You Can't Always Get What You Want

I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands. . . .

- M. Jagger/K. Richards


It took me a while to come up with a title for this article. After all, how do you introduce what was, by most military measures, a rotten piece of military hardware? Luckily for me, I have an extensive knowledge of popular tunage to suit just about any occasion. Still, this one took me awhile. :)

Once again, this is an article about one of the kits that I built. As I've written before, this is part of my fascination with world war 2 - and especially with the ground-based equipment used in that war. The subject of this article is an Italian-produced tank, called the M13/40.

Italy's military was not as well-prepared for war as Nazi Germany. Still, Mussolini was no slouch in the political sphere of things; and, like many politicians before and since, he knew enough to take advantage of opportunity when he saw it. What that means is that when Italy entered the war they did so without the same level of tank technology and/or doctrine as Germany. Mussolini, more often than not, picked/advanced military leaders based on loyalty versus military prowess. As a result, the Italian army's leadership (to put it bluntly) did not have the competency needed to fight a winning war in the modern age. These reasons go a long way in explaining the derivation and use of the M13/40.

The tank itself evolved from the M13/39 design of prewar Italy with only minor changes. It had a 2 man turret that housed a 47 mm antitank gun for a main weapon along with an 8 mm coaxial machine gun. The hull also had a double 8 mm machine gun arrangement to round out the tank's armament. It was powered by a 125 hp Fiat liquid-cooled 8 cylinder V8 diesel engine. The hull was of riveted construction of soft steel (read: CHEAP) that was, even by prewar standards, of fairly poor design. The vehicle carried a crew of four relatively unhappy individuals.

Performance of the M13/40 in the war was not impressive, unless you like losing wars. There were reliability issues in the north African campaign. Going head-to-head versus comparable British or U.S. forces more often than not resulted in the M13/40 getting the short end of the stick. The 47 mm main armament was not necessarily a bad weapon, but it's layout in the turret of the tank (and it's short-handed crew) removed any advantages the weapon itself had. The vehicle itself was often uncomfortable for the crews, besides being known as "death traps". I have read in reliable sources that the Italian crews of the M13/40 called them, "rolling coffins."

All of that having been written, I built one anyway. :)

Back when 1/35 scale tanks first started getting good (circa late 1970s) one company led the way - showing that plastic kits in that scale could actually attain a good level of historical accuracy regarding their subject. That company is Tamiya. They're still around, still doing what they've done well since that time. The M13/40 kit that I built is one of theirs originally produced back in the late '70s/early '80s. The cost is about $15.00, pretty inexpensive by today's standards. There aren't a lot of "frills", but the actual vehicle didn't have any either.

For my build, I only added a couple of items to the original. One was a turned-aluminum barrel for the 47 mm main weapon (there's no work with those and they're dead-on accurate - far better than plastic) and a set of metal individual track links (as opposed to the rubber tracks provided by the original). I also added a piece of wire for the radio antenna. All totaled, I spent more money on the add-ons than the original kit - but that's only because the metal track links are $40.00 a set. The aluminum barrel was $5 or $7, not that much. Wire, I have.

Most plastic kits this old have a nasty habit of "showing their age" by not fitting well in large assemblies and/or having overcast parts that need to be trimmed/fixed. Not so, here. Fit of the plastic was excellent throughout, and everything built up well. Even the add-ons went on easily and looked good. Overall, I would rate this kit as easy and would recommend it to any builder who wanted a nice example of a not-so-good and semi-obscure vehicle from WW2. Straight from the box, it's a good value. I think this one would be a good starter kit for someone interested in the era. I did like my result (with only a few small exceptions) and had fun building the kit.

The Italians did have some modicum of success with the M13/40 using them against partisans in the Balkans. The color and markings that I used are based on one of those particular vehicles. I just happened to have a green paint around that I had no other use for. This paint (kinda) came close to the color I wanted, based on my reference source. The green seemed a little on the light side, at first, but it turned out OK in the end. It was also a semi-gloss, but I always use a final overcoat of clear flat to seal everything on well. The markings are actually the original decals and not special items.

I'll call this one a "cute 'lil thing" for now. Below are captioned photos for all of you to see. Like my previous entries on kitbuilding, I think it turned out pretty good, but I could have done better (mostly with painting highlights and/or bringing out more of the rivet detail). Please, by all means, let me know what you think!

