. Perhaps they are petty details, but an oversight of that kind is unforgivable if we speak about a company like Tamiya.

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Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the Hetzer Tamiya #35285 1/35 scale


By Patricio Delfosse

Until this Tamiya release, other companies offered us the Hetzer in 1/35 scale. The oldest mold comes from Italeri and leaves much to be desired Later Dragon flooded the market with different early and late versions among them the flamethrower and command ones which though they were a step ahead of Italeri, they still had details to be corrected. A few years ago, Eduard offered us a kit with complete interiors, but excessively pricey considering its quality. Now, I can say without a doubt that this new Tamiya kit in the ever popular 1/35 scale, is far superior to them all, a fantastic kit which includes many additional parts and markings to make it quite special.

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Armor | 1/35 Scale | PDF tutorial

Building the KV-220 from scratch / Trumpeter kit 1/35 scale


By Patricio Delfosse

The aim of this article is to share with the reader the work accomplished some years ago to build a model of a Russian tank KV-220 of the WWII. The modeler psyche is at times, curious, being so many kits available, some day we say “this is the model I want to have!” either because we saw pictures or read something about it in a book, a message in a forum... etc. No matter how, the only way to have it, is to get down to work, and I did so.

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Tiger model IDF Nagmachon early 1/35 scale

By Michael Mass

The "Nagmachon" is one of the most unique armored vehicle variants. This vehicle is based on the chassis of a Sho't Kal Alef tank from which the turret has been removed. The vehicle was adapted for security missions in the regions of Lebanon and Gaza.


AFV Club M-113 ACAV Vietnam 1/35 scale

By Allon Kira

The U.S. Army, after berating the South Vietnamese for flouting battle doctrine, came out with their own ACAV version. This more or less standardized ACAV kit included shields and a circular turret for the .50-caliber M2 machine gun in the track commander (TC) position, two M60 machine guns with shields for the left and right rear positions, and "belly armor"—steel armor bolted from the front bottom extending 1/2 to 2/3 of the way towards the bottom rear of the M113. The two rear machine gunners could fire their weapons while standing inside the rectangular open cargo hatch. This transformed the M113 into a fighting vehicle, but the vehicle still suffered from its lightly armored configuration, having never been designed for such a role.


Featuring the AFV Club Magach 6B Gal 1/35 scale

By Allon Kira

This is an excellent kit from AVF. I built it almost out of the box, and concentrated on the painting. Being a tank that operated in the desert, the weathering is based on natural wear and tear from use and pigments to represent the sand.


Building the IDF Tiran 4 early (Israeli-modified version of the Russian T-54 tank) from Hooben kit for R/C 1/16 scale

By Mario Covalski

The aim of this tutorial is to share with the reader the modifications made on the 1/16 T-55 from the firm Hooben, to convert it into a T-54 first. then in a Tiran 4 of the IDF (Israeli defence forces) early. The model represents a Tiran 4 as it looked in the period between 1972 and 1974. Besides to help the reader, especially to those who has never built a Hooben T-55, to solve the problems I had to deal with, alert them to several problems that appears after some use, like it happened to me with the one built in 2011 (the old kit version).


Hobby Boss IDF APC Puma 1/35 scale

By Michael Mass

Here is my Hobby Boss, IDF, APC Puma in 1/35 + Legend detailing sets. Quickwheels tracks, Karaya cables, Accurate Armor fiber antenna, Uzi decals, Anti slip from VMS, Verlinden flexible harnesses, Acrylic paints and varnishes from Vallejo and AK Interactive. I Added orange flags. Also, I installed the antennas for the 2nd Platoon Commander, and added the ammo boxes and wiring harness for the projector.


Building the IDF M1 Super Sherman from the Tamiya kit #35322 1/35 scale

By Allon Kira

The kit released on 2011, as expected from a Tamiya's, has a very good parts fit and is easy to build, very accurate and requires almost no putty. Some aftermarket details slightly upgrade the overall look, but are not really necessary. It can certainly be built directly out of the box at the highest level. The only thing that seemed problematic to me were the vinyl tracks. I considered replacing them with metal ones, but after painting I decided that their level of detail was enough.



Building the IDF M-113 Medivac from the Tamiya kit #35040 1/35 scale

By Allon Kira

In the 1970s, the IDF equipped itself with a large amount of M-113 APCs, and since then they served in all of Israel's wars and operations, including the Yom Kippur War, Operation Peace for the Galilee, the First Intifada, the Second Intifada, the Second Lebanon War, Operation Cast Lead and Operation Protective Edge. This article goals to share with the reader the steps I followed to build a IDF M-113 Medivac from the Tamiya M-113 kit.


Improving the Miniart Mercedes Benz 170V (W136) #35095 1/35 scale

By Edwing E. Merlo Paredes

I built the Miniart kit in a civil version. It is a model started a few years ago and some of the images that show the assembly process, such as the stage where the interior of the vehicle is detailed, have been damaged and it was impossible to recover them. However, the rest of the process is explained in great detail, and it is my pleasure to share the work done with the readers.


Building the Takom Panzer I (Pz.Kpfw.I) Ausf.A #1008 for R/C 1/16 scale

By Mario Covalski

The Panzer I was a small tank built before the start of WWII .This tutorial aims at sharing with the reader my experience in the construction of this model converting it to radio control, and even will be useful for those who build it as a static model, since the reviews say much about the kit but little about the problems I found.


