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Editions de Barbotin |
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Trackstory #3 - Les Chars B, B1- B1Bis- B1Ter |
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by Pascal Danjou |
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Reviewed By Glen Broman, #32541 |
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MSRP: €19.50 Euros ISBN 2-9520988-4-4 Right up front let me state my bias. I am a big fan of French armored vehicles, and I like the Char B series in particular, so I like this book. I have several of the old Matchbox Char B’s in my display case, and several other resin kits waiting in the queue to build. Thanks to this book, I have a good reference to work with. Let’s face it; references on French tanks aren't exactly thick on the ground, especially those in English. The Track Story series covers French armored vehicles. This is the third book in the series; the first two covered the Somua S35 and the Panhard 178. The book is soft cover and has 56 pages. It is written in both English and French with each photo caption also in both languages. The translation of the text is done by printing the French text on the left side of the page and the English translation on the right side. A nice touch is that the English text is highlighted in grey. The translation is a little rough in places, but in general it is competently done and, while in a few cases it reads a bit odd, the intent of the text is clear. This book has three very strong points to recommend it. The first is the photographs. This book is heavily illustrated with one to three photos on every page. The photos are all clear and include a few interior shots. My only complaint is that there are very few detail close ups, especially of the top of the vehicle, and a few more interior shots, including some of the turret interior, would have been helpful for the modeler. The second strong point is the color profiles. These are fantastic; there are color profiles of 30 different tanks, along with color marking information for the various French armored units. This really makes the book, in my opinion. Not only are French schemes covered, but German schemes as well and even one tank in olive drab and a white star. Each of the profiles has a brief description which helps explain the colors and markings. The third thing I like is the complete listing of the names of each Char B along with its vehicle number. There is also a listing of tank numbers for which no names are known. A very valuable reference if you are seeking to model a specific vehicle. Also of value to the modeler are the 1/35 and 1/72 scale plans at the back of the book. These fold out so you don't lose important details in the binding. The plans cover the Char B1 and the Char B1 Bis and have views of left and right sides, the front and rear and a top view. I recommend this book to French armor fans as well as those who like to model foreign tanks in German service. The book is available from all of the usual Internet sources as well as your local hobby shop. You should also be able to order it from your local book store as well or otherwise contact them at perso.wanadoo.fr/MiniTracks or phone (33)05-56-62-27-09. |
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