These first two photos show the completed build, just before applying the base coat of paint. Note that I painted the suspension items separately, as it is easier to paint the rubber of the road wheels as individual units and then assemble the suspension after that. Also not present are a few doo-dads that get painted separately and added at the end. These two shots also show the turned aluminum main armament barrel.

This is the view after the initial base-paint showing some of the separate suspension items. Note that I already added the also-separately-painted exhausts at this point.

Photo of the M13/40 after building the suspension and adding the decals.

The rest are photos of the completed kit. I wanted to show a very dirty vehicle, and I think I was pretty successful there. Like my previously-described builds, I applied an oil-based wash over the main color, then applied pastel chalks, (both rubbing on and applying them as powder) followed by a clear flat overcoat to seal everything. This not only darkened the green but added to the realism of the kit. The last things that I did were add the doo-dads, then the tracks, and finally apply a wire for the antenna.

Easy Money

Easy money - ain't it hard to find?

- D. Peverett


In World War 2, the U.S. Army's main battle tank was known as the "Sherman" or M4 series. Throughout the war more than 50,000 M4s were manufactured, and the series was updated continuously during its production run. One of the most well-liked variants in the M4 series was the M4A3E8. This upgrade came rather late in the war and involved a major change in the suspension system. This gave the tank a much smoother ride and better traction in loose ground. The E8 variant had the nickname of "easy eight". It was so well-liked that the United States Army decided to keep this version after the war ended, and up-gunned versions were used by the army in the Korean conflict. Some were also sold to other countries, like Israel.

Dragon is a model-manufacturing company based in Singapore (so I've been told). They make good plastic kits of WW2 subjects in the scale that I build in. Recently, I acquired their M4A3E8 kit; it's a scale copy of the tank used by Major Albin F. Irzyk of the 4th Armored Division in 1944. I liked the subject, but I didn't want to build this exact machine. I figured I would just change the unit designation for a more "generic" vehicle. This is the story of that build.

Straight out of the box, this is a pretty good kit. It's mostly plastic but has some nice doo-dads in brass and included a turned aluminum barrel and a metal tow cable. I didn't like the tracks that were included with the kit, as they were not quite the type I wanted to model - according to my sources. I wasn't sure, but I think the kit tracks are for a post-war version. I replaced them with metal track links that were more appropriate for 1944. I also replaced the decals (there weren't many) with dry transfers. This allowed me to model a different vehicle than Maj. Irzyk's.

Building the kit went well. Fit everywhere was very good, with the only exception being the upper and lower halves of the hull gapping at the left side of the front seam. This posed somewhat of a problem, as I figured I would assemble as much as possible, paint, and then add some interior doo-dads, and then put the hull halves together. To solve the gap, I used some spare stock plastic and created an extra glue lip on the inside of the hull halves and used a lot of glue. Then I clamped the gap together. As it is, I still have my fingers crossed that the gap hasn't popped open.

The first photo shows the kit ready for base-paint; a nice standard olive drab.

This is the hull and turret after base-paint and dry transfer application. I have a set of vehicle "names" in dry transfers, and I decided to use one of them here. "Hitler's hearse" looks cool, I think.

This is the view after I applied a black and then dark brown oil-based "wash" over the base-paint. I do this to give the appearance of generic road dirt and grease marks, plus exhaust soot. This also brings out textured weld seams and adds "depth" to small features, making them more noticeable. This looks overdone here, but it gets toned down a bit when I spray on the clear flat overcoat.

This is the view after applying pastel chalks and then overspraying with a clear flat. Making the tank dirty is very important - during the time these machines were in service they got dirty. The key is shooting for realism. Personally, I think that I overdid some of the pastel highlights a little here. Overall, the effect is good though. I can nitpick myself to death sometimes. :)

After painting, I added the suspension and the doo-dads. This is the kit almost finished, I only need to add the drive sprockets and tracks at this point.

The rest of these photos are of the completed kit. They show a good all-around perspective. Overall, I think it turned out pretty good. However, like the SdKfz 251 halftrack I built earlier, I think that I could have done a better job with some things. I did enjoy building this kit, and I would build another if/when given the chance.

I figure that this vehicle would easily fit into a scenario involving the 4th AD in early 1945; perhaps something like a street scene in a Ruhr city in March or April.

