Minitracks

Minitracks Magazine #4 (New Series)(Bilingual Edition)

Reviewed By  Joe Koenig, IPMS# 31441

MSRP: 10.95€ ($14.58) per issue           1 year subscription (4 issues) including postage 51.50€ ($68.58) Contact:   Editions du Barbotin   25, rue des Jardins   91160 BALLANVILLIERS   FRANCE Website address: www.minitracks.fr . Contents: Seventy pages, gloss paper plus cover with hi-gloss coating. This magazine is a French publication, but it is a new bilingual edition. The left side of the page is in French, and the right is in English. The magazine includes seven vehicle articles, an excellent article on micro-painting a structure, two in-depth articles - on the Panzer IV and the AMC Schneider Kegresse P16, a French half-track - a tour of the Pakistani Army Museum at Rawalpindi, a page of book reviews, and five pages of what's new in Braille-scale (1/72nd to you who don't build in craftsman scale). I really did enjoy this magazine with all of the numerous articles on build-ups, histories, and how-to's. I found all of the build-up articles to be very well done and good for picking up more ideas. Of the seven vehicle articles, you get two on the AMC Schneider Kegresse P16, which coincide with the in-depth history of the same vehicle. I suppose this is due to the fact that there are two new kit releases of this vehicle, released by Alby and Retrokit. This is an obscure vehicle that I knew nothing about until opening the pages. It is a between-the-wars half-track, and one of the first ever made. According to the article, there is not much information on this vehicle, but this covers its development and history. The other history is on the Panzer IV, covering the long-barreled versions from the G through the J. This is a very fine article and a gold mine of information on the history, production numbers, and changes made to keep it as current as possible during its service life. You also get a fine build-up on the Panzer IV J. Other build-ups include an Italian Fiat Terno, a diorama of a DUKW in the water taking on cargo from a ship, a Russian SS21 Scarab missile launcher, and a Marmon Herrington armored car. The article on painting structures was excellent. This individual really knows how to paint! I can't say enough about how much I learned through the article, and I look forward to putting these tips into practice. The tour of the museum includes three pages of vehicle photos. There is no description with the photos other than the vehicle names. The five pages of New Releases contain some interesting kits that you'll never see on this side of the pond, including an Italian Puma armored car, a 340mm mod. 12 St Chamond rail gun, and an Italian Semovente M43 105/25 SPG. I would like to thank Minitracks and IPMS USA for the review copy. Anyone who is into 1/72nd scale armor will really enjoy this publication, and the excellent how-to articles are good for any scale.

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