Tilly Colours – Mike Shackleton

March 17th, 2010

It seems that we are in luck. With the appearance of the new SKP model and the announcement of the Tamiya’s 1/35 one, now is the turn of the related products of this tiny vehicle.

Mike Shackleton is an expert in this vehicle who has helped Tamiya to develop his project. Mike has a website with essential information about the Tilly, and it is very interesting for the modeler, collector or motor fan.

The book  is a new itself, because is printed in a website on demand.  The author sends the book to the web and when a client buy it, they print the book and send it. New technologies for the press world…

Returning to the point, the author has embodied in this small 80 pages book with square format (18 x 18cm) all his knowledge about the vehicle paying attention to the colours of the vehicles during the war.  Being specially recommended for the modelers.

The book begins with an historical introduction and the employment of the Tilly in the British Army during the World War Two. Following there is a section dedicated to the camouflage of the vehicle, with an introduction  and an explanation of the application of the several camouflages in the vehicles (this is very interesting, not only for the Tilly’s fan, but also, for the British Army’s fan). In this chapter we can find some draws and graphics from the War Department.

Then Mike Starmer contributes with a chapter about the colours of the British Army and the mixes of Tamiya paints to apply in our models. Finally the pictures section takes up 57 pages where the author describes every picture with the unit, the colours and the employment of each vehicle.

The book is HIGH RECOMMENDED for modelers interested in the Tilly and the British Army.

Tristar – Ref 043 – Sd.Kfz.222 German Leichter Panzerspähwagen (2cm)Mid. Version -1/35

January 22nd, 2010

Sd.Kfz.222 is one of the most popular armoured cars between the modellers of the world. The Hong Kong company offers a model with the today’s standards. It is molded in seven sand styrene sprues, well inyected, plus another transparent one. The tyres are made in soft vinyl with a sharp pattern with a really small flash. There is also two PE sheets with the small details and the turret screen, a decals sheet and four springs.

The chassis is very well done and detailed, as the suspension system. The hull interior is complete, and it seems to be well detailed.

The two main pieces of the hull are fantastic well modeled. The texture and the seams of the pieces are one of the strongest points of the model.

The turret is full detailed, but the gun barrels, specially the MG, can be replaced with some aftermarket brass barrel. The turret its well modeled but is thicker than the real one, and it must be thinned or replaced, because it has 1mm of thickness and must be 0.24mm. The photoetched screens have a good pattern.

The decals sheet have markings for three different vehicles, two for the Russian front and one for a Bulgarian Army vehicle, all three in Panzer Grey scheme.

Tamiya’s venerable model can be retired.

El Sd.Kfz.222 es uno de los vehículos de ruedas más populares entre los modelistas de todo el mundo. La marca de Hong Kong nos ofrece una maqueta a la altura de los tiempos que corren. Viene modelada en siete grapas de plástico color arena bien inyectado, más una transparente. Las ruedas son de vinilo con un buen dibujo y una escasa rebaba. La maqueta la completan dos hojas de fotograbado para pequeños detalles y las rejillas de la torreta, una hoja de calcas y cuatro muelles para las suspensiones de las ruedas.

El chasis está magníficamente detallado, así como el sistema de suspensiones.  El interior bien completo, ya que es visible desde la torreta. Está muy bien detallado y tiene un despiece razonable.

Las dos piezas principales de la carrocería del vehículo vienen moldeadas en una misma grapa.  Tienen un detalle excelente, que incluye todas las soldaduras perfectamente simuladas.

La torre trae todo el sistema de armas bien modelado, aunque los cañones, especialmente el de la MG, son susceptibles de ser sustituidos por otros de aluminio. A pesar de estar bien modelada y presentar unas proporciones perfectas, la torreta es la pieza más floja de la maqueta, pues tiene un grosor de 1mm y debería de ser de 0.24mm. La rejilla protectora está perfectamente realizada con fotograbado.

El kit de Tristar trae calcas para tres decoraciones distintas, dos alemanas y una búlgara, todas en color gris como base.

La venerable maqueta de Tamiya puede ser ya retirada.

SKP Model – Ref SKP009 – Austin 10HP light utility truck – 1/35

January 20th, 2010

The Czech company has surprise us with the reproduction of the tiny british Austin Tilly in the 1/35 scale. The model is absolutely multimedia. There are plastic pieces (two sprues), resin pieces (small details, wheels and seats), a big photoetched set, another small PE one with the catadioptrics and lenses, a vacuform piece of plastic to represent the tarp, a small sheet of acetate to make the glasses and a decals sheet.

Maybe the lowest part of the model are the inyected plastic pieces, which make the main part of the small lorry, but this is not a big problem, because the plastic can be worked perfectly. The problem with the car glasses are a bit different, because you have to cut without any guide, and is difficult to add the acetate to the model with accuracy.

Wheels, seats and small pieces are well molded in resin. The big PE sheet is made by Hauler and it has very good quality.

It’s an acceptable model of an attractive subject with a lot of possibilities. You can put it in any WW2 theatre.

SKP Model – Ref SKP009 – Austin 10HP light utility truck – 1/35

La marca checa nos ha sorprendido con una excelente reproducción del pequeño Austin Tilly británico a escala 1/35. La maqueta es rotundamente multimedia. Trae piezas en plástico inyectado (2 grapas), piezas en resina (pequeños detalles, ruedas y asientos), una gran hoja de fotograbados, otra pequeña hoja de fotograbado con lentes y catadióptricos, una pieza de plástico vacuformado que representa la lona, una lámina de acetato para representar el parabrisas y una hoja de calcas.

Quizá la parte más floja de la maqueta sean las piezas de plástico, que conforman la parte principal del pequeño camión, aunque no es ningún problema, pues el plástico se trabaja perfectamente. El fabricante ha provisto de un acetato con el que se tienen que fabricar las lunas,  pero no vienen cortadas, por lo que hay que cortarlas y adaptarlas al vehículo.

Las piezas en resina están finamente reproducidas, tales como las ruedas, asientos y pequeñas piezas. La hoja de fotograbado es extensa, y trae todas las piezas más finas del modelo.

En definitiva una maqueta aceptable de un vehículo atractivo y con muchas posibilidades dentro de una escena o diorama, con infinitud de esquemas de pintura y con posibilidad de situarlo en casi cualquier escenario de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

New Blog in the Net!

January 14th, 2010

Welcome to Panzer Aces Blog.

This will be the blog of the international Panzer Aces Magazine.

At this moment we are working in the new  Panzer Aces Website, and all comments are welcommed!!!

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Bienvenidos al Blog de Panzer Aces.

Este será el Blog Internacional de la revista Panzer Aces

En estos momentos estamos trabajando en una nueva web de Panzer Aces, cualquier comentario e idea es bienvenido!!!