Building the Bronco Hungarian Medium Tank 41.M Turan II 1/35 scale

By Steve Jones

The Bronco plastic kit of the Turan II is another addition to their WWII Hungarian Tank range of 1/35 scale kits. Parts were beautifully detailed with little need for cleaning of flash. There were 216 individual track links in brown plastic, two sheets of photo-etched parts and clear parts...


Building the Revell Opel Blitz S 3T in a diorama with the Revell Porsche Junior tractor 1/24 scale

By Andre Pantarotto

I wanted to build the Opel truck, is a model I like very much, but why not to take the opportunity to add other beautiful kit from Revell I had in my stash, so the Porsche tractor was added to this build. There was plenty of room for details and weathering which brought more fun and turned the model in a diorama. This tutorial is to share the steps I followed to get this ready to place in the showcase, so here we go!


Tiger model IDF Nagmachon early 1/35 scale

By Allon Kira

Here is my Tiger model, IDF, Nagmachon – early in 1/35.
Additions to the model:
- 1/35 droid by Legend
- different resin stowage parts
- Voyager Nagmachon lenses
- Some scratch build
- Paints and weathering effects by Ammo-Mig, Tamiya and AK.


Painting the Takom Merkava Mk. 2B for novices 1/35 scale

By Allon Kira

Merkava (Chariot) is the name of a large series of Israeli battle tanks that form the basis of the Israeli armor corps. Manufacture of the Merkava tanks began in 1979 while more and more advanced models were developed over the years. The most advanced model is the Mark 4 that went into production starting in 2003. The tutorial I'm sharing is focused in the painting and weathering and based in the 1/35 Takom Merkava Mark 2. So I decided to build the model straight out of the box with no special extras.


Building the Trumpeter BTM 3 (high speed trench digging vehicle) #09502 1/35 scale

By Pablo Raggi

The BTM is a specialized vehicle of the engineering corps, based on the ATT artillery tractor, which in turn was built over the T-54 hull tank, using the cabin of the ZIS-150 truck. Not only did the BTM derive from this project, but there were at least 4 other designs, all for a specific use, including a version for Antarctic exploration.


Building the IDF Tiran 5 (Israeli-modified version of the Russian T-55 tank) from Hooben kit for R/C 1/16 scale

By Mario Covalski

The aim of this tutorial is to share with the reader the modifications made on the 1/16 T-55 from the firm Hooben, to convert it into a Tiran 5 of the IDF (Israeli defence forces), a small modelling project that I wanted to do since several years ago. Besides to help the reader, especially to those who has never built a Hooben T55, to solve the problems I had to deal with, alert them to several problems that appears after some use, like it happened to me with the one built in 2011 (the old kit version). As I said before, I built a regular T-55 of the Russian army and the IDF Tiran 5, but in the basic assembly steps, I’ll concentrate in the general points. So here you will see pictures of different models, about the same topic.


Building the Hooben Russian T-55 for R/C 1/16 scale (included both versions)

By Mario Covalski

The aim of this tutorial is to help the reader, especially to those who has never built a Hooben T55, to solve the problems I had to deal with, alert them to several problems that appears after some use, like it happened to me with the one built in 2011. As I said before, I built a regular T-55 of the Russian army and the IDF Tiran 5, but in the assembly steps, I’ll concentrate in the general points. Then in a later tutorial I will offer, it will show the variants needed for the Tiran 5. So here you will see pictures of different models, about the same topic.


Building the Leopard 2A7 R/C from the Tamiya kit 1/16 scale

By Mario Covalski

The goal of this short tutorial is to share with the reader the construction of the 1/16 RC Leopard 2A7, based on the Tamiya 2A6 and trying to copy the Meng 1/35 kit, which is an excellent reproduction of the real tank. To avoid creating false expectations about this tutorial, I’ll not make any reference to the assembly of the Tamiya kit, or the painting of the model, I just will focus on the modifications. During the construction I took some artistic license (as I use to do).
 


Building the RC Leopard 2A4 1/16 scale

By Mario Covalski

A couple of years ago, I discover  www.Ludwigs-Hobby-Seite.de, a web site where Christian Ludwig offers his kits mostly made of  plastic, cut with the CNC technology. So, I found a kit to convert a Heng Long 2A6 to the 2A4, that is to say a previous version.


Building the Leopard 2A7+ RC from Tamiya/OKMO 1/16 scale

By Mario Covalski

Since I built the Tamiya Leopard 2A6 I was always interested in the evolution of the tank, the Leopard 2A7. I had seen few scratch conversions on forums and youtube but, I’m not brave enough to do that. When OKMO through DKLM offered the conversion I fall in love with it. The parts are 3D printed and of very good quality, includes the FLW 200 robotized weapon station. I managed to add some servos to make the machine gun mobile. I didn’t write a tutorial as I didn’t take many pictures during the build, but this gallery could help others to face the project I hope so.


Building the Dragon Panzerkampfwagen Panther II #6027 1/35 scale

By Michael Mandau

There is always this one kind of projects that you ever wanted to build and pops up in your mind once in a while. This was it for me: In my mind I saw a gantry style signal tower in a fighting scene and under which a panther is positioned. This kept me fascinated for a long time, until I finally decided to build it. I always had an inclination for railway scenes; probably back from the days when I played with the model railroad at my grandfather’s house. So, tracks need to be on the diorama, that’s for sure and as well as something track bound.


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