I hope that you all enjoyed the story of me building my little "toys". I wrote before that I have a keen interest in WW2, and these provide me with ways of actually getting into the history that I study. Some people might think that I'm a warmonger, but I'm not. What better way to avoid war than to study it? I don't build to "glorify" war, either. What happened in 1939 through 1945 happened, and there is no way I can change that - one way or another. I'm only trying to show others the things that I'm interested in, and I think that this is a good way to do that.

Please, feel free to let me know what you think, about either my attitude or a critique of the build. One of the reasons that I have this blog is to hear from others. 'Till next time. . . . :)

Going Mobile

I don't care about pollution
I'm an air-conditioned gypsy
That's my solution
Watch the police and the taxman miss me
I'm mobile!!!

- P. Townshend


The early successes of Nazi Germany in world war 2 were primarily due to their doctrine of "blitzkrieg" warfare. This concept is based, for the most part, on one thing - mobility. Mobility, as it implies, is the ability to move your forces to where they're most needed. To accomplish this, one needs forces that are capable of being moved quickly; and, as was shown in the war, the machinery capable of carrying them.

To provide their armed forces mobility, the Germans used a plethora of motorized equipment. One very common type of vehicle used was the SdKfz 251 halftrack. It was a versatile vehicle that could transverse most of the terrain that a fully-tracked vehicle could. This was nice (for the Germans) as it allowed the capability of infantry forces to stay with, and support, the tanks of the armored forces. Being mostly armored itself, it also provided those forces with some means of protection from small arms and small-caliber artillery fire.

The SdKfz 251 series was produced throughout the war with fairly few changes. The final version was classified as the "D" upgrade. The basic differences between the earlier "C" version and the "D" version were that the latter version was more streamlined-appearing externally and had changes in the rear hatch doors. Everything inside stayed the same.

The 251's also were produced in a number of variants. One of those variants was used as an engineer vehicle and carried portable bridges, as well as equipment for various engineering functions - minelaying, mine removal, portable flamethrowers, etc. This version was known as the SdKfz 251/7. Some of these vehicles also carried extra radio equipment used to coordinate forces in the field. These were known as "command" vehicles.

Dragon is a company that produces 1/35 scale plastic kits of WW2 ground forces. All kinds of kits. I have more than a few of them. :) Not long ago, Dragon released it's SdKfz 251 halftrack kits in several different variations. I obtained their "D" version engineer vehicle as a "3 in 1" kit. This meant that I had the option of building any one of 3 versions. The option that I chose to build was the command vehicle (I like radios :) :) :)).

This build wasn't like the 426 hemi I blogged earlier. This kit is for builders with at least some experience - preferably an intermediate builder. I don't consider myself an "expert" by any means, but I have built quite a few kits. I consider myself one step above intermediate. Every kit, to me, is a learning experience. That's what makes what I do fun. This one turned out OK, but I know it could have been better.

The box itself contained all the plastic one needed to build the kit, with a small fret of photo-etched brass for higher detail in some areas. There were also instrument panel decals and a really neat pre-cut aluminized paper disc for the rear-view mirror. The instructions are pretty complete and pretty clear, but after reading them I knew I was in for some "real fun" when it came to painting the kit. What I decided to do was (roughly) assemble the kit in halves, (top and bottom) paint the interior, assemble the halves together, and then paint the exterior. This led to a few small problems (gaps between the top and bottom halves) that I persevered through (amazing what one can do with good clamps and scotch tape). :) The tracks were built separately and added last.

Below are captioned photos of most of the kit's progress after the initial build (I didn't have my camera during the build process). I had decided earlier to try a tri-color camouflage scheme; and, except for the "hard-line" edges, I think that turned out real good. I also made the kit nice and dirty to give it that "used war equipment" kind of look. Anyways, take a look, and feel free to let me know what you think!

This photo gives some perspective on the actual size of 1/35 scale items. That's the front MG-42 with the very nice photo-etch AA gun sight, after painting. The fingers are mine. I don't have big fingers. :) :) :)

This photo shows the bottom-half interior after paint and thin oil base wash with added pastel "dusting", followed by a clear flat overcoat to lock everything in place.

This is the completed front firewall/instrument panel. The high level of detail here was the primary reason I built the kit in halves.

The interior after adding a few detail items, such as the seats, back panels, and the machine pistols (I think they're MP-42's, but don't quote me on that).

The top and bottom halves together with the base coat of sand yellow (sandgelb) applied.

