This diorama turned out to be a fairly lengthy process stretching over several weeks in the end but I think the results justified the effort and time. The M3A2 is showing its age a bit from the 70s and the figures are not up to today’s standards, but still a lovely kit. The M10 Achilles British tank destroyer just exudes quality and is packed with details which I have tried to display in the photos. Must rank as one of Tamiya’s very best kits of recent years.
The Achilles was based on the American M10 tank destroyer, brilliant combination of American design and British adaptability! The gun was 17pdr a big hitter. The figures are Mini Art. Group of GIs having a break from fighting! One is reading Life magazine, two playing cards on top of a newspaper. The walls and farm gate are also Mini Art.
This was my first venture into Allied armour of WW2 in the European as opposed to North African theatre. However, I am sure it wont be my last! But have no doubt, I shall be returning to the eastern front forthwith! Watch this space!!
A lovely kit packed with interesting details The figures exude the British bull dog character!The soldier with the bandaged head is a German POW!Basking in the Italian sunset!An oldie but a goodie!
This was a fine quality model by Chinese manufacturer Kinetic only let down by extremely poor instructions, lack of comprehensive painting guidance, and no ordnance whatsoever!
Apart from that, the build itself was relatively straightforward. I added a lot of weight inside the nose, as with the tri-cycle undercarriage configuration, it would have been a tail sitter.
Twenty-four Pucaras were deployed by Argentina to the Falkland islands but were destroyed by the British at Goose Green and Pebble Island before the start of major hostilities (1982). Some captured Pucaras were returned to the UK and displayed in museums.
Here is what Kinetic says about the Pucara
… Argentine ground-attack and counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft manufactured by the Fabrica Militar de Aviones. It is a low-wing twin-turboprop all-metal monoplane with retractable landing gear, capable of operating from unprepared strips when operationally required. The type saw action during the Falklands War and the Sri Lankan Civil War.
The Pucara (Quechua:Fortress) was designed for operations from short, rough airstrips. The retractable tricycle landing gear, with a single nosewheel and twin mainwheels retracting into the engine nacelles, is fitted with low pressure tyres to suit operations on rough ground, while the undercarriage legs are tall to give good ground clearance for underslung weapons loads.
Twin 20mm machine guns either side just below cockpit
The Pucara, the best thing to ever come out of Argentina apart from Diego Maradona!!
Copper State Models of Latvia make superlative vehicles and figures from the First World War and just after era. The instruction booklets for the models are done in a very authentic period style. Highly recommended to modellers who enjoy doing something a little different!
Famous as the onboard catapult launch plane of the German Navy’s capital ships. A very robust aircraft with 9-cylinder BMW radial engine. The pilot came from the air force, the observer was usually a member of the Navy and served as gunner and navigator. The large ventral float carried the fuel tank, two smoke dischargers as well as emergency provisions and extra ammunition.
The Semovente was the most successful of Italian tracked AFVs in World War 2. It was simpler to build than the tank on which it was based, and its low silhouette was a tactical advantage.
This ship was the first steel armoured warship designed and built in China. In the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895, the ship participated in the Yellow Sea battle in which it damaged several Japanese warships. After the Beiyang Navy was defeated in 1895, the ship was captured by the Japanese and incorporated into the Japanese navy but kept her name ‘Ping Yuan’. She participated in the Russo-Japanese war in 1904 as part of the Japanese Third Fleet and implemented a blockade of the Russian Army along the coast of Lushun.
Admiral Ting Ruchang, shown in the b/w photo, a key figure in the First Sino-Japanese War, met a tragic end following the defeat of the Beiyang Fleet at the Battle of Weihaiwei in February 1895. After the fleet was overwhelmed by Japanese forces, Ding surrendered to Admiral Itō Sukeyuki of Japan to save the lives of his remaining men.
Shortly after his surrender, Ding Ruchang committed suicide by consuming poison. His actions were seen as a way to preserve his honour in the face of defeat, a gesture that earned him respect even among his adversaries. His death marked the end of the Beiyang Fleet and symbolized the Qing dynasty’s failure to modernize its military effectively.
An old, fairly crude kit dating I believe from the 60s and showing its age. But it was a fun, off-beat project and I love ships from that pre-Dreadnought era.
She is now anchored at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, U.S.A.
