Model Art Co, Ltd.
Model Fibel - German AFV made in Czech
Reviewed By  Grant DeRue, IPMS# 42477

[book cover image]

MSRP: ¥1905 or $18.00
Imported by Dragon USA - www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Web Site: www.modelart.jp/english/index.html

This book comes in glossy-paged magazine format and is written primarily in Japanese with some English translations. As the title states, this book covers German AFVs made in the Czech Republic during WW2. The focus of this book is on specific models of these vehicles and how to make them accurate using aftermarket and scratch built parts.

Photographs:

The book has 540+ color photos of model kits (in progress and built)! The book has 113 color museum photos of vehicles featuring the sWS and the Einheits Waffentrager. There are 5 black and white photos of vehicles from WW2.

The subject matter is as follows:
  1. CMK 35(t) including a history, a historical fold out map (in Japanese and German), and museum photos. The text for this section is in Japanese with an English translation in the back of the book.
  2. Tristar 38(t) Ausf. B in a diorama. The text for this section is in Japanese.
  3. Tristar 38(t) Ausf. G with a full interior. The text for this section is in Japanese.
  4. Dragon Aufklarungspanzer 38(t) with Tristar parts added. The text for this section is in Japanese.
  5. Tamiya Marder III with a ton of aftermarket stuff. The text for this section is in Japanese with an English translation in the back of the book.
  6. Tamiya Marder IIIM with lots of brass and detailed with a full engine and transmission. The text for this section is in Japanese
  7. Alan Grille M built with a Tamiya Marder IIIM undercarriage. The text for this section is in Japanese with an English translation in the back of the book.
  8. Scratch built + K39 + Tamiya Flakpanzer 38(t). All that I can say is "wow" about this build. The text for this section is in Japanese.
  9. Tamiya Hetzer with open hatches and interior detail. The text for this section is in Japanese.
  10. Dragon w/ New Connections conversion Jagdpanzer 38(t) Starr. I wish I had this book when I was building the 1/72 Attack Hobby "Starr" for review. With this article, you can build an accurate "Starr." Included in this section is a history of the "Starr" vehicle. The text for this section is in Japanese with an English translation within the article.
  11. Alan 8.8cm Pak 43 Einheits Waffentrager with museum photos. The text for this section is in Japanese with an English translation in the back of the book.
  12. Italeri sWS Panzerwerfer 42 with a lot of aftermarket parts added along with some museum photos. The text for this section is in Japanese.
What I liked about the book:

Even though most of the book was written in Japanese, I learned a lot from each author about what can be done to super detail these Czech built tanks. With over 540 kit photos, you get a lot of ideas on how to build a fantastic 38(t) variant.

My favorite build was of the sWS Panzerwerfer 42. I couldn't read the remarks, but the detail of the kit was remarkable, and I'm now motivated to build this kit.

Where the book falls short:

There are 12 different model subjects in this book, and only half of them have English text. With the amount of photos provided, the lack of English text isn't a problem. You know which kit is being built, and you can go from there. What you don't readily know is what aftermarket parts are used.

Conclusion:

It's a great book. It has motivated me to build many Hetzers and Marders. I think you'll enjoy it also. I'd like to thank Model Art and IPMSUSA for this neat book with great photos.


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