The finished tri-color scheme. This was done by applying a silly putty mask and spraying the secondary colors, one at a time. Like I wrote, I think the edges are too hard.

This is the view after I added the vehicle markings, which are not decals. These are dry transfers, which I prefer because decals end up too "glossy" and leave a visible film in the clear areas. Note the division symbol on the front panel (Hitler Jugend division).

The rest of these photos are all-around views of the completed kit. Like I wrote, I think it turned out OK but could have been better.

Please note the rear-view mirror here. This is the best I've done in that regard - like I wrote, a very cool item provided by the manufacturer. Now, all I need is a scale radio operator for the inside. I figure this could be used to model a scene of behind-the-lines action by the Germans in the Normandy area after the allies invaded. Anyway, I did have fun building this kit. I hope you all like it too; again, let me know what you think!

Godzilla

Oh no, they say he's got to go
Go go Godzilla
Yeah-a-ah
Oh no, there goes Tokyo
Go go Godzilla
Yeah-a-ah. . . .

- D. "Buck Dharma" Roeser

Back in the days. . .when a Detroit-built motor actually meant something. . . there came to be an engine so hot, so powerful, and so monstrous that every soul who knew anything about automobiles wanted one. Guys with two girlfriends would drop both to look under the hood of a buddy's car that had one of these powerplants. Without any modification of any kind there wasn't another stock mill that could top it. The legendary motor I'm referring to is the Dodge 426 hemi. Just those last four letters were enough to send any Corvette owner into cardiac arrest. MOPAR ruled the late 1960s and early 1970s, and this engine is the major reason why. The 426 hemi was the Godzilla of motors.

In the same year that Beatlemania started in the U.S.A. (1964) Dodge Motor Corporation designed and produced an engine for the racing circuit. This motor was so successful they quickly produced a "street" version for their regular production automobiles. The differences were slight - a lower compression ratio (10.25:1), cast iron (vs. aluminum) heads, intake and exhaust manifold changes, and valve timing changes. This stock version kicked out an incredible 425 hp at 5000 rpm!! The only bad thing about it was that you couldn't buy one - supply never came close to demand.

Those were quite the days, indeed. While I, myself, never owned one of these "big dogs", (the closest I came was the 383 in my '68 Charger) I would have given up a kidney just to own one of these critters. What's more is that I know I wasn't alone in thinking that way. Well, some detractors might say that they ate gas (well, um, yes they did - they had 2 carbs); but, hey, petrol was all of $0.25/9 back then, so WHO CARED? Ahh, but when the initial gas crunch hit in the early '70s, the hemi (and a lot of other hot engines) became extinct. Economics can suck sometimes.

:)

As you can see, by glancing at my "interests" section, I have a hobby of building kits. My main interest there is in WW2 ground forces, (tanks and such) but occasionally I'll venture outside of that realm. Not too long ago I was up at the local WallMart and spotted a 1/6 scale kit of the 426 hemi. $20. I bit. It was a good decision, too.

I'll call this kit very easy. It's half die-cast metal and half plastic, with a few rubber/vinyl parts. Every part is pre-painted or molded in the correct color. All the parts are also sprue-removed so there's no "clean-up". The only tools I needed were a fairly small phillips-head screwdriver, a hobby knife, superglue, and regular plastic glue. What's more, I could have done without the hobby knife if I would have superglued the chrome parts together. The instructions were very clear, and I had no problems with any parts of the build. My only recommendation, if any of you out there are interested, is that you pre-chase the threads on the plastic parts before you actually screw them together. That'll cost a little extra time, but it'll also make any "critical" fitting parts non-problematic.

If the kit is built correctly, one can turn the crankshaft gear at the back and it will also spin the starter gear and the vibration damper/water pump/alternator/power steering pump at the front. Neat design (mine works fine). This is a pretty good beginner kit, given a bit of supervision. For an intermediate or more experienced builder, it's a piece of cake.

This kit took me a total of about 5 hours to build, over 3 days' time - mostly because I wanted to give the glue time to dry before proceeding. The only flaw in the kit itself was that the rubber/vinyl part for the spark plug wiring on the left side was a bit too short to build according to the instructions. I solved that problem by swapping the #1 and #2 cylinder wires on the distributor cap. This would be a major problem on the real thing, but on a kit most people couldn't tell. The end product still looked pretty good to me. See what you think:

Not too bad, eh? Maybe I should have "dirtied" it up a bit? Nahhh. :)